I Got A Hippopotamus For Christmas!

How many people remember the Christmas song "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas"?
John's family thought I was nuts. Until they met me, they had never heard of this song! And it's an OLD song, older than me, so that's not the excuse!
Anyways, it's one of my favorite Christmas songs, I love tormenting everybody and singing it around Christmas. Heck, last year I even had it as a ring tone on my cell phone! LOL!
Judy said she was tired of me always asking for a hippopotamus for Christmas, so this year she got me one of my very own! Isn't he cute?! Now he needs a name. What exactly can I name my hippo? :-)
Merry Christmas

One Of My Favorite Gifts

Ok, before someone starts fussing at me for opening a gift before Christmas, I need to explain.
This was not technically a "Christmas" present, nor was it even a gift for ME.
For our wedding anniversary this year, I didn't know what to get John. I "gave" him a trip to Niagara Falls, but I didn't have anything for him to open. So, I asked my sister to do me a favor. She painted a picture of our house, and I gave it to John for our anniversary. I think it is AWESOME! She did such a fabulous job! I wish I could paint only half as well as her!
So, I gave him the gift, and it stayed in the trunk of my car all of these months! Right after Thanksgiving, I decided to use some of my money from selling purses, and have the painting framed. They told me there was no way in the world it would be done by Christmas. Friday night, we were out shopping, and I thought about the painting. I said "it sure would be nice to have our painting in time for Christmas." When we got home, there was a message on the machine from AC Moore, saying my picture was framed, and ready to be picked up!
Here is the final product.
I LOVE IT!!!!



Thank you sooo much Lee Ann! You are just AWESOME girl!

I temporarily hung it at the bottom of the stair case. I think that's where I want it, but it needs to go up higher.

So, what's everybody doing today, Christmas Eve?

Last minute shopping? Wrapping? Cooking? Baking?

I spent the morning wrapping some last minute gifts (see....I TOLD you I would do that!), filling John & Jingles' stockings, and putting everything under the tree. I turned my back for 2 minutes, and Jingles got into his stocking already! He's got toys all over my floor! Now I am anxious to open everything! Can I open something NOW?! P__L_E_A_S_E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

This evening, John and I are going over to Beaufort South Carolina to spend Christmas Eve dinner at my brother's house. It will be nice. Mark has a house full of grandchildren now! 4 all together! Becca turned 8 in September, Collin will be 7 in January, Jonathan will be 2 in January, and Rey was just born in September, he's 3 months old. It's been a long time since I've been around small kids who are anxious for Santa's arrival, so this should be fun!

I hope everybody has a safe, Merry Christmas. And I hope that ALL of your Christmas dreams come true!

Love Penny & John
and Jingle Bells

A Public Service

My Friend Carol sent this to me via e-mail, and it made a whole lot of sense, so I wanted to pass it along. Think of it as my little public announcement. And "cheers"

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine.. and those who don't.

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of $hit.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing this as a public service.

Christmas Carols!

John and I are big Jeff Dunham fans. And though Achmed is not one of my favorite charachters, this had me laughing my butt off! Which is not pretty, because I still have this stinking cold, so laughing makes me cough, blah, blah, blah, you get the picture.
Merry Christmas!

Think About THIS!

REMEMBER THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a GIRL!

We should've known... ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

The Fireplace Is Finally Done!

We won't mention how long since John and his parents moved into the house, and how long it took him to finish the fireplace (wink, wink) but it is finally done! And if you ask me, it's beautiful. John still has reservations about it. He thinks it doesn't look right. Email him, and tell him he's crazy. I LOVE the ceramic tiles, they match the furniture almost exactly. Gives the living room the "warmth" that it needed. Now he needs to raise that picture up, because it's way too low. That might take another 7 years. Ha Ha Ha! Just kidding babe!

10 Days Until Christmas!

As the holiday rush begins, I sit here with a miserable cold! Barking my stupid head off, nose running, eyes all glazed over. Such an unattractive site!
I had plans to go shopping today. I know, I know....the malls are a zoo. They were last weekend, and they will probably be worse today. Isn't that's what Christmas is all about (wink). I go out, and fuss that the traffic is the pits, there's no where to park, the crowds are ridiculous, the lines stretch throughout the stores, yadda, yadda, yadda. I don't particularly NEED anything. But, after being at the hospital all week, I just want to get out. I NEED to spend some money! LOL! Maybe I'll have to revert to on-line shopping. That's fun, because you can do it in your jammies, but it's not as fun as fighting with the crowds. I know....I'm a little simple. Maybe it's the Nyquil talking?!
Well.....as all of you guys up north battle the snow and cold to do your shopping, I'll sit here in the comfort of my home, nursing my cold. Hopefully it will be gone by Christmas. I hate being sick over the holidays. Anybody got any chicken soup on the stove?
Later...

Christmas Questions

I found this on another blog, and thought they were cute.
Copy and paste into an email, and let me know YOUR answers.

-Colored lights or white lights on your house or not at all?
No lights on the house. John wouldn't hang any. Bah Humbug! Just kidding babe!
But white lights belong on the house, and colored lights on the tree.

-Hot chocolate or Egg Nog?
Hard question. I like both, but I think hot cocooa would rank higher for me. Especially with Ready Whip on top! And maybe some chocolate sprinkles! MMMMM

-What's your favorite holiday dish?
Grandma Bushilla's meatballs (who nobody knows the recipe for!) Grandma's last Christmas here on earth, mom and I ate so many of her meatballs, we made ourselves sick!

-Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree?
No kids here for Santa to visit. But when I was a kid, the gifts from Santa were unwrapped.

-Do you hang mistletoe?
nope, but we have some growing in the trees. Need some?

-When do you put up your decorations?
any time after Thanksgiving

-What's your favorite holiday tradition?
the only "tradition" I used to have was attending church service Christmas Eve night, then drive home the long way, looking at all the pretty lights. Then come home and have egg nog and Christmas cookies. As kids, we always spent Christmas Eve at grandma's, and on the way home, daddy took the long way, looking at all of the lights.

-What's on the top of your tree?
The main tree downstairs has a big bow

-Do you have a nativity displayed through the holidays?
Usually I put one up, but didn't this year. We do have a light-up Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the front yard.

-Candy Canes, traditional or flavored?
traditional, but I seldom eat them

-What's your favorite holiday goodie to make and share?
any kind of Christmas cookies, or a pumpkin roll

-What's your favorite Christmas song?
"I Want A Hippopautamus For Christmas"

-When did you learn the truth about the "magic" of Christmas?
when my sister was little. I was probably 8 or 9

-Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
most years John & I would open our gifts to each other on Christmas Eve. That was our little holiday of our own

-Is there a special ornament or Christmas decoration that you wouldn't feel like Christmas without?
none that I can think of

-Do you take neighbor gifts/treats to anyone, everyone, a select few?
nope, only family get gifts. Everyone else gets cards

-Is your big meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning or Christmas afternoon? Christmas Dinner in the evening?
Don't really know yet. As a kid, mom did picnic food for Christmas Day. She said she didn't want to fight with us to sit down for a formal meal.
Last year, John & I went out for Christmas Eve dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. Then, Christmas Day we went to John's sister's house for dinner around 1pm.

-Snow? Love it? Dread it? Tolerate it?
Only crave it on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. other than that, can't stand the stuff. Sorry John!

-Do you remember a favorite gift?
my Canon EOS Digital Rebel that John got me our first Christmas as husband and wife. Even though he gave it to me in SEPTEMBER!!!!

-What's the most important thing that you must do each Christmas season?
Shop, send out Christmas cards, and make some cookies

-Do you bake Christmas cookies?
Yes, when I have the time - I love baking!

-Do you leave cookies and milk for Santa?
We don't have any little ones, so no cookies for Sanata at our house

-Share a favorite Christmas memory:
I remember all of the Christmas Eve parties at grandma's house. I loved the smell of all the food cooking! I also remember falling asleep unside down in my bed, so I could look at the lights on the eaves of the house.

Just Something To Think About......

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-Aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.

After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them...CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

"With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God OUT of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Would Anybody Up North......

Care for some of our warm weather?!Good Grief Charlie Brown!It's in the upper 70's, sun shinning, and down right HOT!How do you get into the holiday spirit when it's so stinking warm out?! I am ready for some cold weather, a roaring fire, a hot cup of cocoa, big fuzzy slippers, and some serious cuddle time! I am tired of driving around town with the A/C cranked up, and burning up in all of the stores!My Christmas cards are now in the mail. My shopping is done (I think), and I am ready to enjoy the holiday. How is your progress?Care to share a picture of the view outside of your window? Right now, John is washing the 4 wheelers outside of my window. Kinda boring, so I won't bother you with a picture. LOL!

Only 18 Days Till Christmas!

Actually 17, as I write this, it's almost tomorrow.
Not much new to report from this end of the world.
Today I got a hair cut. Wish I had a "before" picture, and share an "after" picture. I need an after picture just so I can figure out how to style it like he did! I am not good at styling my hair. No matter how it gets cut, it always turns out looking the same! I am trying to grow my hair out a bit, so I had my stylist cut it "long". In other words, I paid a bunch of money to get a trim, and shape it up a bit.
John liked it, said it looked "poofy". Let's see how poofy it looks when I get my hands on the brush and blow dryer! LOL!
We are sitting here watching Mr Bean's Holiday. The only thing I can say about it is, SAVE YOUR MONEY! Don't waste your time or money on this one!
Last weekend we watched I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry. Now THAT was a great movie! I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time! But, if you feel like you must see Mr Bean, let me know, you can have my copy! BLECK!
Well........I've bored everybody long enough, let me let you get back to life.

Final Craft Show Was HUGE Success!

YEA ME!

I KNEW I'd have better luck with "home field" advantage! I was selling things before I could even unpack the boxes! Nurses from our night shift were downstairs 5 minutes after I got there, going thru the boxes, and buying my things before they were even on display! The crowds were great, census is still high in the hospital, so lots of visitors roaming the halls, and lots of employees working. I was right down the hall from the cafeteria, so I got all of that traffic in and out getting their food. I sold way more than at Candler! And overall, I am a very happy camper!
The bows went over really well early in the day. I made a total of 36 of them, but I bet I brought home 19 all together. That's ok though, at $10 a bow, I paid for the ribbon that went into them. Now I have something to decorate the house with! Anybody need a pretty bow? Or need a purse or diaper bag? I don't have very many left, but do still have a few.

Now I got a pocket full of money, and I need to spend it! LOL!

Tomorrow is December! Can you believe November is over already? Only 25 days till Christmas. Do you know what you are getting me? wink wink My shopping is done (I think) I just need to get the cards into the mail, and sit back and enjoy the holiday without all of the hustle and bustle. Judy leaves for Boston in the morning, and she'll be gone for 12 days! So, John and I get to "play house" so....if the house is rockin'.................LOL!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Turkey Day!

So I'm a little late.
Sue me!
Some of us had to work the holiday.
Am I bitter about that?
Heck yea!
I haven't worked 3 days in a row in a longgg time. And this week, I had to work those dreaded 3 days in a row! It was utter chaos at work! Of course we had a skeleton crew. Staffing sucked, after all, it was a holiday week, census SHOULD have been low. One of our doctors did 5 total joint replacements the day before Thanksgiving, yes, 5! It was not fun at all!
Then, Thanksgiving morning, I get up to go to work, drag my sleepy shell of a body into the bathroom to take that glorious hot shower to get the blood pumping, and the eyes open. Not a single drop of water would even trickle out of the spigot! Nothing, zip, zilch, nadda. How in the world do I get ready for work, when I can't shower?! I was stressed out, trying to figure out what the heck I would do with my hair! Talk about a bad hair day! I used a curling iron, trying to get it to do something. Then, the kick in the head, everyone complimented me on my hair! Are you SERIOUS! Can you say ICK?!
Of course my day sucked. The hospital did feed us a turkey dinner, but it's not the same as home cooking. The turkey was dry, the sweet potatoes had no marshmallows on them, and I had myself all geared up for a piece of pumpkin pie. All of the pie they had was sweet potato! What?! No pumpkin?! I about came unglued! Those poor cafeteria workers! I pouted, I fussed. I was stuck in that God-forsaken hospital for the holiday, over-worked, under-staffed, under appreciated, I wouldn't get to eat with my family, and the only thing I was looking forward to was a piece of pumpkin pie! Was it too much to ask to have just one piece of pumpkin pie?! The cashier felt so sorry for me, she told me to come back at suppertime, and she would have a slice of pumpkin pie for me! :-) I watched that clock the rest of the day, waiting for my slice of pie. It wasn't as good as my mom's, or even my own, but it was a sweet slice of heaven in my hectic day.

So, Thanksgiving is over for yet another year. Now the Christmas countdown begins!
Yes, I went shopping on "Black Friday". I wasn't crazy enough to be out there at 4am, but I got out. Most of the crazy people were gone by the time I went out. Circuit City was a zoo (of course), but I didn't see any big bargains. I wanted a Wii, but I've about given up looking for the stupid thing! I've only been looking since this time LAST YEAR! Why can't Nintendo meet the customers demands?! Why did they release this thing, if they couldn't keep it on the shelves?! It's been a friggin' year, I figured by now everyone in the country had one, but me!
I did get the winter coat I had my eye on for a couple of months. I am proud of the deal I got on it. Now I won't freeze when John and I go to Stowe in February!

What else?............I played house wife today. Cleaning, laundry, decorating, throwing things out. I want to put up our Christmas tree, but I figure Jingles will knock it down. I might sit it up, undecorated for a while, and see how he does. That way, I won't have to worry about him breaking anything.

My final craft show is Friday. I want to make sure I make some money, so I brainstormed over what else to offer. What can I do, that nobody else will have, that will fly out the window? I was making a big bow for on top of Judy's tree. And I remembered last year I made some bows at work, and people asked me how much I would charge to make them bows. So, I went to Michael's, and stocked up on Christmas ribbon, and I am making big bows with long streamers on them. I hope all of my work was not senseless. I hope they sell. Who knows, ......maybe I'll make enough money to buy a Wii.......if I could ever FIND one!

1 Month From Today Is Christmas!
Do you know what you are getting me? wink

My First Craft Show

Yesterday was my first craft show ever.
The hopsital was sponsoring an employee craft show. Our organization is a combination of 2 of Savannah's oldest hospitals. The craft show yesterday was at our other facility.
The crowd was pretty light. Not much traffic. And it doesn't help when you don't personally know a lot of the people there. Folks would be browsing my stuff, then they realized they knew the lady next to me, and they rushed over to see what she had, totally blowing me off. :-( I did ok, but not as well as I had hoped. Also too many people selling purses. Even though mine were MUCH nicer!
The show at my hospital is November 30. I am hoping things go better there. People know me, and a lot of people know I am going to be selling my bags. They've already seen them, and they are waiting to get some.
So, wish me luck, and hopefully I will do better.
I already spent what I made on Christmas presents. :-)

Ok, I Thought This Was Pretty Cool

But I bet Claudia would not be very appreciative that they thought I looked like her!
I omitted all the MEN it said I looked like! How Rude!
But, not as rude as saying I look like Hillary!
I've always thought I looked a lot like Gina Davis, and it didn't even mention her.

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

My Jingles, a Hero
Sunday after the morning news paper, and breakfast, John went to work to mount a sign, and Judy went off to church. When I had had enough of the morning news, I went upstairs to get some work done. Jingles was in my craft room, and being very vocal. At first I blew him off, he's up to something, and just wanting some attention. I was putting things away, and as I passed by the door, I noticed he had something on the floor in front of my bookcase. At first it looked like a dead leaf. I figured he had gotten into one of my plants again.....bad kitty. But the leaf moved. And it didn't look like a leaf. It actually looked like a leach, or a centipede! What in the world did he have?! As I approached him, the thing moved! So, it definately was NOT a leaf. He's pawing at it, and meowing like crazy. I looked up close, still unable to make out what this alien object was on my floor. Then it dawned on me what it could be......Amadeus.........my Betta fish! Poor fishy tried to commit fishacide, and jumped out of his bowl, onto the floor! But Jingles saved his life. He kept meowing to get his momma's attention. He could have had fresh fish for brunch, but he saved the little fishey instead!
Jingles is such a good little kitty kat!

In Honour Of Veteran's Day

This story was emailed to me by a very close friend who also happens to be a soldier in our U.S. Army. I knew I had to hang onto the story, and put it on my blog for Veteran's Day.

Sometimes The Little Things We Take For Granted

Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt, fertilizer, and some grass seeds, so he can have the sweet aroma, and feel the grass grow beneath his feet.
Sometimes we are in such a hurry, we forget about the little things that we take for granted. Upon reading this, please say a prayer for our soldiers who give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.


Naturally, I tend to be skeptical of anything I read on the Internet. People like to make things up. So, I researched this story on Urban Legends, and indeed it is true. The following story brought tears to my eyes.

The photograph displayed above is genuine, and shows Warrant Officer 1 Brook Turner tending a plot of grass with a pair of scissors at a military post north of Baghdad. The picture was taken by Staff Sgt. Mark Grimshaw in mid-July 2004.

According to the Salem Stateman Journal, Turner asked his wife to send him some grass seed because he missed the green he was accustomed to in Hawaii, and before that in Oregon.

Kim Turner was happy to send her husband a little slice of home. She bought a packet of grass seed and a small hoe and mailed them with other goodies in a care box.

Brook prepared a spot behind the single-side trailer he shares with a few other soldiers, lining the 3-foot-by-7-foot area with large rocks, and adding some dirt.

As soon as the seed arrived, he planted it. He knew keeping the seed moist would be a challenge in the 125-degree heat.

His fellow soldiers teased him about his failed project, but he was determined to grow a patch of grass. He talked with some Iraqis civilians authorized to be on post, and arranged to buy some sod. He purchased seven 1-foot-by-3-foot patches.

Turner watered his lawn three times a day. He used a 5 gallon jug he filled in the bathroom, where the camp has running water.

Every morning, before reporting to duty, Turner and his fellow soldiers walk barefooted through their little patch of grass. Starting their day walking on U.S. SOIL.


God Bless all the men and women who have served, and who are currently serving, to allow me and my family to live safe.

Who Wants COOKIES?!

I got this e-mail from an old high school friend Becky, and had to share it right away!
Not all of the links work, but the majority of them do.


This is remarkable! Even if you have no particular interest, please pass on to the bakers in your life. They'll appreciate it. Just click on the name of the cookie and bam the recipe is there. Good to keep handy 1-2-3 Cookies 7 Layer Cookies Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies Almond Crescent Shortbread Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Apricot Fold-Overs Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Biscotti Blueberry Cookies Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Bronwnies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buccaneer Snowballs Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Window Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares Crème Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies<> Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies Ginger Crinkles Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookie s Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee Jumbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings < style="COLOR: #bf277e; 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A Day At The Zoo!

Yesterday, Judy and I spent the day at the zoo! I love when we can have a November day with sunny skies, and temps in the 70's! A BIG difference from when I lived in Ohio, and I can't say that I miss that weather at all.
The zoo was really nice. Not a big crowd, and you couldn't have asked for better weather. Afterwards, I got to check out a Hobby Lobby store. Ok, I am addicted! Why can't we have one in Savannah? Of course, if we had one close by, I'd go broke in there! It's for my own good that we don't have one!
Here is a sampling of my favorite zoo photos. Hope you like them!

Why Cats Hate Halloween!

Ok, it took us forever to get a good picture. But, this is why cats hate Halloween! Especially MY cats! LOL!
Jingle Bells did NOT think this was funny!
But, then again, Christmas is his Holiday.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Boy, I used to LOVE Halloween as a kid! We spent weeks trying to decide what we wanted to dress up as. Unfortunately, when I was a youngster, grandma made Halloween costumes for me and Mark. Mine was a clown, and Mark's was a witch. I dressed up as that clown for years! I got too tall for the costume, and the pants were like capri's on me (when capri's were NOT in style! Then, when Mark outgrew the witch, I had to be a witch. No store bought costumes for us, no way. Grandma made these great costumes, and by God we were going to wear them. We had to use these tired costumes, year after year. Oh well. They were great when they were brand new, but they got old quick!
Then the witching day of Halloween finally came. The night we had waited so anxiously for all month long! I remember scarfing down my dinner as quick as possible, so we could get out and go trick or treating.
Now mind you, we lived on a big, steep hill. It was torture walking around to all of those houses! Kids today get driven around in cars, not us, we had to hoof it, up and down these steep hills, up and down steep stairs. And we only had 1 hour to trick or treat. From 6-7. These kids in our neighborhood will be walking around at 4pm, right after school! And, when I lived in the apartment, kids would ring my bell at 10pm! Not in the 70's in Ohio. You had 1 hour to hit as many houses as you could, and be back inside the house. We were like mini marathoners. Running from one house to another, tripping over our costumes, tripping over sidewalks. Sometimes, you had to leave the wounded behind, you couldn't have anybody slowing down your progress! I remember the house of one older lady. Every year, she made us all come into her house, and the drilling began. What were we dressed up as, who were my parents, where did we live. Yadda, yadda, yadda! Look, I'm a frickin clown lady, now give me my candy, you're slowing me down! It only took a view visits to her house before we realized this was the house to avoid in future years! Our time was precious, and we didn't have time for all of her crap!
I loved trick or treating as a kid. We had no worries of poisoned candy, or sex offenders. We left the parents at home, and walked ourselves. And we were safe. It was a great time to grow up. I feel so sorry for the kids now! I remember getting popcorn balls, homemade cookies, fudge, and brownies. And not being afraid to eat it!
Then, our hour was over, and we had to go home. Daddy made us dump our stash out on the floor, and he did the daddy inspection. This consisted of confiscating every GOOD piece of candy we had! His favorites were Buns, Snickers, anything with peanuts. He pulled things out of the pile, saying "you don't like these, or these." We got stuck with the plain Hershey bars, the Mary Jane's, the jaw breakers, bubble gum. He got all the good stuff. I was in high school before I ate my first Snicker's bar! He had me convinced I didn't like them!
Then, you pigged out on the candy daddy didn't take away from you, and you tried to go to bed. We were exhausted from the running around, but at the same time, on a major sugar high from the candy, and couldn't sleep!
That candy would last us until Thanksgiving, we got so much. I remember sneaking candy while being in my bed. One night, I was being ever so quiet, trying not to make any noise with the wrapper. Then fear struck, what the heck was I gonna do with that wrapper? Mom was going to find it, and I was going to be in big trouble! That was the first and last time I ever ate a wrapper. Yes, I ate it! I hang my head in shame about it now, but, you gotta do what you gotta do!
I loved Halloween then.
I hope everyone has a safe, and Happy Halloween. And don't eat too much candy. If you can't finish it all, you can send me some. LOL!


I found this on the Internet. I though it was cute.What message are you sending to others regarding your favorite candy? I like Snickers and Reese cups. What's that say about me?

Three Musketeers: Does well in groups but is somewhat pompous. Prone to fancy costumes and arcane weapons. Wears hats in public that are ill-advised.

Almond Joy: I'm going to put aside my aversion to coconut in praising these folks as happy-go-lucky.

Bit-O-Honey: They have contradictory personalities, hoping to express generosity but also having the passive-aggressive desire to damage the fillings of trick-or-treaters.

Butterfinger: Evasive, slippery, not necessarily to be trusted.

Candy Corn: Purely deluded people. They don't get that candy shouldn't attempt to imitate other food groups, particularly corn.

Good & Plenty: Optimistic, perhaps overly so. A little bit of Weimar energy. Strong advocate of gay rights; acquainted with the bitterness at the center of most lives.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Generous souls. Those who understand the salty in life, as well as the sweet.

Snickers: Just going with the crowd, the safe candy choice, guaranteed to please the masses. Not ambitious, but dependable.

Congrats To The Sox!

In honor of all of John's cousins who live in New England, I just wanted to say "way to go" on the Boston Red Sox winning the 2007 World Series! I know there is some major partying taking place up there! Wish I were there to join in the festivities. :-(
Anywho......here is a picture I took of the World Series cow when we were in your fine Beantown.


I have GOT to get up that way some fall to see a real New England fall. So, everyone convince John that he needs to bring me!
I want to stroll thru a quaint little town all bathed in fall colors.
I want to see Salem Mass, and the coastline of Maine.
I want to drink some hot muled cider in front of a warm fireplace.
I want to pick pumpkins in a pumpkin patch, and take an old fashioned hayride.
I want to see a dusting of snow on fresh fallen fall leaves.
I know it's too late for this year, so we need to work on him for next year!

News Flash! The Time Doesn't Change Until NEXT Week!

Ok, so last year I changed out my alarm clock, buying one of those fancy smart-set clocks. It resets itself if there is a power outage, and it changes itself when Daylight Savings time begins and ends. As y'all are well aware, last night should have been the night we change our clocks. But, no, someone came up with the idea to delay it until NEXT Sunday.
I worked this weekend, which means getting up at 5:15 am. Thankfully, we were talking about the new time change, so I was thinking about it all night. I went to bed, wondering if my clock was going to mess up.
Well, guess what?
IT DID!
I woke up after 2, went back to sleep. Woke up again, look at the clock and it's saying 2:05?! What the ____?! I look at John's clock, and it's actually 3:05. If I hadn't put 2 and 2 together, if I hadn't been thinking about it all night long, if John didn't have a clock too, I would have been a hour late for work! Stupid technology!
Now, the question is, will my clock reset itself NEXT Sunday?
I don't have to get up next Sunday morning, so it's not such an issue as it was today.

Feline Friday

It was a rainy, cool, fall day today. A purrfect day for staying home, and catching up on some much needed sewing for the craft shows. I was hard at work, when I heard a rustling in my closet. Jingles was digging in some shopping bags, obviously something had grabbed his attention. I turned from the machine to see what he was up to, and here is what I found.....

He STOLE one of the feather boas that I purchased to add to the top of a purse! He looked so cute, and so guilty, I just had to snap his picture.
Here he was just moments later, with a feather he plucked out of the purple "bird" he killed! LOL

Now who could possibly punish that sweet little face?!
By the way, I forgot to blog yesterday, just wanted to remind everyone that yesterday was 2 MONTHS UNTIL CHRISTMAS! Do you know what you are getting me? LOL!

What I Have Been Up To Lately

You ask, what have I been up to lately? Well.....here's a picture of what has been occupying most of my spare time.


I am doing my first ever craft show on Nov 16 and again on Nov 30th. I make purses, and bags. So far, I have 56 of the small zippered shoulder bags, 6 diaper bags, and 32 purses. Ranging in all types of themes. Cartoons, animal print, college mascots, ect, ect, ECT!
I pray these purses sell! Otherwise, EVERYONE I lknow will be getting a hand made purse for Christmas! So watch out! LOL!
If you see anything that looks interesting, drop me an email, I can put it aside for ya.
After all this work, my poor craft room will never be the same! Right now, it looks like Hurricane Penny has struck! Just push the door shut, so John doesn't fuss. :-)

Something All Mothers Would Appreciate

Here's another video that I thought everyone would love to see. Especially all you moms out there! I love www.youtube.com, I can watch videos for hours on end. What ever would we do without the internet? Who knows, I'd probably be able to sit down and read a book again. Does anyone remember the last book they read?! LOL