Wordless Wednesday...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

From this year's Pumkin Carving Party

Pumpkin Bread

This post is for Scribbit's Winter Bazaar...even though today is Halloween I opted to do a more Autumn themed recipe. Pumpkin Bread is a great dessert bread, and would be a great thing to bring to a Halloween get together...

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Bread
Yield: 3 loaves
3 c Sugar
3 1/2 c Flour
1/2 t Salt
2 t Baking soda
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Nutmeg
4 lg Eggs
1 c Vegetable oil
2 c Pumpkin (cooked)
2/3 c Water
1 1/2 c Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter your containers well. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the eggs, oil, pumpkin and water. Beat thoroughly. It's easier to get all the lumps out if you use an electric mixer. Stir in the walnuts with a wooden spoon if you decide you want nuts in the bread. Pour the batter into the containers, filling each only half to two-thirds full. Bake for 60 minutes, for regular loaves, or 15 to 20 if you are making muffins. I usually make two loaves and a dozen or so muffins with this recipe. The bread is done when a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Cool about ten minutes, then loosen the edges of the bread with a knife, and turn out of the pans to cool the rest of the way on a rack.

Only 8 more weeks!

Eight more weeks until Christmas Day! Are you ready?

Halloween traditions...

We are not huge Halloween fans around here. We don't hate it or anything, but it gets to be a hassle sometimes. Back when we lived in Salem we would do a little bit of Trick or Treating, and at church they would have an annual Trunk or Treat where the kids could go trick or treating around the church parking lot to the cars of church members. They don't do that here, so over the last three Halloweens we have not gone Trick or Treating. #5 has never even stood on a porch and held a bucket out begging for candy. He was a baby the last time we braved the Trick orTreat scene, and was only about four months old.



Still...we do have fun on Halloween. The last couple of years we have stayed home and had a family movie night and eaten junk food. We will watch some spooky shows, like...Scooby Doo, or Halloween Episodes from some of our DVD box sets like Home Improvement or Cosby and we just enjoy time as a family. The boys still get candy from school, and we get a couple of bags for home, and since we usually only get one or two trick or treaters, we have a lot left over. We don't have to get cold or wet (its almost always rainy on Halloween here), and we get to talk to each other and enjoy each other. We also don't have to sort through the candy to throw out the cheap or scary stuff, since we only get quality goods here. So far, the boys have not complained about the lack of Trick or Treating...and believe me...they are the kind that would let us know if it bothered them.

#1 as a black hole...

Now before you worry that my kids are missing out on dressing up for Halloween...my sister has a family pumpkin carving party every year, and the kids dress up for that. This year's was last night and we all had fun carving pumpkins, eating, and seeing the kids in their costumes. When the boys woke up yesterday morning they said "Today is the most exciting day of the year besides Christmas!" I think they were pretty happy about it. What do you do for Halloween?

Fiction Friday #10

At first he thought she might have slipped away from her hiding spot when he had been distracted by the stranger's arrival. He stood tensely, listening and after a long moment there was a rustling sound and Kaitlyn emerged just to the edge of the trees. She looked even more frightened than she had earlier, her eyes fixed on the road where the silver car had gone. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled up over her hair and her face was pale against the dark color.
Rob followed her gaze to where the driveway met the main road and then turned back towards her, careful not to actually move towards her.

"Jess is worried sick about you. Why did you run off like that?"

"How did you do it?" Her voice was shaky but the words came out clearly.

"What?" Rob's face matched the confusion in his voice.

"How did you deny him when he asked you where I was?"

Rob paused, thinking back to the way he had felt almost compelled to turn and point out the girl's hiding place, and the tremendous effort it had taken not to. He had wanted to think that it was just a natural inclination on his part to turn towards where she had been, but as he reflected back on it, he felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the steady, commanding eyes of the stranger, and the tone of the voice asking. Shaking his head, both to clear the chill, and to answer Kaitlyn's question he said, "I don't know."

They stood there for a moment in silence before he added, "Why don't you come back inside so we can all talk about this. I am not telling you, I'm asking you." Rob didn't know how he knew that was the right thing to say, but apparently it was because Kaitlyn crossed quickly out of the trees and back behind the barn, her eyes on the road the whole time. Rob crossed directly to the house, pausing to watch as the girl ran from behind the barn and to the back door of the house.
Jess had risen from the table and threw her arms around the girl when she entered the house. Kaitlyn flushed a little with embarrassment, and stood stiffly, patting Jess's shoulder awkwardly. Rob couldn't help but smile at the maternal picture it brought to his mind. "Let the poor girl breathe Jess. She's not hurt."

He quickly filled her in on what had happened in the driveway, glossing over the part where he had felt compelled to answer the stranger's questions. He glanced at Kaitlyn guiltily, but she shook her head almost imperceptibly and he decided that it was best not to scare Jess any more than she already was.

When they were finished Jess looked at Kaitlyn for a long moment. "So he is...your brother?"

Kaitlyn shook her head once, but with finality.

"Who then?" Rob asked quietly.

The girl sighed, sinking into a kitchen chair as if she had no strength left in her body. Her eyes were shadowed as she pushed the hood of her sweatshirt back and stared for a long moment at the stolen loaf of bread in her other hand. She handed it back to Jess with an apology then paused again. "I don't really know how to explain it. Paul was...my friend once. Then things changed. He wanted more than what I had to give. At first he seemed to accept that I didn't feel the same about him, and we continued to be friends, but slowly, he started to somehow be a part of every aspect of my life. Other friends backed off, and it seemed like everyone else in my life was supportive of him, but not supportive of my decision to keep us just friends.

"Everywhere I turned people were gushing on about how wonderful he was, how he took such good care of me. My own parents, who hadn't even liked him at first were suddenly inviting him over to dinner all the time, and it just seemed like I couldn't get away from him."

Rob took advantage of her long pause to cut in with a question, "How long ago did all this start?"
Kaitlyn sighed again. "About three years ago. I was only seventeen, and at first I was flattered by the attention from an older guy. He didn't really start pursuing more than friendship until after I turned eighteen and graduated from high school.

"It all sounds so, innocent when I say it out loud. In some ways it even felt innocent at the time. I felt stifled, and so I took the opportunity to move away from home and go to school. I just needed to get away from my family, my friends, and especially from him. There were times that I was almost tempted to just get romantically involved with him, to get people off my back, but that never felt right to me."

Kaitlyn accepted the glass of orange juice that Jess pushed gently across the table, but she didn't drink it. It was as if once she had started her story she had to finish it.

"For six months I was doing great. I was happy. I felt free. College offered me so many opportunities to learn, and there were new friends, and boys my own age to spend time with. I didn't date anyone seriously, just went on some dates here and there. I was too busy studying to really explore a relationship at that time. There was one boy though, his name was Evan, that I spent a little more time with than anyone else. For the most part we were just friends. Neither of us were looking for anything more than that. We had some classes together and would study sometimes.

"One night we stayed up pretty late studying, talking, just enjoying each other's company. In the middle of a conversation he just leaned over and kissed me. It was a surprise to me, but I didn't mind it. It wasn't a big kiss or anything, but it changed the way things felt between us. A few minutes later Evan's car alarm went off and when he went outside to check on it someone had broken into his car. Nothing was missing but the seats had been slashed up pretty good. It kind of put a damper on the evening, so I went home.

"The next day I got a letter at my apartment. It was from Paul, and it didn't come in the mail. It was just one line. It said 'How would you feel if something happened to Evan?'

"He didn't sign it, but I knew his writing, and I knew suddenly that he was there in the town where I was living, and just as suddenly I knew that it had been him that slashed the seats of Evan's car the night before."

Kaitlyn paused, her hands shaking...

If you came looking for Halloween tips, I am sorry...

I would love to do a post for Scribbit's Winter Bazaar, but I am sick. I have been puking my guts out for three days, and I barely had the energy to do a Wordless Wedneday post (please see it below). I didn't want anyone to think I died...but I feel like I would like to. Until I am better I may only post a couple of times a week. I am not sure about Fiction Friday...we'll see how I am feeling by then.

Wordless Wednesday

Have you carved your Jack O Lantern yet?

Happy Birthday Carrot...

A Birthday Wish for Carrot. May you be protected from furry blue monsters, and from Magicians who want to make you "disappear". I hope you have a great birthday!

Fiction Friday #9

Back at the house Jess paced back and forth across the kitchen, wandering towards the door to look outside. She tested the radio, asking Rob if he had seen any sign of the girl.
His voice came back over her radio, muffled with static, "Its going to take more than 30 seconds to find her. I promise I will call as soon as I know more." There was a pause and a burst of static before he continued, "I'm checking the barn first."
Jess sighed and shrugged her shoulders, trying to work some of the kinks out. It had been a long night at the diner, and the events of the morning had left her feeling tense and sore. What she really wanted was a hot shower, and some sleep.
The clock on the kitchen stove said 7:36. Jess glanced outside again, and then up at the sky. It was overcast and she sighed at the heavy grey of the clouds. Summer was dwindling, and fall was slowly creeping in. It wasn't cold yet, but there was an edge of crispness to the mornings now.
Jess glanced again at the stove, where the pan of bacon was growing colder by the moment. She knew she should eat something, but she was just too nervous. Instead she filled a glass with orange juice and sat down at the kitchen table to wait.

Rob reached the barn and made a slow circuit around it. He wondered if the girl would have gone inside, but decided that if all she wanted was a quiet place she might have stayed in the house. She was probably looking to get away from the place all together, but would have run to the barn first to avoid being seen from the house. He stopped outside one of the windows, frowning as he stooped to look at the ground. Jess had planted some flowers around the edges of the barn, and although they had been on the wilty side for some time, this one had definitely been trampled on recently. Rob looked through the barn window, noticing a smudge right about the level that Kaitlyn's nose would have been if she had peered inside. He tried to look at things from a stranger's perspective, although he couldn't help that his gaze lingered on the project car with a little bit of pride. Then he turned his head and looked directly across the gravel driveway and into the trees. He hid a small smile by looking down at his boots. Something had flinched in the woods. The girl must have gone straight for the trees and then hidden when she saw him leave the house.
He continued his circuit of the barn as if he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary, pausing to look out across the open fields every so often in what he hoped was a confused manner. As tempting as it was to cross the road and confront the girl where she was hiding in the trees, he knew that he might not be able to catch her, and she was already scared. Instead he went around to the barn doors, pulled them open and wheeled the motorcycle around onto the road. He made a big show of checking the bike over, making sure not to turn his back on that spot in the woods where he had seen the sudden movement.
The crunch of car tires on the gravel distracted him and he looked up from where he was crouched next to the bike. A silver car was coming down the driveway towards the house. The driver slowed down as he passed where Jess's car was parked, but continued to drive down towards where Rob was now standing next to the motorcycle. The driver got out. He was tall and blond and Rob knew immediately that he was the man Jess had described.
"Can I help you?" Rob wiped his hands on a bandanna he had taken out of his pocket and stepped towards the stranger.
"I'm looking for someone." The man's voice had a commanding tone to it and Rob felt an almost palpable urge to turn and look directly towards Kaitlyn's hiding spot. He stared straight into the man's face instead and smiled.
"Well now. There's just me and my wife here. Unless its a mechanic you're looking for I'm not sure we can help you."
The man held his gaze for a little while longer then glanced towards Jess's car again. He inclined his head slightly and said, "That car is a beauty. I bet you don't see many of them around anymore."
Rob followed his gaze to the car, "Sure don't."
"I saw a car just like that myself this morning along the main route here. I am sure its the same one. You see, I'm looking for my sister..." The stranger smiled then, and it transformed his face, made him seem friendly and real, only the smile never reached his eyes. "We have been out camping in this area and she went off hiking. I think she must have gotten...lost somehow."
Rob scratched his head, "And what does that have to do with our car?"
"I'm going to be honest with you. My sister has a habit of running away." His voice was hard, and the smile had faded into a scowl as he continued, "I saw her get into a car like this one less than an hour ago. I want to know where she is."
Again the voice was like a command, and Rob felt sweat break out on his forehead as he resisted the urge to point out where Kaitlyn was hiding.
"I'm sorry," Rob kept his voice calm with effort. "She isn't here. My wife did mention giving someone a ride, but said they changed their mind just down the road from where she picked them up, so she let them out. Maybe you should file a missing person's report with the police. Hikers get lost in this area all the time. The sooner you get a search party out there, the better."
The stranger was angry. He looked from Rob back to the car, and then at the house. Rob cut off the question before the stranger could ask it.
"I'm sorry. My wife is resting right now. She had a long night. Maybe you should come back later and she can tell you exactly where she dropped your...sister off."
They stood there for a few moments, the stranger staring towards the house, and Rob staring towards the stranger. Finally the tall blond man turned towards his car, got in and pulled around to face the road again. He rolled down the window and leaned out, his pale eyes looking into Rob's face, "I'll be back later." And then he was gone.
Rob waited until the dust had settled back into the gravel of the driveway before turning towards the woods.
"You'd better come out now. We have some things to talk about..."

Happy 200th to me!

My 200th Post has crept up on me. It just doesn't seem like that long ago that I wrote my 100th. It has, in fact, only been a little over four and a half months since I wrote my 100th post which was actually a Wordless Wednesday, but oh well...it was still #100.
I briefly thought about trying to think of something special to do for my 200th post, but that would mean that I would have to take some extra time to really think of something good, and since I feel like writing a post right now, I am going to forgo the fanfare and just keep the celebrating to a minimum. Maybe in a few months I will hit 300 and then do something really special. Until then, thanks for reading, for commenting and for being all the wonderful people you are!
Now, on to my previously scheduled post...

Tonight we are waiting on a storm. Living at the Oregon coast means that we enjoy some rain of course, but it also means that we get quite a few wind storms every year, and several power outages. For the most part the power outages are short. Last year we had one that lasted a couple of days, but it wasn't so bad once it was over. Although we aren't living high on the hog when we have a power outage, we have hot water (because our water heater runs on natural gas), a way to heat food without electricity, a stove top popcorn popper, oil lamps, and a kerosene heater.
When we heard that there was going to be a storm coming, we decided to make sure we had a few more essentials. While I don't necessarily cook everything from scratch, I don't generally keep a lot of meals in a box or can around the house. Mac and cheese is the one exception to that, but generally I make that from scratch too. So to prepare for the storm I sent D out to Costco and had him buy a case of chili. Yes, I know its not really conducive to family togetherness because of some unfortunate side effects, but it will give the boys something to laugh about because nothing is funnier to boys than those kinds of bodily functions. We also got an extra case of water even though we already have a couple of them in the van, some glow sticks (they are comforting to scared children), some bread, crackers, and most importantly a case of Ding Dongs. Usually we like to eat our Ding Dongs frozen, but in the case of a power outage we are willing to make an exception. Even though the whining is almost unbearable, the house gets colder than we like it, and everything is dim, I find that I enjoy the occasional power outage. The boys are quieter, we read together, we all stay in the same room instead of spreading out around the house, and I just enjoy being together.
Don't get me wrong, after a day of it I am always ready for a return to my email and my blogs, but a little power outage doesn't hurt. If we didn't get them so regularly in the winter time, I would be scheduling our own family power outages from time to time myself.
So if you don't hear anything from me for a couple of days, we might just be right here, huddled around the table with the glow of an oil lamp and some candles, eating popcorn and drinking cocoa. Try not to be jealous...

Wordless Wednesday

Toadstool anyone? They start out like this...

and end up like this!

The legs give some size perspective

Spooky Story Chain

Another entry for Scribbit's Winter Bazaar.
This month's theme is Halloween.

How about a spooky story chain? I know that most of us have probably been part of a story chain where one person starts out the story and each consecutive person adds to it when its their turn. Why not try this with a spooky story? Younger children can take the opportunity to lighten up the story if its too scary for them, or everyone can just keep trying to make the story spookier.
For an added challenge write out spooky words or phrases on pieces of paper and put them in a bowl or jar. Each person draws a paper out when its their turn and has to incorporate whatever is written on the paper into their story.
For even more fun you can record each person's part of the story and then play the whole story back once its finished so you can enjoy the story without interruptions.
This is a great family activity, and a wonderful way to involve younger kids and give them a chance to hone their creepy storytelling skills.

Busy Week...

This week is very busy for me. I have all kinds of things going on. Last night I put together a quick slideshow for the funeral of a complete stranger, and today I have to make sure that it gets to its destination on time. There are Doctor's appointments, and a mole removal surgery for #4 going on this week, making cookies for a blood drive on Thursday, and getting ready for our church's big Super Saturday activity that I am in charge of on Saturday.
Super Saturday is a women's group activity and we are doing crafts in preparation for Christmas. I am in charge of three out of six of the crafts...I think I have a delegating problem. One of the crafts is the placemat purse I talked about making back in August. They are the perfect size for carrying your scriptures, and I got so many raves about my cute scripture tote, that I knew it would be a perfect project. I am also in charge of the embossed advent candle project, and the picture frame mat that we are decorating with pictures from Christ's life. Once I get one of those done I will try to post a picture. On top of all that I also am making soup as part of lunch for Super (I should have called it Souper) Saturday. Lots to do, and lots to think about. So if I post less often this week, that is why. (I imagine I will post the same amount though).
How busy is your week?

Fiction Friday #8

“We have to go after her, Rob.” Jess started towards the door but was stopped by Rob’s hand on her arm.
“Wait.” His eyes were sympathetic as he looked down into her face. “I don’t even know what is going on here. All I know is that you brought home some stranger, who is obviously spooked about something, and she didn’t want to stay around here. At least give me a little more to go on.”
Jess sighed impatiently and quickly recounted how she had almost run Kaitlyn over on her way home, the encounter with the man in the silver car, and the girl’s obvious terror.
“I don’t know any more than that, but I just feel like I need to help her. If she gets away from here, and something happens to her, I just don’t know how I can handle that. She asked me for help…”
“Yes, and you tried to help her Jess. You are a good person. But honey, you can’t force help on people. That girl looks to be over 18, which makes her an adult, and capable of making her own decisions.”
“Rob, please…” She looked up at him imploringly and put one hand on his chest. “Just let me go out and try to find her.”
He looked down into her eyes for a long moment, then shook his head slowly. “No way. I appreciate your concern for this girl, but I can’t let you go running all over the place looking. You’ve been up and on your feet all night, and you’re eight months pregnant…” he held up a hand as she started to protest. “I’ll go look for her. You stay here and get some rest. I can’t guarantee that I will find her either. But I will go and look.” He reached up and grabbed a baseball hat from a peg next to the back door.
“Wait…” Jess opened a kitchen drawer and took two hand held radios out of it. She handed one to Rob after making sure they were both on the same channel. “Call me on this if you find her.”
Rob nodded, leaned down to kiss her quickly and left through the back door.

Kaitlyn had broken into a run as soon as she was outside. She ran away from the main road, and away from the gravel driveway towards the barn. She needed someplace to think for a minute, to get her bearings. The barn was old fashioned, but looked sturdy. She crept around one side of it and peered in through a window. Inside, it was anything but old fashioned. There were no stalls, no hay, and no farming equipment. It had been converted into a large garage and there were three cars and a motorcycle inside. One of the cars was draped with a cloth cover, one was a smaller looking import, and the third looked like it must be a work in progress as there were various parts strewn around it. The motorcycle rested on its kickstand near the great double doors.
She thought briefly about taking the bike, and imagined herself speeding off to safety on it, then almost laughed at the thought. She had no idea how to ride a motorcycle, and thievery wasn’t exactly her thing. That thought made her glance guiltily at the loaf of bread tucked under her arm. She would find a way to make it up to them somehow. Really she thought that the best thing she could do for them was to just get away before they got caught up in all of it.
Crouching down behind the barn she surveyed the area. The yard was bordered by wide open fields on one side and to the rear of the barn. On the other side of the barn the gravel road that was the driveway ended and a thin stand of trees rose up before thickening into actual forest.
Kaitlyn decided to take her chances there in the woods. The fields were too open, and she knew that the woods would stretch all the way to the main road, giving her some needed cover. She needed to be near the road if she was going to find her way anywhere, and the woods were her best bet.
Glancing over her shoulder towards the house she ran across the gravel road and into the trees. Just as she reached their cover she saw Rob come around the corner from behind the house and hurry towards the barn.

More Christmas Music...

Those of you who know me well know that I love Christmas music, that I sometimes start listening to it as early as August, and that I have quite a collection. I try to limit my Holiday music purchases to only one or two per year. This year I have started out with a newly released Christmas CD...It came out on Tuesday and I picked up my copy on Wednesday.
Its Noel, by Josh Groban...and yes...its good. Off to listen to it again now.

A Literary Meme...

Novembrance has tagged me for a Meme of Literary Crushes. The exact quote was actually…
Ten Literary Characters I Would Totally Make Out With If I Were Single and They Were Real But I’m Not, Single I Mean, I Am Real, But I’m Also Happily Married and Want to Stay That Way So Maybe We Should Forget This

I have to say that I never really contemplated making out with any literary characters, but there were some that I had crushes on, and that is close enough, right? I was actually afraid that I wouldn’t be able to come up with a list of ten because although I read a lot, many of the books I read feature young characters, and I just can’t see myself having a crush on these young teenage boys. This is where I also have to admit, much to my own shame that I have not read very many classics. I have always been a fantasy fiction reader, and have only read a few classics. As much as I love all versions of Pride and Prejudice in movie form, I have never actually read a Jane Austen book (ducking and running…its on my list of things to get to, really).
So, in no particular order, here is a list of ten literary characters I have had a crush on.

Theodore "Laurie" Laurence of Little Women. I recently read Little Women as a part of my goal to start reading more classics. To my surprise I found that it wasn’t just in the movie version that I wished Jo had chosen to stay with Laurie.

King Corlath from The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. The Blue Sword is one of my all time favorite books. King Corlath is handsome, mysterious, and has cool powers. Not only that, he is polite and a gentleman, even when he kidnaps the heroine of the story.

Gwydion of the Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander. My fourth grade teacher read The Book of Three out loud to our class, and my love of fantasy fiction was born. Before that I had been all about The Black Stallion books. Taran the Assistant Pig Keeper was a great central character, but he had all those flaws to work through to become a real hero, whereas Prince Gwydion was noble and pretty much flawless from the start. I always had a little bit of a crush on him as a child.

Nat from the Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. I loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a child, and picked up a copy for my library once I was a grown up. In fact, I love it so much that I have two copies…I can’t pass up a good deal, and our local Library had a copy in good condition for ten cents! Nat is the son of a ship’s Captain who befriends Kit and helps out Hannah Tupper who the local townspeople think is a witch because of her Quaker ways. I distinctly remember the description of Nat’s sun browned, strong hands. He was definitely crush worthy.

John Carter of Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs. My Dad had the entire Martian Chronicles by Edgar Rice Burroughs (yes, the guy that created Tarzan). I read them all as a child, and as a grown up, when my Dad decided to sell them at a garage sale, I bought them all. John Carter is tall, dark and handsome, and apparently immortal. He doesn’t age, and he is a heroic fighting man through all his years. Finding himself transported to Mars he has many adventures and becomes a hero, finding love with a Martian Princess. Burroughs published the first book in the series in 1912.

Major Joe Mack from Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour. My Dad got me to read this book when I was a teenager. Although L’Amour is well known for writing westerns he has written some great adventure books. The Last of the Breed details the adventures of a Native American Air Force Pilot named Joe Mack who is shot down over Soviet Air space. He is pursued across frigid Siberia and must use the skills handed down by his people to survive and make his escape.

Perrin from The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I started reading the Wheel of Time series when the first two books were out thinking it was going to be a typical trilogy. Much to my horror, the series turned into a monster, with eleven books published so far, and the Author passed away last month before he could complete the final book. The Series also went downhill as far as morality goes, which is one reason that I stopped reading a majority of Fantasy fiction and turned to Children’s Fantasy instead. Of the three main characters, I always found Perrin appealing. He was not a womanizer, he could talk to Wolves, and he found one woman to commit to…which is always attractive in a man.

Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series. Do I really need to explain that one?

Legolas from Lord of the Rings. I first attempted to read Lord of the Rings in the 4th grade. That is a big attempt for a ten year old. My crush on Legolas has nothing to do with Orlando Bloom but started way back in the 4th grade. I had a thing for Legolas from the very start.

Emilie Loring leading men. I don’t go for the descriptiveness of current Romance novels. They disgust me in fact. As a girl, I would read Emilie Loring Romances that were in my Mom’s collection. Most were written between 1914 and 1951, and typically followed a certain formula with the main characters either hating each other, being supicious of each other, and of course, eventually falling in love. The stories are almost all adventure stories with spies, political intrigue and etc. The characters dressed for dinner, went to formal parties and the last page was the crowning achievement…the kiss. Even though most of the books are a rehash of similar storylines, there is still something I enjoy about reading them. I couldn’t pick just one leading man, since in essence they are usually the same basic character redone.

Now, who to tag with this...I am not sure who reads and who doesn't...so feel free to take this meme if you want to, and let me know so I can read your answers.

Wordless Wednesday

Monster House...

Monster Cookies

This entry is part of Scribbit's Winter Bazzaar. The theme for this month is Halloween.

I know that this probably isn't the most original idea out there, but its something we enjoy doing as a family each year around Halloween. We decorate Monster Cookies. We start out with plain, round sugar cookies, and decorate them with frosting, candy corn, sour patch straws, M&Ms, chocolate chips, skittles, licorice and any other candy we feel like using. The kids love it and we usually make three cookies each, sometimes more. You can get pretty creative with things, and of course, eating the end results is half the fun! This makes a great family activity on a cool autumn evening...

This creature is just happy about life...

No, its not a self portrait! What do you mean by asking that?

Sometimes any excuse to pile on the candy will do...

D always has to create at least one work of art...

Who said Monster Cookies had to be scary?

Why do you blog?

Most of the people that read this blog are bloggers themselves. I have been thinking lately about why people blog, and more specifically about why I blog.
When I started out blogging, I did it just for the fun of it. Writing has always been a great outlet for me, and I hadn't had any way to really express myself for a while. Blogging seemed like a perfect solution. Of course I had a couple of friends who were bloggers and I started out reading their blogs. Reading blogs led to following links to other blogs, and a monster of sorts was born. I suddenly found myself with a long list of favorites and every day seemed to bring more and more of them for me to read.
I had made a personal goal to write in my blog three times a week at least. It wasn't a goal for anyone but myself, since I didn't really have many readers at the beginning of my blogging career. At some point I noticed that other bloggers who hadn't been around much longer than I had were getting tons more comments. For a while I had the whole wishful thinking for 20 comments a day...heck, even getting ten comments when it happens can be a heady rush. All of a sudden I felt this pressure to write material that would be more for my readers than for me. I lost sight of why I started blogging in the first place. A couple of times I even contemplated quitting the whole thing.
I have noticed that burnout is common among bloggers. Many of the blogs I read have gone through times when the blogger was sorely tempted to quit and leave the whole thing behind. At other times people just have other things on their mind and don't have the time, the energy, or the emotional capacity to pour everything they have into blogging.
Sometimes blog readers are less than supportive when people experience a drop in their blog writing, and even worse, some bloggers only appear to be there for reciprocal purposes. They get upset if people whose blogs they read don't come and read their blog in return. I had a recent conversation with a blogger about that very thing, and how overwhelming it can feel to have so many people expect so much of you. Suddenly I felt like being somewhat below the radar in the blogging world is a good thing for me. I am already overwhelmed at my list of favorites and will pare it down every so often, just to end up reacquiring many of the blogs I tried to give up, and sometimes adding even more of them. I would hate to feel like I was only blogging for my readers, and I would hate even more to feel like it wasn't worth blogging if I had only one reader or if no one ever commented.
I will admit that it is sometimes motivating to me to sit down and write a blog post because I have gone several days without doing so, and there is that possibility that someone might be hoping for a post. It is also true that comments can be a great ego boost...I can see why some people get addicted to having a lot of comments. Generally, however, I am blogging for me. This also includes reading blogs. I read what I enjoy reading, and I try not to feel pressured to read blogs that are not my thing. There are certainly hundreds of great bloggers out there that I would probably connect with, but my family needs me and I don't have time for hundreds of blogs. So, while I read what I enjoy, I also limit the number of blogs on my list.
I blog because it makes me happy to do so. Its the best journal keeping I have ever done, and as far as posterity goes I think it shows a better view of the real me than my stale journal entries from my younger days. I hope that I can find joy in blogging for a long time to come.
So what keeps you blogging? Is it for the joy of it? Is it to please your fan club? To network with other people? To examine yourself? Or some combination of any of these reasons? Do you blog for your own unique reasons? I would love to hear about it, but don't worry, I am not going to quit if I don't get any comments on this post!

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!!!

What? You didn't know that it was Columbus Day on October the 8th? You didn't CELEBRATE?!?!
Okay...I didn't celebrate either, but I remembered! And I wished people Happy Columbus Day! Isn't that enough?

So what's the Buzz?

Cre8Buzz.com is. What is Cre8Buzz? I like to think of it as a kind of a myspace for bloggers, only more mature, and tighter as a community. It has been my privilege to be in on the Beta version of this site and to see how it works. Cre8Buzz is about getting the word out there about your blog, your site, yourself. Its also a great place to find other blogs and sites with common interests. Cre8Buzz has different communities that you can explore to find blogs you are interested in reading. In the past most of my blog finding has involved following a trail of links through other blogs...but with Cre8Buzz I can go to different communities and find blogs that are related to those things. Of course the main drawback to Cre8Buzz is that I have added even more blogs to my already long list of favorites.

I have met some great people through being involved in the Beta project, and this weekend Cre8Buzz is going public. Stop by on Sunday and see what you think of the place!

Fiction Friday #7

The house was an older farmhouse, two stories with a wraparound porch. It had been painted recently, a rich creamy color, with white trim. Behind the house there was a large red barn. Jess parked the car in the gravel in front of the house and turned towards Kaitlyn. The girl had a slightly panicked look on her face as she looked around.
"What's wrong?" Jess asked it without thinking.
Kaitlyn shrugged a little, embarrassed and mumbled "Dead end road." The girl was already looking for an escape route.
Jess sighed, tried very hard not to glance back down the road where she had seen the flash of silver and opened her car door. "You may as well come in so we can decide what to do from here. Are you hungry?" She glanced at her watch, "Rob should be up by now, making breakfast. There is always plenty."
Kaitlyn looked at the farmhouse and then back to Jess. "Rob?" She asked, quietly.
Jess smiled, "You didn't think I lived alone did you?" One hand went to her pregnant belly. "Don't worry, Rob doesn't bite, and he makes a great omelet to boot."
Kaitlyn followed her to the house reluctantly, looking back a few times towards the road. Once inside they were greeted by the smell of bacon cooking and the sound of humming from the kitchen.
Jess called out, "Rob, stop your singing or you'll scare our guest!"
The humming stopped and Rob came around the corner from the kitchen, smiling and wiping his hands on a towel, "Did you finally get your Dad to agree to come out..." He stopped talking as his eyes fell upon Kaitlyn, who tried unsuccessfully not to take a step back towards the door. Rob was about 5'10 with dark hair that looked like it needed a trim. His eyes were blue, and warm, as was his hand when he extended it towards her. She took it hesitantly and their eyes locked for a moment and they exchanged names. He noticed Kaitlyn's smudged and tear streaked face, and the way the girl had flinched towards the door at his approach. He let go of her hand, stepping towards Jess, and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"Well Kaitlyn, its nice to meet you. Breakfast is almost ready, and if you would like to get cleaned up, there is a bathroom just through the kitchen and to your right." He kept his arm firmly around Jess as she started to move towards the kitchen. Once the girl was out of earshot he looked down into his wife's face and said, "Now why don't you tell me what is going on? That girl looks like she is ready to bolt out the door at any moment."
"The back door!" Jess shrugged off his arm and ran towards the kitchen and stopped with a sigh of relief when she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom sink. Rob glanced around the kitchen, then stepped towards the bathroom, and knocked loudly.
"Rob, you're going to scare her!"
"No, I'm not." Rob said, opening the door to the empty bathroom. "The back door is unlocked, and the loaf of bread you made yesterday is missing. She's gone."

Wordless Wednesday

Cavities anyone?

Inexpensive and fast Costume Ideas...that DON'T involve a sheet

This post is part of a weekly forum hosted by Scribbit called The Winter Bazaar. Every Wednesday you can find recipes, tips, activities, games, decorations and ideas that fit into the current theme of the month. October's theme is Halloween of course.

I decided this week I would share some ideas for inexpensive and quick costume ideas that don't take a ton of crafty know-how, but will still be fun. I am sure there are tons of ideas out there on the net, but here are a few that have worked for us in years past.

1. Santa Baby: Traditionally each of our children has been Santa for their first Halloween. We don't make them wear a beard or anything, but a red sleeper (which we always had at least one of) and a child sized Santa hat made for a cute costume that was low on cost.

2. The Insomniac: Just wear your jammies, make your hair messy, and add some nice dark circles under your eyes. For me, I don't even have to add the circles, they are already there, and when the Halloween celebrating is over I can just crawl into bed without changing my costume.

3. Cowboy kid: You don't have to have boots (although most boys love having a pair of cowboy boots). Just a cowboy hat (you can usually find them for a few dollars in the toy department of most stores), a long sleeved button down shirt, a bandanna and some jeans will do. Of course if you have a real cowboy hat that is so much the better.

4. Fireman: We used this one year by putting the boys in their raincoats, rubber boots, and plastic fireman hats. We took a long tube sock, stuffed it and wrapped it in duct tape to make a hose, and D and I went as ladders that year by wearing grey sweats and making the ladder and rungs with masking tape on our clothes. Our youngest went as the fire that year. He had an orange fleece coat and we safety pinned red and orange flames cut out of felt to his jacket.

5. Box costumes: Family Fun gave me the idea for an airplane costume made from a box. That year we made the airplane costume, and adapted the idea to let #3 be Thomas the Tank Engine. All it took was an exacto knife, some spray paint, tag board, four paper plates and a little creativity to whip these out. The boys loved them, and felt special too.

6. The Pirate: Everyone knows the pirate costume. Some ragged pants, a bandanna and an eye patch make for a swashbuckling good time.

7. Racecar Driver: A matching windbreaker and pants, some racing patches, boots, gloves and a helmet make for a simple but fun costume.

8. White Water Rafter: I got a pool float that looked like a raft on clearance for less than $2.00 one year. We cut the bottom out of it and made it into a costume for #3. We used a bicycle helmet and a life jacket that we already had.

9. Space explorer: That same year we also got a second pool float, only this one was shaped like a rocket. #2 wanted to be a spaceman. We made a helmet out of a small bucket, an arm communicator from cardboard and duct tape, and a jetpack out of two pop bottles taped together with colorful tape. Duct tape and a mayonnaise lid made a space age belt, and we used more of the colorful tape to decorate his arm communicator and his helmet.

10. The MP3 player. #1 is getting older, and last year he didn't want to do a costume that was too kiddie. He decided to be an MP3 player after seeing the idea for it in Family Fun Magazine. One piece of foam core, some tagboard, stickers, a towel some headphones and of course the trusty duct tape and we were done.

There are tons of other ideas out there. I hope this inspires you to try something new and creative. Coming up with a costume doesn't only have to be about stress and horror. Have some fun with it!