Halloween Advice for Women & Girls

This is the story of one Halloween long ago ~ a lesson well learned and worthy of passing on to every woman & girl. My friend Gina & I were debating whether or not to attend the annual Hallmark artists' Halloween party ~ we hadn't come up with a good costume idea, but really wanted to go to the party to see everyone else's costumes. As a last resort, we decided we would go to the party dressed as single girls sharing a girl's night together ~ eating popcorn, trading beauty secrets and reading about how to attract men in the current Cosmo.

What a great idea we thought ~ easy too! We rustled up our housecoats, popped up a bowl of popcorn, gathered up some junky magazines and even stopped at the local drugstore for the finishing touch ~ cold cream ~ which we smeared all over our faces. Ready in five minutes, we headed to the party where we met our other girlfriend, who for some reason was dressed as a pig. The party was in full swing when we arrived ~ great costumes and lots of people. We weren't there too long before we noticed that few people were talking to us. It was dark and a little hard to see so we headed over the brighter area near the bar for a drink ~ it had gotten rather hot in the venue. When Gina got her drink and turned around, I noticed that the cold cream on Gina's face didn't look so great anymore ~ instead of being an opaque white mask, it had become a transparent greasy and globby mess ~ I cannot tell you what it looked like, afterall, this is a G rated blog! Of course, I looked the same ~ it was no wonder no one was talking to us! Our other friend in the pig costume was faring no better ~ she discovered her boyfriend had run off with someone else ~ they had a big fight and broke up. Miserable night ~ we felt like the ugly stepsisters!

Maybe if we had worn sexier bathrobes?

Moral of the story: If you are a female and want to have fun on Halloween, do not dress as a pig or put cold cream on your face ~ I recommend either a pretty costume or a sleazy one ~ either way, guaranteed good time! Try your luck with one of these:

{click on images to see sources}

Beautiful Crissy ~ The Doll with the Beautiful Hair

This is where it all began . . . Christmas 1969 (or 70?) . . . my fascination with hair! Although I don't remember specifically which Christmas I received Beautiful Chrissy, I do remember it was one of my favorite gifts ~ mine looked just like the one above. I was never too interested in dolls as a child, but the Crissy doll was an exception ~ just because of the hair. I remember being disappointed when I found out that there wasn't an endless source of hair coiled up in her stomach ~ I guess it just never occurred to me that her hair just didn't keep growing. I'm kind of surprised I didn't end up as a hair stylist ~ take a look at the commercial ~ what girl could resist?!! She's just Beeeuuutiful!!

Tagged!

Sharon at secret leaves paperworks has tagged me ~ here are 10 random things about me.....

1. I am an excellent speller.

2. I've been known to do my own plumbing now and then.

3. My first job was a Friendly's waitress.

4. I do not like lima beans in any shape or form.

5. I've broken 5 fingers at different times, broken my nose twice (set it myself once), and chipped my front tooth.

6. I have two scottish terriers ~ Speck (black, age 7.5) and Sprocket (wheaten, age 1.5).

7. I have a dog (Sprocket) that crows like a rooster and a boyfriend who could pass for Colonel Sanders.

8. Power tools are always on my Christmas wish list.

9. I am a hoarder of sorts ~ I hope to avoid an end like this.

10. I am obsessed with organizers ~ or objects I can use as an organizer. I quite possibly have the largest collection of picnic packs in the world! Here, here & here.

Walnut 2009 ~ The Sights ~ He Saw

Several years ago my brother and his wife came to visit me ~ as it was a flea market weekend, I had that on our list of things to do even though I wasn't sure they would like it as much as I do. Initially, my brother only went along to make sure his wife didn't spend too much, his wife went out of curiosity, and I went because I just couldn't NOT go!

After an hour or two, my sister inlaw and I had finished and were showing each other our exciting finds of the day ~ my brother (who wasn't that interested in going at all) was still poking around. I found it interesting that based on what each of us was interested in, it was like we had been to different shows ~ my sister inlaw found some good bargains on some newer items (those are the booths I just walk by) while my brother ended up finding a collection of signed baseballs he was interested in. I, of course was digging for old stuff ~ things I know my brother and his wife think I am crazy to be buying! At any rate, we all had a good time ~ everyone sees things differently ~ which leads me to today's postings ~ while we were at Walnut, I had D point out things he was drawn to ~ I did the same. While we oftentimes like the same things, there are many times when we are worlds apart, but still manage to find things we like at the same show! So, below are some of D's favorites from Walnut this year:

{handmade wooden medicine cabinet with metal details}

{old fashioned portable shaving station}

{camping outfit ~ D loves to camp!}

{crocks, crocks and more crocks}

{handmade wooden tractor}

{great graphics and shape of this gambling machine}

{The Sno-ler ~ stroller for the snow}

{crude wooden bin}

{Bacon boy ~ D loves bacon!}

The story of my dog, Buttons

This is the story of Buttons ~ the scottish terrier our family had when I was 2. The memories I have of Buttons are probably based on images I have seen in my mom's photo albums, as I was a bit young to remember much from my second year. According to family legend, Buttons was quite a feisty little dog ~ he used to jump into my father's newspaper as he was reading the daily news and he also bit into the toaster cord and got a bad shock. Apparently, I was not Buttons' best friend ~ although I am told I enjoyed playing with him ~ I also used him to bring attention to myself. In my defense, I was competing with my newborn brother, so I guess I was desperate.

{cigarette card from my personal collection}

As the story goes, my mom was elsewhere in the house ~ perhaps cooking dinner or tending to the meddlesome newborn ~ my dad was watching me and Buttons in the living room while he relaxed and read the newspaper. I might add that my dad has amazing powers of concentration ~ he can block out just about anything if he so chooses! Apparently, I decided that Buttons would be a good footstool ~ Buttons was not agreeable to that idea so he let me know it. My mom heard all the commotion and came to find my dad still reading the paper ~ oblivious to the whole incident ~ and me sitting on the floor crying and bleeding from a bite to my head. Poor Buttons, I don't know where he was, but it really wasn't his fault!

After that incident, my parents decided they ought to find a safer home for Buttons ~ it must have been hard for them to give away their dog, but I think they wanted to do what was best for the dog. It was only a matter of time before my younger brother would be running around creating even more havoc than I. Buttons did end up in a home with two other scotties, so I hope he was happier there! I guess I should be glad my parents gave away the dog rather than me!

{first aid cigarette cards from here}

Just an extra note: I have absolutely no scar whatsoever and I hold no malice towards the scottie ~ I have two scotties! My parents also have a scottie now!

Remembering Gretel

{ Gretel in 1971 in front of my log playhouse }

Seeing that today is February 11th, it reminded me that this date was the birthday of Gretel ~ my family's pet schnauzer ~ long passed on, but fondly remembered. We always had at least one dog ~ Gretel being the first dog I claimed as mine ~ even though she was the family pet. Gretel was a great companion ~ she put up with getting dressed up in my mom's old formal gowns, posed for many photos and artworks and even took me rollerskating down the street. She was also an excellent mouser and food moocher ~ every summer she would manage to strip the strawberry plants of only the ripe strawberries. My dad taught me how to groom her too, so now I can give any dog a schnauzer/scottie haircut!

One year my parents decided to breed Gretel, so my brother and I got to stay home from school the day she had her puppies ~ he and I sat in the bathtub and watched as our neighbor who was a nurse helped my mom and Gretel deliver 5 puppies! Another was born on the way to the vet to get checked out ~ we named all of them even though we knew we weren't allowed to keep the puppies ~ the one that was born in the car we named Dodge ~ after the family car ~ a lovely faux wood panelled 1965 station wagon. I don't remember what we named all of the rest of the puppies, but I do remember we were sad when we had to give them away.

{Gretel and her pups}

{Georgie with me and my brother}

At an early age, not only did I exhibit amazing talent (ha ha), but I also showed a keen love and interest for my pet ~ as shown below in these portraits of Gretel. My mom gave me a big box of artwork I did as a kid while I was home visiting this Christmas ~ there are some pretty funny things in there!

On the reverse of this one, my mom had written " What are you thankful for?" It must have been a school assignment as 1st grade is also written on the back.

{ my favorite ~ no age, just my name and phone number on the back }

The Aftermath

Now that the big show is over, time for a break! Well, not really ~ we are in the midst of a large home project ~ installing FLOR carpet tiles in my porch room. Because of that project, the entire living room is packed to the rafters with everything from the other room ~ poor Speck and Sprocket are having a tough time finding a comfortable space to sleep. Hopefully we will get this project done this week so that we don't have any injuries due to toppling stacks of books!

{the prince and the pea ~ Speck}

{sleepy sprocket}

Crowns on my mind

I've been thinking about crowns lately ~ there are so many different kinds I wouldn't mind adding to my collection. Well, maybe not the crown frankfurter surprise, but all the rest would do!

1. lace crown, 2. birthday crown, 3. gothic crown chimney pots, 4. crown frankfurter surprise, 5. crown moulding, 6. crowns, 7. crown & bird, 8. tailor's crown, 9. woodland crown
Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Too bad this is the kind of crown I will be investing in:

{image found here}

Hooray for the end of the week!

I can't help but feel happy to see this week end ~ the day job has been extra hectic and I feel pretty exhausted ~ on top of that I can now no longer eat Lean Cuisine flatbreads AND my office/tv/porch room smells! I won't tempt fate by asking how much worse can it get ~ I know it could be much worse!

At any rate, no more Lean Cuisine flatbreads for me! In an effort to be thrifty and efficient with my lunch time I bring my lunch to work a couple times a week ~ I had a nice Costco selection of flatbreads in the freezer, so I decided to eat one of them Monday. I followed all the directions, carefully removing the plastic wrap on what ended up looking like a mini pizza, folding the box so it made that handy box to bake it on, and popped it in the microwave for the allotted time. At the ding of the bell I popped open the microwave door to retrieve my delectable chicken ranch flatbread and what was right in front of my nose?! A dead fly ~ flat on its back, all legs in the air ~ right in front of my lunch on the floor of the microwave ~ UGH! The fly wasn't ON my food, so I figured there really probably wasn't anything wrong with the food, but alas, after a bite or two, I just couldn't get the visual out of my head. No more flatbreads for me thanks to that cursed fly!

{goodbye chicken ranch club flatbread!}

Has this sort of thing ever happened to you? I remember a similar result with Ritz crackers when I was a kid. I was snacking on Ritz crackers and peanut butter while watching tv ~ an educational show about gangrene. Needless to say, I couldn't eat Ritz crackers for years ~ I am happy to say they are back on my list of snack foods now ~ a few years later!

Aside from the fly incident, my tv/office porch room smells of death ~ no amount of candles or incense do much ~ even with a bad cold I can still smell the stench. The room is actually a porch converted to a room ~ a space was left between the concrete slab and the subfloor which is where whatever it was (reasonably sure it was an opossum) chose to die ~ just lovely! This has happened once before, but that time at least the smell of death worked out well as we were celebrating D's 50th birthday, so it kind of fit with that getting older theme. One more house project to add to the list ~ hey, that's what weekends are for! Next week has got to be better than this one!
Have a great weekend everybody!

{goodbye mr. opossum)

Return to the Living

{image from here}

It has been over a week since I have posted anything on the blog ~ yikes ~ I have fallen behind on my schedule! Actually, I do have several good excuses: my workload got pretty crazy both at the day job and at home as I was preparing for the Crafty Chicks show AND then I got stricken with the flu! Not quite as bad as what is shown above, but that is pretty much how I felt! Sore throat, stuffy head and nose, sneezing and coughing ~ the works ~ I think the worst is over ~ hopefully for the whole winter season!!! Back to my regular schedule ~ hope to have more interesting posts as the week progresses!