From ghoulies and ghosties . . .

. . . and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!

Tonight is the night

when pumpkins stare

Through sheaves and leaves

everywhere.

When ghouls and ghost

and goblin host

Dance round their queen.

It's Halloween!



At first cock-crow, the ghosts must go

Back to their quiet graves below.

Now remember, it is NOT one for each kid that knocks on the door and one for you!  Save some candy for me!

Happy Halloween my spooky friends!  Muwahaaaa!

A sweet, sweet blogger . . .

. . . whose name is Shelly and whose blog is Bungalow Bling and who is one of the kindest, craziest, funniest, sweetest bloggers I regularly visit, sent all of these goodies to me!!!  She's got oodles of talent and just made a bunch of moolah at her first event. Wish I lived in Washington to see her pretties in person! 



It is always such a hoot to visit Shelly!  I hope you'll check her out yourself (but you all are probably already aware of the Queen of Giggles!).  Maybe you can come back and tell me what a 'bus on the cheek' means!

Thank you Shelly for always being there to brighten my day!!!

Is it too late to decorate for Halloween?  Now, where is that box of bones . . .

Did you notice?

Did you notice that I haven't posted since the beginning of October?  Did you notice that I haven't been leaving YOU comments?  Did you notice that there are no new giveaway alerts on my sidebar?  Did you notice?  Do you notice when a blogger isn't posting and didn't tell you in advance that she was going to be gone for awhile? 

Well, I'm back and it wasn't because I was off traveling the world, or getting together with my gal pals, or schlepping my goodies to shows far and wide, or lost in the creative process, or tearing my hair out over overcommittments, or setting up a new business, or . . .  (I could go on and on about the things I wasn't doing).  Just plain ole sick girlies and then a major case of the blogger blues.  How do you get yourself out of a funk?  Do you make up something - ANYTHING - just to have something to blog about? 

No more Debbie Downer moments . . . I'm back to being the Queen of Putting On A Happy Face - no matter what!!

How about some purty pictures?

I'm taking Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini Photoshop free class and she has opened my eyes to that pesky Photoshop program I've had for over 4 years.  Mine is Elements 5 and there is now Elements 9.  Can you say procrastination?  Can you say too dumb to figure the program out, even after a class and a Photoshop for Dummies book?  Can you say - Yeah for Connie - she can create some wicked layers now!!!

These are my photos . . .

Love the lack of saturation and that grungy look!

These are class photos but I did them myself . . .

I think I've found a new way to waste time!  Thanks for looking!

Oh, and for those lovely bloggers who wished me well on the last post, THANK YOU!  Your comments lifted my spirits as I lay on my deathbed (TOTAL EXAGGERATION on the deathbed thing).

I'm off to watch the Real Housewives of Atlanta (oh, did I say that outloud?  Please don't think less of me cuz I watch this trashy show!  I hated the DC housewives and refuse to watch the Beverly Hills housewives so I do still have a few redeeming qualities!) 

Love ya all . . .

14 lost days . . .

14 days of NOT doing anything, creating anything, cleaning anything (well, that's okay) and staying inside and at home.  14 lost days that I will never get back.  You see, my little cold from Minnesota turned into bronchitis, then a touch of pnemonia accompianied with absolutely NO energy at all.  Since I wasn't sleeping at night (cough, cough, hack, hack), I slept during the day.  Beautiful, sunshiny days that I couldn't enjoy, couldn't work at what needed to be done.  But don't feel sorry for me.  I think I'm now on the mend and plan on getting things done with a vengeance!  Have missed visiting you all and seeing what the healthy people have been doing!

I'll leave you with photos of my Lainey girl.

I have a new supply of vitamins, more prescriptions than one person should have and finally some ambition.  I'm determined to stay well this winter and I'll never bother you again with my problems!

Oh happy day!  I'm back to the land of the living . . .

Poor Biscuit . . .

. . . we almost lost her.  Why do dogs think they can outrun tractors?  I couldn't even look at her the first week of her really bad owies.  I wasn't going to get attached to another dog.  I'd had enough animal heartbreak.  But she has become my dog.  Follows ME, helps ME in the yard, waits for ME to come home, insists on riding with ME on the lawnmower and golfcart, likes ME best.  And you know what . . . I like HER too!

But I'm glad to announce that she is doing fine and will be able to return to her playful puppiness when the stitches heal.  But in the meantime, has to wear that collar!  It's too funny watching her sniff the ground and get caught up on something.  Drinking out of the water faucet (her favorite way to drink) becomes a major flood and gets everyone wet.  And when she sneaks up behind you to say hello, that collar just about knocks you down!  And I'm sure she has itches that she just can't scratch!  Just another week, Biscuit, and you'll be free of seeing white sides.

Farm dogs - sometimes they just have to learn the hard way.

Now, go pet your best buddies . . .

 

The loot . . .

. . . from Junk Bonanza and other smaller venues.

Okay blogger, I love ya and all, but when you try to improve things, sometimes you just mess things up!  Anyone know how to rotate uploaded images?  And yes, the image was taken vertically but was saved vertically also!  Go figure!  Well, you all need a little neck exercise to get the kinks out so just look crooked, 'kay?

Got me some way cool ironstone.  Thinkin I need more so a new collection has begun!  Yup, I REALLY need a new collection!  Am going to use the old hinges for photo propping and if I get enough, for placecard holders some day.

Well!  This I just HAD to HAVE!  A paperweight so my dreams don't just blow away.

Hit the mother load on bling!  The most I paid for a piece was (now don't hate me) $4.00!

Neck exercise alert!

All of the birdie cards sing out the song 'Blue Skies'.  Might be kinda cute to change things up with different holiday songs.  Yeah, I'll get that done!

A small buffet that is in really good shape.  Think I'll live with it over the winter and see if I'd like it better painted.

A teacher's register from 1891.  Fifty cents, girls, fifty cents!

Such beautiful handwriting!  No one even writes by hand anymore, let alone write beautifully!  A lost art for sure.

Neck exercise alert again!  Yeah, don't know how this one got turned this way in the upload process but blogger better darn well work out the bugs on this update!

I'm guessing this will be the last of the goodies for a long while.  Shows are over for the season and I tend to stay away from Christmas events.  I have WAY TOO MUCH Christmas and I'm even giving my kids alot of my precious treasures.  Has anyone else noticed that the older you get, the simpler you want your surroundings?  Besides, harvest will officially start TOMORROW on the old farmsted and there will be NO galavanting about!

Now, go do something that makes you happy . . . 





Just too, too clever . . .

. . . is what the designers of the Backman Fall Ideas House created.  Oh to have the ideas (and access to just the right stuff) that these people do.

LOVE these ruffled pillows!   I'm thinking that I need to try to make one of these.  Can you buy plaid like this anymore?  Probably recycled shirts or something.

Any little boy would be out-of-this-world thrilled to have this room.  Can you believe REAL car parts!

Clever!

Clever-er!

Clever-est!

Car door handles for the dresser!

Kitchen ceiling light.  More graters!

And the best part of traveling to Junk Bonanza?  Meeting and greeting my blogging friend Linda of Itsy Bits and Pieces!  Her cutie patootie daughter and her have a booth there every year with the best stuff imaginable!

Don't look at ME!  Look at HER!  She just oozes sweetness!  Hi ya Linda!

I didn't mean to solicit sympathy about my cold but I sure appreciate the get well wishes.  I feel worse today.  I need you all to rush over here and make me soup, and get me more kleenex and make me a hot toddy.  Lots of hot toddies!

I HAVE to be better by this weekend so I'm off to find my blankie and couch!

Thanks for visiting today . . .