Happy Halloween

Tonight is the big night. All the little ghosts and goblins will be coming in car loads to invade my street. I think we're ready for them though.
We finished the pumpkins.
Duke didn't want to clean up the mess and he even went so far as to throw a little temper tantrum.

In the end he saw it my way and we cleaned the mess up together.
I probably could have done better with these pictures but it was late and I really wasn't in to it.
This one is Wade's

And this one is mine. Once I got started on the cutting I wished I had picked something different. Too many little pieces to cut out and in the end I didn't do the whole thing. I opted for just the head and skipped the bottom part of it.

If I get any good pictures tonight I may use those tomorrow. I'm behind on scheduling my posts again and so I'm trying to scare a few up.

While visiting Russ this morning at Grampy's World I snagged one of his coloring book pages and did a little coloring in photoshop elements.

Happy Halloween everyone

Getting ready for trick or treat

It's been a busy day around here getting everything ready for tomorrow night.
We had to carve pumpkins but first Wade had to show Duke how to do it.

Now before we carve our pumpkin I think we should try on our costume to make sure it fits ok.

No matter how hard I tried to get Duke to turn around and sit still so I could get  good picture he just was too excited. I had to resort to holding him and doing a one hand shot in the bedroom mirror. And yes, that is my basket of laundry sitting behind us. I have my priorities don't you know. Fun always comes before chores.

Ok so let get to carving our pumpkin now. We have one regulation size pumpkin and one stencil all ready

We're running out of time and we must get this pumpkin finished so tomorrow we'll show you more.

Nothin says lovin like somethin from the oven

And what might be coming from my oven these days? Well it was surprisingly easy and oh so yummy
I mixed one cake mix with one can of pumpkin and one bag of chocolate chips. I used a yellow cake mix but next time I think I'll try a spice or chocolate mix instead.

I dropped spoonfuls of the ooey gooey stuff on my ancient and well used cookie sheet and popped them in the oven for 14 minutes

I made them rather small so I think I got about 4 dozen but they sure are going fast. The best thing about a little cookie is you can eat two and not feel so guilty because they were only LITTLE cookies.

So where did I come up with this recipe. Well I found it on Julie's blog The Harwards. That links to the post that has this recipe and another one for some delicious looking cinnamon rolls. While you're there take a look around, not only will you enjoy the blog but you'll find that Julie is just the sweetest person.

I've been tagged

A little something different for today.
Erika from Nico Designs tagged me and now I have to answer 4 questions.

1. If you were given $1,000 how would you spend it?
So many things I could say here. I could be ultra generous and say that I would send it to some worthwhile charity. I could be practical and say I would spend it on some home improvement projects that are patiently waiting to be done. But, if this was a gift and it was to be spent on something frivolous I would spend it in the craft store buying paper and stamps and inks and punches and whatever else I could get my greedy little hands on :)
2. If you could be in someone else's shoes for the day who would it be and why?
Now this is a tough one and I really can't think of anyone. It's easy to say "boy I wish I was so and so, they have it made" The truth is though that who knows what it really feels like to be that person. They may be suffering on the inside and are just really good at putting on a happy face. I think I would just prefer to trudge along in my own shoes as dusty and worn as they may be.
3. Books or magazines?
Magazines for sure. I've always loved to flip through them, scanning quickly the first time, usually starting at the back and working my way to the front. I don't know why I've always done that. Then I start over and stop and read an article that caught my eye. I study the pictures or the ads to see what I might find that will spark some crafty idea.
4. What skill/craft would you like to learn?
I've always wished that I could paint. I used to watch a show on tv where an artist would take you through step by step how to paint different things. I sat mesmerized at how she worked magic with the paintbrush. I tried to imitate her movements and could never get it right. Yes I would love to learn how to paint.

And now I guess I'm supposed to come up with 4 questions and 4 people that I want to tag.
The victims are

Sheri at A girl and her camera
Betty at Bossy Betty
Tammy at Crazy mom with 4 boys
Marie at Spun by me
Grace at Hugz before you go
Oops, that appears to be 5 but I never was good at following rules.
and the questions are
1 what is your fondest childhood memory
2. if you could live anywhere in the world where would it be
3. what is the one thing you don't ever seem to have enough time to do
4. how would you describe a sunset to someone who has never been able to see one.

Now for those of you who are here for the Duke fix and haven't been tagged I give you this

and do you think this look is
a) grumpy
b) contemplative
c) annoyed (as in "will you stop taking my picture already")
or
d) sad that he lost his shaggyness

It's just not working

There are some of my card/craft projects that turn out good and then there are some that I really don't like at all. I attempted to make a couple more Thanksgiving cards and the first wasn't so bad but the second goes right into the FAIL category. But, since the blog posts must go on I'm going to show them both to you anyway.
I grabbed a few graphics from The Graphics Fairy attempting to make something different.
This is the one that I'm not completely dissatisfied with

This one on the other hand, like I said FAIL!!!!  The graphic is black and white, the color choices were just plain drab (although so were pilgrims I suppose) and the turkey I made with my Cricut just looks hideous.

I have another idea that I'm going to work on and if that turns out as bad as these then I'm skipping right on to Christmas.
I do have a question for anyone that makes cards or does scrapbooking though. I seem to be having a slight problem with adhesives. I mainly use a tape runner for attaching the layers but they don't always seem to stick very well. The one I have now is an Elmer's permanent tape runner. I've tried other brands and get the same results. I think I have it adhered well but then a day later I have layers falling off. What the heck am I doing wrong?

Wrong!

Sometimes, it's alright when you have things wrong. Occasionally I try out different settings on my camera. This is a good thing because then I get to see how well they do or don't work for me. The problem is when I'm done I never remember to turn them back. The next time I use my camera I don't think to change the settings to fit the scene
The other morning I was enjoying all the bird activity in my back yard so I grabbed the camera and started snapping away. I never bothered to check the pictures in between I just kept going. When I did stop to see what I had I realized that something must be wrong. I had the camera set for sunset photos.
Once I downloaded them on to the computer though I liked the way they looked. This are straight off the camera and believe it or not this was at about 9:00 in the morning AND the sun was shining.

It even gave Duke a nice golden glow while he was enjoying an early morning sunbeam in the kitchen

The colors of autumn

Duke and I ventured beyond our yard to look for some autumn color.
First I'll show you my two favorites.
This one has perhaps a little too much green in it but further down the tracks you can see the fall colors.

 Nothing spectacular but I liked it

This one was Duke's favorite. He said we had to have a picture of this.

Horror in the hood

Duke and I were out for a walk around the neighborhood enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air. We walked along taking in the sights, looking for a few interesting things to take pictures of.
Suddenly Duke came to a stop and assumed the full alert position.

(Hey, wasn't he just freshly groomed the other day?)

We both stood in disbelief at what we saw. I never in my wildest imagination thought that this could happen in my neighborhood.

It was awful I tell you, just awful.

I tried to get more shot but Duke wanted to get out of there. I raised the camera one more time and just as I was pressing the shutter button

Duke reached the end of his leash and we were off and running

It takes so little to amuse me.

As you know I work in a grocery store. The vendor that brings in bread pushes the trays of bread in on a plastic trolley. I've seen these sitting around the store for ages. They look like this one leaning up against the side of the building.

 Nothing special, and I never really payed much attention to them. Until the other day that is. I was outside on break, pulled out my phone and was looking for things to take pictures of. Yeah, my breaks are filled with excitement. Anyway, I snapped a picture of that thing and then went in for a close up. Now please don't ask me why I thought that this would make an exciting picture because I really can't answer that. I'm prone to taking very random and very silly shots. Especially when bored.
Moving right along, when I went for the close up, I noticed the writing on the side for the first time and it totally cracked me up.

I told you it doesn't take much to amuse me.

What about you? Are you easily amused by silly/stupid things?

The reveal

I thought about keeping you in suspense a while longer but chose instead to let you see today what the verdict was on the new groomer.

We arrived promptly for our appointment

Not the best picture but silly me was trying to be discreet about taking the shot. Any way, I dropped him off and they asked if I could pick him up around 4:30.
Rather than going back home I chose to wander around in the grocery store and the local dollar store. While I was there I picked up something really cute for Duke.
I returned shortly before the requested time and she told me it was going to be closer to 5:00 before Duke was done. No problem, she had magazines so I waited.
When you walk in, you're able to see them working on the dogs so I got to watch. Duke was the last dog there and since no one else was around I broke down and asked Cindy (Duke's new groomer) if I could take a picture. I explained that I had a blog and that Duke had many fans. She graciously allowed me to take a shot.

 When she was done she even gave him a cute little Halloween bandanna to wear home.

 Here's the before and after. Cute either way but I must say he looks quite handsome now although a little bit smaller.

 And the verdict is, we like Cindy. We'll be going back.

One last shaggy look

Right after work today Duke had an appointment with the groomers. We're trying a new one out and hopefully we like this one. The last one was ok up until the last time I took him there. She did a horrible job and rather than complain I just chose to not return. I'll give you one last look at his adorable shaggy face before the cut though.

You'll have to wait for a look at the handsome young Duke. Don't worry though, you will see his fancy new cut. Did I hear someone ask what he's wearing? I can't tell you, it's a surprise for Halloween.
I'm also now a little behind on visiting all of you but since tomorrow is Friday I'll have plenty of time tomorrow to get caught up.

Sew what?

I used to love to sew. I won't pretend that I am very good but I've always loved it. I haven't used my old Singer much in the last few years though. I couldn't resist a tutorial I saw on a blog recently, I had to give it a try.
Michael Creations made a fabric cover for a notebook or any book really. I used one of those black and white composition notebooks, which is what she used in the tutorial as well. She explains how to do the measurements for other size books. Mine may not be as good as hers, especially since I seem to have a problem with sewing in a straight line but I had fun. I think now that I did the first one I'll do a few more to give as gifts. Of course I'll choose other fabrics and maybe decorate them a little more.
Any way, this is the one I made. I've had this fabric sitting around for ages and finally used it for something.

This is the inside. The lining fabric is actually blue but it looks black in the picture. I guess that's what happens when you take pictures in the house at night.

A new card

No more ideas for Halloween cards so it was time to move on to Thanksgiving. I've only done one so far and then my ideas sort of fizzled out.
I was pretty pleased with this one though

I got the idea for the ripped and curled frames around the leaves from a book I have called  The Ultimate Paper Crafts Collection.
The pattern for the quilled leaves came from a blog by the same name as it's author Molly Smith. Her profile describes her as "Designer, author and instructor for the craft and hobby industry." She generously shared this pattern on her blog. I also used the leaves on another card I made HERE.
Of course my Cricut machine came into play on this one also. I used it to cut out the letters.

A little bit of Autumn

A quick post for today with a few autumn pictures. Nothing spectacular since I didn't travel any further than my back yard to get them.

 

And I found this silk flower arrangement right in my dining room

Fun with Fiber Optics

When I was digging around in the Halloween decorations I found a couple of fiber optic decorations. One is a pumpkin and the other is a girl scarecrow. I was going to leave them in the box but changed my mind and plugged them to see if they still worked. Later that night when I realized I had left them on I went downstairs with my camera to do some playing.

Since they kept me entertained for a while I suppose they can stay out to celebrate another Halloween.

Secret identity revealed

Duke has a deep dark secret that very few people know about. I'm about to reveal that secret to you here today. Some of you will doubt me but the proof is in the pictures. These have not been doctored at all.
You all know him as the sweet, adorable and lovable mild mannered Westie known as Duke

 But there is a darker side to him. Yes there is, I speak the truth. This sweet innocent little white ball of fluff is a green eyed monster.

See, just look at him. Those eyes are as green as they get. And what causes this phenomenon? All it takes is for Wade and I to attempt to have a simple conversation. He will sit there and bark, jump in your lap, anything that might turn your full attention on him.
Now you know the truth.

The Brenda Photo Challenge (10-16) Fast Food

Oh boy I think I may have made an error with the Brenda Photo Challenge this time around. I prepared all my pictures for it and when it came time to put the post together I discovered it was "Fast Food" not just "Fast". Rather than discard everything I had I'll show it all to you and end with the only thing I could find to save it in the end

My 19 hour nightmare

Apparently when Duke read about Sadie's little adventure when her dad accidentally left the gate open, he was intrigued with the idea of exploring on his own.
Yesterday after work I put him out on his lead like I always do. I heard his usual someone is walking by my yard bark but then he quieted down, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a beautiful day so I let him enjoy the sunshine and fresh air while I chilled out for a while. Around 3:00 when I went to bring him back in, he wasn't there. I ran to the street in front of the house, not there. The street one block over, nothing. His tie out was laying in the yard, the hook didn't appear to be broken at all and his collar wasn't attached to it. Panic set in. I got in the car and drove all over town three times looking for him but no sign. I checked with all the neighbors, stopped at the vets office to see if anyone had brought him in, nothing. I was totally devastated, barely slept all night praying that he would come back. I was even thinking that someone may have come in to the yard and taken him.
This morning I went to work heavy hearted as he had not returned. The girl who works in the office asked me if I was tired and I told her the story. She went to the bulletin board and pulled a notice off that read "Anyone missing a unneutered male white scottie dog please contact the borough office. Duke isn't a scottie but a westie pretty much looks like a white scottie.
I waited one grueling hour for the borough office to open. When I called I was transferred to the garage and got voice mail. I left a message with my number at work. Today I had to leave at 10:00 because I have to work a 1/2 day on Saturday and by then I still had not gotten a phone call. I left work and drove to the borough garage. The woman who's name was on the notice wasn't there but I told the man why I was looking for her. He asked me if I knew where (something I didn't quite understand) was and I said no. He told me he would be pulling his truck out and I could follow him there. He said that they had 2 dogs in a kennel that they had found and that they had been fed and watered.
I followed him to the kennel and finally breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Duke happily wagging his tail from inside one of the kennels.
This is a terrible picture that I took with my cell phone when we got home but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen

He was wet and scraggly looking but none the worse for wear. His companion for the evening was a beautiful and very large chocolate lab. I'm sure Duke felt very safe with him there. I so hope that whoever lost him finds him soon. I hugged Duke a million and one times and made him promise never to do that again.

A quilling challenge

I found a blog called Take a Quill Pill that is doing a monthly challenge. Now I know I'm pretty new at this but what the heck I thought I would join in just for the fun of it.
This month's challenge is to make a card with at least on quilled flower and one butterfly. I really wasn't entirely happy with this card. I think the papers that I used are just a little too busy. The butterfly may not be exactly what they were looking for either but it is a butterfly, or it was meant to be anyway :)
Well enough yacking, here's my card

She'll be so proud of me

The past couple of years I've grown into a bit of a grump when it comes to doing things for the holidays. Maybe it's just getting older and not wanting to bother with all the hassle of pulling out decorations that only have to be packed back up and drug back into the crawl space. but I just haven't felt like doing it. If it wasn't for my daughter Amanda pulling the stuff out and forcing helping me it just wouldn't happen.
Well since I was in such good spirits over the weekend, I thought I would dig out all the old Halloween decorations. I don't have that many left because last year I got rid of some of them but there were still a few worth pulling out.
She'll be so proud of me, I did this all by myself.

Bought this assortment of Halloween bears at the Dollar Store several years ago. I just thought they were so cute.

 And here's a few of my past craft projects. The one at the bottom used to have 2 different sized pumpkins. The other one was looking rather shabby since it had been used as a chew toy by a dog named Ozzie.

There were a couple of other things I pulled out also. I pulled out enough to give things the holiday look but not so much that I would be grumbling when it comes time to pack it away.