It was a dark and spooky night...

We do Halloween as we do  most holidays around here.  We go all out with decorations to set the mood, to get into the spirit of the occasion.  It's been a haunted house for weeks with spooky decor.  The furkids are not fond of many of the sights and sounds of the season of the witch.  Mac has never liked hanging objects, things that sway and dangle.  Witch cackles and talking spiders that creep across the floor do not set well with any of the 3 furkids.  They were not happy pooches last night.  The only night they hate more is 4th of July.

The goblins that reside here were decked out for the candy crusade.  Connor became a Greek Warrior for the night while Sam started out as Harry Potter, changed his mind, and with Harry's magic, morphed into a business dude, complete with facial hair.  Trish escorted the candy crusaders.

I, as tradition dictates, kept the home pot brewing and handed out sweet treats to the procession of small vampires, fairies, superheros, witches, creatures and the assorted princesses, bees and lady bugs.  I did this while watching a disappointing 4th game of the World Series.  My Rangers got tricked, I'm afraid.

As I type, the vestiges of Halloween have disappeared into the attic or garage and the turkeys have been trotted out (thankful, as every year, that they are not live and endangered).  They will preen until thanks have been given and the flood of snowmen, angels and ornaments send them off to join the ghosts and Easter bunnies.  I have to admit that the season of snowmen, angels and Christmas trees are my favorite time of the year.  Listening to a stuffed turkey gobbling on the coffee table makes me smile knowing that magical season is just around the corner!

                                                     Hope you had a spooktacular night!

Holiday Snow, Round 2!

Surprise, surprise!!  Another round of holiday snow for the Metroplex!  It was beautiful!  Also, perfect for snowballs and snowmen.  So.......... Sam and I took advantage of the unexpected white repeat.  Above are the Sam and Pam Snow Peeps, below are some fun pix..

Snow Soccer

The ultimate snowball is born.....

Snowball rollin' growin'....

My snow fan

Merry Christmas!!

Long time no post.


It's been a busy few months around here. I've been working full time as a special education crisis sub in a local elementary school. It's both exhausting and rewarding. Exhausting because I work with special ed kiddos who need a full and constantly changing bag of tricks when it comes to teaching and producing measurable results. That can mean dancing on your head or silly songs, bouncing, while counting on a mini trampoline or using hand puppets to cajole responses. What works one day or one hour might not work the next. Gotta keep that bag of tricks and reinforcers full and handy! On the other hand, the work is rewarding in that these kids grab your heart and keep you smiling and laughing.

When I get home it's *sigh* more of the same with the home team....

So, not much down time to blog or spend online. I find myself lucky if I make it through my 9 PM TV shows, much less the 10 PM news. Thank God for the DVR!! 5 AM comes all too soon.

Winter break has been a welcome respite in that I can sleep a bit later (if the boys let me) and can catch up on things I've had to let slide the past few months. This is also my favorite time of the year. I love Christmas and all the trappings!! My decorations go up beginning Thanksgiving Day and I take them down starting the day after Christmas. All, that is, but my Snowman collection that I keep in place until it's time to ring in Spring. Also, my snowmen keep my hope alive for some beloved snow!! :) Already had a small taste of it a few weeks ago. Only for a couple of hours, but it stuck and was gorgeous. Now I want more!

The boys are wild this close to Christmas. We still have believers in the guy in the red suit around here, so it's hard to contain the excitement. They have been awake and bugging Trish and me at the ungodly hours of 3 and 4 AM the last couple of mornings!!! NOT FUN!!

Today is an unseasonable 70ish and, at the moment, sunny, tho' we're due some storms and an abrupt return to Christmas temps for Christmas Eve. I LOVE the cold!

*Sigh* I hear the sounds of bickering and rough-housing boys who must want to have their names written in blood on the naughty list..


The halls are decked and the stockings hung. Christmas is coming!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends and family!!!