Halloween Wrap-Up

How in the world is it Friday already??
How did that happen? Where did the week go?
I'm not complaining by any means, but this week has just slipped away from me.
I don't really have much to say and I still have a TON of Halloween links to unload on you. . .so, let's do it!!

Food

• Here's one Halloween food roundup
  
• And a spooky edibles gallery (7 items)
  
• Mmmmmm - a pumpkin spice cream cheese recipe
  
• Lastly, nummy-sounding pumpkin swirl brownies
  

Crafts/Costume

• Create costumes with household items for a more frugal Halloween
  
• And, here's some DIY Halloween projects for kids
  
• If you're not the 'pumpkin-carving' type, here are a few no-carve ideas. I really like the little ones with the ribbon wrapped around them!
• Craft you some paper pumpkin ornaments.
  

General Tip

• Use petroleum jelly to keep pumpkins fresher, longer.
  

Something fun for your Friday!

• These candy corn traffic cones were sighted in Washington DC

So, whether you're trick-or-treating with the wee ones, scaring up some fun at a party or local establishment, or haunting your own house -

Have a safe and heart-pounding Halloween!!!

Working Through It (Halloween-style TRT)

"As soon as you're born, you start dying; so you might as well have a good time"

~lyrics from 'Sheep Go To Heaven by Cake

I try to remember these words when I start feeling down about what's going on around me. They help me remember that I'm the only one who can make a REAL difference in my life. Yes, they may be morbid; but that's kinda who I am. I need to remember to LIVE and HAVE FUN doing it before I'm all out of time.

You may have read my POOR ME post yesterday, and I want you to know I'm feeling a bit better about life now. I won't apologize or give excuses for yesterday, because that's how I was honestly feeling THEN.

While I'm not all better, I realize that it was just a day. A day to be thankful for, a day I got to experience, and a day from which I can learn.

Now, to get back to the business of LIVING. . .
Here's some "Totally Random Tuesday" Halloween-style:

• Here are some festive ways to "kill" time: quizzes, lists, etc for Halloween/horror movie fans.
  
• Check out this Halloween fantasy mask tutorial.
  
• These Bloody brain shooters look awfully gross, but I LOVE the ingredients and how they turn out. You totally want to drink that, don't you?
• Look for something to give you the creeps, check out these seven haunted objects. I've heard LOTS of stories about the first one.
  
• Make some eyeballs in a jar - Halloween tutorial.
  

You getting in the Halloween mood yet??

Question: What quotes motivate you?
To end this post, let me share one other that really sticks in my mind

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
~Dr. Seuss

Birthday Review (and a Special Edition of Halloween MMSM)

What a very strange weekend it was . . .
LOML offered to take me out of town for dinner and a night at a hotel, but I chose to stay in town and watch college football instead. Fortunately - Alabama won. It was a nail-biter and an overall good game though. We tried to hook up with a few friends, but that never worked out. THEN, I got pissed at the place we went to watch some more football, because they changed the big TVs to games that held no interest (Iowa) and then to a UFC (fighting) thing. I was SO MAD!! We left early, me a bit downtrodden.
My spirits were raised on Sunday when we visited with my family. We carved pumpkins and ate gumbo. I got one of those AWESOME Margaritaville Blenders (frozen concotion maker) from my family. I can't wait to use it!! We also had a yummy Tirimisu cake that my mom ordered from New York. As soon as the cake was eaten, we got a call that a close family friend had passed. Seriously! LOML and I left soon after and went to see a movie before finally heading home.
It was a busy weekend, but definitely left my spirits dampened. Perhaps that's why I was having all those ill feelings about my birthday in the first place. It was destined to be. . .less than celebratory.
On the other hand, the outpouring of good wishes I received via twitter, Facebook, blog comments, and e-mail was overwhelming. A BIG HUG and THANK YOU to all of you for thinking of me, if only for a moment. It really meant a lot!!

The conclusion of my birthday, means one thing - the lead up to Halloween!!
I've saved a bunch of links from last year and a few this year to share this week.
Let's get this party started with some Halloween-Themed "Made Me Smile Monday"

• How about these owl cookies - they look good enough to, well, eat. They are also not completely Halloween specific and can totally be made any time of year.
  
• A gallery of Star Wars pumpkins
• Mmmmmm - vampire cookies!!
  
• Beer Fairy costume - LOVE IT!!

Lastly, does anyone have any great blended drink recipes for me to try in my NEW, AWESOME machine? I've got the bushwacker and margarita down pat (well, not for this machine, YET) and I can make a pretty mean smoothie. But, if you've got any other suggestions, recommendations, or if you wanna come over and try it out, lemmie know!! Ohhh - anything for Halloween perhaps???

I Survived Another Year (FGF)

Well, tomorrow is another birthday for me (I'm not looking for well wishes and congrats or anything, stay in your seats.) As I gain another year, I think about how birthdays affect me. . .

As a kid, I was constantly counting down to my birthday, checking out party planning books from the library, making lists of what I wanted, and on and on. I drove my mom and other relatives CRAZY with reminders. I did everything but send out Save the Date cards for it. Even when LOML and I started dating and into the first few years of our marriage, I made sure he knew exactly how many months until my birthday and reminded him of some of the presents I would want. Now? Now, it's. . . well. . .different. I feel like I'm less juvenile about the date of my birth. Yes, I still want to celebrate it, and I still look forward to it. But, it's just not what it was.

Now, a birthday is AGE, MORE AGE. I feel like it's New Year's Eve and I need to set some resolutions or something. I probably should. . . I feel like there's so much I should have accomplished by this point (age). At the same time, I'm thankful for another year - another year with my my wonderful husband, another year with my family and friends. I guess that's the attitude I should take instead of the "poor me without kids", "poor me without a definite career path", "poor me who's overweight" . . . GAH! My birthday should make me happy and make me want to celebrate, not wallow - RIGHT?

I spend so much time focused on my lists and plans and whatnot, I'm tired of planning and doing. I've asked LOML to plan the day for me. I have planned NO MEALS and have left it up to him. I only ask that we watch the football game at 2:30 and have some fun the rest of the time. Let's see what he comes up with. . . I hope I haven't dug myself a hole with this. He knows what I like, he should be able to do this. Right?

Alright, enough introspective B.S. - It's "Feel Good Friday" How about we find something to feel good about:

• This is such a cool shot of bubble popping
• Delve into the wonderful world of Tim Burton (I'm not sure if it's Tim Burton's style or his use of Johnny Depp that I like more!)
  
• How bout this lady who has been collecting cans for her community swimming pool. It took 30 years, but she got it done
  
• This bowl full of ferrets just makes me HAPPY!
  
• How about a "Post-it love video" to round out the week and make you feel good?
  

So that's it. . .I guess I'm off to celebrate my age. Or something.
Let me know - how do birthdays make you feel?
Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up feeling like a kid again - maybe that'll be my birthday wish!

Dropping In (TRT)

Don't think I've forgotten about blogging.
Last week LOML and I took vacation and stayed pretty busy.
This week, I'm sick. We'll see how that works out.
For now, let me throw some random (for Totally Random Tuesday) links at you:

• Top 10 how to cooking videos
  
• I just love optical illusions, playing with your mind through your eyes. Cool stuff. Here's a collection of video optical illusions.
• Meet the real life invisible man.
  
• Are you a nerd dork, geek, or dweeb? This simple chart can help you figure that out!
  
• They have a point - Are we seeing the general collapse of civility?

Hopefully, I'll be back to regular posting soon.

Starting to Re-Do the RV (ThTh)

LOML and I are still trying to prepare the RV for our upcoming camping trip. (I was going to link to the post where I mentioned our trip, but I can't seem to find it. Maybe I didn't mention it. We're taking the RV on a camping trip here soon. . .)
You have no idea how nasty an RV that has been closed up for close to a year can get. Blech!! It smells(ed) like old lady, mold, and I dunno what else. I've gone through almost a whole bottle of Febreze on the upholstery and mattress.
I'm also constantly jumpy while in there - on the lookout for any sort of too-many-legs-creatures.
But, it's coming along. The beddings have been stripped and washed, I've started wiping down surfaces, and now I'm envisioning ways to decorate the place. You know, really make it ours: re-doing the upholstery, replacing the cabinet handles with something modern, painting the brass pieces some other sheen, etc. . .
I was able to pull down most of the valances down from over the windows after I took these "before" pictures of the place. Here's just a sample of what I'm dealing with here (please overlook the cleaning supplies scattered throughout)

The Bedroom

The Dining Room

The Bathroom

The Kitchen

Now for some samples of what I currently see in my head.
Here's the first set of pictures I found of a trailer that was re-done in a warm, and cozy way. It really gave me an idea of some of the travel trailer decorating possibilities.

But WAIT, there's more!! Here's the one I love the most. It's absolutely perfect!! You have to go (NOW) and see how this rv was renovated. The colors and decorations are simply perfect. Even LOML likes this one. He says that he's not concerned with how the trailer is decorated, but he's already told me his opinion of color options. . .

In any case- in addition to all the other treasures I search out in thrift stores, I have now added decorations for the RV to the list. AWESOME!! I better get busy. I think I might even try my hand at sewing again to make curtains and seat covers. Watch out!!

But first, speaking of thrift stores, it's 'Thrifty Thursday":

• Here's some tips on getting started with canning. I am interested in this, but haven't progressed far on my research.
  
• I may go ahead and make this non-toxic cleaning kit for the RV. Hmmmmm
  
• Again, for the RV - turning old jars into hanging lanterns AND/OR turning tin cans into garden lanterns.
  
• Another tool to help you find and map garage sales in your area. This one is supposed to be better than yard sale treasure map.
  
• Check out how an 100 foot tall oak tree (that died) was turned into art.

It's time to get back to work on that trailer . . . Wish me luck!!