Wordless Wednesday:: Color

I need some color added to my day, because I am so sick of looking at snow! These photos were taken in Little Italy, NYC in November.


FYI: Our Caption This! Winning Caption was this one!



If I have to see one more Kibbles-n-Bits commercial...

To be fair, I had my kids pick their favorite...

Congratulations to Sweet Jeanette!!

She will be receiving a $10.00 Target Gift Card!! Woo-hoo! :)
That was fun....I think I will do this again in the near future.

Would you play again if I did?

It Ain't Easy Bein' (Packers) Green

A bet.

Is a bet.

On Friday, a co-worker showed up in my office looking like this:

I snapped his picture and attached this message:

Silly Cheese Head, Super Bowl is for Steelers!

Love,

Pittsburgh

We talked a little smack.

Then a handshake.

The agreement:

If the Steelers were victorious,

he would have to wear my Polamalu jersey all day Monday

and

hang my "No-Cheese" sign on his office door for the whole week.

If the Packers were victorious,

I would have to wear his Packers jersey all day Monday

and

hang the Green Bay Pennant on my office door for the whole week.

Ben, Time was ticking.

You were thinking this may be the game to help redeem yourself.

I wish you would have concentrated more on

NOT THROWING INTERCEPTIONS!

I know you tried really hard, but the rally was a bit too late and has left me WEARING GREEN this Monday.

And let me tell you,

to a girl who loves Black and Gold,

It ain't easy being green!

Did you watch the Super Bowl? What did you think of the game?

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Fun Friday:: Caption This!

I have been working on my new blog launch and have skipped a few Wordless Wednesday posts, where I share some of my favorite photos. I didn't think I would miss it, but I do! I really do!

After a long snowy week (with more on the way!) I thought this would be a fun way to kick off the weekend!

Caption This!

P.S. Best caption just may win a prize!!


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MGB-Blogger of the Month:: January 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It is January 1st and time to introduce a new Blogger of the Month!

I found this blogger last April while participating in The Ultimate Blog Party and this is what I said way back when....

"Musings of a Manic Mama: Get ready to laugh! Alisha is from Texas with an obsessive family dream of moving her homestead to Alaska! Quite a contrast! Her blog draws you in right away and you feel that you are along for the ride as she spins her quick wit around her adventures. From catching a fish to glamour shots channeling Evel Knievel, I find myself going back again and again!"


I have continued to go back to Alisha's blog and I have to say that she is F-U-N-N-Y!!! I love how she makes me laugh with her stories, from her bet with friends to compete in their own Biggest Loser competition, taking out a big snake on the porch (boots and all) to stories from her new job (you have to read it to believe it....and she is living it) she will have you snorting in laughter!

I am so excited to start out 2011 with such a fun Blogger of the Month! Please join me in welcoming
Alisha of Musings of a Manic Mama!!

MGB: How long have you been blogging?

MMM: I started blogging back in July of '09. A couple of my good friends had been talking about their blogs and said I should give it a try, since I've always written here and there, and I thought, "Oh, gosh, WHAT is interesting enough in my life to actually TALK on the internet about?" **snorts** Little did I know my life is perfect for oddball blog fodder. Between my kids, my own craziness, and now my job, I have unlimited fodder, only limited time! But I'm a "by the seat of the pants blogger," meaning, I don't pre-plan. It's all off the top of my head, baby! I obsess over planning and I think it takes the fun out of it. I might say, "Oh, I need to blog about that!" and just note the subject matter or a phrase or 2, but I don't write rough-drafts. I think it takes the "me-ness" out of it.

MGB: What do I love about blogging?

MMM: I love being able to have my own space to say my own thing and let loose with my own feelings and then have feedback saying, "You're not the only one that feels that way!" I LOVE the blogger community! It's like a whole new family all over the world. I have met some of the most amazing people that I am so blessed with their friendships and having them encourage me. I know I wouldn't ever have met them otherwise. I have always had issues with feeling accepted due to my quirks, and it's so nice to know that there are people out there who can overlook quirks and see there's a worthwhile person in there. The blogging community really has shown me that. It's nice to know someone has your back when they've never seen your face.

MGB: You recently went back to work, which has been giving you GREAT subject material! Do you find it hard to balance working, family time and blogging?

MMM: Well, so far it isn't that hard with the family aspect because my husband and I work it the way we need to that fits our family. And if you follow my blog, you will see my blogging has really taken a hit with the work. I might blog once a week, or it could be once a month. And I hate that. I face blogging issues of "Do I really want to blog about my real friends at work? Or will that endanger our friendships?" and "Whoa... is that interesting or **ahem** appropriate enough to add on my blog?" LOL, usually the most interesting things aren't really that appropriate. One thing I've gone back and forth on adding to my blog is the occasional rant. I mean, I really don't want to just gripe and moan on there and toss out negativity, there's enough of that out there already. But I believe it takes from the "realness" of the blog. I know I appreciate seeing the bloggers I believe are their own little June Cleavers in their little Wally and the Beav world, seeing them get PO'd and screw up from time to time. It's nice to know they're human.


MGB: You played and sang a beautiful holiday song for your readers! Have you always played the piano?

MMM: Hahaha! You WOULD bring the music part up! Honestly, I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't play the piano. According to my mom, I would come in from church or VBS when I was around 2 or 3 and say, " Hi, Mommy! We learned this song today. Do you want to hear it?" And I'd run over to the piano and play it. It would kind of freak her out. I did take piano lessons when I was about 7, but the teacher got so mad at me because I went home and taught myself to chord to "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" over the weekend before my next lesson, and since I didn't do it "her" way, she told my mom that I could either learn it the "right" way or just quit. So, I quit, and I play strictly by ear now. Music is an important part of my life and the singing part is fairly new (as in about 2 years or so). I never thought I was a very good singer and JD (the hubby) snuck in and heard me one day and I was so embarrassed! And he said I should sing for people. And I didn't want to. So to make a long story short, I secretly recorded myself one day and listened to it and well, the dogs didn't howl, so I figured I'd just post it on my blog. I still pop one up occasionally, but there really needs to be a techno upgrade for those videos, lol. I don't prepare a whole lot and it's obvious, but it comes from the heart. And I was given these gifts for a reason (one which I still don't know why, (maybe to entertain myself and the blog world, lol) but I know I enjoy it. It's like it's own emotion for me. Excited? I play. Stressed? I play. Mad at the world? I play. It's a nice way to vent. My poor piano! Lol!


MGB:  Do you have a favorite post? Why is it your favorite?

MMM: Oh gosh... off the top of my head, I'd have to say this one, because I'm pretty self-deprecating in my humor. I mean, if you can't laugh at yourself, you have no business laughing at anyone. It's probably my favorite because I enjoyed laughing at myself while I wrote it and I really enjoyed the reader reaction. And I really liked this one and this one because I love the whole reader-interaction thing. It's nice to see people pitch their two cents in.

MGB:  What would you like to see for your blog a year from now?
 
MMM: Well, lol, hopefully, more followers! And that would require more posts from me. And I'd like to kind of reveal the real, too. I've been sticking my toe in the water here and there, but the "OMG! What will they think!?!" thing pops up from time to time about the rants and the real thoughts I keep locked up in my head for the most part. I mean, there are people in my community that read my blog and I know they'll be whispering about it and it could all blow up, but heck, if you can't say your opinion due to fear of "Them," that's not a very free way to be. And I am a pretty opinionated person. But, we'll see. I'm still hemming and hawwing over it. Can the Blog World take anymore Alisha?? We'll see. Probably. 



Go visit Alisha. Follow her. Laugh with her. You will be glad you did! :)

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Blog of Christmas Present: Top Five Tips & Cookie Recipe

Part two of my Blogging Christmas Carol begins with being elbow deep in flour, sugar sprinkles and frosting as I have begun my holiday baking!

I spoke to my MIL early Saturday morning and she shared the best line I think I have heard coming from my FIL...she said he asked her "When are you going to make the house smell like Christmas?!" He is speaking of the lovely anise aroma that accompanies making Italian Pizzelle cookies. My husband surely follows in his father's footsteps...when the first steam of the waffle cookie escaped from the pizzelle iron, my husband exclaimed "It's Christmas! I smell Pizzelles!"

I only make these cookies twice a year: Christmas and Easter. But I do have to admit, they are delicious!

**Update***1/1/11

If you notice the recipe is missing....you are right. Hubby claimed that giving this recipe was like sharing a sauce recipe....something you just don't do! So, I promised to take it down today.

My Christmas "Present" is a lot different from my Christmas Past....For one, I am working full time. This has changed how I prepare for the holidays this year.

Here are five of my top holiday tips that have helped me through the seasons and will hopefully help make your holiday a little easier:

1. Make a list and check it twice:  of what baked goods you plan to make. When your list is complete, make another list with all the ingredients, paying attention to the amount of flour, sugar, confectioners sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla (the most common ingredients) that are used in each recipe. Make this your shopping list for the store-you will be sure to have all the ingredients you need, saving time and money. This has helped me through many- a - baking season without having to run to the neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar!

2. Click and Ship: Shop online for friends and family that are in far away zip codes. I have missed the holiday's on more than one occasion by not shipping gifts on time! I have learned that with a click of the mouse, I can purchase the same item I would pick out in a store and then have it shipped directly to my loved one, AND have it arrive on time! NO more finding the right sized box, dragging the kids to the post office and standing in line for ages. Why I did not do this years ago, I will never know.

3. Focus Santa, Focus: Have the kids make a focused Santa List. We all had that gift that we were searching for under the tree, so when the kids were old enough to make a list for Santa, my husband and I asked them for the top 3 things they would look for under the tree. The 3 things that they really, really wanted. Of course their list was filled with more than 3 things, but by separating the top three, made it easy for us to shop because we could handle their wish-list and not go overboard. This also kept it very simple for us because the other items could be shared with family members for gift ideas.


4. Save a tree and some money.  Don't wrap the gifts from Santa. My husband and I never wrapped with exception of only a few things: ( ie: clothes). I can honestly say that I have used the same wrapping paper for a good two or three years.

5. Have Christmas in July!  Have cards printed and addressed early. Are my greetings mailed yet? No. I hope to make it to the post office today. I tell myself every year, I am going to make a spreadsheet of next year's card list, get that special photo, have it printed and ready in July. Does it ever happen? Not a chance! I need to take my own advice.

So how is Christmas Present shaking out? The baking has started, the gifts are shipped, I still have wrapping paper and the cards are ready to go. Now the only thing still needed is to light a fire under Santa's butt to get out and shop!

Next up is Blog of Christmas Future: Some big announcements are headed your way!

Do you have some easy holiday tips? Share with us in the comments below!

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Blog of Christmas Past

Remember the story "A Christmas Carol"? The character Ebenezer Scrooge gets a visit from 3 ghosts showing him his past, present and future self.

Well, I thought it might be fun to do a little spin on that premise and have a MGB visit to the past, present and future!

So, Part One....

Blog of Christmas Past
Where was Mom Got Blog a year ago? Let's go take a visit!

This time last year, we were crossing our fingers for a snow day, which did actually happen! I guess the magic of sleeping donned with inside out pajamas, spoons under the pillow and sleeping "backwards" really does work! Who knew!

I also wrote one of my "Really?" posts...and actually mentioned Scrooge in this phenomenon of one decorating their car to look like a reindeer. I thought it was dumb then, and I still think it's dumb. Bah, Humbug!

Last year, our son was in the snoop-dog house, when my husband interrupted the covert operation "Mission Present-Ops" that my son and his buddy had put into action. The boy still needs to learn that "The General" is a master at strategy and is always three steps ahead!

Photo by: Jerry Search

I was also patiently waiting for news as to whether I would be going to the Olympic Games in Vancouver. I was so excited for the possibility, because I knew so many of the athletes from the US Speedskating teams, that I was really hoping to win the Olympic Blogging Contest that I had entered in October. But, I did not and wrote from my chair at home, still beaming with pride for all the friends putting their heart and soul out there on the ice.

Well, we are back at the homestead. That was fun. I haven't read those...in, well, a year! Hope you enjoyed visiting them as much as I did.

Tomorrow: A visit to Blog of Christmas Present! I believe it will have to do with some of my favorite holiday tips!

What were you doing a year ago? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Friday Fun

Ok...I've had quite a week and there is a post in the works about it...but for now, I'm going to share a store front that I saw in NYC that cracked me up- so much so,  that I snapped a picture of it!

I know you are, but what am I?

A Birthday Wish

Image via Fresh Picked Seattle/Flickr

Today is a special day! Our Blogger of the Month, Lisa of generating HEAT is another year older and another year wiser!

We recently spent the day in New York City and had a blast! I can't wait to share what we packed into one day! *hint* It was a lot!

As today is Lisa's last day as our Blogger of the Month, please help me wish her a wonderful day filled with special birthday surprises! Visit her blog and leave a comment! I know she would love to hear from you!

Happy Birthday Lisa!!

A Time I Fell Down

I am sharing this post as part of MamaKats Writing Workshop..the prompt: A time I fell down.

Happy Thanksgiving! :) 

I promised this morning that I would have another post tonight sharing my weekend, but something happened today that had me cracking up ...at myself! If you saw it, you would have certainly been laughing AT me and I would not have blamed you one bit.

As I mentioned, today was my first day of my new job. It's a nice little job that I am very excited about. I was so nervous about making a good impression, that I did not sleep a wink last night and let me tell you, the alarm sounded much, much earlier than I wanted.

After sorting out a few things and having a few gulps of much needed coffee,  I got settled at my new desk and then it happened. I felt like I was in a re-run of the "I Love Lucy Show" only, I was not Lucy.

                                   I was her stand in.

I can hear the director now...

"Ok.  Lucy, I want you to reach over the arm rest of your chair, down into that tote bag and try to grab the bottle of water that is just out of your reach. Good. CUT! Bring in the stunt double...."

Then it is me in the chair and in the next instant, the chair tips, wheels fly out to the side, my feet and the legs of the chair are above my head and I am crashing onto the ground. "CUT! Bring Lucy back in!"

 

Lucy = "Whaaaaaaaaa! Riiiiiiiiiicckkkyyy!!!"

Me = "Ouch! Bpffffftttttttttt....hhahahahahaha!"

That's is correct. I literally fell out of my chair!

I am so glad nobody saw it happen because I would never have lived that one down!

I'm sure that my neighbor in the next office has no clue that there is a comic genius in the works, mere feet away. I'll keep that gem for months from now when I can say "Did I ever tell you what happened on my first day?"

For now, I am finishing my tea and grabbing the heating pad for my sore back.

*In my best Troy McClure voice*: "I'm not a stunt double, but I once played one in an office...you may have seen me in "Musical Chairs For Dummies" or "Stop, Drop and Roll, an Office Worker's Nightmare".

Not to worry stunt doubles, I'm going to keep my day job.

November Series: Thankful Thursday

Today is our final installment of our guest post series. I am so thankful to have had such wonderful contributors this month! What great posts they shared with us!!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday today with friends and family, eat lots of turkey (or whatever feast graces your table) and be sure to laugh and share stories!

Our guest post today is by Mary Biever author of Real Life in River City Blog is a corporate computer trainer, blogger, and speaker. She writes a lovely blog about her daily life in Evansville, IN.



I am thankful for…


A dead watch battery that reminded me of the value of unplugged, stopped time.

The 1st day of our family’s vacation in the Smokies last month, my watch battery died. In addition, our cabin was so remote we had neither Internet nor cell phone access. Richard, my husband, wanted our family to have an unplugged break.

Most of the time, I liked it. Except when our kids raced ahead of us on a trail and were out of contact for two hours when we had no phone access. Or when we took the mountain shortcut on the unimproved road that beat any theme park roller coaster. How I wanted my cell phone access! Everything ended well in both adventures, even with no bars on my phone.

When I couldn’t check my phone, I heard the wind rustling in the trees and the crunch of the leaves as we walked trails. We could savor the stars in the midnight sky from the hot tub on our cabin deck. Whether we picnicked by a rushing creek or cooked out at the cabin, for a few days, we were just the little family in the little house in the big woods.

I like stopping time. My babies are now teens in high school – 1 a junior and the other a freshman. In 3 years, both of my kids will be in college. Now I understand why grandparents are so indulgent with young grandchildren. They know how quickly those years pass. I can’t make back the younger years of their childhood when I got so busy meeting schedules that I sometimes left out downtime to enjoy each other. What I can do is savor the time we have right here, right now.

We’ll be home this Thanksgiving instead of in a mountain cabin. Nevertheless, I hope we can take off our watches, unplug ourselves, and savor time just being who we are. Just for today, I hope time will stand still so we can enjoy our dinner, hear the crunch of the leaves rustling in our own backyard, and maybe play a board game.

Just to help me along, I suspect my husband or kids will kidnap my phone and my laptop and hold it hostage for the day! If they do, I wonder what ransom they will demand?

How will you stop time and seize the moment this Thanksgiving?

Mom Got Blog is Taking a Road Trip!

Have you ever been to NYC? I have been a few times and have always had fun exploring new places.

Well, this time I am switching it up a bit and will be meeting a friend-we plan on taking the city by storm and blogging about it!

I am going to meet our Blogger of the Month, Lisa of Generating Heat! I can't wait! Anything I should put on our list to check out? Favorite places to visit or grab a bite to eat? Let us know in the comment section and we will check it out!

I'll be back on Monday....with a really fun announcement! Stay tuned!

November Series: Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday! Time for another Thankful Thursday guest post!

Today's guest post is by Marie of 1000 Reasons I'm a Crap Mom, who shares her cheeky wit about being a single mom and raising her precious little bit of joy. She tries to weed through all the millions of do's and don'ts of "tips for moms" that clutter the inbox and often wonders, between mom's feedback, the conflicting advice bombarded at her, and her own insecurities, if the blog should be called 2000 reasons. Or 5000!

I am Thankful For A Book About Kangaroos

Thanksgiving approaches, and Americans around the world are thinking about what they are thankful for this year. I am neither American nor living in the US (yet!) but I am thankful for the opportunity to be a guest on Kelly’s blog and I am also very, very thankful for a book about kangaroos.

Kangaroos?

Kangaroos!

My son C has relatives in Australia, and they recently sent a large parcel full of presents for his first birthday. Everything was lovely: the cute t-shirts with smiling crocodiles on VW buses, the koala backpack that is just too cute for words, the beautiful story books for reading at bedtime.

I had no way of imagining that “Mummy’s little bush babies” would make such a difference in our lives.

C is the best and bravest baby who ever was, but he is prone to night terrors. I do not wish those upon anyone, not even the guy who invented high heels. The night terrors are terrors indeed: in the middle of the night, for no reason I can discern, C suddenly starts screeching as if his limbs were being torn off. He is inconsolable, and anything I do to try to comfort him only makes things worse: if I hold him he cries harder, if I back off he cries harder, if I try to move him to a safe position he cries harder, if he as much as touches the headboard with his head he cries harder. He slaps me off if I try to hug or pat him, violently rejects any offer of a bottle, and generally seems to suffer a LOT until suddenly a switch goes off and he crashes back into sleep.

During this whole ordeal (which has taken as long as an hour sometimes) C’s eyes are either shut or open but vacant. And by the end of it, my eyes are usually full of tears.

It is brutal. Brutal.

(And now everything will make sense!)

About a week ago C got such a bad case of the terrors that I ended up conceding defeat and accepting our amazing babysitter Adi’s help after an hour of battle. His screams had become so loud he actually woke her up. At 4 am.

She was as much at sea as I was: singing didn’t help, cuddling was not going to happen, and the bottle was slapped off as if it were cyanide. I must admit I am such a sewer rat  that I was secretly somewhat pleased about Adi’s lack of success. The love triangle between mom, baby and sitter is a complicated one.

At her wit’s end, Adi started randomly showing things to C, hoping to distract him: “Look, sweetheart! Your ball!” More wailing. “Here’s your truck, do you want your truck?” Louder wailing. “What about your empty bottle! You love your empty bottle!” The bottle flew across the room. “Oh look! Your kangaroo book!”

The crying stopped.

Adi and I held our breath.

C stretched a tentative hand towards the book, turned a page, and smiled. He turned another page, looked up from the book, and smiled at us through the tears and the snot and the drool. My boy was back!

(The hostages were free! The bomb had been defused! The plane had landed safely! The world was safe! This must be what Bruce Willis feels like all the time.)

This midnight rescue would be enough to make me have that kangaroo book gold-plated and encrusted with diamonds, but there is more: ever since that night, if C’s terrors get intractable I show him the book and read it to him. And it helps him calm down every time.

Last year, I was grateful for my perfect baby boy, the beauteous C, who is to this day the best and bravest baby who ever was.

This year, I am infinitely thankful for a kangaroo book.

Now I just need help deciding – should I have the book dipped in white or yellow gold?

Wordless Wednesday::My Speedskating Rides-Marchese

Coach Paul Marchese's Short Track Skate made just for me!

Gilligan's Island The Chicago Series: "The Gang"



Cast of Gilligan's Island via Google Search

 Well, I sat right back and told you a tale...a tale of one GREAT trip!! A tale that brought my husband and two friends through the streets and eateries of Chicago and a story to match each cast member from the show Gilligan's Island. How did we come up with of all things, this show? Well it actually started with the last day when we met "Mary Ann". The fellas said that this cute girl sitting at the bar looked like her from the show...and well, after laughing, we started to match up each character to someone we met while visiting the Windy City!

So, to work backwards, before meeting Mary Ann, we met the Howell's while dining on a delicious steak dinner at Gibson's Steakhouse and noshed on a chocolate dessert that just wouldn't die...

We heard of the dancing legend, and finally witnessed the Skipper getting down with all the ladies at Howl at the Moon....such a smooth operator...

We met Gilligan while eating the beyond delicious Chicago style pizza at Lou Malnati's after finishing our own three hour tour on a Segway!

And who could forget meeting Ginger at the House of Blues? Oh, we will never forget her...and neither will you-she gained the most comments of all the series posts...so true to form from a "movie star"- always wanting all the attention!

Last (or first!) but not least, we matched up The Professor, jacket and all, while enjoying a celebratory brew at the Oktoberfest in downtown Chicago.

 Chicago really is one of my favorite cities to visit. There are so many more things I look forward to exploring on my next visit. If I ever feel the need to be connected, I can always order a deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's... That's right!!!! You can order that pizza to arrive right at your doorstep and bake up your own bit of heaven. That is exactly what we did to have a "debriefing" meeting...really it was to exchange pictures from the trip...but this was a fun way to bring Chicago back!

Lou Malnati's Pizza-straight from Chicago!



We ordered 2 Cheese and 2 Pepperoni

And they were DELICIOUS!!!

I hope you enjoyed the stories and pictures of our trip! We had a blast and this was a fun way for me to share it with you!

Which character was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

Gilligan's Island The Chicago Series: "Mary Ann"

Mary Ann via Google Image Search

There is always that one girl that makes the boys swoon. The girl next door, sweet, pretty and wholesome. The girl you want to bring home to meet mom. The girl we noticed sitting at the bar could be that girl.

It was our last night in Chicago and after leaving the Hancock Building, we decided to have a night-cap at our hotel establishment. We grabbed a high top table and ordered and chatted about our evening. It wasn't too crowded, but it was starting to pick up.

A group of girls stopped just outside the front door. They were there for a long enough time that it grabbed my friend's attention and she asked me what they were doing. I watched them do a "Mr.Rogers"...they leaned on one another as they took out there stilettos and placed them on their feet as they tucked flip-flops into their handbags. The door swung open and they waltzed in about 10 feet or so and grabbed a stool at the bar.We joked that now we understood how the young girls were able to walk around this city with such high heels. The secret: have flip-flops at the ready!  The other secret-sit immediately.

As they got comfortable, my friend and I noticed this young woman, hair pulled neatly back into a ponytail, very nicely dressed, in casual preppy clothes. She was chatting with a young man and they looked as if they were enjoying a first date. My girlfriend and I ooh-ed and ahh-ed over her very cute bag and the guys mentioned how she looked like Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island. We chuckled and noticed that the two lovebirds got very close and made their way out the door. Aww. How sweet.

We lost interest with the bar area and got lost in our own conversation. This was the first trip the four of us had taken with each other and it was really fun. There are some friends that you can hang with and then there are friends you can travel with. We learned on this trip that our friends possess both qualities!

We started to notice that the bar was starting to get busy and crowded. At the table next to us, we heard a young man talking on his cell. He was trying to figure out where his lady friend was. He was explaining into the phone the bar he was sitting in...that he had been there for a while and would continue to wait til she arrived. The girl on the other end was being witty because he was laughing nervously...almost the panic nervous- don't stand me up- laugh. The phone rang again and he started describing the bar again...a little more nervous laughter and then a "Ha! No way....haha" He was looking toward the bar area.

And who was sitting at the bar on the other end of the phone?! "Mary Ann"! The nice girl we saw leave the bar about an hour ago with a DIFFERENT guy than the one next to us. MMmm....hmmmm. Our young Romeo walked over to her at the bar and they giggled as they closed their phones in unison.

We all gave each other that "what the....." look. That's when the fellas chimed in with "You know, all the boys liked Mary Ann way more than Ginger!"

Uh, huh.

Don't let the girl-next-door looks fool you! I don't think the boys are planning to bring her home to meet mom....

At least not tonight!

"Trick or Tweet!" Happy Halloween!

Every Halloween I like to come up with a unique costume to celebrate the holiday and hand out treats to all the Trick or Treaters. It's fun to banter back and forth with the TOT's, "Hey great costume", "Hey, great costume yourself!"

While digging through the Halloween box, I found a blue wig....the color of the blue was familiar....and it got the imagination going.....and I came up with.....

TWITTER!!

I was all shades of blue...From head to toe....

And to think that a little over a year ago, I didn't even have a Twitter! Now I can't stay away from it!

Dressing up is fun...but the real fun begins when the bell rings and you get to see what characters are looking for chocolaty treats. I think my favorite of the night was a little girl decked out with a shiny pink cowgirl hat, and a matching pink tulle skirt, complete with cowgirl boots. I answered the door to a sweet little...

Cowgirl: "Trick or Treat! What are you this Halloween?"

Me: "I'm Twitter"

Cowgirl: "That's cool. I'm a cowgirl."

Me: "I like your pink hat!"

Cowgirl: "Yes, it helps me do this"

she grabbed her hat by the brim and kicking up her booted heel yelled

"Yeeeee-Haaaawww!"

She was the cutest thing ever, and I wanted to give her the whole big bowl of candy.

The next surprise- my daughter baked a birthday cake that matched my costume!!

This Halloween really was a Treat with a Tweet! :)

This is Day 3 of the SITS Halloween Party...check out the other folks that are in today's Halloween Parade!

Tricks and Treats For Your Halloween Creations

Pumpkin Carving Art

One of the best things about Halloween is the opportunity to get creative; with crafts, costumes, parties and even food.  Here are some fun things we did this season:


Let’s start with the Jack o' Lantern.

What I like about carving a pumpkin is that you can never mess it up! So what if you miss an eye or make the mouth too big? Our son thought he messed his up last year…so to cover it up, he made a puker pumpkin. Boys! But, really, he's on to some thing- the best masterpieces are the unexpected ones: like this year's pumpkin eating another pumpkin!

This Year's Winner of the Funniest Pumpkin

A little bit of crafts:

I found the best little ceramic painting place when I lived in Pennsylvania. I went there so often, that I only had to sign my first name to pieces I created: I miss it. I'm sure you have a place in town close by that offers a paint your own ceramic....if so, you should definitely go with the kids or even make it a girl's night out (some have wine parties!). I made this candy bowl in 2000

Now for Treats:

As you may know, today is my birthday! Yes, another year older and as a friend so kindly wrote, another year wiser. If I am to blow out candles, I prefer to have them on a cake that I did not bake! So, my daughter has been making cupcakes for the last couple of years. This year she got very creative, and made each cupcake different!

Didn't they come out so cute??!

Me? Total slacker:  I took Little Debbie Snack cakes and added a little bit of icing and mini chocolate chips:

I could have done the same thing to brownies, but then that would have required me to bake...which is off limits today!

And now a Trick!

I have no idea how I discovered this....but I share this trick to anyone who will listen! HA!

Did you know that a banana splits into 3 equal parts? It's true!



Whole slice of banana...



Three equal pieces!

I know! Amazing right?! I bet you are trying it right now!!

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What are some of your favorite Halloween creations? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a Treat in My Book

Halloween is my favorite time of year. Then again, I am partial to it. It is the day that this little goblin came into the big bright world! Being born on a holiday can be a drag, but I think I lucked out in the most fun department. Sure, Christmas has lots of toys and good cheer, but each birthday, I got to dress up, be a different character and eat loads of candy. For me, Halloween really is a treat!

I am definitely showing my age here, but I remember as a kid going to Woolworth’s and looking through all boxes with cellophane windows that lined the shelves. When peeking inside, you could see the plastic mask of your favorite character and tucked underneath would be a smock that you would tie at the neck. They were awesome. My favorite was Snoopy and my brother's was Superman. The great thing about those costumes – after each wear, you could fold it up for next year and place the box in the closet for safe keeping.

As kids came into the picture, Woolworth's was long gone and ordering peas in a pod or pumpkin onesies through catalogs took its place. As they got a little older, it was really fun to create costumes! A few years ago, we decided as a family to dress up as vampires-our makeup came out awesome..I wish I could find the family photo, but this is all I could find:

Doesn't my son look a little like Eddie Munster??


I plan on dressing up this year to hand out candy to all the little ghosts and goblins. I will not divulge what or who I am until Nov. 1, so you will have to come back and see! I will have a post and picture for you-speaking of pictures-I am entering into the SITS Halloween Party for a chance to win a sa-weet new camera! This could be the best birthday weekend ever!

Candy, treats, having fun with my family....

I can’t think of any better day to turn a year older!

The Wonder that is Halloween

To celebrate the upcoming Halloween holiday, today's guest post is from our Blogger of the Month, David McGrievey of An Illustrated Life. I hope you have had the chance to visit David's blog to enjoy his witty banter and beautiful illustrations.

I recall the scent of fallen leaves crushed under my feet as my sister and I went door to door screaming 'Trick or Treat" at weary married people. Aside from the few healthy apples dumped in our pillowcases, we were never disappointed. We grew up in a neighborhood with emphasis on neighbor.

Nobody gives out treats in NYC.

Luxury high rise condominiums are closely guarded by uniformed doormen who do not let annoying costumed children in.

My apartment building is not that fancy, no doormen, so consequently, my first year living in this city, a lone fat Asian kid knocked on my sixth floor door and said "Trick or Treat." Dumbfounded, I gave him a piece of sliced Wonder bread, it was the only treat I had.

I dropped the pathetic slice into his colorful 'Trick or Treat" bag knowing full well it was not a treat, I felt bad.

Turns out the kid lived downstairs and he was the only English speaking person in his family. He gave me the stink eye while passing in the hallway for a year after the sliced bread incident but we later became friends. I believe NYC gave birth to the phrase "Never take candy from strangers," which is why I give out Wonder bread.

Please enjoy this fall image of mine which appeared in The New York Times. It is of the Guggenheim Museum and looks like sliced bread, no children allowed.

Gilligan's Island The Chicago Series: "The Skipper"



The Skipper via Google Image Search

We left "Gilligan" in search of a place to have fun. The bouncer was extremely kind to the "early bird" -older-crowd (aka: us!) that showed up at his door. We peeked in and asked if it was open and he said it was. Our next question was how quickly did the tables fill up, because we definitely wanted a table. How sad is this...it was only 6 pm! He said they would probably be full in an hour. We all exchanged looks and said we should go in now and asked if there was a cover. Here is where our new friend won all our hearts....I believe he ducked inside and asked the hostess to let us in without a cover charge. We had our hand stamped and off to a table we went inside "Howl at the Moon."

There was a pretty sizable group celebrating a retirement party for a woman named “Feathers”. Now, I have no idea if this was her real name or her “stage” name, but she was referred to this all night long.

Next to Feather’s party was a smaller crowd of all ladies celebrating an 80’s reunion. Who says older folks can’t have fun? We just have to party early! We've learned to like our sleep.

My husband and I had gone to a Howl at the Moon while visiting San Antonio, TX. He surprised me for my 40th birthday by planning the whole trip-(I know. He is awesome!)-we stayed on the River Walk, saw the Alamo and had the best margarita’s I have ever had. Ever! One evening we decided to visit the dueling piano bar to see what it was all about and ended up having so much fun! We were really hoping that it would carry through with Chicago for our friends to enjoy, and it did! The songs were flowing, folks were dancing and the musicians were playing and cracking snarky remarks getting the crowd going. About an hour after we sat down, more musicians joined on stage; In addition to the 2 pianos, there were drums, a bass, guitar, harmonica and even a trumpet! Three guys and two girls-all rotating between instruments. I can say that I was impressed. What a talented group on stage!

What was that bobbing to the beat up on the dance floor? Is that….a…skipper hat?

My husband told us of a legend that had been spotted around town wooing the young ladies with his soft shoe and that he caught a quick glimpse of him at the Oktoberfest while we were chatting with the "Professor". Seems everyone knows who the dancing Skipper is but can never say where he will show next. As luck should have it.. he was here! I would say put one of his "crew" members in a mix of young ladies, add some music and you have caught yourself a Skipper!

He did not confine himself to just the dance floor either…he made it around the whole bar, like a silent shark, grabbing a hand here and there and pulling in a giggly girl. At one point it got a little creepy because right in front of  our table, we caught a glimpse of his dance moves that went way too low and with a little too much gyration for an 80+ year old guy. I thought he was going to break a hip! He found his way back to the dance floor and to a pretty retiree named Feathers who was now wearing a fuchsia boa and was kicking up her heels as well. That was the last we saw of the Skipper and of Feathers.

I mean, really. Who can resist a man in uniform? Such a smooth operator!