Happy Halloween

First of all, let me say "Happy Halloween" to all. It's been a cloudy, chilly day in our neck of the woods so there were some bundled-up little trick-or treaters tonight. Brrr. I ended up buying three kinds of candy - Reese's Cups, Butterfingers and Milky Way bars. 2 bags of each. I thought that would be more than enough, based on the history of our neighborhood. Much to my dismay, we gave out ALL the candy so there's nothing left for me to nibble on. Darn. That wasn't how it was supposed to work out ....

On to better and happier news. This wonderful little babe is once again visiting overnight, sleeping peacefully in the next room. Oh, how I love to have her visit! She was here last weekend also, on Friday night. On Saturday, we went to see Great-Grandma Dode who hadn't seen her in a while.

She got a little fussy and tired toward the end of our visit - oh, yeah, the girl can cry when she wants to! That's not often, though - she's a happy-go-lucky relaxed little girl most of the time.

And we all love her to bits!

*People photos courtesy of the hubster, with new camera and lens!*

You've Got To Be Kidding

We've really been enjoying the fall season.

I love walking the dogs, hearing the leaves crunch beneath my feet as we make our way through the neighborhood.

I love my little arrangement of pumpkins and gourds on our front porch.

I smirk at my neighbors who have strung bright orange and purple lights in their windows, in honor of Halloween.

I've been debating about what kind of candy to buy for the trick-or-treaters on Saturday - Reese's Cups or Butterfingers?

I avoid the kids Halloween cartoon specials on TV and hate when they bump my favorite shows.

Everything would indicate that it's Fall - we're right in the middle of that most beautiful and colorful time of year, right?

Then why in the world has our local Christian radio station started playing Christmas music? In October? What's up with THAT?

Last night I was running an errand, flipped on the radio, and to my horror I heard "Sleigh Ride" playing. Surely a mistake, or a joke of some sort?

I waited for the song to end to hear what came next ... and - to my horror again - I heard that old holiday favorite "Silver Bells" begin to play. No way. I couldn't believe they were intentionally, purposefully, airing Christmas music in October!

That's so wrong! C'mon people, can't you wait until December 1st?

A Picture Perfect Fall Day

This past Sunday we enjoyed a field trip to the west, driving to Metamora, Indiana on a glorious fall day. The day was crisp, breezy and sunny; perfect for wandering through this old canal town. Metamora is quaint, historic, interesting, picturesque and all the other similar adjectives you can think of. Old homes, old storefronts turned into all sorts of shops and restaurants, a picture-perfect gazebo, big shade trees, the path along the canal, the mill - everything - makes it a wonderful little town tucked away in the hills of southeastern Indiana. We arrived later in the afternoon and all the shops were getting ready to close but that didn't bother us. We weren't there to shop - we just wanted to enjoy the sights and the scene. There weren't many other visitors around since it was late in the day, so we were able to take our time, uninterrupted, as we strolled and snapped pictures. Good times!

The Colors of Fall

Red ...

and orange ....

Green ...

and blue ...

Shining yellow ...

Purple ...

Too ...

All the colors of the rainbow.

Thoughtfully and wonderfully created for us to enjoy!

(As seen at the Nagley estate in Blanchester, Ohio.)

Out Of This World

Last Friday, my husband and I went to The Prom. Our church pulls out all the stops to make this a memorable evening for over 1,000 guests with special needs. The entire church campus was taken over for The Prom - there were decorations, games, music, food, entertainment ...something for everyone to enjoy, no matter what their disability.

Dinner was served to the guests and their escorts ....

Guests could play "Deal or No Deal" in the auditorium (very popular!)

There were carnival type games outdoors ...

Happy guest!!

Father and son - Bill and Jason - a very handsome duo!

The Chick-fil-A cows made an appearance, mingling with the guests as they arrived on the red carpet.

Another very happy guest!

A young couple having fun...

This guy was just .... happy!

An escort with her guest for the evening ...

More fun and games outside ....

Contestants lined up to play "Deal or No Deal"

Jason, intent on winning a game.

Concentrating on her toss ...

The adorable Emily, a happy volunteer ...

This young guy was a volunteer in the Whac A Mole game.

Beautiful Karen, another hard working volunteer ...

Ahh, and there's that cow again, hugging everyone ....

Lollipop game ...

Jugglers to entertain the crowd ...

Another cow picture. (Why so many cow pictures, you ask? Well, guess who is inside that cute girl cow costume. Yep. That's right. Me. Blistering hot, but having so much fun!)

Tired feet, the girls were taking off their fancy shoes by the end of the evening...

And a WONDERFUL time was had by all, guests and volunteers alike. Can't wait for next year!