Halloween is coming

I really enjoy Halloween.  Not sure why.  I always loved it as a kid.  Getting dressed up and going house to house for all that candy.  Who wouldn't love that?  I wonder why there aren't any pictures of me in my costumes.  I don't remember any of the costumes I wore.  Maybe I only had a mask? 

Well, as an adult, I love giving out candy to the kids.  But these days, not many kids come by.  And I'm hardly ever home on Halloween due to being on the road for my job. 

So what's so much fun about it?  Still the candy!

I love the Halloween motifs.  Not the scary horror ones.  Just sort of scary.  With witches.  And haunted houses.

This one has it all - the witch, the black cat, and the haunted house.  Oh, and the huge moon.

How about this little witch?  I love her looks.  And her locks!

I also love pumpkins.

This one is beautiful!

And this one is scary. Sorta...

There are so many wonderful cross stitch projects.  I've made a few.

This is a Halloween ornament.

Here's my haunted house, black cat, pumpkin, and the rising moon.

This is also a small ornament with a bat button.

This biscornu pincushion cracks me up.  After it was all stitched together, I noticed that one of the cats is missing his whiskers!

I also have a new large cross stitch project for Halloween in the works.  It may be completed by Halloween 2015!  It's pretty big and I'm pretty slow.  Here's a picture of some progress.

And more progress...  With a long way to go!

It's March 2011 and time keeps ticking into the future

How did so much time fly by since my last post?  Makes me think I must not like as many things as I thought when I started this blog!

Actually, I was going to add a sub-title to my blog -  'And Some Things I Don't'.  But that seemed too curmudgeonly. 

On the other hand, maybe I am turning into a curmudgeon!  Or maybe there's just more material for things I don't like. 

Here is one thing that I do like.  It's a picture of me that was found in my mom's house by my sister and niece.  They have been cleaning up and getting her house ready to sell.  Since she's moved into assisted living, the only recourse is to sell her home...  It's a sad transition in life that can't be helped.

Guess we'll just keep on our path and hope for the best in life.  What else can we do?

As for the picture, at first I denied that it was me.  I don't recognize myself.  She's a cute baby, whoever she is.  But here's the thing that made me reconsider that it might be me.  Along with the picture, they found a little yellow dress and baby shoes that look just like the dress and shoes in the picture.  So why would my mom keep that little yellow dress and shoes with the picture for all these years if it wasn't her child.  Really, who else could it be?  So after much contemplation, I've accepted that this baby must be me.

Cute little kid...

A few of my favorite things - Thanks to Rodgers and Hammerstein

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

----------------------------

Not exactly a Christmas song, but still a few of my favorite things!

Old Photos

I have inherited a lot of old photos this year.  I love looking at them and remembering my relatives and the times past when the pictures were taken.  Both my aunt and uncle have passed away but they are still alive for me in their pictures.  And the pictures of relatives I never met...

My mother had an old photo album that I treasured all of my life.  Those old pictures were an escape into another time for me.  Now I have that album and plan to put all of the pictures on acid-free pages to protect them.  The original album is completely decayed.  The black pages are crumbling.  It needs immediate attention!  High priority task.

The most beloved picture is the wedding photo of my mom and dad.  That picture has been on my mom's bedroom dresser forever. 

Bookstores - I Love Them

A week ago, I went into the B&N bookstore as usual prior to my pedicure appointment.  I always include some additional time prior to my appointment so that I can have a little time to browse  in the bookstore.  Stopping in the bookstore has become part of the spa ritual.  I start the process of relaxing and letting the cares of the day fall away in the bookstore.

Last week, though, I had an overwhelming feeling as I entered the store.  It's the same store, same location, same layout, same greeter, same lighting, same everything.  But this time, I felt something extraordinary.  A feeling that flooded my brain with something very good.

The feeling was rather indescribable.  But let me try.  It was peaceful, yes.  But more.  It was warm and comforting.  It felt eternal but current at the same time.  It was a connection with sometime big yet very singular at the same time.  I felt connected with the world and history and big and small and local.

How wonderfully happy I felt.  I roamed around looking at everything.  I love the magazines covering all kinds of topics.  They are current and personal and short lived.  Next month another issue will arrive.

I looked at cookbooks and realized how much food there is in the world.  It's beautiful and delicious.

Usually books jump into my arms when I'm walking through the aisles of books.  This time was no different.  I found myself holding a cookbook, a mystery novel, a blank Harry Potter journal (so beautiful - will I acutally use it for work?), a book about chickens.  These books chose me.  But something had to go back to the shelves. 

Finally I checked out with the books I decided I must have.  Such a wonderful feeling.  I own these books now.  They come home with me.  They will have a special place next to my bed where all new books initially reside.

Leaving the store, I wondered why my soul was filled with such an intense feeling that day for the bookstore.  It was so memorable that I still feel it more than a week later.

I don't think I would ever feel this way holding an eReader or shopping online for downloads!!

Like Being Home

I like being at home.  No, actually, I LOVE being at home.  I think I might have a tiny touch of that anxiety disorder in me where I hate to leave home.

But being at home today is totally refreshing to my soul.  After being away for a week, it feels more than wonderful to sleep in my own bed, to walk through all the rooms of my house to see and feel everything here.

And besides being in my comforting home, it's been a beautiful morning.  The fog in the morning, leaving the street damp, and the sky obscured by wispy moving clouds covering trees and houses is extraordinarily calming. 

Home, foggy morning - I like it!

What I Like Today

I really like a day to myself.  Today was one of those days.  I like time alone. 

Home after being on the road for a week was a wonderful feeling.

I did a lot of stuff, mostly boring stuff.  Bills, emails, laundry, grocery shopping.  Some stuff done at home and some stuff done outside.  Feels good to get stuff done.  I like that.

I'm also working on my cross stitch projects.  When I take a picture of my latest effort, I will post it here!

That's what I really like.  :-)