Happy, Haunting Hallow's Eve!

I wish I had the energy this guy has, but I just want to snooze everytime I sit in one spot for very long. My weeks are becoming a mish-mosh of days running together, in which I can't remember what day I'm actually on, what grandchild I will be watching, and where I'm supposed to be! The one good spot will be the change back from DST this weekend. Then maybe it won't seem like the days and nights are screwed up as well!

The nights seem like an endless spiraling of tossing & turning, thinking & pondering, rationalizing and bargaining; until about 4am when I finally doze off in pure exhaustion and then the morning light comes too quickly! I must be getting that 'old person' ailment - the one my Grandma had that prompted her to go to bed by sundown, and get up with the chickens! I don't know if she slept all that time, or if she was tossing and turning, as well. She had great things on her mind, and wasn't afraid to instill in all of us the heeding that the crops were being poisoned with pesticides, the meat was bad because of the stuff being injected into it, the food was ROTTEN, and airplanes were flying caskets - a thing of the devil! The Government was going to HELL {even back in the 50's}!

Anyway, I'm getting off-track here. Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween. Hope all the trick or treating doesn't end up in your bed in the form of sticky goo or sugary puke, like it does my grandkids!! You can tell I really LOVE this holiday, can't you?

Happy Birthday, Weston!

What 2 year-old isn't a whole new personality than that of our sweet baby just one year ago?

He runs – not walks

He screams – not talks

He wants what he wants right now!

Hearing the word ‘NO’ puts his tail in a spin…

He freaks if anyone touches his blanket,

But loves to tease everyone by taking what he knows he shouldn’t have.

He drags stuffed animals, cars, and trucks behind him

with anything that may resemble a rope.

Fashion conscious to a fault – he has to wear shoes,

but if he doesn’t have a ‘onesie’ on, he could comfortably go NAKED!

The monkey in him is pushing chairs and tables around to climb on,

hanging on people as they try to walk,

testing buttons, switches, rummaging through closets, cupboards, and drawers.

He loves to help Mom with the dishes.

He loves watching Disney movies and eating popcorn with Taylor,

hugs & kisses, and bath time.

If the door is left open, he’s out in a flash – he loves to be outdoors…

In the garage rummaging through Dad’s tools; digging in the dirt;

playing at the water table; pointing out dog poop in the grass for Dad;

following behind with a toy, pretending to mow and trim;

taking walks and riding in the wagon;

pointing out any bug as a bee, airplanes, tractors, and trucks.

‘Mommy’, ‘D’ for Daddy, Taylor, JJ, and Heidi {his fave aunt},

‘Doodoo’ for Thank You, ‘Oh, Oh’, ‘Sorry’, & ‘Whoa Baby’,

are just a few of his words and phrases.

His eyes, how they twinkle with mischief

He’s growing by leaps and bounds

He’s learning so many new things

His smile will brighten our day

What was life like before he was here?

We’re so thankful for ‘The Boy’.

Happy 2^nd Birthday, Weston

Love, Grandma Shifflett

Who Sez?!

The 10 Most Disappointing Treats for Trick-or-Treaters

Ed Levine

On Halloween night, some houses struggle with the idea of candy. There are good houses, and there are bad houses. The best trick-or-treaters know to avoid the latter. At the food site Serious Eats, we all love Halloween, but wish certain homes would just stop handing out the classically bad "treats." They weren't good last year, the year before that, or now. Our own Erin Zimmer put together this list of our top 10 Halloween treats that nobody wants...

Toothbrushes {who can't always use a new toothbrush?}

Dentists and orthodontists should not be allowed to celebrate Halloween if they're going to get all tooth doctory on us. Do not bring your work home with you, folks! We all have a personal responsibility to brush, and maybe some of us will forget, but your complimentary bristles on a stick (instead of a Snickers) will not help us remember. It will make us despise you and your trade.

Raisins {NATURE'S candy!}

Little boxes of stuck-together shriveled globs are not what little kids schlep around the neighborhood for all night. When they say trick-or-treat, they want candy that will rot their teeth, not wrinkled grapes. (Using an empty box as a kazoo-like instrument, though, is kinda fun.)

Candy Corn {one of my personal favorites - like Circus Peanuts!}

The most polarizing candy of all. The fruitcake of Halloween; it just never goes away. If you love them, fine. But don't subject the rest of us haters to the sickeningly sweet triangle that tastes like neither candy nor corn.

Smarties and Necco Wafers {WHAT? Everyone doesn't just LOVE the Necco?}

These chalky candies are supposedly "fruit-flavored," but no fruit I know tastes like dust -- and makes everything eaten after taste like dust, too.

Dum Dum Lollipops {I'll give him this one...but they are small and just the right size to fit in a toddler's mouth and hand...upside down...getting all STICKY!}

Usually, foods on a stick are yummy (corn dogs, ice pops), but Dum Dums just can't be included on that list. Not even if they were breaded and deep-fried and served at a fair.

Apples {Again with Nature's candy? And doesn't he know that apples will clean all the sugar from between the teeth?}

Long before "poisoned candy" scares, evil people were handing out apples instead of candy on Halloween. This disappointing "treat" is the main reason to avoid unwrapped food while trick-or-treating.

Tootsie Rolls {YUM! YUM!}

It looks like chocolate and sort of smells like chocolate, but the mini brown tubes are not real chocolate. They taste like watered-down chocolate, and have a chewy texture that will strip the fillings right off your molars.

Miscellaneous, Wrapped Hard Candies {Point for Ed!}

Halloween is supposed to be a holiday for young people, not senior citizens who suck on hard candies all day. Something about the strawberry-shaped strawberries, gold-wrapped butterscotch, and peppermint feels past the expiration date. (These usually get set aside for Granny.)

Laffy Taffy {Banana is the BEST!}

I do not laffy when I get these. I sobby. I get depressedy. Because it gets all stucky to my teethy and doesn't even taste that goody.

Anything Fun-Sized {All good - CHOCOLATE soothes the inner BEAST!}

Who started calling it this? Since when is one bite fun?! Give us the rich houses with the sprawling driveways and full-sized candy bars any day. Portion control doesn't need to start this young.

BEGGARS can't be CHOOSERS!

Check out these Halloween treats you will want to eat.

Rock My World...

There are moments in our lives

when something happens that

takes our breath away…when

our eyes behold something so

indescribably beautiful…when

a hurt carries so much pain that

you think you won’t ever be

able to heal…when a feeling of

deja-vu comes over you,

making you believe that you

have truly experienced what is

happening this very minute once before…when that first kiss,

from the one person you have loved from afar, finally settles

upon your lips…when resounding joy, creeps up from the tips

of your toes to the top of your head…when a long-lost friend

pops back into your life after an absence of many years…

when a truth hits you smack in the face, and you come to

realize that you probably already knew what it was before

you heard it…when a suspicion is validated…when you know

something isn’t quite right, but you can’t put your finger on

the problem…when you hear the words, “Will you marry me?”

…when you hear the sound of your baby’s first cries…when

you receive that dreaded call in the middle of the night telling

you that your loved one has been hurt or is gone…when a

doctor tells you that you are sick--very, very sick!

Words can carry the weight of the world with them, and once they

are said,can never be taken back. They are thrown out into the

wind to scatter their goodness, or their poison. May we all choose

carefully the words that emit from our mouth – that when all is said

and done, we will be remembered by the love and appreciation

we shared with our loved ones through our wordsand deeds.

Experiences, words, people, places – ROCK MY WORLD! Our

world consistsof so many things, and yet…when one piece of it

falters or we lose a piece ofit, it changes the person we are for

that moment in time. We exalt in joy, orwither in misery. We ask

the questions, “Why Me? Why Now? When will itend?” When

there seems there is no place to go, God is the answer. Why

is it that we fail to think, thank, and ask Him when we need Him

the most? We wait for a tragedy-or a miracle, and then we

remember Him; we pleadwith Him; we implore Him to give us

peace and comfort. He is the source of our strength – He’s

always there for us.

Everything that you may feel is unimportant, insignificant, or

trivial today, will one day sneak up on you with such impact;

you’ll wonder why it took you so long to understand.

‘These are the moments I know Heaven must exist. These are

the moments I have all I've waited for...and I could not ask for

more.’

5 Secrets

A Friend of mine sent me the most amazing link to a site that talks about 5 Secrets - must be the point at which I am in my life, and the many issues whirling and swirling around in my life, that made me take note of the thoughts and words. I need this kind of reinforcement each and every morning. I hope that each of you will take 6 minutes to watch the presentation and come away with something that affects you to do good or to change that which you are unhappy with.

Happy Birthday, Kloyie!

It's so hard to believe that one year has passed, and your are now 9 years old. I remember the day your were born - it was much warmer than it is here today - a beautiful Autumn day. You were just about the sweetest bundle that was ever handed to me! I looked at your round little face, your perfectly formed body, and you became SPECIAL! Special because you were my first grandchild, special because of your tender heart and sweetness, special because you knew you would always hold a very tender place in my heart that no one else shares. I love you all the way from Heaven and back. Hope you have a wonderful birthday, and a great new year!

Appreciation

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
by Erma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead
of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern
if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a
rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if
the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living
room and worried much less about the dirt when
someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather
ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled
up on a summer day because my hair had just been
teased and sprayed.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching
television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it
was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed
to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,
I'd have cherished every moment and realized that
the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance
in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never
have said, "Later.  Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's."  More "I'm
sorry's." But mostly, given another shot at life, I would
seize every minute...look at it and really see it live it
and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff.
Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more,
or who's doing what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with
those who do love us.

Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And
what we are doing each day to promote ourselves
mentally, physically, emotionally.

I hope you all have a blessed day.

CONGRATULATIONS, Shaylee & Nick!

You are my shelter from the rain,

My warmth from the cold.

My light in the dark.

On the hottest summer day,

You are my shade.

You are my tranquility.

You refresh my soul.

There is a place I go, a sanctuary like no other.

It is your love.

You are my best friend and my true Love.

There are two of us – You & Me.

But there is only one life between us.

Happy Birthday, Leanne!

Garth and Leanne are taking Tom to Wendover to celebrate HER birthday - I know they'll have fun, and hope they come back with some winnings.

I would think that getting older would be assault enough without losing money, but then that's me!

Hope you guys have a fun time...

Did you say 30?!

HOLY COW...I can't believe that my babies are 30! What the heck does that make me? I'd like to say that I was just a mere teen when I had them; but I was mature, and quite overwhelmed!

I want to tell them how much I love them - they are unique and special with individual talents, strengths, and beauty. I appreciate what great Mothers they are to their children, and pray that they will always be the best of friends to one another.

Happy Birthday, H & H!

We love you girls....