Happy Friday Eve!

. . . and after you rest (or before) check out the giveaway from Crazyland here.

Fall Inspiration and P.O.O.P.I.E.

I decided it would be fun to join the party over at the Nesting Place . . . and I am but first (and part of the party):

I was reading through LindaJanes site yesterday when I came accross this cute item - here.

I have one of those cloches!

And I have a bird nest thing with "faux-liage!" I can kill two birds with one stone...

So I take the faux twiggy items off the bottom . . .

I cram the birds nest, it was a little tight, and I was determined to make this happen, into the croche . . .

And waaa laaaaa! I have something new that did not cost a penny.

I now will find a clever spot to place this among some of my "faux birds" (not stuffed - glass, silver - not tacky . . . I hope . . . hmmm)

And yes I do have a few other "faux liage." It is funny, we never had any in the house growing up - it was all too fake. Some of the pieces I now have are actually from my mom. As I think about each room - I have more than I realize, but I only have these pictures right now.

So here goes:

This one I bought - there is cool pot it sits in - and yes, it is fake berries and well fake all around.

Then this one use to be in my office cubicle and now it is at my shop:

The big green plant is real . . .

Check out the list of P.O.O.P.I.E Post here -there are some oh so faux pics of ivy topped kitchen cabinets and then some really attractive arrangements and some very fallish arrangement.

Happy Day To All!!

My Knight Saved Me, While Laughing At Me

Watching the coverage of Hurricane Ike brought out this tendency I have when natural disasters hit, I go into survival mode and take inventory of what canned food we have, battery, flashlights, candles, matches, etc. I may not do all this physically, but I mentally go through the list.

So while I was out running errands yesterday I ended up in Tuesday Morning. The last time I went there after a storm hit the coast, I believe the fall after Katrina, I brought home a wonderful fan – it has an AC Adapter AND a spot for four D size batteries. It is great – no power, then the batteries run the fan! (Yes, we do live around 150 miles inland from the beach, I know, I know) We have used it once!

Now, I do not actually go looking for wonderful emergency gadgets, but I again happened upon one. One of those hand-cranked radio, siren, flashlights. BUT this one also had adaptors for cell phones! Pretty handy if the power is out and you just HAVE to make a phone call and your battery is dead(provided there is still service).

Of course I had to get it . . . and did.

I am at home checking out the new gizmo when I decide to see how bright the flashlight really is.

On impulse I go into the pantry – it is a small walk in area in the kitchen that is under the stairs – good and dark with the door closed. I close the door and yep, the flashlight is bright.

I turn to open the door and go about my list of to do’s.

Problem.

The door won’t open!

I forgot, the knob is messed up on the inside. I remember this, NOW, from rescuing Stitch when his older brother shut him in there!

Next Problem.

I am home alone! Kids are at school and DH is at work, bringing home the bacon, and I am locked in a very small space!

So, after wiggling the handle and bumping the door, I take a seat and decide to turn on the radio, maybe they will tell the time so I know how long until lunch (hubby comes home for lunch). I find a station and of all things it is Billy Carrington singing “Must Be Doing Something Right.” Egads! The irony!

So I wait. I now know that cranking the gizmo for 30 seconds gives you two songs and 4 commercials of run time. I also know that solitary confinement would drive me insane!!

Twenty some minutes later I hear my Knight in Shining Armor come in the house. I give him a hello from behind the door and ask that he release me from my box. Laughing, he opened the door and freed his damsel in distress.

Pretty good timing for a saving too, 7 years ago, to the day, we had had our first date! He had saved me from the dating world and later became my wonderful husband!

It was a good day!

Political Junkies Junkie

I admit it, I am a junkie. I can’t say I am a political junkie because there is so MUCH I don’t know and just can’t seem to retain. I have not dug through the internet to find out all the “planks” in each political corners platform. I cannot remember what speeches Bush or Kerry gave 4 years ago. Maybe the highlights of what they themselves supposedly stood for I can somewhat remember.

I guess I consider the politics to be like marital problems – there are three sides – what each is saying and what will actually materialize.

Thus bringing me to the junkie part – I am a Political Junkies junkie. I have so enjoyed reading different blogs on the issue. From those that staunchly stand in their political parties corner – whether it be Republican or Democrat, to those that are still weighing everything out and trying decide how to decide, to those that are seriously considering not to even vote.

There is a lot of information out there - there is a lot of slamming too. What is up with these commercials? Can't these guys rise above the mud slinging and just give us their stance and how they plan to achieve it? I guess that is what the debates are for, but then let's just skip the commercials.

Here is a post I came across the other day at Tudor's Desk about the parties. On Friar Tucks site I came across Sick Horizon's site with his Quick Hit 10 list. It has some great points too. Jesus Creed had this post with a wide range of responses to voting for president, with many perspectives of how people pick their pick!

Now, with 50 days left, yes, I probably have decided, but I still feel torn. The pro's and con's are just not distinct enough for me. They both have some views that make it difficult to say - "yes! he is the man!" I am having trouble with which pro out weighs the other's pro and which con will ultimately tip the scales. It is bad to say

Can we have a do over??

I just did something I have never done before

I paid $4.49 for gas!!

I guess I did not have to.

But because the boys have so many activities this weekend that include driving out of town, I figured I should top off the tank so that I won't have to pay . . .

$5.00 a gallon!!

or no gas at all - the Shell station was OUT!

I wonder what Ike is doing that Gustav did not to cause such a big jump in such a short period of time . . . .

And We Remember

For the past several years, to commemorate 9/11, flags have been placed in a green space next to our mall.

I have driven past them every day this week and admired the flags flowing in the breeze.

And each time I feel my eyes water a bit and I feel that choked up feeling of patriotism as well as sympathy for all the losses that day brought.

Demolition D watched the TV version of Flight 93 several weeks ago and asked why I would not sit down and watch it. I told him I just could not.

I tried to explain to him that even though many were not physically there, even though there were many that did not lose anyone that they knew, it was still such a shock and such a loss to so many in our nation. It affected everyone – many more than others, but all to some degree.

As I have watched those flags wave, I have, as so many Americans probably have, remembered that morning. I still remember watching it on TV as it happened and thinking “The buildings are falling and people are in there, and we are watching this horrible thing actually as it is happening!” We comforted and prayed for a co-worker and her family as she waited to hear if her husband, who was at the pentagon, was ok and her step-daughter in Manhattan was unharmed. They were fine.

So many lives lost at once and also lost a certain amount of innocence.

We are blessed that we live in a country that does not deal with regular attacks of this nature. We do not have to have gas masks in our homes for each family member. We do not wake nor go to sleep with the sounds of explosions. And maybe as we remember today what happened 7 years ago, we can remember to love our neighbor a little more and to be more forgiving of our differences.

I am thankful and proud to be an American!

Things that make you . . . SMILE

Today has already been a day offering so many blogging thoughts, but there is no way to put them all down on paper, well, actually on screen!

In just the first couple hours of today life has given many smiles - just simple things, really.

I could not help but get tickled at the Norwegian Base Jumper on the Today Show that was not familiar with what adjectives you can or cannot use on live TV. So when asked his reaction to flying into the rock wall, his response was something to the effect about realizing he was going to hit the wall and thinking “Holy s*&t” (those not in the Eastern Time Zone will get the edited version). The reactions from the behind the scenes folk and Matt Laurer were a hoot!

I wonder if the fellow realizes what he did?

Have you ever seen a South Georgia Sheep Dog? There are not many – their coats are too thick and the temps too hot. Not to mention flea control in that much hair. But I saw a lady walking one this morning, and I had to chuckle. His body was shaved and his head was not. Bless his heart (yes, as I said I am in the South – bless (fill in the blank) heart is as much a part of lives as grits and sweet tea) he was absolutely comical. I actually had my camera with me, but I don’t believe his owner would have appreciated my wishing to take a picture.

But the best chuckle I had this morning also tickled my heart.

Demolition Derby D actually dressed for Tacky Day at school!

When he was baby he was happy and all smiles – even though very independent, not what you would call a cuddly baby. But happy!

See:

You have to know this: he inherited, from me, this bone that makes you extremely embarrassed in some situations, mainly ones that would draw attention (no, there really is not a bone). As he became older, this surfaced more. He takes it several steps further than me though. He has it so bad he is actually uptight and bordering boring at times! In Middle School he would not participate in any of the activities like this. But not today . . .Today he came downstairs to head to school for Tacky Day:

Ok, so the picture being taken did not make him happy. Oops!

DH and I have noticed him coming out of his shell over the last 6 months or so and is seeming to enjoy life more and smiling and now venturing further out. It is something to watch someone start to figure out who they might be and to push themselves in ways they may not have before.

It really does the heart good!

It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Psalms 48:2