FACES of HALLOWEEN!!! October 31, 2009

Here are some “Faces of Halloween” I saw today . . .

My hairdresser greeted me at 8 am this morning with eery, cat’s eyes!

A giant spider along the hayride trail on the farm.

A life-size chocolate chip cookie at the farm market!

Mr. Pumpkin Head.

More Pumpkin Heads.

“Double Dorothys” came trick or treating!

. . . as well as a “Wicked Witch!”

Trick-or-Treaters came by the wagon full!

We had traditional pumpkins,

Pig Pumpkins,

and Spider Trees!

What does Halloween look like from your vantage point?

Aloha Friday #20: Halloween! October 30, 2009

TGIF,  so that means it’s time for . . .

My “Aloha Friday” question this week is:

 HOW ARE YOU DRESSING UP FOR HALLOWEEN?

 If you’d like to participate in more Aloha Friday questions, click on over to  An Island Life for Kailani’s  “Aloha Friday.”

Thanks to everyone for your comments!

I have fond memories of dressing up along with our kids over the years. Some favoriters: “Material Girl,” aka Madona; Elvira, Scarecrow; Rastafarian; etc., etc.

Our daughter was always something pretty like a princess, bride, “Solid Gold dancer,” mermaid, etc. She can’t believe I dressed her up as Kermit on her first Halloween, but she was SO cute and she LOVED Kermit!

Our boys were cowboys, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” you name it.

Now, it’s “politically incorrect” to dress up in our elementary schools (although the high school kids can!), so I pretty much go with some tacky black and orange, Halloween-sweater vest theme, pumpkin earrings, spider accessories, etc., etc. We still have fun!!! (Now my daughter just laughs at my outfits. . . and says I remind her of Jamie Curtis on “Christmas with the Kranks.” Remember . . . “just let me go get my holiday vest!?!?!”

Hey, wait, Abbie dressed up at her high school this year, so maybe she’s as nutty as me. She was “Kanga” from Winnie the Pooh, complete with “Roo” in her pouch! How appropriate for my pregnant daughter! The fun doesn’t stop!!!

Over the top! October 24, 2009

Thanks to Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter for awarding me with the “Over the Top” Blog Award!

I’m passing it along to 6 other bloggers who  are “Over the Top,” too! 

Here are the rules . . .

1.) Thank and post URL to the blog that gave the award.

Thanks to Farmer’s Daughter for nominating Everydaywoman!

2.) Pass the award along to 6 brilliantly over the top blogs (blogs you love!)  Alert them so they know to receive the award.

I’m nominating these 6 blogs:

The Pioneer Woman—Ree is my absolute idol in the blogging world!

The Quiet Country House—Aisling hosts the most awesome “Sunday Stroll” each Sunday!

Uncarved Block–Cloudhands is inspiring (and in her 7th decade!)

An Island Life—Kailini hosts the incredible “Aloha Friday!” feature

GreenMamma—Jessica is so inspiring, heartfelt, honest, open!

Retro Housewife Goes Green—Lisa is a true-green environmentalist blogger!

 3.) Copy and paste this quiz… Change the answers, ONE word only!! 

 1-Your cell phone?  Pocketbook  

2- Your hair?  Reese Witherspoon-ish (I wish)  oops! too many words!

 

3-Your mother?  Inspirational!

4-Your father?  Deceased  

5-Your favorite food?   Cheese

6-Your favorite drink?   IcedTea

 7-Your dream last night?  Wierd

8-Your dream/goal?   Grandma!

9-What room are you in?   DR

10-Your hobby?   Photography 

11-Your fear?  NotEnoughTimeForMyBucketList (does that qualify as one word?)

12-Where do you want to be in 6 years?  Here!

13-Where were you last night?  Home

14-Something that you aren’t?   Negative

15-Muffin?   Carrotcake! 

16-Wish list item?  Greatroom!

17-Where did you grow up?   Farm

18-Last thing you did?  Cooked

19-What are you wearing?  skirt/sandals

20-Your TV?  putsmetosleep!

21-Your pets?  Horses/dogs!

22-Friends?  BEST!

23- Your life?  Prettydarnedgood!

24-Your mood?  Positive!

25-Missing someone?  Peter

26-Vehicle?  MustangGTconvertible!  (crazy gift from my fam!)

27-Something you aren’t wearing?   Bra (sorry, kids!)

28-Your favorite store?  Online

29-Favorite color?  Sienna

30-When was the last time you laughed?   Today

31-Last time you cried?  Today–sad song on the Country Music station!

 32-Your best friend?  Can’t limit to one!

33-One place you go to over and over?  Grocery store, ugh!

34-One person who emails you regularly?  Abbie

35-Favorite place to eat?  OUT!

Have fun playing along!!!

Update on “Best Friends,” aka the “Grandmas!” October 24, 2009

OK, I just feel compelled to post an update about some  Best Friends who have raised our kids together.  My, how time flies!  We got together this week as one of our good friends was back visiting after moving out of town, and we talked about everything from memories of our kids in nursery school through high school to weddings and babies!

 

Here’s the latest . . . 3 of us are now Grandmas or Grandmas-to-be!!!  How is that even possible?  By March of next year, there will be 4 grandchildren between us, with one of us even a two-time Grandma!

Here we are today, and if I do say so myself, we’re none the “worse for wear!”  Or . . . maybe just a little bit!  I think the lack of sleep is catching up with me (and I’m  not the one with my eyes shut!)

Do you good friends whose lives are forever intertwined through children and life experiences?  It’s the best “glue” there is!

A Baby Blue Pumpkin! October 14, 2009

This is how they told us . . .

Get it?  It’s a BOY!!!

Abbie had her 18-week ultrasound on Monday.  The grandparents-to-be converged on Abbie and Ed Monday night to share in the good news.  (We did bring dinner, though!)  They kept us guessing, but Abbie had created these beautiful, glittery pumpkins and handed one to each grandma.  Woohoo!

I was thinking “girl” for the longest time because they guys kept saying “BOY!”  As long as everyone’s healthy, it really doesn’t matter, but we’re delighted with our little pumpkin of a boy to be!!!

Here’s the happy parents-to-be with the very crazy grandparents-to-be . . .

I’m not even going to promise to calm down and behave, because I’m pretty sure that’s not even possible, right Grandma Marie/Mimi?

Aloha Friday #19: Three Wishes October 9, 2009

TGIF,  so that means it’s time for . . .

My “Aloha Friday” question this week is:

 IF YOU WERE GRANTED THREE WISHES TO COME TRUE,

WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

 If you’d like to participate in more Aloha Friday questions, click on over to  An Island Life for Kailani’s  “Aloha Friday.” 

“A Country Boy with Tires on his Truck this High!” October 3, 2009

Have you heard Jake Owen’s latest song called “8 Second Ride?”

Here’s an excerpt . . .

  “. . .I ain’t never seen a country boy with tires on his truck this
high”. . .

. . . which pretty much describes my son Nate’s F-350 since he installed a lift kit and even bigger tires and wheels on it a couple of weekends ago!  (Please note for perspective:  Nate is 6′5″ tall, so his truck is HUGE!)

 

It was a ton of work, which he did all by himself . . .

. . . which I attribute to the years he spent building elaborate, $100-something Lego kits, with millions of pieces, and instruction books 3-inches thick!  (He has a lot more patience than me!)

The result?  His truck is MUCH bigger than his brother’s . . .

In fact, I can stand next to Nate’s truck and have full head clearance UNDERNEATH his side-view mirror!

Oh, and stepping out of it can be hazardous to your health. . . that is, if you forget you’re two-stories high and have heels on!  We won’t even talk about hoisting yourself up that high!

Nate—I’m SO proud of you!

Here’s the rest of that song . . .

“Well, hey girl what’s your name?
Haven’t I seen you before?
I recognized them dark green eyes when you dosie doe’d across the floor
Are you alone or are you with someone?
She said a matter of fact I’m not
So i took her hand that’s when it all began and we headed towards the parking lot .

Chorus:
And she said hey boy, do you mind takin’ me home tonite?
‘cuz I ain’t never seen a country boy with tires on his truck this
high. . .  it’s gonna be wilder than any 8 second ride. . .”

 Hmm. . . I’m thinking Nate may have had an ulterior motive for lifting that truck . . .

Any country girls out there?

I just LOVE Pioneer Woman! October 3, 2009

OK, I just have to admit it, as much as I hate to.  I just love “Pioneer Woman,” aka “P-Dub,” aka “Ree Drummond.”  She is a successful, talented blogger, who as she says, “turned in her black heels for tractor wheels,” when she left the “big city” to raise a family on an Oklahoma ranch.

Anyone who can be so self-deprecatingly funny, how can you not love them?  Check out her nagging questions about her high-school photo . . .

“Six Plaguing Questions I Have About This Photo, Ca. 1986 (alternate title: “Hell“)

1. Why the hell are my bangs that short?
2. What the hell am I looking at?
3. How the hell many hours did I spend in the tanning booth to get my skin that color? (hint: ask my dermatologist.)
4. How the hell many layers of blush am I wearing?
5. Why…why…why the…why the hell did I feel compelled to match my eyeshadow to my clothes?
6. Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me?”

How many of US have high-school pix that we could ask these same questions about?

If you haven’t checked out P-Dub yet, visit www.thepioneerwoman.com

You might just love her, too!  Why should we keep good blogs to ourselves?  I actually just bought two of her cookbooks for Christmas presents!  (One for myself!)

Finally on Facebook! October 3, 2009

OK, so I finally buckled under the pressure and joined Facebook.  As an educator, it’s important to maintain an appropriate distance from students and families, but you can pretty much accept or ignore “Friend” requests . . . and since I NEVER post anything objectionnable, I think it’s really OK.

What I’ve found out is:

• Facebook is so much easier and quicker than blogging, which I hate to admit, but you’re just posting quick “tweets,” and connecting with so many people.
• Speaking of “tweets,” I actually like it better than Twitter, because it’s easier to add web links, pix, and videos (at least for me!)

So if you’re not on Facebook  yet (is anyone out there NOT on Facebook?) I’d encourage you to try it.  Go to:  http://www.facebook.com  You can search for me as “Ruth Rose” in case you want to send a friend request.  Happy “Facebooking!”  Is that accepted as a verb yet?

So, you thought YOU had a tough day!!! September 28, 2009

Check out this mamma pig with her 10 baby piglets who are all maneuvering for Mom’s attention. . . and nourishment.  (We saw them at the Durham Fair yesterday and were just mezmorized!)

done

Do you think she ever just wants to call a babysitter–or pigletsitter?