Pumpkins A-glow

Our very spooky carved pumpkins.

On the left, a skull. Middle: Frankenstein. Right:a snake.

Close-up of the snake.

Grrrrmmmmmm.......

We think it looks more like John McCain than a skull. Totally inadvertent!

Our scare-crow got a goofy new grin, too!
Not very spooky, but still so fun!

Where were the kids? Weeping, wailing, and gnashing teeth in their beds, because they couldn't go a consecutive 30 seconds without doing something awful...maybe we'll take more pictures tomorrow. When (If?) they're happy then...

Birthday at my mom's house

Hopefully this doesn't look self-absorbed...
The pictures are all of me.
In my defense, I was not holding the camera. Jeremy was. The pics he took are great!
But they're all of me! *sheepish grin*
And, fair warning: I was very spoiled this year.

Cool new clock from Danny. One of a kind!

Lamp for my little cherub's nursery! It looks very nice, too.

Candles from Alex and Whit. They look great in my family room, and make it smell nice, too!

A mirror from mom and dad, perfect for above my dresser. Also pictured: I am wearing the leaf necklace Sam and Abby made, and the awesome necklace Wirth and Pat gave me!!

Birthday cake!! Mmmmmmm.....

It was a great day! I got spoiled, for sure...

"Getting the girls"

Since when...

did I get so out of it? If you've been reading my blog, you've guessed by now that Sam is kinda the comedian in the family. Yesterday was no exception:

Mom: "You look nice today, Sam"

Sam:"Thanks. Me and my brah made some rules to help us get the girls, cuz we're just not getting them."

Mom:"Oh yeah? Like what kinda rules?"

Sam: "Well, first of all, you hafta dress good. The ladies don't like ugly clothes."

Mom: "That makes sense. It's always good to try and look your best. What else?"

Sam:"You gotta brush up your teeth real good in the morning. No girls are gonna want to be close to a stink breath."

Mom:"Nobody likes smelly breath. That's true!"

Sam:"Yeah, and you've gotta comb your hair up nice. And wear some cologne. The ladies love that stuff."

Mom:"Makes sense to me! I know I love it!! Is that all?"

Sam:"I also made the rule that you have to wear 2 shirts. Layers look way better than just one shirt."

Mom: "So...how are these rules working out?"

Sam:"Oh, it's only been a few days. We'll have to wait and see."

Mom:"I see. And, what will you do with the girls, after you 'get them'?"

Sam:"Mom, there are some questions you just don't ask. Nobody knows the answer!"

(Not sure if I should be alarmed by this last reply...)
One thing is certain: he's a lady killer through and through!

Best Soup Ever:

I don't know where my mom got this recipe, but it makes my life worth living:

Mom's Minestrone
you will need:

1 pkg polish kilbasa
one yellow onion
2 large cans (undrained) stewed tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
3 cubes beef bullion
1 pkg 'Birdseye' brand garlic chicken viola
(veggies, noodles, and chicken in garlic sauce)
basil, to taste

Dice sausage and onion. Put in dutch oven pan, and brown until sausage is pink and onions are clear. Add tomatoes, beans, and bullion. Bring to a boil. Add chicken viola. Return to boil, and cook until veggies, etc, are heated through.

Last night I served it with this bread:



Pull apart biscuit bits
you will need:

1 package regular biscuits, any brand
6 Tbsp butter
garlic salt to taste
2 Tbsp dehydrated onions

Heat oven to 425. Melt butter in the bottom of 9 inch pie plate. Sprinkle with garlic salt and onions. Cut biscuits into fourths, and lay in pan, in separate pieces, so that pieces are touching but are in a flat layer. (note: pieces will be pretty much swimming in butter at this point) Bake for about 15 minutes, until tops of biscuits are browned. For those of you with big families, make more than one pan. One recipe was barely enough for my little family of 4!! YUMMY, YUMMY!! Experiment with what you put in the bottom of the pan. Tasty variations are: parmesan cheese, dried tomato, herbs, anything you like on other breads!

Criminal...Something

Jer and I were watching one of our favorite shows last night. It cut to commercial, and the station narrator seriously said:

"This episode of Criminal Minds brought to you by: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

What he did NOT say: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, THE MOVIE"
Really? So, you're telling me that:

This girl


and these guys

paid for this for our viewing enjoyment:

???

If you say so, station narrator guy. Pretty sure I laughed til I cried....

Next thing you know, Snow White will be singing "With a smile and a song" to a cereal killer in an interrogation room. Yeesh!