gutting pumpkins to roasting their seeds

Its Saturday night as I type this. Though you probably wont' be able to read it until sometime Monday, when I get to the local internet cafe to be able to post it.

Today was awesome. Seriously, it was. Not only did I get my favorite treat of banana nut muffin and a starbucks chai tea latte with peppermint shots and whip cream. My DH actually bought pumpkins for carving. After nine years of waiting for my Dh to feel the kids were old enough to help gut, sort seeds, and carve; he took the plunge.

So, after an all day affair of when are you going to the store yet or have you gone to the store yet; we started the process. He cut them open and the kiddos and I gutted them together. The seed sorting was all me. I had to show them how to do it.

Then we put a cup of water in each pumpkin put the lid on for carving tomorrow. I roasted my seeds in lightly sprayed butter (Thanks Robyn for your spray butter it was perfect!), salt and pepper for seasoning. I followed my friend Angie's instructions for roasting. They turned out beautifully roasted and great tasting.

Am I still digital scrapbooking?

This is a question I received over an email. Yes/No I am. yes, I have every intention of doing. No I have not done it in awhile.

1. I have been having major computer issues in the last five months, in case you haven't noticed.

2. Both creative teams, i was on dismantled. Leaving me without having access to new kits for free and a deadline to keep me on track.

3. Life just has gotten in the way.

4. I started my own side business. Its seasonal. So, right now is some what busy. Though, i have not made as much money as I thought I would.

5. Sigh...no excuses...just plain lazy at the end of the day.

Dead as a Doornail by Charlene Harris

Okay, I missed some serious stuff in the series by jumping books. Thanks to the parent that lent me this book.

All the cast of characters are back again. More mysteries, more drama, and more understanding of finding your path in life.

A+ Charlaine Harris..

Obsidian Butterfly

Anita, Edward/Ted Forrester, police force in New Mexico, and the FBI are all trying to figure out what and who are on a serial killing spree. Is it human or supernatural? No one wants to be that it could be supernatural. Though in the end it is. This all I am giving away for the plot of the book. Anita is not in her home state of Missouri. She is New Mexico. She not only has to deal with the local law enforcements but the rest of her new crew. Brenardo and Olaf. Brenardo is one hunka hunka show for Anita to look at. Though she stays true to herself. Olaf maybe the hunka hunka bad boy look but all the way through evil monster as well. If you have started in the middle of the series as I have. Then you already have been introduced to Olaf and Brenardo. If you haven't then this is a great intro. It also explains later on events between Olaf and Brenardo with Anita. You also realize how Edward. Ooops, Ted Forrester gets a family when originally no one thought him capable of having one.

As usual Laurell K. Hamilton keeps you on your toes about who is really the bad guy. Remembers of how prejudice we can be against things we don't know enough about or are scared of.

Here are some great quotes to live by.

P. 60 Paragraph 1

I did go back into the roon, and no, I didn't learn a **** thing from the last three victims. All that wasted bavery for nothing. Well, not exactly for nothing. I proved to myself that I could go back into the room without throwing up or fainting. I didn't care if it impressed Edward or Marks. It impressed me. If you can't impress yourself, then one else really matters.

I think this is an excellent point of view. Why worry about what others think? You need to be sure you know what you think of yourself first.

p.117

"I've never seen you do anything like what you just did. You hate mystical crap."

"Yes, I do, but I've had to accept what I am Edward. This mystical crap is a part of who and what I am. I can't run from it because it is me. You can't hide from yourself, not forever, and you can't ever out run yourself. I raise the dead for a living, Edward. Why should it be a shock that I may have other abilities?"

"It's not," he said.
Okay, why this section? You have to accept yourself the way you are before you can it for good or bad. If you say, hey I'm over weight but I still look great. Then you can achieve anything. If you look in the mirror and see nothing but bad and no hope in the end then your are not ready for helping yourself or others. Its a choice of accepting ourselves first.


P.132

He spread his hands. "Sorry, didn't mean to step on your toes."
"Yes, you did," I said.
"You think so."
"Yeah," I said. "I think your jealous."
"Of what?"
"That I can pass and you can't."
He openned his mouth and emotions flowed over his like water; anger, humor, denial. He finally settled on a smile, but it wasn't a happy one. "You really are a *****, arent't you?"
I nodded. "You don't pull on my chain and i won't pull yours."
"Deal," he said. The smile flashed wider. "Now, allow me to escort your lily white *** to the dinig room."
I shook my head. "Lead on, tall, dark, and studly, as long as I get to watch your **** while we walk down the hall."
"Only if you promise to tell me how you like the view."
I widened my eyes. "You mean give you a critique on your butt?"
He nodded and the smile looked happy now.
"Are you this big egotist or just trying to embrass me?"
"Guess."
"Both," I said.
The smile spread to a grin. "You are as mart as you look."
"Just get moving, Romeo. Edward doesn't lik to be kept waiting."

Seriously, people are really like this. No kidding or joking. People are really like this.

P.387

Most systems of magic or mysticism have rules of conduct, things you do and things you do not . The wiccans call it the three fold law: what you do to others comes back to you three fold. Buddhists call it karma. Christians call it answering fore your sins. I call it what goes around comes around. It really does, you know.

Remember the golden rule. It looks like every regilion has the basic principle of it no matter the flavor or your ice cream. Treat people right and you will be treated right.

P. 583

"I never thought you missed the pieces of yourself that you gave up to be who and what your are, but when I syou with Donna and Beccca, and Peter, I see reget in you. You wonder what life might have been like if have hadn't met Van Cleef, or whoever the hell was first."

He looked at me, eyes cold. "It took me long time to understand what I saw in Donna. How did you know?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, the same thing I thought I saw in Ramirez."
"It's not too late for you, Anita."
"It's too late for me to have a white picket fence, Edward. Maybe I can figure out something, but not that. It's too late for that."
"You think I'll fail Donna," he said.
I shook my head. " I don't know. I just know it wouldn't work for me. I'm not the actor you are. Whoever I'm with has to know who I am, warts and all, or it won't work."
"You know which monster you're going to settle down with?"
"No, but I know I can't keep hiding from them. Hiding form them is like hiding from who I am. I'm not going to do that anymore."
"You think I'm running from myself by going with Donna."
"No, I think you always embrace the monster part of you. You're finding for the first time that not all of you is dead as you want it to be. Donna appeals to a part of your that you didn't know was left."
"Yes," he said. "And what do Richard and Jean-Claude represent for you?"
"I don't know, but it's time I found out."
He smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. "Good Luck."
"The same to you," I said.

Hello, ptsd people. What does ptsd stand for. Post Traumic Stress Disorder. You are still yourself, you just have to find it. There is hope for your situation. Hugs survivors.

Software upgrade

If you noticed that my posting has been down. My dh has been doing software upgrades on my computer. This is a good and bad thing. Good it runs faster, I no longer have to deal with microsoft vista. I have a few choice words that are not really appropiate to post about vista but you get my drift of my feelings.

I will try to get back on track with posting more.

For some reason the beta version of internet explorer doesn't like blogger. It won't let me post from home..go figure

McDonald Ranch Field Trip

This is the place we went to for our field trip for our youngest daughter.

Needless to say, it was not as nice the farm we went last year. It was a whole lot closer to our school. The bus ride was a lot shorter. Unfortunately, farms and this family don't mix. Anyone that went on the field trip now is full bloom allergy mode and having sinus problems thantks to the rain front moving in.

Please Welcome ...

Raven Kelly as a follower. She has multiple on goings in books and reviews. She is kind of enough to post my buttons on her sites. So, I have her buttons on mine.

Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

Anita Blake, Richard Zeeman and some of his family members, Jean-Claude, Damian, Asher, wereleopards, werewolve pack of Tennesse, and corrupt police force all with a very dark and evil businessman named Niley; that himself could be considered a demonic being. They not only have to save the local troll population, but themselves from local vampires, corrupt businessman Niley, and most of all themselves.

Favorite parts are listed below. Yes, I said parts as in plural. So, pay close attention to the dialogue between the characters and with themselves. You might learn something important mentally.

P. 216

"If you continue to fight this munin, it will get worse. If you cease struggling and met her even partyway, the humin will losse of its strength. Some feed off of love. This one feeds of fear and hatred. Was this the old lupa? Theo ne you killed?"

"Yeah, "I said.

Marianna shivered, "I never meet Raina, but even that small touch of her makes me glad she's dead. She was evil."

"She didn't see herself that way," I said. "She saw herself as more neutral than evil." I s aid it like I knew, and I did know. I knew because I'd worn her essence like a dress more than once.

"Very few people see their own actions as truly evil," Marianne said. "It is left to their victims to decide what is evil and what is not."

Jason raised his hand. "Evil"

Cherry echoed him. "Evil"

Nathienal and Zane and even Jamil, raised their hands.

I raised my hand, too. "It's unanimous,"I said.

Marianne laughed, and again, it was a sound equally at home in the kitchen or the bedroom. How she managed to be both wholesome and suggestive in the same breath puzzled me. Of course, a lot of things puzzled me about Marianne.

Okay, this is so true in life. We don't always see our true reflection. It takes those around us that love and care to stand up to speak for us. It sometimes, takes us saying I can't do this by myself or it takes us saying there is a problem in order to get it fixed.

P. 399

"Give us a few minutes," Jason said.

Nathaniel went back to the rear of the van without another word. He did follow orders well.

"Talk to me, Anita."

"There's nothing to talk about ."

"You keep staring off into space for minutes at a time. You're not even here. We need you for this to work. Daniel and Mrs. Zeeman need you."

My head turned slowly of its own accord, and I glared at him. "I have done my best for them tonight. I have gone above and beoyond my personal best for them tonight."

"Until they're safe, it's not over."

"I know that. Don't you think I know that? If I don't get them out alive, then what I did was for nothing."

"And what do you think you did?" he asked.

I shook my head, "You saw."

" I helped hold him down."

"I'm sorry about that."

Jason put an hand on each shoulder and shook me gently. "Damn it, Anita, get a grip. It isn't like you to wallow in the horror. You're a good solider. You kill and keep going like you're suppose to."

I pushed him away from. "I tortured a man, Jason. I reduced hime to something that writhed on the floor, mewling with terror and pain. And I wanted to do it. I wanted him to hurt because of what they'd done to Charolette and Daniel. I wanted to do it." I shook my head. "I'll do my bit tonight, but forgive me if its a little bit harder to keep going than normal. Forgive me if I'm not superwoman, after all."

"Not superwoman?", he exclaimed, putting a hand on his chest in mock surprise. "You've lied to me all these years !"

It made me smile, and I didn't want to smile. "Stop it

"Stop what? Cheering you up? Or is life suppose to stop because you did something horrible? I'll tell you the real hoorrible truth, Anita. No matter what you do or how bad you feel about it, life goes on. Life doesn't givea **** that you're sorry or upset or deranged or tormented. Life just goes on, and you gotta go on with it, or sit in the middle of the road and feel sorry for yourself. And I don't see you doing that."

We are never made to be a super hero. Though, our kids may think so at some point in their lives. We can handle only so much. It takes special friends in our lives that have been there in some way that they can relate. Cheers to our friends. They deserve a hug.

P.411

I wasn't evil. Everything that I'd done, and my faith was still pure. When I spoke the words, they were just as real to mea s whent i'd memorized thema ll those years ago for the Christmas pageant. The words still moved me. I never doubted God. I doubted me. But maybe God was more generous God than I allowed him to be. Jason was there with Marianne.

Often, we are blocking the miracle we are so desperately seeking. We must let go and let God. Not matter what branch of regilion you have faith in.

Its hump day..yeah

two more days until the weekend. I can't wait!

Beautifulswagstore follower contest

http://beautifulswagstore.blogspot.com is having a follower contest. Win a few swag bag with swag inside.

Did you know that they are on etsy too.

http://beautifulswagstore.etsy.com

Columbus Day

As a kid loved this day. It meant no school. Another day of play.

As a mom, I wonder what does it really mean to my kids and for our society. Most places aren't closed anymore with expections to banks, government or schools. Everything is sale sale sale.

This day is sorta of a wash. Nice break from our schedule but I'm left a little empty and nasty back wash of taste in my mouth, when I realize its no longer the day it was originally meant to be.

What's your take on it? I am sure if I worked on one of these places that are off, it would be my highlight in my work schedule.

beautiful Swag Store

now on etsy:

http://beautifulswagstore.etsy.com

Sunny days and teatime top

Its beautiful weather outside today.

I ahve been working on a teatime top. The most frustrating thing about this is RUFFLES it makes it so girlie but a nice girlie. I finally got the bottom hem to look just right. Will sew it tonight. I will be working on the parts this weekend.

hail rain and storms

Its still nasty outside here. Yesterday we had softball sized hail. For the desert its an event like a rock concert because we never get cool enough to have hail or snow in this part of the desert. It made the news, people were texting others with pictures, etc.

As for our hair styles..its wind blown or rain flat. Seriously, it is. More people wearing hats than ever..

Be careful for what you ask for .

Rain, Rain

come back please. It was so nice to have your winds, and cleansing ability. Not mention the catcuses were really thirsty.

It rained here all over the desert yesterday. OMG it was so nice.

The Wild Road by Marjorie Liu

The pictures is from amazon.com. The story started out slow but slowly picked up speed through out the entire book. I love the fact that it was a free will story. Choosing by free will. It was awesome.

I give the book an A.

Fun day

yesterday was a fun day for me. I went to costco with my friend Robyn and her kiddos. It was so much fun.

Of coarse, we had to go see creepy stuff all through the store. One of the kiddos loves fall and halloween a lot. It was so much fun to see all the stuff in the store. Unfortunately, there were no samples which was the highlight of trips down to Costcos. The never ending supplies of samples.