Third Annual Willow Manor Ball

Have you ever been to a virtual ball?

They are great fun! Willow from Willow Manor

(who just happens to be my lovely big sis) is hosting

one today! To join in, all you have to do is click HERE

and leave a comment, chat with the other guests and

nibble on some scrumptious food. She's a wonderful,

glamorous hostess virtually and in real life, so go have

a wonderful time! If you really want to get into it, you

can sign up on Mr. Linky and post on your own blog

pics of your tux, gown, or date if you're bringing one

just like I've done here in this post. I'm traveling to The Manor in style! There is

an autumn nip in the air. My cloche hat will keep

me stylish and warm on the trip!

To add a little more elegance, I'm taking the Orient Express!

I can sit back, enjoy the trip and get pampered along the way!

Lots of beautiful fall foliage to see! No date for me this year! I think I'll just see who I happen to bump into while I'm there. ;) Although Don Knotts was my guest last year and we had a wonderful time, it was some other guests that made the night very memorable! So, here I am in the picture below. Like my hair up? I actually wear it like this a lot. And the wine colored dress is perfect for an autumn gala, don't you think? I don't know who that bald man is in the tux, but he was on the train, too. I think he's following me! Maybe I'll pencil him in on my dance card! :)

Mouse Musings

There are only a few things I dislike about the cooler weather.

The first 20 years of living in this house we had cats. We

would get the occasional mouse, but they never survived

very long! It's not quite the same with a rabbit!

Even though he's housebroken and runs free inside,

Nugget is not a hunter! No, he's scared of raccoons and

cats that occasionally come up onto our back porch,

even though he is twice the size of a grown cat.

As a result, we had two families of mice set up housekeeping

with us last year. Not fun! We had the smartest mice

in the state of Ohio! I swear they were like the mouse in

the photo! They could eat peanut butter off of a trap and

not set it off! But we finally FINALLY won and trapped

all 10 of them. Yes, ten! Ugh. Hopefully we will not

repeat that saga this year!

Taking Flight

"Taking Flight" is the theme for this week's Creative Tuesday sketch.

And knowing my love of birds, you aren't at all surprised that I

had to draw one for this theme, right?

And I thought goggles and an aviator cap would be just the

right touches...along with a scarf! :)

This cute little Blue Tit Bird was my inspiration.

And since they are so darling, I thought one should

be included in my header for a change!

If you want to see other CT participants or join in

yourself, click HERE for Mr. Toast's blog.

New Shoes

Can you tell that Harry's big toes curl up?

Hopefully the leather shoes will last the full school year. :)

Half Full Friday #2

Well, it's the end of the week! Time to record some optimism and list out

some things that made me happy this week. Why don't you join in?

What are some things that made you happy or how did you turn

a sour situation around and make lemonade?

This week I'm happy because....

1. I had a nice birthday! I did get that wish for a new camera! As soon as I figure out how to use it, I'll share some pictures!
2. Harry got a 100% on his math worksheet. He's also doing vocal warm ups with the rest of the high school choir. I'm sure it's a site to behold...and hear! LOL!
3. One of my girlfriends surprise me at my front door with a Panera muffin and some coffee. Awww...how sweet was that?!
4. Although this has been a crazy, busy week, everything seems to have gone quite smoothly.
5. All the beds have fresh sheets on them today.
6. Alex gave me a kiss without me asking for it. (this one may be my favorite!)

If you want to join in officially, go to Life As Eye See It and sign up on Mr. Linky beginning Friday morning!

Another Auction

I'm really enjoying these auctions that I work at occasionally!

People watching is always very entertaining!

Like this man. Is isn't everyday that you see someone

wearing an engineer's cap!

And what are you going to do when you ride your motorcycle

to the auction and unexpectedly fall in love with, bid

and win an antique spinning wheel??

This adorable log cabin home was auctioned off, too. It was just wonderful with a perfectly manicured lawn. It looked like Goldilocks and the Three Bears should have been there!

Some auctions are on site, like this farmhouse. Usually the house itself is auctioned off, too. This is fun, but then there are those Porta Johns to contend with! :) Today I worked an auction at our local fairgrounds. Nice...real restrooms, inside an air conditioned building, and out of the auction truck. :) This photo only shows about half of the room...I should have taken a shot of the 600 box lots on the other end! I got to do a little people watching today when there was a lull in my clerking. Bidders can be loud and flamboyant or they can be secretive and mysterious. I've seen people wildly waiving their bidder numbers in the air and some barely give a wink, nod or a little pull on their ear! Today's auction, here, was full of Nippon china, antique mantel clocks, stoneware crocks, and a huge doll collection. It was a nice change from the last auction, which was tractors, rifles and tools! :)

Prune Cake With Glazed Topping

Don't let the prunes scare you!

Think of a super moist cake with autumnal spices.

Possibly a cross between applesauce cake and gingerbread except better!

The glaze soaks all the way through.

I promise it will be a favorite! Nobody will know it has prunes in it!

And yes, it was my birthday cake this year!

Prune Cake with Glazed Topping

3 eggs

1 1/2 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 c buttermilk

1 c cooked and mashed prunes

1 t vanilla

2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1 t allspice

To prepare the prunes, place in a glass measuring cup and cover with water. Microwave 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Run through food processor until they are a smooth paste.

Then proceed with the recipe.

Mix wet ingredients in mixer and blend well.

Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Beat well.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 350 for 40-50 minutes. Mine took 35.

Do a toothpick test.

Glaze

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 c sugar

3/4 c buttermilk

2 T white corn syrup

1 t vanilla

Place all ingredients in deep sauce pan and stir over medium

low heat just until it begins to boil.

Remove from heat and add 1 t of baking soda.

Stir until dissolved and foamy. Pour slowly

over hot cake until absorbed.

I got this card from a girlfriend this week. I'm not even sure she

knew that today is my birthday or if she was just being sweet

for no reason at all. (She's like that!) But it ended up being

the best gift ever and just the encouragement I needed!

Sometimes the best gifts aren't really gifts at all, are they?

Yes, today is my birthday! The last of the 40's! Oh my!

I asked for a new camera and I hear I'm getting my

wish! And maybe I'll get lucky and won't have to make

dinner or do the dishes either! :)

College kids can sleep anywhere...anytime!

Especially after taking a Business Calculus exam. :)

The last tomato.

Good bye, Summer!

Half Full Friday #1

I recently found a new weekly series that is just SO me! Kind of like riding the waves or making lemonade from lemons...and you know how important I think that attitude is! A lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude. By participating, you are choosing to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. You are choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of the negatives. So the challenge is to keep a list of things that brought you a smile during the week. On Fridays, post the list and link up to Eye Girl at Life As Eye See It and join in the happiness. :) Here's what I'm happy for this week:

1. I'm happy it didn't rain on me when I went to the grocery! (it ALWAYS does that!)
2. I'm happy my dearest friend called to chat this week. (it had been WAY too long!)
3. I'm happy to see the first of the fall colors in the trees. (my favorite season!)
4. I'm happy that although all the boys have had colds this week, nobody had to miss school.
5. I'm happy to see the bottom of the laundry hamper!
6. I'm happy I have a self cleaning oven! LOL!

Oven Cleaning

I cleaned my oven today. Well, it cleaned itself. I can't believe I

hadn't cleaned it in several years when it's as easy as turning a couple

of knobs! I'm glad I didn't have to use Jifoam, although if it transports

you to the beach and makes you as happy as the ad says, I would

be tempted to try it!

I knew if I wanted to bake that first chicken pie of the fall season I would have to do something with the oven first or we would have smoke in the house! Now the oven is clean and I lined the bottom with a piece of foil so cleanups will be a breeze! And the chicken pie was delicious!

It just makes you want to pick up a stone, doesn't it?

Or take the sign down and put the poor owner out

of his misery. That's a good solution! :)

Ever have something in life that makes just about

this much sense? I can think of a few!

Sandwich

I read years ago that studies were done as to how

people taste the layers in a sandwich or a hamburger.

I think it may have been McDonalds or Burger King.

The order of the toppings is done in such a way that they

hit our taste buds in the most palatable way.

I know I have a certain order preference for my sandwiches

and hamburgers. I'm sure most everyone does.

For me, the meat and cheese need to be together.

Always extra mayo, which is on the opposite end of the

sandwich from the meat and it needs to be touching the lettuce.

Tomato and any other toppings can be in the middle.

If it's a burger, onion and ketchup go under the meat.

cheese, tomato and anything else goes on top of the meat.

LOL! I know, I'm complicated. But I bet you have

a few preferences yourself, don't you?

Cupcake

This week's Creative Tuesday's theme is birthday!

Since my birthday is next week I'm thinking Mr. Toast chose

this theme just for me! ha ha. Well, probably not, but I can

pretend, can't I? What better way to celebrate than with

strawberry cupcakes with Seven Minute Frosting?

And just one candle, to you make sure you get your wish!

This was done with colored pencils on printer paper, because

that's all this girl has! Well, they actually belong to my boys!

I also scanned the sketch to my computer instead of

photographing it and uploading. So much better and brighter!

Why didn't I think of that before? ha.

Did you know that cupcakes have been around for almost 200 years?

They first appeared in a British cookbook in 1828.

The birthday theme is due on Tuesday, September 14th.

To see more birthday themes or to join in the fun,

visit Mr. Toast's blog by clicking here.

Fall Allergies

Ragweed.

Just one more reason I know September is here!

"Endurance is nobler than strength and patience than beauty.”

John Ruskin

September 1991

A stroller full of tomatoes and one sweet pumpkin!

Daily School Notes

The boys' teacher sends home a little note each day with an

overall evaluation of their behavior while noting any good

or bad things that happened. It helps a lot with non-verbal

kids, since I can't say "How was your day?" and have them

answer. They got to bed late after being out to watch fireworks

on Monday night. I had to drag Harry out of bed to go to school.

So, I wasn't surprised to get this note home this afternoon! :)

I read somewhere in my research about autism that

their neurotransmitters act like they have a loose connection.

Sometimes they can transmit and sometimes they cannot, almost

like an old transistor radio when the needle is a tad off and you get

all that static. Some days are like that with the boys...clear connections

and focus and some are not...like the radio knob needs tweaking. I guess

Harry just needed a little tweaking...or maybe another hour of sleep! :)

Parade, Grilled Steaks, Fireworks.

Nice, relaxing day.

The Porta John, A Love-Hate Relationship

I have to laugh every time I work at an auction. The ones that are held 'on site' have a Porta John delivered. I always laugh at where the "john" is actually placed. It's never in a discreet area out of the way! Take this photo below for example. I took this picture from my perch in the auction truck. See how close it is to the actual auction taking place? People are sitting in their lawn chairs and standing all around it! See the man just to the left of it? He's actually leaning his arm against it! Did he move when I went in there? Well, no! And believe me, it just feels strange to be half naked and squatting over the toilet with men in lawn chairs just mere inches away...even if there is a plastic box surrounding you! LOL! This predicament reminded me of a hilarious account of women and public restrooms. I found it on Google, without an author. Maybe you've read it before, but it's worth sharing as I've added it below...

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants!

. The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR! ), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'

. In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.' To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.

. You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail .

. Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT . It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'

. By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

. At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'

. As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?' This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

Alex, 5 yrs old.

The bag of cheese curls is as big as he was!

*****

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.”

Mae West, 1892-1980

It's Not Easy Being Green

I walked out on the back porch today and something caught my

eye on the hooks for the pool towels.

Do you see the cute little guy? I think he's taking a nap! He looked at me and didn't seem to mind having his picture taken. Maybe he heard I'm really Dr. Doolittle. :) I think he's trying to be camouflaged with the baubles and marbles on the hooks. Because, it's not easy being green!

.

It's not that easy being green

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves

When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold

Or something much more colorful like that

.

It's not easy being green

It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things

And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're

Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water

Or stars in the sky

.

But green's the color of Spring

And green can be cool and friendly-like

And green can be big like an ocean, or important

Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

.

When green is all there is to be

It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why

Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful

And I think it's what I want to be

~~kermit

Welcome September

September is one of my favorite months. For several reasons:

• The ending of the summer heat.
• The kids go back to school.
• Apple season.
• The best month for enjoying garden tomatoes.
• My birthday is in September.
• The first of the fall colors begin to appear in the trees.

I'm going to celebrate the new month by peeling and chopping more apples on Thursday. My friend just gave me a second bag from her apple trees. So, should it be sauce or pies this time? What do you love about September? I know my Australian bloggers are shouting "Spring!" :)

Good News!

Spencer got great news at his orthopedic appointment today!

His scoliosis has not progressed at all. It remains at 40% just

as it was 5 years ago. In fact, being 16 years old, it most likely

will not move any more during his lifetime! We only have to go

back for a maintenance checkup in two years and always keep

an eye out for any pain he may be in. He did all of his crazy

leaps and jumps around the exam room and the doctor laughed

and said, obviously, he isn't in any pain!

You know that old saying that mother's always tell you to

wear clean underwear 'cause you never know when you'll end

up in the hospital? Well, as we sat and waited for the doctor,

I was thinking I was glad I bought all those new socks for school!

Even the sky looked to be celebrating with us on our way home!

Thank you, God! And thank you friends for all of your

prayers and encouragement! I could certainly feel it today!