I Finally Did It!

I've been watching everyone in Blogland as they fallize their homes, and I finally joined the club! I've decorated my home for fall. First, I bought this yellow-weed thingy that looks fallish and stuck it in a bud vase that I already had. I could see the fake stem through the clear glass; how sad is that? So I sent Johnny to Michael's to get some paint and a brush. I have NEVER done any painting like this before!

We wiped the vase off with alcohol because I read/heard somewhere to make sure the surface was clean so that the paint would adhere. I couldn't figure out how to paint without getting myself all messy (as I am quite prone to do). I did not want to touch the vase. Brilliant Johnny got out one of his golf clubs, stuck it into the shredder, (Note: he did NOT turn on the shredder!) stuck the vase on the end of the club upside down, and wah-lah! It worked perfectly!


Here's the finished product with the yellow-weed thingy!


Doesn't the solid brown bud vase look better than if I had left it clear? Now, the fake fall weeds look so real that no one would ever guess I bought them at Walmart! The leaves look real too (ahem). And everyone knows that all pumpkins are white ceramic!

Here's a picture of our fallized Family Room.



My pretty pilgrims proudly stand next to a non-fall plant.


Here's the kicker! Dot showed off her newly acquired pumpkin that looked like the one she wanted to grab from BJ's blog. Dot told how she finally found and snagged her own, saving her from a life of crime. I left a comment telling her about my 39" diameter pumpkin and promised her a picture. You're all my witnesses now, if she tries to come and take mine!


See how you influenced this Florida gal to fallize her home? Aren't you ladies proud of yourselves?

After you leave a comment, check out my sidebar for the current giveaway.

Blue Monday - Houses

My favorite color is blue, so I thought, "Why not have a Blue Monday?"

Every Monday, I'll have a blue post, and I'd like to invite you to participate. To participate all you need do is:

1. Post about something blue on a Monday. It can be pretty, ugly, funny, old, or new as long as it's blue. You decide if you want to skip a week and play the next week, or if you want to play every week.

2. Drag the Blue Monday button from here and place it on your post and on the sidebar of your blog.

3. Return here and leave your name (it can be a first name or a code name), your URL (blog address) by using Mr. Linky. Don't forget to leave me a comment!

4. Visit other blue participants by clicking on their links and leave nice comments. If you can't get around to everyone's blog today, visit during the week.

Sound like fun? Gather up your blue items and ideas, and we'll play together. Here's my offering for today.
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Although Blue is my favorite color, it is not the color of the exterior of my home. However, it is used for exterior house paint in South Florida. I said all of that because I posted once on pink houses, and someone thought that it was my house. The houses pictured here are not mine.

This home owner used blue for the garage door and the trim on the house.

A different shade of blue was used for this trim.


Here is an example of three different shades of blue: house, garage door, and shutters.


This house is in my neighborhood, and I must admit, I love the soft blue used.

However, this home owner uses a more vivid blue; he does not have the same taste as I do.

Why, he even painted his mailbox blue to match his house! (The rust color on the bottom is from well water.)

Here's one house that's blue with white trim. Now remember, we can do ugly blue too. Get ready!

This blue house with white trim house is in the running for the ugliest blue house I've ever seen! Even the rock trim was painted. The red bench does not help! They have neighbors with different tastes; notice the yellow house next door.


Clearly, this house takes the prize for the most horrible use of blue paint! Notice the red door. What were they thinking?


I hope that you were able to have a chuckle today with my tour of South Florida blue homes.

Someone, maybe you, won Shoot the Moon, and now I have a new book giveaway: Altar Call by Hope Lyda. Check out my other blog Book Critiques after you leave a comment for me. You know I love comments!

Blue Monday Participants

1. ellen b 2. Kathy b 3. Melissa\'s Cozy Teacup 4. Liz 5. Kady 6. Elizabeth-EO 7. Coloradolady 8. Leena 9. Gemma 10. bj

11. Dawn 12. Susan M. Hickam 13. Diane 14. Sweetie 15. deslilas 16. Faith 17. Baba 18. Barbara H. 19. Kim 20. Lana G!

21. Linnea 22. charli and me 23. Poetikat 24. Backyard Neighbor 25. Anne Fannie 26. Molly 27. CC 28. eleanor 29. Mojo

Learn more about Blue Monday here.
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The Blind Leading the Blind

This saying is actually from the Bible (Luke 6:39) where Jesus is teaching that we cannot judge other's actions because we are unable to see their motives. I must continue applying this lesson. Is it just me or do you have trouble with this too?

Two Reminders:
1. Today is the final day for my BOOK GIVEAWAY: Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts on my other blog Book Critiques. I shut it off at 7 PM EST. If you have not yet thrown your name in the hat, hurry up!

2. Tomorrow is Blue Monday. I'll post a little after midnight so that early birds can more easily link in.

Pink Saturday - Cows

Beverly at how sweet the sound hosts Pink Saturday. Stop by her place to see the many other pink items people are sharing.

From June 15th, through October, 1999, Chicago had "Cows on Parade," a summer art project designed to create interest. Three hundred life-size fiberglass cows were decorated in various ways by different artists and displayed in various locations in and near downtown Chicago. Everywhere you looked, there were cows of all designs and colors. Johnny and I were vacationing in Chicago at the time. Today, I've selected some of the pink cows for your enjoyment.

Her name is "Piggy Cow Bank."


This cow is entitled, "Princess Paris Pink."


This one is called, "Bucolic at Xtreme."


Here's "Gladiebelle."


This one is called,"Cows in Progress."


This was our favorite, and the label said, "Diamond Cow," but Johnny and I called her Marilyn Monroe. Notice the big pink bow on her rear.

After you leave a comment, be sure to check out the GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques.

Friday Fill-Ins #91

Janet hosts Friday Fill-ins here. If you'd like to join in, click and pay her a visit.




1. Caeli's birthday, lower humidity, and my favorite TV programs are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I I cannot believe that I'm any older than 35. Where did the time go?.

3. I'm still learning and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

4. When I'm down, I I count my blessings, and soon I'm up again!

5. Sitting in front of the computer is where you'll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for reading a book and growing green grass.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening, tomorrow my plans include going to church, and Sunday, I want to read the newspaper and cut out coupons!

Check out the BOOK GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques.

Something New

One of the best things about this time of year is Brach's candy corn. I like to eat them color by color. First, I bite off the yellow layer, then the orange, saving the white tips for last. The white tips are a bit too sweet for my taste.


Have you seen these? We were at Target yesterday, and I spotted this new candy corn. Caramel is one of my favorite flavors, so I had to try it. I like them. There's not much white tip to them, which suits me just fine.



I have a blogging buddy named Elizabeth who is gearing up for a big celebration. She will soon be marking her second year since she had a bone marrow transplant; she calls it her second birthday! She's planning on several giveaways. Check it out.

Don't miss the BOOK GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques.

Booking Through Thursday - That Was Different

What was the most unusual book you ever read? Either because the book itself was completely from out in left field somewhere, or was a genre you never read, or was the only book available on a long flight… whatever? What (not counting school textbooks, though literature read for classes counts) was furthest outside your usual comfort zone/familiar territory?

And, did you like it? Did it stretch your boundaries? Did you shut it with a shudder the instant you were done? Did it make you think? Have nightmares? Kick off a new obsession?

I once read one in a Latin American Literature class that was so weird I had to reread it three times just to understand it. Only after I realized that everyone in the book was dead, did it make a teeny bit of sense. I have long since forgotten the title, and no, I did not like it.

Years ago, I read The Novelist by Angela Hunt--an amazing read, and one of my all-time favorites! It's a story-within-a-story. (I must admit, I'm always intrigued by that. For that reason, Hamlet's play-within-a-play is one of my favorite Shakespearian plays.)

The frame story is that of a successful novelist, with a young, headstrong son, who teaches a class on writing and is confronted by one of her students who challenges her to write from her heart rather than use her standard formula. She meets the challenge by writing an allegory which is the story within. Jordan is the protagonist.

From Publishers Weekly:
As she writes, her desire to change her 21-year-old son Zachary's chaotic life as a suicidal addict becomes an impetus for a story she wants to communicate about life, loss and second chances (told alongside mother and son's actual plight). God, she believes, is the ultimate writer, complete with an outline for one's life story—yet even the characters in the hands of a novelist have choices. Jordan's reality and fiction alternate and finally converge as Hunt spins her tale, with flashbacks to Zachary's innocent childhood that are guaranteed to wring tears from even the hardest-hearted reader.

As the stories unfold, parallels are drawn between real and fantasy. The twists and turns kept me reading long past tired, watery eyes. I still reflect on it. This is one I would recommend to any reader!

Check out the BOOK GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques. I'm giving away a copy of Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts.

Movie Review - The Women

I talked my brave husband into taking me to see The Women this weekend. I had seen a couple of interviews on TV, read two posts of bloggers who liked it, and thought that it looked like a good one. We went in the afternoon, so the theater was pretty empty. Even so, poor Johnny noticed that he was the only guy in the theater, except for a baby boy!

We should have stayed home. What a waste of money. I expected a light-hearted chick flick. What I got was a film that dragged on so that I actually found myself getting sleepy. Really!

This predictable film had a scene that disturbed me. While visiting a spa, Meg Ryan's character, after finding out about her husband's infidelity, shares a marijuana cigarette with the character played by Bette Midler. (What a waste of Bette Midler's good talent!) Call me crazy, but isn't that stuff illegal? Is this what Hollywood thinks happens to middle America when a husband strays?

I say thumbs down to this one. What's your opinion?

After you leave a comment, be sure to check out the BOOK GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques.

Talk About Johnny

I saw this meme on Beverly's blog. I answered these questions about Johnny, my husband.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV; what is on the screen?
A football game, a baseball game, a basketball game, or if none of these are available, a tiddlywinks game! And, if absolutely no sport is on, he'll watch an action movie.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Thousand Island, and please take off the cucumbers!

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Vegetables! Any kind. He's a meat and potatoes man. (Obviously, he doesn't eat many salads.)

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?
Diet Coke

5. Where did he go to high school?
Miami, Florida

6. What size shoe does he wear?
10 1/2

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Receipts, little pieces of paper with phone numbers, folded twice and tucked into his overstuffed wallet--the thing with no money in it! I call it his file cabinet.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Italian sub

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Pizza and a meatball

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Nope, no cereal. He eats a Dunkin Doughnut "bowtie" for breakfast every day!

11. What would he never wear?
Overalls

12. What is his favorite sports team?
Miami Marlins, Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, and the University of Miami Football, baseball, basketball teams.

13. Who will he vote for?
McCain

14. Who is his best friend?
That would be me. Who else? And second best friend would be his identical twin brother.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Go to sleep late. He likes to go to sleep early and wake up at 5:00. This one fact has helped us have a successful marriage; we have no time to argue! lol

16. How many states has he lived in?
6

17. What is his heritage?
He's a pedigree: full blooded Italian! Both of his parents were born in Italy.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Banana cream pie is his favorite "cake."

19. Did he play sports in high school?
Not on a team, but he played any and all including bowling and billards.

20. What could he spend hours doing?
This question is really asking what he loves to do.

1. Work,
2. watch sports on TV, and
3. eat out at inexpensive restaurants.

The BOOK GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques is almost over.

Blue Monday - Shopping

It's Blue Monday! To participate:

1. Post about something blue on your blog. It can be pretty, ugly, funny, old, or new as long as it's blue.

2. Drag the Blue Monday button from here, and place it on your post. Stick it on your sidebar too. If you want, you can stick it on your cereal bowl!

3. This is MOST important! Return here and leave your name (first name or code name) and your URL (blog address).

4. Visit other blue participants by clicking on their links. Leave some nice comments!
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Johnny and I went shopping at Sawgrass Mills Mall the other day. When I noticed the blue sign, I thought of Blue Monday! Sawgrass opened in 1990, and is Florida's largest mall with more than two million-square-feet of retail and entertainment space and more than 350 name-brand stores and outlets inside one huge air-conditioned mall.

In addition to the almost two miles of shops, there are thirty places to eat and a movie theater with 23 screens! The information sign (with a touch of blue) shows that the mall is laid out in the shape of an alligator. The name sawgrass is taken from the Everglades where gators live, along with a razor sharp grass that is saw-like. Of course, it doesn't bother the gator's tough skin.

With Blue Monday in mind, I took a picture of this store window, with the pretty blue accessories. We didn't stay long, though. We made our small purchase and left.

On the way home, I spotted this beautiful blue plumbago hedge. I made Johnny stop the car while I took this picture. The car moved a bit just as I snapped, so the picture is not too clear.

Plumbago blooms all year long except for the coldest winter months. I downloaded this last picture from the internet so that you could see the beauty of this blue blooming plant.

Blue Monday Participants

1. Dawn 2. bj 3. Sweetie 4. Grandma Faith 5. Elizabeth-EO 6. Judi 7. Lana G! 8. Backyard Neighbor 9. Barbara H.

10. Susan M Hickam 11. fitty 12. Kady/Life on Bonnie Lane 13. Kathy b 14. Melissa\'s Cozy Teacup 15. charli and me 16. LauriesCharmingDesigns 17. ellen b - 18. Claudie Frid

19. Anne Fannie 20. Baba 21. Molly 22. Peggy 23. LeadHership 24. Roxy @ There\'s No Place Like Home 25. Robyn

Learn more about Blue Monday here.
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Check out the GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques.

How's Your Eyesight?

Most people around the age of forty, need help reading, and they get "cheaters" or glasses or they get books with large print. I have an astigmatism in my eyes. I don't see things at a distance as sharply as others do. The doctors have told me that it cannot be corrected, but I don't mind. You don't miss what you never had. I see well enough to watch movies in a theater, to follow a football game from a stadium seat, and to pass a driving test.

The good news is I don't need reading glasses. The astigmatism works for me when I read. Hey, I can even read the yellow pages!

What about you?
Do you rely on large print Bibles and books, or do you use cheaters?
Or are you fortunate like me?



Don't miss the BOOK GIVEAWAY on my other blog Book Critiques.