An early birthday gift....WOW!

Last night my family gave me an early birthday gift.

What a surprise!

First, I wasn't expecting anything yet-my birthday is still a few weeks away.

Second, it was Brooklyn's birthday party we were celebrating, not mine.

This is what I saw when I tore off the wrapping:

It is a book of the first year and four months (since I started it during the fall) of my blog!

I'm so excited to have everything saved and printed.  (I always worried about having  life preserved inside a computer with no way to access it.)

I love re-reading all the family news and looking at the photos over and over.

And...

all my ramblings are recorded for future reference.  (Is that good or not?)

THANK YOU, FAMILY!

 This is the best gift you could have given me!

(My daughter Liz formatted the book and printed it at lulu.com.)

♥
JoAnn

P.S.  Happy Halloween!

Ready or not.....

Halloween comes early this year.

Tomorrow is our school celebration.  

(There is no school on Friday!)

Am I ready?

The house is decorated...

The dead roses are ready.....

The old witch is in her place on the mantle...

BUT...

   I'm  still not sure what I will be wearing to school tomorrow!

 

 

Last year I was a baker.

 (My students all wanted

to eat my props!)

 Will I have some late night inspiration 

or will I pull out my witches outfit?

I'll let you know when I decide!

♥

JoAnn

The Quilt Shop....

I am enjoying my new Halloween quilt!

It looks pretty good on my table.

The store it came from (The Quilt Shop) has so many fun things.  

Lots and lots of beautiful quilts.

Decorated beds....

Fun accessories...

Going to this store always makes me want to come home and make my home more cozy.

This is the perfect time of year to want a warm, inviting place to snuggle up.

(Yes, Utah got its first snow of the season!)

I guess I'll go sit by the fire!

♥

JoAnn

Witches Night Out!

Witches...

   Witches....

and more

Witches!

"Double, double toil 
    and trouble
fire burn and cauldron  
    bubble."
-Macbeth Act IV
(Shakespeare)

Last night all the witches in Utah came out of hiding.

(Hundreds and hundreds of them!)  

Even a cute brand new one.

I ran into my twin sister.

(Well, we used to be neighbors!) 

The setting was festive and fun.

AND...

I won this cute Halloween quilt!

  It was a bewitching evening!

(Do you think my students know about my secret identity?  HaHa!)

♥

P.S.  Check out last year's event here.

Calling all witches.....

It's that time again-Witches Night Out!

Tomorrow night we are going to mingle with lots and lots of witches.

Guess I better dust off my broom and dig out my best black dress!

I wonder what I can do to my hair. 

This look is SO LAST YEAR!

Anyone want to join us?

(Gardner Village -this weekend)

Halloween

by Mary Jane Carr

"Witches flying past on broomsticks,

Black cats leaping here and there,

White-robed spooks on every corner

Mournful moaning in the air,

Goblins peering out of windows,

Spirit-things that rap and run,

But don't be scared-it's just October.

Having one last hour of fun!"

 I saw this quote on another blog  (sorry, I can't remember where):
"If the broom fits-ride it!"
(Do you think they have woman's size brooms?)
♥

JoAnn

92 and going strong.....

Happy 92nd Birthday!

(Well, last Sunday....)

Our sweet mother/mother-in-law/grandma just turned 92! 

What do you get for someone who doesn't want any gifts?

Silly gifts, of course!

I guess everyone had the same idea.  Do you notice the DOUBLE CROWNS?

She was "Queen for a Day", although she really is a queen in our family.

Our menu included favorite dishes that she used to cook for the family, although none of us could quite duplicate them.  I was supposed to make a cake with 7 minute frosting.  After TWO attempts I finally cheated and made my own version of Fluffy Frosting.  (I don't even own a candy thermometer!)

How did she do it all? 

We had a great time.  I was a bit lazy about taking pictures (sorry, everyone), but here is one.

♥

JoAnn

Charming and green.....

I have been thinking about how much I have mixed up my travel report of my time in Washington, D.C. 

Everything has been sort of backwards and mishmashed.  (And I try to teach children to write things in consecutive order!)  In keeping with that theme, I thought I'd post just a few pictures of where I ended up staying after my sister Julie left to come home.  I spent a few days staying in a charming town called Leesburg with Julie's sister-in-law Lou, her husband Jeff, and their son.  We did know each other back in Utah, but they were so kind to open up their home to me and I will always appreciate that kindness.  Jeff joked that they had been there such a short time (just over three weeks) that Lou didn't have any friends there yet and that I was doing her a favor!  (Everyone convinced me to stay and NOT pay the extra money to fly home early-especially since I had never been there.) 

Lou and I were a bit like the "blind leading the blind" as we set about to see some of the sights. 

Thanks to a good GPS system and an atlas, we were able to get around and have a great time.

Lou's inviting front porch.....

The covered bridge as seen from her back yard.....

Beautiful new houses...

I love these homes.....

And some very old buildings.....

Such a charming little town.....

Some quaint little shops.....

Beautiful places to walk the dogs.....

Don't you think it is a picture perfect place?

THANK YOU LOU AND JEFF FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY!

♥

JoAnn

Fun on a fall afternoon.....

#99.  "Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures."

-Life's Little Instruction Book

by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

♥

JoAnn

Thanks, Liz, for the pictures (and for the cute little girls, too!)

Whirlwind tour of the Washington D.C. Mall and sore feet.....

I was warned.

Take good walking shoes!

But...

My vanity won over my sensibility.

My comfortable walking shoes have seen better days and look pretty awful, AND I was going to one of the most famous gathering places in America- and that meant looking stylish.  Right?

Yes, I am the same person who once crammed my size 8 1/2 feet into size 5 bowling shoes to impress my Jr. High School friends. (Whose idea was it, anyway, to post your feet size for the whole world to see?   Yes, I now have the bunions to prove it!)

Anyway,

a late-afternoon-spur-of-the-moment-decision to head to the mall area left me little time to ponder anything, let alone comfort or functionality.  We hopped on the Metro and headed to see the sights I had only seen in pictures, books, or movies. 

With limited sunlight and closing times looming, we hurried to several Smithsonian Museum exhibits, walked from one end of the mall to the other, climbed millions of stairs, and walked and walked and walked.

I loved everything I saw!

(The Washington Monument)

(The Capitol Building)

(Lincoln Memorial Monument)

(World War II Memorial)

Yes, it was the condensed version of "How to See Washington D.C", but... 

I can say I was there ...

and it was impressive!

♥

 

P.S.  The picture below is of my cute niece Monica and two of her boys who also live in the area!

P.P.S. Did you know that along with getting blisters, I also wore the polish off my toe?