I have ask myself that question a lot this past week.  I’m so not ready, I usually have quite a bit of Christmas shopping done by this time and I only have a few gifts.    My daughter wants a Nintendo DS so that will limit the amount of gifts she gets for her birthday and Christmas.   I’ve been trying to explain about money and how this year things will be a little different and she seems ok with it, understanding that things are expensive and we don’t have the money.    She is so excited that my brother and his family and my Mom will be here for Christmas I think that a cut back on gifts will be ok.

I will be cooking Thanksgiving and Chrismas dinner.   Love the leftovers….LOL!!   Already starting to plan my menus.   That way I can pick up things along the way when I go to the store.

Soon the leaves will all be off the trees and that makes me sad, they are so beautiful.   And in no way am I ready for any kind of snow!!!  YUCK!!!

New pic of me and my angel.   She’s a bit under the weather but still a sweetie.

I’m trying to get my house in the fall festive mood.   We put up cornstalks last night on the back fence, I have some indian corn at the back door and on the windows fall and Halloween clings.  Hope to be getting pumpkins soon to place around the  yard.   I need one of those decorative scarecrows which I hope to get this weekend and maybe a few more Halloween/Fall decorations.   My daughter thinks it’s fun to put all these things up.   And she is already talking Christmas decorations….LOL!!

Do you like to decorate for the seasons or holidays?  I do for the most part, next will be Christmas, and then some Valentines window clings and Easter ones and at Memorial day I will put out the red, white, and blue decorations and leave up through Labor Day.   I have to admit Christmas is my favorite because I have so many things for inside the house and I love seeing things in different rooms for the holiday.

I love it and love watching The Steelers play!  YEAH!!  I also love a good football movie and there have been some great ones.....

Rudy, The Longest Yard (the original), Brian's Song, North Dallas Forty, Remember The Titans, All The Right Moves (before Tom Cruise was a jerk), We Are Marshall, Paper Lion, and Wildcats are some of my favs.

Well today I was looking at AOL and came across this new movie coming out in November, The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock who I just love, she is fresh, beautiful and just someone you could hang out with and have a great time.  The movie is the true story of Michael Oher who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.  I had tears in my eyes and knew this movie would make my list.   Let me know what you think and what are some of your favorite football movies.

I love saying autumn instead of fall…sounds more inviting.   I knew a woman once that was named Autumn and I thought what a beautiful name.

With autumn here, it’s time to think about bonfires, hayrides, pumpkins, cider, soups, stews, hot totties, hot chococalte, and warm wonderful colors.  There is a crisp chill in the air, but you welcome it this time of year.  Sitting at a high school football game bundled up cheering for your hometown team, a great way to spend time on the weekend.

Leaves with be falling and that means time to rake them and jump in them and laugh.  Remember doing that as a kid?   We did it all the time when I was young.   All the kids in the neighborhood would play football on Saturday or Sunday and we would run through the leaves and be laughing and just enjoying the autumn weather.

My daughter wants to put up the Halloween decorations and I have given in and said we can put some up tonight.   It will be nice to see pumpkins and ghosts and goblins on the windows and doors.

Oh yes I miss summer, but there is just something special about autumn.  If only it would last until spring….

It’s that time of year again!   Hard to believe it….time flew by this summer!

I didn’t watch much of any game over the weekend due to the nice weather and wanting to be outside and not in the house.

My fiancee headed up to Cleveland on Sunday to watch The Browns win, those were his words….LOL!  I kept texting during the game with The Browns losing…funny thing he didn’t answer me….LOL!!  Of course I had to give him some flack when he got home last night.   He said paybacks for when The Steelers lose, I said if that happens!   LOL!!

Love this time of year….football….nice fall evenings….leaves changing colors…and The Steelers winning!!   LOL!!

From yesterdays Browns Game

Yes honey The Browns are losing….LOL!

The future being my daughter heading off to her first day of kindergarten.   I am so proud of her and she was very excited.  Of course I cried seeing my baby growing up and she was just cool and ready for school.  Wondering if they would have recess today…LOL!!

It’s hard to believe that 5 years almost 6 have gone by already.   I remember my Mom telling me to cherish every moment because she will be grown up and off to college before I know it, well she was right.  Time does seem to fly by watching your children grow.   But what a wonderful way to spend time.

The past being the old City Hall and Police Department in Shelby being torn down due to the damage from the flood 2 years ago.   I know the building was unsafe but it’s a part of my hometown and to see it gone makes you a bit sad.   But that was the past and now you move on ahead to the future.

Goodbye to City Hall….

I went to my little girls open house for kindergarten last night.  It was so strange to be at this small table with these little chairs to sit in and listen to a teacher speak again, I felt like a child again…be quiet and listen…LOL!!

Her teacher is wonderful and her classroom cool.   And with Shelby going to all day kindergarten the children have so many activities to be involved.   As do the parents, we were sent home with a list of things we can volunteer for and I need to look it over and see how I can work around my schedule and help out.

As Mrs Depler was going over the things that will happening during the school year, all us parents were paying attention while the kids were looking out the window at the playground.   It was hot and stuffy in the room so the teacher knew everyone wanted to get outside.   And off we went to the playground, you would think that was the only reason to go to school….well it is isn’t it….LOL!!   And with 100 kids in kindergarten at my daughters school I’m sure playground time will be welcome by kids and teachers both…LOL!

As I sat there listening to what all was going to be happening in the school year I thought this is great, learning about new things and experiencing new adventures…why did I ever want to hurry up and grow up???

As I send my beautiful daughter off to kindergarten on Monday I will be happy and sad, she isn’t my little baby anymore, she is a big girl as she tells me every day.  But I am one proud Mama, she is amazing!  It’s all about the playground…LOL!!

We use them everyday and take them for granted for the most part.   Words to me are something I seem to be drawn to ever since I can remember.  Whether it was unwrapping an album and reading all the liner notes and lyrics, or reading a book, or writing my thoughts in a journal or in poetry.   When reading lyrics or poems I search for every meaning in each word that the writer is trying to let us see through their eyes or through our own.   I want to feel connected to a song or poem and that is why I spend time rereading them, to feel the connection.   And when reading a book, I want to see the words as a picture as I read each chapter.  Being able to see the characters in my mind going through whatever is happening in the book.  A little movie happening in my mind I guess you could say.

Today is Poet’s Day and I think that is awesome.   There are so many wonderful poets to read….William Blake, Elizabeth Barrett Browing, W Jude Asher, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Poe….and the list goes on and on.   I have been reading poems since I was young around 11 and loved the writings of these and many more.  I want to share this with my daughter when she is a bit older and let her appreciate poetry and find her favorites.

I would never compare myself to any of the poets I mentioned, but I do write often and usually about my life and whatever I may be going through at the time.   And yes it’s true that you write better during heartache or when you are in love.   Here is one that I am proud of and I wrote it during a heartbreaking time in my life.

 Painless

weathered remnants
from enduring rains
icey droplets,
piercing painfully
a melted sheath
bitterness exposed
underneath.

blistered wounds
inflamed with poison
slowly leaking
burning inside.
a silent scream,
finally I am
redeemed.

and it did so quickly!   But it was a fun one and I spent time with my little girl and friends.

On Saturday LeighAnn my dear wonderful friend invited us to go with her to her uncle’s place which has an amazing pond and beach!   The kids had a blast as did the adults.  A nice day just relaxing and taking in the wonderful summer day!    Thanks again LeighAnn and David and Mary, Emily and I had a fun day!

Watched some movies over the weekend.  My daughter wanted to rent Marley and Me, which I knew the outcome but she insisted.  I really liked the movie even though the ending is so sad, and little Miss Emily fell asleep before the end so she thinks the movie was great.  Luckily it is due back today!   Then flipping channels yesterday we came across Rocky and she wanted to see it and she was cheering Rocky on…too funny!   With so many summer reruns I was flipping channels last night and stopped on We Are Marshall, a movie I have seem a couple of times already, but watched it again, such a heartbreaking…moving…inspiring story.  If you’ve never seen this movie, try to watch it sometime, good movie based on the tragedy of the football team and townspeople killed in an airplane crash in 1970. 

Hard to believe only 2 weeks of August left…once again where did the summer go??

I had a wonderful one last night!  I took my daughter and my friend and her two girls to the concert in the park in Shelby last night.   They have them every Wednesday night during the summer.   It was a nice cool evening and a perfect night to sit out and listen to music.

The band was The Ribtickler Band, and WOW….they were great!   They played, some jazz, blues, dixieland and big band.  I grew up listening to that music from my parents, mostly my Dad and it brought back many great memories of my Dad and how he loved that music and him dancing with my Mom.  The band did a cool version of Amazing Grace, which was my Dad’s favorite hymn.   Thanks to The Ribtickler Band for giving us great music to listen to and for bringing back wonderful memories of my Dad.

Our little girls were clapping and dancing and just having fun.  My friend LeighAnn and I sat there feeling great listening to music  and forget our worries for 90 minutes.

It’s amazing how the simplest of things can make you feel good and happy.  And with summertime being outside and just enjoying the night air and the late in the evening sun is something I hate to see end…summer is getting near it’s end….bummer!   But still plenty of time to get out and enjoy it and I hope all of you do and if you are ever in Shelby on a Wednesday night during the summer check out our concerts in the park, you will have a wonderful time!

 Here is the band from last night….