Share a Project Date

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pic today is just another example of cheap, but fun, holiday "china." Just use your regular plates as a charger and pick up some inexpensive and festive seasonal paper plates. These were $1.50 at Walmart, and we will use them all week long. Sometimes you can find seasonal paper plates for $1.00 at Target. I'm telling you, the kids LOVE it!

NOTE TO PATTI F. AND ROBIN C. - Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate them very much. Patti, I gave Cam your message! And Robin, I knew you would love the soup, and I've been reading your blog. It's a lot of fun, isn't it?

NOTE TO LANA - I told you so! It received FIVE stars on the Faulkner Five rating system which is very, very rare. I'll tell Julie you liked it.

Here are four more hints regarding the Special Guest...

14. She may like cats, but she owns a dog.

15. She has daily access to a swimming pool.

16. In high school, she was a cheerleader.

17. She played the piano at one time, but practicing got in the way, so she stopped taking lessons before she obtained concert pianist status.

Times running out. You still don't know who it is, do you?

I feel the need for a little Becky Freeman today. I'll share some of her thoughts in "Germs of Endearment" from Humor for a Woman's Heart 2.

Who in their right mind would willingly hold out their hand to accept donations of a half-chewed Tootsie Roll, a freshly blown tissue, or a wriggling worm?

Who rushes to comfort a child with a virus, knowing full well that as soon as she reaches that child, her robe will be wearing the remains of last night's predigested pizza?

Whose saliva can slick back the wildest curl, clean the toughest jelly stains from a five year-old's cheek, and promptly cure infectious lesions?

Who can talk on the phone, fold a diaper with one hand, scold a child with one raised eyebrow, and elbow the front door closed while performing two sets of leg lifts?

Who runs in a panic when her toddler squeals "See what I've done!" and breathes an enormous sigh of relief when she discovers the excitement is over a properly pooped-in potty.

Who calms all fears, cleans dirty ears, and though she grows weary, also grows more dear through the years?

Who exchanged the Days of Wine and Roses for Nights of Whines and Runny Noses?

No one else, of course, but mothers.

Now that's a resume'! I just love Becky Freeman. Sometimes she really makes me think about what my life used to be as opposed to what it has become.

Forget about the degree in Early Childhood Education, ten years as a legal secretary and three years teaching music to preschoolers. Forget about eating lunch with adults every day, and wearing suits, matching shoes, accessories and full make-up. Forget about always being well-coiffed, well-manicured and well... just smelling nice!

Forget about birthday parties (for ME) in the conference room, flowers on Secretary's Day and bonus checks. Forget about a car whose backseat isn't full of car seats or backpacks or clothes or groceries. Forget about being able to carry on a grown-up conversation with actual grown-ups and understanding what they are saying.

Forget about all of that... because whether those things are a part of your past or mixed in with your present, I bet most of the moms would agree we wouldn't trade the "messy" stuff for all the fringe benefits the world has to offer.

Am I right?

No. Really? Am I right?

Blog Linkage

Click on tara whitney photography under My Blog List and look at Tara's visit to a local pumpkin patch in California. I'm a pumpkin patch lover, but Tara admits she is not. You can't tell by the pictures she's taken. Beautiful.

Also under My Blog List, click on Welcome to HeidiSwapp.com. She has created a beautiful Halloween foyer. I love the branches, cobwebs and the pumpkins with the jewels on top. I also love all the ways you could make this your own. If you had small children, you could make an "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" entryway displaying the book, a giant pumpkin and hanging pumpkins and cutouts of the Peanut Gang all over the spooky branches. The ideas are limitless. I just thought it was very cool, and Heidi Swapp always has very creative ideas.

If you are a scrapbooker, don't forget to check www.peachycheap.com every day (including Saturday) for great deals on great scrapbook supplies. They take off 60% to 75% every single day. I've ordered twice so far, and I have not been disappointed. You will get your order within a week. I check it every morning.

Bass Pro Shop is doing a lot of fun things this weekend. When you go to their website (www.basspro.com), the big screen will have one of six advertisements. It will eventually come to Halloween Bass Pro Style. You can wait a few seconds, or you can click on the small Halloween Bass Pro Style box below to pull up the information. It looks like it would make a great one-on-one date OR family date.

I wanted to make sure everyone had the information regarding Boo at the Zoo (www.birminghamzoo.com) since this is the last weekend before it closes. We have been to Boo at the Zoo in the past and it doesn't disappoint.

Remember, if you ever have a blog or website you want to share, just let me know before Thursday's post, and I'll be glad to pass on the info (and you'll get the credit).

Share a Project Date

Save a special project to be done with ONE of your children. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Cut, saw and split a tree for the winter's supply of firewood. This is a great time to teach youngsters how to prepare firewood and at the same time share physical labor. A son or daughter and his/her father could find this a good time for conversation.

2. Work on the car together. Change the oil. Wash and wax. Do a brake job. Spend the time teaching and talking.

3. Plant something together: a tree, berry bushes, bulbs (remember yesterday), fruit trees, etc.

4. Pick and prepare fruit or garden produce together.

5. Can, preserve or freeze fruits and vegetables for winter: make apple butter, grape jam, peach preserves, can green beans, tomatoes, etc. Make pickles. Mom, if you have never done these things before, you and your daughter can learn together.

6. Paint the garage doors together.

7. Build and paint a dog house together.

8. Build and paint a fort together.

Use your own ideas for projects around your house. Finish off the project with a trip to Sonic for hamburgers and milkshakes and spend even more time talking, talking, talking.

My nephew, Brad, and his dad love working on his old truck together. They go different places to look for parts. It's a great way to spend time together one-on-one.

Part of this idea was taken from Let's Make A Memory. I haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg in this book. Again, this is a great resource for ideas for every occasion.

Have a magnificent Thursday. Only one more day until the weekend. Tomorrow is the last Friday of the month, so there will be a list of my favorite Halloween books of all times. We'll also be talking about Weekend Happenings, and the last of the 20 hints will be given regarding our Special Guest. You know, the Special Guest who will be making her first appearance on A Simple Life MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2009. You'll need to check in to see if you guessed correctly.

As always, go to My Blog List and click on Belinda's Project 365 over the weekend for more pics.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda