Candy of the Season

how could you not smile with a hand full of candy corn?

Happy Halloween!!

a little sparkle

yesterday i told you i have developed a crush on foreign films.

i have a major crush on this cement truck as well.

everything is better with a little sparkle!

Pita Pit for dinner

i am still figuring out things which change when you no longer have a husband.

it is up to me to get the trash can to the curb.
i no longer have to wipe wiskers before i brush my teeth.
i did not have an automatic person to carve a pumpkin with.......bummer.

but this was an easy fix. make a few phone calls, send a few texts, and voila i had myself a carving buddy.
(who needs a husband? not me!!)

after a text message conversation with taylor jane we decided wednesday evening we would carved pumpkins. we had to do it on wednesday because she had a date on monday and on tuesday. sheesh

her new dogaughter Desi helped us with our design ideas. taylor's new furry family member is sweet, cute, and already a little mama's girl....

while we were carving our buddy (taylor's housemate) david brought us dinner, laughed at us, and told us to not cut our fingers off because he was tired and would not take us to the hospital. taylor told him her mom would not be very happy with him if he did not take her to the hospital. so he said he would call her mom and she could come take us if we were to slip with the knife.

luckily no limbs were lost because this was getting complicated.

us 3 spending time together was like the good ole' days. the days when we thought it was normal to cook our chicken in beer. i think it had been 4.5 years since all 3 of us were alone in a room together. which was simply too long......a little ridiculous if you ask me.

when i flipped my freshly carved pumpkin around for david to see he simply stated...."it's katie holmes" and then laughed at my carving abilities. i am not one to say mean things but she does have one eye which is smaller than the other.....

Taylor went all fancy and gave her's eye brows and named him Billy Bob.

Billy Bob and Katie now are hanging out on their front porch.....if they are not already smashed in the street.....

personally i think if kids go to take one of this pumpkins they will put it right back after noticing the craving genius which took place. and we all know neighborhood hoodlums totally respect craving genius's.

french

i loved the film Diary of a Chambermaid because...

it is in black and white
it has subtitles
no fancy effects
it was my entertainment on saturday evening

i officially have a crush on foreign films.

Warning: Sweetness to follow

tuesday evening i went with my mom, sister, and nephews to Lake Arcadia's Halloween celebration....fairytale forest....book trail....fairytale book story trail.....i have NO idea what the name was but i do know it was super cute and i almost took some of the kids home with me. but then i thought their parents might miss them.

Sutton was a black bird and Mr Wyatt was a pumpkin head scarecrow. but you would not know it because the pumpkin head was never on his head.

we went on a trail with candy stops....

...and cute story book scenes...

...then played some games.

and i got to check one more item off of my Fall To Do List with a chilly hayride.

we finished off the night by roasting hot-dogs.


with the excitement wearing off, the warmth of the fire, and his neena's lap the scarecrow was fighting off the sandman.


when we were leaving we all said our favorite part.
mine....the hayride
sister....watching her boys experience the evening
mom....the campfire
wyatt....the candy
sutton.....the hotdogs....the candy....the hotdogs....he could not make up his mind.

but i change my mind.

my favorite part was sitting in the backseat in between the boys. it was a tight squeeze but holding sutton's hand and playing tetris with wyatt pretty much was perfect.

to do list

a month ago i made a Fall To Do List. this is how far i have made it.

X-go to the lake
-take a chilly boat ride while i am at the lake to really enjoy the scenery
-go to a pumpkin patch
-carve a pumpkin
-find the perfect rain coat
X-go on a hayride
X-avoid all haunted houses
X-get all my fall decorations out of the attic without falling down the attic ladder

Tonight i am carving a pumpkin with a friend who has never carved a pumpkin. yes you heard right....she has made it 27 years without getting to experience the slimy joy of making a jack-o-lantern.

ps the small red tree is at my work. isn't it lovely?

love

our #1 fans

a customer came in today with a heavy heart....he lost his dog over the weekend. he stayed awhile and told us about his buddy and how she went to work with him everyday and how he knows he spent more time with her than his wife. we sat and listened as he told stories about her knowing talking about his old friend always helps.

he ended up bringing my mom and me to tears.

a few months ago i lost one of my dogs. he went to live somewhere else. (divorce sucks) i try to not think about him. i try to not think about how his big head felt in my hands when i rubbed his ears. or the sweet sounds he made while trying to get comfortable. i try to not think about how he was the one and only reason i cried when my life was being flipped upside down.....because if i don't think about it then it does not exist. mind over matter, mind over matter, mind over matter.....

enough about that.

i have my little man Otis to cuddle with, to be my constant companion, and be my #1 fan. i will do whatever it takes to keep him happy and healthy.

carrots over dog treats
brush his hair every evening
his own hammock in the back seat.....wait... what?

since my best buddy rides in the car everyday to and from work his chances of being in an accident is much higher than the average dog. and even a small fender bender can be deadly for a dog.

scary thought.

his hammock keeps him safely tucked in the backseat even if i have to slam my brakes. and he could of easily rolled onto the floor board before his safety hammock made the backseat a solid surface.

i love his hammock for keeping my most treasured possession safe and for being just the right height for him to peak over.

Baby Gecko

last night i went to dinner with these beautiful women. you should know Linzi by now (bestie of 21 years), the blonde is Jaime (she is 3 months pregnant!!) and Mandy (she is like me single and not wanting to mingle)

the service was slow, it was freezing, and the alarm kept beeping but the food and company made up for it.

we talked about babies, furniture, boobs, hair, the flu, baby names, clothes, a growing baby bump and my love for ikea. in other words a meal conversation i am sure any man would happily avoid.

i personally thought a detailed conversation about child birth went perfectly with sushi.

after dinner Linzi told me she had a dream i was a blonde.
i was lookin' good in her dream so she went on to 'dare' me to bleach my mop.

oh no.....should i do it?

How do I love thee?

this is what you would call Happy Feet.

no they are not pretending to be a cute penguin tap dancing.
they are enjoying the house shoes i just put on.

my toes are in heaven.

i even wore them to bed last night.

Birthday Request

this is a request for my birthday...cough cough...sister...cough....

cupcakes which confuse you! how wonderful!

are they dinner or desert??!! brownie or beef??!!

i think they are all wonderful. especially the mash potatoes with gravy.

if anyone could recreate one of these confusing treats it is you my sister.

you have 9 months to get ready for this baking challenge.

corn on the cob birthday cup cakes would be perfect for this July baby.....

okay this one freaks me out a little.

i have faith in you Sister. you are my very own Martha Stewart....

thank you notes

Dear McDonald's,
thank you for your early morning yummy-ness. it might be ridiculous to spend $3.01 on a coffee but this is more than a coffee it is perfection.

Dear Friend,
thank you for saying 'food is 30% of my happiness'. it made our shopping trip complete and i think it was the most brilliant statement i have heard you say in our 13 years of being friends.

Dear New Red Lipstick,
it still feels a little daring to put you on. i do not know if you will stick around.

Dear So You Think You Can Dance,
thank you for my weekly cry/goose bump session. you are needing to change your name to 'So How Many Times Can We Make Christel Rewind To Re-Watch a Performance'.

Dear Mom,
thank you again for my home made, better than anything bought online phone cover. it is perfect.

try and not smile

i have watched it twice.

pink

remember when i said i like these?
i said the chicken made me giggle but a special order pink penguin would be perfect. well.....

yesterday when i came to work this was on my desk!

my mom loves me.

"the way to know life, is to love many things."

van gogh.

question & answer

question: why do i not post on Sundays and Mondays?

answer: this lady does not have a computer at home. nor do i intend on getting one.

now i have one of those fancy internet phones i can google things and get directions but for me there is no need for any more internet usage at my house. and since i can't figure out how to post off of my phone i have to wait till i am at work to write out my thoughts for the world to read.


Dear Peng & Shadow,

thank you for coming home last week. now please never go missing again. we missed you.

beat texas

working on game day could be a bummer if not for....

....sister working with me.
....amazing, thoughtful friend bringing me breakfast.
....being called 'honey britches.'
...knowing my parents are doing this....

...while enjoying this.

hope you enjoy your weekend. you deserve it.

thank you for working so hard.

i love you.

does anyone else...

...sing in the car and then check their phone to make sure you had not accidentally called someone?
....eat Fignutons for dinner?
....water their crystal light down in the pitcher so it lasts longer?
....shake their sheets out before bed so they are extra fluffy?
....get woken up in the middle of the by a shih tzu who seems to not be able to get close enough?
....wish they knew how to paint?

....have a blanket made by their mom which they cuddle with every evening?

because i do!

does anyone love glee?

what a perfect show.

the singing (i am a sucker for singing)
the sometimes bad acting
the one liners
perfection

my favorite actress was on the show which made me love her and the show that much more.

but since she was just a guest.....

...this darling actress will have to do as my favorite character.

- Ralph Marston

If you feel like you're stuck, in many ways that's a positive sign. It means you're eager to get moving.

this made me smile

the magic pill

now there is a question for me.....if you could, would you fix your congenital anosmia?

this is a though one....and my thoughts are very random on this so bare with me.

if i was deaf at least i would never hear bad news, bad music, something in pain..... this would be wonderful...right? no?

this is like saying at least with my 'condition' i cannot smell yucky smells such as farts, litter boxes, and dog poop. (but if i can't smell it how will i ever know if i step in dog poop?) sure not having negative smells invade my nose is a good thing but really so minor compared to what i am missing.

yet even with knowing i am missing beautiful moments such as smelling new babies and new cars i have never spent a moment of my life wishing my olfactory abilities would kick in.

in short, no i do not want a surgery to 'fix' my sniffer. i do not want a magic spell because i do not think my life would be suddenly filled with beautiful moments. i think i would be overwhelmed and maybe even sickened from the world around me. my food would probably be uneatable from being too powerful. i like my simple and plain air better than something which would knock my socks my off every time i walked into a new room.

but i would like a little magic pill which i could hide away and look at every once in a while. kind of like me having the choice to have a faulty olfactory. i would never take this magic pill but if i did one day it would only be do to curiosity not me really wanting to change how God made me.

pass the salt and pepper

fyi: all lip smackers taste the same to me.

the first question usually asked after someone finds out i can't smell is "can you taste?"

of course i can taste.

when i take a bite of something it is only not as strong and full of life as your bite would be. as someone with a working nose eats the aromas and gases mix with the taste of the food which creates the flavor you know and love. when i take a bite all i get is the taste. (think about how food tastes when you pinch your nose)

but i am getting ahead of myself so let me explain. 'Taste' is the the senatorial input we get from out tongue, 'smell' is what we get from our nose. Combine these two, and you get 'flavor'. what most don't realize that at least 3/4 of the experience they get from eating is actually provided by their nose. pretty cool, huh? take away the nose and i am left with 1/4th of the eating experience. (poor poor christel....)

so with my little nose defect i can only taste sweet, salt, sour, and bitter. (this is all the tongue can do) there is something like 60,000 flavors and i get 4-5 tastes. (poor poor christel)

all green herbs taste like grass to me. no difference. hence when people eat my cooking "bland" comes to mind. i try to use spices but i have NO idea what tastes good with what. so i usually just go with "omit" than totally ruin the meal. oh i can taste salt and pepper and a few other non green herbs.

my mom told me when i was little "girls don't say curse words...you don't look pretty saying ugly words." (i was a good daughter and listened to my mom and this is why you will not hear potty language in my vocabulary) but my parents also told me "being a picky eater is not a good trait." so i have always thought i was being a good daughter again by liking all food. nope. not true. i like everything because so much of it tastes the same! i have not started realizing this until the past 4-5 years.

maybe you have never realized all candy is only scented of whatever it is suppose to be. (starburst, skittles) the "strawberry" flavor is not mixed in with the sugar. so all these sweet temptations all taste the same to me. good but the same. the only sugar candy which has a real distinct taste is Runts bananas. (that i can think of off the top of my head)

i never realized how lacking my eating experience was until my friends baby shower when we played the Baby Food game. we were blind folded and then we sampled baby food and had to guess what it was. most people knew what it was before the spoon was even in their mouths. (there are those gases and aromas) but when it was my turn i could not even tell if it was a veggie or fruit. i knew the texture but could not place what is was.

it turned out to be Pear. sad but true.

so what most veggies tastes the same me, i like fresh broccoli the most anyways.
so what i am ultra sensitive to spicy stuff, i still LOVE Mexican.
so what i can't tell you what kind of cheese is in my mouth, i still like cheese.
so what i can't tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi in a blind taste test, i drink diet anyways.
so what i really do not know what anything REALLY tastes like.....

i don't care because i don't know any better.

(don't feel sorry for me, it's all i know, i love food, just ask the scale)