MelaniePenelope: Entries from October 2016

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Entries from October 2016

29 October 2016

Sunday Stealing: Halloween Meme

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Halloween Meme

What is the worst treat to get when trick-or-treating?
As a parent, that would probably be going out with my kids to get candy, finding a home with Halloween decorations and lights on, and no one answers the door. I don't mind if the lights are off to signal they have no candy, but lights on means treats! It's a trick to waste my time. Come to think of it, that might be the worst thing for my kiddos, too! ;)
2. What character from any horror film would you most like to play?
I just simply wouldn't. I don't identify with that genre at all. It doesn't interest me, personally.
3. Would you rather be a zombie, alien, or psycho? Why?

I guess a psycho, because I was raised by one and know exactly what I would do. Zombies and aliens have no relevance or interest for me.

4. How many Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street movies combined do you have on dvd?
Zero. Sorry, I guess I'm boring this meme... but the kids have seen #1, #2, and #4 of the Nightmare on Elm Street series. Forty years old, and Freddy Kreuger still freaks me out!
5. What is the scariest movie you have ever seen?
Right after my mother died when I was 7 years old, my dad thought it was a good idea to have my sister and I to view Children of the Corn. I was terrifed.
6. Lamest costume you have worn on Halloween?

That might have been today! LOL... My daughters dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf this year. We went to an amazing party, and my son went as The Hunter, and I went as The Grandma. I dressed as myself, with a sweater on. Lame? Probably!! (My son went as a Stormtrooper. He's not a joiner.)
7. Favorite Halloween treat?
I'm all about the chocolate, and I guess PB cups are always a favorite.
8. Friendly-faced jack o’lantern or scary one?
Either, but I'm not good at carving them. I love looking at other peoples' work, and some people out there are really talented!
9. Have you ever had nightmares about a scary movie character chasing you?
Freddy Kreuger was a nightmare-inducer for me as a kid. I used to run and jump from my doorway to my bed as a kid, and heaven forbid I leave any part of me hanging over the bed for him to get. Toe? No way!
10. Best thing about Halloween?
Now that I'm a mom, I love handing out candy and seeing all the wonderful costumes - especially original, handmade ones. I love seeing the different ideas and creativity the kids come up with!
11. Strangest Halloween custom you’ve heard of?
Not participating for religious reasons. Um, do some research, look into it, but geez... trick-or-treating is so religiously-benign it's ridiculous. It's just about FUN for the kids! When churches do trunk-or-treating and festivals to celebrate, you know you're getting it wrong if yours does not (hello, born-again evangelists, I'm looking at you). Ugh, it drives me crazy...

Image result for Teal PUmpkin project

A wonderful, newer custom in its third year that I would like to help promote is the Teal Pumpkin Project. The idea is to have something to hand out for the allergic kids who can't eat various nuts and other ingredients in traditional treats. Fun items like pencils, stickers, and anything cool for kids besides food items are welcomed. You just have to paint or otherwise decorate a pumpkin with teal colors so families will know you're participating. Spread the word! More info can be found here.

12. Person in your family who most likes Halloween (not counting yourself)?
That would probably be Sophia, my youngest child. She gets the most into it. I think my 15-year-old is getting bored of it (??), and my 13-year-old son really doesn't like, well, anything at this point!
13. Are you superstitious? If so, name at least one superstition of yours.
Not really. I do it for fun, not true superstitious belief. I'm into "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" for brides, and 7 years of bad luck for breaking a mirror, but I don't really get into it like mad.
14. What's your best Halloween memory?
That would probably be the Virginia Beach years, when we went to Hunt Club Farm and did the hayrides, picked out pumpkins, went on little rides, bought seasonal treats, and the whole nine yards. I miss that. Hopefully, we will find that when we move to Idaho next Spring (see previous post). I really hope we find somewhere with a greater sense of community again.
15. At what age were you allowed to go trick-or-treating by yourself?

I remember going to my friend Katie's house when I was about 14 and going. That was the first, last, and only year I went without any parental types. We had a lot of fun that year, going in a group of a half-dozen or so of us. Fun times happened outside my home. ;)

~*~*~*~

Well, that was fun! I love Halloween, but I don't go all-out like some of my friends. I hope you have the best time this year, as you desire.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fin.

Posted at 23:48 in Hallowe'en, Memes & More, Sunday Stealing | Permalink | Comments (1)

Idaho.

Idaho Geographical Map

Well, changes are afoot for Team Odette. Big changes:

We're moving to Idaho.

What? Idaho? Who moves to Idaho? Apparently, we do. And we are. In April, when our lease is up, our Miami Adventure will be complete, and we will skedaddle on across the country in a U-Haul.

We will be carrying, as of right now: Two adults, two teenagers, one tween, two small dogs, four cats, two gerbils, and one guinea pig.

And a household-full of memories. And stuff. It's my plan to take the next five months and really clean up and inventory what we have and what we don't need. I want to get rid of as much as possible, to lighten the load and to put money toward moving.

We are hoping to rent a house with four bedrooms, so the kids can each have their own rooms for once. We want a yard, and a decent-sized kitchen, and neighbors who are friendly. And space! This 3½-year sojourn in our cramped apartment - with too much stuff, really, not the company - has been wearisome for all of us.

Yes, we want to live on a boat or, barring that, in an RV, but for right now we need some permanence and space. Maybe it's the age of our kids, maybe it's their temperament, but I guess they just didn't get the strong nomadic, adventuresome genes from their parents? Maybe the tween, but not the teens, anyway.

Miami has been nice weather-wise, so we'll have to get used to the colder, crisper temperatures. But hey, I'll have an excuse to knit again! Maybe I'll start something special for each of us. Who knows, but right now it's not a big priority. Warmer clothes for blustery winters, aye.

These are our top 10 qualities we were looking for in a new home state, in no particular order:

Somewhere new and interesting.
Somewhere with mountains and rivers and lakes and fishing and hiking, where Rob could be happy for once.
Somewhere with a school, so Rob could do his nursing degree and use his GI Bill.
Somewhere with neighbors and friendliness and kindness and warmth, less dog-eat-dog and citified.
Somewhere Chloë could be happy and make good friends, because she has been desperately unhappy down here.
Somewhere very homeschooling-friendly, because we are very eclectic and "relaxed" in our methods sometimes, but not always.
Somewhere Sophia could still have and ride horses.
Somewhere Jack could just be a boy.
Somewhere affordable.
Somewhere we could have a good medical community, with a VA presence.

It turns out, Idaho fits the bill on all of these. Rob has been looking at Boise. I don't know anyone who lives there, but I am excited about this next new chapter in our lives. We're 16 years into this gig, as of November 1st, and there has been so much change in our lives that change is now nothing new. Ha! Yes, I'll be cold, and cold affects my pain, but I'm willing to suck it up and go for the good of my family. I think I'll be okay.

So. Idaho.

What do you think?!

Fin.

Posted at 11:04 in Idaho What I'm Doing | Permalink | Comments (8)

Saturday 9: Tubular Bells

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Saturday 9: Tubular Bells (1973)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here

1) According to Reader's Digest, The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. Have you seen it, and if so, did it scare you?

Listen, guys and dolls, I'm 40 years old and I'm still scared of Freddy Kreuger. I have not seen The Exorcist, I have no desire to do so now!

2) The Exorcist has been made into a TV series on Fox, premiering last month. Have you become a fan of any of the season's new shows?

No, but lately we've been watching Two Broke Girls on reruns at 10 PM, and then Mike and Molly at 11 PM. We're late bloomers, apparently. What should we watch?

3) "Tubular Bells" is a popular ringtone for both Android and iPhone. What's your ringtone?

I might have to listen to that, just to see if I know it. I don't have anything exciting for right now. I just got a new phone, a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, and I kind of hate it. However, given the price tag, I need to keep it, so... I guess I need to figure out a ringtone!

4) As Halloween approaches, do you watch more scary shows and movies?

I guess we do, but mostly kid-friendly things. I am not a fan of the horror genre at all. Can you tell?

5) Do you have any recurring nightmares?

Yes, but we don't need to get into that. Mine aren't your average nightmare. They probably only scare me, but these nightmares were real, and so. And so.

6) Have you carved a jack o' lantern this year?

Not yet. We''ll probably get the pumpkins on Halloween or the day before, because any sooner than that and they rot! Miami humidity, y'know?

7) Do you like the taste of pumpkin seeds?

Yes, they're great! We received a bag of Bob's Red Mill pumpkin seeds as part of a compensation package for some work I did, and they were amazing. I put them in my oatmeal. Even the puppies liked them!

8) What will the trick-or-treaters who knock on your door get?

Nada. We don't get too many, so we're switching it up this year and going trunk-or-treating at church. I don't know whether I"m supposed to bring candy to that or not, so we're going to bring four or five bags of Snickers and stuff. You know, standard Halloween fare.

9) A Halloween "let's pretend": Back in the 1950s, a home in your neighborhood was the site of a gruesome murder/suicide. Relatives retained ownership of the house but declined to live there. During the ensuing decades, a legend grew: The tragic couple haunts the halls. Generations of schoolchildren insist they heard strange sounds and saw curtains often move mysteriously. Now the house is about to be demolished. A local charity is raising money by sponsoring a Halloween sleepover. Would you be willing to stay in this haunted house over night?

No. Way. In. Hell. That is creepy!

~*~*~*~

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Fin.

Posted at 10:42 in Hallowe'en, Memes & More, Saturday 9 | Permalink | Comments (6)

15 October 2016

Saturday 9: If I Knew You Were Comin'...

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Saturday 9: If I Knew You Were Comin' (1950)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

☼

1) This song is performed by a woman who is positively tickled to have unexpected company. How do you feel when people drop by unannounced?

I hate it. Don't do it. Please!

2) She is clearly proud of her skills in the kitchen. Do you enjoy baking? Cooking?

Yes, and yes. And I don't think I'm half-bad.

3) Reference is made to hiring a band. Tell us the last time you were at an event with live music.

That was probably the last time I was at the Bayfront open-air market in downtown Miami. They often have Salsa and Merengue dancers getting their jam on to the live musicians. I love it!

4) After making recordings in the early 1950s, Eileen Barton appeared on daytime TV in the early 1960s -- including a game show called Video Village. Let's say we're all headed to a TV game show taping this morning. Would you volunteer to appear as a contestant? Or would you rather just stay in the audience?

If it's Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune, then I'll be a contestant. Other than that, eh, it's six on one, half a dozen on the other. (Unless I win big. Then bring me onstage, dammit!)

5) In 1961, Ms. Barton got married in Juarez, Mexico. What's the longest distance you've ever traveled to attend a wedding?

That would be from Miami, Florida, to Syracuse, New York, for my sister's wedding in 1999. I was a bridesmaid. The wedding was beautiful! ♥

6) In 1950, when this song was popular, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. Are you looking forward to the upcoming NHL season?

7) 1950 also marks the first time anyone in the United States paid by credit card. Do you pay with a credit card to get rewards? If yes, what rewards are you accumulating (points, cash back, airline miles)?

Nope, no credit cards for us. Been there, done that, broke our credit. ;)

8) In 1950, an athlete named Florence Chadwick swam the English Channel. Are you a good swimmer?

I'm decent, but I'm no Michael Phelps by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not winning any awards.

9) Random question: Think about the last "white lie" you told. Was it to spare someone's feelings, or to make your day go more smoothly?

Definitely the latter, hahaha!

☼

Thanks for stopping by, y'all! Hopefully I'll have a much more enthralling Sunday Stealing entry!

Fin.

Posted at 23:00 in Memes & More, Sunday Stealing | Permalink | Comments (1)

07 October 2016

Art Project: Funky-Cool Self-Portraits

Based off this picture and this blog post here by Miss Mancy, I decided to give the kidoodles a fun and maybe easier art project today.

First, I instructed the kids to take turns tracing the hands and shod feet of a sibling, onto some decent Bristol art paper.

I have three styles of artists:

Jack, who would just as soon get the project done and over with as quickly as possible, which KILLS me, because I have given him the option this year of opting into only those projects which interest him; :\

Sophia, who is rather indelicate and, to my observing eye, indeliberate in her artistic movements, and then turns out something rather amazing when it's all said and done; and,

Chloë, who is ever the perfectionist in all things, takes the longest to get any project of any sort finished, and manages to impress me with what she does end up doing.

After they traced the hands of feet of another onto their art papers, they were instructed to add in their faces, arms and legs, clothing and whatnot. I didn't really give them ANY information as to how to accomplish that and decided to let the chips fall where they may. Finally, they were to use watercolors to paint their portraits in any way they desired.

So without further ado, in order from shortest to tallest kid (note: this is not the same as age order!), here are their funky-cool self portraits: