Happy Halloween~~

 Today is Halloween and the excitement is here at our house, even though my kids are getting older they still love to dress up and go out on Halloween night, round up all the candy they can and come home with gooey sticky teeth. I will have to admit that this mom loves it too.
I also love these Peanuts pics, one of my all time favorites for holiday viewing, they are just timeless.

Top Pet Safety Tips This Halloween : Learn With Us

Great information from PetMD.com :

Halloween can be a festive and fun time for children and families. But for pets? Let's face it, it can be a downright nightmare. Forgo the stress and dangers this year by following these 10 easy tips.

1. Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets.

All forms of chocolate -- especially baking or dark chocolate -- can be dangerous, even lethal, for dogs and cats. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. Halloween candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar and subsequent loss of coordination and seizures. And while xylitol toxicity in cats has yet to be established, it's better to be safe than sorry.

2. Don't leave pets out in the yard on Halloween.

Surprisingly, vicious pranksters have been known to tease, injure, steal, and even kill pets on Halloween night. Inexcusable? Yes! But preventable nonetheless.

3. Keep pets confined and away from the door.

Not only will your door be constantly opening and closing on Halloween, but strangers will be dressed in unusual costumes and yelling loudly for their candy. This, of course, is scary for our furry friends. Dogs are especially territorial and may become anxious and growl at innocent trick-or-treaters. Putting your dog or cat in a secure room away from the front door will also prevent them from darting outside into the night … a night when no one wants to be searching for a lost loved one.

4. Keep your outdoor cats inside several days before and several days after Halloween.

Black cats are especially at risk from pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. In fact, many shelters do not adopt out black cats during the month of October as a safety precaution.

5. Keep Halloween plants such as pumpkins and corn out of reach.

Although they are relatively nontoxic, such plants can induce gastrointestinal upset should your pets ingest them in large quantities. Intestinal blockage can even occur if large pieces are swallowed. And speaking of pumpkins …

6. Don't keep lit pumpkins around pets.

Should they get too close, they run the risk of burning themselves or knocking it over and causing a fire.

7. Keep wires and electric light cords out of reach.

If chewed, your pet could cut himself or herself on shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

8. Don't dress your pet in a costume unless you know they'll love it.

If you do decide that Fido or Kitty needs a costume, make sure it isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict movement, hearing, or the ability to breathe or bark and meow.

9. Try on pet costumes before the big night.

If they seem distressed, allergic, or show abnormal behavior, consider letting them go in their “birthday suit”. Festive bandanas usually work for party poopers, too.

10. IDs, please!

If your dog or cat should escape and become lost, having the proper identification will increase the chances that they will be returned. Just make sure the information is up-to-date, even if your pet does have one of those fancy-schmancy embedded microchips.

 

We love our furbabies and wanted to learn more about taking care of them at Halloween, thank you for learning too!

 

 

The American Kitchen: What's Inside Yours?

For many households in America the kitchen is the hub of the family. What is inside your kitchen usually depends on your taste in food and decor. My kitchen is crawling with chickens and roosters, because of my love for the feathered art of "chickeness" lol.
No matter what your kitchen is filled with it can be a place of danger or delight. The infographic below is a prime example of both.

Produced by SelfStorage.com. Copyright 2013.

Quote Of The Day: The Family A Dear Octopus

Electric Octopus credit Tammy Wetzel

Today's quote may ring true to many of you out there. Is your family like an octopus with those tentacles reaching out and touching you always. Sometimes you may like the idea of being touched ever so gently all the time if you have a loving nurturing family. Many are not blessed with caring families, but interfering and overbearing ones that keep you from growing or flourishing in your life.

I feel blessed to have a family that is heartfelt, treasuring each other for the true person each of us has become. 

Speak Up, Speak Out! Stop This Problem! #worldwidechokinggameawareness

So today is my youngest child's birthday, she is a happy healthy 10 years old today! I am blessed to have happy healthy children, but not immune to the things out there that they could try or get involved in.

Instead of choosing to plaster my social media and blogs today with mushy birth stories, I choose to Speak up and Speak Out today! October 11th is also World Choking Game Awareness Day and for all the parents out there that have lost children to this terrible game, this is for you!

Sharing this again on this blog also, please feel free to share, copy or reblog it.

Today is a day, just like any other say yes? For some maybe for others no! If you have ever lost a child, no day is the same, you wake up with a piece of your heart ripped from you  that just can't be replaced.
No parent wants another parent to ever go thru the heartache of child loss, so today we urge you to wake up and educate yourself on something that 75% of kids already know about. Your kids!
The choking game has many names, it's all over YouTube, the internet, social media and your kids schools.
A high school trend...no, kids as young as 9 are dying everyday. So join us today on Worldwide Choking Game Awareness Day 2013 and Speak Up, Speak out, speak to Your kids today!

We don't want to add another statistic to our list......

Happy birthday Sarah, she asks you to tell your kids about the dangers of the choking game!

Quote of the day: Planting Seeds

 

I love this quote that always reminds me of the little things in life that plant seeds of hope and inspiration in the hearts of others . Don't ever think something so small as a friendly smile, opening a door, or complimenting someone goes unnoticed. Simple things in our life add up to much larger things to others. You might just be the ray of hope that another person needs to get through a difficult time.

 

 

Autumns Tapestry A Grand Reception

Such a beautiful imagery of fall, I had to share...

The foliage has been losing its freshness

through the month of August, and here

and there a yellow leaf shows itself like

the first gray hair amidst the locks of a

beauty who has seen one season too many....

September is dressing herself in showy dahlias

and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias.

October, the extravagant sister, has ordered

an immense amount of the most gorgeous

forest tapestry for her grand reception

. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Pumpkin Pie Smoothies (100 cal)

http://www.ohbiteit.com/2013/09/100-calorie-pumpkin-pie-smoothie.html

 

Ingredients( for 1 smoothie)

1/2 cup Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree =40 calories

1/2 of a container of Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Greek Yogurt =40 calories

1/3 cup of Silk Pure Unsweetened Almond Milk =10 calories

1 splash of Maple Syrup =10 calories (optional, but yummy)

One dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice =ZERO calories

1/4 cup of ice =ZERO calories

A light dusting of Graham Cracker Crumbs for topping =trace calories (also optional)

A Blender or Food Processor…no calories…lol!

TOTAL =100 CALORIES of Pumpkin Pie Yumminess!

Blend all of this together in your blender or food processor, pour into a pretty glass, sprinkle with the graham cracker crumbs and drink up!

Perfect breakfast on the go pick me up!

I am sure you can use other ingredients to your likes, to keep the sugars lower I liked this recipe. Visit the Oh bite it web site for more pumpkin deliciousness, beware it's a ooey gooey place over there...yummy.

 

 

Quote Of The Day: Take Another Shot #quotes

A deep in thought quote for today, reminding us to focus on important things in our life. Snapshots are liveable moments to cherish and learn from.

 

Apple Pie Rollups :

Ingredients:
Apples:sliced (choose whichever kind you like, I used a red softer apple Gala I think)

Crescent rolls ( separate into triangles)
Sugar and Cinnamon mixed together
Butter (helped make mine cook softer & I just love buttery stuff)

Take your apple slice and lay it inside a crescent roll triangle, put butter and cinnamon sugar inside also,then roll up your little surprise. Place on baking sheet with all the other ones you will do.
Put in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

Enjoy! Great as a snack, or even desert with ice cream.

Quote Of The Day: Autumn's Flower~~

Remember to bloom this week where you are planted:) ~~

 

Fall Is Around The Corner With Fabulous Decor Ideas #Fall #homedecor #crafting

I am not so sure we had a summer, it was so wet here in the NC foothills that I would call that a monsoon summer....lol. Now I am soooo ready for fall, crisp air, pumpkins, apples and the beautiful colors that signify the onset of the season. Here in NC we are blessed with mountains that seem to be painted by God's magnificent pallets of paint colors. The changing of the leaves is one of my favorite times to drive to the higher elevations and just stand in awe of His creation.

With the return of fall comes the excitement of dragging out my "fall boxes" from the garage. They are filled with various decor related to the autumn season. I also love to create more treasures to add to my autumn and holiday collections. A crafty addict that I am, I have already been perusing Pinterest for ideas. I will try to share some of my fave finds over the next few weeks if you can stand it...lol , I tend to get excited and ramble like now,lol.

Fabulous Fall Decor Ideas, I found on Pinterest and when I clicked the link, as you will do, I felt like a little girl in the candy shop, except I found a wealth of fall decorating ideas! Thank you so much The Cottage Market for compiling this list.

http://www.thecottagemarket.com/2013/09/35-fabulous-fall-decor-ideas.html

Out of all of those ideas, I think this one is my favorite since I love my animals outside too, and love to feed all my birds and squirrels. 

 http://www.robinbecksnest.com/search?q=fall+in+forks

Have a happy day~~  

Quote Of The Day: Laughter

Laughter is the best medicine, make a point to laugh daily.

 

Quote Of The Day: HOPE September 10th

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day 2013~~

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, believe me I know first hand that it will not fix the problem. As a survivor of several suicide attempts when I was younger, and a woman living with depression for many years now, I can tell you that it will solve nothing. The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression, there is hope! Treatment can make your life feel real again. Much of your suffering is unnecessary. If you or a friend of yours is thinking of ending the pain, it is not a secret to keep. Help is just a call away

1-800-784-2433

1-800 -Suicide

 

 

Keep communication open with your kids and spouse, educate yourself about signs and symptoms of depression and suicidal ideations. It might just save a life.

 

For Your Door : Halloween Wreath with Adorable Bows! #crafting #homemade #fallcrafts

DIY: Awesome Halloween Wreath - Tutorial on how to make these adorable bows! Very easy to follow pictures & instructions. HERE  at the & Layer Studio blog 

I just love wreaths on my door and this one is so fall or Halloween themed, without any scary looking stuff on it. Going to the craft store this week to pick up my supplies and make one for my front door.

Enjoy