Get Out There and Vote!

Don’t forget to go to the polls and vote today. In Alabama, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. So, get out to your polling place and cast your ballot! If you live in Alabama and don’t know where you are registered to vote, go HERE and find out.

Ladies’ Night Out Costume Party

A few weeks back I wrote a post about what I should be for Halloween and then let you dear readers vote. Then I backstabbed you and went with a costume that you didn’t pick ; but, hopefully you forgave me since you are back reading again today.

The costume was needed for the 4^th Annual Ladies’ Night Out Costume Party and I went as a beekeeper. Here I am in all my beekeeping regalia. I pinned some netting on my khaki hat and then put some bees on it; safety pinned some bees to my clothes, wore my rain boots and some gloves and voila – beekeeper! I could only find pink gloves so I’m obviously a very fashionable beekeeper.

A lot of people dressed up for the party and I always love to see what everyone comes up with. Janet came as a rug rat – she had mouse ears on her head and wore a bath rug over her clothes. I thought that was very clever. I don’t have a picture of her outfit.

Dena came as a pirate and her mother, Ruth came as a scary old lady – not sure if the scary old lady has an official name or not.

We were also visited by a cute little lady bug named Reaghan.

The winners of the costumer contest were Elaine who came as a construction worker, Pam who was a pregnant mummy, and Ms. Emma who came all gussied up in her Red Hat Society get-up.

In addition to the costume contest, we had loads of food. There were witches hats (blue tortilla chips with garnish), hot dog mummies, scary homemade candies, eyeballs and ghosts. You name it, we probably had it. It was a fun night full of friends, food and fellowship!



Python Printables Review

As some of you may know, I’m the organizer of the Ladies’ Night Out activities at the church I attend. We get together once a month and eat and play a game or two and give out some prizes. It’s a great opportunity for us to have time to catch up and chat about what’s going on in each of our lives and just generally have a good time hanging out with one another.

Being the organizer can be fun but can also sometimes be a challenge as well. Each month I have to come up with the game we are going to play. Often because I’m either busy or have forgotten, this task doesn’t get completed until the last minute. Sometimes it’s a miracle we even have an activity at all! My personal preference is to find something on the internet that can be printed and handed out to everyone rather than something that I have to type up myself or invent in my head.

That’s where Python Printables comes in to play (no pun intended, I think). Python Printables has a large variety of games, trivia, etc. that you can print out and use at your next party. I was recently received a set of Python Printables for review and I will definitely be using these at future Ladies’ Night Out events and any other time I need a trivia game or two. Thanks to tomason.com, I received the United States Trivia Games Pack from Python Printables. There are 50 trivia games in the pack (one for each state) and the set sells for $19.95 – which is basically 40 cents a game. These would be great for those of you who home school or for people who like to play games with friends and family.

There are lots of interesting questions in each of the 50 games and you will learn random facts that can be used the next time you are on Jeopardy, or just want to stump your friends. For example, did you know that in Mesquite, Texas, it is illegal to give your children unusual haircuts? It’s true.

In addition to the United States trivia pack, Python Printables also offers game packs for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Camping, Slumber Parties, and milestone birthdays such as 30th, 40th, or 50th. The prices range from $6.95 to $19.95. They even have a few coloring sheets and games for free.

The next time you’re stumped when trying to find a game to play with family, friends, or at your next party, remember Python Printables. They are sure to have something to meet your needs.

[Product review & giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."]

Mayfair's Fall Festival

Last Sunday, I tagged along with Jackie and her kids and Maria and her kids as the old maid aunt at the Mayfair Fall Festival. The festival started at 3:00 p.m. and ended at 5:00 p.m. and had tons of games and prizes and snacks and face painting – pretty much everything you could ask for in a fall festival.

I arrived a few minutes after 3:00 and met up with everyone. When I got there, Reagan and Ashlyn were having their faces painted and the boys were, well, running around being boys. All of the kids wore the Halloween costumes, with the exception of Jordan who is apparently too cool. Ashlyn was a hippie. Reagan was Sacagawea. Troy was a Dementor. Jacob was an old man – and hilarious. Seriously I wish ya’ll could have seen him in person – HI-LAR-I-OUS!

A Hippie

Sacagawea

A Dementor

The Old Man

After playing a few games, we went inside for some snacks – popcorn and sodas and cotton candy. Then the kids posed by the fall scenery for a group photo. I also took a close up of Try’s Death Eater hands. I don’t know how Jackie didn’t keep from pulling her hair out because one minute he wanted the hands on and the next minute he didn’t and let me tell you, people, those hands were not easy to get on. Jackie, you’re a good mom!

When we finished up with our snacks, we headed back outside for a hayride over to the trunk or treating area. I told Jackie I wish we could go on a real hayride. I don’t even know where you would go to do such a think but I have always been a fan of the hayride. It brings back good memories.

Here we are on the hayride

We arrived over at the trunk-or-treat area and the kids were ready with bags in tow to be filled with sugary goodness. There were about 20 or 30 cars that participated in the trunk-or-treat and some of them ran out of candy. Others had enough to feed an army of children.

I snagged a ring pop from this cauldron.

There were some dogs there, and the kids petted them, including this dog that belongs to our friends Christa and Jason. I actually don’t know what the little dog’s real name is, but his shirt says he’s the “Little Devil”.

Our friend Kim was dressed up as a witch of some sort and looked really good. I love her blue hair!

A lot of people decorated the trucks of backs of their cars for the festivities.

After the trunk-or-treating, the kids sat down in the grass and discussed their loot of candy. Trades were made and bargains were struck so that everyone could have what they wanted.

Looks like Troy is contmeplating taking those

Death Eater hands off... again!

When it was all over there was a quick devotional in the gym and then everyone went their separate ways. It was a fun afternoon and a great time was had by all!

Happy Dogiversary to Me and The Tide

Eight years ago today, I drove down to the Pitt County Animal Shelter in Greenville, North Carolina and adopted myself a dog. I went on my lunch break to pay for the dog, now known as The Tide, and got a speeding ticket. I guess I was really excited about having a dog of my own. Since that day, The Tide has cost me a lot more than the $50 adoption fee and however much the speeding ticket cost, but she’s been worth every penny.

Last year I wrote about my 7th Dogiversary and in case you haven’t figured it out, today is my 8th Dogiversary with The Tide. She has been a loyal companion ever since the day I got her. She never ceases to make me laugh, and we could all use a little more laughter in our lives. The Tide is a good snuggler, a fierce protector, a devoted friend and an eater of all things garbage and paper towel.

I am really glad I made the decision to adopt The Tide. She makes the house seem more like a home and a lot less empty, even if it is hairier than I would prefer. The Tide has gone from a five pound pup to a 65 pound bundle of joy! Happy Dogiversary The Tide! You’re the most wonderful dog in the whole world and I am glad you are around to pick up the crumbs! I hope we have many, many more Dogiversaries together!

Sam and Greg's

Last Saturday night, Jackie and I went out to Sam and Greg’s, located on the Northside Square in downtown Huntsville across from the courthouse and next to Amendment XXI and Wild Rose Café, for a pizza. Jackie had been before and loved it and some other people I know had been there as well but I had not yet had an opportunity to go and asked her if she would tag along with me sometime. Saturday turned out to be the day – I mean, who doesn’t need to refuel after a morning of Yoga by the River?

We headed out to Sam and Greg’s about 5:00 so that we could eat and get back to my house before the Alabama game started. We had a hard time deciding what kind of pizza to get and after staring at the menu for about five minutes we decided on a basic pepperoni (we’re so adventurous) and then decided to add pepperoncini at the last minute – good decision!

In addition to small tables inside, Sam and Greg’s has an outdoor area with six tables as well and since it was a nice evening, we decided to sit outside and watch all manner of passersby. There was a group of guys outside the restaurant with video and still cameras and we could not for the life of us figure out what they were doing. They were in hatch back cars and had the hatch open and video cameras out the back.

Our pizza arrived about 10 or 15 minutes after we ordered it and it was DELICIOUS, people! I really loved it. It was seriously one of the best pizzas I have ever had. The sauce was flavorful and they weren’t stingy with it. The cheese was stringy and gooey and the pepperoni and pepperoncini were a good combination if I do say so myself. It was so good in fact that I contemplated going back on Sunday afternoon and getting another one for lunch! They aren’t opened on Sunday, so that really wouldn’t have worked out to well anyway. We ordered the small which was four pieces and we ate it all. It was the perfect size for us.

Our yummy little pizza!

Getting ready to take a bite!

Yes, it was a make-up free Saturday.

All gone!

We didn’t have any dessert, but Sam and Greg’s has gelato, and I have heard it is really good. They also offer a variety of coffees and at lunch they serve Nathan’s hot dogs. So, the next time you want a casual dining atmosphere and some good pizza or just want some pizza to go, remember Sam and Greg’s – you will not be disappointed!

Yum... gelato!

This sign hangs above the restaurant but is not easily spotted.

Sam and Greg’s

119 Northside Square

Downtown Huntsville

256-533-9030

Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Friday – 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Saturday – 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Yoga by the River

This past Saturday, I joined Jackie, her mom, Jan and our friend Kim at Yoga by the River at Hayes Nature Preserve. I searched at searched the internets for a more informative link and found all of nothing. I wish I could provide you with some more specific details like how it came about, etc, but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything. I believe Yoga by the River is sponsored by the Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center and Huntsville’s Operation Green Team. The instructor is Jon Lolley.

This was my first yoga class and despite laughing at myself from time to time, I actually enjoyed it. It was also nice to just be outdoors without the sounds of the city or The Tide barking or what have you. It was a really nice morning. It wasn’t too cool or too hot. The class started at 9:00 a.m. and was an hour long. After about 20 minutes or so I had to shed my long sleeve shirt because I had gotten warm from all the stretching. As you may know, yoga is basically just a bunch of stretching and breathing and relaxing and all that good (truly, it’s good!) stuff.

The hour went by really quickly and I only felt like a fool a couple of times. I usually go to a spin class on Saturday mornings, but really enjoyed the slower change of pace and I felt really good afterwards. The next day I was actually sore in some places, which is kind of odd considering there was no weight lifting involved, but according to Jon Folley, who could probably balance himself on one finger, you don’t need weights to be conditioned. I like your thinking, Jon Folley!

This Saturday is the last class of Yoga by the River. The class is free and as I mentioned begins at 9:00 a.m. and lasts an hour. This week after the class there will be a one mile hike to look at foliage, provided there’s any left after this week’s rains. I am probably going to go again this week so come on out and join us – just watch out for the falling acorns!