just wanted to share this with you...

found this photo online...

somewhere, in one of the totes in one of the closets is a costume just like this one...

I made it for Craiger when he was 2 and he wore it several years, his favorite costume ever...

and then the neighbor kids wore it...

then friends' kids wore it...

Instead of making the big bulky gloves with the costume, I bought white ones at walmart so he could use his hands better...

and then there were orange duck feet that slipped over his shoes...

this was a McCall's pattern...

if you want to make one yourself...

bought mine in 87 but bet you could find it on ebay...

4 babies are heading for the vet today...

waiting for Jane to come pick them up and then she will bring them back here...

until adoption day on Saturday and then they will leave for good...

we will be down to just 2 babies then...

yeah...

and they have a home to go back to, so the hard part is done...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

I LOVE A HOLIDAY WHEN ITS ALL ABOUT THE CANDY!

butt suckers...

meet the butt sucker...

and the butt suckee...

and a self butt sucker, hence the E collar...

got these little ones in on Friday and this is how they came in...

made the collar and had Craig bring in the 2nd bird cage to separate them...

the gray and white started passing blood in its stool on Sat and has been bleeding off and on since...

water poopies and all...

so I am tired and need to sleep...

it has a tummy ache and cries most of the time, so we are hoping it all passes soon...

thinking he is plugged up...

his butt was so sore, but several baths and soaks, lotions and just keeping them apart is helping a lot...

butt suckers try to nurse on what ever they can find...

sometimes they are just suckers and pick an ear or neck, but then there are those that think the pee pee parts are nipples and suck those on the other babies...

which over stimulates them and causes diarrhea...

and the sucker gets sick from eating all the waste...

its a no win situation and the only way around it is to separate the litter until they are off the bottle and on solid food...

we let them play together, but not nest with anyone else...

so that's been the blur of the weekend and so far today...

praying for all of those in the path of Sandy, and it sure is a lot...

may you all be safe from the storm...

also wanted to welcome back NanaDiana, who has been away way too long...

can't wait to see all the photos of her grand kids again...

our resident nutcase...

he comes and goes from here...

and he is safe here from the cats...

we have a couple who will chase him...

roll him, literally...

until he gets to another tree...

so he can bark at them from a higher place...

he has been very busy here...

we have many walnut trees...

and he just cannot decide which pile to take first...

what we pick up, we put in a pile near the field for him...

he's got a good supply here...

critters and blooms and leaves...

up for adoption very soon...

but this one is staying...

and here are some leaves, which seem to be everywhere right now...

we have 2 days in the 80s and then another cold snap...

just got done with 2 days of rain...

so tomorrow is outside time...

been cleaning inside big time...

filling trash cans left and right...

swiping dust bunnies where they hide...

and taking a break every now and then just to watch the leaves fall...

Tori is still fighting hard...

immune system is gone...

more blood and platelets...

keep praying...

maybe a feed tube if she can't eat soon...

they are taking her foot the middle part of next month...

she is such a brave little girl...

Tori update...

keep the prayers coming...

she had another round of chemo...

and went home from the hospital on Friday...

but they got a call from the doctor and her blood counts are too low...

and she spiked a fever, so she is back in the hospital...

she needs a blood transfusion...

she is in stage 3 with osteogenic sarcoma...

she has chosen to have her foot amputated in November...

she thinks its the best thing to do...

on a happier note...

her fund raiser last month raised over $17,000...

she is weak but still smiling...

and so many people are ready to help...

keep praying...

from what I have read...

there's a 30% survival rate with this...

she needs all the prayers you have...

country roads less traveled...

have you ever taken the path less traveled?

to experience sights and sounds and smells that few have found?

there is a world beyond what is known...

someone forgot to close the bottom of a train car before they put beans in...

wonder if the car was empty when it got to where it was going?

cloudy and windy here again today...

they say storms this afternoon, so they could come anytime now...

but in between the sun and rain...

fall still happens...

fence rows become transparent...

and the fallen glory of yesterday still hangs on...

there's a fire to wooded areas around here now...

telling us soon, so very soon, that winter will come...

these days are better spent in slow motion...

taking it all in while its there...

as fields lay barren and ready for cover...

there are berries and seeds to feed the birds that brave the cold...

I travel this way as much as I can...

reminds me of homes I used to know...

but this is home now...

and I have lived here on the prairies longer than I have lived anywhere else...

my roots are here...

generations have witnessed the same changes that hold my attention now...

I wonder if they looked at it the way I do?

how much did they love this place that's home?

take a drive on a road less traveled today...

choose a different way home...

really see what you pass by...

look around you...

what does it take to make it home?

new friends...

we have some new full time trick or treaters here...

just look at those faces...

and look what the scarecrow is holding...

a little black baby...

would you believe that I found these online?

from a local gal who posts photos of things she wants to sell?

as soon as they popped up, I was on it...

my favorite words?

I WANT IT!

the ghostie had a little bitty green bow tie and the pumpkin had a green felt leaf thing going on...

just grabbed some homespun and the glue gun and fixed that...

I think I might make a couple more...

looks easy enough...

how about a frankenstein, a mummy and a werewolf?

pint size like these guys...

then we would have a whole crowd of trick or treaters...

that will be something to work on during the cold winter months...

Craig is out distributing canisters for Christmas Is A Child...

we made 6 to put out in the local businesses this year...

plans are moving right along for it...

won't be long until its time to distribute the toys again...

have a fun day and absorb all those sun rays you can...

you know what's coming next!

things that go bump in the night...

good evening...

here's the front of the house for you...

a spooky mini graveyard...

BOO!

little pops of fall...

there were crafters and venders on our tiny little square last Saturday...

and Craig brought this home...

along with a smaller one of the same color...

it is huge!

the kids pulled some morning glory vines by the field and we draped them over the railings...

talked to my deck builder last night and he is coming up with a plan to enclose the back of the deck...

so we don't have to use those blue tarps anymore...

cleaned and rearranged many things in the kitchen yesterday...

this is one small area...

love this little basket...

another online rummage sale purchase...

it came like this...

but I changed it out...

not a big fan of red...

a little bit goes a long way for me and I have a few touches of it here and there...

its the holder of the chocolate...

snickers, hershey and kitkats right now...

fighting a cold...

and today its winning...

so just hanging out at the kitchen table...

watching the leaves float past the windows...

got a nice breeze out there and the sun is shining, but that wind is cool...

frost got the tomatoes, begonias and coleus the night before...

spider plants look a bit sad, but the rest is blooming...

got the witch flying in the walnut tree in the island and sometimes she is standing straight out...

so best I stay in most of the day...

got PT to do and lunch soon, so I had better get off of the computer...

got dishes, too...

1st load of laundry is in, but only have 2 to do today...

so take care, have fun...

and enjoy this beautiful fall day!

the sun has returned...

fall is beginning to take over...

not quite in full swing...

but the next 2 weeks will show a whole new world...

just got done raking the front of walnuts...

it was getting dangerous out there...

and I don't like to go boom anymore...

there are just a few more left in the tree...

the leaves are really coming off of the walnut trees today with the wind...

we are supposed to have a high of 81 today...

and then just barely in the 50s tomorrow...

I think this is our last warm, warm day...

its hard to believe in 2 months that the tree will be going up...

Christmas shopping will be going on...

candy, cookies and frosty air will fill our days...

I love living in an area where we have all four seasons...

even though it gets a bit hard on me getting out and around...

I love the ever changing landscapes that God provides us here on the prairie...

DH has tomorrow off...

and we can't wait to spend the day together...

Craig turned 27 yesterday...

and we know now more than ever...

that every day counts...

because they seem to fly by...

have a blessed autumn day...

enjoy the coolness of the air...

the colors that swirl around...

and the smells that fill the air...

spend your nights comfy and cozy, while the air outside takes a chill...

and love, laugh and giggle you way through each minute you are given...

so, when you look back...

today wasn't wasted...

big hugs to you all!