Halloween 2011

Today is one of my favorite holidays.  We've glued and cut and sprayed and stapled and Rapunzel's tower is ready for tonight's "trek" and treat.  We haven't quite got the logistics down for the trek from the Modern Market to the 4-Town building but it'll all come together by 6 p.m. 
This morning, the cutest pumpkin in the patch headed to school for a day full of fun.
Tomorrow we'll have a photo journal of Rapunzel's quest for candy and her night on the town.
A BIG Halloween get well wish for one of our favorite people, Stella!  Must be she wanted Covert to dress up as a Doctor and he said, "No!" .....so off she went to the hospital to find one of her very own.....Hope you feel better today....we promise all treats and no more tricks for you today!!!..
                                  Have a fun day and a safe night everyone!!

First Snow

There's something magical about the first snow of the season.  No magic yet for EIEIO though! The surrounding hills were coated with the white stuff yesterday but for those of us in the valley... we're still waiting for our magic.  All of the pictures on Face Book did, however; spark me to wrap myself around the upcoming holiday.  I wrapped all the ornaments for the annual Thanksgiving paper identification tradition..(Everyone gets their ornaments for the year wrapped in the paper that their gifts will appear "in" under the tree.) For those who peek and still keep a running talley, Jess... this helps spot their packages easier.... Anything Santa can do to help!!! The colder temps have arrived too. Bailee donned her new hat that Papa brought home from Alaska and the gloves made the trip to the expedition....just in case.  I'm not a big coat wearer but my old, wrinkled pinkies do get pretty cold. Soon the clocks will fall back into their depressing winter mode and there will be no fighting the fact the season number four in good, ole, upstate New York is upon us. It's really not that bad and I guess if you don't like it you could always move....and it does give some something to bitch about...like they need any help....It's pretty simple, it's winter, it's cold and it snows and as Bailee would say.... "Deal about it!"

Just read!!

You know me!  Reading is on the top of my list....I really don't care what you read......a book, a magazine, a newspaper or even a cereal box....or where.....a chair, your desk, in bed or even the bathroom......
                                           Here's a humorous example:

Never Argue with a Woman! (shocker)
One morning, the husband returns the boat to their lakeside cottage after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.
Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, puts her feet up, and begins to read her book. The peace and solitude are magnificent.
Along comes a Fish and Game Warden in his boat.
He pulls up alongside the woman and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'
'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?')
'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her.
'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading.'
'Yes, but I see you have all the equipment.For all I know you could start at any moment.I'll have to take you in and write you up.'
'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the woman.
'But I haven't even touched you,' says the Game Warden.
'That's true, but you have all the equipment..
For all I know you could start at any moment.......................'
'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left.

Moral of the story:

Never argue with a woman who reads.

It's likely she can also think.

I rest my case!!

A new neighbor

This past week-end Lee excitedly came in the house having captured a photo across the road by the "Barge Canal." (ok, it's a field drainage ditch but we beautify all we can). "What kind of bird is this?" he chirped.  Not knowing, we headed to the living room and our bird book. (I know, how freakin' old are we that we even have a bird book much less excitedly went to it?) There, right on the front cover was our new neighbor. (notice the yellow page markers that fill the book so we don't have to squint through the index each time we want to find a particular bird).  A Belted Kingfisher was sitting proudly on the same kind of branch that Lee had photographed his bird.  Our book  gives a summarized description of each bird, it's native surroundings, it's food source and even it's song. Lee couldn't wait to push the button and hear exactly what Mr. Kingfisher sounds like.................Lee is deaf!!!!  His disappointment when he couldn't hear the Kingfisher's call was replaced by excitement when we explained that the batteries in the book were dead!  We replaced them and positioned the book in close proximity to his ear.....pushed the button and saw the delighted look on his face.  We now know how Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller felt at the well:-)
Such little pleasures here at EIEIO♥

Sights of the Season.....

Other than Mike Nye's monthly Christmas update, there have been a few more reminders that the Big Guy is only 8 weeks away!  I just watered my plants and saw this beautiful blossom on my Christmas cactus, Bailee chose a Christmas book to read to me last night and my Santa (who has been hanging on the door since last December) finally feels more in place than out.  Of course in the stores, the Christmas decorations are in the aisle directly across from the Halloween ones and my prep work for my annual, always welcome..yeah right, holiday jingle, prose or poem is in progress.  My shopping is 99% complete and I'm just waiting for my ship to come in to grab the last two..just my luck it'll be the Titanic...I have managed to secure a date for our Hatfield Family Christmas that I think will make almost everyone happy...There are days when I think we surely must be related to the Griswolds.  Now, to get through Halloween, Bailee and Jeff's birthdays, a safe hunting season and Thanksgiving and  we'll be on track for some holiday cheer....hey what am I thinking, we're Hatfield's, we've never needed an excuse before.

Family Feud:-)

Who better to enjoy a game called Family Feud than a Hatfield!  Yesterday was definitely Sunday Funday....I enjoyed a day laughing at the Betty Blue (our favorite local watering hole).  It was tournament style with 6 teams from local bars participating.  Our emcee was our local, Syracuse meteorologist, Matt Stevens.  If anyone could surpass Richard Dawson, it was Matt..... and he did just that. There  Joanne, the owner, explained that the questions were all clean cut questions....................the answers ...were up to us! You can imagine some answers with questions like, "What one thing, if offered to you, should you never turn down?" and "Name something big and yellow".......
It worked out great for me as the Buffalo Bills had a bye week and my recliner gave me the Sunday off.  The weather was perfect for fall outdoor activities but those of us feuding, enjoyed the afternoon indoors. 
I did notice that there were no McCoys playing ...... Guess we did our job!!

You'd love this one Art!

Remember Art Linkletter's, "Kids say the Darndest Things" ?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCHIM-bGiTI    Well someone should revive it. Our dinner conversations are often the "funnest" time of my day.  Last night was no exception.  We had been talking about Christmas and how Santa was busy keeping his eye on all the boys and girls.....and the ones who ate their dinners with no grief when Bailee commented to Papa that he would be getting presents this year. "Because you quit smoking and are doing better stuff Papa, you'll get presents this year....not like last year when Grandma said you'd be getting coal!"  And then she said, "Aren't you proud you don't smoke Papa?...I am!!"  OK, that was Heart Melting 101 !
Then we got into the syllable game.  She still has a tough time w/ her r's.... That's the only sound left that her speech therapist is conquering.  Warm...is warem and car is carer.....always that extra syllable. So, we often play the clapping/syllable game....One clap for those words....and that works!! Last night Bailee said, "I'll say the word and you clap the syllables and tell me how many!"  We started with two syllable words and then she gave me Thanks-giv-ing...clap,clap, clap.  I searched for a big, long word.... Got it!  "SUPPOSITORY".... she clapped out the syllables and said "5!"  Yep, you're right.... do you know what a suppository is?  "Sure", she exclaimed, " It's the room at school where they keep all the computers!"....... Well I always knew it to be the computer laboratory but from now on you can bet ....it's the computer suppository!!!
We keep saying we need to write these down so!!!  Here it is!