Welcome to The Buzz

I'm so glad to hear you and your family are better. It sounds like a great Halloween even if you don't do the haunted house bit. The caramel apples sound good, smores go so well with a fire, all you are missing is popping corn over the fire pit in one of those long handled baskets. Our house will be quiet this year because my 26 year old twin daughters and their boyfriends are going to Salem, MA for Halloween night. They have their costumes and hotel rooms all planned. It is their birthday present to each other - birthday in November. Many of our neighborhood kids have grown and gone so we don't have as many trick or treaters. One year we had 175 kids. Good thing the grocery stores are only a mile away. We had to run out and get more candy. At least our weather will be good, around 50 degrees at night - although Salem might be colder, where it is on the ocean. Not like the night of the Perfect Storm when my kids and six of their best friends, my husband and another mom went trick or treating in the rain. It was raining so hard, my husband carried a beach umbrella to shelter the kids between houses. They wouldn't wear raincoats or carry umbrellas. They had a blast. It wasn't until the late news that we heard it was one of the worst storms of the century. My daughter's comment: Halloween can't be cancelled, it happens whether it rains or not, and I'm gonna get some CANDY. She grew up to work in a party store.

Oh Wow! Happy Birthday to your 'babies!' :D I hope they have an awesome Halloween! I have one pretty much grown... but he's given me a wonderful grand baby and hopefully two more additions by way of new DIL and grandson! So even though they are growing up and out I am keeping my fingers crossed tht they will keep coming home! They so do NOT want me coming lookin for 'em! LOL THis will be our first actual Halloween here in this house and Im worried we wont get many trick or treaters.... So I have activities planned around the event we have a slow turnout. We were told it's supposed to storm Halloween night so I'm hoping if it does that it doesn't stay through! I'm wanting me smores! giggles. And OMG! the night of the Perfect Storm was horrid! LMAO talk about determination for candy! I like your daughters attitude! and I think it's awesome she enjoys herself so much that she went to work in a party store too...that is so cool! Goddess Bless to you and yours I wish you the safest,and sweetest All Hallows Eve!

I hope you got enough goblins. We got about 50. My husband gives out the treats so I don't have to hang out around all that candy. I'm diabetic, and it is so tempting. I always wait until the last minute to give out treats and get stuff I don't really care for. It was an incredibly wonderful fall day here in Massachusetts. When I left for my Applique Society meeting this morning, my girls were getting into their costumes. It was 71 degrees and sunny and a warm strong wind was blowing all day. It blew all the leaves off the trees and into our gutters. Then it rained. But not until the goblins had stopped - around 9:30 in the evening. My girls won't be home till tomorrow, they got hotel rooms near Salem. I told them to behave (I know they will anyway) I reminded them that they used to burn people at the stake in Salem when they misbehaved. I got one of those "oh, mom" looks. I can't wait for the photos. One daughter is dressed like Abby from NCIS, her sister was going as either Alice in Wonderland or the Mad Hatter or someone from Moulon Rouge. Her boyfriend had a wig combed over to the side, and a necktie wired to blow over his shoulder, and a newspaper glued to his chin to look like someone caught in a windstorm. He didn't know it was going to be so windy today, and because Salem is a port on the Atlantic, it is probably windier than usual. He will have to act like a weather vane to keep his costume in place. I would really love to have grandchildren but not until they find the right husbands. So I have grandkitties. Still cuddly, lots of loving, but not the same. Hope you had a great holiday - the next holiday in our family is the twin's birthday. I need to devise some easier traditions. One works in a party store, the other is a manager at Smokey Bones. Part of her job is to plan special events. Her boyfriend is a cook at another chain restaurant, and the other boyfriend's hobby is grilling and making chili and family Italian dishes. We had huge parties when they were little 45 kids on average - because they each had their friends, and so many kids came we didn't want to leave any out. My favorite was a birthday breakfast when they were in high school. No one could agree on a time to have a party, so Ali and I threw a surprise party for Mandy before school. I made blueberry pancakes, and lots of bacon, bought individual bottles of OJ and packs of cream cheese and the best bagels around. Mandy was really excited about an upcoming football game after school (she was the watergirl for the boys varsity team). When she came down for breakfast, she didn't even think it was unusual for all her friends to be sitting around our kitchen table. She was more excited about having bacon for breakfast. Her sister had to tell her it was a surprise birthday party for her. It was over quickly, I sent them all off for school with lots of leftover bagels and orange juice for snacks. Every one of them said it was a great day at school, they weren't hungry or dragging themselves around because they were tired. It was a good way to start off a birthday, too.

WOW! Birthday breakfast party?! What an awesome idea! I'm so going to do that! :D We had a whole whopping 0 (zero, nada, zilch) in trick or treat-ers this year... :(( but we had a pretty good night anyway. My grandfather passed away this morning (Halloween morning that is) so my mood was quite somber. I didn't tell the boys: The oldest I told that evening and the youngest two I havent told yet, as I didn't want to ruin their night. I only told the eldest of my sons as they would have been angrier had I not told them. He lived in Vegas up until the beginning of October this year. My mother had been down there taking care of him (10 months) until it was recommended that he go into assisted living. SO mom, my aunt and both uncles decided with Papa's input that he hsould return to his home town in Colorado (where my aunt lives) and go to assisted living there. He was 85, a retired Lt col of the airforce and had had a very full long life. We were told that he been getting ready to get up for the morning and had just fallen back to the bed as he passed. And that he passed with a smile- so though we are saddened and are grieving we are blessed in knowing that he didn't go in pain. He will be going to Vegas to have his memorial at Nellis where he wished so I'll be gone for about a week. He was my last grandparent, which leaves me with a weird longing feeling...sighs. I know that sounds so emo lol...but I don't know how else to explain it.--- We had rain on into some major fog so I think that is why we didn't get anyone...more candy for the kids was the way they saw it. lol I hope your girls had a blast in Salem and that your daughters boy friend didn't have to work too hard keeping his costume in check! giggles.... Both my hubby and I worked for restaurants for years-- only HE is allowed to cook steak in THIS house! lol and when it comes to kitchen prep and serving? No one tops mom! grins-- I also used to bake specialty cakes for a small town we used to live in and I really did enjoy that. I've been thinking about going back into it. It was a pain in the butt as far as stress levels go 'cuz I tend to be a perfectionist...lol but seeing their faces when they picked up their cakes made it ALL worth while! The pay wasn't bad either...giggles I once made a troll cake- it gawd-awful ugly and cute at the same time! I got the whole look down pat and before they picked it up I used pink cotton candy for it's hair...lol I gave them more and showed them how to prepair it right before serving in case the air was damp- the hair was the part they wanted the most! go figure! lol so I am thinking that I shall get back into practice and begin making and baking again. My father in law is also diabetic and lives with us...so Im working on a truly scrumptous cake mix without sugar. As well as a whipped sugar free frosting. When I have finally perfected it? It there will be no sugar substitute aftertaste at all! Keeps her fingers crossed lol.....

O my goodness, you are hilarious!! I clicked into the 'yoo in cumin' article, loved ur comment regarding mr.cranky--so checked out your blog. Great stuff!! Quirky 'n witty!;)