Really? More Spiders !!!

The "Frankenstorm Sandy" was not as bad as it was thought to be, at least not here on the Bruce Peninsula is what I mean by that statement...with there have been some pretty high winds and power outages in and around our area.  Nothing even close to what the emergency situations have been in New York City and other places which have seen much devastation.   

"The Canadian Red Cross has a Hurricane 2012 Fund in place.  Should anyone like to donate to this Fund giving assistance to the chaos created by Hurricane Sandy, you may do so by *clicking* HERE. 

Before I get going onto my Today, I had forgot to share my Happy Mail from Yesterday ...

"This is the Post Card I received through Post Crossing all the way from Belarus.  The card depicts "The First Frost".  Lovely, is it not?"

I also was able to "scoop" a photo off of Facebook of one of our "Magnificent Seven" Checkerboard Aussies from the 2011 Litter.  

"This would be Boston.  Now just over 1 1/2 years old, belonging to my Cousin's daughter, Erin and her husband, Mike.  What a handsome well groomed fellow Boston is."

It really is so nice to still be in contact with person(s) who have purchased one of our "Checkerboard Aussie" puppies.  

Now back to my Today.  

"Once I had came in after taking Lexus and Missy Mercedes out this morning, Rob was so kind to have gone out in the early morning light to give Buddy his first thing in the morning walkabout.  It was a really nice little break for a change.  Thanks Honey.  You can tell by the garden how much rain we have gotten, and it is still coming down now as I type away here."

For some dang reason I am still not feeling quite up to par, this of course I am still blaming onto the weather changes.  Regardless the one thing I wanted to get accomplished today, which wasn't overly strenuous, was some Homemade Bath Salts.

"I tripled the "recipe" for the Homemade Bath Salts, which yielded me nine Jam Jars.  Once they had been filled I got to decorating their lids with some Christmas material and ribbons my Auntie Gladys had given me.  Thanks Auntie !  I know have these nine jars all ready to go as gifts on hand when needed.  Homemade, thoughtful and for a wonderful use."

Recipe/Method please?  PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE.

Once I had finished up with the Bath Salts, it was after the lunch hour and time to head "North of the Checkerboard" as Rob and I had an appointment with the Good Doctor to get our Annual Flu Shot.  This flu shot by the way was not the one on the News last night that has been on "recall", so we were safe to go.

With our appointment over with, Rob and I took advantage of the RBC Bank and Foodland grocery store while we were in Lion's Head.  Once we had attended to our needs we took a little drive down towards the Lion's Head Marina.

"We had noticed a couple of trees down and up rooted around town.  A crew had been there cutting this one up for its removal."

"There had been quite the show going on with very high waves coming in and smashing against the breakers."

"The high winds and waters were equally intimating as well at the shores edge."

As I had stood outside our vehicle taking photos, I could not imagine the force of a Hurricane, as truly it would be overpowering and tremendous, or so I imagined it would.  I am very thankful we live where we do.

Finally we made it back home late this afternoon, where I got our Supper prepared right off the cuff.  Today I was trying a "new" chicken recipe I had recently came across (there are a never ending supply of recipes only a keyboard away, you know?).

"Another Easy Peasy as 1-2-3 Recipe added to my ever building collection.  The flavor was all in the "toppings"! "

Recipe please?  PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE.

Since I do LOVE Halloween so, you can imagine my delight when a fellow Member on "Cindy's Recipe Exchange" submitted a recipe they had "tried, tested and made true" for our exchange.

"Really?  More Spiders?  Ha... not that Member, Delynn, knew how much I detest Spiders.  What a wonderful job she did of these, also commenting that all the Adults and Kids at her Day Group today loved them !  Way to go, Delynn, they are totally awesome, spiders or not."

Recipe/Method please?  *Click* HERE. 

This has pretty much been my day thus far in a "nut shell".  I have promised a friend I would go meet her at 7 pm this evening as there is some Halloween activities she thought I would love to be at (can you believe I am going out for an evening?  I am not sure yet that I can myself).  I am off and running, once again, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".

Hurricane Sandy Turns "Frankenstorm"

Five o'clock am, voices travel from the far part of the house down into our bedroom.

My "Crabby Cabbie" has arrived home and was conversing with our Paul, who had fallen asleep in the Easy chair in the living room.  It is cold, Paul goes to retrieve kindling from the basement in order for Rob to "fire" up the wood stove.

Rob does eventually come to bed, with me lying there until 7 pm before I arise to come out to a warm house and my three boys, or four should I count our Bandit boy.

"Bandit gets lots of attention when the boys are visiting."

Once Holly had gotten up from bed, Paul and I headed downtown into Wiarton to retrieve us all a treat by getting us a Tim Horton coffee and the boys a box of Tim Bit Donuts.

"Frost layed itself across the roof tops and the clouds were cold and uninviting  when this day had first began."

When Paul and I had returned with the Tim Horton goodies we had been surprised Rob was up with having only had 2 hours, if that, of sleep.

"I suppose if he hadn't gotten up he wouldn't had time to spend with everyone or torment them all in his usual fashion.  I am pretty sure he had "grabbed" Holly's Blackberry from the table with them all trying to get it back from him here.  Ha ! never a dull moment."

Paul had promised the boys we would go for a walk this morning before they had to head back home, so the four of us got ready to head back towards town.  I was just hoping when we had returned Holly hadn't been any worse for wear by Rob's teasing ... as it was she did survive after all.

"The boys and I thought it pretty cool to follow this vehicle into town."

"We decided to bypass the Wiarton Marina and go straight down by the Water Treatment plant beside Colpoy's Bay."

"The Bay in front of us with the escarpment behind."

"We weren't too certain how fish could be caught in this cold windy weather with the water breaking as it had been?"

"It is not too often I get my photo taken with the Boys, so we took the opportunity of doing so.  Ha ... Aiden had said, "hurray up Daddy my *smile* is freezing"."

"Here are three of my boys !  The Fall colours always make such a lovely "natural" back drop for family photos."

"It didn't take us long to load ourselves back in the truck and head it up the North Hill on our way back to a cozy warm house."

The kids packed up their stuff and headed on home before the Lunch hour.  Thank goodness I got out of more meal making and dishes ... those dishes are never ending !!!  Ha !

My poor Rob went back to bed.  Me?  not a darn thing I did this afternoon as my whole body was in surmountable pain with every muscle from "head to toe" feeling as they were going to come right through my skin.  I am thinking this Fibromyalgia "flare up" has been caused with this sudden onslaught of weather change we are experiencing right now.  *Sigh* not a good thing for such ailments at these times, or otherwise.

Another day spent in a lull of fatigue and pain behind the scenes of the comfort of my own home, rather then out and covering the pain most times with a "mask" of "I am fine".  Anyone else who suffers from Fibromyalgia knows exactly what I mean when I speak of hiding behind a "mask" of wellness when inside the muscles are screaming and there is pain shooting through various parts of  your body.

Weather changes? there is lots of that going on right now with the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, meeting up with two other storm fronts to the creation of a "Frankenstorm" so it has been named in the wake of a fast approaching Halloween.

It wasn't too long ago a friend had posted to her Facebook page a warning for the Grey Bruce areas, which can be found by *clicking* HERE .

Batten down the "hatches" to be prepared, as we never know what is every around the corner, now do we? Thoughts and prayers to all for to be safe and protected that are or will be in the path of this storm.

I had what I had thought to be 1 cup of pumpkin needing used up in the fridge, which turned out to be 1 1/2 cup.  I had a friend send me a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Muffins which I changed up to make my "own" late this afternoon.

"I gathered everything I would need together on the counter then got going on putting it all into action with 12 Muffin cups nicely filled.  I don't care much for "cooked" raisins, so I plunked a few in half the muffins for Rob, who does so love raisins cooked or not."

"The are really a Muffin moist and full of flavor.  I think next time I will add some apple to it to see how that turns out?   Another definite, "keeper" to be added to my ever growing collection of recipes."

Recipe please?  PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE.

Before I forget I must "share" the "what I thought to be a good read" on the behalf of women, over at my friend, John's at Tok Tok Place.  I found both humor in it to some extent, as well seeing the irony and bare truth of it all ... touche' for it being "put out there" in the defense of all woman in the work place, or not.  Thanks to John for posting.  For this read I speak of please *click* HERE.

I know it wouldn't surprise too many if I made the statement I am "tired" and won't be long from my bed this evening.  It has been a very busy couple of days in my life, however enjoyable, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard."