writer's workshop: Halloween This or That

I haven't done a This or That ever on this blog, so play along with me!  You can post on your own blog and link up over at Mama Kat's or post in the comments.  I'm game for both.  Plus, a little fun post every once in a while is okay. 

Halloween This Or That Tag Questions:
1. Chocolate candy or fruity?  -- Chocolate makes the world go round.
2. Witches or Vampires?  -- I have no explanation.
3. Trick or Treat?  -- Who doesn't love a treat?!?
4. Halloween Party or Scary Movie? -- popcorn, twizzlers and a scary movie!
5. Skeletons or Zombies?  -- I'm picking skeletons because I think Zombies will get all the attention.
6. Trick-or-Treat or Hand Out Candy?  -  I would say neither, but that's not the game.
7. Hay Ride or Corn Maze?  -- BOTH!  I can't pick just one because I LOVE both!
8. Scary Costume or Funny Costume?  --  I guess?  I don't care much about costumes.
9. Pumpkin Seeds or Pumpkin Pie?  -- I have the best recipe.  Will share later.
10. Bottle Feed A Baby Zombie or Walk Alone Through A Dark Forest? -- because I've done this before.
11. Bats or Black Cats?  -- Another one that I love both on!  Bats are the bomb and Black cats are the best!
12. Pumpkin Spice or hot Chocolate?
13. Celebrate in your neighborhood or at the mall?  -- Neither.  I like to do my own thing!  I didn't even know celebrating at the mall was a thing?


What are your picks?!

Friday the 13th!

Guys!  I didn’t even realize it was Friday the 13^th until my daughter mentioned it.   She said she had some funky dreams and I can relate because I had a funky one too. 

Dream:

I was at work.  Isn’t that where all bad dreams start?  I was in our back office and hordes of people all of sudden flooded it.  Like people coming in and being incredibly loud and messing up the office.  If you know me, I keep it nice, neat and orderly to the best of my ability.  I went up to the front office after I got people cleared out.  They just disappeared.  In the front office, there were firefighters with yellow balloons and bags on popcorn on the table.  The lobby was filled with clients.  All of a sudden the electricity went out in a wave and it felt like the ground shifted and there was water under our feet.  I fell into one of the counters but everyone else acted like nothing happened.  The wave of water happened again and this time, the floor started tilted and collapsed.  Kinda like a boat capsizing.  Then, we were all outside.  No one was hurt.  There were children outside, playing in a sandbox, acting oblivious to a building collapsing right next to them.  The last thing I heard someone say before I woke up was “Look at Jillian, playing all by herself again”  Who the heck is Jillian?  It was vivid and I don’t have many of those.  It was right before I woke up and I’m not sure if that has anything to do with it.  Dream experts, weigh in….

What makes Friday the 13^th so unlucky?  Some believe the origins to go all the way back to Friday, October 13^th, 1307.  King Philip IV of France detained hundreds of Knight Templars accusing them of various things.  Many of them were executed.  Pretty much the King wanted their financial riches.  Money is the root of all things evil, right?  The origins are still pretty sketch though, because Templar history is hidden well.  Secret society and all.

I am superstitious over a few things and Friday the 13^th is not one of them.  I also love black cats.  I think everyone should adopt them! 

How’s your Friday going for you?

Also, throwing some pictures in from four years ago when my children became the Children of the Corn.  I'm glad they played along with that.

top ten thursday: jobs I wouldn't mind doing

1.  Travel Planner -- I would love to plan everyone's trips and find fun and exciting things for them to do.  Like alpaca farms nobody knows about and you get the run of the place.
2.  Common Sense Instructor -- I made this up, but I think common sense would do a lot of good for some people.  Seeing so many people in one day with no common sense makes me want to teach common sense.  Where the hell has it gone?
3.  Party Planner  -- this would be so much fun!  I will make your party simply delightful and pretty much perfect.  Give me a theme and you can count on it being fantastic.
4.  Teaching camping classes to Girl Scout leaders.  Like real camping classes, not the crap that council puts on.  This would focus on packing minimally and reducing your foot print.  It would also include campfire cooking.  Oh and how to start a fire.  No Doritos allowed in my class!
5.  Book Reviewer -- some who gets ARCs and writes those little blurbs about how smashingly wonderful they are.
6.  Professional Blogger -- that actually makes money.  Not like fifty cents a year. 
7.  Developing Procedures for the Resource Centers at Family Support -- because some of them are ridiculous and make no sense.  Also, they are developed by persons that do not see the day to day operation. 
8.  Working at a fully funded pet rescue -- because meows.  And no, I am not a crazy cat lady.  There can be dogs and guinea pigs and the occasional bunny there also.
9.  Running a Resident Camp  -- because outdoor skills are lacking in today's youth.
10.  I can't think of a 10th.  :)


Wanna link up?  Check out Part-Time Working Hockey Mom's Blog for more details.  Next week is a fun one!

writer's workshop: I won!

I won an award once.  In eighth grade.

I got an invite for the awards ceremony.

I said to one of my teachers, “Who in the world would give me an award?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

The awards ceremony was a week away.

My family was so excited.  I was so excited.

I won two awards!

One for science and one for PE!

Who wins an award for PE class!  Me!  I did!

For my positive attitude and not being afraid to try things.

The teacher that I had asked the question to; she had given me the award. 

I will always remember that conversation, because I didn’t think I deserved one award.

Alli competed in her first debate tournament on Tuesday and won a speaker award! 

Proud parent here!

I totally woke her up from her nap to take the picture.

Wanna link up? 

Head on over to Mama Kat's Blog and check out what other people are winning!

Masquerade Party: KCRW Awards Dinner

I joined KCRW mid season last year.  I was feeling stuck in a rut in my derby life and needed to see improvement.  KCRW did that for me.

This past weekend, the league had the award dinner for the year. 

It was held at Memorial Hall, where our bouts take place, but it was up in the ballroom.

I had no idea there was even a fancy pants ballroom in the joint.

There was a black "carpet" and balloons leading the way to the ballroom.

The theme was a Masquerade Ball.

They did an amazing job with the décor and made it feel like a real

award banquet and that it was something special.

I love this ballroom. 

All of us received dinner and two drink tickets.

Margaritas are the best.

I don't drink much but when I do I enjoy tequila.

Dinner was a spicy chicken alfredo and it was the bomb.

The catering company we used is the one we use during games.

So if you want their yummy food during the game, I recommend the BBQ Nachos.

Someone had a little too much fun :)

My mask.  I'm sad it doesn't show all the feathers and such in the picture.

I didn't win anything.  I never have for derby.  Not even an MVP.

I'm one of those that are not noticed but I do a lot of work for my team.

Anyway, it was a fun night and I appreciate all the work that people put into it.

It was nice to see all my friends dressed up and not in helmets.

The Case of the Mean Girl

Shelby* is our temp worker in the office.  She helps out in the back part of our office.  She scans documents over to the file share and tracks our mail for us. 

She likes to tell me I am mean on a regular basis.  She once told me if she was one of the clients she would have punched me in the face.  She is also confused by me because according to her I sound mean but I do it with a smile. 

Last Friday, it got to me.  Am I mean?  Like is that a for real thing?  I feel like I go out of my way to be nice, sometimes not even expressing me own opinions on issues because I don’t want to come across as mean and hurt anyone’s feelings.  I wanted to start crying.  She was making me feel uncomfortable at my work place.  I am good at my job.  I am efficient and get stuff done. 

I expect people to take personal responsibility for their children and self.  If you are writing on one of our clipboards, I will call you out on it.  If you child is tearing up our office, I will ask them to stop.  I realize I work in a welfare office, but that does not give anyone the right to deface and destroy government property.  And who has to clean up after people?  It is us.

I give clear and concise directions on what needs to happen to get their cases completed.  I do not sugar coat things.  We do not have enough time for sugar coating information here.  Either you do it correct the first time or you are in the office whining that the state “cut you off”.  95% of the time, it is the clients fault.  That is why I try to be clear and concise so they know exactly what they need to turn in and what processes they need to do.

In real life, I am nice.  That’s what people tell me and my friends gave me lots of plausible explanations as to why she would say that about me.  Thanks friends, I appreciate your faces.

a day

One Sunday morning, I woke up and decided to tell about my day in pictures.  It was the first day of October.  The temperature was grand and I decided this will probably be one of the last couple of days that sandals are acceptable.

I went to the City Market.  I wanted Beignet.  It's yummy and delicious and that was what my heart was set on.  It took longer than I thought to get a parking space.  I found a free one and headed into the market, straight for Beignet.

Beignets with sea salt caramel cream cheese dipping sauce.

I had the majority of it left over.

I took the street car to Union Station from the City Market.  It was windy out.

I was there for the Educator Stem Fest.

I arrived early.  Left with a bag full of stuff.

My favorite are the bison and bees posters I picked up from the MO Dept of Conservation.

Bison and Bees are my favorite.

I left Union Station.  Hopped on the Street Car.  Took a short walk around the City Market again.

When I arrived back home, I watched the episode of Hell's Kitchen I had recorded, made my shopping list, headed to the hell store to do said shopping.

I still have a couple of roses left.

The kids came back home.  Chili for dinner.

Looked at travel brochures for ideas on the next vacation.

I put laundry away and the cat decided she needed to frighten me.

I didn't see her there.

pnw adventures: royals vs mariners

This year, baseball is over for me.  The teams I cheer for are no longer playing and do not have a post season.  Sad panda on that part.  This summer, we did get to see our Royals play the Mariners in Seattle and it was awesome.  It makes me want to visit as many Major League Ballparks as I can.

Before we went into the game, we grabbed some yummy hot dogs from the street vendor.  I can't remember the kind Alli got, but it had cream cheese goodness on it. 

The guy taking our tickets gave Peyton a package of baseball cards.

Game selfies!

There's the boys!  I think there were more Royals fans there than Mariner Fans.

Oh, hey, there's the flag of our people.

I was trying to get a shot of the moon because it looked amazing, it still looks kinda cool, but more like a little dot.

Yay Royals!

the orange tribe finally won

Saturday, September 30th, my Usual Suspects took on the Benton County Roller Derby.
They traveled all the way from Arkansas to play us.
I enjoy playing them, they have great attitudes and everyone is enthusiastic about the game.
One of their announcers joined them and he did a wonderful job.
The Usual Suspects took the win.
Our record was 1-2 and all I wanted was one win for the year.
Teamwork and awesomeness helped us.
I am proud of everyone that played. 
I even scored a few points to add to our total.

Only picture thus far, but there will be more to come.

Guys, they are the cutest.

I didn't receive a single penalty the entire game.
I did, however, work the penalty box for the other game.
It's the first time I had done it and I think I will volunteer for it next year also.

volleyball is over :(

Alli:  Volleyball starts at 3:45 instead of 4 now.

Me:  Wait...what?  Why?

 

 

I had to wait until 3:30 to leave work since I have to have the time pre approved.

We are short staffed and it sucks right now.

 

 

So at 3:30, I left so fast I forgot my phone.  Ran back into the office to get my phone.

I made it to the school at 3:50 and missed a few minutes, but I caught the rest of it.

Alli plays the front row.

She likes those high black socks, they drive me crazy.  But hey, they make her happy.

Mom, did you see that thing I did?!?

But cupcakes made it better!  Thanks, Rylee!

My shirt is glittery!

writer's workshop: sounds in my house

sound -- noun  --

vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear.

My cat is continually meowing at me.  She wants more food (even though she already ate her dinner), the water bowl is empty (again) or she just wants to tell me she is there.
The dog jumps up and down and runs around like a crazy little peanut.  You can hear her toe nails clicking in the bathtub because that is how she tells me she is out of water.  (I swear, we fill it up 2-3 times a day, I need ones of those big containers)
The guineas a squeaking with happiness when I walk into the room.  They are some cute little love bugs that are loud.
The washing machine going, then playing it's little happy song at the end.
The insect sounds coming in from the outdoors.  It sounds like a Louisiana swamp during the summer.  The quiet is noticeable once it becomes cold.
The sounds of Alli talking on the phone in her bedroom and the dog scratching on the door to get into the room.
The sounds of Peyton playing his games and talking on Facetime to his friends.
The fan in the front room quietly oscillating.  Another thing you don't pay attention to until it is turned off.
What sounds do you hear in your home?


You can link up over at Mama Kat's Blog and read what others are blogging about.

Top Ten Thursday: What To Do While Waiting

It’s Thursday and that means it is list making day!  This week’s Top Ten Thursday has to do with things we do while we wait; preferably when our phone battery is dead.

1.  Walk around.  I’m not pacing, just trying to get the step count up on my Fit Bit. 

   

   
   
2. Reading magazines – I feel like I don’t get enough magazine reading time in.
3. Coloring!  The whole coloring books for adult thing is awesome.  I normally use colored pencils with mine and I don’t stay on the same design for long.
   

   
4. Clean out my bag.  As long as there is a trashcan nearby this will happen.  I tend to collect receipts like nobody’s business.
5. People watch.
6. Smile at people.
   

   
7. Pay too much attention to other people’s conversations.
8. Check my watch.
9. Conjure up stories in your head but never write them down.
10. Do nothing.  Have a blank void look on your face and stare into the nothingness of waiting.
    

    

Want to join in on the list making fun?  Head over to Part-Time Working Hockey Mom’sblog and post it on up.

IWSG #4 -- October

Hi everyone!  It’s the first Wednesday of October, so that means it’s time for an IWSG post! 

Being October, we only have a quarter of the year left!  Where did 2017 go?  Time has flown by!  With there only being a quarter of the year left, it is time for last quarter year goals!

Writing and Blogging:

• Trying to keep to my blog schedule and get all my vacation blogs up.  I have a lot of them sitting in draft form either needing pictures or some short paragraphs to finish them out.
• Participate in blog hops and other collaborative projects.
• Maybe try to write a story for this:  Tick Tock
• I would love to find an actual snail mail pen pal type of thing.  I did a mail swap around two years ago and it was so much fun!  Plus, it is fun to get something in the mail other than bills and ads.

School:

• Finish.  When I finish I am hoping job opportunities open up for me.   Masters In Science!  It should count for something.

Derbies:

• I need to make a decision if I want to continue to stay on the three teams that I currently skate for.  I feel like I need a break.  While it will be a hard decision to make, I am thinking of “retiring” from coed roller derby, that way I have a few weekends that I don’t have to play in a game, plus a few months off in the summer.  We have summer plans and I don’t want to stress about making practices and having late nights.  Plus some months, I don’t want to have three games in!  I have other stuff I would like to do on the weekends.

Family:

• Host the best Thanksgiving Dinner.
• Fill the holiday season with memories of things we have done.
• Start working on vacation plans for next summer.  Alaska is already in the works, as in it’s already booked!  I was thinking of a trip to Colorado.  It’s not super far away and there are a lot of outdoor experiences to be had. 

What are your quarter year goals?

Want to make an IWSG post of your own and share it with all the other insecure writers?  Head over here.