Halloween Creep Show!

We are going to the neighbors for Halloween so we didn't decorate much this year.  Every year my office has a Halloween decorating contest.  This year my team is a little thin.  In fact, I have only one rep in the office this Halloween.  We could have just blown off the decorating but we came up with this awesome idea and brainstormed it together.   The Bates Movie theater.  I guess you could say the place is Psycho!  

This is the view entering my team area.  

Saw: 

I'm not going to lie, I have never seen this movie or any of the sequels.   I just don't like horror films so the ones I have seen have been kicking and screaming.  

The rest of these movies I have seen at one time or another. 

The Exorcist: 

My Regan doll is kinda creepy. 

The Shining: 

This one was hard to replicate.  It is the only "movie" that is going to have a living breathing character with the exception of mine.  My rep Zack is going as Johnny, of course!  

Heeeerrree's Johnny: 

We went with bleeding elevator doors...

And my husband made me a Redrum door out of old wood from his trailer.  

An aside...how great is this thing?  I am going to have to come up with something to do with it after this.  Think it has cool yard sign written all over it!  

Poltergeist 

This is the only movie of the 4 scary movies that I love.  This one was easy.  I made the TV and recreated the scene on the poster and we used a graveyard scene to show the house being built over a cemetery.

Zombieland: 

This is my office and it is full of Twinkies and Zombies.

Me as Tallahassee 

Movie food!

My boss, who's office is next to mine, agreed to be our concession stand.  The stand is run by Norma Bates but you can call her Mother.

Zombie Punch!!!

We also have a pumpkin carving contest later in the morning.  We are doing Regan from the Exorcist complete with green pumpkin vomit.  

So does you office or do you go all out for Halloween? 

Step Mom Diaries: Open letter to Teens today

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Dear Teenager:

You are living in a time when being a teen is harder possibly than any time in history so I am writing this because there are things you need to understand about life.  I know you think you already know everything but the hard truth is, you don't know much of anything about real life and you won't for another 10-15 years.  Sadly, the choices you make today, will effect everything you do for the rest of your life so here are some realities you need to understand.
  

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First stop trying to be someone you aren't.  The only person you have to be true to is you and if you let yourself down,  you will regret it for years to come.  Don't let friends pressure you into becoming someone you don't know.

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Stop thinking you have all the answers.  You may be the smartest kid in school but you still know next to nothing about life.   Your parents are providing everything for you and they love you with everything they have.  Real life gives you nothing.  NOTHING and nobody owes you ANYTHING!  You make your own way and you do it with what you learn along the way so listen up! 

You will make mistakes, learn from them, don't repeat them, and forgive yourself.   Nobody goes through life with a perfect life and nobody goes through life without screwing up.  The greatest lessons you will have are the times you fell and picked yourself back up.  

The friends you have today probably won't be friends you keep so stop trying to impress them.    People move in and out of your life and you learn who to trust as you go along.   Real friends don't leave. Real friends are not jealous.  Real friends lift  you up not tear you down.  Real friends have your back.  Real friends love you even when you aren't lovable.  Real friends don't judge.  Real friends never let time or distance ruin a friendship.  They are there when you call and they will come and get you wherever you are.

 Fake friends never last.  This is something that you will learn over and over in life.  You will have people that come into your life for a reason and people who come into your life for a season.  Never mistake those who have something to offer for those who are just filling space.  The space fillers will be many.  Most of the time, they won't really offer anything of lasting worth to your life so move on before they destroy you.  Some people will steal your energy and your soul if you let them so DON'T let them!

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Stop trying to grow up so fast and enjoy being a kid.   There is plenty of time for boys/girls and heartbreak. Almost nobody meets their soulmate in school so stop looking for them.   Don't settle for anyone who doesn't deserve you and don't give yourself to someone who doesn't know who they are or why they are with you.   You are special. God only made one you.  Be true to yourself and cherish your mind AND body.  You don't get a second chance at first times.   Don't regret someone later that you can walk away from now.

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Have faith in something outside yourself.  Believe it or not, you are not the only person in the world who has it tough.  The only thing that is going to save you is faith.  Faith in God, by whatever name you choose to call Him will get you through the tough times.   You are unique and special but you aren't going through anything today that won't get better tomorrow.  You aren't going through anything that others haven't survived.  You just aren't that different from everyone else walking around doing they best they can to survive.  Just survive, somehow, with faith! 

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Your words matter.  Tell the truth and know that as you grow up the only thing that truly matters is your integrity.   If something feels wrong don't do it and never lie if you did.   Lies only create bigger messes.  Lies only make your life worse.  Lies,  big or little,  make you lose trust. Once you have lost someone's trust it is much harder to gain it back.  Don't lie and you don't lose trust.  Lie, big or little and you may spend years making it up to people.   As you grow you will realize that truth is the one thing you always bring to the table.  People may not always like the truth but they have to accept it, sooner or later.

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Study hard, grades matter.   You will never know how important it is to work hard in school until you try to get a job without an education.   Nobody wants to wait tables or work outside in the heat but people do because they didn't apply themselves when they could.  Most of them would go back and change that, if they could.  Everything you do now in school should be focused on what you want to be when you are older.  Not necessarily the career because you may not know that, but the person you want to be.  Everything you do now can effect the college you get in to, the friends you meet later, the love you find later.  Everything matters.   Be the best you today that you can be so that tomorrow you will reap the rewards or learn to like taking out trash and know that janitors don't get paid well.

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School isn't real.   Nothing that goes on in Junior and Senior High School is what life is about unless you make a mistake along the way that effects your entire life.   You have one shot to do the right thing before it is too late.  Make wise decisions.  Stop worrying about what other people will say and start worrying about the consequences of what you DO.  If the consequences are negative, do not do it.  Sex leads to babies.  Drugs lead to addiction.  Not working hard leads to a hard life.  Make wise decisions so you are not paying for them for the rest of your life.

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Think before you speak.   The words that come out of your mouth can not only get you into trouble but they can hurt other people.   WORDS MATTER.  Mean what you say, say what you mean, and think before you open your mouth.  Use your words wisely and choose them well.  Don't say things to hurt or threaten other people because you become lesser by stooping to a lower level.  Don't use words that are profane or crude because it makes you look ignorant.  Don't be disrespectful in your speech because you wouldn't like it if someone was being disrespectful to you.  Say things that you want to hear others say to you.  Most importantly, if you are angry and going to say something stupid, walk the heck away.  You will never regret walking away but you will regret saying the wrong thing and hurting someone.

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Trust and respect your parents.   They are doing the best they can.  Believe it or not, you didn't come with an instruction book.   If you are in trouble you should be relying on Mom and Dad to help you find answers.  I am not promising they aren't going to be mad at things you do wrong, they will.  If you do something really stupid your parents are probably going to be really mad.  Learning to accept your groundings, loss of phones, TV's and fun times gracefully is one of the toughest lessons in life.  Your parents are not doing it to be mean.  Life has consequences and your parents didn't cause the consequence, you did by your actions.  Remember, Your parents want the best for you and they have already lived through all the feelings that are eating you up from the inside out.   You may not understand this today but you will someday, they are pretty smart.  Give them a chance to show you.  If they say "No" you should respect them and understand they have a reason for saying that you can't do something.  If they say "Yes" you should appreciate the sacrifices they make to give you the things you need and want.  Never, for the rest of your life, will anyone love you the way your parents love you.  Never, for the rest of your life, will anyone sacrifice so much for your happiness.  Never, for the rest of your life, will any people work so hard at showing you the right ways in life.   Your parents will make mistakes.  Love them anyway because they love you.

Parenting Today: it is HARD but we make it worse!

Courtesy Kushanowizoom

Alright so I tried to write this blog yesterday and it didn't work.  I'm not giving up.  I'm not sugar coating this either. Sorry if it offends anyone. Here we go. 

Parenting today is hard.  I don't care if you are a birth parent, and adoptive parent, a step-parent, or a foster parent. There are a variety of reasons why parenting is so hard and some of them are our fault.  

Cell Phones:  

Absolutely the worst thing we ever did for my step-daughter was give her my old iPhone 5.  As far as I am concerned that phone better last until she can afford to get her own phone because I will never give her another.  She isn't unique on this. Cell phones are ruining people's lives, relationships, and brains.   However, kids are even less equipped to function.   Need a calculator? Grab the phone.  Bored?  Play a game on your phone. Mad at someone?  Get to texting and putting that person on blast in Social Media.   Seriously, kids don't understand that you can't call people names, say crud things, and post hateful comments on Social Media.  The stuff I have seen on Step-Daughter's (SD) Instagram is sickening.  Children do not understand the responsibility or privilege associated with phones.   We, as parents, tell ourselves that we do it so they are safe.  Sadly, they aren't ever going to be safe.  Do you even know who the kids will call in an emergency?  Is it you or their friends? 

Courtesy Jeanniecunnion.com

God: 

Living life without faith is horrible.  God pulls you through the darkness.  God brings hope to the hopeless.  God tells you "I know where I am sending you so have faith that My plans are going to work out."   Too many kids have no faith. They don't believe in anything or anyone outside themselves.   They walk around thinking they are invincible or worse, owed.  That has to be a sad place to live.  Inside a head that is telling you there is nothing, no one you can count on but you and the world owes you because you were...born. 

Spoiled kids:

Parents can't be selfish however they also can't put the kids first in everything.  It is a balancing act and very few parents get it right.  Kids today have a lot of pressure and stress on them.  They also have an inflated sense of self and a selfish streak a mile high.  "Your dad and I are going on vacation without you."  Kid:  "you are taking me.  You think I won't find a way to go? I will win."  We actually had a similar conversation with SD recently.   I don't know if I am suppose to laugh at her or ground her.  (She isn't going "to win",  BTW).   I don't know about you but as a kid I didn't have everything I wanted but I sure had everything I needed.  This is where I fail my SD.  I try to give her everything she wants.  That's bad, bad, bad.  First, we can't afford it.  Second, she is starting to become a little bit spoiled and expects to get her way. Still, overall, she is a good kid and when you talk to her, she comes around.  (About everything but that vacation.  She is still planning on going. Not going to happen!) 

Selfish Parents: 

Parents who are missing, too busy, or just ignorant of their kids needs.  This happens all the time.  Like I said above, you can't make the kids the center of your universe but you have to actually show up.  So many parents today are just MIA.  The kids get home from school to a filthy house and they have to make their own dinner, watch TV and play on their phone or go hang at other kids houses.  The parents aren't around.   The parents are never around.   Some parents you just never see.  Honestly, with some of these kids, it's amazing they have food to eat! 

Other Kids: 

Let's face it, kids spend most of their life with their friends.  Knowing the kids that they hang out with and meeting their parents may seem old fashioned but it is necessary.   First of all, you can't let kids go to someone else's house to spend the night if you haven't met the parents.  Meeting other parents is not going to tell you what goes on in other homes but you may pick up on something meeting the kids and seeing them interact with parents.   Are the kids respectful to you and their parents?   I have literally heard kids tell their parents to "Shut the F up."  That's not acceptable.   Kids are mouthy but they also need to know their place!  Are the parents actively parenting? Sadly, what you really need to know, you can't.  In the 2 years I have been a part of my SD life, she has had friends who were allegedly physically abused by their parents.  She had had friends  who's parents were arrested for a variety of alleged allegations like identity theft, stealing, and sexual assault. How do you protect them from that??? You simply can not.   You have a LOT of talks. 

I am not saying I had it better growing up 30-40 years ago but...I did.  I don't recall one summer when I wasn't outside playing, making up games, using my imagination.  No cell phones.   I don't recall one friend who's parents were ever arrested.   My mother washed my mouth out with soap if I got too mouthy and you know what?  I am grateful!  And my parents loved us.  We went on family vacations but they also were smart enough to know the kids are not the center of the universe and they need time for themselves too because parents need  time alone to concentrate on their relationship with each other and just get away from the stress.  My parents did okay.  My childhood was pretty good.  

It's raining: bake pies!

Top: Pear Bottom: Apple 

I have tried to write today's blog twice.  I have tried and failed.  I have 2 separate subjects that I just stumbled all over and finally gave up.   

So it rained all weekend.  This gave me a lot of time to bake pies.  One Apple and one Pear.   Turns out there must be some genetic predisposition that is handed down to the females in my family.  We have the "When it rains you bake" gene.   My mother was making cookies with my nieces at the same time I was peeling apples and pears.  

Go to the Light Carolann

I also worked on my work Halloween decorations.  Yes, I made a TV from a box.  I even have the paint stained hands to prove it.  I will share more on this later in the week.  Just a taste of what is to come! 

Love how the cups match my kitchen!

I got my new coffee maker in and set that bad boy up.  All weekend long I enjoyed hot coffee.  I love this thermal maker because it is amazing how long the coffee stays hot!  The maker came with the two cups and the coffee grinder too so I feel like I am living large.   

Thoughts: Kids these days! 

  And last but not least, I played beauty shop.   The kid wanted pink hair.  The kid has pink hair. She has the dip look where just the ends are pink.    So, when we were dyeing her hair she says to me "Didn't you ever dye your hair a crazy color?"  I answered truthfully: "yes, I was a blonde for 6 weeks. It was horrible!."  

Just and aside:  it wasn't that I looked bad as a blonde it's that I hated being a blonde.  I was born a ginger and I am ginger to my soul.  I like it like that.  Redder the better! 

So how did you spend your weekend? 

Wednesday Obsessions: Alex and Ani, Magnolia Market, and more

Today I am doing something a little different.  I am sharing things I am currently obsessed with.  Now keep in mind I am in no way a fashion blogger but this is fashion heavy today.   These are just things I LOVE! 

Alex and Ani Braclets  

I own a few of these wire charm bracelets (about half are Texas Rangers somehow or another, go figure) and I am totally obsessed with them, especially Alex and Ani's because they are very well done.  I have, over the years, become a bracelet-a-holic.  This goes well with my shoe collection and the handbags I have got to organize before my husband realizes I don't recall what I have and starts tossing things.    These are a few in my wish list.  

I want this in August and March

I love Love!

This has to be one of my favorites! 

Now let me just say for a moment, that my step-daughter has recently become a closet raider and anytime I start to clean out my jewelry box when she is around to organize the thing, she pops in and starts the whole "so, what don't you want?" and trust me if there is anything pink, she snatches it up!  Sadly, for her, I don't own much pink.  I learned at a very early age, Gingers didn't wear red or pink and that has stuck with me.

Magnolia Market by Joanna Gaines

I love Fixer Upper.  I am a huge Joanna and Chip Gaines fan.  I am trying desperately to come up with a reason to go to Waco to visit their store but here are some of the things I adore! 

Anything that says "I love you to the moon and back".  My husband doesn't know it but this is how I think of us.  

I will probably make my own sign but I love this one!

I don't know how strange it is that my favorite book, probably of all time, is a Dr. Seuss book but this book is one that I eventually buy every child in my life.  I love it so much and this sign might actually be on my "wish list" not because I couldn't make one but because this one is so stinking cool!

Oh, the Places You'll Go is my favorite book ever. 

I was watching an episode of Fixer Upper the other day (that I had already seen about 4 times but I am obsessed with this show!) and I noticed Joanna and Chip had a garden full of these cute little signs.   I started to say to myself, this is what I need for next years garden.   A paint pen and these signs and I will actually know what is planted. (Because let's face it, in the Texas heat trying to save the paper seed wrappers is just not going to work!).   Immediately I started to think, how can I make these.   Low and behold, they sell them!   I adore these things!  I may still try and make some but if not, it is great to know I can get a dozen anytime!

I need a dozen of these things!

Okay seriously, I have a really charming 1970 Ranch Style farm house that has a few additions over the 45 years and sits on about an acre and a quarter of land north of Dallas.  My house has no shiplap.   Trust me when I tell you, that won't stop me from creating the look.  I have the room picked out.  I have the wall figured out.  I just need to get someone in to refinish my original hardwood floors and we need to lay the alternate flooring in the room I want to create the shiplap look in.   (We have a big room that serves as our family room.  It is the old garage that in a prior renovation became a room.  There is a door that goes to the deck in the backyard and this is the wall I want to do this on.  Shh! Nobody tell my husband because I think he might pop a blood vessel.  Anyway, there are a few things that need to happen in between.  If I could just get the floors done, the kitchen redone, and this room fixed, I would be completely done with this house.)   

Anyway, I love this t-shirt.  I don't need a t-shirt.  I have 400 or so, mostly Texas Rangers t-shirts, but I love this anyway!

If you watch, you understand this T-shirt. 

Just an aside here, I admit that while Joanna and I are nothing alike physically: she is thin, with dark, amazing hair,  beautiful, with a sort of boho style I wish I could carry off, while I am chubby (fat), often frizzy haired Ginger, who is just okay looking, and my style is a cross between baseball super fan and camo goddess (thanks to hubs), most of the time.   Anyway, I love her style.  Almost everything is distressed, country, and old and if you have followed my blog or taken a look at any of my DIY furniture restorations, you know I am a HUGE fan of distressed,country and old.   I mean, I own a 1970 farm house for crying out loud.  Besides, Joanna and Chip have chickens and Hubs and I have...chickens!   They have goats, and we are planning on adding goats as soon as we put in a new fence out yonder.  (That's Texan for the back yard).    So see, aside from the obvious fact that she is incredible and I am crazy, we are the same! 

I guess when baseball season ended for the Rangers, I had to turn my attention to something aside from being a super fan.  It happens.  So here is a short list of a few other things I am currently obsessing over:

Wife Swap:  Hubs and I could not sleep last night and we ended up watching a string of these things on whatever channel it is on.  OMG!  We laughed so hard.

Every show on my DVR that I have to catch up on.   That includes Quantico which just has me puzzled and engrossed each week, Limitless which I am way behind on but love, and Heroes Reborn which is just so....Heroes.   Hubs doesn't watch these and so I have to find alone time to catch up. Don't worry, he is sure to go hunting soon without me!

Shows that I am current on but still obsessed:  The Bastard Executioner which has to be the bloodiest show on TV.   It isn't Game of Thrones worthy just yet but it is getting there.   The Walking Dead which just gets a little bit more twisted each season.  Fear the Walking Dead because I seriously started to really get into that one before the what was it?  Six episodes ended.   

Now Reading:

Go Set the Watchman.   I know, I know, there is controversy.  I know the spoilers already.   I haven't gotten that far into the book as yet but I have to say, there is a certain charm to these characters in the prequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, which spills over and you remember how much you love them, even if they changed.   I mean, who doesn't change as they grow older?  I was a very liberal, very love will conquer all kid.  I had these dreams and ideals that nobody could live up to in the end.  Life has a way of beating you down, just a little.  So it beat down some of our favorite characters and time changed them.  Why would that shock anyone?  Time changes everyone.  Not always for the better.  

Okay lovelies, that is is for me today.   Happy Hump Day!