SAY YOU WON’T LET GO…

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.

#8 – Friday, October 27

PROMPT = Put your Ipod on shuffle/turn on the radio to your favorite station – Write a post using the song as your prompt.

Yay! A musical prompt! No more of those “peelin’ the layers offa’ my life,” posts! Criminey.

This post is super easy. This is one of my current fave songs.

SAY YOU WON’T LET GO by James Arthur.

It just sorta’ takes you back to a younger time when you really believed that there was some dreamy guy out there and he was totally going to make your life as romantic as this song sounds.

I’m wishing all of you a great weekend. We’re having a Halloween party here tonight and playing ‘Cards Against Humanity.’ If you haven’t played that game (cards) you should really give it a try. It’s hilarious!

Hey, when is trick or treating where all of you are? I can find zero info for our area but neighboring towns are trick or treating on the 28th. Apparently in some towns, if Halloween falls on a weekday the kids go trick or treating the weekend before. That way they’re not all out running around on a school night and then heading back to school the next day “wired” from all of the candy.

Interestingly enough we always went trick or treating on THE DAY OF Halloween, October 31st, school night or not. Also, rain, snow, sleet, or any other kind of weather Michigan could throw at us! I think altering the real dates of holidays takes away a lot of the fun but what do I know?

I neither make the rules nor follow them.

Happy Friday folks, thanks for stopping by and I hope you like the song!

TELL THEM BORIS SENT YOU

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.

#7 – Monday, October 23 –
PROMPT = Monster

Such a great quote by Stephen King and so true.

Sadly, sometimes those monsters do win.

It’s one of my goals to never let them win with me.

Fifty-four years in, so far so good.

Therapy helps. Meds can too.

One of my docs told me once, “If you want. I can write you a prescription to go to the store and pick up a six-pack or a couple of bottles of wine.”

I was like, “No way. I’m not going to be “that” mom sitting in a recliner drunk all day.”

Then he said, “Or I can write you a prescription for something you pick up at the pharmacy.

One is socially acceptable, the other not so much.”

I chose the pharmacy.

I suppose the take away here is that there are ways to keep the monsters at bay. First step? Tell somebody what’s going on and go from there.There’s no shame in asking, receiving or admitting that you need some help.You can only keep things bottled up for so long. Eventually, your body will expel them. My personal opinion is that it would be safest to let that happen under a doctor’s care.

Oh. And PS – Street drugs and alcohol aren’t the answer. I’ve never gone down that road but I know people who have and it’s heartbreaking.

DON’T LET THE MONSTERS WIN!

Omgosh. When did my blog get so serious and turn into a PSA for the entire blogosphere?

Hopefully, my upcoming post for this challenge will be a happy or funny one!

Happy Monday everybody! I’m wishing you all a great week ahead and may the only monsters you have to deal with be the ones dressed in costumes heading to fun parties!

I couldn’t leave this post on a “downer” note so here’s a pic of one of my favorite monsters.

I mean “Munster.”

WAS THERE AN OPTION?

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.

#6 – Friday, October 20 –

PROMPT =

“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort (but) you cannot have both.“ Brene Brown

I have always chosen courage because comfort never seemed to be an option.

**Strict Catholic, career military upbringing.

**Survived an attack by two men who made me jump out a 3rd story window with them.
(I got away when I hit the ground.)
No worries tho. As they told the police.
“We weren’t going to kill her or anything. We were just going to take her in the woods and rape her.”

(I was 20 yrs. old and had just given birth to my first child two weeks prior to this attack.)

**Single mom, 4 kids

(No welfare, no child support. I did this crazy thing called, work.)

**Stage 4 cancer survivor.

Nope. I’m pretty sure comfort was never an option and honestly, I’m okay with that.

Always…

#5 – DISOBEDIENCE

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.

#5 – Monday, October 16 –
PROMPT = Disobedience

I’m not a fan of the word disobedience, or it’s step-sister, disobey.

I think it sounds too harsh and it feels suffocating. It conjures up visions of private schools and principal’s offices and the military and those 1950’s husbands.

AND YET…. Were it not for the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden we wouldn’t be here.

So, there’s that.

Do any of you have words you’re not a fan of? Words that maybe sound too harsh?

Words that conjure up visions of

(fill in the blank but not with porn please.)

I hope your Monday has started out well for all of you. Some of you I see on Facebook and I KNOW your Mondays have started out spectacularly well. Happy days are always a bonus.

I’m full speed ahead on Christmas projects/orders. Started another afghan today. These seem to be a big hit. I have a couple more on the list. I also brought my sewing machine out. This is such a gloriously busy time of the year for me. I love it all but it doesn’t leave you with much time in the day or night!

Continue to enjoy the week ahead and I’ll be back sooner than later. I am getting some reading and commenting in so that’s a plus.

If I haven’t gotten to you I really am heading your way.

SOOOOOO true!

BREATHLESS

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.

#4 – Friday, October 13
PROMPT = Bated breath

11 years ago on this day, I waited with bated breath to find out whether or not I had the flu.

I didn’t.

Instead, I found out I had cancer.

That diagnosis left me breathless then and it leaves me breathless now.

From these short posts, you may have guessed that talking about my cancer isn’t one of my most favorite things to do. I don’t mind sharing that I’m a survivor because God gets the credit for that. The rest of my cancer journey was a nightmare and I’m not a fan of nightmares.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I spent the day baking and working on Christmas presents.

What did YOU do??

Did you see any black cats?
Walk under any ladders??

Are you superstitious??

Here’s to a safe weekend and a beautiful week ahead.

2006

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.

#3 – Monday, October 9 – PROMPT = Terminal

What “they” said my cancer was in October of 2006.
Terminal.
“They” were wrong.

Stage 4, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor.

Happy Monday, friends.

Wishing you a week filled with the loveliness of the fall season.

PURE MICHIGAN

This is my second post for the Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Challenge.

#2 – Friday, October 6 – PROMPT = Nostalgic

This time every year I find myself nostalgic for fall in Michigan. As you can see from the photo at the top of this post it gets quite colorful and in person, this sight will take your breath away.
And it’s not just the amazing colors that make fall spectacular in Michigan.

You can smell hunting in the air and then just like that, nearly every man in Michigan is putting on his flannel whether he hunts or not.
Raking damp leaves and jumping in them.. It’s a smell I’ve only ever experience in Michigan.
The cider mills with their fresh apple cider and warm donuts. We don’t have those out here. Going to the apple festivals, and corn mazes, hayrides, and bonfires.
And of course, Detroit Lions football, win or lose. Mostly lose but that’s okay. I still watch and I still cheer!

Seriously folks. The struggle is real.

Right about now northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are aglow in the beautiful colors of fall.

The “Mighty Mac” (Mackinac Bridge) connecting the two peninsulas framed in the glory of fall.

I love this bridge and I miss crossing it.

(Not my photo. Found on Google.)

My favorite town in the U.P. (upper peninsula) is St. Ignace. It’s beautiful there year round but in the fall it is stunning.

It’s always a coin toss for me as to which I love more, the mountains or the Great Lakes. In the fall, Michigan wins hands down. Or maybe it’s a hand up!

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge

Happy Friday, folks! It has been a whirlwind week and as soon as I decompress a lit’l bit I’ll be back to write more because I have SO much more to write!
Thanks for hanging in there with me.

SO MANY PATTERNS TO CHOOSE FROM!

Happy October Everyone!

I hope this month is good to all of you! It’s definitely going to be an exciting month for me! A wedding AND a new grandbaby! I’m pretty sure my feet are no longer touching the ground and I’ll tell you, my heart is about to burst with pure joy!

This month I am also participating in the Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Challenge.
– Say that three times fast! –
These are the days and the prompts.

We don’t have to follow the prompts. We can write about anything on those days. I’m going to try to follow along with the prompts. I’ll be scheduling my first post of this challenge, which is this post, so I hope it posts when it’s supposed to!

#1 – Monday, Oct. 2 – PROMPT = Pattern

I decided to use my current crafting obsession, crochet, as my reference point for this prompt.
My favorite crochet pattern for this fall is the Campfire Cardigan.

(Not my photo or handiwork.)

I haven’t made one yet but I’d like to get one done at least in time for spring. I love that it’s worked in the granny square stitch because, to me, the granny stitch/square is the easiest crochet stitch to work with. I also love that it reminds me of my grandma’s handiwork and also that it’s got a 70’s hippie vibe to it.

I will be making NONE of the following patterns…

I know it’s not a real animal but it still totally creeps me out.

NO man should EVER put these on, not even if your wife made especially for you.

JUST – SAY – NO!

I have no idea what these women are doing.. But, NO!

And this one??? People are just freaks. I wonder how much they had to pay her to parade around in that!

So, there it is. My twisted take on today’s prompt, pattern.

I’m going to cross my fingers, eyes, and toes that this posts when it’s supposed to. I haven’t had much success with scheduled posting in the past but I guess we’ll see.

On the plus side, this should be the only post I have to schedule.

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge

I wish all of you a happy and healthy start to this “spook-tacular” and I will see you all and read you all as soon as life takes an extended pause in my lit’l corner of the world.