Buddy'n'Me!

Nothin' says 'Halloween' like a friendly black cat!  And candy.

Hiya, Friends!  Well, you know, since Halloween isn't until TONIGHT, and right now, when you're getting this, is early in the morning, I don't yet have a picture of me in my Halloween costume. 

All is not lost, though, Friends.  I asked my friend Buddy Cat to come visit you with me today, and he agreed.  Buddy Cat is VERY agreeable.

That's why he and I get along so well, I think!

Anyway, as you can see, Buddy is a Halloween Icon.  He is!  Buddy Cat is a black cat!  He's also one-half of the duo Black Cat and Ghost Dog, along with Rozzie, on accounta Rozzie bein' all white, and she doesn't like to dress up for Halloween, so she and Buddy just tell everybody she's a Ghost Dog. 

It's more for spooky effect on Halloween.  Rozzie, as you know, is definitely alive and well.

But we're visiting with my buddy Buddy today.  Buddy and I go WAY back, just like Rozzie and I do, except Buddy lives over to Gramma and Pop-Pop's house.  He's a big cat, and he has the biggest green eyes I've ever seen.  When I was a baby, I tried to grab Buddy's eyes, and he didn't even get sore at me.  That's when I knew we were gonna be True Pals.

These days, I know it isn't polite to try to grab Buddy's big, green eyes.  So Buddy and I spend a lot of time playing together.  We like to play hide-n-seek, fetch the toy, and Texas Hold'em Poker.  Don't let Buddy's sweet face fool ya, Friends.  He is a card-hustler!

Hey.  I'll see ya tomorrow, and I'll have a picture of me in my costume.  I love ya, Friends!  I hope you get only Treats in your Trick-or-Treat tonight! Happy Halloween!  Muah!

Trick-or-Treat's Tomorrow Thursday!

...Sorry...I zoned out for a minute, thinkin' of all the wonderful treats I'm gonna fetch!

Hiya, Big People!  Tomorrow's Halloween!  Can you believe it?  So I'm gonna call today "Trick-or-Treat's Tomorrow" Thursday!  How about that, Big People?!

You know, as is often the case, I find myself more excited on the day BEFORE this holiday than I am on the actual holiday.  That doesn't mean I don't like the holiday itself, but there's just something so exciting in waiting for a holiday to happen, especially when we're talking about All Hallow's Eve-Eve!  Trust me, Friends.  I get keyed up over this sort of thing!

When ya really get right down to it, October has the right idea for sendin' itself off with a bang, don'tchya think?  It put a fun holiday like Halloween on its very last day, so we can give it a costume-themed goin' away party! 

Well, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  I love ya lots!  Muah!

The Tilting Windmills

The Imaginary Spitball is my specialty pitch!

Hiya, Friends!  In honor of this Wednesday before Halloween, I'm playing on Don Quixote's Softball Team, the Tilting Windmills.  That's a picture of me in my uniform, over there to the left, and...

What's that? ... You really can't see my uniform? ... Well, I can!

Friends, you've really got to read at least some selected passages from Don Quixote.

Anyway, that's sort of the whole point.  I'm playin' for the Tilting Windmills, all gussied up in my imaginary gear, throwing BRILLIANT imaginary pitches.  Every so often, the referees make very real yet very poor imaginary calls (referees can't do anything right in the imaginary world, either, but you probably already knew that, Friends).

But what I love most about playing for the Tilting Windmills is that we can decide on any given game whether we win or lose.  Hint: we ALWAYS win.  Who wants to imagine they lose an imaginary softball game?  That's crazy and makes no sense!

I've gotta go, Friends!  It's my turn to bat!  I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Feel, Don't Conceal!

Feelings aren't good or bad.  They simply are.

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you!  Didja Make the Best of yesterday?  I sure hope ya did!

Anyway, as you know, I am a scholar on the animated movie Frozen, and there's a whole big Thing in the movie about 'Conceal, Don't Feel.'

I don't agree with it.  I mean, I'm sure there are times when Mommy and Daddy wish I would "conceal" how I'm feeling- like when I'm tired-n-bored-n-angry and we're out in public.  I've been known to have some good spazz-outs when I'm in that mood and I'm somewheres I don't wanna hafta be.  They've told me it's all okay.  They've told me to be quiet. 

But Mommy and Daddy have never told me not to feel the spazziness.  They just don't want me broadcasting the spazziness.  I get it.  In times when I have a quieter head, I understand right where they're coming from.  In the moment, I might not like being told to Shhhhhhhhh, though.

What's important to me is that I'm allowed to feel the spazziness and acknowledge it, so it doesn't get bigger and bigger and end with me buildin' an ice castle and plunging the Bing into Eternal Winter.  I think we can all be happy about that.

Make the Best of It Monday!

Yep!  It's Monday again.  Grab a friend and make the best of it!

Hiya, Big People!  Well, it's Monday again.  I'd like to call this Monday "Make the Best of It Monday!"

Mondays can be rough, Friends.  I understand that better than you think I do.  I mean, just because I'm little doesn't mean I'm immune to the fluctuations in mood the different days of the week bring.  The different days of the week affect Little Kids, as well.  Plus, the way the days of the week affect our Big People also affects us Little Kids. 

Well, of course it does!  Why wouldn't it?  You Big People are the most influential People in the lives of us Little Kids!  We take our cues on how to act from you, because we're New Around Here, and you've been at this game for a little bit.  You know the ropes.

So if you're grouchy and cantankerous on Mondays, simply because the day is Monday, us Little Kids are gonna think that's the social norm, and the cycle of Meanie Mondays will continue.

I have an option for you, though, Friends.  Instead of givin' in to Meanie Mondays, we could all decide to make Mondays 'Make the Best of It Monday!'  Grab a friend, go get some coffee-n-donuts, and put a smile on your face.  Make the best of the Monday, don't make it your enemy.  It's all about the fake it until ya make it principal.  You know, where you might not BE entirely happy, but you put a smile on your face, and eventually, you just start feelin' a whole lot better. 

You can do it, Big People!  I know you can!  I love the heck right outta ya, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Sing Out Loud!

Sing like everybody's listenin', 'cause you're really good at singing!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday to you!

Hey, have you ever put on your favorite song and used a Vitamin C Lollipop as a microphone as you put on a lip-sync show for your stuffed animals and your pal Rozzie the Dog? ... Okay.  Maybe not your pal Rozzie the Dog.  I realize that I might just have a very unique pal in my Rozzie.  But... You get my point.

Well, today, I'm puttin' on a concert for my stuffed animals and my pal Rozzie the Dog.  I'm puttin' on my favorite music (Psssst!  It's the Frozen soundtrack: SURPRISE!) and I'm gonna sing all those songs right the heck out loud, insteadda lip-synching 'em! 

I think the experts call that "Belting it right out!"  And that's what I'm gonna do, Friends.

I think you should, too.  Friends, channel your inner rock star, grab yourself a Vitamin C Lollipop microphone, and belt out your favorite musics!

I love ya, Friends!  Lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

How to Maintain or Rediscover Your Holiday Wonder!

I'm practicin' my Sparkle-n-Shine for the Christmas Season!  Yes I am!

Hiya, Friends.  Well, you don't need me tellin' you what day it is, and why it's important, but I will anyway: It's the Twenty-Fifth of October! 

That's right!  Two months from this very day, it's gonna be Christmas.  There's no point in gettin' all mad about it.  Time keeps marchin' on, and days come and go, and it'll be Christmas in sixty more days.  It's okay, Friends! 

Next week, I'll be all about Halloween again, because Halloween is next Friday (I hope you're ready!) but since today's the Twenty-Fifth, I just wanna talk about Christmas a little bit, just because there's so much preparation that's involved.

And I guarantee you, Friends, that if you don't leave your behind-the-scenes preparatin' to the last minute- meaning the day after Thanksgiving, your Christmas Holiday Season will go much more smoothly, and you'll experience up to ninety-seven percent less stress. 

How?

Well, just be prepared!  Think ahead.  You can buy Christmas presents year-round, you know, when things come on sale.  If you haven't been shoppin' year-round, it's definitely not too late to start.  In fact, now's a great time to get started, if you haven't already.  You don't hafta wrap all your presents yet, but it'd be a good idea to put all your boughten presents in one location, and have your giftwrap, tape, gift bags, labels and tags, scissors, curling ribbon, regular ribbon, pens and markers, another thing of tape, and some boxes and bows in the same general location as where you're keeping your boughten presents hid. 

This will save you time that you'd otherwise spend hunting for all these things when you oughtta be wrapping!  There's a big chunka stress zapped right there!

Next, check on your lights and ornaments.  Do you know where all your decorations are?  Are they all in good condition?  If they are, just put 'em in a safe area so they're on-deck and stay safe until you put them up.  If you see that you need something, like another stringa lights, or maybe just some bulbs, put those items on a list so that you can run to the store and pick 'em up when they go on sale, or you can shop for what you need online.  When you've procured those needed things, put them in a safe place so you know right where to go when it's time to decorate.

Bzzzzt!  That's the sound of me zappin' more of your stress!

If you do a lot of bakin' or makin' treats before the holidays, I wouldn't start that now.  It's too early.  But it isn't too early to pick up your essentials that have a long shelf-life, a little bit each time you go to the grocery store.  You know.  Get a couple bags of flour this trip.  Pick up some sugar, brown and white and powdered next time.  You have a few weeks before Bakin' and Makin' Season is upon us, so if you spread out your purchases over a few shoppin' trips to the grocery store, you won't be so stressed out or quite so apt to grouse about how the price of stuff is always going up, up, up.  (I know you will, anyway, though, Friends, because grousing about grocery prices seems to be just another charming part of the Big People Condition.  I get it!)  Save your perishables for closer to when you're gonna be baking, but your long shelf-life stuff, you can put in a special box, clothes basket, or tote that you don't need to use for other things, and then all your dry ingredients will be all gathered up and in one place.  Again, there's another big chunka stress all taken away!

Now think about your collection of Christmas Sweaters.  How are they lookin'?  Are there any with moth-holes?  You could recycle those into stockings, if you wanna, or if it's a kind of sweater that looks pretty good with some felt patches in festive colors, go ahead and patchup your moth-holey Christmas Sweater.

That's about all for now, friends.  I don't wanna overwhelm ya, especially since Halloween is now less than a week away, and you Big People sure do get overwhelmed over these holidays. 

If ya want a little free ten-dollar advice from your pal Zoe, about how not to make merry instead of miserable, now that we're heading into the Fall and Winter Holidays, I'll tell it to ya, Friends:  Just breathe.  Accept that your holidays will be perfectly imperfect.  If ya wanna dwell on what goes wrong, then you'll be miserable, but if ya just learn to laugh off the little and not-so-little things that can go wrong over the holidays, you'll be a lot happier.

If ya look at it from a Little Kid's perspective, we're not gonna remember if the napkin rings didn't match the candlesticks on the Thanksgiving table.  We're not gonna get all bent outta shape if each little sprig of parsely is placed just so around the turkey on the plate, or if the wreath on the door is hung a bit askew.  If the tree's crooked, or unevenly decorated, we're not really gonna notice.  If the cat climbs the tree and knocks the whole works over, we'll definitely notice that, and laugh at it, and remember it.  But that doesn't mean you oughtta sweat it. 

What we Little Kids remember is how we feel during the Holidays.  We remember feelin' safe and warm and happy and well-fed.  We remember the fun.  We remember the smell of good things in the oven.  But we also pick up on crazy stress from our Big People. 

So if you get all stressed out, tryin' to be everywhere on a holiday, Friends, or tryin' to please everybody, just remember this: Don't.  You do as much as you can.  Be where you wanna be.  Laugh and enjoy the time with the people closest to you, and everybody else will just take care of themselves.  If ya hafta skip out on some obligations, will people whine about it?  Probably.  But you know what?  That's probably the very sort of person who would whine about it if you didn't skip out on the obligation.  They'd find something to whine about.  Some people just get their jollies in life by complaining and being all nasty.  Don't let 'em steal your Holiday Wonder, Friends.

Hey.  That's it for me for today, Friends.  I get very passionate about the Holidays, because I just love 'em.  I think you did, too, when you were my age, Friends, and I just wanna help you get back to that place.  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow.  Muah!

It's Friday: I Go Nuts!!!

Hooray for Friday!  Wheeeeee!

Friends, I have so many reasons to be smiling so much today.  Wanna hear 'em?  Well, you're here, aren't you, so I guess you do!

It's Friday.  That's enough to make me just go cuh-ray-zay!  And it's October the Twenty-Fourth: one week from Halloween, two months from Christmas Eve, which I love almost as much as Christmas morning!  And.  It's just a day where I'm happy to be alive!

(Pssssst- I'm happy to be alive EVERY day, Big People!  It's just a good personal policy to which to subscribe!)

Fridays are great for all sorts of reasons.  I don't think I even need to explain why I love Fridays so much.  I betchya you love Fridays so much, too!

I'll concede that if you're kinda sore at me for bringin' up that we're only two months away from Christmas Eve, I understand.  I know how you Big People get when I bring up Christmas and all the ancillary events that go with it.  But look at it this way: everybody has that Christmas-crazed friend who starts counting down for next Christmas on December twenty-sixth.  Everybody has *that* friend, and for you, I might's well be that friend.  Wouldn't you rather get your Christmas Countdown from ME instead of some sourpuss?

I thought so!

Hey!  I'll see ya tomorrow, Friends!  Stay frosty, and go NUTS!!! It's FRIDAY!!!

Frozen!

I'm on my five-dozenth time watchin' Frozen in two weeks!

Well, hiya, Big People! Heckofa Thursday to you!

You know, I went a long time without seein' the movie Frozen.  And then, I got to see it when Aunt Colleen and Uncle Lorentz were up, and I fell in LOVE with the movie.

If you've been followin' along with my saga, you'll know that I had to earn Frozen on DVD.  And I finally did earn my DVD copy of Frozen.  I'd been holdin' out and resisting, but I finally earned Frozen, and I've been watching the movie over and over and over again for the last two weeks.  And I love it.

You know, I think of Elsa and Anna as friends of mine.  I feel their happiness.  I feel their pain.  I sing their songs.

I especially love singing "Let It Go," everywhere I go.  It doesn't matter if I'm surrounded by friends, family, or strangers.  I'll break out in "Let It Go."  I'll just belt it right out.  It just feels so good to sing!

Pretty soon, I think, I'll know that whole movie, beginning to end, end to beginning, and I think that's great!

I hope you have a movie that you love as much as I love Frozen, Friends!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Buildin' With Writer's Blocks!

I get by with a little help from my PEZ!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you! 

Well, ya know, I'm still dealin' with some of the writer's block, but then I got to lookin' at the PEZ candies I took outta my Donald Duck dispenser, and it got me thinkin' about how PEZ candies are little tiny blocks.

I was just thinkin' about how troublesome blocks can be.  Take writer's block, for instance.  Writer's blocks block the way between what's up in your head and what you can get out onto the screen or the paper.  Writer's blocks can block ya from sayin' what ya wanna say. 

In short, writer's blocks can be just awful.  If ya lettum be awful, that is.

Blocks can be useful.  I build things with my blocks all the time.  I have a set of little Citiblocks, and I can make walls and fences and houses and sky-scrapers with those blocks.  I don't see why writer's blocks oughtta be any different.  Ya just gotta look at Writer's Block from a different perspective, and see how to make it work for you.

Can the writer's block be used as a foundation for something else?  I use a bigger block to build with smaller blocks on toppa it, and it makes for a really good, solid block structure!  Or you can build with smaller blocks around the base of the writer's block.  Make it kind of a centerpiece.  Acknowledge it.

Friends, I'm gonna get through this writer's block.  I will.  And I hope if you're blocked by something, you find a way to see it from a different angle, and it helps you get through the block, too. 

Hey.  I'll see ya tomorrow!  I love ya lots, Friends!  Muah!

A Touch of the Writer's Block Again

I hear sittin' in the sink helps cure the writer's block, so that's what I'm doin'.

Hiya, Friends.  Well, don't you know I have a touch of the dang ol' Writer's Block again.  I was sailing along so well lately, comin' up with ideas left and right for this weblog, and now, all of a sudden, WHAMMOBLAMMO!  I'm s-t-u-c-k.  Stuck.

Have you ever noticed, Friends, that sometimes when you're tryin' to do something creative, and you're stuck, the harder you try to get un-stuck just makes you more and more stuck-stuck?  That's the place I'm in right now.

I read somewhere on the Internet that if ya sit in a sink for a little while, you know sit in a sink to think, writer's block will just go away.  So that's what I'm tryin' to do today, Friends.  I'm sittin' in the sink to have a think.  It seems kinda ridiculous, but it's worth it if it gets rid of my writer's block.

I'll be seein' ya tomorrow, Friends, writer's block or no writer's block.  If you've got a surefire cure for the 'block, maybe leave me a comment and let me know.  Because writer's block is a frusterating condition to have! 

I love ya lots, Friends!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Make You Fabulous Monday!

Mondays and Fabulousness don't hafta be mutually exclusive!

Hiya, Big People!  Hey, I know it's Monday and all, but you know what?  I still wantchya to make it a fabulous day.  BE fabulous, Friends!  Just decide that you're going to make this day and yourself just fabulous today. 

How can you do that?  Well, you could buy yourself some flowers for your desk today.  Why the heck not?  You can spend your whole life waiting for somebody to buy ya some flowers, or you can take matters into your own hands and get yourself some flowers!

You'd be surprised how much of a pick-me-up it is to have a buncha flowers on your desk, Friends!  Unless you're allergic.  If you're allergic, I'd say find some flowers you aren't allergic to and buy those.  If you're allergic to all types of flowers, well... bless your little heart, then, Friends!

I think what is so great about having flowers around is that it signifies that someone cares enough for you to send you flowers.  Why shouldn't that person caring enough about you to send you some flowers be YOU, Friends?!  Why the heck shouldn't it be?  And if people ask who you got those flowers from, you look 'em in the eye and say with the utmost confidence, "They were a gift from me to me, so I'll have a fabulous day!  And it's working!"

I'd dare to bet money that you'll get a sincere "good for you!"  If not, if your coworker has something snide to say, then they're just not a very nice person, and another way to make yourself feel fabulous is to banish anybody who isn't very nice to you!

You can tell 'em you friend Zoe told 'em to hit the bricks, Big People.

Anyway, I love ya lots! I'll see ya tomorrow.

I Can See For Miles-n-Miles!

Everybody needs a pair of trusty field-glasses!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Sunday to you! 

You know, sometimes I like to take my field glasses out and do some lookin' around.  Not in a creepy way, like I'm spyin' on anybody, but for seein' things that are far-away in a more close-up way. 

I like to watch the birds through my field glasses.  The cows in the field across the way are pretty fascinating subjects for me to gaze upon through my field glasses.  When I hear an airplane overhead, those field glasses help me see the little ailerons flipping to make the airplane turn.

Yep.  I like to think of myself as a Field Glasses Enthusiast.  Not really a bird-watcher, cow-spotter, or airplane observer.  I just like to see what I can see through my field glasses.

You know, Friends.  One time, I was looking at the Moon through my field glasses, and I saw Little Green Men eatin' bleu cheese in one of the moon's seas.  How about that?!

You never know what you're going to see through your field glasses, Friends! 

Sweetest Day

Maybe I'll just watch both Willy Wonka movies today, on Sweetest Day.

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Saturday! 

Friends, didja know that today is a holiday known as "Sweetest Day?"  I was readin' up on this holiday with particular interest, because it involves giving each other small gifts of candy, and I love candy.

Thing of it is, Sweetest Day isn't sucha big deal in my necka the woods.  It's more of a Midwestern thing.  It's more popular in the far Western part of my state.  I don't think it's even a thing here in the Bing, and that makes me kinda sad.

Something else that makes me kinda sad is that Mommy and Daddy don't appear to want to be the ones to colonize the Bing and be early adopters of the holiday in our town.  I have a feelin' that there's gonna be no special Candy-Day for me.  Not until Halloween, at least, and if you think my folks let me go panhandling for goodies up and down the streets to bring in a five-pound haul of candy, you've got another thing coming.  I get to go to a very limited and select number of pre-approved homes, and I wouldn't put it past my parents to give those people a pre-approved list of treats they want me to have. 

Why, last year, I caught Daddy passing a coupla my Vitamin C lollipops to people to give to me. 

If they're that freakishly controlling of HALLOWEEN, I s'pose you can guess that my prospects for a successful Sweetest Day are pretty dim. 

Oh, well.  You know what I think I'm gonna do?  I'm gonna watch both versions of Willy Wonka today, so I can daydream about the room made of candy.  And actually, that'll probably be okay.  Lotsa times, candy looks better than it tastes.  So I'll probably be all right.

So will you, Friends.  I love ya lots, and I can't wait to see what mischief we're gonna get into together tomorrow!  I'll meetchya right here!  Muah!

Words with Minds of Their Own

I can't believe I said that out loud!

Hiya, Friends!  It's Friday!

Have you ever said something out loud that you meant to keep just inside your head?  Has that ever happened to you?  It's happened to me, believe it or not.

In fact, sometimes, it seems like my words have a mind of their own.  You'd think that would be kinda cool, but really, it's better to be in charge of your words and not have them flying out all over the place.

Those words.  Once you say 'em, there's no puttin' 'em back in your mouth and making like they never happened.  The best you can hope for, when your words have a mind of their own and escape outta your mouth before you get a chance to lock 'em up, is that nobody heard you.  If they DID, you can hope that if they were upset, that an 'I'm Sorry!' will help smooth things over.  And if that doesn't work and you've really messed up... I just don't know, Friends.  I think maybe if ya said 'I'm Sorry!' and brought them an apology box of donuts or something they really like, that might help.  And then vow to learn from your mistake.

We're all just learnin', after all, aren't we, Friends?  Some of us have learned our lesson more times than others of us have, but in the end, we're all just learnin'.

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

I'm Nutty About Fitness!

They might call 'em dumbbells, but liftin' weights is so smart!

Well, hiya, Big People!

You know, if you called me a Fitness Nut, I'd say, 'guilty as charged!'  I love to exercise and keep active.  I love to try new fruits and vegetables, and my FRAVORITE, FRAVORITE vegetable is steamed spinach with salt-n-vinegar on it! 

That doesn't mean I'm a dull little kid who talks only about exercisin' and eatin' the good stuff.  In fact, I like talking about a lot of things, when you get right down to it.  I like to learn about all kindsa things.  It's just that fitness is one of my pet topics.

Also, I like sweets as much as the next little kid.  If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I love donuts.  I really love cupcakes.  So much so that back when I usedta talk about 'em a lot, people accused me of havin' a problem with cupcakes and they wanted to sign me up for cupcake rehab.  There never was cause for such concern, and also, I learned there's no such thing as cupcake rehab.  Also, I like to drink a little root beer from time to time, especially butterscotch root beer from the Land of Wisconsin.  But those are all sometimes-treats.  I don't live on those things.

The point of all this, Friends, is that you CAN be nutty about fitness... without gettin' all nutty in general.  I learned a lot from my time as an evangelical cupcake enthusiast.  I learned that just because I like something, doesn't mean that the people around me like to hear about it all the time.  I learned that having balance in this life gets ya a long way.  I think the word is moderation. 

So that's me, Friends.  I hope you have something to be nutty about, too! 

I sure love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Yellin' Just To Be Heard!

Sometimes I feel like I hafta yell in order to be heard!  Roar!!!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Wednesday to you!  You know, mostly, I'm a happy and agreeable little cuss.  I really am.  But one of my most peevish pet peeves I can think of that bugs the devil right outta me is the feelin' that I've gotta yell in order just to be heard.

Do you ever get that feeling, Friends?  Do you ever feel like nobody hears you unless you yell and scream and make a big ruckus?

Well, sometimes I do make a big ruckus, and I definitely get heard, but I'm not sure how much that gets me listened to.  In the heat of the moment, all I want is to be heard, but when I'm all cooled off and thinking again, I realize what I really want is just to be listened to.  There's a real difference.  All it means to be heard is that your voice finds someone's eardrums.  They can hear you and still ignore you, the way Mommy hears me but ignores me after the third time I wanna listen to Titanium or Feel This Moment  when we're riding in the car.  She says 'three times in a row is enough,' and then lets our playlist find the next song, and that makes me mad, so I make noise, she hears me, then proceeds to drive as though the sound of my voice is just part of the next song.

Being listened to, though, Friends, is the key.  When someone is listening to you, you present your idea in a calm fashion, and they present theirs, and if everything works out like it should, you come to an understanding. 

Still.  There's times when I can't resist screamin' so I can be heard.

I hope you get to be listened to instead of just bein' heard today, Friends.  I love ya lots!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

It Was In the Last Place I Looked!

Here's Sully's phone number.  In the last place I looked for it, of course!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Tuesday to you! 

Well, you know, recently I wanted to call my friend James P. Sullivan.  You know him as Sully from the Monsters, Inc. movies.  So do I. 

Anyway, I wanted to phone ol' Sully up and give him some ideas on how to maximize the power of laughter, so he can make sure Monsters, Inc. can power Monstropolis, and maybe he could share how the monsters use laughter to power our world, too.

If ya ask me, there could be enough laughter to power both our worlds.  Laughter could be an unlimited renewable resource, I think.  I think we'd all laugh easier if we weren't worried about energy and all the things we get our energy from, drying up.

But do you think I could find Sully's telephone number?  I looked high for it.  I looked low for it.  I went through my Rolodex two times, three times, even.  And then I found it.  In the last place I looked.  Right the heck there it was.

Now, I know you're saying, 'Zoe, of course it was in the last place you looked for it.  Why would you keep searching for Sully's telephone number if you found it?!"

Why?  I'll tell ya why!  I wouldn't keep searching after I found it, but I looked all those other places first.  Places that seemed more logical to me, where it was almost a given that I'd be able to find that number.  And I didn't.  It was in the last place I woulda looked for it. 

So I guess it kind of makes more sense that the phone number was in the last place I looked for it.

Wait a minute.  You're still laughing at me, aren't you?  That's all right.  I've got a phone call to make.  I'll see ya tomorrow, Big People.  Muah!

Smile, Smile, Smile

If ya drink from a cup with smiles on it, it'll make ya smile!

Hiya, Big People!  Happy Monday once again!

Well, ya know, I thought I'd give ya a break about talking about the Halloween for a few days, so here's a quick tip on how to make yourself happy today. 

Mondays are a struggle for us all, and I think I've discovered something to make it a little better, at least.

Surround yourself with smiles.  That's right.  If you see a buncha smiles, you kinda wanna smile, yourself.  But the thing of it is, on Mondays, smiles from actual people are kind of hard to come by, don't you agree?  So don't leave it up to the mood of other people to make yourself feel better, Friends.  Take action and take responsibility for your own happiness!  How?

Easy!  Drink your morning beverage from a cup with a smiley face on it.  If you live in a place near Eat-N-Park, get yourself a Smiley Cookie!  If you don't live near one, or you don't like Smiley Cookies, put a smile on whatever you do have.  It's pretty easy to draw a smiley-face in cream cheese on a bagel or peanut butter.  If you're really ambitious, you could spell out a happy-face with raisins.  Or.  Just draw some smiled faces on a piece of paper.  Use a fun-colored pen, or maybe some highlighters or other markers you have laying around on your desk. Prop up your Smiley Collage where you can see it today.  Maybe write a word or phrase on it that makes you laugh when you see it. 

It doesn't have to be something meaningful to anybody else, Friends.  This is about getting YOU  to a place where you can laugh, smile, and giggle on a Monday.  This is about doing what YOU hafta do to put a smile on your face.  Then people might start looking to your smiling face as their inspiration, and they'll smile, too. 

Or, they're really committed to bein' grouchy today.  In that case, just avoid 'em if you're afraid their bad mood would rub off on you, or if you're feeling particularly strong today, buy the grouchy person a coffee or hot cocoa or other work-appropriate beverage, to maybe get 'em on the right track.

Their bad mood isn't your responsibility, but we all are part of a community, so we should do what we can to lift up each other, even the each others who are in bad moods today.  We shouldn't have fun makin' it all worse for 'em.  Right?

Anyway, Big People.  Whether you're in a good mood or a bad mood, I love the heck right outta ya, and I hope your Monday turns out okay.  I'm rootin' and tootin' for ya!  Yee-haw!  Muah!

The Power of Being Bored

The waiting is the hardest part.

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday!

Well, ya know, recently, I had the opportunity to be on a Welcoming Committee.  You see, Daddy went on a business trip, and when he got back, I got to wait for him at the airport with a sign and everything.

This isn't about waiting at the airport with a sign and everything, although waiting at the airport with a sign and everything gave me what I think is a GREAT idea.  I had a LOT of time to stand around and get bored and then start thinking creative thoughts.

Have you ever noticed that when you let yourself get bored, your creativity kicks in, eventually, and you can get some good ideas out of it... or at the very least, some pretty neat doodles? 

Well, maybe Big People don't let themselves get bored anymore, what with Candy Crush Saga and those games you like to play.  Don't get me wrong.  I like to play games, too.  But I can't just play games whenever I want.  I hafta ask permission, and I don't always get permission.

Anyway, my great idea.  That blue van behind me in the picture says "Need a lift?" and I immediately thought of the Spirit Lifts I perform at my residency at St. Laffalotatus - Mercy-Mercy Hospital.  Then I got to thinkin' that right now, sad people hafta come to my hospital in order for my team to perform those Spirit Lifts, but really, such a thing could be taken out on the road.  And then I got to thinking that Doc McStuffins has her mobile clinic, so why couldn't I have a Spirit Lift Van, so I could go around and help the sad people, insteadda makin' them come to St. Laffalotatus - Mercy-Mercy Hospital?  I'll be finishing up my residency pretty soon, and I think mobile Spirit Lifts are a great way that I'll be able to contribute to the good of humankind, once I'm an attending.

As for me and my wait at the airport, Daddy got back eventually, but it took his airplane a LONG time.  By the time I saw Daddy, I was startin' to think I'd need a Spirit Lift, myself!

Anyway, I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Until then, take care, and don't be afraid to let yourself get a little bored today. You never know what brilliant idea might come of it!  Muah!

Don't Let Halloween Stress Ya Out!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Big People!  Calm down!

Hiya, Friends!  It's Saturday!  Can you believe it? 

Hey.  I've been thinking.  You know how that goes, don't ya, Friends?  Anyway.  Like I said, I've been thinkin' and I thought maybe all my talk about Halloween costumes and Halloween treats might be stressin' you Big People out. 

Sometimes I forget just how delicate you Big People can be about things like this.

So anyway, I wanna just take a little time today to remind you not to sweat it.  It's all gonna be okay, Friends.  Even if you didn't do diddly-squat this week to prepare for the upcoming Halloween Holiday, you're gonna be okay.  I promise.

There's still time. 

And.  Bein' as how today's Saturday, you can take some time today to get prepared for Halloween.  It's better to be ready than not, Friends.  Don't procrastinate a moment longer.

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Incorporating Whimsy Into the Everyday

I'm a Lucky Charms marshmallow with a splasha milk!

Hiya, Friends! Well, as you know, Halloween is three weeks away from today.  That means that you still have a few days to get your costume around.

As I mentioned earlier this week, you don't hafta go hog-wild and wear and over-the-top Halloween costume in order to have fun participating in the Halloween Holiday.  Nope!

I mean, check me out in the picture to the left.  I'm wearing regular clothes, such as the type I would wear to my workplace.  But on top, I've added a white foam crown. 

You might think I'm some type of princess, on accounta that crown, but look closer at it.  Doesn't it look like a droppa milk, splashing in a bowl?  Doesn't it?  ... Well, zoom in a little.  Shake out your eyes.  ... Got it?  ... I told ya!

So, a princess would be okay.  Nothing wrong with that.  But.  With the powers of imagination, and a cheerfully-pastel-colored frock, I am not a princess.  I am a Lucky Charms marshmallow, topped with a delicious and nutritious splasha milk!

Halloween creativity, Friends.  Powered by just my regular clothes, a fun and easy-to-wear accessory, and some good old-fashioned imagination.  How about that?!  You can do it, too, Big People.  Just put on your thinking caps, or thinking cape.  Whatever makes you think.

You have three weeks!  Muah!

Do the Monster Mash!

Because I'm not supposed to know about the Timewarp yet!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Thursday!

Hey, yesterday, I promised you that I'd have a Halloween-themed dance for you to do so that you're a hit at any Halloween Dance Party you might be invited to.  I didn't make up the dance, but I know an Oldie but Goodie when I see one!

I think you can do the Monster Mash with any music you want, but it works best if ya put on the song "Monster Mash."  Then, ya sort of do the Twist, but add Zombie or Frankenstein arms. 

If you're dressed up as some kind of Halloween monster, I think you get bonus points, although points and bonus points aren't really the point of dancing for Halloween.  Basically, it's just a whole lotta fun, dancing.

So, hey!  It's Thursday!  Crank up the tunes, put on a smile, gather up your spooky friends (maybe not your creepy friends, though.  Spooky's fun, but creepy... not so much!), and do the MONSTER MASH!

I love ya, Friends!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Thoughtful Halloween Treats

Don't drop the popcorn ball on Halloween treats, Friends!

Friends, the treats you give out on Halloween Night are a very important decision.  Whether you realize it or not, whether you wanna accept it or not, the treats you give out say a lot about you.

I'm not tryin' to be all judgy today, or make fun of what you might love giving out to trick-or-treaters.  I just wanna get ya to think about what you're handing out on that magical Halloween Night!  (Psssst!  It's on a FRIDAY this year!  How about that?!)  I mean, do you remember that Halloween in Grumpy Old Men where Walter Matthau forgets it's Halloween and ends up giving out laundry detergent and a stapler?

You don't want that to be you.

While you don't want to phone in your Halloween treats completely, Friends, you also don't hafta knock yourself the heck out, either.  You don't hafta spend the whole entire week before making iced sugar cookies to hand out.  You don't hafta labor over popcorn balls made with from-scratch salted caramel, unless you really, really wanna, and also, as long as you live in an area where you won't get looked at weird for handin' out homemade goodies.  It's a sad truth that the world we live in now is fulla crazies that have ruined the Homemade for us all.

So what's a Grown-Up to do, to give out Halloween treats?  Lots!

If you're not all hung up on the whole sugar thing, we Kids love candy.  Fun-size candy bars, little packages of M&Ms, Sixlets, Reese's Pieces... you know, it's rare, but there's a special place in the Halloween Hall of Fame for the folks who get honest-to-goodness full-size candy bars for the trick-or-treaters!

If you aren't hung up on the sugar thing, but you figure your neighbors are gonna be handing out all kinds of candy, and you wanna stand out from the crowd, you can get Halloween-themed Smiley Cookies, like you can get at Eat-n-Park in Western Pennsylvania, from SmileyCookie.com.  They come all individually-wrapped and you can get different-sized packages of them.  Just a word of caution, though, the little Smiley Cookies are VERY easy to eat before the trick-or-treaters even get their costumes on.  My first Halloween, I watched my Mommy chomp her way through TWO boxes, on accounta she ate the first box she ordered way ahead of time, WAY ahead of time.  And then we didn't have all that many trick-or-treaters, so you guessed it.  Mommy made some coffee and those little cookies didn't even stand a chance.

It is not without some bitterness and resentment that I've noticed that we haven't ordered any of those little Smiley Cookies now that I'm old enough to enjoy Smiley Cookies, and I LOVE Smiley Cookies, in fact!

But enough about my frustration. Back to YOU, Big People.

If you ARE concerned about the amount of sugar kids eat, or you don't wanna inadvertently set off a kid's food allergy, there are some alternatives.  Oriental Trading Company has LOTS of little toys, puzzles, and stickers you could get and hand out.  Halloween-themed pencils wouldn't be out of line, nor would Halloween-themed erasers.  They also have cheap little Matchbox-like cars.  If you're feeling really ambitious, Friends, you could assemble little treat bags from things found on Oriental Trading Company, but that's not really necessary. In a treat full of little Hershey bars (yum!) any little toy is gonna stand out from the crowd just a bit.

Finally, I'd like to address a Halloween treat that's been given out here at my very own house: Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss.  Yes, you can do this too, but it takes a special kind of person to be able to pull this Halloween treat off.  As you know, my Daddy's a dentist, and he doesn't like to give kids more sugar.  Mommy says he gets all "high and mighty" about it.  Daddy says he's just doing his job.  So for a number of years, even the year Smiley Cookies were offered at my house on Halloween, Trick-or-Treaters were also given a toothbrush, toothpaste, and thing of floss.

Yes, I'm serious.  No, I'm not even kidding.

Mommy says she was mortified.  Daddy says he was just doing his job.  Evidently, Mommy thinks her job is to make sure Daddy has a job to do, because for every toothbrush Daddy handed out on Halloween night, Mommy handed out the Smiley Cookies, or before those... caramels.

Now that I've come along, you'd think I'd get a vote to tip the Halloween Treat Conundrum one way or the other, but do you know how Mommy and Daddy have thrown me in the mix?  They shut off our porch light and take me around trick-or-treating, to a limited number of houses.  I wouldn't put it past either of them to give my trick-or-treat houses a list of pre-approved treats, either.

So far, though, I haven't gotten any toothbrushes on Halloween night.

Did that give ya something to think about, Friends?  Did that give ya a few ideas about what to hand out on Halloween this year?  If so, then hop to and get your treats, so you're sure to have them at the ready when Halloween comes.  If you're worried about eating them all beforehand, buy more treats than you think you'll need.  You don't wanna end up giving a kid your stapler or laundry detergent!

HAHAHAHA!  Oh, Friends.  I love ya lots!  I'll be back tomorrow with a fun Halloween-themed DANCE you can do!!!  Muah!

Half a Dozen Low-Effort Halloween Costumes for the Spirit-Challenged

Minimal Costume, Maximum Style.

Hiya, Friends!  Today, you might notice that I'm dressed up as a very stylish cowgirl.  Now, granted, on any given day, you might find me dressed as a stylish cowgirl, or a doctor, or a ballerina, or... well, you get the picture.  This girl is not afraid to costume.

But I understand that not everyone is as comfortable in costume as I am.  I think that as people get older, sometimes they lose the ability to have fun, but 'tis the season when we get invited to costume-themed soirees if we're lucky, and it's socially acceptable to walk around in costume at our places of employment.

With that last point in mind, I think it's BRILLIANT to use a refrigerator box to dress up AS A REFRIGERATOR! but it could lead to all kinds of practical difficulties as you go about your usual, but Halloween-enhanced- day on the Thirty-First!  So here we go.  Half a dozen fun costume ideas that won't send ya runnin' to Spirit Halloween, won't render it difficult to do your work or go to the bathroom, or require you to wear make-up that could make your face itch or smear on things.

1.  Get a sweatshirt and some iron-on letters.  Iron on the letters that spell "GO CEILING" to the front of your sweatshirt.  Then get a coupla pompoms or spirit shakers like they hand out at sporting events, and voyla: you're a Ceiling Fan.

2.  If you're tall and skinny, get yourself an all-green outfit. Put it on.  You're a String Bean.

3.  Borrow my idea from today's picture, and put on some nice blue jeans, a shirt, a cowboy hat, and a pair of cowboy boots.  Feel free to accessorize further.  You can be a cowboy or cowgirl.  Even if you usually dress like this, in the Everyday.

4.  Safety-Pin a bunch of socks to your regular clothes.  Put on your regular clothes.  You're Static Cling.

4.  Now, this one takes a little bit of pre-work on your part, but I thought of this one myself (I think), and I'm pretty proud of it.  Gather up a buncha magazines and cut out pictures of food, hairdos, outfits, houses, decorating schemes, products... see where I'm going with this?  Now, affix those pictures to a set of your regular, but preferably monochromatic clothes.  Congratulations!  You've just become Pinterest!

5.  Dress in all black.  Make uniformly-sized square icons.  Affix them in neat rows on the front of your shirt.  You're an iPhone Home Screen.

My final low-effort costume inspiration is my favorite, mainly because Mommy's done this a coupla times when we've been out-n-about on Halloween and she hasn't been in a readily-apparent costume:

6.  Wear your regular clothes.  If someone asks you where your costume is, say, "I'm Don Quixote.  Can't you see my armor?  I can!"  If they look at you funny, suggest to them that they read Don Quixote.  OR if you're really evangelical about them reading Don Quixote, have some copies of the book on hand to hand out.  Or, if you're evangelical about reading, but are capable of managing your expectations, maybe a bunch of Cliff's Notes on Don Quixote or the printed out Wikipedia page about Don Quixote would be a better hand-out option. 

Trick or treat!  Hahahahaha!

So, Friends.  Re-read through my list, and then pick your favorite, or even better, come up with your own low-effort Halloween costume.  I'll betchya a Zagnut that your very own creativity is percolating now!

I love ya lots, Friends, and if you join me tomorrow, I'll tell ya how to pick some good give-outs for the trick-or-treaters.  Does that sound great?  Well, then.  It's a date!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Got Costume?

Friends, let's talk about your Halloween Costume Situation.

Hiya, Friends!  By golly, is it Monday again already?  It hardly seems possible, but boy howdy, time flies when you're having fun, so we must be having a BLAST!

Speaking of having a blast, it's that time of year again when I remind you that it's time to start thinking about considering what you're going to wear for Halloween.  As you know, because you can do the math as many of you have assured me, there are twenty-six days left until Halloween. 

If you haven't chosen your Halloween Costume yet, you'd better get crackalackin'.  Here's why.  If you wait until closer to Halloween, the costumes in the costume store will be all picked over, and you'll wind up having to go as something lame like a Party Pooper or ... well, I can't think of a lamer Halloween costume than the "Party Pooper."  I'm a Little Kid, and I laugh at disgusting things sometimes, but hear my heart when I tell you: Do not, do not, do NOT go to a Halloween Party dressed as a Party Pooper. 

Sure, your friends may laugh at you and tell you you're clever, but here's the harsh truth: they're only being nice to you so you won't smear on their furniture whatever it is that you used to simulate the last part of your costume's name... and please, in the name of all things good and holy, even in this hypothetical conversation, you'd BETTER have only SIMULATED it.  Because that's bad enough.  That's just bad enough, Friends, and if ya hafta go even that close to goin' there, what does that really say about you? 

I'm not gonna answer that myself because I want YOU to think it over real good.

Anyway.  That's what waitin' until the last-minute to figure out your Halloween Costume will get you.  You'll end up doing some crazy, stupid stuff, and not in the fun way that crazy and stupid can be sometimes.  I'm talking about the kind of crazy and stupid that gets you a permanent un-vite to places.

But I understand that not everyone is as into Halloween and Halloween costumes as I am, Friends, so if you come back tomorrow, I'm gonna give ya some ideas for how to pull off a neat Halloween Costume with little effort.  How does that sound?  Does it sound great?  Good.  I don't like to tell people not to do something, and then not give 'em alternatives.

Okay.  Come back and see me tomorrow and bring your notepad and a working writing stick.  I love ya lots!  Muah!

Me, The Statue of Levity!

...Give me your sad, your depressed, your sighing masses yearning to laugh free!

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday to you! 

Well, you know, if you know me, you know that I am a class clown of sorts.  I mean, I would be, if I had a class to be the clown of.  I guess that's why I love my picture-show over on the Facebook so much.  I guess that's why I love it when you stop in to see me here on my web log.  I love to know that I can make people laugh, chuckle, or smile.  I love to think that maybe there's somebody whose spirit I've lifted, ever single day.


So, to commemorate my desire to be a force of funny in the world, I've decided that today, I'm gonna be the Statue of Levity.  I tried to commission my pal Rozzie to make a statue of me from Play-Doh, but as it turns out, Rozzie's lack of opposable thumbs and also her propensity to eat Play-Doh provided too many complications to that idea to make it doable.  Also, I have a really hard time standing still enough for long enough to take part in such nonsense as posing to have a commemorative statue made in one's image.  So instead, I posed for this picture of me holding my water-bazooka up like a torch.  Or a pillow-polo stick.  There are few things more hilarious than saying pillow polo.

Friends, if you like having your spirits lifted, go out and lift someone else's spirits today, if you'd like.  It makes your heart feel really good, and also, if what goes around comes around, and you're sendin' good things out into the world, and makin' people feel a little better, that's gonna come back around to you, eventually.  I guarantee it!

I sure love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Ten-Four, Good Buddy!

I think I want to get me a CB and sling some fancy lingo!

Hiya, Friends!  Do you know what today is?  It's Ten-Four! 

Didja know that back when people used to talk on Citizens Band radios, a phrase you'd often hear was "Ten-Four, Good Buddy?"  It's true!  I found this out when I was reading my Little Kids Big Board Book of Communications Procedures for Communicating in a Big People World.

Yes, of course it's a real book!  Maybe you haven't run across it because you're a Big Person, and you don't need to have a guide to communicating with you, because you are you!  How about that?!

Anyway.  In my LKBBBoBPfCiaBPW, I ran across the section on Citizen Band radio, and I must say, I am enchanté.  I tried out talking like a Citizen Band radio enthusiast, and it just sounds so cool!

So that brings me to what I learned about what 10-4 means.  I apologize to you if you already well-versed in the parlance of Citizen Band speak, or if you talk on a two-way radio as part of your livelihood.  You might be bored as all get out with today's post.  I apologize for that.  But I'm just learning all this, and it's an exciting and novel novelty for me.  So.  10-4 means that you understand.  A Big 10-4 means you agree.

So on this 10-4, let's all be more agreeable today.  Let's virtually meet up for a rootbeer float.  How about that?

I give that a big ten-four, Good Neighbor!

I love ya!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Mighty Taco!

This is Mighty Taco?!  I see what all the fuss is about!!!

Hiya, Big People!  You know what?  Over the Summer, on my Summer Vacation, I visited a Mighty Taco with Mommy and Daddy.  I've been IN Mighty Taco before, but I finally got to order food from the dang ol' Mighty Taco. 

This is a Major Milestone in my personal history, Friends!  For my whole entire life, I've been watching the Mighty Taco commercials (love them!) on the television.  I've gone inside the restaurants and eaten pouch meals while Mommy and Daddy eat delicious, delicious Mighty Tacos and Buffitos. 

Don't even get me started on how pouched peas and lentils don't stack up against how good an El Nino Burrito looks and smells.

So I finally go to eat at Mighty Taco.  I enjoyed a chocolate milk and a soft chicken Mighty Taco, with some mild sauce.  And it was wonderful.  All that I could ever hope for, Friends.

I love it when things work out that way, you know?  All hyped up in my head as Wonderful.  It's a letdown when you think something's going to be just awesome, and it turns out not to be as good or as exciting as you'd pictured it (horrible little cream puffs on the dessert table at the Chinese Buffet, I'm talking about you!)

But Mighty Taco... they're the real deal as far as this kid is concerned, Friends!  They're the real by-golly deal!

Hey.  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow, mmmkay?  I love ya lots, Big People!  Muah!

Lunch BREAK!

I have a sandwich and a yogurt for lunch, but what don't I have? My desk!

Hiya, Friends!  How are you today?  It's Thursday, and if you're anything like me, you're at work at your place of employment.

You know, as much as I love my job, there's times when I know I need to step away from my desk. Lunch is the time I'm talking about today.  I think it's entirely appropriate to walk away from your desk or work station during your lunchtime, even if you have work to do.

Why?

Well, for one thing, you don't wanna spill lunch on your computer or other important things on your desk like TPS Reports that you hafta turn in!  Spillin' noodles on your keyboard can be a tragedy!  For another thing, if you're at your desk and your telephone rings, and you're right in the middle of chewin' up a bite of corned beef sandwich, and you pick up the telephone, there you are, chewin' in the other person's ear!  And that brings up my finally.  Finally, it doesn't hurt ya to take a break at lunch if you can.  How can your desk miss you if you never leave it during the day?  How can your mind ever get a chance to recharge and think of things in a fresh manner if you never leave your desk and you keep looking at your work during that time?

The answer is that it can't, Friends. 

Take your lunch break.  Leave your desk.  You won't spill anything on your work, and you just might come back all refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of your work day.  How about that?

I love ya, Big People!  Be good to yourself and be good to others!  See ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Happy October!

It's Pumpkin Spice Bambinoccino Time!

Well, Hiya, Friends!  Guess what!  It's October!  We're one month deeper into the -Brrrrrr months, but that's okay, because we're ready, right? 

It doesn't take long to put together a -Brrrrrr Month Readiness Kit, Big People.  Just gather up your favorite winter coat, a pair of mitties, a hat, your snow boots, and a scarf.  Put 'em in the closet where you know right where they are, or maybe throw them all in a duffel bag and keep 'em in your car, in case the Big Bad Brrrrrr hits while you're away from home. 

Speaking of the car, get your window scrapey and shove it under one of the seats, so it's handy, just in case your windshield gets pernicious frost on it.  Make sure if your scrapey doesn't have a brushie on it, that you put your brushie in the car, too.

There!  Now you have your -Brrrrrr Month Readiness Kit all ready, and you don't have to give it another thought!

It's time to start enjoying the bounty of the Season, and by that, I mean all the Pumpkin Spice stuff there is to enjoy! 

Didja know you can put pumpkin spice in just about anything?  Lattes and Bambinoccinos are just the start.  They make pumpkin spice donuts, muffins, no-bakes, cakes... Friends, I bet if you really wanted to, you could sprinkle some Pumpkin Spice into a Vanilla Milkshake, or if you're REALLY into the pumpkin, add a scoop of canned pumpkin AND pumpkin spice in that milkshake, and you'll have Thanksgiving in a glass!

The sky's the limit, really!  All you need is a little jar of pumpkin spice and an imagination!

Have fun with it, Friends!  October is here, so we might as well get our comfy fuzzy socks on and snuggle in and enjoy the season!

I love the heck right outtaya, as always!  I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmmkay?!  Muah!