The Great Pumpkin

Pumpkins mean Halloween.
Halloween means Fall.
Fall means Winter.
Winter means snow and cold.

YUK!

But with the bad comes some good - pictures - pictures of babies. Yeah!

We took the kids out to the Gerten Pumpkin Patch tonight to try and take some pictures of them in their costumes with the pumpkins as a background. I figured getting them all together in one place at the same time would be the hardest part. WRONG.

Timothy wasn't happy (which is VERY unusual.)
Emma found a pumpkin she wanted and she has spoken!!
And the twins didn't want to be pushed into having their pictures taken. (we asked Aidan to go sit down by Emma and he stated, "I sit here" and promptly sat his butt down in the middle of the sidewalk.)

Whew. Taking pictures of kids is not easy.

So without further delay here are a few of the better ones.......

Benefit

I spent the better part of the past week getting some things ready for my friend Chris' benefit. Chris has been a friend of mine since High School but I've known him and his family since I was little - he lived just 3 houses away. Jeff is also great friends with Chris - they played football together after high school and ran around with the same crowd. Chris was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago and we are trying to do as much as we can for the benefit. We know that Chris would do it for us - that's just the type of guy he is.

Jeff and I started working on a sign for our front yard last weekend and was finally able to get it up by Thursday. We live on a very busy street in our small town and I hate it - but I decided that being able to get this sign out - and thus the word - it is worth it to live on this street.

The benefit will include a silent auction, spaghetti dinner and raffles. I had an idea last week on how to make money in another way. Ribbons. It's all the rage. Only we are going to do Orange ribbons. Chris is known for the color orange. It all started years ago when he was always wearing the orange hunting hat. The idea was a hit and I found enough ribbon to make over 500 ribbons. I even have some ribbon left in case I need to make more.

Chris' friends that are organizing the event are being swamped with people wanting to help in some way. Right now they are saying that donations and prayers are what is needed the most.

What is a Friend?

A friend is always faithful to you, even during the bad times.
A friend is reliable..you can count on one to always be there.
A friend stays in touch, even though it may not be as often as you’d like!
A true friendship is enduring, lasting even when friends lose touch for a while.
A friend is always there for you when you need someone.
A friend is devoted to your friendship and will never do anything to destroy it.

I've lost one good friend in the month of September and just found out that I am losing another. I understand that friends drift apart - lives change - death takes away those you love.

Which made me ask myself: "What is a friend?"

What does it take to continue to be a friend? Is it constant communication? is it history? is it having things in common? or is it just being there when needed?

Can you call a co-worker that you only see during work hours a friend? How about a relative that you are close to? I'm close to my mom and daughter. Are they my friends? I'm close to my son, husband, dad and brothers in different ways. Are they my friends?

If I don't call someone in a few months - do I still have a right to call myself their friend?

If I don't have contact with someone for many years that used to be a good friend and all of a sudden they call and you catch up - are they still considered a friend? or are they just someone that you used to know once upon a time?

I'm trying to remember a saying but I can't seem to get it right. Maybe someone else knows the correct way to say it.

you can pick your friends but you can't pick your friends nose.

no, that's not it

you can pick your friends but not your family's nose.

no, that's not it

you can pick your friends, you can pick your friends nose but you can't pick your family.

no, that's not it

help....anyone? anyone? Bueller?

A Friend
by Sir Shotgun

A friend is the one who tells you the truth

regardless of the cost,

A friend will help you find the thing's

you'd given up as lost

A friend will never put you down

or make you feel alone,

He'll smile and try to comfort you

'cause together you have grown

A friend is the one who picks you up

when you've fallen on the ground,

A friend is the one whose voice

is a welcome, warming sound

So when you think you're on your own

and wish you had a helping hand,

Remember, a friend is the one who,

when you cry, will always understand

Because the world is full of people

who will laughingly pretend,

But, when it's said and done

you're lucky if you've got a friend…

last weekend's "project"

Every weekend I like to take something up to the lake to "work" on. Usually it's scrapbooking or a book, but once in awhile I'll take something else up. Last weekend I worked on painting some cement (that's right, cement) statues that the son had brought home a few months ago. It was an all weekend job because they needed so many coats of paint. Even the hubby helped but when the painting became more "detailed" he just watched and gave opinions when asked for them. ;)

Here is an "after" picture.

I'm still not completely done - I keep touching them up - but I may just have to say the heck with it and be done at some point. They'll be a nice addition to our flower garden in front of the camper. They should go well with the steering wheel from a boat, the two half dead tomato plants, and the many pieces of wood that Kobi has collected and when he is done chewing on them the hubby throws them in with the scattered flowers. (You don't believe me about the steering wheel? Well, I'll take a picture of the statues in the flower bed this weekend just to prove that I didn't make that part up.)