Happy Halloween season (and stuff)!

Why is it that I felt like I had SO much time before Halloween set-up time, so therefore was not working on any projects, or preparing for the Countdown blog posts, or Instagram photo challenge.  Then all of a sudden....BAM!!  It's here!!!  I swear there's a time warp that happens when I get home from work (around 4 - so plenty early).  I blink and it's time to start dinner, I blink again and it's 10:30pm!  What happens in that blink???  

So yeah.  I'm really scaling back on my indoor decorating this year, but I don't think the fam will care. Our house is too small for a party, so it's not a big deal to be more selective with what I bring in....altho I didn't find the tote with my H'ween nutcrackers in it!  I NEED those guys!  We'll be out in the garage putting the air conditioners away this weekend, so I'll look again then.  I'll also be bringing my skeleton horse out!  Hooray! 

So catching up.....

9/28 was Miss Angela's birthday (sniff - 20!!)  she had work and then dance until late, so we took her out to dinner Friday night to this place called Black Rock Bar & Grill.  They literally bring you a slab of rock heated to 750 degrees and a piece of raw meat!  You basically cook your own meat, so if its not how you like it, its your own damn fault. 

 This was the smallest of the desserts they offered....

That brownie was easily 6"x 6" x 3" deep!  All 3 of us barely put a dent in it.

My nephew, Austin's birthday is the day before Angel's, so we always make a family trip to the orchard to celebrate them.  This year we went to a different place, just a cider mill.  There wasn't anything exciting to do (other than eat donuts & drink cider!), but there were trails thru the woods and it's dog friendly, so we all took our dogs with us!

They all had a good time. 

Family portrait

Sisters (and canine cousins)

Then things were pretty mundane until last Thursday - Randy pulled something in his back, simply by standing up.  He was a typical guy about it, of course and did nothing but take some aspirin.  But Saturday it had gotten to the point it was real pain (not man pain) and he could barely stand up.  So I took him into the ER.  They took x-rays and loaded him up with steroids & muscle relaxers & pain killers.  He has an appointment Monday with an orthopedic specialist but he's been feeling pretty good since he came home (only 3 hours in the ER - woot!)  So until then - we have no idea what caused it.  I sure don't like seeing him hurting like that!

So Miss Angela's starting a second part-time job tomorrow - at 7-11 but she seems pretty happy about it.  The 2-3 days a week she's been getting at the dancewear store was barely keeping gas in her car.  She was working every day for a while - during the beginning of the dance season rush, but it's calmed down now. 

Speaking of dance - team parent meeting next week to talk about Nationals (shizz getting real!)  and on the 22nd is the annual day-long Intensive with the guest teachers.  I volunteered to take pictures again.  It's a good way to be able to actually go INTO the rooms and watch - heehee!

 So that's all, unless you want to read about all that's involved with setting up my cemetery?  I'm finally getting the lights close to how I want them.  I'm sure my phone photo here isn't doing it any justice, either.

Or you can read my post on Maple Grove's blog about Squirrels.

 I'll leave with this gem I saw at Target in the H'ween candy section the other day....  

YASSSS TARGET !!!  

TRICK OR TREAT!