Boo!

Happy Halloween!

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

Hold on, man.  We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~ Shaggy from Scooby-Doo

One need not be a chamber to be haunted;
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place.
~Emily Dickinson


Tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings toys to all the children of the world. ~ Linus from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

My Favorite Things IV

Bubbles

Jane Austen

Lace

Whipped Cream

Old Cars

Laughing

Soundtracks

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"Laughter is an instant vacation." ~ Milton Berle


“Out of the way! We are in the throes of an exceptional emergency! This is no occassion for sport- there is lace at stake!" ~ Ms. Pole from Cranford

My Favorite Things III

Playing Piano

Frills

Picnics

Raspberries

Scrabble

Shoes

Romantic Songs

Enjoy your day and keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes - ah, that is where the art resides!" ~ Artur Schnabel

"Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life." ~ Anon. 

My Favorite Things II

Baking

Chocolate

 Christmastime

Love Notes

Old Books

Tea Cups

Musicals

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

I loved old black and white movies, especially the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals. I loved everything about them - the songs, the music, the romance and the spectacle. They were real class and I knew that I wanted to be in that world. ~ Sharon Stone

I can't walk by chocolate without eating it. ~ Malin Akerman

My Favorite Things

Daffodils

Dancing

Handwritten Letters

Peppermint Mocha Coffee

Surprises

Red Dresses

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters.  You can't reread a phone call." ~ Liz Carpenter

"A blond in a red dress can do without introductions - but not without a bodyguard." ~ Rona Jaffe

Autumn Perfection

Today is the loveliest fall day you could dream of! Blue skies with wispy white clouds, warm sun, chilly breeze, colored leaves rustling in the trees and skittering across the driveway, good-smelling candles burning, boots and sweaters, little homework, and inside-out apple pie to make! Mmhmm. Perfection. And to accompany such a perfect day, of course you need a perfect song. :)

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~ Stanley Horowitz


"O suns and skies and clouds of June, 
And flowers of June together, 
Ye cannot rival for one hour 
October's bright blue weather." ~ Anon.

“Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.” ~ William Cullen Bryant

"October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band."
~ George Cooper, 'October's Party'

In Love

Elegant beautiful feminine frills? Mmhmm, I think so! Yes, I am in love with this dress! <3 If only it weren't so darned expensive!!!

Here's your song:

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"I love being able to wear dresses and clothes that make me feel feminine and beautiful, and I love the fact that I don't have to all the time; I can wear a tank and jeans." ~ Portia de Rossi

"Your dresses should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to show you're a lady." ~ Edith Head

"Just around the corner in every woman's mind - is a lovely dress, a wonderful suit, or entire costume which will make an enchanting new creature of her." ~ Wilhela Cushman

Feminine Friday: Frugal Living

Here is one thing that I've not hit on because I'm not very good at it: frugal living. I was raised to not worry so much about money. If you need something, go get it! Don't worry about the price tag! (that is, if you really need it) My whole life I've watched my dad replace a broken something with the new something instead of trying to fix it. He spoils my mom (which isn't a bad thing) and me and my siblings with extravagant gifts for Christmas and birthdays. And I know it's because he loves us but thankfully, I have a mother who has taught me to ask "Is this necessary?" 


Now I wouldn't say I'm too bad myself. Besides an occasional cup of coffee from Starbucks or a new pair of shoes once in a while, spending money on myself isn't my problem. I do however, tend to throw cost to the wind when it comes to buying something for someone else. If it's something I know that they will reeeeeeeally like and it isn't insanely expensive, I'll go ahead and get it. So far, that hasn't gotten me into trouble but I've realized that I can't continue on like this! 


A few weeks ago, something in Proverbs caught my eye:


"Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord." Prov. 19:14


I want to be a prudent wife someday! And to do that, I have to start working on it NOW. So, what does that mean in practical terms? One of my favorite words actually: Creativity! :D If I need something, want something or get something for someone else, I need to start being creative about how I spend my money. And maybe someday, I'll be better about being frugal. 


Now for your song! :)

Keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character." ~ Calvin Coolidge


"Frugality may be termed the daughter of Prudence, the sister of Temperance, and the parent of Liberty." ~ Samuel Johnson

The Fall Epics

Good afternoon! Oh what I have been up to! Mountain climbing, ship sailing, hot air balloon flying, battling dragons and pirates and indians, hunting lost treasure and dinosaur bones and the Loch Ness Monster... well hey! That's more exciting than just doing anatomy homework right? 


Really though, I've been having a lovely time the last few weeks exploring park trails and new recipes and conquering homework left and right! I think dragon fighting would suit me better though...


Ah, well if I can't have adventure then at least I can listen to something epic! Here's a favorite. Enjoy! :)

Maybe you've been having more adventures than I? Well whatever you've been doing dear reader, keep your smiles on! Until next time!

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself." ~ Amelia Earhart


"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered." ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton


"Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Frodo Baggins