Scary Stories --Share Yours Here---!

I don't believe in ghosts really. I refuse to believe that our loved ones come back and haunt us. I know that Colin is at peace and that keeps me going. However, I do think there might be something out there that can't be explained...

I can't help but LOVE a scary story! It's fun to think that there's something out there that we can't figure out keeping the hairs on our necks standing up! Colin loved them more than anything and did ever since he was a small child. The scarier the better for him. Sam is just the opposite. Scooby Doo sends him running for the hills.

I think that just about everyone has a freaky or unexplained incident that they experienced in their life. Here's one of mine:

When I was a teenager I often babysat for my 3 younger brothers. They were wild beasts. Hellions. Brats. As naughty as they come. Well, at least that's how I saw them. While my mom was gone, all I did was fight with them and threaten to tattle to my mom when she got home.

One night I put them to bed. My baby brother, Timmy, slept downstairs in the crib and the other two boys who were probably around 3 and 5, slept upstairs. We lived in an older home and for as long as we lived there I remember being freaked out of the upper level of the house. There was a hidden attic on the way up the stairs that I literally had nightmares about. The place just had a very creepy, eerie feeling to it, and my imagination didn't help things any.

So the 3 boys were asleep, or so I thought. I was laying on the couch watching tv when I heard the two naughty older boys slamming each other down, wrestling and running upstairs. Being that the baby was sleeping, I stamped my feet, and with smoke coming out of my ears ran up the stairs, 3 at a time, to scream at them to get back to bed. This was so like the beasts! Wait until I told mom!

The room they slept in was right at the left of the top of the stairs. I flew in their room ready to catch them in the act when my heart hit my feet....they were both FAST asleep. I'm talking mouths hanging open, drool coming down, eyelids stuck shut with boogers. Seriously. They weren't faking and had obviously been sleeping for awhile. It had literally only been about 1 minute between the time I heard them wrestling and the time I got to the top of the stairs.

My body was covered in chills and I flew back down the stairs so fast that I'm not sure I even touched a step! I sat on the couch and turned up the tv to the point that if the upstairs floor pounding started again, I couldn't hear it. Because if I did, I'd probably just die right there.

I stayed there until my mom came home and told her the whole story. I don't recall if she told me that night or at a later time, but she did tell me that she had heard the very same thing coming from the upstairs at other times. There was a huge house kiddie corner to ours that had been an old, old hospital. It was rumored to be haunted and later burnt to the ground. Maybe some of it's residents came over to our house to play once in awhile?

This is my "true" haunting story. Unexplained. Freaked me out and still does! I would seriously love to hear yours in the spirit of Halloween......if you DARE!!!!!

Little One's Reminders

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt.

That time in my pregnancy journey has come where I'm awake most of the night with back pain and trying to accomplish the impossible feat of finding a comfortable position. Along with the insomnia comes that late-night worrying. I lay awake staring into the dismal blackness and suddenly feel overwhelmed and defeated.

What will our life be like with a demanding new child suddenly entering the realm? Who knew daycare was SO crazy expensive? How will Sam feel about sharing the spotlight? Will I be able to nurse? Will we ever get to upgrade all of the things in our home now that we have another child? Will a new baby push Colin's memory further back into my mind? ????????????

These are just some of the questions my mind battles with during the midnight hour as the due date rapidly approaches. Then as I am just about ready to explode with worry, my innocent little baby starts rolling around making me aware that he's in on this too. I can feel his little hiccups and fingers moving around. He is so so precious and I've never set eyes upon him. I love him so deeply and have yet to touch his cheeks. That's when I know that no matter what challenges our life throws at us, we will do what we have to to make it work for him. If I need to give up one luxury to afford daycare, so be it. If my patience wears thin, I'll remind myself of how Colin taught me that life is much too short to let little things eat you alive.

Despite the fears, I look down at my big belly and smile inside and out. Life will always, always throw in curveballs and upsets, baby or not. If we didn't have that, we certainly wouldn't appreciate the good parts. When the morning light starts to creep back into the room, I start to fill with that optimistic hope once again...Ahhh, we can do this.

So we have less than 9 weeks left until we get to meet him!! I'm practically jumping out of my skin with excitement...I WANT TO HOLD HIM SO BAD! My baby shower is in 2 weeks-I can hardly wait to celebrate him with family and friends. I don't know how I'll make it through work the last 2 months with all of the awkwardness and lack of sleep....yikes!

PS--One of these days I will get some new pictures up of me and my big ole' belly!

Fall Window Shopping

marthastewart.com

The boys are busy this weekend and I've actually had some down time. While laundry loads have been turning and wet floors are drying, I've been surfing the net for some fun fall ideas. Here are some of my favorites:





These apple/pumpkin pocket pie molds from Williams Sonoma would make it so easy to pull off a unique fall dessert that everyone will surely be talking about. What a fun presentation they would provide!



This brownie pop mold from Surla Table would be an easy and fun way to create treats with the kids. MMmmmm brownies!


amazon.com

This little hand-held recipe computer is SO cool! It stores up to 2,500 recipes and has a touch screen. You basically just click and go to your recipe. No searcing through that stack of recipe cards, no clean up. I love this idea! However, I'm not at all in love with the price at $300. I think they'll definitely need to lower the price on this one before I'll ever consider it! Find it here .




Love the natural, rustic look of these cinnamon napkin-rings from Pottery Barn.




I laughed when I saw these eye magnets because I can imagine the look on someone's face if they came into my kitchen and these were all over the fridge. It's just the perfect thing for our goofy family. Such a silly, "eye"-catching idea.



This witch's cauldron bread bowl (filled with yummy spinach dip) is a great idea to bring to a halloween party or work lunch. It's not as hard as it looks. Go here to make it yourself.