Halloween Pictures

We have a tradition in our family - as new babies come along we get them in a pumpkin at Halloween time. We didn't get to see Punkin in October, but I saved a large pumpkin for when we did get to see her this past weekend. Isn't she a beautiful smily baby? Just love her.




This is Muffin in 2009

And here we have Peanut in 2007.


The two older girls wouldn't get in any pumpkin this year, but they posed behind it. We're still having a lot of difficulty getting them to look and smile at the same time lol.


There is not a doubt in my mind how Muffin got a bruise on her cheek.... She is such a climber and jumper. Always in motion.


While I was holding Punkin I thought we might be able to get the other two in a photo too. What a joke. Peanut might have cooperated, but Muffin is just too active at 19 months. She just laughs and runs lol


So there you have our weekend in a nutshell. I love spending time with all the girls. Just a barrel of fun and energy.

Secrets & Sunsets

Risky Business
Liz Palmer had found home—and a refuge—in Cozumel for the past ten years. But everything changed when her employee and boarder was murdered and his twin brother stormed into Liz's well-ordered life with grief in his eyes and revenge in his heart. Liz refused to be sucked in by his quiet words and intense eyes. She had a life to lead, a business to run, a daughter to raise—and Jonas Sharpe was an unwanted intrusion. But soon Jonas had plunged them both into the shady world of drug smugglers… and the dangerous depths of passion.

Mind Over Matter

Aurora Fields protected her clients like a mother tigress—especially when one was her own mother! So it was going to take a lot more than charm to get her on side with David Brady's plans. Aurora could see he was a smooth operator, used to getting what he wanted, and she was usually immune. What was it about him that left her uncomfortably vulnerable? As for David, he'd always considered himself a good judge of people. So why did each moment with Aurora leave his head and heart reeling? She was an enigma, and he was determined to find the key.

Two great books. Nora Roberts is always an easy read. I started reading this book and realized I'd read it before, but couldn't remember the outcome. So I read them again. I always knew I had a problem with retention lol.

Beautiful Fall Days

Have we not had the most BEAUTIFUL Fall this year?! Today is another gorgeous sunshine filled example (it's supposed to rain this afternoon, but for now..). Last week the sassafras trees were the most beautiful yellow and this week - no leaves at all.

We have a tradition in our family of when we have a new baby we get a picture of said baby in a pumpkin. Well, we have a new baby, Punkin, and I've got the biggest pumpkin I can find. Now to just find time to get together and get the pictures. It's always so fun. I was looking at the other two babies in the pumpkin and was amazed to see the hibiscus in the background blooming. That is not happening this year! The hibiscus has been gone for weeks. The weather must have been a lot different this year than the falls of 2007 and 2009. Anyway, not this weekend, but hopefully Halloween weekend we'll take care of that.

Speaking of Halloween, I've got a few decorations out and bought the candy for the occasion. Love to see all of the kiddies.

Still have lots of yardwork to do before winter sets in. I think we're done travelling for awhile so maybe this weekend if the weather cooperates I'll get that done. So get out there and rake and burn those leaves and enjoy the last days of fall.

Play Station Move... I'm Ready

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our family finally came into the 21 Century when the kids got us a new Wii for Christmas last year. I have an addictive compulsive nature so you know I was hooked from the beginning. That's why when I heard about this new Move by Play Station I started really dreaming. Wouldn't it be fun to have the whole family involved in a 'family game night' or just more new exercise games? I sometimes need a little more variety to put some spark back into my workouts. Some of their games also add a good outlet for some fun sibling rivalry. Speaking of sibling rivalry did your kids ever open a Christmas present and say 'Wow! Grandma gave me $20.00'. That's when the other would say 'Only $20.? She gave me $50.' Yes, that went on in our house all the time. It was always funny especially when they were really little. To think that they had a sense of humor at such an early age.

I would also want to get 'Sonic 4 The Hedgehog' since it is rated for everyone. Our grandchildren amaze me daily at how quickly they adapt to and understand computer games. I'm pretty sure our daughter just got a PS3, but you can bring motion gaming to your existing PS3 for only $99. with the MOVE bundle package. Yep, this is going to be the Must Have this Christmas. Hours of games, movies and television episodes for everyone. Check, Christmas shopping DONE!!

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

It's April, 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's 38th birthday and she's alone in her office doing paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. He has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy booze, but Michael Sutton is 27, an unemployed college drop-out. Twenty-one years before, a four-year old girl disappeared. A recent reference to her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her lonely burial when he was six years old. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the child’s remains and finding the men who killed her. It’s a long shot but he's willing to pay cash up front and Kinsey agrees to give him one day. As her investigation unfolds, she finds out Michael Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his current story true or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?


Grafton moves the narrative between the eighties and the sixties, changing points of view, building multiple subplots, and creating memorable characters. Gradually, we see how they all connect. But at the beating center of the novel is Kinsey Millhone, sharp-tongued, observant, a loner—"a heroine," said The New York Times Book Review, "with foibles you can laugh at and faults you can forgive."


This is my first Sue Grafton book and I'll be back for more. I think I got it as a book club selection. In the beginning I was only getting 10 to 15 minutes of read time at a sitting and it was definitely difficult to keep up with the characters. Lots of mystery and intrigue. Another "oh what a tangled web we weave" if you know what I mean. After years of covering up a bad past it will eventually come back to haunt you. Lots of little side lines going on at once including some from Kinsey Millhone who was orphaned at the young age of 4 and then raised by her aunt. Good read, you'll want to keep reading to see who dun it.

Final Day of Shows

We had a busy evening Saturday night. Our first show of the evening was Sons of the Pioneers Chuckwagon Dinner Show . It was a lot like Roy Rogers Jr. which MM really enjoyed. The chuckwagon dinner was good too. We were disappointed that we had to cut out a few minutes early, but good thing we did... there was a lot of traffic that time of night with people going to shows.

Cutting the first show short and running from one theatre to the next we made it to Noah the Musical without a minute to spare. It was a spectacular show depicting the tale of Noah and the Ark from the Bible. With live animals, 3D video effects, animatronics, a huge cast and an amazingly colossal set with a four-story Ark, the Sight and Sound Branson Theatre could be the new standard in Branson shows. Watch Noah and his family build an enormous Ark and fill it with animals, two by two. Featuring a 300-foot wraparound stage, hundreds of live and animatronic animals and a 40-foot-high ark, Noah - the Musical brings the Bible to life on stage in an experience you'll never forget!

After God reveals to the righteous Noah that a flood will extinguish all life on earth, He charges the man to construct an ark massive enough to shelter his family, any other true believers, and pairs of every species of living creature. This is definitely a MUST SEE when in Branson. I absolutely LOVED Noah the Musical!! The production was a full 360 degree stage. I wasn't sure what that meant... well, I know what it means, but I didn't know what to expect. You were literally sitting in the middle of the ark with cages of animals all around you. There were cast and animals coming in from the back.... AWESOME. If there was one Must See show, this would be it.

So that's our week in Branson 10 shows (Showboat Branson Belle, The Baldknobbers, Fountains of Faith, The Platters, Jim Stafford, Roy Rogers Jr, Yakov Circus, Spirit of the Dance, Sons of the Pioneers and Noah the Musical) and 4 attractions (Zipline, Branson Scenic Train, Branson Landing and Behind the Scenes of Noah the Musical)and now we need a vacation to just rest.. maybe another time. For now we're hitting the road again for a long drive home. Back to work on Tuesday all refreshed and ready to go.

Getting Around Branson

We found getting around Branson to be very easy with this great map of the area.



The maps are available everywhere and have all the theaters and attractions noted along the highway. Most of the shows are on 76 (green), the main highway, but then they have highways color coded. Red is the Shepherd Hills Highway, the blue highway is also called Gretna, there is also a yellow highway. There are several roads that connect you from one to another and you can get out of the congestion as easily as taking a side road up to one of the other highways. Lots of hills and curves. Sorry this map isn't color coded, but the ones that they actually distribute are. Even traveling along 76 wasn't difficult. It's a three lane road that gets to top speeds of about 35 mph.. one lane going east, one west and a center lane to make getting onto the highway pretty easy. Big city made easy with common sense maps.

Behind The Scenes of Noah the Musical

We only had one thing today and really enjoyed it. We're planning on seeing Noah the Musical tomorrow night and while waiting to purchase the tickets someone came up and said 'you have to see Behind the Scenes'. This was the final opportunity to see it this season so I'm glad they told us. Talk about interesting. There were 8-10 groups of about 15 people per group going back stage with two guides each. I guess I'd never given it any thought, but they have about 65 live animals and some portions of backstage smell like a barnyard lol. There are also about 125 automated animals and 7 animal costumes that have people in them. We got to see the turtle and how a small woman fits inside and moves 'slowly' ;).

The props are everything from a simple scene that you'd see in any production to 4 story view of the ark. Very impressive. All props are built on the premises and everything is done in house. The staff and actors are all full time employees with full benefits.

All the information about the couple that started this production can be found at sight-sound.com. Following is an excerpt from their website.

Our Name
The name "Sight & Sound" was inspired by the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 13:10-23. The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to the people in parables or stories. Jesus replied that even though people were seeing, they did not really see. Even though they were hearing, they did not truly hear or understand what they heard.

It is our goal to visualize and dramatize Biblical truth through live stage productions - to illustrate truth in the same way that Jesus did, by storytelling. Our desire is that our audience will gain clear understanding and inspiration through these presentations, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and deepen their relationship with our Father through Him.

Our Mission
Our purpose is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sow the Word of God into the lives of our customers, guests, and fellow workers by visualizing and dramatizing the scriptures, through inspirational productions, encouraging others and seeking always to be dedicated and wise stewards of our God-given talents and resources


They finish up this production for this year on the 16th of this month then begin rehearsals for The Miracle of Christmas. Noah the Musical will be back again next year. Following are a few pictures we took today. Picture taking behind the scenes was prohibited.

This is a small ark in the lobby, it's about 12-15' high

This was one of several scenes also set up in the lobby... way up high ;)

This sculpture of the Lion and the Lamb is out front as you approach the lobby. Again, very impressive. The picture doesn't do it justice.

We're really looking forward to tomorrows program and want to thank Al for telling us 'you have to see it!'.