What Made You Smile Today ?

Sky and I have that in common! We put out a TON of Xmas decorations! Sky has some awesome stuff!

WAIT until you see what I have planned for the board for Christmas!!! It will be gorgeous!!!!!!! So when you come here the morning after Thanksgiving be prepared!!

I love Halloween! Since it is Friday the kids have until 9:00 to trick or treat (usually it is only until 7:00) so I bought a ton of candy! Seems a lot of them are waiting until it is dark so that it is more fun! One of my ex-daycare kids was just here and he was Santa with a Santa gift bag for his candy. Too cute! Also, just now a group of junior high girls (some who used to be in my daycare when they were younger) were the best looking witches and vampires ever!! Awesome costumes and make-up!!

I am soooooooo looking forward to the Xmas Forum *cough*(Bah bloody humbug )
Awwwwww...seriously...I'm sure it will look wonderful..(as does the Halloween forum)
I was very good tonight though (as I have been the last few years)...& bought choc & sweets for anyone that knocked on my door.Only one knock so I'm left with choc & stuff....*sigh*
It's not really celebrated here as much as in the US...it certainly is getting more popular.I have to say I love to see the children who have made the effort :D

Oh, I have had about 50 now!

Just wrap up all that chocolate and ship it off to my place!!

(now back to the M&Ms from the candy bucket!)

About 15 teens just came to my door - but for Justin not for candy but I have a ton so they all took a bunch. Good thing, otherwise I will eat most of it!

We had less kids then we normally get. We had 61 and normally get maybe around 80 or more. This year and last year I gave out the natural fruit snacks and the kids remarks were all good, maybe they like something other than candy sometimes. I also had packets of the cheese sandwich/peanut butter sandwich things and they like getting those too. I get them at Costco so the price is right, and I'm not stuck with all the candy! We had half little goblins and half older goblins! My grandson(7) went as a vampire! EEEK, he looked cool with the teeth and he had these blood capsules he put in his mouth and it made it look like blood dripping out of his mouth! The little one(3) went as a rock star!

I can't wait to see the Christmas board! I won't be doing as much decorating for Christmas this year and I won't be putting up the tree, maybe a small one though. We're going to Arizona the whole week of Christmas, so I don't see the point of putting it all up.

How exciting to be going to Arizona for the whole week of Xmas!!

Sounds like your grandkids looked awesome!! Justin used to get those blood capsules at this little shop and liked to scare me that he got hurt! (but I didn't let him know that I pretty much knew it was the fake blood. I just acted all concerned for him until he said "fooled ya!" )

We had spectacular weather yesterday - sunny and almost 70 - yet it was probably the least number of kids we have ever had for Halloween. I also bought a lot of fruit snacks and Starbursts and Nerds and non-chocolate items. I filled this huge pumpkin basket with lots of different types of candy and I let the kids reach in a take 3 or 4 of whatever they want. I must say that here most go for the chocolate bars - though Sweettarts are a big hit too. So is Laffy Taffy!

The Christmas background is amazing! I cannot wait to change to that!

Glad to hear everyone had a pleasant Halloween full of giving treats and no tricks!

Sky, your grandson sounds adorable in his vamp attire and bloody drool!

I am a little bah humbug like Adrift about Christmas because it is such an overcommercialized holiday, but do enjoy the decorating, good will towards men and all that.

Here are their pictures.......I wish I had taken one full length. I'll leave them up for a day and then I'll take them down. I almost didn't recognize my little 'Vampire'.

Sky - they look soooo sweet (um - in a halloweenish way! )
Lovely to see the pictures - Thank you :D

Eeek! What a cutie Sky! He is so loving playing the vampire isn't he???? You can just feel his glee about having such a cool costume! Mom did a great job on his make-up too!

Little Elvis isn't too shabby either!

Oh deep bloody joy!! We have been leading up to Guy Fawkes night here (5th November)...but nope...we have to have bloody fireworks parties for at least 2 weeks before & 2 weeks after grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! Don't get me wrong...I LOVE fireworks, but it just seems to go on & on & on! I wish they would do something about the legal side of buying the friggin things...they have supposed to have cracked down...but we still have incidents here of unruly kids "playing" with them!
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED30%20Oct%202008%2015%3A17%3A30%3A867

I soooooooooo don't want to sound like a party pooper - I'm such a child at a proper organised firework display (oooooooooo...ahhhhhhhh) ...but something really does need to be done.

Ooops I'm having a rant in the "what made you smile" bit......ok.....today I smiled because we have had LOADS of rain...but my car started first time :D - (it had to go to the car hospital a couple of weeks ago because it took ages to start...& then would "die" on the way to work if it had been raining )

My little Vampire really enjoyed his costume. I'm not even sure he knows what a vampire really is, I'll have to ask him. Little Elvis/rockstar wasn't even sure about the whole thing, other than he got candy! He was tired and probably running on a sugar high!

OMG!! They are simply adorable Sky!! The little guy has the most beautiful little face!! I'm sure the older one does too - but you can't really tell with the scary make-up!

They are both cuties, but yes the little one has a face of an angel. He is also the most caring lovable child and probably the most stubborn! LOL

This is one of my favorite photos snapped of him a couple of years ago.........

Awwwwwwwwwwww...lol...how can you resist that look???
I think with those eyes he's gonna break a few hearts in some years time :D

I know............ He had been playing in the water fountain and the photographer just started snapping away. You should see his eyelashes.......I'm jealous.

I think Jason may have competition in the eye department!!

He is gorgeous Sky!! Thanks for sharing!!

My fave fruit is watermelon! I always wine to my hubby about how there is nothing watermelon flavored to tide me over during the non-watermelon seasons - no watermelon juice or Popsicles etc.

So today after car shopping, hubby and I went to Woodman's (our very fave big grocery store - maybe you all have some by you) and while hubby is looking for ice cream - what do my eyes spy??! Watermelon sherbert!! GRABS IT!! I just had a bowl and it is quite good! Not the same as the actual fruit - but very refreshing!

Anyway, that really made my day!

WHAT!!what brand is it??? I LOVE watermelon.

Schoeps! They make ice cream and sherbet. There were many flavors at Woodman's. I do not remember ever seeing that brand anywhere else. Schoeps started out as an ice cream shop in Wisconsin. Now they sell ice cream and sherbet to stores also.

Good luck! I hope you find some!

This made me both smile and cry! My Aunt Mary sent it to me this morning. While reading it I could picture the whole scenario in my head and tears were just pouring down my face while I smiled. Of course the ending was so sad. I was so moved that I had to know if the story was true or urban myth. So I investigated and found out that it is indeed a true story - just that Shay was really a little Jewish boy and Shay was just an abbreviated version of his name. The school he attended was a Hebrew school in NYC.

Quote :

Run Shay, Run!

--posted by Vinod on Jan 14, 2008

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?'

Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

I have read this one before, and it is heartwarming. It's nice to know that it was true.

Yes! I was so glad to find out it was true. There was a site that investigated the story and they were able to hunt down the school and find out about the boy. I believe this took place in 2000.

Well of course that reduced me to tears!! Such a wonderfully moving story ...especially to know that it did happen.

Thank you for that FC