Oh Happy Day

Do you ever have a day where you just feel happy? Not for any particular reason ... just happy in general? Especially when there are probably all kinds of reasons not to feel happy -- like needing to lose weight before the holidays so I can gain it all right back again, needing to prepare a battle plan to wage war on the growing population of dust bunnies taking over our house, all the dingleberry drivers out there who cannot seem to execute a double turn lane without creeping over into my lane and making my heart race.

How about a few lyrics from Christina Aguilera's song "Beautiful" ...

'cause we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down
Don't you bring me down today

Here are a few reasons to be happy in my world ...

It is absolutely 100% certified gorgeous outside today. Glorious, warm but cool, perfect! Do you see where it says it is currently 76 degrees and it -- this is the part that cracks me up -- Feels Like: 76 degrees! Hey, who'd have guessed? Although I suppose it could have felt like 75 or 77 degrees.

Enjoying Fall with all its trappings by going to the Pumpkin & Chili Party last weekend at

Where we wandered through the straw bale maze ...

Drove the country road rally course in people powered cars -- that's right, we had to pedal!!!

And enjoyed pumpkins in one form ...

and another ...

Making Rice Krispies Treats with the Granddaughter and her friend after school yesterday ...

And, oh happy day, I'm finished, finito, done. I have turned this ...

into this ...

It still needs to be blocked to open up the lace stitches and I did modify the pattern to take the neckline up a little higher and add a 6th button. But my Dynamic Cardi is done ... off the needles ... which is the best reason of all to be happy. Woo hoo!

Sending happy vibes your way because I have plenty to share. =D

Grandkid Fun

So the Granddaughter came to stay for a few days. She keeps reminding us - over and over - that she is almost 14, almost in high school, even though she is only 13-1/2 and about to enter 8th grade soon. Please stop with the growing up reminders! Just looking at her standing as tall as I am is enough.

We watched DVDs (Surf's Up and Hoodwinked) and TV (America's Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance). Unfortunately, we didn't have any episodes of Wipeout taped. She loves that one and hearing her roar with laughter is the best ... simply the best.

We crafted. I pulled out all the scrapbooking supplies and we made a few greeting cards. She couldn't have been happier, up to her elbows in glue and decorative scissors and stickers.

Here is one of the cards she made for her sweetie pie cousin ...

We swam and swam and swam some more ...

Miles got a few laps in ...

We made Rice Krispies treats ...

It's been forever and a day since I've made these yummy things. I seem to remember them being kind of a pain to make on the stove top, but melting everything in the microwave sure made it fast and easy. I had forgotten the tricks, though, like greasing the foil so they don't stick and pressing them down with waxed paper instead of the sticky back of the spoon. Didn't really matter as they were still delicious!

Let me leave you with one of our favorite Granddaughter stories. She was 3-years-old and the only child amongst a lot of adults so she naturally heard a lot. We all tried to watch our mouths, but you know. Hubby had gotten his surround sound system working just the way he likes it in the family room ... loud and surroundy! He was watching Top Gun and it sounded like the fighter jets were literally flying through our house.

The Granddaughter was sitting at the breakfast nook table directly behind his easy chair, cute as a button, playing with Play-Doh. All of a sudden there was a lull in the noise and in the blessed quiet, she says in her sweet little voice, "Bampy, could you turn that down? It's scaring the crap out of me!"

Ah, good times!