This Perfectly Imperfect Life

And a Blessed Samhain! Love, Jo )O( Free Glitter Graphics , Halloween Glitter Graphics Free Glitter Graphics , Halloween Glitter Graphics

Happy Halloween Eve! Mysterious goings on here today & this evening...

Sherry Dale Rogers! Congrats! When you get a chance, email me your mailing name & address. (My email appears in the left hand column here).

Share with us: ~How many Jack-O-Lanterns you're carving this year ~What you dressed up as on Halloween last year Again, I'll go first: This year I'll carve at least 2 medium or large pumpkins, one for the front porch and 1 for the back patio. Most likely I'll carve a couple of smaller ones and make tea light holders out of some Jack-Be-Little's for the front window sills outside. I'll also carve at least one turnip, as my ancestors in Ireland & England did so many centuries ago (before they brought that tradition to America and we turned it into carving pumpkins). My profile pic here (in the left hand column) gives a hint of what I dressed as last year. Was I a Witch, a Gypsy or a Goddess...? On Halloween, you can be anything you want to be! Time is running out! Click (or copy & paste) here to bring you to the Week 2 Book Giveaway post: http://justdigginaround.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-give-away-week-2.html

Where has this month, this year, gone?! Time for a little Countdown to Halloween fun! Share with us: ~Your favorite scary movie ~Your favorite scary novel or short story ~Whether or not you've ever had a ghostly/paranormal encounter. I'll go first: ~Hands down my favorite scary movie is the original John Carpenter's Halloween. (The original John Carpenter's The Fog is a very close second). ~I don't really have a favorite scary novel, but my favorite scary short story is "All Souls" by Edith Wharton. (I Highly recommend it!) ~I do believe I've had some sort of ghostly/paranormal experiences in the past. Most recent was during our visit to Salem Mass last October. Sounds like such a cliché, I know! I wasn't expecting anything to happen, especially with the overall campy atmosphere in Salem during Halloween. Our last stop before heading back to Ayers Mass was what's been dubbed as "The Witch House," the home of Witch Trial Judge Ju...

In keeping with the season and holiday at week's end, I'm giving away "The Widows of Eastwick" by John Updike, sequel to his novel "The Witches of Eastwick." This is a "discarded" hardback library copy and in near perfect condition. Leave a comment on this post thru midnight (e.s.t.) on Thursday, 10/29/09 and I will pick & announce the winner on Friday, 10/30/09. Good Luck!

Such a beautiful (sky here this) evening that I had to share. I hope you enjoy the photo and your Sunday evening.

Written 10/23/09 Nothing makes me think of Fall & the coming of cooler weather like the scent of woodsmoke in the air and the scent of cinnamon apple candles . As soon as I catch a whiff of either one, I think of the first time Hubby took me up to his family cabin in The Endless Mountains Region of North Eastern Pennsylvania. It was October 2004, the first weekend of the month and we headed up on Friday evening when he got home from work. I hadn't been away for a weekend in Years and I couldn't wait to get out into the country, especially after hearing so many of his tales. I was enthralled for the entire ride, through parts of NJ I'd never been to and into PA. It was all so pretty with the changing colors. On 81N the reds were just Popping out on either side of the highway. I had the feeling somewhere along the way that I was home. There's a wood burning stove in the cabin, the only heat source and so most of the time when we were there we had a fire going. (The ne...

The names. Into the hat. (drumroll) Tada! Winner of "The Time Traveler's Wife," is The Frog Queen! Congrats! (Forgive me, your name escapes me!) My email is in the left hand column. Please email me your mailing name and address when you have a chance. Best of luck to my other entrants for next time! Week 2 of my book giveaway will be announced on Monday 10/26. My only hint: It's something in keeping with the Season! Mmmwaaaahahahahaha! Now, for my Baked Pumpkin Seeds Recipes! Mostly by Mói! (The egg whites are thanks to Rachel Ray because olive oil & veggie oil & butter just have not worked for me in the past). Take guts & seeds & put in a large bowl of water & let seeds float to top. (Wipe off any remaining pumpkin goo that doesn't come off). Put seeds on clean kitchen towel to dry. (They'll stick to paper towels!) For every 2 cups of pumpkin seeds, you use 2 beaten egg whites. For plain: Mix egg whites w/seeds, (a pinch of salt if you w...

Watching Oprah yesterday, I heard something that connected immediately with my overwhelming urge to purge: "Less space. Less stuff. More life." My Soul jumped up and screamed "YES!" (As of right now, I have no "tidbit" for today. Will update if one comes to mind!)

Pictured above are the books I'm going to start giving away as of this week. The first one up for grabs is "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. (Used paperback copy, fairly good condition). To "enter" to win this book, please leave a comment on this post by midnight (e.s.t.) on Thursday, October 22, and I will pick a winner on Friday. Once I have the winner's name, I'll post it here on Friday and then you can email me you mailing name and address. (My email appears in the left hand column at the end of my "About Me" section). Good Luck!

Welcome! I'm so happy to have had so many visitors already! I must apologize for not being ready for you earlier! I also apologize for the wacky font sizes throughout my post. No matter how hard I try, I can't correct them. If music doesn't begin playing shortly after your arrival, scroll down until you see a purple music widget begin to load in the left hand column and wait until you hear the music before scrolling back up here. Happy Halloween Fete 2009! Love and Spookiness to All! ~Jo (Continue scrolling down until the end of the post) Outside, it's a gloomy & cold day here on the NJ coast. Many a restless Spirit wander here on days like this. One can never be too sure if the fog & mist are just as they seem. Inside, it is warm yet equally frightful! Creepy crawlies have gotten into the food & drink, I so hope you don't mind! What with all of the party hopping we're doing, I didn't want you to bust a gut, so I've laid out some Pumpkin Cook...

Go to http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/ for more info on Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. Is there any wonder why I cannot wait until we move up there?! It's the most wonderful time of the year!

To tell people to Shove Their Negativity Up Their Asses? :-)

I am a little more than displeased , to say the very least, that NASA launched a rocket at our Moon yesterday with the intention to crash it into her surface to cause debris to be scattered, just on the off chance there's water somewhere in that debris, which they think means that Perhaps life could be sustained there. What could the affects of this rocket crash be on our Moon, the atmosphere and therefore on us? They Don't Know. We're killing our Earth as it is! Leave Our Moon Alone!

Chris Rock said the following while on Oprah this afternoon: "Secrets rot the soul. Secrets Rot The Soul." Wow. How true. Simply stated yet Powerful. Stopped me right there. Brunonia Barry states in an interview on her website for her novel "The Lace Reader" ( http://www.lacereader.com ) that a theme of the novel is : "You have to go back to go forward." Brunonia returned to Salem MA to live and her book is set in Salem MA. Her character Towner must return to her own beginnings, in Salem and in her life where things went so wrong, in order to move forward and begin to truly heal. Hhhmmm...

Thoughts for today: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." (Anonymous) An "aha moment" for me. Tidbits for today: Yesterday, in 1849, Edgar Allen Poe died, at the age of 40.

Please click on the following link which will take you to an excellent and informative post on a friends blog: http://mandy-dailyreflections.blogspot.com/2009/10/domestic-violence-awareness-month-learn.html I also learned from this friend that October is also Down Syndrome Awareness Month in addition to Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Stop letting Pink hold all the attention and spread the word so all get equal billing regardless of their marketability!

YouTube has many different video's to watch and post to your blog. Go to http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=October+is+Domestic+Violence+Awareness+Month&search_type=&aq=f or go to YouTube and type in "October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in the search line.

I was inspired by Lisa's comment on my previous post and I created this button. Feel free to add this to your own blog! On my blog here, in the left hand column, I've linked it to http://dvam.vawnet.org/ which is The Domestic Violence Awareness Month Project. If you need help in posting it to your blog, email me and I'll reply with detailed instructions. (Don't worry, it's easy!)

As I've said in previous years, I realize the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness, BUT I am still upset that Domestic Violence Awareness Month gets swept under the carpet time and time again, year after year . Both can save Women's lives. I guess Pink is more marketable than Purple in this case. Once again I will be sending out emails to people like Oprah, Rachel Ray & Martha Stewart and shows like The View and The Dr. Oz Show, as well as to our local papers. And once again, nothing will be mentioned on air or in print, which is why I post this here and other various places online. I have been a victim of domestic violences in my past. I survived. The very least I can do is to bring attention to this month also being Domestic Violence Awareness Month which may help someone know they aren't alone, that there is help, that she can survive, and rebuild herself & her life. It's far from easy but it can be done. There are many resources out there to help, Do an onl...

As if I have a choice the day after an iv anyway! I'm exhausted after yesterday's treatment, so today I'm camping out on the couch to do a little reading, knitting, watching tv or a movie... Or I'll just go back to sleep! I normall have to be careful for a few days after an iv when it comes to being out & about - it runs me down a little and I can easily pick up a bug, but yesterday my nurse told me to be careful in crowds & avoid them especially for the next few days but as much as possible overall during this flu season & to be extra careful in general. Great. As if I didn't already have that worry in the back of my mind! Because of my history with flu vaccines, my doctors have recommend I Not get flu shots which is fine with me. My chances of getting the flu without the shot are minimal - with the shot it's guaranteed. The only times I've had the flu was immediately after getting the flu shot. The last time I had the flu? The last tim...

The October Country "...that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coalbins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. that country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain..." The opening of "The October Country" by Ray Bradbury, 1955. (*Oddly enough, I posted this yesterday and today it has today's date on it... Insert Twilight Zone theme music here).