A Super Cute Chocolate Bouquet Fall Garden to make!

I made a fall chocolate candy garden last night, and it is one of my favorites!  What do you think?

If you would like to make this yourself, please click on the link-it will take you to my website with the supplies and directions!

Feel free to leave a comment (hint hint!)...I LOVE comments!  =D

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id145.html

YELLOW-And Yet, Another Announcement!

Okay, I am painting the bathroom.  My light yellow cupboards are really pretty!  But the walls.....so far the walls are YELLOW.  Not yellow, but YELLOW!!!  Kind of rhymes with HELLOW!!!, which is quite fitting when you walk in the room.  In fact, if you visit me, you might want to bring your sunglasses.

I can't disclose the shower curtain design right now, but I am really hoping it tones down the walls!  My girls and I are keeping it a secret from Dan and Dakota until I get it hung up.

But if it doesn't tone down the walls, it will just make me live up to the motto that I've been sharing with folks for the last year--life is too short to have too serious of a house!

So that is what is new with me, among other things!

I do have a little "announcement" to share with you all! 

If you have followed me very long, you know that this is my lighthearted blog.  This is where I share all of my ditziness and chocolate bouquets and candy arrangements.  Once in a while I'll show my serious side, but I have made it my unspoken promise to keep my blog family friendly.  I am who you see-I'm a Christian woman who tries to write a good blog.

Have you ever wondered what the deeper side of me is like?  If there even IS a deeper side of me, seeing as how I steal grocery carts from elderly men, and never have a lightbulb moment about changing around two door knobs for the purpose of easier access into my home?  Well, that is my announcement! 

I have started yet another blog! lol  But this one is my serious side, my ornery side against the goofiness of the world, and my side that talks about the heavier things in life that really don't fit with the theme of my lighthearted blog.  Yes, I do have a brain!  =D

Won't you please stop by and visit me?  It's an honor to have my faithful readers, and I do mean that.  I hope you will like what you see on my newest blog, www.justjosanne.com

And can I ask a favor?  Could you  please leave me a comment and let me know that you've stopped by?  It always does my heart good to see that someone has left a comment for me-it encourages me to keep on writing!

Fall Chocolate Centerpiece The Children Can Help Make!

This is a fun little chocolate centerpiece I made, and it is perfect for little fingers!  No hot or cold glue mess-just double sided tape!  (A few corsage pins were used to hold leaves in place-you may not need them.)

Please visit my website to get the instructions!  CLICK HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Chocolate Ball for A Lovely Fall Centerpiece!

Hey there, Everyone!

I've been busy putting together a fall centerpiece this evening, and I hope you all like it!

Because I upload so many pictures for my how-to instructions, instead of bogging down the blog, I just like to share the link to my website.  Please go to http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id143.html for the instructions! 

Also, as mentioned on my how-to page, you'll notice my little boo-boo of using a white foam ball instead of green.  Just picture this with a green foam ball!  =)

For more fall decorations, visit Julia's Hooked on Houses blog party!

More to come soon!

Stay Tuned!!!

Just a quick little update to let you know I just bought a BOATLOAD of candy to make some new chocolate bouquets!  Along with some fall bowls and plates, these arrangements will be perfect for your fall decor! 

Look for updates in the next few days!

May I Have Your Attention Please!!!

Now that I have your attention, I would like to introduce my daughter's blog to you!

Introducing "Picture Perfect" at http://www.elissaanthony.blogspot.com/

Her intro story is cute, and she has posted a few pictures of a wedding she took the pictures for. 

She did a beautiful job! 

This is her first blog, so please stop by, give her some blog love, and leave a comment!  Thanks!

Five Question Friday

I decided to answer a few questions that other bloggers are answering-you will get to know my just a tad bit better by this post!  =D

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?  Probably.....Southern Belle!  That way I would always sound cute and sweet!!!  I could be screaming at my kids and Dan, and I'd sound so sweet to all the neighbors that they wouldn't even notice I was livid!!!  They'd look our way and say, "Isn't she so cute?  And she always sounds so sweet!"  =D


2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)
No-even when I'm tired, I have a hard time falling asleep in my own bed!  I need MY pillow and my SOCKS!  And after I lay in bed for 30-60 minutes, I will fall asleep.

3. THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN DELETED BECAUSE IT IS NOT A QUESTION I WANT ON MY BLOG-SEEMED A BIT CRUDE FOR THIS BLOG-NO OFFENSE, QUESTION MAKERS!

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?
Tricia Goyer!  She is an author, and I'm connected to her on Twitter!  She responded to me TWICE!!!  She writes Christian novels and other books, and one of her books was/is 2nd place on Amazon's Kindle list!  She's a mother about my age, and she just seems so nice!  Did I mention she responded to me TWICE on Twitter???  =D

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date
In his home town, which is now my home town too, we went with the church group to Perkin's restaurant!
In MY hometown of Akron, Ohio, we went to the Waterloo(can I have a shout out for the Waterloo???) restaurant.  He gave me baby roses, and made me laugh til I cried.  What a guy!  I had my roses in the same little gift box they came in until my house burned down!

So there you have it!  Four questions answered on Five Questions Friday! 
Feel free to leave your link below so others can see your Five Question Fridays answers on your blog!  And please feel free to leave me compliments-I MEAN comments!!!  =D

Twelve Year Olds Carrying Machine Guns

Amber, my 15 year old daughter, was talking to a friend the other day-a boy who lives in Phoenix, Arizona.  They were talking about food, and Amber mentioned that she doesn't eat lamb(she feels bad for those innocent little guys), but she thinks deer steaks are pretty good.

Her friend, whose name I won't reveal in case he stumbles across my blog and is terribly embarrassed, then asks Amber something along the lines of,

"You guys hunt up there?  What do you use-machine guns?"

This was TOO funny-can you imagine a few little boys walking thru the woods, and their chests are all stuck out because they're carrying MACHINE GUNS???  Any deer they would see would be DEAD, thus leaving out the right to call it "game".

Can you imagine one of those 12 year olds when his venison is being served for dinner?  "Sorry there's not much meat, Ma.  I really think they should allow more deer tags per hunter."  And OH, the hunting stories that could probably come from carrying MACHINE GUNS!  Knowing little boys, they'd definitely try to out-do each other.  "Oh yeah?  Well I put 47 shots in mine!"  "Well my 24 shots made a perfect smiley face, and I didn't even TRY!"

Ahh....such is the vast difference in understanding between the big city life, and the small city life.

I think I know why they are trying to outlaw guns now.

Share
|

A Sad Farewell, My Summer Love!

(no worries-I'm not talking about another man!)

The affair may be over, or we may have a few last chances to meet before October 31st.

When I drive by your house after church, I can feel you calling me...

Sometimes I'm able to stop for a few minutes, and try to hide the evidence that we visited.  This isn't always easy to do because you live on a main road, and friends and family have to drive by your place on their way home!  What if they've seen my car at your place?  Well, if they have, they haven't said anything to  me.

I'm totally at bliss when I'm with you!  Nothing is as cool as you are! 

When winter comes along, I'll still drive by your place almost daily, but it will be with a saddened heart because you aren't there.  You haven't given me the details, but I suspect you are in Florida, or Hawaii, meeting other women who fall in love with you.

Sigh....

You aren't good for me anyway, so I really should just get over you, and not anticipate your return next summer.  But so far, I can't. 

Who cares if you just want my money?  I'm not a tightwad-I like to share!

Why should I worry if you hate my clothes-you still want ME, right?  I'll find bigger, better ones!

And last but not least, why should it bother me if you like to melt faster than I can consume you, dripping chocolate and ice cream all over my clothes repeatedly, nearly every time I visit you?

I LOVE you, small vanilla cone dipped in chocolate!  I will miss you!!! 

Are you trying to end our summer fling early?  I stopped to see you today and you weren't ready, so they made me take blue raspberry dip instead!

Do you think we can get together at least one last time?  I might not be able to visit with you next summer-what if I reform and change my ways???

In case we don't meet again this summer, I just want to say, it is with great sadness that I tell you, Goodbye, My Summer Love!  Goodbye little ice cream stand!!!

=)

What will you miss about summer?

I'm A Wannabee

I have a secret--it's a BIGGIE!!!  And I'm gonna let you in on it!

My secret is.....

I'm a Wannabee!!! 

Blogging is something I've enjoyed doing, and am reading some books on how to move my blog up to the next level.  Wanna help me?

I ADMIT IT!!!  I want to be the next Chris Brogan, the next Darren Rowse, as cute as Smockity Frocks, as popular as Julia from Hooked On Houses!  But there are a few problems:

1:  I don't have the time to put in 27 hours a day like Chris and Darren, and I am totally html illiterate-just read my last post on trying to upload a "do it for you" blog design!  These men are the masters of the blogosphere, and I'm just gonna be stuck in envy mode.

2.  I'm not cute.  Conni from Smockity is SOOoooo cute!  I wish I were cute! 

3.  I'm not as popular as Julia-she just posted about her 10 millionth view! 

Solutions:

Thank you all, my faithful followers-I do appreciate you!  Would you like to see me reach my wannabee goals?  Here's a few things you can do to help!

Could you all just click on my site about 100 times a day?  That would make me feel much better.  Thanks!

Can you tell me how cute I am?  If you REALLY want to make me feel good, tell me I'm cuter than Conni!

Can you give my blog name to any famous folks you happen to know, and ask them to put in a good word for me on Twitter or Facebook?

I KNOW you don't want me to put up a video of me begging and pleading for readers, now do you??? 

Wow!  You guys are the greatest!  Thanks!

Now!  To be a little more serious, I really do have a desire to excell in blogging.  If you'd like to help me out, please share my blog or web address with your friends and family.

Many of you know that my husband is limited to how much he can work because of being seriously injured a year ago.  I would LOVE to be able to grow my readership, which will eventually bring in some revenue from my many hours of blogging.

I am not asking anyone for money, just that you might share my blog with others.  And I really do appreciate your help-thank you!  =)

Yep! A New Look!

What do you all think of my blog's new look?

Let me just tell ya, this was no easy feat!  Add computer programming, and even templates that do the work for you, to the list of things I cannot do without turning it into a major, life changing project! 

I was trying to come up with a background for my new blog, Join The Challenge!  , when I decided to go ahead and freshen up my A Chocolate Bouquet blog.  BIG mistake! 

I cannot tell you how I managed to make all of my widgets disappear, and even the "design" option on my editing page.  I even tried to go back to my previous background by copying and pasting the code, and THAT didn't even turn out right!

Needless to say, my heart sank as I thought I would have to mourn the departure of my widgets and pictures, but then, wonder of wonders, I got them all back!  Granted I was up until 2 a.m. working on it, but hey!  It's fixed!

Please do not ask me how I did this-I cannot tell you because I am not sure.

I do hope you like the new look-I think it's pretty, and it's one of the only ones I could get to work!  =)

Have a great day Everyone!

Is This A Hard Boiled Egg?

You would think that when I was 10 years old(or somewhere near that age), that my mother would spell things out more specifically for me when giving me suggestions.  So the question is, which of us was the bigger ditz?

I found an egg in the refrigerator, and didn't know if it was raw or hard boiled.  Hard boiled eggs are a nice little snack!

It wasn't very nice of me to wake her up, but I stood in the bedroom doorway, and asked my mom if the egg I had in hand was hard boiled.  She didn't know, and said so.  "I don't know-crack it open and see!"

Brilliant!  Why hadn't I thought of that?  So guess what I did???

In the doorway of my parents' bedroom, I cracked open that mysterious little egg.

It wasn't hard boiled. 

So which of us showed our "Blon" roots more, or was my mom just not awake enough to remember she was talking to her "Blon" offspring?

Thankfully, the floor was hardwood.  And yes, I cleaned it up.  =P

A True, Modern Day Hero!

This is a picture of Gene and Dora, Sandra and me. I grew up with Sandra and her siblings and family-one house separated our homes.

Dan and I got to hear the awesome story of a modern day hero, a REAL hero! I've heard the story once or twice in the past, but not by the actual hero himself-until yesterday! Gene and Dora shared this story with us, and it is absolutely worth sharing it with you!

The Y Bridge, Akron, Ohio

Above is a picture of the Y Bridge in my home town of Akron, Ohio. As you can probably tell, this is a large bridge, one where people go to jump off when they feel that life is no longer worth living.

One Sunday morning, Gene and Dora were on their way to church, and Dora noticed a woman on the bridge, and told Gene that it looked like she was going to jump. Gene was driving, and turned around to go back to the woman.

His granddaughter talked him into buying new shoes the day before, and they happened to have traction, unlike his usual pair that were worn well on the now slippery bottoms.

As Gene got out of his car and was approaching the woman, she kept telling him not to come near her, that she would jump. He told her he wasn't going to touch her, he just wanted to know if she was ok, and began asking her questions, learning that she had a husband and two children at home.

Gene continued to inch his way toward the woman, and she continued to inch her way to a position on the bridge where she would be sure to land on concrete below, and not in the grass.

Gene managed to get up to the woman, and she did indeed jump. Gene caught her, and held her until help came, and was able to get her back over the rail to safety.

Dora, of course, was praying the whole time as well.

The next day, Gene and Dora visited with the young woman, and she asked Gene who else helped him to hold her. He told her it was just him. She told him that she felt many hands/arms around her, and I'm sure I know why.

God loves people. I cannot answer why tragedy hits some, and spares others, but one thing I do know is that God used this good man to help save this young mother who apparently felt no hope. This woman was given a second chance at life. It has been 10 years since this happened, and I hope this woman will never forget her second chance at life, and be thankful that she was able to watch her little ones grow up.

I feel honored to say, "I know this man!!!". This family lived two doors down from me for many, many years. Their kids and my brother and I have many, many memories together!

These are two online mentions of this situation-God bless my neighbor Gene, who was one of my dad's very dearest friends, and who has always cared about people!


http://www.carnegiehero.org/pdfs/01junNR_1.pdf
CARNEGIE HERO FUND COMMISSION CITES 22
FOR EXTRORDINARY HEROISM IN U.S., CANADA

Gene H. Barker saved a woman from falling, Akron, Ohio, July 30, 2000. Intending to commit suicide, a
34-year-old woman sat on a narrow concrete barrier along the edge of a highway bridge, at a point about
70 feet above a paved road. Barker, 59, retired mason, saw her as he drove across the bridge. He
returned to the scene, then slowly approached the woman on foot and spoke to her over the course of a
few minutes. The woman then told Barker she was going to jump, and she began to do so. From about
four feet away, Barker lunged at the woman, who had left the barrier, and grasped her under the arms,
securing her. The woman struggled with Barker as he leaned over the waist-high barrier and yelled at
him to let her go. Other men who were nearby then aided Barker until emergency personnel arrived
shortly and removed her from the bridge. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment, and she
recovered.


http://www.ci.akron.oh.us/News_Releases/2000/083000.html
Mayor Plusquellic honored 59 year old Gene Barker, a passer-by on the All-America Bridge Sunday morning, July 30, who reached out for a woman as she flung herself from the span. Barker caught the woman in mid air, and held her in a bear hug until several citizens, police and EMS crews arrived to assist in getting the woman safely back on the bridge sidewalk. Officers Mark Hagen and Jim Kroah assisted in getting the victim back over the railing.


Barker, a retired mason, said the danger to his own life never entered his mind. "I just did something probably anyone would have done in that spot. I feel good about being there at a time where I could help," Barker said this morning.


Mayor Plusquellic called Barker’s actions fearless, saying, "Mr. Barker risked his own life, risked being pulled over the bridge while extending his body over the railing to grab the woman. This was an act of selfless courage."

Dan Shares A "Blon" Moment

Dan and I just celebrated our 17th anniversary-a whopping 17 years!

We've come a long way since the beginning of our marriage.  We're both "healthier"--you can tell by just looking at us!  We're both grayer-thanks, kids!  And we're both WISER!!!

Thinking back on our first year of marriage, my air-headed genes must have been mingling with his genes.  We lived in a very small single-wide trailer that we bought off of friends.  The cost was right, and it was already set up. 

One small "delimma", for lack of a better word coming to mind, was that the front door did not have a key for the lock.  The back door had a key, but no porch.

We were quite poor when we first married, which is probably why we didn't splurge on getting a door knob with a key, so every time we locked the door, when we returned home, we would use the back door to get in, since we had the key to the lock.  Unlock the door, give one of us a boost in the back door(since there was no porch), and whoever was inside would go and unlock the front door.

We lived in that tiny trailer with no front door key for a year.

We then sold the trailer to friends of ours, as we needed a bigger place to live for our growing family.

The new couple that moved in never had a problem with not having a key to the front door.

Would you like to know why?

Because the husband switched the front and back door knobs.

Yes, Dan and I were smacking our heads.....sigh, and as for me, I still haven't gotten much better!  At least I know what to do if we ever have a missing key door knob problem again, so I'm at least a little wiser!  =)

Time To Round Up The Socks

If you've been a follower of my blog for very long, you already know that I collect socks-under my pillow.  Here is the original blog post about this fascinating fact about me:

http://achocolatebouquet.blogspot.com/2010/01/fascinating-facts-about-me-part-2.html

The second blog post listed below tells you further information about my sock collection.  You may need to read it in order to understand my latest announcement:

http://achocolatebouquet.blogspot.com/2010/03/socks.html

And my latest announcement is......the NEW number is......25!  Yep!  When I realized I could only find about 1 pair of my own socks, it donned on me where to find all the missing foot warmers!

Twenty-five.....am I all alone, or does anyone else share my habit???

A New and Simple Chocolate Bouquet!

Hi Everyone!
I have finally been updating my website, and have added one new chocolate bouquet so far!  I've been on my toes, and plan to add more to the site in the upcoming week and weeks.  Please drop by to see how to make this cute, simple bouquet-made of Andes mints and Rocher chocolates-I've had several compliments on it from friends and family!  

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id140.html

Sorry Folks!

Sorry folks, but I had to delete my last post.  Unfortunately the ads it was pulling up in my side bar were ads that I wouldn't want anyone to see!

The GOOD news is that I've added this humorous story to my website, so you can still read it!  It's a story from a friend who was pulled over by military police, and you'll never guess why!

Take a look, and check out my new website additions while you are there!

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id134.html

The Oil Cap

Just last weekend, I was delighted to visit with my dear friend Mrs. Lanni-she was my babysitter when I was just a child.  Now in her 80's, Amber and I were happy to be able to visit and lift her spirits for a couple of days.

While there, my brother came to visit too-and we reminisced about how he would pick on me, and Mrs. Lanni's daughter would make him pay for it, and how I dug into Mrs. Lanni's chocolate cupcakes, with the evidence all over my face, yet denied it....why WERE they laughing?  How could they tell???

But then my brother Bryan, who is funny even when he isn't trying, talked about a story from when he had his first car.  I had actually forgotten about this story, but laughed as hard over it as I have in years past, so here it is for ya!

When Bryan had his first car, one night he was putting oil in it.  He dropped the cap, and it mysteriously disappeared!  We searched and searched, and somehow Bryan was walking backwards around his car while searching for it. 

What Bryan didn't know is that I was in front of his car on my hands and knees, looking underneath the front end.  Yes, Bryan continued to walk backwards, and I was an obstacle in his path.  I took him out at the knees.

Guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious, if you can just picture it!

We still couldn't find the cap, and reluctantly went in and woke our dad, who had to get up around 4:30 a.m. for work. 

Dad, the car expert, came out and located the cap in under 10 seconds.  It fell and landed inside the hood-apparently in a place that is common for oil caps to land inside of hoods.  And then Dad headed back to bed.

Yes, a fond memory of childhood.  Wish you couldn't have been there to see it!

Do You Have Ten Dollars?

Well folks, I am back from a two week trip of travelling from state to state, stopping to visit friends and family along the way, and back again until next time!  Our travel stops included Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

Let me share with you a memorable event from Texas! 

I was in a thrift store, minding my own business, looking thru the skirts.  I could hear a very persistant little boy, about the age of 5 or 6, asking his mother for a camera.  Although I don't remember word for word perfectly, this is basically what was said:

"Can I get the camera?  Can I get the camera?  PLEASEeeeeeee can I get the camera??????"

Mom is busy looking at clothes with who I assume is the older sister.  Mom does not hear the boy for the first several questions, but eventually says something to him.  Then there is silence for a brief moment.

While minding my own business, I hear, "Hello!"  I say hello back to this little fellow.  He begins to tell me how he really wants the camera, and that is it $10 and it is PERFECT for him.  I try to be polite and say things like, "Ohh...." and "Uh-huh..." 

Then the conversation turns personal!

"Do you have $10?"

Okay, now what would YOU have done or said?  Chances are that perfect camera was not the best camera in the world, and may or may not have worked.  It isn't that I'm stingy with my money, but I must admit I don't go handing out money to children every day, unless the last name is Anthony!

So I decided to pretend I didn't hear him, the same way his mother did!  And the conversation continues like this:

"Do you have ten dollars?  Do you have ten dollars?  Do you have ten dollars?  I'm ASKING you a question!!!"

Oh....ooops!  So sorry little guy.....

I was hoping Mom would hear her little man asking strangers for money, but she continued to be oblivious.  I said, "Oh, what was that?"

"Do you have ten dollars?"

It is not my policy to lie, so I said that yes, I had ten dollars. 

He asked if he could have it and explained how he really wanted the camera, and I continued to sift thru the skirts.  He hold out his hand and tells me that he's the money collector person-I continue to sift thru the skirts.

FINALLY Mom hears him and sweetly drags him away(she was sweet with her answers to him, she really was-always giving him kindness WHEN she heard him! lol).  As she is pulling him her way, I hear, "That lady was gonna give me $10!!!"  Mom kindly told him that I was going to spend my $10 on clothes!

Needless to say, I took the opportunity to escape, for fear I may run into this persistant little guy in another aisle.

No one since has asked me if I have $10, but I wonder if I will break out in a sweat, or feel the urge to run, or if I'll get the shakes when they do! 

Thank you little boy.....I now have a new fear--askaforatenadollaphobia!!!

Is She A....

Have you all seen my beautiful daughters in the side bar of my blog? Well, my daughter with the darker hair is Amber. She is very light complected, and has very dark hair, eyebrows, and the long black eyelashes that every woman wishes she had-except Amber's are all natural.


Well, Amber was at the park a few weeks ago, and there was a little boy there as well. He saw Amber and asked the lady he was with if Amber was a vampire! LOL So he asked why is she so white, then?