Here is a slideshow of the AMAZING robot costume my hubby and I made for our daughter. I designed and sewed the silver stretchy outfit. Hubby, the electrical engineer, made his own circuit boards and programmed the chips to run the various electronics - including a scrolling LCD message board, swirling lights, and a sound board. I did the makeup and the kiddo acted the part talking in a little robot voice.

It was VERY elaborate but of course, the incredible reaction from very impressed neighbors made it worth the effort.

Then there are pics of a few pets: Megan and Buster in pumpkin costume. Megan LOVES dressing up and gets jealous when any other pets are adorned in any way!

Check out the latest ripoffs from Urban Outfitters:

Ah, I get it, retro- 80's moonboots. Is it me, or is $80 is alot of dough to shell out to be Napolean-Dynamite-esque ironic?

Then we have my perrenial fave, the ever-so-punk "lace up combat boots":

Ladies and Gents, hold on to your hats: I am now an "official' Minister as Mandated by my Parish and the Archdiocese of Chicago!!!!!

Yesterday I attended a ceremony during Mass where 4 other persons and myself were "mandated" (the official term) as Ministers of Care for our Parish. I attended 6 weekly training sessions and then will be apprenticing with an expereinced Minister for the next year or so.

What is a Minister of Care? We take consecrated Communion Host to persons in nursing homes, hospitals, and to the homebound, who cannot attend Mass to receive this sacrament. We also spend time with these persons saying prayers, blessing with holy water, annointing with oil, and just being there for them to talk and listen and provide a link to the Parish Community. Largely the people I will serve are elderly which is my thing. When I was in high school, I worked in a local nursing home for two years as an activities aide. I enjoy the company of seniors a great deal so I look forward to being able to help them in the near future.

During yesterday's ceremony, I received my blessed pyx. A pyx is a metal container specially designed for transporting the consecrated host. Michelle over at smoochdog and I have had a few chuckles imagining the correct way to transport Jesus in the car: seatbelt? Car seat? Well now I have this pyx which then fits into a little leather pouch called a BURSE and THAT goes in a pocket or purse or tote bag. As long as it doesn't end up on the floor.

Here's a pic of a pyx.: (Mine is actually square and not as jazzy as this one...)

With all the tumult of our lives this year, my husband and I got this semi-wacky, semi-savvy idea to go buy acreage in central Wisconsin as a personal "retreat" for ourselves. Initially it was a quest for inexpensive, undeveloped, wooded land, perhaps near a creek or pond. That search revealed some properties in our price range that were more "turnkey" - sizeable lots with small homes already built on them, many sold fully furnished.

We stumbled upon a really cool-looking, low maintenaince, charming, and exceptionally "rustic" hand-hewn log cabn. Yes, Log Cabin, as in Laura Ingalls Wilder-esque. As in you'd still feel like you were camping in the woods, log cabin. Alas, we weren't the only ones to discover this little gem in the Wisconsin Woods and we lost a bidding war for it.

But in the grand scheme of things, I'm GLAD we didn't get it. In retrospect I think we rushed into this without evaluating our real needs and wants in our existing home - like the fact that we really need to put some siding on it to keep it from falling to pieces!

We had plans drawn up last year to put on an addition but the bids came  in so high and at this time neither of us want to deal with the prospect of living amidst construction.

Now, if something exceptional and affodable comes on the market in our area of interest, then we may re-visit the idea of a second home but for now I'm going to focus on our little cottage in IL that could use some attention.

Time flies when you are mourning.

It is one year ago that I discovered the demise of my unborn baby and then was admitted to the hospital to have labor induced. Its is one year ago that I injured my back in the process. It is one year ago that, thankfully, I met a wonderful, caring, supportive nurse/grief counselor through the Hospital, as well as the comforting bereavement minister from my Church. Both of these women have aided my family and me a great deal through this unfortunate process.

As a way to "give back" I volunteered to write articles for the perinatal loss support group newsletter through the Hospital. For the November issue, I was asked to compose "10 reasons to feel thankful even when you don't feel like it."

This is what I wrote; I hope that each of you, when you need it, can come back to this list and find a way to apply it in your life. (Except, for most people, number 1, and number 8, although each can be extrapolated into something applicable in your own circumstance.)

Top Ten Reasons To Feel Thankful Even When It May Seem Difficult

10. Economy: Compared to most of the world, and even parts of our own country, we have access to wonderful food, education, and healthcare.

9. Treasure: We each have unique talents and skills that can be used to make our own lives – as well as the lives of others – rich and fulfilled. They are hidden treasures waiting for us to discover.

8. Geography: Illinois' residents have not experienced the economic and environmental devastation of a massive hurricane, earthquake, or war in recent history.

7. Serendipity: Don't forget the occasional gift of turning on your car radio and hearing one of your favorite tunes that you have not heard for years – and rolling up the windows to sing along without any inhibition!

6. Time: Realizing how much change and progress is made in our healing – emotionally and physically – each day, month, and year that goes by.

5. Family: Spouses, parents, siblings, friends, and extended family provide the love and support to we need as human beings throughout our life journey.

4. Environment: The life cycles of the earth – plants, animals, water, mountains, weather and the changing of the seasons provide sources of deep inspiration and reflection for us if we take the time to observe it.

3. Mind and Body: Though both may seem to fail us at times, we can be wonderfully surprised with the things we can achieve with our bodies and minds when we take the time to nurture them.

2. Spirit – Whether we worship traditionally or focus on personal contemplation, our unique spirit, our soulfulness of being, is what makes us, as humans, memorable, and valuable, in life and after.

1. Love: Despite the physical loss of our children, nothing can take away our love for them – it is held within our hearts always.

The (in)-famous New York rock club, CBGB, hosted its last show on Sunday. Apparently the club owner lost its lease after years of shirking his creditors.

Didn't anyone ever tell that guy "ya gotta pay to play?"

Well, anyway, its a big loss for the music scene as a whole becuase CBGB became an "underground" (I hate that term) rock institution and aided in launching the careers of noteable acts such as the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, and countless other alt/punk/rock bands through the years.

Although, despite its shrine-like status in the world of hipster-rock, it still supposedly had some of the scuzziest bathrooms out there! I guess besides not paying rent, the club owner opted out of a contract with Mr. Clean.

I remember the days of equally sketchy rock clubs in Chicago - where you never knew where or what you were treading upon...thus combat boots or  disposable-if-necessary thrift store boots were always de rigeur.

Note #1: I'm back to the low-carb lifestyle. After only a few days my gi tract issues have calmed immensely...perhaps my GI Doc's theory about grain senstivity could be correct afterall.

Note#2: How's this for funny/ironic:

After writing up a publicity-type piece and editing a few feature stories for the Church Bulletin, I was invited to join a small quasi-elite "Council" of Church members who work to actively promote volunteer/service opportunities and planned giving (development) in the Parish. Its a really great opportunity for me as I love to research and write and, of course, its for a great cause.  I went to my first meeting and was not at all surprised to find I was the youngest one there - the next closest to my age is the Pastor! But I loooooove "the seniors" - especially the older ladies.

I don't know what it is but I have an affinity toward senior ladies. Even when they are cranky they are funny (to me, at least). Whereas the men, when they are cranky, they are just pains in the arse!

"Grizzled" is a term we use in our family to identify folks middle-aged and above who have reached a point of no return in terms of their cynicism and narrow vision. The polar opposite of politically correct. Other people call it "Republican." (I kid, I kid.)

Anyway, tonight I heard some input (or maybe "output?") from one grizzled dude who was discussing crime in certain neighborhoods of Chicagoland. While nothing he said was blatantly offensive or even untrue, it was phrased in such a way to make me, at least, feel a bit uneasy. I have come across this before with persons of his generation in this neighborhood. They get talking to me, feel comfortable, and PRESUME because I am white and live in this neighborhood that I have the same view of poor and/or minority persons who live elsewhere in our County of Cook.

I'm no pie-in-the-sky liberal dipshit with something to prove. For example, I'm not going rollerskating in Englewood anytime soon. Or bowling in Aurora. Or, for that matter, boating on the Fox River (the NE Illinois waterway version of NASCAR culture.)

But I'm also not going to complain about poor people on the South SIde in a roundtable forum with people Ive never met. Good thing this guy ain't running for elected office! Although in the state that props up Denny Hastert, who knows, maybe he'd win.

Note to readers under 30: get yer minds out of the gutter: this blog entry is about genuine skincare issues!!!!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled entry:

Since I'm contending with multiple menses each month (i LOVE perimenopause! NOT) I have to deal with twice the blessings from the blemish fairy. Ugh. It is maddening...so prompted in part by a 15% off coupon, I headed to a new spa in town to get an "Anti-Acne Enzyme Peel." I was somewhat disappointed in that what I expected didn't quite seem to be what I got - although the treatment certainly was nice, relaxing and all that "pampering"-related bullsh*t.

I expected some sort of gooey gel to be spread across my face and then allowed to tingle and maybe sting a bit as it  set until it was literally peeled off, taking yukky clogged-pore remnants with it. Instead I got warm towels, steam, some sort of masque that was rinsed off, a microdermabrasion  and this wierd device that felt kinda like electric shock treatment. There was a slight vocabulary barrier between myself and the Eastern-European aesthetician- she couldn't quite explain what the device was but only noted that it "promotes healing."

Being the research geek I am, I wanted to look up the deivce and find out if beauty editors, dermatolgists, end users, etc. have praised or panned this mystery technology.

I suspect it was an IPL (Intense Pulse Light) wand as she mentioned it was to prevent scarring from the breakout but...

I don't know, technically the microdermabraision and IPL would typically cost alot more so I should be glad I got a "bargain" but I feel wierd that I was "sold" on the idea of one treatment and got something else. My skin DOES seem quite smooth and the breakouts do look much leass red...so I guess I'll quit my bitching and just enjoy the facial ;)

Things have been quite hectic around here...I never get time to post blog info, let alone read any of the brilliant, witty essays of my fellow bloggers.

*sigh*

Here's something funny: I attended a full-day intensive Bible study seminar on Saturday. Actually it isn't that funny. However the pre-seminar on Friday night had its moments of giggletude...QUITE a number of "characters" that kept me biting my lip those few hours in the pew.

I wrote up all these hee-larious observations to record here for the electronic viewing audience but I left my notes upstairs and I'm too lazy to haul up there and then back here and re-type all of my wry criticisms so I'll just let you imagine a few good ones for now.

I was lucky to catch Jim Gaffigan doing his schtick ("Hot pockets!") on Comedy Central last night. Lucky becuase i almost never watch tv anymore. And because Jim is likely the funniest non-swearword comedian out there. He's wierd enough not to need f-words peppering his routine.

Anyway... he launched into his whole "I'm a kooky Catholic..." routine and if you are familiar with him and his work, then anything I would have written is so closely aligned in content, tone, attitude and overall theme that its a waste of bandwith for me to repeat it in my own words anyway.

Yesteday I made the trek downtown to my beloved city of Chicago. I have not visited The Loop since early this summer...sometimes living in the 'burbs makes you lazy in terms of urban adventuring!

I decided to do a half-drive/half-el method of transportation to my destination. Basically this meant that I could drive on the non-congested part of I-90 to an el stop near the airport and park there for a mere $2. Then I jumped on the blue line - and what a wonderful, perfect day for a tour of the Northwest Side by el! I cannot believe how spruced-up the bucktown and wicker park neighborhoods have beomce since the early 90's. Of course all those brick condos do get to be a bit much - but the park itself is revived to a lovely and lively state.

My choice of transit mode was perfect in that it was uncongested, the train was clean, I got a wondow seat AND I was able to exit directly across the street from where I needed to be. I did my errand at the Secretary of State's office, which took surprisingly little time or effort - and then decided to treat myself to a bit of shopping on State Street and then lunch at Lavazza cafe on Washington. I was waited on by the very charming Italian manager of the store who pressed my panini and steamed my latte to my satisfaction. heheheh.

I got a Pistachio gelato to go and savored its subtle flavor at a covered table on Daley Plaza, and then headed back underground to head home.

I may have to trek back downtown for more paperwork - but now that I know how much fun is in store, I won't be complaining about it.