Lil' Monsters Top

“My oldest daughter tried to kill me on Halloween. She deliberately asked me to take her three children trick-or-treating. Before we left the house, my daughter told her kids to behave themselves, be safe, have fun, and not listen to a thing their grandfather said. Within a block I’d convinced them otherwise. The only way to maximize one's haul is to eat candy along the way. That way there's more room in the sack. The first rule of trick-or-treating is to not go home until you’ve thrown up at least twice. I explained they shouldn't waste time on pranks or vandalism. Those things could be done any night of the year, whereas there’s only one night when people give out free candy. I’ve no idea how I survived the night. In four hours, we covered Herriman, Riverton and most of South Jordan. I had to walk fast, then jog and finally crawl to keep up. Next year, I'm teaching my grandkids about drive-by trick-or-treating.” – Robert Kirby

Starz

“None of us ever fully utilizes the people-opportunities allocated to us within our circles of friendship. You and I may call these intersectings coincidence. This word is understandable for mortals to use, but coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the workings of an omniscient God. He does not do things by coincidence but by divine design. Our lives are like a chessboard and the Lord moves us from one place to another if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives. Think of those times when the Lord has acted in your life. Treasure them as moments the Lord has shown confidence in you. But allow Him to make more of you than you can make of yourself on your own. Treasure His involvement. Sometimes we consider changes in our plans as missteps on our journey. Think of them more as first steps to being on the Lord’s errand.” - Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Bonnie Scotsman

Jon Cluett, a pastor from Stirling, Scotland, was on holiday with his wife and family. They were staying in a cottage on Loch Eilt and woke one morning to find their canoe had vanished. The only other way back to the car was over several miles of boggy ground. Jon didn’t think his kids, ages six through twelve, were up to the hike. He called the police to see if anyone could rescue them. The police told them they’d arranged for the next passing train to stop and pick them up. “Your kids are going to love this,” he said. And they did. The train that came to their aid was the Hogwarts Express – the same one that took Harry Potter and his friends to school in the movies. The Cluett family is home safe, but they wonder about their canoe. “It’s gotta turn up at some point. The thing is sixteen feet long, red and floats.”

Nine Log Cabins

Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Every year roughly 50,000 Americans died from kidney disease. Kidneys are the bean-shaped organs responsible for cleaning waste and extra fluid from the blood. Most people have two good ones, but you can get by with one. If your kidneys aren’t doing their job, dialysis can help. But machines are no replacement; in the end the best thing they can do is buy you time. That’s why Wayne Winters is walking the streets of Far West wearing a sign that encourages people to become living donors. His wife DeAnna is waiting for a matching kidney. Until then she’ll spend four hours a day, three days a week hooked up to a kidney machine. “She doesn’t like it,” says Wayne. “It’s terrible.” So he pounds the pavement. “After I get a kidney I’ll have my wife back the way she was, helping people and loving people.”

Four Jewel Boxes

The theme for this year’s block of the month class at Quilt Etc. is Dream Vacations. In September we learned about Hawaii, and this month’s subject was New Zealand. The November class – only nine days from today – will focus on Australia. We were invited to bring along souvenirs from our trips to the Land Down Under as show and tell. I’d be happy to oblige, if only I’d actually been there. All three of these places are still on my bucket list. And since I’d rather visit Disneyland eight or nine times than spend 18+ hours on a plane crossing the Pacific, they’ll probably be on my bucket list for the forseable future. That’s okay. I can always visit the koalas and kangaroos at the San Diego Zoo instead. Or I can walk to Pirate O’s and come home with a bottle of Vegemite and a sack full of Tim Tams. 

Fruity Jack-o'-Lantern

The directions for this fruit bowl said to start with two empty toilet paper tubes. You were supposed to bend the cardboard cylinders into triangles and place them upright in a bowl. You were to fill the insides of the cardboard with fresh blueberries and the outsides with orange slices, then gently pull the cardboard out. That seemed frightfully unsanitary to me. After all, I KNOW where my toilet paper rolls have been. So I took an 8 1/2x11" sheet of card stock, cut it half  and bent the two halves into triangle-shaped tubes. The resulting fruit bowl was a big hit, but I keep thinking I could have done better. If I’d made three card stock triangles, this poor Jack-o’-lantern would have a nose. If I do this again, I might swap the oranges for carrots and the berries for black olives. I could make a mouth out of a hollow bell pepper and fill it with ranch dressing.

Jewel Box Block

I want you to think about the last thing you bought. If it was pink (or lavender or even teal), there’s a good chance you paid way too much for it. According to a study by New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, shampoo and conditioner marketed to women cost an average of 48% more than those marketed to men. Women’s jeans cost an average of 10% more than jeans for men, in spite of the fact that women’s jeans generally use less denim to make. If you’re thinking of buying a new bike or scooter for your daughter's Christmas present, consider getting one in navy blue or camo green. Otherwise you’ll likely pay at least 6% more. When you’re shopping for toiletries, think before you automatically grab the “pretty” shampoo, soap, shaving cream or razors. Not only will the ones with lace and flowers on the package cost you more, but they’ll likely be of inferior quality. Who needs that?