unveiling the 2020 to-do list version 1....

drumroll please......dum dum dum dum dum dum dum.....

my 2020 to-do list: in no particular order....make myself a voodoo doll Krampus...call Haunticon Omaha hotel...watch for Alton IL tickets on FB....could we go to Squirrel Cage jail while we're at Omaha? check days/hours...finish binding on KJ's quilt...make another t-shirt quilt...casino hotel room for concert?...is Gangster Tour still on Saturday? check....what are Holladays Sat. hours?...Birthday gift for BRENDA....update genealogy...my grandbabies...KJ's marriage...family pics for my own personal genealogy...not to blog. I used to fancy myself the history keeper of this tribe...but I've lost most interest in it over the years.

dinosaur ornaments....which could become Mothman or Bigfoot or...

could I make a Loch Ness Santa?

We drove many miles of lonely but scenic Kansas back roads to get here and we were glad we did. The ball of twine itself was the main attraction, of course, but the town itself, although declining in economy and population, still retains spirit and pride. We ate our picnic lunch in the very well maintained city park (across the street from the Ball) which had clean public restrooms. A cute little old original library bordered the park. Several folks working nearby were friendly and appeared to be happy. No gloom and doom to be found. When life gives you Cawker City, make the best of it. A car guy had a 2 block long collection of rusty old classic cars and trucks, even a WW2 halftrack, so that was interesting as well. Fun stop.

World's largest ball of twine This is a premier tourist destination in Cawker City, KS on US Hwy 36 near the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states. Started by farmer Frank Stoeber in the 1950s, this giant ball of string is a unique monument to American thrift and ingenuity. You can even add your own piece of string to the ball! Twine Days celebration each August.

Joe Hill also introduced me to this. thanks, Joe!

Vandalia, Illinois: Kaskaskia Dragon RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report Address: Rock Island Ave., Vandalia, IL Directions: I-70 exit 61 and drive south toward the Wal-mart. Make a left at the light onto US Hwy 40/Veterans Ave. Dragon will be on your right in about a mile, at the corner of Rock Island Ave. Tokens at the liquor store across the street, or behind the dragon at Kaskaskia Supply. If the dragon is out of breath, let Kaskaskia know! Hours: Tokens available until the liquor store closes. Admission: Free to view; $1 per token for flames. RA Rates: Major Fun

learned about this from a Joe Hill short story!

to. do. list.

Kevin Xmas

deb xmas

$400 cash xmas

katie xmas

quilt to karen

box up kj dvds

coat to katie

JHBB games at Mercer

cereal display box on amazon

real world life insurance for deb about Jan.2020

taking Katie to Nashville TN next year

Haunticon Omaha April2020

Haunted Alton June2020

find bigfoot xmas cards I bought

xmas stamps

The Awakening - The Buried Giant, Chesterfield

Where else but Chesterfield can you see a 70 foot giant clawing its way out of the ground?

so, where in the hell is Chesterfield????

answer: a suburb of St Louis

In 2015, a storm blew through Amber, Iowa. When it had passed, two hula hoops were dangling off the limbs of a tree on County Home Road. No one is sure if someone put the hula hoops there, or if they were somehow blown in the wind and lodged into the tree during the storm, as the local legend holds. In any case, more and more hula hoops began to appear on the tree. There are now more than 50 colorful hoops hanging from the branches. It’s a mystery as to who started adorning the tree with the toys, or why. But the whimsical tradition has spread its roots further and further through Iowa as more people come to seek out the curious tree, some adding their own hula hoop. If you visit, be sure to look down at the ground, too. One local woman has occasionally been placing rocks with a picture of the hula hoop tree painted on them at the trunk of the tree, a delightful bonus for those who find them. Know Before You Go The tree is in the community of Amber in Jones County, about 3.4 miles east of US151 between the towns of Anamosa and Monticello.

we made it there on our anniversary trip!

May 6 2020 is my 25th year anniversary at work (assuming I'm not dead or fired by then.)

1. take a selfie with my 1 year PSF pig

2. turn in 2 weeks written notice.

Here's a Halloween decoration project so fun and creepy, you'll lose your head over it. These shrunken heads are made from carved apples, which are slowly dried in the oven. As the apples shrivel, the spooky facial features become more prominent, and each head takes on its own personality.

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Things You'll Need Apples (any variety)--- Lemon juice--- Salt--- Water--- Hobby knife--- Small kitchen knife or steak knife--- Wire--- Brown permanent marker--- Pearl beads--- Staples--- Fur trim--- Skewers--- Floral foam--- Container---

Step 1: Mix Salt and Lemon Solution Mix half a cup of salt and half a cup of lemon juice in a half gallon of water. The measurements do not need to be precise. The salt will help draw moisture out of the apples, and the lemon juice will help keep the apple light and uniform in color.

Step 2: Soak the Apples Select the largest apples you can find. Larger apples are easier to carve, and because they will shrink in size, it's better to start bigger. Any variety of apple will work. Peel the apples, and place in the salt and lemon solution for about 30 minutes. If you leave the tops of the apples unpeeled, the shrunken heads will have little hats (or hairpieces). And if you leave the bottoms unpeeled, you will have a base for the heads to display them.

Step 3: Draw the Outline of a Face While the most intimidating part of this project is carving the facial features on the apples, remember that the faces are supposed to be distorted anyway, so don't worry about anatomical accuracy. Start by using a sharp hobby knife to outline the eyebrow line and the nose. Cut deep into the apple with the knife.

Step 4: Carve the Eyebrows and Nose Using the outline you've cut as a guide, carve into the apple with a small kitchen or steak knife so that the eyebrows and nose become more pronounced. Do not worry about making the features symmetrical. This head is not entering a beauty pageant.

Step 5: Carve the Eye Sockets and Mouth Carve deeper under the eyebrows to create eye sockets. Under the nose, create a mouth by leaving a horizontal section of the apple uncarved, and then cutting a slit in the middle of this section to make lips. When you're finished with each apple, place it back in the salt and lemon solution.

Step 6: Dry the Apples Cut 12-inch pieces of wire. Poke them through the tops of the apples and out the side, twisting the ends together to secure the apples. Then use the wires to hang the apples from the middle rack of the oven. Turn the oven to its lowest temperature, about 170 degrees, and allow the apples to dry out in the oven for a full 24 hours. The oven does not need to be on the entire time. Turn it off when you leave the house or go to bed. Note: Instead of drying the apples in the oven, they can dry naturally in a low-moisture area of your home. This process will take at least a week, however, so give yourself plenty of time before you need the shrunken heads.

Step 7: Accentuate Features After 24 hours in the oven, the faces will be shriveled and bumpy, which is how we want them to look. If your apples are larger and need more shrinking time, that's fine. When your apples have reached the desired shrinkage, remove the apples from the oven, and the wires from the apples. The meat on the apples will be stretchy at this point, so you can use your fingers to accentuate any features

Step 8: Embellish the Eyes Color the eye sockets with a brown permanent marker. The marker adds a hollowness to the eyes and makes them look tormented. For the eyeballs, attach a pearl bead in the eye sockets with some craft glue.

Step 9: Add Staples on the Mouth To make it look like the mouth has been sewn shut, insert staples across the mouth. They should just poke right in without the need for any adhesive. While you can use any type of staple, the staples for staple guns are thicker and therefore more visible.

Step 10: Add Hair Although the shrunken heads have a little apple peel cap at the top, adding a mop of hair makes them even more lifelike -- and sinister. Many elements can look like hair, such as yarn or cotton balls. These heads feature fur trim, which has been pinned onto the apple. Give each of your shrunken heads a different hairstyle

Step 11: Place the Heads on Skewers While the shrunken heads can just sit on a table, inserting a skewer through the bottom of each of the heads makes for a creepier display. Place some dry floral foam in a bowl or decorative container, and stick the skewers into the foam. You can also insert the skewers in the soil of your houseplants, or place them in a vase for display.

Abandoned Dollhouses 🏚️ 📸credit: Twisted Copper Forest- Juli Steel -Artist these. are. amazing.

Wesley Myler‎Small Town Monsters Community 2 hrs · My favorite thrift shop repurposed painting yet. Look very close. Aliens, Bigfoot, Chupacabra and Mothman. This one is a quadfecta!

I have got to try this!!!!!!

👻👻👻👻

Will never make s'mores any other way again...so easy...and so YUMMY . Even did the marshmallows over the stove burner. LOL

names for future Siamese twins....

Hortense and Hildegarde

Tildy & Tessie

Bertram and Beeazalbub

thinking maybe conjoined sock monkeys? conjoined teddies? why limit myself just to dollies?

made a conjoined sock monkey/flying screaming monkey, Zee played with it, not sure where he ended up.....

Alcatraz East crime museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

a Ted Bundy display. 'nuff said.

to-do list

I don't think I ever really complete these, I just make new ones....but away we go!

hang lights from bar in Grandkids Room closet....

make Bigfoot curtains for Grandkids Room...fabric ordered...

paint forest mural inside grandkids Reading Nook (formerly known as The Closet)

take pics of my Bigfoot and make a Bigfoot book for grandkids...

new kitchen curtains. coke? still looking for fabric....

reservation for Morse Hill Hotel and eat at Lemp Mansion!

Logan grad: offer mom a ride.

plant bathtub full of flowers.....

patio lights....

Old doors some corrugated tin and reclaimed wood and you can make yourself a little backyard porch

whiskey bottle lamp

flower rocks

haunted missouri cemeteries I need to check out...

Peace Church Cemetery – Joplin

This now-abandoned cemetery was founded in the 1800s. Its “residents” include Billy Cook, who murdered six people during a three-week killing spree in the 1950s. Cook was executed in a San Quentin gas chamber and buried in an unmarked grave. Many have claimed to see ghostly figures, with some even leaving the cemetery with strange scratches. Address: N Peace Church Ave, Joplin, MO 64801

Mound Grove – Independence

Mound Grove Cemetery/Facebook There have been reports of a woman in a nightgown walking around the cemetery. She often follows visitors, disappearing at the graveyard's gate. Here's another little historical tidbit about Mound Grove: Joseph Smith III, son of Mormon church founder Joseph Smith, is buried here. Address: 1818 N. River Blvd., Independence, MO 64050

liked their facebook page.....definitely gonna go this summer!

Springfield National Cemetery – Springfield

Ron Doke/Flickr Founded in 1860, this cemetery has some regular … guests. There have been numerous reports of Civil War soldiers, glowing gravestones and eerie orbs. Address: 1702 East Seminole Street, Springfield MO 65804

. Old Lorimier Cemetery – Cape Girardeau

Larry J. Summary/Wikimedia Commons It's always the old cemeteries that are haunted. This time, Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, founded in the early 1800s, has an oft-reported phenomenon called the Tapping Ghost. Visitors report feeling someone or something repeatedly tapping them on the shoulder … but no one is there. Some have also had their hair pulled. Sounds like a mischief-living spirit! This cemetery is the final resting spot for upward of 6,000, with most of the graves being unmarked. The graveyard also has supposedly been used as a mass burial site during times of epidemics or large, tragic accidents. Address: 500 North Fountain Street

Lost Graveyard – St. Charles

It's not just in horror movies that graveyards get moved - it happens in real life, too. From around 1750 to the early 1850s, this cemetery was in operation right around where Kister Park (pictured) is currently. Well, most of the bodies were moved, anyway. Estimates of how many were left behind range from 50 to 200. There have been multiple reports of an eerie “Lady in White” at the site. Address: 400 S. Main, St. Charles MO 63301

Oak Ridge Cemetery – Elsberry

seeAghost/YouTube In the 1940s, the female caretaker of Oak Ridge Cemetery, which was founded in 1876, was found murdered on the premises. She couldn't afford a burial, so she was placed in an unmarked grave in the cemetery she used to watch over. Visitors have reported eerie voices and seeing a lantern moving around at night. Address: Missiouri CC, Elsberry, MO 63343, United States

Jefferson Barracks – St. Louis

Shelley Powers/Flickr This military cemetery, named after Thomas Jefferson, was founded in 1826. The military buildings near the cemetery are supposedly haunted by quite a few spirits, including a Confederate Civil War general, frequently spotted at the post commander's office in Building 1. In Building 25, lights occasionally turn on by themselves and in Building 29, toilets flush by themselves and footsteps, as well as a voice saying “Dismissed” has been heard. Address: 533 Grant Rd, St Louis, MO 63125

Hill Park Cemetery – Independence

This Independence cemetery is the final resting place of Frank James, brother of the infamous Jesse James. Some visitors have seen a misty, glowing spectre walking around the property. The cemetery also is visited by the spirits of Civil War soldiers. Address: 10498 E. 20th Street, Independence, MO 64052

Independence again. It's fate.

Right off Highway 304 in Bastrop, Texas, is the scariest gas station in pop culture history. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Gas Station, a Facebook landmark, has been restored to original quality. The best part? You can sleep there, if you want to. The owners held a grand reopening of the gas station in 2016. They added four creepy little cabins on the property so true Texas Chainsaw fans can spend a night or two there going absolutely insane with excitement or dread, who knows. They also offer BBQ. There's a sign out front that says "We Slaughter Barbecue."

Interested in how to contact the new horror resort? The phone number to book a reservation is 512-321-SAWS. That's not deterring at all!

Regardless of the horror factor in this property, it's always incredible to see Texas pop culture landmarks revamped and protected for public use. If there's one thing Texas needs more of, it's scary stories about small towns. Or not. You can find the gas station at 1073 Texas 304 in Bastrop, Texas. Book a cabin, if you dare, here!

found sea shells, pebbles, pieces of wood, and flowers to create your unique family. $100.00

I. Must. Go.

"It's confusing to be a poligamist man.". Kody Brown

Meri bought back her ancestral home in Utah and will run it as a B&B.... Lizzie's Heritage, I think. I must must must go. for reals.

94 North 100 East Parowan, Utah Call (435) 477-9005

Parowan, Utah (December 13, 2017) – Meri Brown announces the grand opening of Lizzie's Heritage Inn, located in Parowan, Utah. This quaint bed & breakfast carries the name of her great-grandmother.

Meri's Heritage Built in 1870 by Meri's great-great grandparents, this was a family home for four generations, but was eventually sold out of the family. A more than 20-year dream of Meri's was to bring the home back into the family and through a recent chance meeting, a unique opportunity presented itself and this dream was realized. "I am so excited and beyond blessed to have had the chance to bring this home back into the family where it belongs. I have had so much fun redecorating it with my great-grandmother's things, items that she made and created and can now be on display in her old home. I hope all our guests can feel the welcome that she, herself, would have given them!" - Meri

Rooms: At Lizzie's Heritage Inn, we offer guests the best of both worlds, an extraordinary location with an abundance of country pursuits and a stay at a historical landmark in southern Utah. As you’ll see, with our country retreat, the emphasis is on individual style. Guests can stay in 4 different accommodations with an emphasis experiencing the past. No matter which accommodation you select, no creature comfort has been overlooked. Escape the city and come to relax and unwind in a country environment in southern Utah, which offers couples the perfect setting for a romantic getaway. All of our accommodations are complete with deeply comfortable mattresses, period furniture, modern bath accommodations. In addition, you’ll find gas fireplaces, thick luxurious bed coverings, plump over-sized pillows, and antique four-poster beds. The walls in our rooms are papered in petit fleur coverings and a superb collection of 19th century photo art can be found throughout the inn.

The Bee Room. The East Room. Sarah's Room. The Grandma Room. prices are reasonable....$135-155/night. 2 hours from Grand Canyon!

to-do list....

need 2 more Bigfoot plushies for grandbabies xmas----------------3 little pics of my kids growing up to display with DG K sign: KJ peewee ball, Koren porch Indianola, Katie driveway. metal or glass or frames???--------make Dad pillows------t-shirt quilt-----8x8 frame for American Pig Farmer---$20 for Xmas each payday-----circus freak show pigs for coworkers x-mas-----Coralie dress up shoes and facebook Disney Princess dolls---Zerelda Twirly Girl dress and AG Bitty Baby---2 boxes Etsy Bigfoot X-mas cards----Violet I LOST MY NAME book----Camels to Bobby Mackey's for Carl-----a book to Farrar Library and chalk. Small Town Monsters kickstart.

documentaries to find....

There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (HBO?)

The Central Park Five (read a book by the woman this happened to.)

The Paradise Lost Trilogy (amazon prime)

Into The Abyss (netflix)

Zoo (buy on amazon)

update June 12 2019: watched Aunt Diane and Zoo.

Joplin, Missouri

take a selfie in front of the Bonnie & Clyde hangout

pic in front of this butterfly mural

pic of the Butterfly Effects mural