Linky-dinks, memes, and the question of the week

I was all set to show you a bangin' cute bundle of Amy Butler fabrics that are being raffled off when the ASG meets in Indy on Saturday, but Picasa ate my photo, and won't burp it up at this time. I then realized that while my anti-Socialist rantings were fun, I was getting behind on my obligatory blogging, so I'll leave you with a nice link list, until I resume my brief stint as political blogger. I figure it has to be short-lived, because the freedom of speech act will be the first one repealed, and an Islamo-fascist bastard isn't worth jail time. (See, I can be reasonable. I was actually considering using a derogatory term for him.)
Here you'll find a charming Canadian, although Rachelle rocks, too. Go see her new 'baby' and say hey.
Go here for a bit of snarky fun humor.
Stop here for pee your pants funny. (Good stuff, youbetcha.)
And finally, for the person in your life who blames Bush for everything... feast your eyes and get a belly full. These are just a few of our favorite sites, because we don't watch... what was that funny French word again? Faux? Right. We don't watch "fo", or any other, broadcast news. Reading. That we are guilty of. National Review. Go get you some. (p.s. Someone owes the citizens of France an apology for screwing with their pronunciation.)

The Melly meme :
4 Things I Did Today:
-Made sammies to take into the shop for myself and the girl-pals.
-Took on (and won) a delivery battle with Fed-Ex for my new knitting patterns (and they are gorgeous).
-Dropped off the test-drive for a visit with our mechanic... he loved it.
-Spent time deciphering the children's babble/drawings/miscellaneous projects and fielded a knitting help-line question from the jail. (Knitting cops are fun to have around.)

4 Things on My To-Do List:
-Switch out every one's summer and winter wardrobes. Seven people. One free day a week. (Better put your money on a different horse.)
-Deep-clean the haus, including vacuuming out the sofa, thereby evicting all the Playmobil free-loaders.
-Bathe and blow-dry Jemima Brown Dog, because she smells like butt and has to be kenneled in the dining room at night. Blegh.
-Get the damn newsletter out. Fer realz this time. I mean it. No kidding.

4 of My Guiltiest Pleasures:
-Monday night television on NBC. Yup. I'm a total freak for "Chuck", "Heros", and "My Own Worst Enemy". It's the only television we watch. Srsly.
-Chili chocolate, especially in truffle form. Creamy dark chocolate with a little pain laced into the ganache. Mmmm.
-Reading British mystery novels. It's criminal, I know.
-Clove cigarettes, and the brief time spent out on the porch to smoke them. A few moments of solitude.

4 Random Facts About Me:
-I can't stand shopping unless it's for yarn, fabric, or make-up.
-I love animals, but am allergic to every darn one of them. Except fish.
-I refuse to die until I get a chance to cruise Hitler's Autobahn. He got one thing right and I want to drive on it.
-I don't actually quilt, though I call myself a quilter. I guess the technical term for me is a "topper". I make quilts to be used and abused, and hand quilting seems terribly 'heirlooms only' for me.

I'm going to be a pain and actually tag a few of you... Marie, Miss G, Jess, Annalea, and the sister-team of D-Fly and Typhoid Tif. Happy tapping. I'll be watching for answers. Feel free to play along. Y'all know I'm prone to prowling the blogs at all hours of the night.

Now to my final task, the "Question of the Week". I'm supposed to tell the other swappers what I think of when I think of Halloween. I have five children. I think it's a lot of hullaballoo for some globbed-up Milk Duds and those weird peanut butter taffys (though I'm strangely hungry now). I used to love Halloween when I was little, but we moved to northern Wisconsin and suddenly the candy-grubbers special day was most usually accompanied thick snow and bitter cold. I don't view it as the beginning of fall, but rather as the end, for in this neck o' the woods, the wind is stripping the hickory leaves from the trees and the bleakness of winter is nearly here. My five costume-requiring chirruns love this Day of all Days, however, so my husband and I dutifully take them to nice neighborhoods to beg candy from strangers. Last year we made notes of which houses gave out the full-sized candy bars. Now those people know how to treat. We don't carve pumpkins most years, because having hollowed-out squash on your porch is an open invitation to possums and raccoons. (Ask me how I know.) Instead, we make luminaries out of brown paper lunch bags and watch the lights dance in the wind (through the windows, in the warmth of our haus).

Geez this ran long. Go take a pee break and stretch your legs. I'll be here tomorrow, before taking my little witches and motley assortment of superheros out begging. If the election goes poorly, we'll need the practice.