Blog Party at My Other Blog! You're Invited!

Hi! I'm having a blog party at Scribbleprints (one of my other blogs) to celebrate reaching 100 followers!  That's my shop blog, where I share about all the cool funny and artsy things I'm designing and selling through CafePress and Zazzle.   I hope you'll all stop by.  I have games and giveaways and free coloring pages!  

The giveaways are pretty easy to win too, since there aren't a lot of people entered (some of the giveaways NO ONE has entered).  Here's a few of the fun "party favors" you can win...

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE PARTY

$60 - $90 Flights From Texas to California and Vice Versus - I'm Going!

Southwestern has a special deal on flights that you can order TODAY until 11:59 Pacific Time (that's California time, so until 1:59 out here in Texas) from Texas to California and California to Texas as low as $60 to $90. Those are one way flights, but if you buy one there and one back it's still a lot less then round tickets are elsewhere right now. The dates available Dec 1 - 15 and Jan 4 - Feb 16.

I've booked my flight and am taking a trip to see my dad in California in January! Very excited! Wish I had thought to post this earlier for you all...cause I know I have some homesick readers out here who could use something like this.

Grackle Season Sky Watch

Well, it seems like grackle season has arrived.  I went to Stuffmart the other day and the noise was deafening.  There were whole sections of the parking lot covered with these birds.   They had taken over several of the shopping cart depositories and I felt bad for the cars that had dared to park nearby.

The picture below was taken over a month ago...I'm thought they were grackles at the time, but now I'm not actually sure.  They seem smaller in hind-sight, but they might be larger than the picture makes them seem, since they were up high.

This post is participating in
Sky Watch Friday

Grackle Season

The first place I heard of "grackle season" was The Yankee Chick's Guide to Texas.  In it there is a hilarious section where the author, Sophia Dembling,  describes the "other" seasons of Texas, inlcuding Grackle Season.  Now, when I first read this I had never heard the word "Grackle" before, but when she descibed the countless hourds of black birds that descend on shopping malls across Texas, I knew exactly what she was talking about. 

That makes this all the more funny....

Yeah, every time I talk about grackles I have to share that cause it still cracks me up.  I found that button several years ago on CafePress and loved it so much I bought 10 (OK, they didn't sell them individually...just in packs of 10...and I figured I'd find someone to give these to!). Seeing how the grackle population seems to be strong enough to take over a small Texas city, I'm assuming that's meant to be a joke--but you never know! Either way it's hilarious.

So, this all leads in to my questions for today.  I gather Texas isn't the only state with a "Grackle Season", so...

1. Are the grackles hoarding in your area?  If not, when do they usually pass through (if they do).
2. Where do you live? (What State, or country/territory if you're outside the US).

Please leave your answer in the comments.  Thanks

Have a question or two you'ld like to ask on your own blog? The following two memes are a great place to share it.


Two Questions Thursday: Ask any two questions on your blog and answer other's questions! The linky for this meme is pictoral, so you can share a picture from your post.

Aloha Friday: This meme is like Two Questions, only with one simple question and a text linky. It's a fun easy blog to post on a Friday.

HEB Giveaway and Review

HEB is giving away gift cards and a chance to win a trip to Orlando. You can enter here every day now through November 1.

OK, now, since we're on the subject of HEB...do you want to know why I love the HEB in my town?

• They have shopping carts with TWO kids seats (a real nice feature when you have kids born 19 months apart).
• The balloons they give to kids have staved off tantrums and allowed for a peaceful shopping trip (though I do wish they had something other than candy weighing it down).
• They always offer to walk you out to your car and help load your groceries (which was SO NICE when I was pregnant).
• The HEB store brand stuff tastes really good--seriously, I like some items, like their bread and jam, better than name brand.
• 4 bobillas for a $1!  (Bobillas are these sub sanwhich like fresh baked rolls).
• Free samples everywhere!

HEB TIPS

• HEB usually does cost a little more on brand name pre-packaged goods and meats than Walmart (even with HEB points factored in), but produce is often the same or less (it fluctuates - sometimes more, sometimes less).  
• Those little yellow coupons really do save you a lot if both items are things you want or need.
• If you get a manufacturers coupon for a free item, use it at HEB and you a can get HEB points that earn you HEB bucks to spend at HEB.
• HEB gas is often cheaper than at other places, plus you get HEB points.
• If you buy HEB baby clothes, buy at least a size larger than you need because they tend to shrink drastically.
• Did I mention their store brand packaged food items taste really good? 

OK, just so you know...HEB didn't give me anything to write this.  I just saw the giveaway on another blog decided to pass it on.  That one sentence looked kinda lonely and I really do love HEB so I thought I'd post a little review while I was at it.