YOU | Lock Your Doors!

Everyone had a bloody good time when zombies invaded Welland on Sun. Oct. 26.

Our pals Rob Dennis and his sister Patty joined in as a large group of zombies paraded (very slowly) through the heart of the city.  Also joining Rob and Patty were their mom Merry and Patty's neighbour and pal Tab.

Looks like it was just another day in downtown Welland...LOL....I joke cuz I used to live there and know  that in fact, Welland is a great place for community events which I was sometimes a part of and I really miss that.

YOU | Cirque du Spook-eh!

Scribbles pal Christian Bisson from Quebec City, took on an eerie look when he and friend Louise-David Bourque dressed up in these wicked costumes.

The guys have a real Cirque du Soleil meets Freddy Krueger vibe going on here and I say, mess with this dynamic duo and you may just regret it.

LOL!

YOU | Fun, Fun, Fun Fundraisers

We've featured videos and pix from some of the events held to raise funds for our friend Bylynnda Turvey, to help with her treatment for Lyme Disease. Here's a checklist of some of the great ways we've shown our support.

CLICK HERE if you wish to make a donation towards this cause

Here's some of the items you can purchase to show your support.

PRICES: T-Shirts $10 ea. |   Baseball hats & touques $5 ea. |  Keychains (homemade) $5 ea.  | Wristbands $2 ea.

Contact Ken if you are interested in purchasing any of these items and he will give you more info

PETS | Hold the Onion

WOOF! WOOF ! 

It's Scout the dog's first Halloween with the Papple's and the "kids" first dog, so you just know this little pup was destined to be put in a costume.

Yes, they went there....dressing Scout as a hot dog, a look which she really rocks actually.

Timmi isn't much for costumes (considering how timid he can be, I think he's afraid of them). He hated his Harley Davidson leather cap and was less than thrilled the year I dressed him as a little devil. Seen below, Timmi  refused to move until I took the costume off.

YOU | Red Hot

We've always thought Stacey Monahan was drop dead gorgeous and here's the pix to prove it.

Stacey, a renown Graphic Artist/Digital Photographer, shows us that when you're in need of a canvas, you need not look further than your own face.

 For a showcase of Stacey's work visit her website by clicking here

KIDS |

Although they're all smiles in the group photo inset at the top right, things took on a more somber note for the Blythin kids recently, following a session of drawing on the walls of their family's home in Niagara Falls.

Dad Neil posted the pix above on facebook stating,  "The kids drew on the walls, so I'm making them clean it... All 4 of them!"

Our four scrubbing junior achievers are young twins Rachel & Evelyn, their sister Keira and big brother William.  It's funny, even though we can't see their faces, you can just tell they're taking their "punishment" very seriously. I just wonder if mommy and daddy were able to keep a stiff upper lip when seeing this bunch in action, I know I probably wouldn't have.

YOU | There's No Business Like 'Snow' Business

For our newbies, I will remind our Scribbles pals that my birthday falls on the same day at my dear friend Chris Snow [still aka Darryl Bell in some corners of the planet, I'm sure.]

Back in the days when I bartended at Chrissy's bar The New Vouz, it was not unusual for me to celebrate my birthday at the club with my friends. Chrissy sometimes wanted to keep low key on it also being his birthday, so...although I often may have wanted to jump off my bartool and tell all my birthday well-wishers that it was also the club's owner, their pal Chris Snow's birthday tonight, I resisted and kept quiet.

Given that memory, I was somewhat surprised to hear that happy couple Sandi and Carrie McPaddy of St Catharines were hosting a 50th birthday party for Chris Snow, now a resident in Toronto. I guess even Chris had to figure a landmark like 50 isn't going to go unnoticed, not when you have as many great friends as he does, all eager to celebrate with him.

As I recall from my 50th birthday, it started out as me being a good sport and appreciating the fact my friends wanted to take me out for a few drinks and a bite to eat at this local bar. It ended up being one of the most spontaneous, funny and unexpected, thrills of my life.

Chris's birthday bash was on Oct. 18 and if that date sounds familiar to you, it may be because it was the same night as Bylynnda's Halloween 4 Lyme Dance & Fundraiser in Allanburg.  As you saw a week or so ago in our Scribbles Video of the event,  I was there to take it all in and had a blast.

This no doubt was because I had already been warming up in the celebration department at Chris Snow's Birthday party. There was a huge card for guests to sign and a large flowerful cake for your sweet-tooth.

Some partied in the house, while the wild child's rocked and definitely rolled, in the garage. I kinda went from area to area, getting up to speed with Chrissy, Nick and many others, having such a great time and wishing I could spend the whole night partying with them, but still pumped about the Halloween party that was next on the docket for the evening. 

In an ironic twist, my new downstairs neighbour Deanna Gilligan was also at Chris's party. Turns out she's related to Carrie and Sandi.

Chrissy my old friend, welcome to your 50's. It's all downhill from here on in....LOL!  It was so nice to see you and Nick.

Thank you to Sandi and Carrie for inviting me. You have a nice home and a cute dog that reminds me so much of my Timmi.  Maybe I'll see you around my place visiting Deanna sometime.  It could happen because as I discover every day, the song is right..... it really is a small world after all.

ME | My Kit Kat Cake

BIRTHDAY MOMENTS & YES, MY CAKE IS SURROUNDED BY KIT KAT BARS WITH REESES PIECES SPRINKLED ON TOP -IT WAS ANOTHER OF MY NIECE ERIN'S CREATIONS

DEANNA | FRANCA

I was touched that my new neighbour Deanna and our mutual friend Franca (seen in pix to the right) dropped by my place on Oct. 2nd [my 54th birthday] with coffee and some very cool handmade gifts.

Deanna made me a birthday card AND also made the envelope. This was a new one to me, I've made cards for years, but never an actual envelope.

SURROUNDED BY MY B-DAY CARDS

Deanna also prepared a variety of homemade air fresheners and other scented portions and notions and is a seamstress. I joked that we should team up... her products and my marketing & design skills. Who knows, we could be sitting on a goldmine. LOL.

A few days later, my family gathered at my mom's to do what we do best when we get together.  Eat great food, enjoy birthday cake and open gifts. Since it was my birthday, the gift opening portion of the line-up was my favourite....LMAO.

Thanks for the nice dinner mom and to everyone who was able to join in on the fun.

COMING VERY SOON.... My nephew Graham's 9th Birthday Story and Short Video

PETS | Waiting for the Great Pumpkin

Scribbles VIDEO | Halloween 4 Lyme Fundraiser & Dance

Finally! A new Scribbles Video. That's one down and 99 to go. LOL!

This truly was a memorable event and I hope it raised lots of funds for Bylynnda's treatments for Lyme's Disease.

It was awesome to see my Welland "family" again and I loved your costumes.

Participating in the "Penny Sale" draws were a major score, I came home with 4 prizes.

Dan Dan the DJ man had a great mix of tunes... I love when that happens, something for everyone...perfect!

Here's a sampling of the fun.

ENCORE VIDEO | The Whiteley's Haunted House 2013

WARNING: This video is not suitable for young children or sensitive viewers -GRAPHIC IMAGES

This article and the video above first appeared in Scribbles last Halloween. Our friends did it even bigger and badder this year and we hope to show you more on that sometime soon.  In the meantime, here's another spooky look back at how Angela and Glyn turned their East Coast home into a very scary place...

The Haunted House Transformation

Ok, If you've just finished watching The Haunted House video, you had got know a lot of work went in to scaring the crap out of people.

Angela Whiteley spoke with Scribbles about how her and husband Glyn's quaint home became a place of sheer terror.

"We spent a month and a half transforming [our home] into a full on Haunted House, that we opened up to the public this past weekend. 

We had over 300 people come through over the two nights, which was awesome since we're a bit off the beaten path and the only advertising we did was through here, word of mouth and a couple posters up on the local grocery stores. 

[At the] beginning where the people walked through the blacklight entrance after being greeted by Dracula, they then entered the bathroom where something very bad had happened and  the killer was still there hiding in the shower - oh how they screamed when he jumped out at them !

We even built 3 walls to install so we could section our living space more to create 2 hallways and separate the kitchen/dining area! At the end of the first dark hallway, we had a large old picture frame with my clown face painting pic... As the people walked in front of it, it quickly dropped down into the wall making a huge BANG and a person with a scary mask roared at at them.  

Glyn also installed 2 air cannons that spurted on people's heads as they went through the blackened out hallway ( I call it The Tunnel) .. We had a big fuzzy spider crawl across the floor in front of them as they went into the living room where a covered body was laying on the couch and some floating heads were in the far corner under the hanging spider sack. 

The dining area was set up for the Un-dead with a monster (our daughter Kayla) under it that would reach out its monster hands as unsuspecting people passed. Our kitchen was where the crazy chef cooked up the children of the neighborhood, the Witch's lair had a huge cauldron & all her potions.

Just when they thought they were safe, they left only to be scared by that creepy monster with the long claws half way down the driveway.

We set up a floating ghost who roamed the hallway upstairs and a ghost bride over by the treeline .,, everyone thought they were so cool. I'm happy to say we've had nothing but great reviews & are already throwing ideas around for next year.

The people of the area were pretty blown away We charged only $2 each to come through (just to cover some of our costs) We nowhere NEAR made back what we put into it but we really don't mind, now we have the stuff for future years and the people here got something cool to go to"


WOW Angela and Glyn if the pix we used for the video are any indication of what your "houseguests" witnessed, the only thing I'd say you were missing would be adult diapers for those who really lost control while having the living daylights scared out of them.

That was certainly a major undertaking and considering you spent more than you recouped, it was obvious, money was not the motivation for this massive endeavor.

Scribbles ENCORE VIDEO | Classic Monsters Mash

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL | MOVIE | 'The House on Haunted Hill' starring Vincent Price [14+]

Magic Moment at Myrtle Beach

 PHOTO BY  |  JACQUIE HENDERSON

When we spotted this touching photo on our friend Jacquie Henderson's facebook page, we wanted to repost it, but weren't sure if she had taken it or if it had been taken professionally. So we asked her.

Jacquie told Scribbles, "Yes Ken, I did take this picture on our last trip to Myrtle Beach and for sure go ahead and use it if you like."

When another friend commented on how great this photo is, Jacquie added, "...Not sure how I caught this on our little cheap camera, but it worked".

It worked indeed Jacquie, I love that ray of sunshine, it's magical.

enRICHments | Words of Wisdom by Rich Hunt

EVENT | Support Kids Playing Live Music!

Music and Performance Niagara Inc. is hosting a t-shirt fundraiser to raise funds for our Performance Team Program. This program allows music students to perform live at festivals, fundraisers and events within their community. The program is totally free for the students and for event coordinators. All proceeds raised through t-shirts sales will go directly to the Performance Team Program to cover instruments, PA rentals and group and private rehearsal time for one full year.

The Performance Team is instrumental to MAPN for several reasons. We offer this program to bring opportunity, experience and advanced skills to our student musicians. This encourages them to work harder at their craft, make friends and learn about the importance of community involvement. The other reason is it is a great opportunity for us as a non-profit organization to get out into the community and show what we can do for our students, encouraging more kids to look at music as a fun and social outlet.

These Music T-shirts make great Holiday gifts for the musician in your family! T-shirts are made of high quality cotton and come in youth and adult sizes up to XXXL.

$15.00 donation = FREE T-Shirt available to be picked up at one of our studios

$25.00 donation = FREE T-Shirt delivered to your door anywhere in Canada!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND TO PLACE AN ORDER

EDITORIAL | Saying Goodbye to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo

Like many of you, I did not know Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. Yet somehow, given the horrific manner in which Cirillo was killed the morning of  Oct. 22^nd and the information that has been shared about his life since that time, I can’t help but feel like I have lost a friend.

This sudden closeness comes after seeing so many photos of Nathan Cirillo, a happy, fit, handsome young man, who was proudly serving his country. There’s been photos of him with his 5 year old son, Marcus, and a slew of others showing Cirillo with his dogs...dogs that were rescued and to whom Nathan gave a home.

Many who knew Nathan personally have spoken about his love of life and infectious smile, something quite evident in the photos that now circulate across the globe, thanks to online interest and social media.

Nathan Cirillo’s tragic death was only a part of the insanity that took over our nation’s capital that day and sadly, the second senseless killing of a soldier that week.  Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, 53, was deliberately struck and killed by a vehicle in Quebec two days prior to the rampage on the War Memorial and Parliament building in Ottawa.

With all due respect to the soldiers and officers who passed away before him, there’s something about Cpl. Nathan Cirillo’s death that sets him apart from the rest. His murder has struck a nerve, tugged at our hearts and brought terror and sorrow very close to home.  

When I see the pix of Nathan and his husky dog, I’m reminded of my pal Rich and his huskies. When I see him with his son, I think of friends like Neil, Rodney and Tim and their young children. When I see Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in his uniform, I’m reminded of those I’ve met who also serve our country in this brave and admirable manner.  

I may not have known Cirillo personally, but because of his similarities to those around me, it feels like I did and it is hard to grasp that his life has suddenly ended, due to the actions of a very messed up individual.

Some have said we can’t call Cirillo’s killer a “real terrorist”, because he a Canadian who acted alone and was not linked to any terrorist groups. I think this incident was more terrifying because it happened here, not the other side of the planet or in the U.S.

It took place at a sacred location, a place we have devoted to honour the brave men and women who fight for our freedom.  A place of peace which is visited by millions, now forever tarnished by a vicious, unthinkable act. An act that took the life of a 24 year old soldier, father, son and friend.

The loss I am feeling is not unique. All I need to do is look at the reactions of my fellow Canadians, whose sadness and disbelief mirrors my own. The tributes. The condolences from near and far. The rows of people who lined the streets when Cirillo was brought home via the Highway of Heroes and then again for his funeral on Oct. 28^th. They too share my sadness and disbelief.

Seeing Nathan’s 5 year old son Marcus, dressed in his dad’s hockey jersey – sleeves hanging to the ice - as he dropped the puck at a local hockey game, brought me to tears. Nathan referred to him as “The best son a father could ask for” in a photo originally posted to facebook, which has “gone viral”. He’s just a little kid, too young to really grasp the magnitude of what has happened. 

History will chronicle the horrific events of Oct. 22, 2014, the day Cpl. Nathan Cirillo became a household name - a fallen soldier and friend, forever etched in our minds and in our hearts.

Rest in peace Nathan and know that we will never forget you and the way your passing brought us together like never before.

Related Links:

READ ABOUT THE STRANGERS WHO TRIED TO SAVE NATHAN'S LIFE ON OCT. 22 -CLICK HERE

REMEMBERING CPL. NATHAN CIRILLO THROUGH PHOTOS  -CLICK HERE 

HOW CANADA HAS BEEN FOREVER CHANGED -CLICK HERE

MACLEAN'S REMEMBERS CPL. NATHAN CIRILLO

NEWS | The Story of the Strangers who Tried to Save Cpl. Nathan Cirillo

Barbara Winters, Margaret Lerhe and others bonded together to help Nathan Cirillo in his final moments at Ottawa’s War Memorial

 by Laura Eggertson, The Canadian Press

CPL. CIRILLO POSES WITH VISITOR -A FEW DAYS LATER HE IS SHOT DEAD AT THE SAME SPOT

 
OTTAWA — Lawyer Barbara Winters was headed to a meeting Wednesday near her office at the Canada Revenue Agency when she passed the National War Memorial, stopping to snap a few pictures of the two honour guards standing soberly at attention.

Moments later, after passing by a Canada Post office at the corner of Elgin and Sparks streets, she heard four shots. For Winters, a former member of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve, the sounds were unmistakable.

NEWS | Fallen Soldier Remembered in Photos

Courtesy: Halifax's The Chronicle Herald by cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon

Dogs peek out from under a gate at the Cirillo family home in Hamilton, Ontario near flowers and flags that have been left on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (Peter Power / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/nathan-cirillo-s-dogs-patiently-wait-for-his-return-1.2069113#ixzz3H6cxETU3

A man places flowers in memory of soldier Nathan Cirillo outside the gates of the John Weir Foote Armoury, the home of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada in Hamilton, Ont., Wednesday, October 22, 2014. Cirillo, a reservist from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, was killed in Ottawa while standing guard before the National War Memorial. (Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press)

why?

EDITORIAL | Forever Changed

WRITTEN WED. OCT. 22 @ 2 PM

This photo was taken about 9 years ago when I was visiting Ottawa with a friend. It is in the same place where a young soldier -proudly standing guard by the memorial statue- was gunned down today, later dying of his injuries.

It is part of a series of events currently in progress in our country's capital. It happens only days after a soldier was killed in Quebec and I wonder if this is the start of some well planned "thing" that has been unleashed on our virtuous country or just an eerie coincidence.

I am looking at live coverage on both my TV and laptop right now. Split screen images that I would expect to be seeing from somewhere in the States or abroad, not from a location I, like many of you, have visited.

A place where people have gone to pay tribute to those who have protected us. A place of innocence, as evident in my photo above where an unidentified little girl sits peacefully on the statue.

Whether this turns out to be related to terrorism or the acts of one very sick individual, we will find out soon enough.  What we do know with all certainty is a young soldier has died, in an extremely shocking circumstance.

Canada's place of innocence has forever been changed.

ADVERTISEMENT |

VISIT WEBSITE HERE

MEMORIAL | Gone Too Soon

PHOTO COURTESY CHCH TV

CHCH TV weather announcer and co-host of 'Morning Live' Nicola Jones, lost her battle with cancer on Oct 19th. She was only 41.

MORE ABOUT THIS -CLICK HERE

KIDS | What's Bugging Em?

We just can't get enough of our little pal Emerson Rose, probably because every time her mom or other proud relative posts pix of her, they always bring a smile to our face.

In today's funny photos, Em is sporting her ladybug costume. As featured on facebook, her mother Mandy tells the tale best...

"I picked out two outfits and asked Em which one she'd like to wear this morning. On her rocking chair was her lady bug costume.... And that was her choice."

Mandy continues; "This was her reaction when I told her she couldn't wear it out to Walmart ("WHAT?"). Then, she "called" Gramma to see what she thought of her ensemble."

We're with Emerson on this one, "mom", this seems totally appropriate to wear at Walmart....I mean seriously, have you seen any of those scary photos circulating online and dubbed "People You See at Walmart"?  Compared to those folks, we'd say little Em might even be considered a bit overdressed...LOL!