Ready for Halloween

 

 

We are ready for the trick or treaters to come tonight. It is fun and in the Halloween spirit, to have a spooky greeting in place, as the children come to your door . Our neighborhood always has a lot of little ghosts and goblins out and about, looking for candy. Hopefully, the nasty weather from Sandy will not scare them away.

If they dare to ring the doorbell, this creepy witch will be there to say hello.

My daughter Megan, carved this Boo-tiful jack-o-lantern that will give a ghoulish glow to the front porch.

The candy is ready in the special Halloween bowl and we will try to resist the temptation to sample a piece or two.

There are pumpkin seeds for us to snack on throughout the evening. My method makes them perfect every time - place the seeds on a cookie sheet, lightly spray with butter favored cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. So yummy :-)

source

I like to make us a special fall cocktail to enjoy while we are handing out candy. This year we will be having a drink I found on Pinterest, called the Apple Pie. It is cider, a shot of vanilla vodka and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Happy Halloween!

 

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Wind Blown

We may be 600 miles away from the east coast, but Sandy is making her presence felt here too. I took a walk before it got really bad yesterday, and though it was cold, a little rainy and windy at that point, these pictures show the lingering colors of October. There aren't many leaves left on the trees now, but if you look closely, you can see some beauty in the branches.

These leaves with bright golds and reds, rustle in the wind and stand out against the bare branches and the gray skies.

A few pretty leaves, hang on to this small maple tree for a last show of color. The current fifty to sixty mile per hour wind gusts, will ensure this tree will be bare soon too.

This one brave flower can be found peeking through the leaves next to my porch. Nature is resilient and reminds us to look for the fleeting beauty to be found in the calm before the storm.

Keep safe indoors on this windy Tuesday :-)

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Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

What is it about Halloween that makes you want candy, when any other time of the year you can stay away from eating it? It is not just the fact that it is in the house, in anticipation of the trick or treaters. I usually have enough willpower that I can ignore what I can't have or just allow myself one little piece. There must be a childhood memory of unlimited Halloween candy that surfaces this time of year. So, as a Diabetic, trying to follow a healthy diet, my solution is to have something sweet available that helps me resist all that temptation.

These Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Skinnytaste are great because they have healthy, low fat oatmeal. I also made them sugar free my using Splenda sugar and brown sugar. They are very moist and have a lot of pumpkin flavor, even though there is only a small amount of pumpkin added. The recipe can be found here.

The winds started whipping yesterday, as the outer edges of the storm on the east coast made their way even this far away. It was the perfect day to keep warm inside; baking and watching the leaves swirl around.

Hope the week ahead keeps you safe from any storms!

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Remembering Halloween

When my girls were little, the best part of Halloween for me, were always our conversations about what they wanted their costume to be that year. They had definite ideas and because they knew I could sew, they also knew I could make what they imagined. It was fun to go back and look at the costumes I made and to remember their excitement. This Tinkerbell costume was one of my favorites.

Remember the Beanie Babie craze? No sewing involved; just some ears, a tail and a tag around the neck.

A vest with fringe and stars, an easy pull on skirt, a cowboy hat and boots made a cute cowgirl costume.

Sometimes it was the accessories that made the costumes. Curella Deville and a little hippie girl look cool in their sunglasses.

From princesses to Minnie Mouse, to even a Twister board dress and hat; we have had a variety of cute and creative costumes. It was fun, taking an idea from my daughters imagination and coming up with a Halloween costume they were excited to wear.

Have a great Halloween weekend!

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Thoughts for Thursday...too many leaves, my girls, etc.

Things I am thinking about today...

• We are suddenly overwhelmed by leaves. I have to remind myself to keep seeing the pretty, when they are literally raining down faster than we can rake. I blew the leaves off the patio and filled three bags today and by the time I came inside, you could hardly tell I had done anything at all. We love having a wooded lot, but it really is crazy how many leaves there are. Cooper is happy to be outside and loves to play In the raked piles :-)

• Only my Canadian friends and some of you in the north will know what I am talking about here, but I love Tim Hortons. I stopped and got an Iced Cappuccino when I was running errands the other day and it was so delicious. Their coffee is the best too.

• This is the picture my daughters sent me from the Michigan State - Michigan game last Saturday. Early morning and ready to tailgate before the big game, but cute as can be. Rivals and sisters!
• Game one of the World Series was last night and the Detroit Tigers lost badly. I was so looking forward to this game, but will hope for better things in game two tonight. #detroitpride

Happy Thursday!

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Seasonal and Spooky Lights

When the days get shorter in the fall and the skies turn grey and chilly, it is cheerful to have seasonal lights placed around your home to easily plug in and brighten the mood. If it is a gloomy morning, I plug in my lights first thing and enjoy them all day.

This grapevine pumpkin with white lights, sits on my fireplace hearth. I love how the light shines through the burlap ribbon.

A glass block, shining with an orange glow, brightens the desk in my kitchen. See here how I made this glass block light, with autumn words.

By lighting candles on my mantle, I can change the mood of the room. The flames cast shadows and add a cozy feeling, even on the coldest of days.

It is fun to put lights outside your house too. Trick or treaters will be welcomed, as they walk up the sidewalk to the front porch, with a tree draped in orange lights and spooky ghosts.

Yesterday was the perfect, gloomy kind of day, to plug in the lights, light the candles and enjoy the warmth of my home. Have a happy Wednesday :-)

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Book Club and Remembering Weddings

My book club met last week and as usual, the more interesting discussion was not directly about the book. We were discussing The Magic Room, a book about wedding gown shopping and Its relationship to mothers and daughters. We did discuss the book itself and talked through the discussion questions, but the best part of the night, was when we all told our own stories of our wedding gowns.

It was so special to hear all my friends describe what their gown looked like and the story of shopping with their mother or girlfriends. We even had some laughs over our eighties fashion. Does anyone remember the Olivia Newton John headbands, the Princess Diana bows and the big hair? I look at this picture of me in my wedding gown ( 1982 ) and see someone so young, but so happy. And, I still like my dress, even though styles have changed so much.

We took a picture to remember the night since our hostess gave us all necklaces, from her recent trip to China. These ladies are special and hearing all their stories is a gift I won't forget. Our book club may be about the books we read, but our favorite thing is the memories it creates.

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Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze - Pinterest Success #4

Sometimes, you just feel like baking something. Sunday morning, I woke up in the mood for coffee cake and remembered this yummy sounding Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze on my Pinterest recipe board. I happened to have some pumpkin and a cake mix in the pantry, so luckily, I had all the ingredients I would need. You can find the original pin here and the recipe here.

With the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices and the brown sugar scents coming from my oven, I could hardly wait for it to finish baking, so I could try it. What absolutely makes this recipe special, is the brown sugar glaze, poured over the hot, just out of the oven cake. It tasted delicious served warm and was the perfect breakfast for a cold, yet sunny October morning.

Note: Of course with Diabetes I can't have something like this often, but I believe in having what I want, in moderation and practicing portion control. I find I do much better following my diet if I allow myself to eat what I crave now and then. Not the whole bag of M & M's, but just one or two :-)

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A Little Halloween (and Pumpkins)

 

 

Since the girls are not around as much to enjoy the Halloween decorations, I have found that I use less Halloween and more pumpkins and harvest themed items to decorate for fall. There are a few fun, spooky decorations scattered around my house and I have some great things to put outside a little closer to Halloween.

This scary, skeleton garland makes you shiver as you walk by.

My mantle is filled with pumpkins of every size and texture, berries, acorns and a candles at various heights. I like to use reds, browns and greens mixed with the orange colors of fall.

Subtle colors and texture keep things interesting. A cloth pumpkin with a wooden stem is one of my favorites.

This vine wrapped, paper and leaf pumpkin contains all the colors and shades of fall. I usually buy one new, interesting pumpkin each year and this was a great find.

This grapevine pumpkin with a few orange berries brings great texture the mantle display.

I have several of these off white, nuetral pumpkins and they are a good, subtle contrast to the oranges and reds.

These sweet acorns hang from a mirror in my foyer stairway. I love how simple, yet perfect they look.

A shelf in my dining room holds a pumpkin made of small pieces of wood and birdseed.

This wreath with touches of wheat is my newest find from the Farmer's Market. I love the natural elements and neutral colors.

As you can see, my house this time of year has a little Halloween, and a whole lot of pumpkins to help us celebrate the season. My empty nest decorating has changed; it's less kid centered now. Have a wonderful weekend!

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And more friends I find

 

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Thoughts for Thursday...blog design, non profits, etc.

Things I am thinking about today...

• I have amazing friends. Several years ago, a group of my friends saw a need in the community and started a non profit to address it. After reading a news story about a boy sleeping in a burned out house, with only a coat for warmth, these caring ladies founded Sweet Dreamzzz Detroit. Its mission is to make sure children in the inner city are educated about the importance of a good nights sleep and give them tools to sleep comfortably. Working with the school systems, volunteer Sleeper Teachers provide information on healthy sleep habits and the children are given a sleep kit; a sleeping bag, nightshirt , toothbrush/toothpaste, a stuffed animal and a book. Please visit the Sweet Dreamzzz website to see more about my friends and this awesome non profit :-)

• My new blog design is up and running ( it still needs a few tweaks) and I couldn't be happier. I have been working with Jenn at Munchkinland Design and she was so easy to work with and made the process fun. As we worked towards a final draft, she was always happy to make changes and answer questions. Of course, my favorite part of the design is the birdhouse. I hope you all like it, as much as I do - I would love to hear what you think!
• I was hoping to celebrate a Tigers win last night and a World Series berth, but the rain and wind blew in at game time. The game was postponed until today. #detroitpride

Happy Thursday!

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