As much as I love (read: swoon, gush, ooh and ahh over) a gorgeous elaborate baby shower or bridal shower, and as much as I love to throw them, it just sometimes isn’t in the cards. In fact, I welcome the challenge of doing it up nice on a small budget. For tonight’s a little pumpkin soiree we agreed upon an open house, serving sweets only. Grown up kinds of sweets that could be made ahead of time. And so…
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photo from food network Ok, so not exactly a feast, and not a clever assortment of gory concoctions, but this is the meal we frequently enjoy on Halloween. It’s not exactly super healthy, but it’s wholesome, simple, savory, and as festive as you’d like to make it. I don’t believe in cutting calories on holidays. Count of Monte Cristo Sandwiches 8 slices good quality white bread dijon mustard 3 ounces sliced swiss cheese 3 ounces sliced sharp cheddar 6 ounces…
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You can’t have Halloween without caramel apples, it’s unconstitutional. And they’re easier, way easier, to make than they look. Here’s what you need to get started: Apples Caramels Popsicle Sticks Milk We made 10 caramel apples with the amount of caramel you see in the photo above {4 cups, or 2 lbs.}. It was a lot of caramel too, they were big apples. Step 1: Unwrap caramel and place in a double boiler pan on the stove-top. It’s possible to…
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If you’re looking for a Halloween flick that’s not super scary, we are rather fond of this oldie, narrated by Bing Crosby–one of my favorite old-school crooners. It’s animated, it’s short, and a great introduction to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as written by Washington Irving. Note: The book is a great read this time of year, for older kids and grown ups. On the same disc is The Adventures of Mr. Toad, of Wind in the Willows fame. My…
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(it’s part of her dress, not a bra, in case you were wondering) Just when I was thinking halloween is only for the kids, some girlfriends threw together a last minute ladies-only gig, costumes required. Some were completely bewitching in head to to witch costumes with glittery eyelashes and face paint to boot, some of us just wore embellished hats. One even wore her prom dress. (Are we disgusted it still fits 3 kids later? Yes.) We had a blast…
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I had some decent luck thrifting this week. In fact, writing this post is making me itchy to get out the door and go find something, anything, fabulous. Check out these melamine school lunch trays. I think these babies literally came from my elementary school – flashback city. Viktor was skeptical but the kids are in love with them, refusing to eat dinner on anything else. I mean, there’s a place for your cutlery for Pete’s sake! Also, now don’t…
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I’m trying to stay upbeat about this new renovation in our lives, and today I’m failing. Mostly I’d just like my life put back together. My house = my life. The upside of it all {and there is an upside} is that my family room is a blank slate. I can do whatever I want with it. The only things that are permanent are the fireplace and the color of the walls. I painted them blue last October and I…
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I decided 2009 was the year for me to have an inspiration board. Ive seen them all over the place, I love them and Ive wanted one of my own for a long time now. Im a fairly crafty person, so I thought Id just throw some materials together and see what I came up with. Im really pleased with the result. Materials: Piece of fiberboardHeavy-duty home decorating fabric RibbonQuilt Batting Staple Gun + staplesFirst I bought a piece of…
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A few things making this situation more tolerable: Diet Dr. Pepper with pebble ice from the local dive diner. French fries + fry sauce Turkey club sandwich Two, count ’em TWO trashy magazines. I don’t really care for whatsherface from the dance show but US Weekly always saves the day. Plus OK! magazine, while not renowned for journalistic excellence, has a front page story about Rob Pattinson & Kristen Stewart’s love nest. I don’t really care if it’s true or…
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