Mother Nature Has the Best Box of Crayons

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Deborah Newell

Around our area this year, it seems the leaves have been turning colors a bit slower than usual.

Not that I want the cold weather to hit, but now that Halloween is over, and it’s already November, well, I guess it’s time. After all, November in our household marks the beginning of Christmas decorating. And since we have a total of 12 trees, it does take a bit of time.

But once the leaves start changing, and the fall flowers arrive at the garden shops, it’s time to start looking at and appreciating Mother Nature’s fall box of crayons.

And what an array of colors we find!

We tend to think of fall colors as just leaves turning colors on trees in varying shades of orange. But there are other colors as well.

And that’s certainly a big part of it.

But there are also pumpkins. And they’re not just orange. They’re white, yellow, speckled, and even blue! The first time I saw a blue pumpkin I thought it was fake. My husband didn’t like it at all, but I thought it was great. And so did the squirrels who decided to chew on it since we put it on our front steps with the other pumpkins. And don’t forget the decorative gourds which come in the most original and unusual shapes.

And then there’s the Indian corn. In a huge array of colors from orange to white to varying shades of blue and purple! Last year we also bought several ears of this colorful corn to put outside with our pumpkins. The squirrels enjoyed them as well.

This year we didn’t put out real pumpkins or corn.

But leaves and pumpkins aren’t nature’s only colors of fall. There are also stunning fall flowers. In beautiful shades of yellow, purple and orange. Pansies are one of my favorite flowers and I already have several pots of them on our deck. Mums are very popular as well, and are my husband’s favorite, but they don’t last as long as I’d like, even though I’m very careful to water them daily.

And don’t forget the fall apples. They’re available in all kinds of varieties and colors. And they’re all delicious, and can be found in luscious pies and apple dumplings!

Yes, Mother Nature has a box of crayons that are incomparable to anything we can come up with in a lab or by mixing paint on a palette. The beauty of nature and the majesty of the Creator continues to amaze us on a daily basis.

We could never put together a box of crayons that could compete with these.

Don’t you agree?

Dressing Up for Halloween, and Yes it’s Fun!

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Deborah Newell

Yes, it’s that time again. Halloween costumes have been all over the stores and specialty shops, and selling out quickly. Fortunately our grandkids got their costumes early, and I can’t wait to see them dressed up. Even our ten month old grandson has his first Halloween costume. He’s going to be an adorable lobster! And his mom is actually going to put on an apron and a chef’s hat and carry him around in a big cooking pot! We’ll see how long that lasts! I told her that’s the closest she’ll come to cooking this year.

And pumpkins are everywhere. It seems almost everyone has carved ones on their front steps, well, except those who have big dogs who try to eat them, or an overabundance of squirrels who try to eat them! I remember growing up and my uncle making the most beautiful jack-o’-lanterns. Over fifty years ago, he was painting faces and other designs on the pumpkins rather than carving them, because they’d last longer. He was certainly ahead of his time, and if he were still here today, I’m sure he’d still be doing it, only more elaborate.

And I have do enjoy seeing the costumes the kids are wearing when they come to our door to get their candy. The little ones are always adorable. Of course now, we celebrate with our grandchildren in their development. They look so cute, and so do their friends. To them Halloween is an excuse to dress up and get candy. And what’s wrong with that? They’ve looked so adorable over the years, and this year will be no exception, I’m sure!

In fact, when I was growing up, most of us dressed up for Halloween, but very seldom in anything scary or spooky. My hometown had an annual Halloween parade, with several of the main streets blocked off so the participants could march around our little business district and the county courthouse. Children and adults paraded around streets in costumes and competed for prizes, and the streets were filled with onlookers. My aunt and uncle actually won first prize in the adult division one year, dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy. Weren’t they looking sharp? (How many of you know who Raggedy Ann and Andy are?) And if memory serves me correctly, I think some of the local churches sponsored the parade and contributed the prizes!

Imagine how excited I was when I saw pictures on Facebook this weekend from a Halloween parade my hometown held this weekend. Not that I recognized any of the people, although I still stay in touch with some of them, and visit when we can. But I certainly recognized the local businesses, and was happy to see the church my mom and I attended there even had an entry in the parade. If I’d known about it, I’d probably have tried to go see everyone.

We even dressed our dogs up one year and entered them in a costume contest at a local restaurant and they won first prize!

These days a lot of us who actually enjoy seeing the kids dressed up, and even go with the to get their candy are told by many people that we’re worshipping the devil, by going along with Halloween. That we’re teaching our kids to do the same thing. We’ve even been called all kinds of names, and none of them good!

So let me say this to those of you who put us down for allowing our children to have fun at this time of year. We are NOT celebrating the devil. We’re not worshipping Satan. And we’re certainly not teaching our children and grandchildren anything like that. People are entitled to their opinions and so are we. But I draw the line when someone starts making rude comments like that to us on social media or in person, and especially when our grandchildren are with us. There are a lot more important things to get upset about right now than kids and adults dressing up for Halloween and bringing home candy!

I saw a post the other day about this very thing. It basically said the kids who come to your door are having fun. Nothing more. They’re enjoying being kids. So give them a bit of candy, smile at them, and tell them how cute they look. Life only gets harder as they get older, so let them enjoy this time to be a child and have some fun.

That’s what we’re going to do.

It’s Halloween Candy Time!

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Deborah Newell

And you know what that means. There are all kinds of yummy candies everywhere you look The drugstores have an entire aisle or more dedicated to candy. Bags and bags of it. And usually it’s on sale. Sometimes they even have two bags for the price of one. The grocery stores put their candy displays right in the front of the store, where it’s the first thing you see. And of course, if you’re shopping with your kids, guess what they want! And they don’t want to leave that display until there’s at least one or two bags in the shopping cart!

And even if you’re not shopping with children, it’s still a big temptation, because it’s right there in front of you, staring you in the face! Almost talking to you, or maybe shouting “BUY ME” as you try to walk past the display into the produce aisle.

Who wants to go buy salad makings and other healthy things when there’s all that candy right there in front of you with the words “SALE” in big bold letters!?

And let’s admit it, we’re all guilty of coming away from the store with at least one or two bags of Reese’s pieces or miniature candy bars hidden underneath all the other things we had on our shopping list.

The problem is, what do you do when you get home with it? Do you hide it? Put it out in full view where other family members can see it and pick at your stash? And if you do that, you’ll end up having to go back and get more!

This is a tough time of year for candy/chocolate lovers. Especially those of us who work out of the house. IT’s just too tempting.

And then there are all of the recipes out there for using your leftover Halloween candy.

Leftover Halloween candy? Is that a thing?

That’s sort of like how to use leftover wine, isn’t it? Like who really has leftover Halloween candy? (or wine?)

Well, actually, we used to have some leftover Halloween candy each year. We usually bought too much (on purpose) because we enjoy it, and even though I am still working remotely, I like to have a candy dish in my home office. And what better to fill it with than those miniature pieces of candy that are so tempting.

When our daughter was still a little girl, we would sit on the floor after trick or treating with her and our neighbor’s son and sort through all the candy, making sure it was ok to eat, of course, and then exchanging pieces back and forth if one kid didn’t like something and the other did. We all made out fairly well from the candy exchange and of course, ended up with a lot more in each house than we really needed to eat!

But now we don’t stay at home on Halloween night and give out candy, because we’re with our three grandchildren, helping our daughter and son in law with their trick or treating (and of course helping them sort out the candy between what they like and what we like)!

And then the day after Halloween, all the remaining bags of candy are marked down even more, and if you get to the store early on the day after, you can really stock up. Like we all need it!

I’ve been hearing ads on the radio and seeing Facebook and Instagram posts about where to donate leftover candy after trick or treating. Well, that may be good for some people, but chocolate candy is a bit pricey, and call me selfish, but I sort of want to eat it…..?

Last year, I ran across a couple of recipes for brownies using Halloween candy. And I thought, why not try them? I had a big bowl of it sitting around in the kitchen, and since I do enjoy baking I tried it. And it was really good! And easy.

So here’s the recipe for those of you who want to try something new!

Leftover Halloween Candy Brownies

1 cup + 2 tbl flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
t/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup M&M’s
1/2 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate candy bars

OR, you may want to use a boxed brownie mix, follow those directions and just add the candy! Yes, that’s what I do. I like easy.

To make the brownies from “scratch”, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ square baking pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla together in a separate large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined.

Fold in candy and press into prepared baking pan. You can add a little extra, which I did, but just don’t add too much or it won’t cook properly. Bake in pre-heated oven 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack for ten minutes and then cut into squares.

Then enjoy! They’re delicious. In fact, I think I’ll go make some!

Crafting Fall Pumpkins

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Deborah Newell

Over forty years ago, there were colorful painted pumpkins in our family’s Halloween decorations. That was back when it was commonplace for us all to carve pumpkins for our Halloween decor without being told we were celebrating the devil’s holiday because we dared to decorate our homes and porches with pumpkins with carved faces and a candle inside them.

My uncle, who was a talented hobby artist, was obviously ahead of his time, and he decided one year to paint faces on the pumpkins rather than carve, so they’d last longer. They were colorful, and extremely creative. Unfortunately I have no pictures of them, because “back then” we didn’t memorialize such things.

I am fairly certain that if my uncle had lived to retirement age, he would have spent those golden years painting all sorts of wonderful things, as well as pumpkins, along with his hobby of bird carving.

Fast forward to now.

It seems like every year Halloween decorations come out earlier and earlier. This year they were out by the end of August! And along with the truly Halloween decor are the pumpkins. Now we can get not only real ones, but craft pumpkins that we can decorate with all manner of designs, and even better, we can keep them from year to year to use over again in different displays.

And as a crafter, I really do appreciate that. If I have to succumb to fall and all of its decor styles, then I can at least do something creative and fun with it. Here are two I made a couple of years ago.

It seems like all kinds of things can be used now. Flowers, chalk paint, feathers, glitter on stems, acrylic paint, decals, glue-on jewels, even nail polish that’s mixed with water to produce colorful swirls.

Or try a unicorn birthday cake topper for two little girls’ special pumpkins?

How about a headband with gold deer antlers, deer ears and leaves for the top of a very special little boy’s first Halloween pumpkin?

And another mermaid cake decorating set for a mermaid pumpkin for two special granddaughters in their mermaid bedroom at Grandma and Papa’s house?

Two years ago we gave our granddaughters their own little pumpkins to decorate themselves. They had a really good time. And they were very proud of their creations! (So were Grandmom and Papa!)

Yes, if I have to go into the fall season, and let’s face it, what choice do I have, at least I can use some creativity to make it a bit more fun.

What fall decor have you done this year?

Falling In Leaves

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Deborah Newell

Yes, that’s what I meant. Not falling in love. It’s really easy to fall in love. Sometimes we do it every week. Or even every day.

I’m talking actually falling in leaves. Like kids do. Like you probably did when you were a kid. That’s actually even easier than falling in love!

Our parents, usually our dads, would rake the leaves up every week once they stated falling, and depending on where you lived, it could be a rather big pile!

But lots of times, right before the wheelbarrow came out to scoop them all up in, or the big plastic trash bags, depending on where you lived, suddenly the youngest child in the group just jumped in like it was a dry leaf-filled pool and started splashing around in all the colorful leaves, throwing them around at the other kids like dry colorful flaky snowballs. That didn’t hurt when they hit you because they wouldn’t stick together.

And suddenly there was no more pile of leaves, because they were all scattered back all over the yard.

And if there was a dog or two around, they’d be right in there with everyone else.

It wasn’t quite as much fun as jumping into a pile of snow and making snowballs to throw, but it was a lot warmer! And drier!

Now it’s not as much raking the leaves up as it is mulching them with the lawn mower. Or in our case, scooping them up out of the pool every couple of days.

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve really seen many piles of leaves yet this year. But I’d bet our two oldest grandchildren would love the opportunity to play in a big pile of leaves along with their two big dogs. And I imagine their new 8 week old puppy would have a great time playing in them, too. Maybe we should suggest it to their mom and dad?

And actually, I bet their parents would probably have just as much fun as the rest of them!

I guess if we have to say goodbye to summer, this would be a good way to have one last outside fling before winter sets in. However, in all honesty, I’d rather keep summer around a bit longer.

Who’s with me on this? Or who wants to go help our kids rake leaves and have a “jump in the leaves” party?

Not Pumpkin Spice Again!

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Deborah Newell

Please. No. Not. I just can’t.

Don’t get me wrong. I like pumpkin pie. Really I do. And it’s usually made with spices. And I like pumpkin bread. Within reason.

But as I’ve said before, it’s gotten way out of hand now. I even saw ads the last week of August for pumpkin spice coffee, and similar items.

It wasn’t even September!

And now, at the end of September, now that I’ve once again been dragged kicking and screaming into fall, it’s everywhere!!!

Even my very favorite beach popcorn stand is advertising pumpkin spice popcorn!!! Caramel apple is one thing, (and that’s delicious!) but pumpkin spice caramel popcorn sounds horrible. At least to me.

I even went on line this week to order more flavored tea, thinking I could find something new and yummy for fall. And you guessed it…the first thing that came up in my search was pumpkin spice tea! And no, I didn’t order it.

I did find a delicious caramel apple tea, and a fabulous salted caramel concoction, and even a vanilla caramel flavor which I haven’t tried yet.

But sorry, not sorry, that pumpkin spice tea doesn’t sound any better than pumpkin spice coffee, or pumpkin spice cocoa. Please. I even saw a butterscotch spice mixture but I doubt that would be much better.

We went to dinner the other night and even the drink specials were full of pumpkin spice choices. Pumpkin spice martinis, pumpkin spice beer, and some kind of pumpkin flavored after dinner coffee drink with whipped cream. I don’t drink martinis at all, nor any beer very often, and certainly I’m not trying a pumpkin coffee drink!

Enough is enough.

But what sent me over the edge was an ad from one of my favorite bead suppliers advertising their new pumpkin spice fall bead collection!! Please make it stop!

Next thing you know, there’ll be pumpkin spice dog food. Or cat food. Although there are pumpkin flavored dog treats available that my dogs love! They’re NON spicy, and not a fall-only flavor.

So please, before someone comes out advertising pumpkin spice colored flip flops, let’s pretend all this didn’t happen. If I have to have fall, and I guess I have no choice in the matter, can we just leave the flavors with apples and caramel?

And speaking of that, I think it’s time to sit down with my salted caramel tea and a good beach novel. At least I can still READ about summer!

Pumpkins and Craziness Are Here Again!

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Deborah Newell

It’s that time of year once again. The time when there’s that little nip of coolness in the air, especially the first thing in the morning. Even the sunlight seems crisper, giving us a hint of the chill that’s soon to follow. Yes, it’s that time of year that shuffles in the true end of summer. And shuffle is a good term, because I always go into it dragging my feet, kicking and screaming, because as I’ve said many times, I’m a spring/summer/flip flop type of girl!

And yes, I’m complaining about it again! Just like I do every year.

We can feel the chill in the air every morning, even though it sometimes warms up in the afternoon. The trees turn into a palette of new colors; bright oranges and yellows and vibrant reds. And all those leaves begin to fall all over the yard, getting raked into piles of crisp color that we adults are just a bit tempted to jump into it when no one is looking, like we did when we were children! Or, in our case, they fall in the pool and my husband has to keep scooping them out.

Yes, I will admit, the colors are really pretty, and can be breathtaking, depending on where you go to see them. My husband likes to drive over to the mountains and enjoy the spectacular views. And they are pretty. But if it’s up to me, I’ll look at other people’s pictures online and think how pretty they are, and then dream about how long it’ll be until it gets warm again.

Then there are the pumpkins. Everywhere. In store and even restaurant displays, and piled along those roadside stands. Some even have carved faces already, and yes, I’ve been tempted to buy a couple of them to carve, but our son-in-law does that for the grandkids now, so we let him have all the fun. But you can also buy craft pumpkins now that you can carve as well. No mess. But not nearly as fun. I remember when I was growing up and my uncle making the most beautiful jack-o’-lanterns. Over fifty years ago, he was painting faces and other designs on the pumpkins rather than carving them, because they’d last longer. He was certainly ahead of his time, and if he were still here today, I’m sure he’d still be doing it, only much more elaborate.

And speaking of pumpkins, don’t you think the pumpkin craze is getting a bit out of hand now? I do like pumpkin pie, but pumpkin spiced coffee? Pumpkin glazed donuts? Pumpkin flavored pop tarts? Pumpkin flavored Oreos? Please, no……I like pumpkin pie, but all the different pumpkin flavored stuff…no. Pumpkin ice cream is making its appearance now, and pumpkin flavored potato chips and pretzels. Then there are pumpkin dipped dog biscuits… Just please. No. I just can’t. And now I just heard that a local restaurant has created a pumpkin pizza! I’m not going there.

However. There are a few things that I can appreciate about this time of year.

For one, there is a LOT of candy on sale right now. And I do like to keep my candy bowl on my desk filled with all kinds of wonderful chocolate candy bars, miniature ones of course, just in case I get an urge during the day for a quick pick-me-up! Even though I’m now working from home, I still have that bowl. Chocolate can give you a pick-me-up, thank goodness, and on certain days I really need that. And I’m sure many of you reading this are like us, and buy your supply of Halloween candy based on what YOU like to eat, and not necessarily what the kids are going to want, so you can enjoy the leftovers! Is there any other way to buy it?

And I have to admit I did enjoy seeing the costumes the kids were wearing when they came to our door to get their candy. The little ones were always adorable, but now we’re not home on Halloween night, because we go to our daughter and son-in-law’s neighborhood with the grandkids and help them collect the candy! Their development goes all out, with almost everyone decorating their yards, with many of the families sitting out in their driveways with portable firepits and candy, and yes, some adult beverages. It’s one big party. Almost everyone rents a golf cart and drives around the neighborhood (they live on a golf course), and of course the golf carts are always decorated for the occasion.

And this year, our daughter will actually be wearing a Halloween costume, or her version of one. Here she is modeling it with our granddaughters who are looking forward to becoming big sisters in early January!!

When I was growing up, most of us dressed up for Halloween, but very seldom in anything scary or spooky. My hometown had an annual Halloween parade, with several of the main streets blocked off so the participants could march around our little business district and the county courthouse. Children and adults paraded around streets in costumes and competed for prizes, and the streets were filled with onlookers. My aunt and uncle actually won first prize in the adult division one year, dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy. Weren’t they looking sharp? (How many of you know who Raggedy Ann and Andy are?) And if memory serves me correctly, I think some of the local churches sponsored the parade and contributed the prizes!

So once again I guess I’m sort of stuck with it being fall. I can’t change it, so I have to make the most of it. I can wear my jeans and sweaters with my boots, enjoy our toasty fireplace with a glass of wine, and count the days until Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And I can remember that spring is, sort of, just around the corner!

José Guadalupe Posada

Leftover Halloween Candy?

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Deborah Newell

That’s sort of like how to use leftover wine, isn’t it? Like who really has leftover Halloween candy? (or wine?)

Well, actually, we usually do have some leftover Halloween candy each year. We usually buy too much (on purpose) because we do enjoy it, and even though I am still working remotely, I do like to have a candy dish in my home office. And what better to fill it with then those miniature pieces of candy that are so tempting.

And at Halloween it’s worse, because the bags are bigger, and they’re usually on sale.

After Halloween it’s even worse because the bags are marked down even more, and if you get to the store early on the day after, you can really stock up.

When our daughter was still a child, we would sit on the floor after trick or treating with her and our neighbor’s son and sort through all the candy, making sure it was ok to eat of course, and then exchanging pieces back and forth if one kid didn’t like something and the other did. We all made out fairly well from the candy exchange and of course, ended up with a lot more in each house than we really needed to eat!

Now that our daughter is married with children of her own, we don’t have as much leftover candy from trick or treating, because we go to their house and join the granddaughters on their Halloween trick or treating. Their neighborhood goes all out for Halloween, with most of the homes decorating their yards with all manner of blow ups, giant spiders, skeletons; you name it, and it’s there somewhere. Many of the residents (and a lot of them are dressed up as well) sit outside in their driveways with their portable firepits going and hand out candy to all the kids. Some even have adult beverage treats for the adults! Those of us with children (or grandchildren in our case) usually rent golf carts from the clubhouse and decorate them, and then drive around the community with the little ones to get their goodies. It’s really a lot of fun, and much easier to ride in the golf carts than walk, because their development is so big.

But back to the candy. I’ve been hearing ads on the radio and seeing Facebook posts about where to donate leftover candy. Well, that may be good for some people, but chocolate candy is a bit pricey, and call me selfish, but I sort of want to eat it…..?

Last year, I ran across a couple of recipes for brownies using Halloween candy. And I thought, why not try it? I had a big bowl of it sitting around in the kitchen, and since I do enjoy baking I tried it. And it was really good! And easy.

So here’s the recipe for those of you who want to try something new!

Leftover Halloween Candy Brownies

1 cup + 2 tbl flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
t/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup M&M’s
1/2 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate candy bars

OR, you may want to use a boxed brownie mix, follow those directions and just add the candy!

To make the brownies from “scratch”, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ square baking pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla together in a separate large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined.

Then enjoy! They’re delicious. In fact, I think I’ll go make some!

Dressing up the Dogs???

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Deborah Newell

Yes, we do dress our dogs up on occasion, although not as much as we used to. And yes, that does include Halloween. They’re actually not real fond of it, though, as you can imagine.

But being puppy parents to two adorable and extremely spoiled Yorkies means we really have to do things like that. It’s sort of an unwritten law for those of us who are owned by Yorkies.

I’m sure most of you have seen the cute pictures all over Facebook and Instagram of Yorkies wearing clothes, and not just for Halloween. Those pictures look adorable. The dogs look so happy, and you think, “wow I have to have one of those dogs so I can dress him/her up, too.”

Well, that’s a good thought. However, actually doing it and taking good pictures are two entirely different matters.

Dogs don’t like to get dressed up. At least ours don’t. Oh, they tolerate it. But they really act embarrassed. You will see a few pictures here, but you have no idea what we had to do and how long it took us to get what pictures I’m posting. How the photographers online get such photos I don’t know! Either the dogs are extremely well trained or the photographer took a thousand pictures to get that one!

A couple of years ago, however, we had a brilliant idea to enter the pups in a Halloween pet costume contest at a local restaurant. We had a couple of weeks to plan for it, and knew we had to get the perfect costumes for Benji and Chloe.

And what could be more appropriate than bride and groom outfits! Complete with a veil for Chloe and a top hat for Benji! Online ordering is an awesome thing and Amazon had just the perfect outfits!

But it wasn’t enough to just have them dressed for the part. We even got Chloe a “bouquet” of flowers (actually a fancy dog toy felt flower bouquet that we wouldn’t let her chew on). We also had a dog toy cake but it had birthday candles on it, so that wouldn’t work.

Then my husband had a perfect idea! Something he knew would be just the thing to clinch the prize for the most adorable doggies in the Halloween parade! Instead of just walking them up on stage, they would make their grand entrance as “newlyweds” in their own little car.

And it just so happened that our daughter and son-in-law had a pink (of course) remote control car they’d bought for our granddaughter, and they were happy to bring it for us to use.

So we were all set! Except for the two stars of the show not being too happy about wearing their outfits! Maybe it was “pre-wedding jitters”? Or Chloe had changed her mind about her dress and wanted a different style?

Anyway, the show must go on, and so must the Halloween Pet Contest! We promised the pups we’d give them treats if they behaved, so that Sunday afternoon we all met at the restaurant, including our daughter and son-in-law and our little granddaughter (who wanted to ride in her car!) and my best friend.

Of course, the contest was held outside in a beautiful setting by the water. Picnic tables were set up and ready for participants and diners as well. There was even a special menu for the dogs to order from!

There were quite a few dogs there, all in costumes! And like Benji and Chloe, some of them didn’t seem overly happy to be dressed up either! Or maybe they were just nervous to have to go onstage. Benji was more interested in barking at the other dogs like a crazy person (or dog) and Chloe just wanted to take her dress off and run and play with them.

Maybe this wasn’t a great idea after all?

But we’d come this far, so we went for it!

All the dogs had their chance onstage. There were some really creative costumes; dogs dressed as hot dogs, a beer can, clowns, a police officer, a scarecrow, and even a taco!

Then it was our turn. We put Chloe’s veil on her, put both dogs in the car, and held our breath as my husband controlled the car that slowly rolled along in front of the stage. And amazingly both pups stayed in the car! And everyone there loved it!

The winners were decided by audience vote. We held our breath to see who’d win. And yes, Benji and Chloe won! By one vote, but they still won!

We were awarded a gift certificate from the restaurant (which happens to be one of our local favorites), and the pups got to order lunch from that special dog menu!

Would we do it again? Well….that depends on the dogs. But I think they’re going with the “once is enough” answer!

Note: The restaurant is Blue Pete’s in Virginia Beach. It’s a locally owned establishment situated on a small body of water known as Muddy Creek. The atmosphere and food are great, and so are the owners!

Pumpkins, Candy, and Costumes

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Deborah Newell

And I can’t believe our summer is over. It’s really, really not fair. It’s cold when we get up, and even though it sometimes warms up a bit in the early afternoon, by the end of the day it’s getting cold again.

Yes, I will admit, the trees have turned into a palette of new colors; oranges and yellows and reds. And all those leaves begin to fall all over the yard, getting raked into piles of crisp color that we adults are just a bit tempted to jump into it when no one is looking, like we did when we were children!

My husband likes to drive over to the mountains and enjoy the spectacular views. And they are pretty. But if it’s up to me, I’ll look at other people’s pictures on line and think how pretty they are, and then dream about how long it’ll be until it gets warm again.

Then there are the pumpkins. Everywhere. In store and even restaurant displays, and piled along those roadside stands. Some even have carved faces already, and yes, we’ve bought a few of them, but our granddaughter is still a bit too young to carve them. I thought about painting them, but just didn’t get there this year. But I still remember growing up and my uncle making the most beautiful jack-o’-lanterns. Over fifty years ago, he was painting faces and other designs on the pumpkins rather than carving them, because they’d last longer. He was certainly ahead of his time, and if he were still here today, I’m sure he’d still be doing it, only much more elaborate.

And speaking of pumpkins, don’t you think the pumpkin craze has gotten a bit out of hand now? I do like pumpkin pie, but pumpkin spiced coffee? Pumpkin glazed donuts? Pumpkin flavored pop tarts? Pumpkin flavored Oreos? Please, no…… We even found pumpkin spiced dog treats last week, and no, we didn’t buy them! I really don’t think our dog would like them.

But he did enjoy dressing up in his Halloween costume. Sort of. He’s the one dressed as a football and wearing a football “helmet.” (You see, after several years without a dog, we are now the proud “parents” of a two year old Yorkie, and, well, Yorkies do like to get dressed up. Or so we hear.)

Now there are a few things that I can actually appreciate about this time of year.

For one, there is a LOT of candy on sale right now. And I do like to keep my candy bowl on my desk filled with all kinds of wonderful chocolate candy bars, miniature ones of course, just in case I get an urge during the day for a quick pick-me-up! Chocolate can do that, you know. And I’m sure many of you reading this are like us, and buy your supply of Halloween candy based on what YOU like to eat, and not necessarily what the kids are going to want, so you can enjoy the leftovers! Is there any other way to buy it?

I have to admit I enjoy seeing the costumes the kids are wearing when they come to our door to get their candy. The little ones are always adorable, and this year we’ll be looking at them in a different light, since our granddaughter will be dressed up in her own costume; and we’ll be helping take her around her neighborhood! Of course, her daddy, who is an avid hunter, wanted her to be dressed in camouflage, but I think Mommy and Grandmom and Grandpa had other ideas, as you can see from the picture! We think she looks adorable!

When I was growing up, most of us dressed up for Halloween, but very seldom in anything scary or spooky. My hometown had an annual Halloween parade, with several of the main streets blocked off so the participants could march around our little business district and the county courthouse. Children as well as adults paraded around streets in costumes and competed for prizes, and the streets were filled with onlookers. My aunt and uncle actually won first prize in the adult division one year, dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy. (How many of you even know who they were?) And if memory serves me correctly, I think some of the local churches sponsored the parade and contributed some of the prizes!

So I guess I’m sort of stuck with it being fall. I can’t change it, so I guess I have to make the most of it. I can wear my jeans and sweaters with my boots, enjoy our toasty fireplace with a glass of wine, and count the days until Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And then I can remember that spring is, sort of, just around the corner! Thank goodness!

Pumpkins, Candy and Dressing Up

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Deborah Newell

We can feel the chill in the air every morning, even though it sometimes warms up in the afternoon. The trees turn into a palette of new colors; oranges and yellows and reds. And all those leaves begin to fall all over the yard, getting raked into piles of crisp color that we adults are just a bit tempted to jump into it when no one is looking, like we did when we were children!

Yes, I will admit, the colors are really pretty, and can be breathtaking, depending on where you go to see them. My husband likes to drive over to the mountains and enjoy the spectacular views. And they are pretty. But if it’s up to me, I’ll look at other people’s pictures on line and think how pretty they are, and then dream about how long it’ll be until it gets warm again.

Then there are the pumpkins. Everywhere. In store and even restaurant displays, and piled along those roadside stands. Some even have carved faces already, and yes, I’ve been tempted to buy a couple of them to carve, but our granddaughter isn’t old enough this year to appreciate them. (Next year!) I remember growing up and my uncle making the most beautiful jack-o’-lanterns. Over fifty years ago, he was painting faces and other designs on the pumpkins rather than carving them, because they’d last longer. He was certainly ahead of his time, and if he were still here today, I’m sure he’d still be doing it, only more elaborate.

For one, there is a LOT of candy on sale right now. And I do like to keep my candy bowl on my desk filled with all kinds of wonderful chocolate candy bars, miniature ones of course, just in case I get an urge during the day for a quick pick-me-up! Chocolate can do that, you know. And I’m sure many of you reading this are like us, and buy your supply of Halloween candy based on what YOU like to eat, and not necessarily what the kids are going to want, so you can enjoy the leftovers! Is there any other way to buy it?

And I have to admit I do enjoy seeing the costumes the kids are wearing when they come to our door to get their candy. The little ones are always adorable, and this year I’ll certainly be looking at them in a different light, since next year our granddaughter will be old enough to be dressed up her own costume; maybe a ballerina, or a bumblebee, a princess, or maybe even a butterfly! Now that will be fun! Of course, I’m sure her daddy will want her to be dressed in camouflage, but I think Mommy and Grandmom will have the final say on that one…at least for next year!

I can’t remember the last time I saw a Halloween parade. But they were a lot of fun! At least to us kids, and the adults who still acted like kids. It was just a fun time to enjoy ourselves, and get candy, of course!
So I guess I’m sort of stuck with it being fall. I can’t change it, so I guess I have to make the most of it. I can wear my jeans and sweaters with my boots, enjoy our toasty fireplace with a glass of wine, and count the days until Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And I can remember that spring is, sort of, just around the corner!

Falling Leaves and Pumpkins

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Deborah Newell

It’s that time of year once again. The time when there’s that little nip of coolness in the air, especially first thing in the morning. Even the sunlight is crisper, giving us a hint of the chill that’s soon to follow. Yes, it’s the end of summer….

We can almost see the chill in the trees around us, as the leaves are slowly changed from multi-hued shades of green to vivid tones of red and yellow and orange, as the Lord uses His heavenly paintbrush to color the landscape for us. Gradually those leaves begin to fall from the branches and rain down on us all, forming piles of crackly color that we suddenly want to rake together into a big pile so we can jump into it, like we did when we were children!

Then there are pumpkins. It seems like they’re everywhere. Sitting on displays in stores and along roadside stands, surrounded by colorful fall leaves. Some have carved or painted faces. There’s pumpkin spiced coffee, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie…you name it! Fall presents us with an invasion of pumpkin everything! With a little apple cider thrown in!

There are bales of hay in the fields, as well as those triangular stacks of corn twisted to resemble Indian tepees. Bonfires are scheduled, and high school football games are big news every weekend!

Yes, it’s fall!

Now here comes the” back in the day” stuff….

When I was growing up, fall signaled the beginning of back to school, for both my mother and me. As a teacher she had bulletin boards to decorate, students’ names to learn, and lesson plans to prepare. I had notebooks and pencils and book covers to buy, and homework to do.

The grapes on our two grape arbors suddenly became ripe and lusciously edible. The trees in the woods behind our house turned beautiful colors and dropped their leaves for us to run through on Saturday afternoons. We never gave a thought about the copperhead snakes that could be out there hiding under those leaves.

My uncle always made the most beautiful jack-o’-lanterns. Over fifty years ago, he was painting faces and other designs on pumpkins rather than carving them, because they’d last longer. My hometown had an annual Halloween parade, with several of the main streets blocked off so the participants could march around our little business district and the county courthouse. Children and adults paraded around streets in costumes and competed for prizes, and the streets were filled with onlookers. My aunt and uncle actually won first prize in the adult division one year, dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy. (How many of you know who they are?) And if memory serves me correctly, I think some of the local churches sponsored the parade and contributed the prizes!

Believe it or not, I’m not a lover of the fall season. I like my sandy beaches and sun and warmth, with seagulls squawking as they try to steal a French fry here or there, and the sound of the waves crashing in the surf. I like my flip flops and bright beach towels, floating in my pool on a hot afternoon, and eating grilled hamburgers outside in our screened-in porch.

If I had it my way, it would be summer all year round. But I don’t make those decisions; I don’t even get a vote.

Genesis 8:22 speaks to us about the seasons changing and reminds us there will always be “planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter.” It’s a natural progression. Fall is necessary to bring the harvest in, and without the harvest, how would we survive the winter? Even though we now get food year ‘round from other countries whose harvest times are different than ours, we still must rely on the harvest to complete God’s plan.

Whether I like it or not, like the seasons in our lives, seasons end, and new seasons begin. Fall follows summer, winter follows fall, and then finally spring comes back around! It’s His divine plan. Who am I to question?

So bring on the pumpkin pie…with a generous dash of whipped cream!

Just Living Life

A journal of advice, stories, and ideas from years of living

Category Archives: Halloween/Fall