Category Archives: Holidays and Other Special Days

Holidays are very special, with wonderful memories. But they can also be quite sad and stressful when our loved ones are gone, especially if it’s a recent loss. You’re not the only one with these feelings, as you can read from the stories here. If you’re having trouble during a holiday or other special day, remember, you are not alone. We have all experienced the pain you are going through. Feel free to contact me if you need an ear to listen, or a shoulder to lean on.

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Each Tree Has a Story, Part 12

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After the foyer tree, we really didn’t expect to need/get another one.

But remember what I was saying about our shopping experience the day we saw that ombré tree that’s now in our foyer?

Well…here’s the story. This year it seems like Santa Claus is everywhere. And not just in his typical red suit and big old toy bag.

This year Santa was arrayed in any number of different outfits. I immediately found one dressed in a flamingo tropical shirt with shorts and flip flops, a straw hat, sunglasses, and of course holding a margarita in one hand and a sandy looking Christmas wreath in the other. Perfect for our flamingo themed Florida room. So in the cart he went. 

Then I saw a beautiful Santa in a pink velvet suit with matching toy bag. He’d be a perfect addition to our living room decor and our pink and white angel tree. We had to have him as well. 

The whole Christmas department at Home Goods was filled with Santa Clauses! I kept looking at them all, sort of like I used to do when I was a little girl looking at all the dolls in the toy store at Christmas.

And then Ben told me he had an idea. Which actually involved buying several more Santa Clauses. We found one in a beautiful royal blue and silver cape. One was in a teal colored suit with beachy accessories. And we already had three at home from last year.

And then there were two of them that could either sit or stand, so they joined the other Santa’s in the cart. I wasn’t sure what he had planned but I knew one thing.  Santa Claus was definitely coming to our house! Several of them, in fact!

He finally told me sort of what his idea was when we got to the car. And I was very much in favor of it! In fact it was one of his best ideas yet, but don’t tell him I said that.

And then, a few days later back in one of my other favorite decorating stores, we found another Santa that had our names written all over it. A Santa Claus in a red suit with a gold vest carrying a wine bottle and grapes with a sign saying “I love cooking with wine…and sometimes I put it in the food”. And it just so happened I needed a new decoration for the buffet in our dining room…and he looks great there!

So what do all the Santa Clauses have to do with another Christmas tree? It’s really quite simple. Ben designed a beautiful display on our foyer ledge, incorporating all of the Santa Clauses we bought. Two of them are resting on each side of the display, and the others are standing either in the snow or riding in the two white sleighs we added.

And you see, with all those Santa Clauses on the ledge, they just HAD to have their own Christmas tree!

So we used that as the centerpiece for the design. One with snow on it, of course!

What do you think? Did he do a good job?

Each Tree Has a Story, Part 11

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Last year I kept saying I wanted to get a tree that I could hang nothing but our collection of family photo ornaments on. I just didn’t know what kind or where I’d put it. My husband thought I was crazy, of course.

But then this year as we were walking through Home Goods after making some Christmas purchases we really didn’t need, that were actually HIS idea (although I didn’t argue), we saw a beautiful slim shiny beige and peach ombré tree that was absolutely stunning! We didn’t know where we’d put it though, so we reluctantly left it behind as we left the store with our purchases.

Of course the whole way driving over to our next destination we were both thinking about that tree and wondering where we could put it. And as luck would have it, both of us came up with an idea about the same time that was just about the same. That almost never happens!

He said we’d go get it the next day, and of course I reminded him they only had two in the store, and if we didn’t get it now we might miss out!

So he reluctantly drove back to the store and we ended up with our new ombré tree! That was supposed to be decorated with all of our Christmas photo ornaments. We immediately put it in the foyer where we both had thought it would fit. And it did. It was perfect!

Unfortunately after looking at it, we realized the photo ornaments would be too heavy for it. So scratch that idea! But it looked so perfect by the staircase next to the table holding a bunch of family photos, we couldn’t return it.

So the next day I began the search for the perfect ornaments and actually found them at Home Goods’ sister store Home Sense that had just opened a couple of weeks ago not far from our house. The tree is beautiful and actually is the highlight of our entrance way. The picture just doesn’t do it justice!

The problem is, we still need something for the photo ornaments, but right now they’re still spread out between three other trees. I guess we’ll worry about that again next year. 

We didn’t really think we would end up with any more trees this year, but….

Remember my saying we’d bought a lot of items at the store we really didn’t need but we got them anyway? Well, it seems like those purchases turned out to require another tree.

More to follow on “Each Tree Has a Story Part 12”, to be published on December 7, 2023.

We Only Get One Christmas Per Year

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So make the most of it.

Put your decorations up early. They’re yours and if it makes you happy, who cares what others think?

If you want more than one tree, or even more than two or three, it’s your choice. Your decision. Who cares what other people think? We now have ten big ones and four 2 foot ones, after getting a new one this year that we just couldn’t resist.

If you want to bake lots of Christmas cookies, even if you’re not planning to eat them all, make them. You can always give them to friends and neighbors. And if they’re not perfect, who cares?! It’s fun and if it makes you happy, do it.

If you want to help your kids or grandkids make gingerbread houses that you know will never look like the pictures on the box, do it. As long as they have fun, who cares? It’s not like you’re going to eat them, and they’ll be proud of their accomplishments.

Take the kids or grandkids to see Santa, and if you want to tell him what you’d like for Christmas, do it! Who cares!

If you want to wear an ugly Christmas sweater, wear it! Others may decide it’s ok and wear one, too. (And if it has a flamingo on it, that’s even better!)

If you want to wear reindeer antlers or a Santa hat, put it in and wear it proudly!

If you want to binge watch holiday movies with a cup of hot chocolate, go for it! And add extra whipped cream!

If you find a really special ornament you really, really want, buy it! There’s always room for one more ornament on one of those trees!

If you want to give gifts to people you don’t really see that often, and probably won’t get you one, get the gift. If it makes you feel good, why not?

If you want to put Christmas collars on your pet, do it! Or dress them up, do it. And take them to see Santa if you want to. You can even hang up stockings for them and give them gifts. We do.

And if you see a Christmas throw pillow that you absolutely have to have, get it. You can always find a place for another one!

And if you happen to like fruitcake, then eat it! You don’t have to go along with everyone else!

And most importantly, if you want to put a stuffed pink flamingo wearing a Santa hat on your stairs, do it! We did!

Enjoy your Christmas decorating. After all, it’s only once a year!

Remembering Thanksgiving

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We just finished Thanksgiving 2023. And yes, it was as usual unlike other Thanksgiving dinners we’d had before.

Yes, the menu was still basically the same as with other traditional dinners, with turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and other vegetable side dishes. The turkey was deep fried rather than roasted. But we still had my mom’s cinnamon buns made by my daughter with both of her daughters helping. The pumpkin pie wasn’t homemade, but it was delicious.

Our son-in-law deep fried the turkey while Ben supervised,  and while our daughter took one of our grandchildren to urgent care screaming at the top of her lungs with a bad earache. Fortunately they weren’t busy, and the medicine kicked in quickly, and she was actually able to eat dinner with us  when they got back.

Of course the grandchildren ate only what they liked, with no one forcing them to try anything they didn’t want. After all, it was a meal of thanks; thanks for family, and for all of us being able to be together. Other family members weren’t there, because they were at other family members’ dinners, or were no longer with us. It wasn’t what Thanksgiving meals of years past were like, and most likely never will be again, but it was what it was, and exactly what it should’ve been.

And this year we had our newest grandson having his very first Thanksgiving. He enjoyed little bites of turkey and rolls and mashed potatoes.   And then of course, his mother had to take a zillion pictures of him to remember the day by, including some with his two sisters. Of course by that time he’d had enough and we gave this great picture Ashley titled “It’s my first Thanksgiving and I’ll cry if I want to!” And yes he did! But he’s still adorable!

And afterwards we realized we didn’t even get a picture of all of us together!

No Black Friday shopping this year though. We didn’t want to fight the crowds, and actually I had ordered most of the grandkids’ gifts already and was ready to start wrapping them.

So we did our annual gingerbread house instead, which will be another story, but let’s just say the pre-assembled ones are more than worth the money! At least for our daughter.

As I’ve said before, I do miss the big family gatherings we used to have with 10-12 of us all together, but things change over the years. 

Regardless, we still had so much to be thankful for this year, even though it wasn’t a Hallmark movie channel kind of day. But then again, those Hallmark movies are a representation of what writers imagine holidays should be, and not the way they really are.

But one thing remains the same. Families are important, whether there are two of us, four of us, or in our case this year, seven of us. Keep that in mind through the rest of the holiday season and keep the attitude of gratitude every day. And stay thankful.

I Am Thankful 2023

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On this Thanksgiving Day, I’d like to once again share my list of “thankfuls,” because I don’t think we’re doing that nearly enough these days.

These days too many of us tend to be negative, concentrating on all the things in our lives and our country and the world around us that aren’t going the way that we think they should.

Yes, there are a lot of those right now, but there are a lot more things that are good in our lives, if we only stop to think about them; concentrate on them, at least today, on this Thanksgiving day.

So here’s my list:

I am thankful for the chance to still gather some of our loved ones together. I am thankful for my family, and the love we share, even though sometimes we don’t act like it (just like everyone else I know…let’s be real) or feel like it. But the point is we do love each other. And I’m thankful for that love.

I am thankful for my husband and the life we have made together these past 39 years. We’ve been through a lot: family issues and loss; infertility; successions of career moves; and some serious health issues. We have stood by each other through it all, and we have prevailed against a lot of odds. And we will continue to do so. Marriage is a commitment “for better or worse”.  No one ever said it would be easy, but it’s certainly worth it. And it’s hard to believe we’ve been together over 40 years, and married for 39.

I am thankful for our daughter and son-in-law and our now THREE beautiful grandchildren. As sick as our daughter was during this pregnancy, I am thankful that our little one made it into this world safely, even at 5 weeks early. I guess he couldn’t wait to celebrate his first Christmas, so he decided to make his appearance on December 20!

I am thankful for true friends who love us and stick with us, even though we don’t always agree on certain things. True friends remain friends and don’t drop us because of being on opposite sides of issues. We can still be friends without arguing over ideas that we’ll never agree on. If we can’t, we were never true friends. And unfortunately we’ve found that out over the past several years, but I am grateful for the years we did have together.

I am thankful for my health. As I grow older every year, that is one blessing I continue to be ever so thankful for. Because so many others my age are not as fortunate. And I am thankful that despite all the medical issues my husband has been through since our marriage, he continues to maintain a positive attitude and also continues to come through each medical challenge with flying colors! 

Along with that, I am thankful for the availability of excellent doctors and medical care, especially as it pertains to my husband. We are blessed with some of the brightest and the best in their fields, and as we age, and new diseases come against us, that’s extremely important. Some may not necessarily agree with our medical choices, but we are thankful we have those choices and are able to utilize them.

I am thankful for the home we have lived in for 30 years now. Yes, it’s showing its age, with some wear and tear, but it’s our home, and it holds an abundance of family memories that we hold dear. Even though our house went through some issues of its own this year, we made the best of it, and it’s still our home, even with some new unplanned changes in decor. We don’t know how long we will continue to live in it before we decide to downsize, but for now we’re still here, and making more memories every day.

I am thankful for a job that I really enjoy; one in which I am respected and able to use all of my past experiences in real estate to improve the performance of my department. Although I’m at retirement age, and actually a few years past it, I’m not ready to stop working yet, and I have the opportunity to continue to do what I enjoy and get paid for it, and work for a wonderful company with lots of great people.

In a similar situation, I’m also thankful that although he’s technically semi retired, my husband is still working a 30+ hour week, enjoying what he does as well, and like me, working for a great company who appreciates him.

I am thankful we live in a country in which we are still free to express our opinions and maintain our right to free speech. Although we have a politically divided country right now, I still have hope that we can overcome our differences and once again become a country united for the good of all of us, and not a country trying to see who we can get back at for perceived wrongs and doing nothing but criticize and threaten those disagree with us. Because if we continue on the divided path we are currently on, what kind of country will we be leaving our children and grandchildren?

And above all, I am thankful for all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us; the things He has walked us through, and the things He has protected us from. It’s been another challenging year, but we continue to remain strong and positive that our family will continue to also retain our strong love for each other no matter what challenges we may face.

May God continue to bless us all, both on this Thanksgiving Day and in the coming months and years.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Reflections 2023

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I always tend to get a bit nostalgic at this time of year because there’s so much emphasis on family and the things that tradition tells us we need to emphasize during the Thanksgiving season.

How about those of us who don’t have the “traditional” family unit? Whatever that is any more.

In our case, that’s sort of, kind of, true.  Our family has shifted quite a bit, and the closeness of years long ago is no longer there. It doesn’t mean we love them any less, but we love in a different way. 

Family dynamics have changed, and we no longer have actual physical gatherings with all of those who are still in our hearts. It’s a way of life, whether we like it or not.

Our traditions have changed. Around our table will be our daughter and son in law and this year there will be THREE grandchildren. Maybe others. Who knows? Of course, Ryan most likely won’t be eating turkey, but I imagine he’ll try a bite or two. After all, today he is officially eleven months old! Where has the time gone?

Our meal will still be the traditional turkey and trimmings, and this year our daughter will be able to eat what she wants. Last year she was so sick with her pregnancy she had really couldn’t eat much of what she wanted.

But I can’t help but look back on Thanksgivings some 20 or so years ago before things started to change, and yes, I still long for those days again.

But then I stop to think about all that’s happened in the intervening years, and I realize I really wouldn’t want to change much of it. Certainly I’d still want my mother with us, but I wouldn’t want the friends we’ve met along the way to no longer be with us. I’d not want to give up my daughter and her husband and our precious grandchildren for anything in this world.

Unfortunately change happens. Change is inevitable. Families evolve and change as family members move away or sadly, pass away. And our holiday traditions evolve as well. Friends who can’t spend holidays with their families join with us at our Thanksgiving meal, traditional or not.

Friends become the family we choose for ourselves. And that’s ok. Because we no longer live in the world as it was 20 or 30 years ago.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for what we have. For those we love. A time to fellowship and share with others and allow them to share with us. For me, I am thankful for my husband’s continued heatlh, and for our daughter and son in law, and as I’ve said before, especially thankful for our grandchildren, and very thankful that baby Ryan, although coming into this world five weeks premature, is healthy and happy (except for the teething of course,) and the best Christmas gift we could ever have had. We’re so looking forward to sharing a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of them.

And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Sharing and giving thanks for the blessings we have.

And we have many. Sometimes we forget just how many because we’re all too often complaining that things aren’t the way we think they should be. And we almost overlook the things we should be most grateful for.

And if we stop and think about it, we can list a lot more things to be thankful for than things that we think are wrong in our life.

Try it. Be honest with yourself.

And you’ll see what I mean.

Mother Nature Has the Best Box of Crayons

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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!

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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!

pauline-and-fowler-halloween1951In 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.

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!

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

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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!

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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

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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

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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!

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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!