Halloween at Our House
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 9:00PM 
Free form organza ghosts and goblins, tiny-toothed bats dangling from light fixtures, funny folks (Halloween and otherwise) woven into our dinners, touches of lunacy here and there...
Absolutely my kind of holiday!
Battery-operated votives and candles light spaces that simply won't accommodate a flame. A relatively realistic, flickering glow illuminates spots such as the rat condo, interior door decorations and outside Halloween lanterns. Back to Costco to stock up on more of these programmable, flameless candles for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So warm and welcoming without the risk of fire. Long-term therapy, perhaps, but no fires.
Halloween Final foray into pumpkin patch
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 6:37PM 
Into the pumpkin patch from SL:
Cookie-Cutter Pumpkins
These cookie-cutter pumpkins are anything but run-of-the-mill. They take no time to make and will add a gorgeous glow to your porch or walk. Start by selecting a theme, such as leaves, ghosts, or spiders. Because pumpkins are pretty tough cookies, look for durable cutters made of thick stainless steel (www.cookiecutter.com). Smaller ones work best, as larger designs tend to lose their shape more easily. Preparing the pumpkins is easy as pie. Cut a hole in the bottom instead of the top, and clean out the insides. Place a cookie cutter on the pumpkin. Gently tap the cutter with a rubber mallet until it pushes through the skin. Repeat until you complete your desired design. Then simply place each pumpkin over a small candle, and enjoy the ghoulish glow.
Halloween Just one of many from Martha
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 12:39PM Adorable!
"Kids can bone up on anatomy and create a fun Halloween decoration at the same time when they make a skeleton out of noodles. With an illustration of a skeleton as a guide, they just need lots of dried pasta, white glue, and construction paper to assemble the pictures. We snapped some of the pasta in half and used alphabet-soup noodles to make labels."
Click for more creative craft ideas from Martha Stewart Living/MSL.
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Halloween, kid crafts Link to the one you love!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 11:16AM Free Pumpkin-Carving Stencils of Favorite Dog Breeds!
Be sure to click on the link above for more adorable dogs and stencils. Feline favorites, as well.
Crazy about carving?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 11:06AM 
But wish your artwork lasted longer? Look what I found. I'm waiting for after the big day sales. Will tackle this project next year.
Halloween Very, Very Vincent.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 6:40AM 
Halloween 
Too much time on your hands?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 6:00AM Here's how to solve that problem. You have to be kidding, right? Direct me to the closest bridge.
To purchase a carving kit online, visit www.xacto.com. Click on “Products” and then “Cutting Tools.” The variety of blades in the standard woodcarving set will make you a master carver.
Concept and photo from Southern Living.
Halloween Marvelous, Maya.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 9:30PM 
"There are parts of this that I adore. Others, not so much. I think I'll extract that which I love and post it as a reminder. What do you do with inspirational quotes? How do you access them? Mine are all buried in boxes. Not such a handy reference."
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a youth she's content to leave behind....
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a feeling of control over her destiny...
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship....
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and when to walk away…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table…
or a charming Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...
Maya Angelou
Many thanks to Gretchen for sharing this with us!
Too close to home.
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 11:20PM I think I posted this a year or so ago. But since I cannot remember whether or not I did, here it is again! We can all use a little more laughter in our days.
Thanks, Judi, for sharing!
I knew there was some reason I loved laughing so much. Nili Dor HaElla explains why:
More corn concepts
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7:54PM From my friend Susie! This, too, is brilliant!
"Am I the only person who hasn't heard of "cooler corn"?
As an obsessive food nerd, you'd expect that I would have at least heard of it, but over the weekend I was blind-sided by the simple genius of this method for cooking loads of corn on the cob perfectly.
I was introduced to it while visiting my family in Maine. Short story: We like corn on the cob. And with eight adults at the table, that means a couple of dozen ears. We would have used the lobster pot to cook them all, but the lobster pot was busy steaming lobster.
Then my sister, a capable Maine cook with years of camping experience, says "let's do cooler corn!" Before I can ask "what the hell is cooler corn?" a Coleman cooler appears from the garage, is wiped clean, then filled with the shucked ears. Next, two kettles-full of boiling water are poured over the corn and the top closed.
Then nothing.
When we sat down to dinner 30 minutes later and opened it, the corn was perfectly cooked. My mind was blown. And I'm told that the corn will remain at the perfect level of doneness for a couple of hours.
Turns out, Cooler Corn is pretty well known among the outdoorsy set. But for those of us who avoid tents as much as possible, it's perfect for large barbecues and way less of mess than grilling. In fact, I may even buy another cooler just so I'm ready for next summer, now that I'm in the know."
Ten thousand toothpicks
Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 11:27PM and thirty-five years later...
Scott Weaver's Rolling through the Bay from The Tinkering Studio on Vimeo.
Many, many thanks Linda Z!
Then take a look at what laughter looks like.
In this artist's own words: "I sculpt using toothpicks and hot glue. I have Synesthesia. and can see sound as colors and shapes so I use this to translate the sounds of laughter."
Brilliant!!!
Friday, October 14, 2011 at 7:11PM I love this guy! And I'm running out right now to buy some corn!
Thank you, Marianne!!!
Lois
OMG!!! Love this....this is the type of cooking lesson I can get excited about....SB
How clever!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have micro waved my corn this way forever, but the husk removal...brand new!!!!!!!! BBB
See you at the corn bin!!! LS
Entertained while contained
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 8:02PM 
Have a long flight in your future? Here's info you might find helpful for creating personal in-flight entertainment.
Rent top-notch movies for your iPad or iPhone via iTunes. Get tips and rules in this video:
How to Rent Movies With iTunes
Remember to download films the night before departure/it takes several hours to process your request/purchase.
Wondering what films to choose? This site gets rave reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes, a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films – widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and othervegetables at a poor stage performance.
Two thumbs up for these resources!
Such spectacular scenery!
Monday, October 10, 2011 at 10:00PM AND photography! Thanks again, Barb B!
Wyman Meinzer's West Texas from Wyman Meinzer on Vimeo.
Encore!!!
Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 10:00PM Thank you, Judy, for recommending this Caldecott winner!
"The STRINGS all soar, the REEDS implore, / The BRASSES roar with notes galore. / It's music that we all adore. / It's what we go to concerts for."
Extraordinarily grueling
Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 3:58PM And awe-inspiring. If you happen to tune in to FP this afternoon/Saturday, check out the Ironman live coverage.
While I've attended the start and the finish other years, today I was standing along the highway applauding athletes who had completed the 2.4-mile swim and were returning from Hawi, a 112-mile bike ride. They had yet to run the 26.219 mile marathon. Unbelievable.
Such stamina. Such discipline. And focus.
Delighted to be watching and not participating/as if that were ever an option. I simply cannot imagine.
All Right, Ralph!
Friday, October 7, 2011 at 7:10PM 
Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's culmination; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession . . . Do that which is assigned to you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance.