Halloween Quilts...part III...

Happy Halloween

I just wanted to share with you some cute Halloween quilts from the quilt show.

Don't you just love the fun faces and the vibrant colors?

Wordless Wednesday...

Stone Mountain Georgia GA.Train Ride...Mosaic Monday...

This is our third time to Stone Mountain Georgia with the little guy so that he can enjoy the train ride and the pumpkin festival. The leaves were just starting to change a bit here and the weather was warm and sunny. There were lots of colorful pumpkins to add some Fall color.

For the past few months our family has been on potty training detail with the little guy. We have all trained each other to promptly get ourselves up every 20 minutes and usher the little prince onto his throne. I have to say that with a whole lot of effort the little prince has finally figured it out. Now if we can only get him to pronounce the word underpants instead of
"VUNDERVANTS".

Today, while taking his photo in the pumpkin patch, for some strange reason he sat on the pumpkins and put on his potty face. We certainly hope he gives up his potty face by the time he poses for his wedding photos in the future!

To view more Mosaic Monday photos please visit our gracious host Mary @ Little Red House HERE.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies....Foodie Friday...

Please visit our hostess designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ for more delicious seasonal recipes.

To continue on my post from yesterday I wanted to share with you what I baked for the witches All Hollow Eve tea party.

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES

I was looking for a new pumpkin recipe and came across one at Martha Stewart. I wanted to share the recipe this week so that you can bake these moist and tasty treats for Halloween. Matt Lewis was a guest on Martha's show. Matt is one of the owners of Baked Bakery in Brooklyn and also in Charleston, S.C. Please visit Martha Stewart HERE to find the printed recipe along with a step by step video in two parts.

The recipe calls for making 12 whoopie pies. I opted to make them smaller as they are very rich. Do not hold back on the amount of spices the recipe calls for. It sounds like a lot of spice but honestly these little cookies really punch your taste buds with tons of pumpkin flavor. The texture is moist and a cross between a cake and a muffin. It is important for you to leave the finished cookies in the fridge for a few hours so that the flavors can meld together. They even had a bit more flavor the next day. After that I can't say because these little pumpkin whoopie pies never made it past a day in a half at our house.

MANGIA!

*Oh, instead of the witches giving these two thumbs up they gave these two warts up*

Beware of flying monkeys...a fractured tablescape...

Come in my pretties and park your magic brooms.

You must be tired from flying around the full moon all night.
I invite you to pull up a chair and share a cup of bat wings bubbly brew with me.
Let's pass the cauldron and drink to friendship on this All Hollows Eve.

Let's vote for the Queen of Halloween.
My vote is for the one with the most warts on her nose.
Who are you voting for deary?


Let's turn down the lights and light the candles.
Witches like to help keep the environment green.
Al Gore are you reading this?

.

Let's start by doing a few tricks before we have our treats.
Let's all twitch ours noses and set the table.

Now that was fast and fun!

Being a witch does have benefits.

What's a witches table without a cute little baby witch?

Way back before witches had GPS systems on their brooms, they had to use the
Field Guide to Monsters to conjure up a meeting with an old beau with a little eye of newt thrown in for good measure.

Every witch has to have some cute Boyds bear decorations on their tables especially a black cat.

I think this little dog has cast his own spell on all the witches
with his photo nestled among the tablescape.

Delicious pumpkin bread is no longer mixed in a a cauldron. Witches are very savvy and use kitchen aid mixers. The recipe can be found HERE. I wrapped the pumpkin breads in tea towels decorated with a big spider ring around the middle for everyone to take home. Honestly you can't expect a witch to live on frogs and toads alone!

Thank you for coming my dearies.

Please remember to beware of those pesky flying monkeys!

Now fly on home but make a stop at Susan's to view other enchanting tablescapes.

*plates are from HomeGoods $2.99 each. Since I can't remember what I ate for breakfast today please do not ask me where the rest of the items came from because I honestly don't remember!

Atlanta botanical gardens scarecrows...outdoor wednesday...

Take a walk with me along the paths in the children's garden at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

I took these photos last fall with my little instant camera.
Click on all photos to see the details.
Each scarecrow has a different theme and some are quite humorous like the crows feet.

Jello...it's not just for kids anymore ...

While at Wally World I came across a little package of instant pumpkin flavored Jello pudding.
This was a totally new Jello flavor for me.
I made it with skim milk to cut the calories and fat.

DELICIOUS!

I need to go back and stock up as this is probably a seasonal item.

Two NY Theater reviews...

While visiting NY city this month we decided to take some time for ourselves and take in some Broadway shows.

We headed over to 1/2 price tickets in the heart of Times Square. Every day at certain times they sell half price tickets to the shows. You must go early to get the pick of the most popular plays and musicals. We were hoping to see James Gandolfini in God of Carnage but the tickets were sold out. So we walked over to the theater it was playing in and the only matinee tickets they had for sale were $191 each. Ouch! As much as we enjoy James Gandolfini and the other talented cast members we decided to pass. Unlike Tony Soprano we do not have extra bundles of cash hidden around our home and yard. We will keep it on our list for when we win the lottery.

We ran back and scored two center fourth row seats for Oleanna. The play stars talented Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman. There is no intermission as it is 3 short acts. The actors are very talented but the play itself was very weak. I was like a fidgeting two year old. I wanted out of my seat and I think most people around me felt the same way. The highlight of the show was a very loud ringing cell phone not a prop but rather in the audience. A lady in our row forgot to turn off her cell phone. By the time she fished that cell phone out of her over stuffed purse people were all in a tizzy except the two professional actors who kept plugging along the repetitive lines of the play. I wanted to stand up and applaud her for finding her cell phone and for adding some excitement to my boredom . I had to laugh as I think she actually woke up more then half of the audience. The actress kept repeating the line "I don't understand please tell me what does this mean?" I wanted to stand up and yell back... yes please tell me what all this nonsense means. Please put me out of my misery! To make matters worse, after the show they had a commentator come onto the stage and conduct a question and answer period with the audience to get opinions about "what it all means". It was like being at a book discussion group except in this case I would have put the book down after the first chapter. I kept raising my hand because I wanted to know if it all meant we were going to get our money back.

The next day we went to see the musical Next To Normal. It had good reviews and the title intrigued me. What if I told you it was about a bipolar suicidal housewife, a manic depressive daughter, a guilt ridden husband and a son who is not who he seems to be all singing their hearts out would you take me seriously? Probably not, but honestly it was a totally amazing experience. The talented cast was so alive with voices so pure. The musicians were wonderful and the sets were visually stimulating. It all came together in perfect harmony. I was glued to my seat. One moment I was laughing and the next I was in tears. The young actor in the role of the son was so handsome that my eyes were like a tick on a dog. Ah, if I was only younger I would have stayed at the stage door for hours for an autograph and a photo with him. Needless to say I can't wait to see this again. Thumbs up for a creative script and delightful music!

Have you seen any new shows lately?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Here comes the bride...the battle of the buldge...

I was MIA as I was in NY for a wedding. My college roommate's beautiful daughter was married on Saturday night on Long Island.

I had been dieting since May for this wedding so that I could fit into my long black dress for this black tie affair. To prepare for battle, or in this case to wear my long black dress, I had to suit up first underneath. Your know what I mean? I had to dive way back into my lingerie drawer for what I call my super gal secrets to help defeat the battle of the bulge. With the help of a whole lot of Spanx and tummy control panels, I was finally able to zip that dress with an inch to spare. Spanx says that when you put them on you want to sing. Well, I certainly sang in a high pitched voice as all my fat rolls were pushed up into my vocal cords. I went from being an alto to a soprano in five seconds flat. I could now sing like a canary and not a fat lady. I also took a giant extra strength Tylenol because all the fat cells pushing up towards my brain cells gave me one huge headache. Gosh for a while there I thought I was having a stroke. I danced the night away with ease without a fat bulge any place in sight unless you count my eyes which were now popping out of my head.

It sure was hard to wiggle out of all that spandex when it was time to use the little girls room. You can certainly get a work out just trying to pull all those garments down, not to mention how hard it was to pull them all back up. Talk about a work out. Why is it that those pantyhose never want to go back up? I finally pulled and wiggled and twisted just like Chubby Checker until I had every single garment back into place. I stepped up to the mirror and guess what I saw? My neck and face were void of wrinkles. All those under garments pushed all my fat rolls into my neck and face and made me look 10 years younger. Wow those Spanx items sure have it all over botox for a whole lot less money. Not a wrinkle to be found. It was a miracle!

My dangling carrot for dieting was to allow myself a piece of wedding cake. I have to say that when you give up cake for a few months they say after the first bite you will be satisfied. Not true! I ate my piece and a few bites of my husbands cake and only then was I was satisfied. It was so intoxicating. After that I remember nothing because the sugar high hit me like a ton of bricks and I was delirious. So delirious that I was hallucinating that I was a sausage in a casing. I ran back to the little girls room one more time and took off all the Spanx and stuffed them into my purse. I have one word to describe the feeling "Relief". Yes, I surendered to the battle of the bulge but just until the next wedding comes around!

Do you have any battle of the bulge secrets?
Inquiring minds want to know.

* I have to say that I really do like Spanx a whole lot better then other products on the market.