Care for a Wormy Apple...? (Caramel Apples)

Treats don't last long around our house and, you can tell, just look at us. Heck, we don't believe in snackrificing good taste especially around the holidays. Just check out these caramel apples. I couldn't even get them off the silpat before we were slicing into them.

And they are soooo fun to make. Of course you can create your own caramel by melting sugar and butter on the stove until it turns to caramel. I do this when I'm making caramel corn but . . . it's a lot of work and your timing has to be pretty perfect for it to turn out "just right". I tend to like my caramel a little well done - my kids prefer it "under done" in my opinion. So I usually make a couple batches: one for all of them and one for, yep, you guessed it: me.

Anyway, there's a very easy way to make caramel - just buy a couple bags of the candy squares, add about a half cup of water and melt it in the microwave in a skinny bowl - that makes the apple dipping so much easier - and less waste. I'm always about saving money. Then set your apples out on a silpat or wax paper to set. Then put them in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes to stiffen. Take the apples out of the refrigerator - let sit for five minutes (if you can) and then munch on those crispy critters. You can see we add a few of our own critters to treats. I always like having a wormy apple to crunch on. :)

Earth-Friendly Friday - BACK TO THE FUTURE

Sometimes I wish we could go back in time - and not just when I look in the mirror and try to figure out what wrinkle cream might actually work.

I get that longing for days gone by when I think back to the way Mom and Dad raised their house full of kids, the one I grew up in.

Dad worked in a paper mill, as a laborer, so they never had a lot of money - especially not since they took those words to heart to "go forth and multiply". Some times I wish they would have thought it meant to go sit in a corner and work out a few math problems instead of having nine kids.

But Mom taught me more than I could learn on my own about conserving, consolidating and re-crafting.

I still try to be green - especially at Halloween. And, we can all share a few simple ideas.

Instead of spending lots of money on commercial treats, why not have a homemade Halloween? Plan a party for the kids in your neighborhood. You can invite the kids to come over and bob for apples, make caramel apples and popcorn balls. Let the kids come in costume. It will be a fun-filled day the kids will remember for years.

We had these parties in our house, back when the kids were young.

We would buy pinatas and let the kids pound them to smithereens!

Let me know if you have a Homemade Halloween party. I'd love to hear all about it.

Hope you'll all have a Happy and green Halloween.

Playing Favorites . . . ?

Halloween is right around the corner, which pumpkin is your favorite? Put your answer in the "comments" section so I can see.

Thanks for joining in the conversation.

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I thought I'd share a few of the pumpkins Shauna Puckett painted for the holiday

Of Mice and Men . . . ?

I love decorating at the holidays. How about you?

I traced these little mice out on thin foam sheets and then cut them out. Then I glued little wiggly eyes on and used poster gum to put them up all around the house.

I even put them out on the stairs and porch outside. Last year I cut them out of black construction paper but the rain ruined them. The foam will work well in Portland, Oregon's wet weather-I hope. There was only one problem with my plan, Sasha (my puppy) went around the house eating the little rodents. She didn't understand that they weren't real. Oh well, at least I'll never have to worry about being over-run by rodents - not with Sasha on guard.

Popcorn Balls - Treat for Tuesday

The "kids" still like helping me make popcorn balls. And this is an ancient family recipe I'm sharing with all my blogging buddies.



Okay, I know they're a little lopsided but so are my pumpkins :) They're supposed to look like Jack-o-lanterns. Use your imagination . . .

POPCORN BALLS

INGREDIENTS:

2 and ½ quarts popcorn
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
½ cup white corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla (or orange extract)
(Food Coloring: 1 teaspoon Red and 2 teaspoons Yellow to create orange)

(OPTIONAL: Chocolate Chips, green gum drops, raisins and red licorice)

Heat water, vinegar, extract and white corn syrup over medium heat, add in food coloring

Slowly add in sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil – let boil 3 minutes.

Pour mixture over popcorn – in a metal mixing bowl, stir with metal spoon (mixture will be hot) When cooled a bit, shape into balls and place on wax paper or silpat sheet. Decorate them with green gum drop tops, raisin or chocolate chips for eyes and licorice for the mouth. Or, you can try whatever ideas you come up with.

You can also make ghosts out of the popcorn balls. You just don't use food coloring. These are fun and OH SO YUMMY!

Book Signing by Lisa Madigan - FLASH BURNOUT

Lisa Madigan had her debut book release at Powell's Books in Beaverton.

First a group of writers, like Jone MacCulloch, Suzanne Young, Laini Taylor, Lisa Schroeder, Suz Blackaby, Carmen Bernier-Grand, Matt Holm and others got together at Panera to share a cup of coffee and a pastry before we went over to Powell's Books to get our copies of Flash Burnout.

Lisa had Nathan, a young adult from Wilson High School, read excerpts from her story.

Then she talked about how she finds time to write by getting up early, even on the weekends, and gives up opportunities to watch t.v. and go to movies or parties but she said, "Writing is my passion." And we all find time to do the things we love.

Lisa also threw out candy to the audience:

What a great way to spend an afternoon, celebrating a book opening, eating pastry and chocolate and talking with old friends and making new friends. No better way to spend a Sunday.

I hope you all had a great weekend too.

Art is Amazing - Artists are More Amazing

This is beyond words. Check it out here.

EYE See You

Eye think this pumpkin is my favorite. Kind of a cross between Monsters Meet Aliens, um, or pumpkins.

Shauna Puckett is an amazing artist - and I'll have a few more of these pics to post - 'cuz I'm going to be getting a few of these punkins from her for my front porch.

Gotta love 'em!

Earth-Friendly Friday - GO GREEN FOR HALLOWEEN

That's not the kind of "green" I'm talking about. And, sure, I know we can all be a little witchy as the weather turns colder and the skies get darker. But, with a little preparation and thought, we can save some money and maybe help the earth at the same time.

At the holidays, it's easy to be wasteful but, I'm thinking, instead of overspending why not spend more time at home (with the kids) doing crafts and baking? Those are the memories that have stayed with my kids - not the toys I bought them - well, except for maybe a few video games that the "kids" have never forgotten: like Legend of Zelda and Mario Brothers. But this weekend my daughter (who is 21) is going to spend some time with mom (me) making popcorn balls. I'll probably do a post about it-including my own recipe. Plus, we love to decorate them with chocolate chip eyes and candy corn noses. It's a lot of fun, cheap entertainment and oh-so yummy. The only bad side effect is the addition to my waistline. But what the heck, life's short - so, I just choose to eat dessert first.

And, I may not end up looking like My Pretty Glenda but I'll sure be a little sweeter.

And, with the holidays just around the corner, I thought I'd start sharing some links to fun cyberspots. So, here you go. Check out these earth-friendly spots.

Here's a great Halloween resource and my first and here's another: Baby's Enchanted Garden.

Hope you have a green weekend!

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer to Thought for Thursday: Since 1562, the law has been that the gondolas must be black.

Thought for Thursday

Thought: In Venice, what color are all gondolas (except for those transporting officials)?

Take a guess then come back around 3:00 to find the answer.

BLOG ACTION DAY

BLOG ACTION DAY

Answer to Word for Wednesday

agoraphobia means an abnormal fear of being in crowds. If you want to read more, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday

Word: agoraphobia

Write the meaning in the "comments" spot
then come back to see if you're "write" - or not.

The answer will be posted around 3
come back then and you will see

Here Comes Halloween

Frankenstein stops to say "Hi"

Ghosts appear passing by

Witches fly through the sky

Now it's time to say good-bye


(Painted pumpkins by Shawna Puckett)

Carved pumpkins by Shay and Kara

Remember to wash your pumpkin seeds and spread them on a cookie sheet with a little olive oil and salt - bake at 450 for about a half hour and you'll have instant munchies. Hope you have a Happy Halloween.

1st Anniversary!!!

We celebrated all weekend long.

Between the Portland Nursery Apple Festival,

where they gave away free popcorn and had great strudel topped with ice cream, bands playing and even face-painting: Shay was brave enough to volunteer to be the model:

The Sauvie Island Pumpkin Patch,
the hayride, and the birthday dinner for Luke, it was a weekend filled to the hilt with activity.

Luke came home for the weekend to celebrate the 1st anniversary of his 21st birthday!

We spent the "anniversary" weekend celebrating by doing all the things we've been doing since Luke was just a little guy. And, now, that he's 6'5" and 22 years-old, I think he enjoyed this birthday weekend with all the fun-filled blasts from his past.

Plus, we made caramel apples, ghost and pumpkin cookies--how could anyone not enjoy that sugarfied fun?

We topped off the birthday celebration with a family movie - okay, maybe the horror/comedy Zombieland isn't a movie for most families but . . . we enjoyed it.

And, I don't mind admitting that I was a little irritated with Jacob for trying to ruin my family photos but, if you look at the dinner photo above, you'll see that I was able to PhotoShop him out of there. But here's the way he would have looked - had I left him in.

I hope your weekend was filled with fun, festivals, and feasts!!!

Zombieland

Okay, I have to admit, I like scary movies: vampires, werewolves, zombies they don't bother me. So, when the kids wanted to go see Zombieland, I was all for it.

It was a little gorey in the beginning - and that wasn't needed. But the movie had its hysterical moments. Like the clown crawling underneath the stall - I laughed at that frightening moment. And when we were all encouraged to get some cardio exercise - a teachable moment. But the funniest thing was when Bill Murray got mistaken for a zombie and shot--all because he was playing a practical joke. That's something I might have done--not the shooting--the stupid practical joke.

Anyway, the show was good - if you could get past the gore, which was done in excess. I never like gore - but I liked Zombieland.

Next will be Paranormal Activity and then Legion. I have a thing for scary movies - which is funny since I write stories for kids and am such an all-time soccer mom. ;)

Wordstock Weekend

This weekend is the weekend for word lovers in Portland, Oregon. If you are anywhere near Portland, you might want to check out this two-day annual event for writers and lovers of words at Wordstock.

Sharing Solution

Emily Doskow gave, what she called, a prehistoric powerpoint presentation at Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon
When we were young, Mom and Dad tried to teach us to share. With nine kids in the family, sharing wasn't even an option it was a requirement.

I shared a room with two of my sisters my entire single life--well, until Brook got married and moved out. Plus, with nine kids, we only had one bathroom - that's unheard of today.

So sharing isn't a new idea - it's old school. But sometimes we need to look back to move forward. The Sharing Solution is a great book to give you some hints, tips and tricks on how to save money and share at the same time.

If you'd like to get some ideas on how to do some community sharing and create a sustainable environment, stop by Broadway Books at 1714 NE Broadway in Portland, Oregon and pick up a signed copy of The Sharing Solution.

Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor writes magical prose.

She can weave a web of goblins, vindictive spirits and love starved ladies that is so intriguing her fans come to her book signings dressed as the characters.


And, she and her husband Jim DiBartolo make a fabulous pair. Together they create art with the pen and paintbrush.

And who wouldn't be compelled to read a story about goblins who want "girls who dream so hard about being pretty their yearning leaves a palpable trail, a scent goblins can follow..."

If you're interest is piqued, check out Powell's Books.

Wolf on Wednesday - or Husky Halloween

Okay, honestly she's a Husky. But she's dressed for Halloween. The preparations have begun. And a Wolf is so much more in keeping with the Halloween theme.

Don't you think?

Or should it be a Husky Halloween?

Tuesday Trip Pics

Taking a walk down a tree lined path.

The moss grows and hangs like a weary visitor.

The beauty surrounds us - as we stop to stare.

Should we walk on - Do we dare?

The Eye of the Beholder

When artists used to paint or sketch royalty, they always made them look their best. They knew they could become famous and wealthy if they pleased the royals. So, of course, they made them look "better" than they actually were. You can read more about this phenomenon in this article under the section about Portraits of Elizabeth I.

Well . . ., this weekend I felt like royalty. And, I wish I had the money to make David Poole wealthy--because, believe me, he deserves it!

I had my portrait done while I was at the 30-year reunion this weekend. And, I LOVE this sketch because it makes me look soooo much younger than I actually am.


David Poole is a local Oregon artist who has done portraits of all my kids and my husband. He didn't have time to do mine when he did theirs. So, this was something I've always wanted to come back to the beach to have done.

He was VERY kind in his perspective of me and I really enjoyed talking with him and appreciated the way he presented me.

Have you ever had your portrait painted or sketched? Were you happy with the outcome?

If not, why not? And, if you ever make it to Seaside, Oregon, check out the carousel mall and get a portrait done. I guarantee - You're gonna LOVE it!!!

We have to remember:
Beauty (like age) is in the Eye of the Beholder:

"Shakespeare expressed a similar sentiment in Love's Labours Lost, 1588:

Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,
Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:
Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,
Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues

Benjamin Franklin, in Poor Richard's Almanack, 1741, wrote:

Beauty, like supreme dominion
Is but supported by opinion"

I loved David's very generous opinion :)