Happy Halloween~~Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween everyone! We had a great time in Mendocino and are home just in time for Halloween. We are having rain showers now but by this evening it should be fine for all the little trick or treaters....have a fun evening.......treats to all, hugs Linda

~ Halloween Party ~

Hi everyone! Time is just flying by. I can't believe it's nearly Halloween and time for our friends annual Halloween party. Well, she's back.....each year...... I love dressing as a witch and here I am. This year Carl is a.............

Country Farmer. I love his little pitch fork, he carved it from a branch from one of our trees. Pretty neat honey. Well, we're heading to the party now, and then tomorrow we'll be going to the coast (Mendocino/Fort Bragg) with friends for a few days. See you when I return, until then take care...hugs, Linda.

~ The Secret Life of Bees~

Yesterday, Lisa and I saw the best movie. The Secret Life of Bees.....it was wonderful. The story is touching and the performances are outstanding.
The movie is adapted from the novel of the same name, which by the way is an excellent read and I highly recommend it. I hope you get a chance to see the movie too. If you do.........
tuck a hanky in you handbag...I think you'll need it.

Hugs, Linda

~~ My New Toy ~~

Hi everyone! I have a new phone....I love it! Oh, I'm crazy over the color...burnt orange, too pretty, at least I think so. In the picture it's open and to close you just slide the face down covering the keypad and it locks in place...easy, peasy. Very compact, yet the numbers are easy to read....... and speaking of reading look at the manual...I have a little studying to do, but not tonight. I'm watching Survivor and CSI, my two favorite shows.

Have a great evening....we'll talk....hugs, Linda

~ Halloween Craft Fun ~

While we were in Carpenteria recently, do you recall me telling you Lisa and I visited a darling shop called The Feather Nest. This sweet shop has wonderful antiques, vintage and holiday items. So many treasures and Lisa surprised me with these darling vintage Halloween labels. I love them. There are 28 designs and the art work is just precious. I've had more fun playing with them. Let me show you what I've made so far. This weekend I made this Halloween tray. This is a project I saw on Sharon's blog (Rose of Sharon). Sharon belongs to a crafting group who get together every month or so and complete a holiday project. Well, her group had made the sweetest Valentine trays and I thought why not a Halloween one.
So here you go. First thing is to spray paint your tray and then embellish with seasonal art pieces using Mod Podge. After it dries you can apply a clear acrylic sealer. For my next project I scanned three of my favorite label images......
printed them and then framed them. I think this little girl riding in her pumpkin is so cute...I love the way the sunlight is playing on this little picture......oh, by the way the frames are from the 99cent store.
Isn't she a sweet little witch? Cute kitty too. The last picture..
is my all time favorite picture. I just love this lady. I think she is magical in her fancy dress and gorgeous hat..she is even carrying a fan. I wonder where she is going? I hope she has a lovely evening and you too....hugs, Linda

~~ A Neat Gizmo~~

This is the neatest gizmo......it's one of my birthday gifts from my SIL , Carolyn, who lives in Texas. Do you know what it is? Have you ever seen one before? Maybe you even have one. Let me give you a couple of clues......I come with my own little carrying pouch, I love to hang around...but I'm very useful. Any ideas??? I'm a purse hook. This is the neatest doo-dad and I love it. No more setting your purse on the floor ...you turn the ornament to rest on the table....then turn the hook to hang your purse on it and it just balances itself. It's so neat you can take it anywhere....
This little treasure goes out to breakfast.....
even to high tea...plus to the.....

Crab Shack, a neat restaurant where they steam huge pots of crab, corn and red potatoes, then they dumb the pot on the table and you just start cracking the crab open and eat away...delicious, but very messy.
I use my little hook all the time. Everywhere I go someone wants to know what it is and where they can get one. I tell them mine is from Texas...but just to keep an eye out for one. I know you'll find one. Do you have a purse hook??? Hugs, Linda

~Pretty Roses And A Tall Cup~

Last week was our Kemble dinner and one of my friends brought me this beautiful bouquet of roses....in the neatest cup as a hostess gift. The roses are just gorgeous and their fragrance is divine. I love this autumn colored tall cup. In fact, it's my new favorite morning cup.
This morning I made a special treat using an International Coffee. I used Swiss Mocha (sugar free)...mixed with hot coffee and topped with whipped cream. Delish! If you are near, come by for a cup and a little visit. Hope to see you soon.....hugs, Linda

~~Halloween Bling~~

Good morning everyone. Yesterday we went to the Lodi Street Faire. It's a favorite of ours....lots of fun things to see and there is something for everyone. One of my favorite sellers has neat collectibles and she uses vintage items to make jewelry. Carl bought this Halloween necklace for me. For a close up just click on the pictures........ I think it is the cutest. It's made from an old optical piece....I love it. It came with the leather cord but you can also put it on a hard wire for a different look. Plus.....................
it's reversible, too cool. I like both sides, but I kinda think I like the witch side best. How about you?? Have a great day....hugs, Linda

~ Yummy Dump Cake ~

Earlier this week I had a little dinner get together for my Kemble friends. We all have worked for the local school district and having been getting together every other month for dinner for over 30 years...yup, we go way back. Originally there were three of us and now we total 8. I served an Italian dinner and I wanted to share dessert with you. This is such a simple dessert but so delish...well, we all loved it. I was going through my recipe box trying to find a dessert recipe when I came across Dump Cake...I haven't fixed this in ages, but love it. Click on the card and you can read the directions. As the name implies, you just dump and spread the ingredients in a greased pan.
I prepare my dish with a bit of butter and then spray with a touch of Pam. First evenly spread, the undrained pineapple in the bottom of the pan, then the cherry pie filling and then sprinkle the yellow cake mix over this.....
The recipe calls for pecans but I used walnuts...sprinkle theses next and then top with butter. No counting calories today. Pop in the oven and bake for 48 to 53 minutes.
Right out of the oven....all bubbly and smells so good. This can be served warm or cooled.
Top with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy. Have a wonderful weekend....hugs, Linda

~~The Concert and A Cow Bell~~

Hello everyone. The concert was wonderful! I had the best time.....Neil Diamond is an awesome performer....he sang all the favorites, oh, such feel good music. He also sang three songs from his new CD~~Home Before Dark. Very pretty and more mellow than normal. I loved the songs and bought the album....I've been playing it ever since. I hope if he is in your area you get a chance to go this concert...you wouldn't be disappointed.

A couple weeks ago I bought this cow bell at the WX Peddlers Faire . I thought how fun to add to our collection. We have lots of cow bells, but no orange ones......... But first........I thought it would be cute for Halloween.
What do you think? Well, I have a lot of visiting and catching up to do...be seeing you soon. Until then...hugs, Linda