AMANDA'S BASKETS: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Monday, October 31, 2016

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Can you believe that today is Halloween? That today is the last day of October? That November begins tomorrow? I look at the calendar and see that it's true but believe me, my mind may know it intellectually but emotionally...really...is it already time to get ready for Thanksgiving???

I took a long walk today and many homes were decorated for Fall and Halloween like this one...

I didn't take pictures but because the stores on 3rd Avenue in my neck of the woods were offering treats to trick or treaters this afternoon lots of little tots all dressed up were on the sidewalks with parents and grandparents. Very cute.

Back to the calendar...I guess it's time to think about the next two months. Well, Thanksgiving for me is easy...the Macy's Day Celebration. But Christmas...well, I need to get busy and think about gifts to make. I have a few ideas but can I get them done in time. I guess time will tell...

So what about you? Are you looking at the calendar and seeing the slide into the fall and winter celebrations a lot closer than you would like? Have any ideas about what you're going to do? Well, if not, maybe tonight while you are waiting for the ghosts and goblins to stop by for their treats, you may want to think about it.

As promised I have more pictures from my Vermont visit. Traveling the byways...

That's all for today folks. By the way, I will change the monthly thought and weekly journal prompt tomorrow.

Thanks for dropping by...
Enjoy your trick or treaters...
Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?