A spooktacular surprise and a very Happy Halloween!

A spooktacular surprise and a very happy Halloween!

I know all of you have been busy getting ready for Halloween and here at our house there is no exception. Yesterday was the day I made my mom's happy face cupcakes. It is a very simple tradition but one that I have cherished and made for my own family the past forty five years. My mother started this tradition when my brother, sister, and I were very small children. I honestly don't know where the idea came from. Every year she would bake these sweet little cupcakes for our school Halloween parties, and to serve to our aunts and cousins when all of us returned home after collecting our candy on Halloween. My mother would spread out blankets in our living room and after she and my aunts inspected our candy they would go into the kitchen to have coffee, tea, and cupcakes while all of us cousins traded and bartered for candy. After we were finished we would each get one of these darling little cupcakes of our own.

For me these happy face cupcakes are what the holiday is all about. Recently I found a picture I took way back in the sixties. There they are! My little cupcakes! We must have had a late Halloween party that year because I noticed the month that the picture was taken on was November. I wish I could find some of those darling witches to add to the plates of cupcakes I make yesterday. I remember giving plates of cupcakes to all of our neighbors that year.

Yesterday Charli and I received the most awesome surprise in the mail! It was a Happy Halloween card from our good friends Scout and Shelly! Isn't Scout adorable ♥ Thank you so much Shelly and Scout! That was so sweet! My hubby is so funny. He was looking at the card, and said, "Who would have thought? Now the little diva is getting cards on the holidays!" http://logcabininmichigan.blogspot.com/

Shelly actually has several blogs that are absolutely wonderful but I have provided the link to the one that features her beautiful log cabin. You will find Scout in these posts as well. Scout and Charli are just the best of friends. I hope all of you will stop over to visit them. Charli and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a happy, safe, and fun filled Halloween! We will be thinking of all of you as we head out to a Halloween party of our own this evening.
"OK, OK" Charli has been biting on the leg of my pants because she is so excited to show you her Halloween costume!

And here she is.... The little diva herself......

"Happy Halloween everybody!"

Happy Halloween everyone!!!!!!

With warmest regards, Carol

"Yes, yes Charli, your going to get a treat."

A Halloween tablescape!.....

Welcome to my Halloween tablescape!

I don't know about you but I sure have been busy this week making treats and packing up little bags of goodies for our grandchildren. This is by far one of my favorite weeks of the whole year! There seems to be spiders, bats, ghosts, and goblins every where! Even on my table there is no exception. You are bound to find at least one spider and sometimes maybe even two.
Do you like my black chargers? Sometimes I like to layer chargers as I have done here. The black chargers are ones I picked up at the party store a while ago. You can get chargers for just about any holiday at the party store. I like them because they are festive, will last for years, and are relatively inexpensive.

Remember those pumpkin pails I picked up a while back? Well, all I have to do now is fill them with treats. I added a pretty green bow to each one. I think they make great party favors.
I purchased my plates at Pier One Import. I like to use them in the summer, or when I serve Mexican food, and I was thinking they might even be great for a Mad Hatter tea party. Humm....

I will be making my mom's Happy Face cupcakes very soon. To me it just wouldn't be Halloween without them. My little owl sticker is already sitting high on his perch. I think he just may be on the look out for them :>)

I have placed spider webs, jewels, tea lights, and pumpkin candles on the table to give it that party feel. When we have hosted family parties in the past, sometimes we have even placed a cauldron in the middle of the table that was filled with dry ice. Our grandchildren have especially loved that!
This year my center piece is actually my cookie jar. It's a perfect place to store unexpected surprises and treats!

Now all I have left to do is put the candles in my tea lights, the skeleton straws in the glasses, add the greeting cards to my scarecrow photo holders, and fill my little favor pails. Then, at just the right time, I will turn the lights way down low, light the candles, put on some very creepy music, and I will be all set to go.

I hope all of you are having fun this week!

With warmest regards, Carol

"Come on Charli. We have to put on your costume. It's almost Halloween!"

A football season comes to an end...

A football season comes to an end...

As those of you know who follow this blog our grandson Thomas was on the varsity high school football team this year. After receiving an invitation from him to come to his games, my hubby and I didn't want to miss any of them. We have been so excited! We have had a wonderful time rooting for our grandson and his team!
This was the first time either my hubby or myself had been to any high school football games since we were in school ourselves which was a very long time ago. Our son's and our grandson Michael attended many of their games but none of them were ever interested in actually playing.
If you are older, and haven't had the opportunity to attend a high school football game recently, I encourage you to do so because you will be amazed at how much things have changed! At least, at our grandson's high school they have. Even though I truly loved attending my high school football games, and rooting our beloved Polar Bears on, these days high school football is over the top! The first thing I noticed is that there is so much more parental involvement than when I went to school. Parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all come to the games. The parents volunteer for all sorts of things from making sandwiches for the football players to eat after they're six am daily work outs, to selling tickets, team booklets, working the concession stands, and selling tee shirts and other team inspired clothing at the games. It has become a very expensive commodity to support these high school football teams.
The pictures I'm sharing in this post were taken during homecoming weekend. Many of the students decorate they're cars for homecoming now and the parents have actual tail gate parties in the parking lot prior to every game.

The homecoming parade route covered approximately a two and a half mile radius with the police and fire department involved as well. It was absolutely amazing!

Each class designs and builds a float. We didn't even have floats at our homecoming games. That's how old I am! Today there are electronic score boards, announcer boxes, and rolls upon rolls of steel bleachers. In additions to bands, and cheer leaders, schools now have dance teams.

Many of the football fields are made out of artificial turf instead of grass. Do you see that wonderful track the kids have to run on? Our grandson has three different football uniforms and the cheer leaders have three different uniforms as well. During the season, as they support a different cause, the dance team and the cheer leaders wear a different shirt over they're uniforms with the logo of what they are supporting that week written on it.

There is even a street sign called Cougar Boulevard!

My hubby and I were very happy that we got to share in this truly wonderful experience! The Cougars did a fantastic job! There was such a great display of sportsmanship on the field! We enjoyed seeing all of the school spirit and comradery that the high school students have.

Do you remember attending your high school football games? If so, I would love to hear from you.

As much as we will miss attending the games, Charli for one is glad they are over. Some how she knew which days we were going to the games and from early morning her anxiety level heightened. She would pout and pace all day long. Every time we left for the game, there she would be, standing in our window with a broken hearted expression on her face. That little girl really knows how to lay on the guilt when she wants too :>)

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Betty Crocker Cake Box Sugar Cookies

Betty Crocker Cake Mix Sugar Cookies

I have been seeing cookies periodically here in blog land that have been made from different types of pre-made cake mixes. I thought it might be fun to try so I googled Betty Crocker cake mix cookies and found the following recipe.

"Mix-Easy Rolled Sugar Cookies'
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix (I used yellow)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Heat oven to 375 (350 for dark or nonstick cookie sheets) In a large bowl, beat cake mix, shortening, butter, vanilla, and egg with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then high speed 1 minute.
Divide dough in four equal parts. Roll each part 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured board. I put my dough in the refrigerator for two hours prior to rolling. After rolling the dough cut into desired shapes.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool one minute and remove from pan.
After the cookies are completely cooled they can be decorated any way you chose. I used the pre-made frosting's and gels you can get at your local super market. I also added candy to make the noses.
This would be a fun project to do with children.

Are you cooking up anything special this week for your little goblins? I would love to hear from you.

I hope you have a spooktacular and fun filled week ♥

Well, I'm off to deliver some unexpected treats to my favorite goblins.

With warmest regards, Carol

'"Stop Bullying Now!"....

'"Stop bullying now!'

In recent months we have all heard of young adults committing suicide because of bullying type behaviors. Bullying is more prevalent in our society than once was thought. It is not only in the elementary, middle school, high schools, and colleges, but it can also sometimes be seen in our own homes, the Internet, work places, hospitals, and extended care facilities where some of our most vulnerably reside. I believe this is a very serious problem and through zero tolerance and education we can effect change. As mothers, health care workers, and educators, through our blogging community, face book, and twitter pages we have a strong forum to get the word out. I found a wonderful site that has been developed for adults and children as well that I found quite interesting and helpful. I hope you will take the time to stop there and then pass the information along to your families and friends.

htttp://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/default.aspx

As I was thinking about this subject, and deciding what to post, I came across the following blog where a mother has written a letter to her daughter and then posted it here in our blog world for others to see. It is very well written and I couldn't have been said it any better. I hope you will take the time to read it and then pass along to someone you love.

http://vicky-bell.blogspot.com/2010/10/letter-to-my-daughter-in-wake-of.html?spref=fb&ref=nf

With warmest regards, Carol

Happy Monday everyone!......

Happy Monday everyone!


Like many of the areas where you live, farmers have been busy setting up road side stands and bringing they're harvest into our towns to sell. I enjoy seeing these small road side stands as I drive along doing errands and what not. They always make me smile :>)

I love all of the colors associated with fall, the yellows, oranges, and the vibrant reds.

I love the smell of cinnamon, of burning leaves, and fires in open pits.

I enjoy walking in the woods and playing in the leaves.

I love the taste of pumpkin and apple pie, toasted cinnamon almonds, spicy pumpkin seeds, fresh pressed cider, and pumpkin lattes.

I like all of the pretty fall decorations displayed in homes and in places of business.

My hubby and I really like college football and this year it has been especially fun to be able to attend our grandson Tommy's high school football games.

"Well, I like fall because I get to take walks, roll in the leaves, smell the mums, and eat apples!

What are some of the things you like to do in the fall? I would love to hear from you.

I hope all of you have a beautiful and blessed week ♥

With warmest regards, Carol