Happy Birthday to our best Halloween treat ever!

 Scout's 1st birthday, 1996

To the outside world we all grow old.
But not to brothers and sisters.
We know each other as we always were.
We know each other's hearts.
We share private family jokes.
We remember family feuds and secrets,
family griefs and joys.
We live outside the touch of time.
-Clara Ortega

Happy 16th birthday, Scout.  

We love you!

Ficus rescue

Back when the summer was blazing, I moved my ficus over to a corner of the yard under the oaks just to save it from frying on the deck.  It loved it there.  Grew another foot or so.  Little did I realize, it was supporting it self on the swing.  When I moved the swing to blow out the red rocks, lookee what happened:

 Yikes!  It can't even support it's own height!  Not sure if that's the pot's fault, or what.  But I really want to leave it here, as it camo's the cords from the bug zapper and landscape lighting.

I rooted around in the garage and found a curtain rod from a failed attempt to hang curtains in the master bedroom.  It was the perfect length and strength to help lend some support.

 I just stuck in down deep into the pot, and secured the tree with a bit of twine in a couple of places.

 

 The rod is slender enough to be unobtrusive in the tree,

Then I moved the big pot from the front door over, to balance out the space.
Plus, I needed to clear the front door area to decorate for Halloween.

 

 I like how shady and cool this area of our yard is.

 While I was out there, I gave the hedgehog a bath in some orb spray paint.

 I think he turned out snazzy!  He props open the back gate letting cool breezes blow through...

 After an hour or so of sprucing this area looks neat again.

 A nice place to sip my wine or read a book in the afternoon...

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Easy Spice-y Pumpkin Cake

Cooler weather makes me want to run go turn on the oven and bake something wonderful.  Something that will scent the house like Fall...and Thanksgiving...something like this:

Easy Spice-y Pumpkin Cake

1 c. white sugar

1/2 c. water

1/2 can pumpkin puree

1/4 butter, melted and cooled (1/2 a stick)

1 egg

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 tub buttercream frosting (or make your own!)

1/2 c. walnuts (with some extra pumpkin pie spice and a little dab of butter)

Heat the oven to 325.  Spray an 8x8 glass cake pan with Pam. Mix the first 6 ingredients.  Stir salt and baking soda into flour, then stir into wet ingredients.  Bake for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed in the middle.  Cool. 

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts:  I crushed mine up a bit, added to a skillet with a sprinkle of spice and a little dab of butter.  Watch it carefully and stir it constantly over low to med heat to toast the nuts.  Cool. 

Frosting from a tub - I cheated today and it worked out beautifully!  I stored the leftover in the freezer.  After frosting it, scatter the nuts on top, perk a pot of cinnamon coffee and serve!

 Don't mind if I do.

Gina

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and

Front door Halloween

Monday dawned and I was ready to decorate for Halloween.  One little problem, though:  I have no idea what happened to the box of Halloween decorations from last year.  For me, that is huge.  I'm usually pretty organized.  I can't believe I would have purged all of it, so it had to be in the attic.  But since I am deathly afraid of going into the attic, I had to make do!

 I collected some branches from the neighborhood greenbelt,and added some that were spray painted black.

Added a couple of pumpkins from the grocery store...

 And a couple of hairy spiders...which make me jump every time I leave the house, because I'm such a ninny!

The big one is from Wally World, the smaller one from Walgreen's.

Wrapped some Halloween garland around a grapevine wreath and added a chipboard 

hanging sign from Joann's (60% off!)

Something I noticed:  pumpkins from the store are always dirty - clean em up with a bit of Orange Glo and they shine!  Plus the front door area will smell orange-y wonderful...

I like that I was able to use some natural elements - I think I am leaning more 

and more towards that in my home.

 

A little plain, but it will do for now.  I have some lights to string up and I might add a few more branches for drama.  After all they're free!  Plus, eventually, hubby will find that box for me...

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Sugar bombs on a stick - literally

One of our favorite things to do is roast marshmallows, and the boys can't stand to have a full bag of marshmallows lying around...

Like these ginormous ones I found at Wally World - each of them equals 

at least three regular size marshmallows!

Currently there is a burn ban on in Austin, but Hubby is careful using charcoal in the pit and 

we roast mallows over the dying ashes...

 You have to have a lot of patience this way as it takes a while - plus, the huge ones just take longer to roast.

 No open flames.  We're being good.

I've notice that in so many photos lately people just ignore me as I snap away.  They refuse to smile or pose.  I just go on snapping. I guess that's OK unless we are doing portraits.  

Which we aren't here.  

So, OK.

Even in warm weather Bubbie loves roasting mallows and wearing his fuzzy camo pants!  

But I think this be more fun once we get cooler weather...

Circling the drain

Lately it seems my little family has been dealt one little tragedy after another.   Mostly small.  But really, it's the small tragedies that will get you down.

Pictured is Bubbie, on the bathroom floor, covered by his favorite quilt, toughing out a nasty stomach virus.  It has wound it's way around our group:  first, me on Sunday; then Scout on Tuesday into Wednesday, now Bubbie.  Who will it strike next?  Hopefully it will skip Firstborn who began his new job on Monday.  This bathroom is quarantined and will be scrubbed down with bleach as soon as Bubbie's fever breaks.  And I am praying for healthier days!

Gina

Closet progress

Small pictures for what seems like small progress...

 

But it represents HOURS of work, cleaning up and clearing out.  There's still a lot to do, but hubby picked up these stainless shelves which will be les likely to gather dust and will keep the radios and other electronics from overheating on wooden shelves.  Smart, I thought.  

Still need:
*Hanging shoe organizers I ordered from Linens N things
*A storage bench he can sit on and store his assorted scout items in; rolling would be nice
*Pretty rug - after I steam clean the carpet
*Light fixture
*plastic bin storage for sweaters, etc.

It's getting there, though....

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