AllHalloween

Happy Halloween!

Halloween- Also known as “Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve. It is a celebration observed in many countries on October 31st, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallow’s Day. 

Do you have any spooky plans for today? We do not really celebrate Halloween since our daughter has all grown up. I still love to see the kids get excited for candy and I like looking at everyones costumes. I remember having lots of fun on Halloween when I was younger and when my daughter was a kid. I remember the church parties with cake walks and bobbing for apples. I remember the school fall festivals and haunted houses. 

One thing I like to do a few days before halloween is search around the house for something to dress up in and have everyone on Facebook guess who or what I am.

I have a yellow rain coat that I used a couple years ago. I put on the coat and added some knee socks and black shoes. Then I grabbed a black umbrella and container of salt. I was the Morton Salt Girl. 

 

This year I used he same yellow rain coat, added a red balloon and just like that I was “Georgie” from the Steven King horror movie “IT”. 

I have never seen the movie but have heard enough about it to know basically what it’s about and what the characters look like. It did not take long for my facebook friends to figure out who I was dressed as. Some called me brave. 

But as for today, we have something to do this mornig. Then we have a few errands to run this afternoon. Nicks brother is in town so we plan to spend some time with him and his new girl friend later. 

Who knows, maybe we will get into a little mischief. 

🕰 DON”T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK TONIGHT! 

“IT” a Steven King Novel

Halloween Snack Ideas

Halloween is only three days away and you need to come up with some spooky snack ideas for the little monsters in the house or the goblins that are coming over to visit. If you are crunched for time or don’t have any idea what to make, don’t get your bandages in a wad. I have three simple ideas your can do that are not only delicious but healthy too!

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MUMMY PRETZEL STICKS

Chocolate dipped pretzels are always my quick “go to” treat to hand out to the kids. They are easy to make and have several possibilities for any occasion. 

They started out as ghost but then my daughter added more detail and they became mummies. 

-Large Pretzel Rods

-Chocolate Bark.

Melt the chocolate in a glass microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.

Dip pretzels into the chocolate and place on wax paper until dried.

Use melted dark chocolate or morsels for the eyes.

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APPLE FALSE TEETH

My daughter wanted to make these when she came over. While I dipped pretzels, she made apple false teeth.

She giggled every time she completed one. Each one came out different and had its own personality. We had some good laughs with these and had fun eating them. They were delicious too!

-Red Apples

-Peanut Butter

-Mini Marshmallows 

Slice apples into wedges and remove any core.

Spread each wedge with peanut butter.

Line one wedge with mini marshmallows and place another wedge on top.

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CLIO SNACK MONSTERS

Clio snacks are chocolate covered Greek yogurt bars that come in a variety of flavors. They now come in “mini” size and are the perfect treat to hand out at parties or showers. They can be left out at room temperature for four hours if they have to. They are also good frozen. They are healthy and taste just like little cheese cakes. So you will love these even if you are not a yogurt fan. 

-Clio Snack Minis

-White Chocolate Bark (they are already covered in dark chocolate).

Melt the chocolate in a glass microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.

Dip each bar into the chocolate and place on wax paper until dried.

Use melted dark chocolate or morsels for the eyes.

Hint: Use food coloring to color the melted white chocolate to make different color monsters and decorate to your preference. 

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Are you trick or treating this Halloween or having a Halloween party?

We do not usually hand out candy because of where we are located.

I will usually make little treats like this or small bags of candy to hand out to the kids close by or family.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

ClioSnacks.com

Cliosnacks can be found in the yogurt section at most Walmarts, Targets and other select stores. 

You can find more flavors and less sugar options on their website at ClioSnacks.com. 

You can also shop online and use code: Lisa10 at checkout and get additional 15% off until the end of November. (10% after that).

Forward Helix

Do you ever feel like doing something crazy? Your mind is telling you that your still young even though your body is getting old as dirt? Well, that happened to me again this weekend. It has been a while since I did something daring or what some would say, “ridiculous”. 

I had seen a young girl at a store register a while back that had a unique piercing in her ear. It caught my eye though it was dainty and small. 

For a brief moment, I wanted a piercing like hers. 

Time went by until last week. I was watching a commercial ad on the internet and there it was, that same piercing I had seen on that girl at the register. I took a screen shot of the piercing and sent it to my daughter with the text, “I like this and now I want it”. She responded that she thought it would look good on me. She also said she had been wanting to add 2nd holes in her ear lobes and that we should go together. I suggested that we could go this weekend since she was planning to come home. That was Friday.

A small fear entered my mind that I am one day away from voluntarily causing unnecessary pain to myself and I’m not sure who influenced who. 

She came in Saturday and after lunch we asked Nick to take us to the tattoo parlor so we could get piercings. I did not want to go without him. 

So he drove us down to Belmont to the a little place called Capones. This is the same artist that did my tattoo when I was in my late 30’s. 

My daughter left with 2nd holes and I left with what is called a “Forward Helix”. 

Despite what I had read about this type of piercing, the pain on a scale from 1-10 was about a 7. The worst part was sitting in a Tattoo Parlor with loud music and artist that look like walking comic books. I bet with all of their tattoos, they have a lot of stories to tell. They were super nice, gentle and made sure to use sterile and sealed tools, needles and jewelry. 

Do you have any piercings? If so, how many? 

Fun Facts about Forward Helix Piercings: [copied from source ]

Reduce skin aging signs- Forward helix ear piercing increases your blood circulation and muscle tone for your face as well as the rest of your body. So if you are experiencing early skin aging sings like wrinkles, ear piercing will help you to lessen the appearance of wrinkles on your face.

Soothe your body and brain- One of the great benefits of forwarding helix ear piercing is that it will not only make you feel better but will help relax your brain too. Depression, stress and other emotional hardships can tense your body and mind up, and piercing helps you to deal with them in a better way by calming your mind.

My President is in Town

Today President Trump will be visiting my town for another rally. This is exciting news to some and then there are some that just don’t care. 

I think it is exciting anytime a president comes to my town. 

Just a couple weeks ago Ivanka Trump was also in town. She had dinner at our upscale restaurant and took a tour through some other towns around us. Rumor has it, that she is purchasing a home here but I really think she was just looking at where the rally will be taking place. 

My Sister and several friends will be attending the rally today. I think Mr. Trump is suppose to land here at 2:00pm, gates open at 3:00pm, Trump will show up around 6:30 and the rally starts at 7:00pm. People will be lined up as early as 7am and the traffic is going to be hellacious.

I would really love to go to the rally too but with my inner ear and vertigo problems, I am afraid to stand out there all day. I am also not a fan of being in tight crowds. I like being around a lot of people but shoulder to shoulder crowds give me anxiety. However, I think it would be something great to put in the books. 

I hope everything goes well today for everyone attending the rally and there are no problems. They are expecting to have 15000 to 20000 people attend. I worry a little about everyone being in a crowd like this because of the pandemic but precautions are suppose to be practiced. Temperatures will be taken of all those that enter the gate and mask will be mandatory. Since it is taking place outside, it should be ok. For me, I will be watching bits and pieces of the rally from my living room. 

Have you ever gotten to meet a President in your life time?

Black Cat

Are you superstitious? A lot people are superstitious and will stay away from black cats. Not me. I think they are beautiful and just another one of Gods magnificent creatures. I do not believe in superstition, luck or karma. It’s all just silly nonsense. Jack over at Shipslog would agree as he has taken on a couple of these black beauties. 

Black cats are often associated with Halloween because they have been associated with witchcraft. They were also burned at the stakes with the witches. Medieval France and Spain believed black cats were objects of superstition and were convinced the were bringers of bad luck.

It feels like I see more black cats running around in October that any other time of the year but that is just a coincident. Some people will make sure to keep their black cats inside on Halloween night in fear of them being taken or killed.

There is a black cat in our neighborhood that I have seen once in my yard and other times roaming around for a couple of years now. It is a stray. 

But this cat is not a regular feral cat. This cat is a “Scottish Fold”. Nick says it’s earless but actually it’s ears are folded down to his head. These types of cats can be expensive. This is also the kind of cat I wish to have one day. I want a gray one but if I could capture this one, I would make him mine. 

The other day while we were on our walk, I had a feeling that something was staring at me. I looked over at the neighbors yard and there he was. Sitting pretty and gave me a growling meow. He was beautiful and he was huge! 

I began to walk over to him and he did not move. As I got closer to him, he fell over on his back and started rolling around like he wanted some petting. Well, that is exactly what I did. He got some loving pets from me and then I went on my way. After getting close to him, I was afraid to catnap him as my own because he looked happy and well fed where he was. I think that neighbor has already claimed him. I hope that is the case. I have not seen him since this day but I know he is around. He looked healthy and that made me happy. 

Maybe he will show up in my yard again one day.  Maybe Halloween night. 👻

Pumpkin Carving

I was going to title this post “Jack O Lanterns”, but I don’t think all pumpkin carvings are actually Jacks unless they have the triangle eyes and nose. 

My daughter called me up to say her work place and her apartment are doing a pumpkin carving contest so she wanted us to carve pumpkins together. 

I had just seen large pumpkins at my local Food Lion grocery store for 1.99. That was the cheapest I had seen them all year, so I snatched up a couple of them before they were gone. 

It was also my husbands birthday so my daughter wanted to spend the day with him. We had a nice dinner and birthday cheesecake to follow. After dinner we prepared to carve our pumpkins, but first we each guessed the weight of one of the pumpkins. The one who was furtherest way from the actual weight had to do the dishes. 

My daughter decided to make her pumpkin into a Frankenstein. It was her first time carving a pumpkin so it was quite a challenge for her. 

I think her Frankenstein turned out great. 

We usually opt to paint our pumpkins each year so they will last longer and a lot less messy.

I carved mine into a VW inspired camper van. I thought I was never going to get that outside layer off and almost gave up several times. Once I had it skinned, I cut out the windows. I will never try to carve such a big pumpkin again. Wheew!

While we did the carving, we had the seed from each pumpkin baking in the oven. I do not like to see them go to waste. The aroma of the roasted seeds filled the air. They turned out delicious and make a great snack. 

It’s always fun when my daughter comes over and we do the kid like crafts we used to do. 

At the end of the night, she had to go back to her place and..... I had dishes to do. 

Do you decorate for Halloween? 

I do not usually decorate for Halloween but do decorate with a Fall theme and may add a little ghost or spider to the decor as is gets closer to Halloween night. 

Do you carve or paint your pumpkins?

Do you like the creative carvings or do you like to stick to the traditional Jack O Lanterns?

Signs Of Autumn

It’s that time of year where the scent of falling leaves and campfires take over the air. Though I am a Summer girl, I enjoy the smell of Fall and all the vibrant colors. 

While we were out walking this morning, I had to pull out my phone to snap a few pictures of the things that screamed Autumn. I could hear the acorns hitting the roof tops of homes and cars while the squirrels scurried around to stock up on nuts for the Winter. I picked up a few to add to my fall decor.

I could not resist snapping a photo of the Magnolia pods. Magnolia trees are one of my favorite trees next to the dogwood.

There are many of these trees in my neighborhood and when they show off their white flowering blooms, I can smell a lemony aroma.

Some people use these pods to add to their Fall decorations. You can actually find these for sale in private shops. 

If you look closely, you can see a big spider web. There is a spider perfectly centered waiting on her prey as the dew drops glitter on her transparent silks.

This is when I put my camera aways and left the scene. This was way to close for comfort for me. Spiders are one of my biggest fears. I will probably have nightmares about them tonight now. 

It has rained here for the past few days and the temperatures are in the 70’s. We will head out for a walk every chance we can get between the downpours. I managed to get in my three miles while Nick continued for two more. It is always nice to see the new things nature plants for us to see as we enjoy the outdoors. 

We are really missing is the sounds of Football games and marching bands from the high school around the block. 

What are favorite things about Fall?

Crochet Pumpkin Cup Cozy

I love Spring and Summer but I don’t mind Fall at all. There is something about the smell of fallen leaves and camp fires that make me enjoy the Autumn season. Everywhere you turn you see something Pumpkin Spicy. I am not a fan of pumpkin flavored foods except for pumpkin pie and even then, I like it covered with whipped cream. 

This time of year is also when everyone enjoys their favorite hot drinks while relaxing outdoors or at ball games. Sometimes those hot drinks you get at takeout coffee shops can be hot on your hands even thought they are served in insulated cups. Same goes with cold drinks. Our hands suffer discomfort at times. This is why everyone should own a cup or mug cozy.

My neighbor and sweet friend asked me if I could make her a crocheted cozy for her Starbucks cups. She thought it would be fun to have one with a pumpkin or other fall look to it. So I whipped up a cute little cozy and delivered it to her.

I thought it was cute so I made another one (a little different) and added it to my Etsy shop. I am tempted to take it for myself but I’d rather see it sell. I can always make another one for me later. Meanwhile I have kept busy supplying a local store with my crocheted ear savers that help protect ears from all day mask wear. They happen to be a big seller and I have been making 100 of them a month. I am also wanting to crochet myself a blanket. 

Are you a coffee or tea drinker or do you prefer cold drinks?

I love coffee with a sweet vanilla creamer. 

The cozy pattern that inspired me can be found at Okiegirlblingnthings.com.

Be sure to visit my Etsy shop LiLiDi for more of my creations.

DIY Turmeric Shots

If you know me, you know I suffer from an inner ear condition called Tinnitus. It all started in 2016 and came on pretty sudden and still hasn’t stopped. Tinnitus is a constant ringing of the ears that can be caused by different things, but in my case, tinnitus was an early indicator of Meniere's disease. I have never been diagnosed with Meniere’s but have every known symptom.

What is Meniere’s Disease? Read about it HERE. 

There is no cure for Meniere’s. It is hard to find a doctor that will give the diagnosis because they can not see it and unless they have had it themselves, they can’t comprehend the symptoms that are an everyday struggle for me. I look fine. I do not look sick and carry on my days (though hard sometimes) as usual. It is an invisible disease. The biggest fear is never knowing when I will have a vertigo attack. The loss of hearing comes and goes.

SO, I am always trying to adjust my diet and find out what causes it to trigger. Since one symptom is inflammation in the ear, I had to reduce my salt intake. This has helped a little and seems to make my remissions last longer. A spice called Turmeric is great for reducing inflammation in the body. Turmeric is good for you. I have started taking 1/2 teaspoon a day to see if that will also help reduce some inflammation in my ears. 

Before I go out and purchase as bottle of the Turmeric supplements, I wanted to make my own. First I tried it as a small drink but I could barely take the taste. It was nasty! SO I got to thinking and made a dose I can swallow with water like a pill. I used all the ingredients I used in the drink besides the liquid. 

This included: 

- A few teaspoons of Turmeric, 

- 1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated Ginger,

- dash of ground pepper. 

- Then I added couple drops of honey to create a doughy paste. 

I took the dough and divided it into small pellets. 

Each pellet has about 1/2 teaspoon to Turmeric. 

I take one every morning. 

Note: Turmeric will stain your clothes and counter tops and these little pills may be hard to swallow for some, so take caution. 

Turmeric is also great for those that suffer arthritis. Turmeric is often added to foods and drinks as an extra health benefit. You do not have to have a health problem at all and still take Turmeric. 

Do you suffer from Meniere’s Disease or Tinnitus?

If so, what are your vertigo triggers?

What helps?

I am always looking for answers. 

Great Day for a Doughnut

It was a great day for a doughnut (or 12). My daughter and I had just finished a candle making class. The rain had stopped and the new Krispy Kreme Tasting room was close by. I have been wanting to visit this place for a while now, so this was the perfect opportunity. We took a short walk around the block and there it was. The sign was glowing through the trees from across the road as we made our way the door.  

We saw a doughnut vending machine outside. Let me say that again, “A doughnut vending machine”. How cool was that?  I bet they have one of these in Heaven. 

The Krispy Kreme tasting room is located in Southend Charlotte. The bakers were working like bees to get orders filled for store deliveries and customer request. This is also where new flavors are born. You can become a member by downloading an app and thy will alert you on new flavors. You can be one of the first to try them. They also have milkshakes and doughnut sandwiches. 

We were only going to get one doughnut each but that did not happen. My daughter reached into her purse and pulled out a coupon for 1/2 off a dozen. 

The baker filled a box as we took turns choosing assorted flavors to try.

We walked out with a box of doughnuts.

The flavors we picked were:

2 Original stuffed with Cheesecake filling.

2 Pumpkin spice Cinnamon roll.

Reese’s Classic.

2 Original stuffed with Cream filling.

Raspberry filled.

Lemon filled.

Chocolate iced with sprinkles.

Chocolate cream stuffed.

Pumpkin iced.

We headed back to her apartment with smiles and giggles. There, we met my husband who had been watching a moving while waiting on us to enjoy our time together. He helped us taste the different flavors while keeping some saved for another day. 

My favorite flavored doughnut is the Lemon filled but there is nothing better than the original glazed, HOT, right off the conveyor belt. 

I could eat my weight in those.