Halloween means I can't complain about Xmas anymore!

Well, the title says it all folks. It's Halloween, which means I can no longer say "I can't believe they're putting Christmas decorations out already!" every time I go to the store. *sigh* More then what I can or can't say....it means that I have to accept the fact that the 'retail Christmas season' is coming no matter how I feel about it. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Christmas. Really! I get so excited to see people open their gifts. I just can't take the fact that retailers start shoving it down our throats before fall has even really well, fallen.

chicken jack o lantern

I need some time, some space in my calender to process the fact that summer is actually over. My beloved garden is falling asleep. The trees are not only gaining their colors but their loosing them too. Frost is only just creeping in and Heavens to Murgatroyd, but they have snowflakes hanging in stores already! How dare they! I at least need till the end of October, but truly wish they'd wait till after Thanksgiving. (oh yeah, that's not gonna happen!) 

Keep boots dry with a pool noodle!

There is nothing worse then boots that feel damp inside! I really hate that. I have one pair that make my feet sweat like crazy. I have another pair that gets wet inside every time I wear them in the  rain. Yuck! I try not to wear them when it's wet out, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. 

Tall dress boots with pool noodles in them to keep them standing up

When boots do get wet inside, it's important to allow them to dry thoroughly. Especially tall ones. Bacteria can thrive in moist dark areas like a pair of knee high boots. The best thing to do is to stand them up to dry them out.

Super simple pumpkin milkshake!

It's fall...the official "pumpkin everything" season! The kids have been clamoring for pumpkin rolls and pumpkin cakes and just everything pumpkin spice! Even milkshakes. Most especially milkshakes! I've been experimenting with a few recipes. Some were too strong, others were too weak. I need pumpkin flavor, but not overwhelming. Finally, I came up with my own concoction:

pumpkin milkshake with whipped cream and spices on top next to mini pumpkins

This is an easy to make milkshake using pumpkin puree. Don't use pumpkin pie filling, it's not the same. The filling has spices and sugar already mixed in, so your recipe will be too sweet and very 'pie spiced' flavored if you use filling instead of puree.

I make my own pumpkin puree by baking and blending up a pumpkin, super easy and better for you than anything canned. Of course, without the preservatives it doesn't keep as long.

Ya know, I'd love to tell you the story of my very first pumpkin milkshake and why I love fall...but lets just get the that recipe instead! 

How to recycle a broken bucket into a planter

A few months ago my ash bucket was smashed and I had the idea to turn it into a planter! I try to reuse things that still have some life in them and I can always find a place for another flower planter! I just had to get a few things together and also, find the culprit that smashed my bucket!

Like how does that even happen?

Don't you just hate when somebody breaks something, but doesn't tell you? Inevitably when I find out I end up blaming the most likely suspect....but I'm sometimes wrong. That is exactly what happened to my ash bucket!

Flower planter made from old bucket

The chilly weather snuck in out of nowhere and I decided I should light a fire in the bedroom fireplace to chase the chill away. The fireplace had some dust from being closed up all summer so I needed the ash bucket to clean the fireplace out. 


I called youngest son and ask him to bring me said bucket from the shed. He does, so I clean the fireplace out and light a fire. The room warms up and everything goes back to normal. This should be the end of the story, right? 

Except a few days later when I pick up the bucket to empty it, I notice bits of dust flaking out of the bucket. Upon further inspection I find something out pretty quickly. The ash bucket is broken. I'm talking caved in on one side crushed!

I'm talking crushed so hard that it had separated from the base in one spot!