Easy Fruit (Your Choice!) Muffins

It's the last week before school resumes. While my boys finished the last few pages of their Summer Bridge workbooks, I thought I'd whip up a tasty snack.  It felt like a muffin day.  I knew I had some frozen fruit and wanted a healthy recipe to compliment it, so I Googled 'berry muffins' and zeroed in on the Berry Rich Muffins recipe from Eating Well.   It's a super recipe on its own, but I modified it to suit our tastes and produced this new recipe (below).

The recipe accommodates a range of choices of ingredients.   It's also not too sweet and is very fluffy.  My kids loved these muffins (below) right out of the oven, sliced open, with a touch of butter.

In these muffins, I used cherries.

Ingredients
1/4 cup grapeseed oil* or canola oil
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk - or - 1 cup regular milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice mixed in*
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tablespoons ground flax seed 
2 cups flour (white, wheat or a combination*, depending on how healthy you want them to be)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (defrosted) (blueberries, halved raspberries, pitted/quartered cherries, mashed bananas and chopped strawberries all would work well individually or in your favorite combination)

*my preferences

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a stand mixer on medium speed, combine:
oil, brown sugar, egg, egg white, vanilla & buttermilk or milk/lemon juice combo
3. Add: salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground flax seed.  Mix thoroughly. (Though it's not commonly done, I add these to the "wet" mixture before adding flour so I'm sure they're evenly distributed.)
4. Add: flour.  Mix thoroughly.
5. Reduce speed and gently add: fruit. 
6. Pour the mixture into 12 lined cupcake cups.  Sprinkle tops with sugar.
7. Bake until springy (don't overcook!) - probably about 15 minutes, but cook times vary depending on the oven used.
8. Enjoy.

As an aside: Have you ever wondered what purposes baking soda and baking powder serve in cooking?  Read here for a great explanation.

Spring Themed Sugar Cookies

Have I mentioned how happy I am to be back East?  It's glorious to see the explosion of life and color here in Arlington, Virginia.  Tulips and daffodils are everywhere and I was so envious of folks who'd planted bulbs last fall, I decided to buy a few dozen daffodil bulbs that were 50% off at a local garden center and planted them a few weeks ago as an experiment.  I did not have high hopes they'd bloom this spring, but lo and behold, I am beginning to see daffodils!

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see this.  I celebrated by pulling out my cookie and cake decorating box, selecting some pastel colored decorating sugars and mixing up a batch of sugar cookie dough.  (This made my boys happy about spring, too.)  Here is the recipe I remember from childhood, modified to suit my tastes. 

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup organic lightly salted butter, softened (don't melt it in the microwave - just let it sit out until it's soft)
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or maybe a touch more depending on your taste)
1 organic egg
2 3/4 cups of organic all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
colored decorating sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  In a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and blend until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla and blend until incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.

3. While the stand mixer is running, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend until fully mixed.
4. Roll the dough into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter.  Dip the top of each ball in some colored sugar and place the ball sugar-side up on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake approximately 8 minutes until the bottom of the cookie turns golden brown. (If you wait until the top is golden brown, the bottom will be dark brown and the cookie will taste burned.)

Makes about 48 sugar cookies.  If you want to use a cookie cutter rather than dough balls, chill the dough first for 30 minutes, then roll out.  The dough also freezes well, so you can make a few cookies at a time, fresh for dessert.

Enjoy!

All Natural Electrolyte Drink Recipes

My older son just broke his 7.5 year no-stomach-bug streak.  He's 7.5 years old, so we had a perfect record until now.  Very sad.  Truly.

We're on day two of the massive north-south ailment and the worst appears to be over, but he still has a fever and has been lethargic.  While he's been drinking regularly and well throughout, it's time for some electrolytes.  My very kind sister brought over some unflavored Pedialyte, which was immediately put to use.

As he polished it off, I had to ask, how could I make my own homemade version?  Because while Pedialyte is a great emergency resource, if I'm the sort of person who might try to make her own mascara, I'm likely to also make my own sick-day drink - or ice pops. 

e·lec·tro·lyte/iˈlektrəˌlīt/

Noun:

A liquid or gel that contains ions and can be decomposed by electrolysis, e.g., that present in a battery. The ionized or ionizable constituents of a living cell, blood, or other organic matter.

Rather than "regurgitate" everything I learned through my Googling, let me just give you a few good links for recipes (you might want to skip the Kool-Aid, though):

Natural Electrolyte Replacement Drink Recipes

Another Electrolyte Replacement Drink Recipe

Homemade Pedialyte Pops

Stay well!

5 Great Green Apps

The other day, as I scoured the web for good ideas for a home project we’re doing, it occurred to me that the process was far easier this time than the last time we collected ideas.  Why?  Because I’m using Pinterest to do it. I can pin any photo I find on the web to my Home Design bulletin board on Pinterest.  No more going through magazines, cutting them up, sticking the cut-out photos in a file, jotting notes on post-its to better explain what I liked about the images, etc.  That kitchen tile I liked in the photo I found on Houzz.com?  I can show the photo of the tile via the Pinterest app on my iPhone to my tile guy and he can help me find it.  That got me thinking about other apps I regularly use that help me to be less wasteful - and more efficient. 

Here are the five “Green Apps” I use most regularly:

1.     Pinterest: for the reasons indicated above.

2.     JotNot Scanner: take a photo with your smart phone of anything and fax or email it directly from there.  Now if you could only get other people to stop sending you faxes...

 

3.     iRecycle: hop on to www.earth911.com‘s app, iRecycle, and find out where the nearest place is to recycle your (hopefully) now redundant fax machine – or virtually anything else, for that matter!

4.     iRewardChart: set up paperless reward charts for your kids.  Award points for achieving certain goals and set up rewards your kids can earn using those points.  It’s helpful to be able to award points as they are earned (such as right after you leave a church service during which your child did not melt down), to really drive home the praise.  Similarly, if I’m in the checkout at the supermarket, I sometimes find it helpful to hold my cell phone up and calmly say to my four-year-old “if you ask me again for another candy bar before we leave this store, you’ll lose two ‘cooperation points’.  You do want to go on that camping trip worth sixty points, don’t you?”  Works like a charm.

5.     Evernote: whenever I need to create a grocery shopping list, I do it on Evernote.  I can create the list either on my desktop or on my cell phone and the two devices will sync up.  When I’m in the store, I just click the button next to the item to note that it’s already in my cart.  This is just one of many ways to use this great app.  It helps me use less paper and create less waste, helps me save money by NOT buying things that aren’t on my list, and my seven-year-old actually enjoys grocery shopping with me when he can check things off as we find them.

 You might also want to check out Light Bulb Finder and Hootroot – two apps that won the EPA's Apps for the Environment Challenge.

What are your favorite green apps?

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

A lot of you probably know how to find out where to recycle almost anything -- just to go to earth911.com. 

One of the more difficult things to dispose of safely is unused medication.  You can't just flush it down the commode or throw it in the garbage. 

This Saturday, October 29, is the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, from 10am to 2pm.  Visit the DEA's website to find a collection event in your area!

Planning An Eco-Friendly Move

We're finally doing it! My family and I are packing up and moving back to the East Coast from Texas.   It will be great to live closer to family and actually see some Fall foliage.

In preparation for the move, I focused on two main areas. 

1. Eco-Friendly Packing Materials
The first thing I investigated was the possibility of limiting or eliminating the waste of using cardboard boxes and tape.

www.rentagreenbox.com

A few cities have some amazing options for folks moving intra-city, such as: Rent A Green Box.  For a modest fee, you can rent reusable boxes (with tops).  The company drops plastic boxes off at your point of departure for your move, then picks them up at the destination after you've unpacked them.  It also sells eco-friendly packing materials for fragile items.  And if you plant your used packing labels in the garden, you can watch lovely snapdragons spring forth!  Rent A Green Box currently operates in Orange County and Los Angeles Counties.

Live in Seattle or the surrounding areas, Canada, Idaho or Minnesota?  Take a look at Frogbox.

BungoBox serves markets in Arizona and Florida.

Rentacrate serves a number of markets and can be used for cross-country moves.

2. Moving Less Stuff
Moving is a great opportunity to pare back.  If there's anything we haven't touched in a few years, whether it's kitchen equipment, books, toys or clothes, it's going to be reviewed.  Holding a moving sale and advertising it on craigslist.org is a great way to cull your possessions.  We plan to do this two weeks before departure.  Whatever is left over will be donated to Goodwill for a tax deduction or given away on freecycle.org.

Cute garage sale sign from www.sassysigns.com.

What are your eco-friendly moving tips?

Mid-June Backyard Bounty

One of the lovely things about living in a place like north Texas is how easy it is to grow your own food.  Lots of heat and sunlight go a long way toward generating good growth.  As long as you water things well and watch for pests, you've got some good food on the table.

Though I neglected to replant one bed that I'd used for winter crops, I did plant two others with a variety of yummy summer delights: sweet corn, green peppers, luscious tomatoes, strawberries and watermelon.

If you've considered growing your own food but think planting beds is too arduous, you don't need to - just get a few big pots and have at it.  Many foods grow really well in containers.  In fact, here in Texas I have to keep my avocado and citrus trees in pots because they need to be brought inside in winter.  You can read more about container gardening by doing an internet search (including finding some inspirational photos), but click here for one blog with some good, quick information.

Here are a few shots of our backyard bounty:

Juicy tomato ready for plucking.

Second batch of sweet corn is almost ready to pick.  You haven't tasted truly sweet corn until you've tasted sweet corn from your own backyard.

One of seven watermelons now growing.  This one is actually growing in our strawberry patch.  The watermelon vines are really aggressive.

Granny Smith apple.

Golden delicious apple.

Lemons.

Butterfly Garden

One of the really fun projects I completed this Spring at my children's school was the installation of a Butterfly Garden.  I also bought a butterfly kit so the children could watch the caterpillars transform, then release the butterflies into the garden.

Butterfly gardens aren't just pretty to look at - they serve a purpose when placed near a vegetable garden such as the one I installed at the school.  Butterflies, like bees, are great pollinators - but they don't sting.  This is a plus for the kids since they love to tend to the vegetables.

Creating such a garden is a very simple and fun project to do with kids.  Just prepare a garden bed and fill it with plants that attract butterflies!  This includes plants that caterpillars love to munch on (such as herbs like dill, oregano and fennel), as well as flowering, nectar-producing plants that butterflies love to visit.

Here is an aerial view of our butterfly garden:

Top row, from left:

Verbena, Blue Salvia, Lavender, Phlox, White Salvia

Bottom row, from left:

Lantana, Dill, Oregano, Lantana, Blue Salvia, Phlox

 

Once the butterflies were ready to be released, the children gathered around and I opened the enclosure right inside the garden:

The children cheered as the butterflies flew from the enclosure.  The last butterfly needed some encouragement, so I lent a hand:

What a beautiful day.

Springtime in North Texas

It's been a busy few months full of distractions. 

The main one was a major health scare that turned out to be absolutely nothing.  This served as a reminder to me that it is a very good idea to get a second, third or even fourth opinion.  On the plus side, I am totally fine.  On the negative side, I wasted a lot of emotional energy.   It also highlighted to me that it's not worth getting upset about something until you really know what you're dealing with.  The bright side of the ordeal was that my heightened emotional state prompted me to get many things done that I'd been putting off.  In fact, I created a big long list and knocked things off one by one.

In the midst of this I did a lot of gardening.  I got the school's veggie garden squared away, planted two new trees there and started a sunflower garden for them.  I then added several trees to our own backyard and prepped three raised beds to plant a variety of things: spinach, broccoli, carrots, romaine lettuce, strawberries, watermelons, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn and cucumbers.  I added blueberry bushes, ordered some banana trees and potted an avocado tree, a lemon tree and a clementine tree.  I also planted hibiscus and hydrangea plants.  I can't wait to see the blooms.

Here you see the cold weather crops coming up:

I added a new feeding station for Nemesis Squirrel because he wasn't sharing any birdseed with the birds.  It took him a week to figure out it was there, which surprised me given how clever he seems to be. 

Things are waking up here in North Texas.  The flowers and trees are budding and the grass is coming out of hibernation.  Spring and Autumn are my favorite seasons, so it's a happy time of year. 

One extra special experience was taking my boys camping for the first time.  Sleeping out under the stars and roasting marshmallows for s'mores (no, not organic) was so much fun! 

Don't wait to share these experiences with your kids.  There is no time like the present!

Happy New Year!

May 2011 be your best year ever!

Holiday Inspiration

Take a moment.   Find a quiet place.  Stop.  Sit down.  Forget the presents, the decorating, the entertaining.   Step outside of yourself and your busy world.  Listen to your breath.  Listen to your heart beat.  Remember that there are many people in this world for whom every day is a life or death struggle.  Watch this video posted on Facebook by CNN Heroes and feel the giving spirit bloom within you.

My Experience As A Seller on craigslist

My youngest (and last) baby is now three years old, so I thought I'd clear out the baby things and other clutter while I was at it.  I combed through closets and our storage and filled our dining room and living room with items we could do without.  Then I set about determining prices, photographing the items and listing them all on craigslist.  If you were wondering why I've been so quiet over the last few weeks - this is why.

I decided to try craigslist first since most of the items were heavy or bulky and shipping would be prohibitive, which meant eBay wasn't a practical alternative.  I will try eBay next.

Overall, my experience has been fantastic and I can't imagine selling this much stuff so easily any other way.  On average, I sold my items at about 50% of retail, which is terrific!   Here are some of my "best practices":

• I didn't encounter too many strange people but  I did take precautions to ensure my safety, such as having my husband home during pickups.  
• Most of my items were high quality and in excellent condition, so I held the sales in my dining room rather than my garage.  I think people felt more comfortable paying higher prices when the items were displayed in a nicer setting.
• I held a few Saturday morning "events" to speed the process.  
• I occasionally arranged to meet buyers at public places to ease their minds.  While it felt strange to stand outside of Best Buy or Lowe's and swap goods for cash, it did facilitate some transactions and I don't blame people at all for feeling nervous about going to peoples' homes.  So if you're a buyer and are nervous - ask the seller if he or she might meet you at a convenient public place.  Chances are, they'll be receptive to it if you reassure them that you're serious.
• I researched my items thoroughly and checked prices for similar items on craigslist and on eBay to make sure my prices were realistic.  
• My postings had lots of good photos and all of the pertinent information.
• I only accepted cash.  
• I quickly learned not to put items "on hold" for people as they often did not show up and I risked losing "bird in the hand" sales in the meantime.

If you are considering selling things on craigslist, it might help to read a few of my experiences so you can prepare yourself.  Some of the highlights include:

• being stood up by numerous people who were "seriously" interested
• the painter and the electrician who left business cards for future shoppers
• the man who told his wife (quite seriously) right in front of me that he planned to serve his son's goldfish to his visiting parents because the fish had become too much work - craigslisting is a study in human behavior and relationships
• the woman who bought a bunch of toddler toys and then tried to sneak an additional one into her car (I caught her and made her fork over more money)
• the lady with the 10 month old who opened a box of babyproofing equipment, let her 10-month old gnaw on it, then put the soggy thing back in the box and walked away (as I stood there with my jaw hanging open). Thankfully, she eventually bought it.
• being offered ridiculously small amounts for items that were already quoted at 50% of retail and were in excellent condition
• the one lady who entered, then said she needed to go to her car to call her daughter about the crib I was selling, then peeled out like she was afraid for her life
• the hugely pregnant woman who yelled at her husband in front of me for not bringing more cash
• the woman who brought her toddler and then spent the entire time (sometimes unsuccessfully) trying to keep him from running through our house and playing with my kids' toys
• the customers who wanted to buy my living room chairs that the baby items were merchandised on
• the customers who argued with me via email about the pricing - giving price quotes from retailers on items that were not identical to the items I was selling
• and finally: my husband's response to my complaining: "As long as they're paying me money, I don't care if they p*** you off."

Give craigslist a try sometime.  You will be amazed at how easy it is to sell the things you are not using!

My Best Thanksgiving Cooking Tip

Your turkey will cook a lot faster if you remove its spine first (a technique known as "butterflying").  It will also leave the legs and wings juicier since they won't be in the oven as long. 

It can be a bit of a struggle to do, but the work is made easier with a very sharp knife and some kitchen shears.  Don't know how to sharpen a knife?  Watch this.

Here's a good video to learn how to butterfly that turkey (or chicken).

Once the spine is removed, cook as usual but keep checking the turkey's temperature.  It's done when the thickest part of the thigh or breast is 165 degrees F.

If you need a refresher on how to cook a turkey, please read my entry from Thanksgiving last year:

A Simple Thanksgiving Dinner

And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Why The Elf on the Shelf Spent Only One Night with Us

I was at a store the other day buying a baby gift when I saw a big display of The Elf on the Shelf.  I love Christmas, especially now that I have children, so I impulsively bought one.  I know, I know.  All I can say is: I'm human and it's a very cute concept.  So, I took it home and read the story to my boys, then hid the Elf high on a shelf for them to find the next day.

My three-year-old, J, immediately deduced that the Elf came out of the book.  He looked dejectedly at it while I reminded him of his master-class meltdown at Old Navy earlier in the day - when he cried and rolled around on the floor because I didn't buy him two soccer balls from a display there, then yelled that he was going to "kick my butt" as I carried him out of the store.  Not his best day.

My six-year-old, B, gazed with saucer-eyes at the Elf.  "I've never seen a real elf before! This is my first Elf!"  He then proceeded to rattle off six wishes for toys he'd seen advertised on TV. 

This all had me thinking about the kind of message my kids were getting from this and, frankly, from the whole modern concept of Santa.  While I'd been focused on the "fun of Christmas," the mystery, the excitement, my kids were getting a very clear - and very commercial - message.

I don't know why it took me so long to realize this, but telling kids they'll get presents if they're good is like rewarding exercise with a cupcake.  There's no lesson of self-motivation. The real reason they should want to be good is that the world will be a better place for them and for everyone else.   What I really need to do is find a way to send them THAT message.

So tonight, as they slept, the cute little Elf went back in the box with the book.  No offense intended to the Elf or the brilliant people who created this concept.  But we don't need more stuff.  We need a happier world.

I tossed and turned last night, thinking of what I would tell the kids in the morning when they start asking questions.  Where is the elf?  Is he coming back?  What does it mean??  Then I thought: I don't need to tell them anything.  Santa does.  So this is what I came up with:

Dear B and J,

My elf tells me he visited you yesterday.  He can see you have very good hearts and that you love each other and your parents very much.  While you both have some things to work on, I'm satisfied that you will have a very good Christmas.  Therefore, my elf will move on to another house now.

B, my elf tells me that you often ask your Mom and Dad to buy you things when they take you to stores.  Try to remember that Christmas and birthdays are the times when we get presents, not in between.  You will make your parents very happy by not asking for things during other times.

J, my elf tells me that you sometimes use bad words and hit people.  I know it's hard when you can't get what you want, but you must listen to your Mom and Dad when they ask you to behave better.  They love you and take good care of you.

Boys, this Christmas I want you to think about the true meaning of Christmas.  It's about the birth of Christ.  Christians celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th, also called Christmas Day.  So Christmas is really a birthday party.  We give each other gifts as part of the celebration, but Christmas is really not about presents.  It's about remembering Christ and the lessons he taught us.

The most important lesson that Christ taught us (a lesson that's shared by so many faiths) is this: treat other people the way you want to be treated.  This is the lesson I want you to focus on this year and every year.

It's really simple.  Do you want your brother to share his toys with you?  Then share your toys with him.  Do you want your brother to treat you gently?  Then don't hit him.

If you always treat other people the way you want to be treated, you will set a good example for them.  You will be a leader.  Before you know it, the world will be a better place for you and for everyone else.  THIS is why we should behave well, not because we're expecting presents.

Merry Christmas, boys! Now give your Mommy a hug.

Santa

Kefir Chick Pea Tahini Dressing

A few weeks ago, I was invited by Lifeway Kefir to create a new kefir-based recipe for their website.  They'd seen my Apple Pie Kefir Ice Cream recipe and thought that was inventive, so asked if I might try my hand at another one.

Lifeway provided me with coupons for free kefir.  (As the store I visited did not have the organic version at the time, I created the recipe using the non-organic - but in future, I will always use the organic.)  I mulled the idea for a while.  I wanted the recipe to be cold or room temperature, since cooking kefir kills all of those helpful probiotics.  And let's face it, one of the main reasons we drink kefir is to reap the benefit of all of that good-for-you bacteria.  It also had to be a recipe that complements it's particular taste and texture.  Kefir's texture is like drinkable yogurt.  It has more "bite" than regular yogurt and almost has an effervescent quality.  I find it very tasty and love how healthy it is.  It's great in smoothies, dips and dressings - and as I found out last year, it's also great in frozen desserts.

This time, I decided to make a dip/dressing.  This morning, I perused my vegetable garden and then visited the organic section of my local Kroger to pick up some additional ingredients.  My plan was to put in front of myself a variety of tasty ingredients and just combine and taste, combine and taste, until I found the right combination.  Here's what my kitchen counter looked like before I started:

After much taste testing (and a huge mess), I hit upon a fantastic dip/dressing.  It's got a middle-eastern flavor as it includes chick peas (garbanzo beans) and tahini (pureed sesame seeds).  You can put this in a pita with lettuce and stuffed grape leaves.  You can put it on a spinach salad with crumbled walnuts.  Or you can just use it as a dip for vegetables and toast/crackers/chips.

Kefir Chick Pea Tahini Dip/Dressing
makes roughly one cup

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons organic lowfat plain Lifeway Kefir
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons avocado
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons chick peas (the canned variety works well - rinse and drain them first)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and course ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate until use.  Use or freeze within a day.

(this recipe is also posted on Lifeway's website, here)

Enjoy!

Halloween and Dry Ice

My kids' Montessori class held their annual Halloween luncheon today.  On the menu:

• cheese sandwiches cut into ghost and jack-o-lantern shapes with red pepper pieces for accents
• frozen banana "ghost" pops
• carrot "fingers" using ranch dressing to attach pepper "nails"
• cupcakes with skeletons on the top (the skull made out of marshmallows)
• cupcakes with candy corn decorations
• apples made into creatures using olives for eyes, strawberry slices for mouths (attached with toothpicks) and pretzels for arms
• apple slices made into the shape of mouths
• little pizzas made to look like mummies

and...

• a witch's cauldron of fruit punch (ginger ale, cranberry juice, orange juice and lime sherbet - a recipe from my childhood) with gummy eyeballs floating in it, sitting atop a block of dry ice to get that "spooky" effect.

All of them were fantastic and the kids loved them!

The last one (the cauldron) was my assignment.  I had never worked with dry ice before.  My first encounter with it included a superficial burn on my fingertips as I tried to haul it from the freezer case at the grocery store several days ago.  Good grief, that was painful!  I had totally overlooked the sign on the top of the freezer case: Do not directly touch!

So I got it home and popped it safely into my deep freezer.  "All set," or so I thought.  This morning, as I packed up my supplies for the party, I pulled the bag of dry ice from the freezer.  Empty!  It was totally empty!  $15.60 worth of dry ice totally evaporated in my deep freezer!  Turns out, at temperatures above −69.5 °F (which I'm pretty sure is beyond my deep freezer's capability), CO₂ changes from a solid to a gas with no intervening liquid form, through a process called sublimation.  Just as regular ice evaporates in heat, dry ice disappears when exposed to air, even in a very cold environment.  Excellent.

So, already late to school, I paraded into the grocery store with my two kids, dressed as a bumble bee no less, to get more dry ice at 8:30am this morning.  But the result?  Spectacular.  The kids loved it!

Please note: if you're planning on doing a similar project, do not forget that the dry ice does NOT go into the drink.  Place it in a tub with some hot water to get the "smoke" going, then place a separate tub of punch on top of the dry ice.  Keep adding hot water to the outer tub to keep the smokey effect going.

Happy Halloween!

National Costume Swap Day Is Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is National Costume Swap Day - what better way to have a green Halloween than to recycle last year's costume?

Find a place to swap costumes here: Find A Costume Swap

A Random Act of Kindness in Market Street

Dear Market Street:

My 3 year old was asleep in the front-carrier and my 6 year old was riding in the shopping cart this afternoon in your Colleyville store when a very nice employee approached and informed me that my 3 year old was missing a shoe. 

As the little one was strapped to my front, I hadn't seen the little red Crock drop.  He offered to find it for me.  I didn't know where it had dropped, so I thanked him but told him no, that I'd backtrack and find it later.  I didn't want to take him away from his work.

Ten minutes later he approached me again in another part of the store - and he was carrying my son's shoe!  I was shocked. This man had searched for the shoe (possibly into the parking lot), then searched for me.  He said  "you literally have your hands full. I couldn't NOT help."  

This man made my day.  Inexplicably, tears pricked my eyes.  I felt like giving him a big kiss on the cheek but restrained myself and instead shook his hand and thanked him.

I also shared the story with the store manager as I left the store.  One can't let random acts of kindness go unacknowledged.

Thank you for hiring such great people.  I'll definitely shop again.

Great Finds At Antique Stores And Consignment Shops

I enjoy browsing antique stores, consignment shops, yard sales and bazaars.  I love a bargain and I love the idea of reusing rather than buying new.

Sure, sometimes these places are musty and dusty.  And sometimes they smell exceptionally awful.  You know what I mean - as if the furniture came from a crazy cat lady's house.  No offense to the cats.

And sometimes you come across things you'd rather not see - such as the real human skeleton (with coffin!) I saw at the White Elephant antiques store in Dallas.  Yes, of course I took a photo.  No, I won't post it here, even though Halloween is a month away and it might be seasonally appropriate.

I'm browsing a lot more these days.  We are finally getting around to properly furnishing our formal living room.  Turns out, 'formal living room' is not a euphemism for 'little boys' scooter race track and wrestling room.'  It's actually supposed to be for entertaining!  Now if I can just remember how to entertain.  And build a fence to keep the kids away from 'the good furniture.'

Now, I'm not adventurous enough to get into reupholstering antiques.  I have no idea how to do it myself and the cost of having someone else do it is so high, we may as well buy new.  So that's what we're doing for the upholstered pieces.  But the coffee table and side tables will be "reused," and the area rug will likely be an antique. 

Through my hunting, I've noticed an interesting development: upscale consignment shops and antique stores are popping up like mushrooms after a week of rain.  Existing stores are full of new inventory.  I'm sure the economy has something to do with it.

Here's the kicker: they're actually selling good stuff at decent prices.  eBay is also chock-full of good stuff!  Like this lovely little Henredon leather-top drum table:

So, if you're planning on making some enhancements to your decor, consider buying used.  There's a lot to choose from these days.

AAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

One week ago, I became fed up with the jungle of zucchini plants, cucumber plants and cantaloupe vines.  The zucchinis and cantaloupes never materialized, while the cucumber plants produced more cucumbers than I'll ever eat and threatened to take over the entire garden.  I ripped them all out, leaving just a sweet pepper plant, strawberry plants, basil and oregano.

In their place I positioned a few trees I'm growing (an avocado tree, a Meyer lemon tree and three baby Royal Empress trees) and planted pumpkins (which are growing very nicely already!).  I plan to plant the Royal Empress trees at my sons' school once the weather is consistently cooler.

I could almost hear that sweet pepper plant sigh with appreciation once it was no longering battling with the other monster plants.  Within a few days, out popped eight peppers.  Here is today's crop.

Now you might ask, "Meg, why did you put the green peppers in a sparkling Orrefors bowl that you were given for your wedding eight years ago and have never used?"  The answer is quite simple.  I'm feeling fancy today.  I even put on makeup.