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A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

“A lifestyle blog with a focus on my food adventures”

November 14, 2024 New How to Make Pumpkin Stacks Last All Season

If you are anything like me, you like to get out there and pick out your pumpkin stacks early – but you want to make those pumpkin stacks last all season because man, can they be expensive.

First, when you are picking out pumpkins, rotate to see if they will stack the way you want them to. Second, look and make sure that there are no soft spots or punctures in the skin.

I like to use this Rust-oleum clear coat, top coat. I put the pumpkins on some cardboard and give them a good even coating, stem and all, letting them dry completely between coats. Two or three coats usually does the trick, and they last all season long. It gives them a glossy finish, you can use a matte finish top coat if that is more your style. It protects your pumpkins and manages to keep the pests away as well (although some people swear by the hot chili oil for a more environmentally friendly route). Another option to keep those pumpkins from rotting is making sure that they are not sitting directly on the ground. Some people choose to put them up on grape leaf wreaths, but I find that that can get costly if you have a lot of pumpkins. How do you keep your pumpkins fresh and looking good all season long?

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November 9, 2024 Halloween Wrap Up 2024

This was a Halloween for the books! We must have boo’d every kid in town. The kids were so excited. Just seeing their faces and hearing them laugh made it all worth it. We were so busy that we managed to carve pumpkins the night before Halloween! EEK!

One of our favorite spots to get Halloween treats is Heirloom in Weston. How cute is their dirt cake?

With all the boo baskets we did, I almost forgot to boo my own kids 🙂 I like to reuse the baskets from year to year, so I kept the same pumpkin jelly baskets I bought from Target. For my oldest, I added Bonaparte Falls Apart, some spooky shost cookies from Rustic Bakery, assorted fancy treats from Sugarfina, some cute pumpkin and skeleton notepads, a “boo” straw, Meri Meri party crackers and a Tops Malibu sparkler wand.

For #3, we did Gustavo the Shy Ghost, a new trick or treat reusable bag from Target, fancy milk chocolate skeleton chocolates from Harbor Sweets, the only candy corn I like – in notepad form, a “boo straw”, some football cards, Meri Meri crackers, and some skeleton sticky notes. Not shown was the glow in the dark ghost NeeDoh.

I love all things mummy and anything that involves candy eyes. Do you prefer the cupcakes plain?….

…or frosted?

The Dollar Store coffins are such a cute way to dress up a little Halloween candy for a “boo”. We added a few fun treats like a “poison” bottle from the Bullseye playground and a Halloween bracelet to round out the fun!

Getting a boo is almost as fun as delivering one! Our neighbors dropped off this cutie pumpkin…while our animals of children raced out and “caught” them mid front lawn!

Another fun boo that we put together were these skeleton hand glasses we found at the Dollar Store, that we filled with some candy, vinyl ghost stickers for those water bottles, and a Meri Meri spider surprise ball!

I always like to try out one new recipe a season, and this holiday I did the Halloween M&M cookies from Cooking with Karli. Super easy to make, these dark chocolate cookies with Halloween colored M&M’s were a crowd favorite!

Another boo that we did were home made Rice Krispie treats, dressed up with Halloween colored sprinkles. Something a little special and different than those bags of candy!

I came across these super cute witch cauldron brownie bites on Instagram, and thought they would be so cute to make. Popped a few in a fun box and surprised a few friends with them one night!

Cupcakes are kind of my thing, so I was busy working on making different iterations – How fun are these orange frosted ones with skeleton and fang rings?

I’m not usually a cupcake topper kind of gal, but these Meri Meri ones and Day of the Dead ones are pretty fun!

Chocolate covered pretzels are so fun to make, and I love the Utz pretzel rods. There are so many combinations you can make, and I even made some that said “boo”.

Finding new uses for old things, I reused these old McDonald’s Happy Meal Boo Buckets to give cookies to friends and neighbors this year.

Cider Donuts are only my thing if they are hot and just out of the oven. These pumpkin donuts from Tougas Farm, however, weren’t too shabby! And how cute is this mini bottle brush Halloween tree from Migration Goods?

Rice Krispie Treats are even more fun when you get the orange Rice Krispies….

And last, but not least, how cute are these sugar cookies from Wilson Farm?

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October 22, 2024 Halloween 2024

We have been busy boo-ing since October 1st over at our house! Halloween 2024 has kicked off with a bang! Boo baskets, Halloween baked goods, you name it, we are ALL IN! I love these cute “oh snap” cupcake wrappers from Home Goods and Meri Meri witch cupcake toppers.

Chocolate covered Oreos can either be hand dipped or made in a silicone mold. Add some candy eyes and pipe with chocolate to make them look like mummies.

I picked up these cute cat cups at the Bullseye playground a while back thinking I was going to use them as birthday party favors, but they ended up being even better for Halloween. I used my Cricut to personalize each cup with friends’ names and filled them with fun things like Meri Meri surprise balls, flashing rings, vampire teeth, vinyl ghost stickers and of course, a little bit of candy! Big hit with the third grade girl gang!

Orang Rice Krispie treats were a big hit for boo-ing this year and so easy to make in big batches. We covered with fun colored spinkles and put in Halloween themed cellophane bags.

Using those same sprinkles, we also made chocolate covered pretzels. They travel really well and make for excellent boo-ing. They usually fit about 5 to a bag.

Some of our friends with littles got boo baskets this year from us filled paint your own pumpkin supplies: mini pumpkins, mondo llama paint from Target, pumpkin surprise balls, and a small bag of candy. A fun idea to keep the kids busy for five minutes and when you don’t want to go overboard on the sweets.

For some of the bigger families, we did larger baskets with skeleton coffins from the Dollar Store, filled with candy, light up rings and popper toys, Meri Meri spider surprise balls, glow bracelets from the Dollar Store, a fun honeycomb spider card from Papyrus, Halloween stickers from the Paper Source and the wooden tokens got friends one free Italian ice from Ye Olde Farmstand in Sudbury. They serve Richie’s Italian Ice and have over 20 flavors. You can mix and match, and in my opinion, the best part is that they ask you which flavor you want on top!! New flavors for next season are black cherry and key lime – we can’t wait!! Hurry in, the close November 1st for the season, but will open back up again in the spring.

What’s in your “Boo Basket?”

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October 21, 2024 Halloween Treats and Eats

Minus the dressing up, Halloween might be my favorite holiday – I mean all the treats and eats make my heart go pitter patter. I put together this eight pack of cupcakes for friends: the pink reminded me of brains, a classic jelly pumpkin, Butterfinger skull, candy eyeballs, black and orange non pareil sprinkles, a Halloween orange colored cream Oreo, Halloween colored crystal sugar sprinkles, and pastel fall pumpkin spinkles.

I whipped up some classic chocolate chip cookies and then topped them with these Pillsbury ready to bake ghost sugar cookies to make a “best of both worls’d” cookie. The kids gobbled these up in seconds flat.

A Halloween favorite is always the spider donuts from Dunkin.

Another cupcake set with cute cupcake wrappers and fun Meri Meri toppers.

Rice Krispie treats are always more fun when you use orange Rice Krispies….and when you top them with fun Halloween themed sprinkles.

And if you’re looking for a little bit of an elevated treat, for your sophisticated adult palate, head over to Heirloom in Weston for these cute homemade Oreo sandwich cookies. Drop a note in the comments about what your favorite holiday is!

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October 7, 2024 6 Must Do Things in Falmouth, Cape Cod

One of our favorite places to be in the summer is Falmouth, in Cape Cod Massachusetts. The first of six must do things in Falmouth is catch a Falmouth Commodores baseball game. Grab a blanket or a lawn chair and head down to Guv Fuller Field with the whole family. There are no tickets, just a suggested donation at the gates. You can bring your own food or purchase something from the snack shack. They always have some fun events for the kids (from t shirt toss to running the bases after the game) – they even run a baseball clinic for kids ages 5-14 during the day.

The second must do is stop in to Duke’s Donut Worx in Mashpee Commons. These are hand cut donuts made fresh on site throughout the day. They have both cake and yeast donuts – super tasty. Pre-order is available.

Or third must try is new on the scene cookie company Hatchville Baking Co, also in Mashpee Commons. This mother-daughter baking team has lines waiting around the block to get their baked goods.They run six monthly flavors, and if you can’t make it to Mashpee Commons, they can also be found at the Falmouth Farmer’s Market on Thursdays.

It isn’t a Cape Cod vacation without some fried food. Our fourth must try is Seafood Sam’s, open through 11/30, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day. It is always packed, and what we like is the ability to call ahead or order online. You can order mixed fried plates and there is something for everyone, whether you’re a seafood lover or not.

A family favorite is our fifth must do on the list, a visit to the Carousel of Light, for a spin on Patriot, Butterscotch, or Pearl. $4 a ride or pick up a punch ticket, $25 for 10 rides.

A trip to Cape Cod wouldn’t be complete without mini golf, so our sixth must do is a visit to Cataumet Crossing. They have mini golf, ice cream, bumper boats, penny candy and batting cages – a little something for everyone.

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October 4, 2024 Halloween: Crafts for Kids, Boo Baskets and Decorations

Putting together Boo Baskets is one of my favorite fall activities. I love these baskets from Target, they came in cute shapes like this cat, a ghost and a pumpkin. They remind me of those jelly shoes I used to have as a kid. I filled this one with a bunch of fun things – a little crispy Halloween chocolate from Lake Champlain, ghost pajamas from Hanna Andersson (these were last years, but they have a similar style here), Meri Meri surprise balls, Michael’s bead kit, pen and notepad set from TJ Maxx, Gustavo the Shy Ghost and Bonaparte Falls Apart.

We picked up these craft/paper mache pumpkins at our local craft store and painted them in pastels- it took about two coats. We used these sparkle self adhesive letters to spell fun things like “spooky” and “boo” on them as an alternative to the orange color palette.

Another fun craft idea that the kids can help with is to get wooden pumpkins – we picked these up at Target for around $5 each (or wait until they go on sale for 50% off at the end of the season), and covered them in Mod Podge and stuck on these fun jewels. The Mod Podge dries clear, and you get these glam looking pumpkins. I put them up in my windows!

We like to put together boo baskets for our friends – last year we did these cute skull (and not pictured, pumpkin) waffle makers from Target, along with a fun spatula we found at TJ Maxx, and these fun pumpkin hot cocoa bombs to complete our breakfast themed basket!

Here’s a look at the pumpkin basket from Target, along with a cute ghost pillow from Bullseye’s playground, a paint your own ceramic pumpkin kit from Mondo Llama at Target, a pumpkin shaped notepad from TJ Maxx and for a little something sweet, some Halloween colored m&m’s in that cute viral coffin shaped box that we found at the Dollar Tree.

Target also makes a smaller sized wooden pumpkin, and we used the Mod Podge here again, but this time we used tissue paper squares and glitter, and put layered with a top coat of Mod Podge just to keep everything smooth and give it a nice glossy finish.

No fall season would be complete without a pumpkin stack. I have a little trick that keeps my pumpkins looking fresh and new for over a month – check back for a full blog post soon!

This trick even helps deter those pesky squirrels. But others swear by putting a grape vine wreath under pumpkin stacks. Either way – don’t put pumpkins directly on dirt or mulch, that’s a sure way for them to rot quickly.

I always love to stop at Ferjulian’s to check out their pumpkin patch. Their decorations are always top notch and their mums are stunning. If you do get mums, a good tip is to soak/submerge the bottom of them in a bucket of water for about 20 minutes before putting them into your planter. Also, make sure to deadhead them as the season goes on. Try to pick mums that are not fully bloomed or that still have closed buds on them so that they will last longer.

The pumpkin walkway gets me every time…

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October 2, 2024 Fun Halloween Ideas for Kids

Halloween is my favorite holiday, minus the dressing up part – so here are so fun ideas to make the holiday fun for kids. Boo baskets: big or small, make more significant ones for your own kids and make smaller ones for friends or children in your neighborhood. I put this one together for my kids last year. Skull shaped hot chocolate bombs, ghost light up necklace, glow in the dark Starbucks tumbler, bead kit from Michael’s and a fun pencil case filled with candy.

Here is a closer look at the monster pencil case I filled with candy. A link to a similar one can be found here.

Finny and Dot makes some of the cutest bracelets, and I love supporting small businesses. I picked up this cute Halloween bracelet, check out her Etsy shop here.

I’ve also purchased some cute necklaces from her as well.

Fall is in full swing and is my favorite season. You can find me checking out every single apple cider donut sundae I can find.

I love me some Christmas crack, you know, the recipe with saltines, butter, brown sugar and chocolate chips? Line a baking sheet with saltine crackers, preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan heat 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until bubbling. Pour over saltines and bake in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips. Spread. Let cool. Before breaking it into pieces I like to drizzle with colored melting chocolate and Halloween colored sprinkles – maybe throw on a few candy eyeballs, and have yourself a little Halloween crack instead!

Another idea for a “Boo Basket” would be picking up these cute pails, I think I bought these from Bullseye’s Playground area at Target, but you could also find some at the Dollar Store, and fill with the candy of your choice. I added some foil wrapped chocolate pumpkins from Vermont Nut Free Chocolates.

Candy eyeballs make everything cuter! Dress up store box brownies with candy eyeballs and melting chocolate for an instant party perfect dessert.

And how cute are these brownie bats? Follow the directions on the box for brownies, but make them in muffin tins. Break Oreos in half or use any round chocolate cookie to make the wings and use candy eyeballs to instantly dress up this dessert!

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August 20, 2024 Who is the Dinoman?

We first saw the Dinoman show when we were down in Cape Cod. Our library down there in the summer has some really fun activities. The show itself was about 40 minutes long and it was great for all my kids. There were funny jokes, a little bit of educational learning, some magic, and it held everyone’s attention, which is saying a lot.

The kids loved the inflatable dinosaurs!

We were so impressed with the show that we told our librarians at home about Bob, the Dinoman, and they brought him in to our local library for a show!

If you’d like to learn more, or have Dinoman come to your school or library, check out his website here.

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August 16, 2024 What the Carb?!? Kid’s Plate: Citizen Crust at Gillette

I’m pretty sure that Citizen Crust’s kid’s menu is every kid/carb lovers dream, my child included. He had the pizza, but you can have your choice of carne asada steak, chicken fingers, cheeseburger, hot dog or quesadilla. For $9, it comes with a drink, apple slices, gummy bears (!!), and your choice of French fries or rice. Needless to say, every time we go to Gillette, he always asks to eat here….

Meanwhile, they serve Roman style sheet pan pizza in flavors like cacio e pepe, hot honey with pepperoni and whipped ricotta, and pulled chicken with buffalo sauce and ghost pepperjack cheese.

Head in for Taco Tuesday for $3 tacos or Thirsty Thursday for specialty cocktails and board games. You can order online for takeout, but they don’t take reservations.

Citizen Crust

229 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA https://citizencrust.com/

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August 14, 2024 It’s Me, Hi, I’m The Birthday Girl

“It’s Me, Hi, I’m The Birthday Girl!”. We are in our Taylor Swift era. So naturally, for her birthday, my daughter wanted all things Taylor. Sarah came through as usual, she does all of our cake toppers (isn’t she amazing?!?!). All I said was, Taylor Swift, sparkles, and FUN! Needless to say, this cake was a hit!

Summer birthdays are hard with friends on vacation and at camp, so we decided to hold off on a party until the fall, but for our family celebration, I made this fun cake with bright colors and fancy sprinkles.

Here is a close up of the awesome cake topper!

Topper: SHRH Designs https://www.shrhdesigns.com/

Cake sprinkles: Sprinkle Pop /https://sprinklepop.shop/

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