Tag Archives: Halloween

Fall Stages Hodgepodge

This photo is from the last event that we wore costumes to and it is from this season of life.

Jo From This Side of the Pond has challenged our memories once again for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. What are your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

At my stage of life I’m one fall away from a nursing home. My priority is to end life well. I want to keep cooperating with the Holy Spirit in conforming my life to be more like Christ. I want to love Jesus more because my life and my future are all tied up in what He did for me on the Cross. For that I am so grateful. Thankful that I am not spiritually dead anymore because I’ve been born again. I thank God the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered (rescued) me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:12-14

2. What’s one thing you wish you had more of? 

Retention. Being able to keep what I’ve read and or heard or studied in my memory bank.

3. Do you celebrate Halloween? If so, what are your Halloween traditions? Any special plans for Halloween this year? 

Some of our family in their costumes.

The only Halloween tradition that we have kept in the past was handing out candy to trick or treaters. I say in the past because here in our country setting we do not get any random trick or treaters. We do enjoy our grands being  driven over to show us their costumes and us treating them. That is the only plan this year, to have a treat ready for our Grands when they drop by.

4. Last thing you ate that contained chocolate? Last thing you made that called for chocolate? 

How is this for a complete Chocolate experience. On our Scotland trip we stopped at Highland Chocolatier and enjoyed some amazing world famous chocolate. I wrote about the experience here.

I haven’t made anything lately that has called for chocolate.

5. Do you prefer laid back weekends or do you like to have a lot of plans? Thinking back to this past weekend… which was it? 

I prefer laid back weekends with a touch of accomplishment. I don’t like to get to Monday morning wondering why I didn’t accomplish anything. Rest is important but laziness is not necessarily rest. This last weekend we attended our granddaughter’s basketball game in town on Saturday and then we had lunch out. Sunday, as usual, we attended our services at church and in the afternoon we had our ‘connection group’ and then had a quiet evening. That was the ideal amount of activity for me.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are enjoying Fall and enjoying getting photos of our Grands enjoying Fall to the fullest!

And this is one of my favorite Fall photos of their Father’s property before he had any inkling he’d have a beautiful wife and two children of his own.

Artsy Hodgepodge

We have visited some art museums in our travels and a local one in Seattle when we lived on that side of the state. The piece above stood out to me on one of our visits. The description of this piece reads “One of the most penetrating portraitists of the seventeenth century, Phillipe de Champaigne assimilated his observations of real people into religious paintings giving them a down-to-earth quality. Here, the central focus is the aged face of Elizabeth, as she affectionately greets her younger cousin, the Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel of Luke, both women were pregnant–Elizabeth with John the Baptist and Mary with Jesus. For Christians, their meeting symbolized the transition from the Old Law to the New Law of Christianity.”

Thank you to Joyce for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Here are this weeks questions to ponder.

1. October 25th is International Artists Day…do you have a favorite artist? If so tell us who and why.

I enjoy Impressionists like Renoir or Monet.

2. Would you describe yourself as artistic? Elaborate.

No, and here is an example of my flop of a craft project…

Mine is the angry matryoshka on the far right. Everyone else had a cute result.

3. What’s a skill, task, hobby, or job you’ve done so often you now have it ‘down to a fine art’?

Setting a table…

4. How often do you dine out? Fast food, fine dining, or somewhere in between? Tell us about a less than stellar restaurant experience you’ve had recently (or not so recently if that’s easier).

We probably eat out once a week even though our choices are very limited here in Colville.

My less than stellar experiences are mostly my fault because I order the wrong item.

The latest less than stellar experience was not noticing that the waitress gave us the wrong bill and a week later when looking at the receipt I realized that error. We were suffering from jetlag and our brains were not up to par.

5. Do you celebrate Halloween? To what extent? Are there trick or treaters where you live?

We love trick or treaters but decor and celebrations are on the down low.  Now that we live farther from the city and on a country road we do not get trick or treaters except for our grandchildren who dress up with their parents and come over for treats!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our larches have turned golden…

Enjoy the end of October y’all!

Not too Scary Hodgpodge

Time for Wednesday Hodgepodge. Where Joyce asks the questions for us to answer. Join in the fun HERE.

1. In two or three sentences describe yourself to someone who has never met you. 

I’m the daughter of Russian Immigrants and was raised in the Los Angeles area with my seven siblings. God chose to save me from my sins through Jesus Christ, His Son, who is my Lord and Savior when I repented in 1963. Happily married to Dear for 48 years where in the course of those years we have enjoyed our three children, their spouses and our two grandchildren, the cherries on the top.

2. Will you celebrate Halloween this year, and if so tell us how?

We will actually be going to a Reformation Conference Halloween weekend in Sandpoint, Idaho. On Halloween Monday also known as Reformation Day we will enjoy our grandchildren coming over and trick or treating at our door. They will be the only trick or treaters since living in the country on dark country roads we don’t have the usual city trick or treaters.

Let’s play this or that-chocolate candy or fruity candy?

Chocolate

Pumpkin seeds or pumpkin pie?

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween party or scary movie?

Neither 🙂

Hay ride or corn maze?

We have a great corn maze here in Colville and the majority of our family enjoyed it together this past Saturday.

Carve a pumpkin or paint a pumpkin?

Carve a pumpkin.

3. What’s something that scared you when you were young? Are you still afraid? 

The movie King Kong. If I watched it today I’d probably laugh at the animation.

4. Your favorite soothing drink? 

Hendrick’s with cucumber and Fever tree elderflower tonic.

5. Are you thinking about Christmas yet?

Yes because we are planning a family trip in January which caused discussion about Christmas and reminding ourselves that we would not do ‘present overload’ and save our money for the trip.

Does this make you feel happy or stressed? 

Happy.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Not only is Ember the new puppy growing fast but our dear Grands are, too!

Trick or Treat Hodgepodge

 

If it’s Wednesday it must be time for Hodgepodge. Click over to Joyce’s blog to join in the fun.

1. Is Halloween a big deal in your neighborhood?

We live out in the country with homes far apart. We do not get trick or treaters. There are some homes decorated for Halloween. Our kids come by all dressed up which is fun. Our church puts on a Fall Fest Trunk or Treat that our grands will go to this year. Last year because it was the only thing happening in town and we had over a thousand people show up. That’s a lot for a town of 5000.

Was it something you celebrated as a child?

Yes we went around our neighborhood with pillow cases for bags. It seemed like the whole neighborhood was out and most houses gave out candy. We enjoyed sorting our candy when we got home. Our father would accompany us.

With your own children?

Yes, we enjoyed Trick or Treating with our kids and seeing all our neighbors.

Do you like candy corn? 

Not particularly.

2. Are you a scaredy cat? About what? 

I’m a scaredy cat about driving in snow or icy conditions.

3. Last time you were somewhere that should have been busy but felt like a ‘ghost town’? 

Nothing rings a bell.

4. Do you like chili and if so how do you like it?

Funny you should mention it but I made a pot of turkey chili Tuesday.

Beans or no beans?

Yes, we like to add black beans and a can of Pinto Chili Beans

Meat or no meat?

Yes, meat.

Beef or chicken?

Beef, chicken or ground turkey

Spice or no spice?

Yes, jalapenos and chili and cumin.

Favorite toppings? 

5. Would you describe yourself as a night owl? What time of night qualifies? What are you doing while everyone else is asleep? Do you then ‘sleep in’? Define ‘sleeping in’. 

Not a night owl.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our son Josh was able to fly down to our nephew-in-law’s father’s memorial service last week. These are some of our nieces, nephews and our son together at the memorial. We couldn’t attend but were glad that Josh could be there in person to represent our family and to support Lenny and his family as they grieve.

Love each other, stay together.

Faeries and Banners…

Our daughter made her face up to hand out candy to the little neighborhood kids that would stop by last night.

Faerie - banner 012

We finished the night off at 7:54 P.M. with 57 little trick or treaters. All very polite and gracious.

Earlier in the day I completed a little project for an upcoming event at our house in November. It was a simple cut and clip project but I was still proud of myself to get it done. Now I’m talking myself into making some napkins from some fabric I bought to go along with our theme. Once the event is over I’ll share the decor and the theme.

Faerie - banner 003

How did things go at your place last night?

It’s November and I finally got the Thanksgiving bin down from the attic. We will be celebrating two Thanksgivings this year. One early on the weekend of the fifteenth with our kids (that’s the weekend our son and his girlfriend can join us) and one with friends on the actual day set aside by the U.S.A.

Better Late Then Never Tablescape…

Turns out we were going to have actual company over for a meal on Halloween so I finally got my Halloween and Thanksgiving bins down on Saturday the 30th of October. Not a day too soon. Here’s what I came up with for this year…

I was trying to make the napkins look like bats…

Here’s the proof that we actually sat down and had a meal at this table.

And here’s what we had to eat…

Pioneer Woman’s Pork with Applesauce and Sauerkraut on Mashed Potatoes.

I’m linking up to Tablescape Thursday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch this week.

That Halloween Bin is all tucked back away in the attic and I’ll be working with the Thanksgiving/Fall bin next. Wednesday is starting out beautiful here in the Northwest. I’m going to get my roots looked after and then I have some physical therapy later in the day. Still wondering what to tuck in the middle of the day. Time will tell…

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Sunday was…

…as full as a bag of trick or treats!

Dear, Katie and I went to church and besides hearing a good sermon we were treated to a Violinist who was amazing. His name is Klinkenberg and he sometimes plays with the Celtic Women. He played a more classical piece and then at the closing of the service he fiddled a wonderful rendition of Jesus Loves Me. We bought his soon too be released CD called Fiddle-Levity! We had it on during lunch and really enjoyed it.

When we got home Josh and Laura had already arrived to enjoy a meal with us. I tried a recipe from The Pioneer Women Cooks ~ Tasty Kitchen blog called Sauerkraut and Pork that had been cooking away in the oven while we were at church. We all agreed it was very tasty!

Josh, Laura and I left Dear and Katie at home to handle the Trick or Treaters and we headed downtown to Qwest Field to see the Sounders play the L.A. Galaxy. Lots of the crowd dressed up for Halloween. These guys were one of our favorites!

Three Blind Refs! After the game we wondered it they were the refs that called our game.

Joshua’s red beard really made his leprechaun costume more authentic. :0)

It was a great night for a Sounders game and for Trick or Treaters with no rain drops falling on anyone’s heads. Too bad the Sounders didn’t win. That would have really capped off a wonderful day!

Today I headed out early for some physical therapy on my tennis elbow. It has been raining steadily and promises to keep raining all day and into the night. I’m glad to be home in my slippers enjoying the coziness of our gas insert fireplace…

I came across this verse in Ecclesiastes today and couldn’t help but chuckle and use it during this political season we find ourselves in! Out of context? Maybe, maybe not.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 (English Standard Version)

“A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.”

Yard Art Spooks!

 

It’s that time of year when Yard Art becomes Ghoulish. We’ve been blessed with some beautiful weather this week in the Northwest so I finally took a long overdue walk and came across some Halloween yard art.

Click over to Work of the Poet to join in the fun. I decided to have my own fun with this collage, too…

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

 

Our sweet little niece in her Pooh outfit. Oh how I’d love to kiss those cheeks!!

I really enjoy when little trick or treaters come to my door and I can ooh and aah and give them some candy.

My daughter and a co-worker created this Cinderella Carriage Pumpkin for a No carve pumpkin contest.

 

I really love the creativity of this Pumpkin carriage! Here’s my daughter and her boyfriend with their Halloween Party Costumes.

 

Princess Leia and Hans Solo!

Happy Halloween! Don’t forget to turn your clocks back tonight!!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Halloween Tablescape Thursday…

Today is a fun day in blog world because Susan at Between Naps on the Porch hosts Tablescape Thursday. It’s a chance to set a table and share your ideas with others. It’s fun to see the creativity out there. Because Saturday is Halloween I decided to try to come up with a Halloween Scape.

 

I found 4 of these cute Pumpkin and Scarecrow Placemats at a thrift store last weekend. I paid $1.95 for all 4. I wanted to show you them before I covered them up with chargers and stuff. The spider dish candle holder was from Target clearance last year and I think I paid about 50 cents for it.

 

The white chargers with black jewel borders were from T.J. Maxx. The square pumpkin plates are paper from Target. The polka dot napkins and the Pewter forks, knives and spoons were from a thrift store, also.

 

I don’t have a lot of Halloween accessories but was happy to scrape up enough for a scape :0)

 

 

Have a safe and sane Halloween Weekend everyone…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.