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Archive for the ‘Home and Garden’ Category

Pumpkin Party Time

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, Home and Garden, tagged , , on October 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As many of you know, I’m not so much into the whole Halloween thing.

It’s the avoidance of being scared. I hate (HATE) to be scared.

But I do love fall.

And the beautiful colors of the leaves.

And apples.

And cozy sweaters.

And popcorn cake.

And pumpkins.  Boy, do I love pumpkins. Especially white pumpkins.

Here are some fun pumpkin party ideas I pilfered from Pinterest!

Gorgeous white pumpkin flower arrangement. I'd like one of these for my dining room table, please!

Gorgeous white pumpkin flower arrangement. I’d like one of these for my dining room table, please!

pumpkin party floral pumpkinsHere’s some really awesome party ideas from StylishTrendy.com

Classic combo of mums and pumpkins - you can't go wrong, especially when you use a variety of colors with the mums.

Classic combo of mums and pumpkins – you can’t go wrong, especially when you use a variety of colors with the mums.

How much do I love a lace-covered white pumpkin? You don't even want to know!

How much do I love a lace-covered white pumpkin? You don’t even want to know!

This is such a clever and cute idea using mini pumpkins as table cloth weights.

This is such a clever and cute idea using mini pumpkins as table cloth weights. Look for more great ideas at Better Homes & Gardens.

Speaking of clever, this is a fabulous idea!

Speaking of clever, this is a fabulous idea!

And this little Oreo pumpkin on a stick from The Idea Room is so fun!

And this little Oreo pumpkin on a stick from The Idea Room is so fun!

Don’t you just want to go home and throw a pumpkin party?

She Who Needs To Plan a Party

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Appletize Me!

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Entertaining Ideas, Home and Garden, tagged , , , on October 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

apple logoOctober is National Apple Month.

How exciting is that? (Come on, it’s pretty darn exciting! Apple cider, apple crisp, apple pie, caramel apples…)

Living across the road from an orchard, the pickers have already stripped the trees and I miss seeing the bright red, juice-packed orbs amidst all those green leaves.

If you were an apple, what type of apple would you be?

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) helps you get to the core of the matter with AppletizeMe, a fun website that matches your personality traits to your ideal apple variety.

Are you a social butterfly? That makes you a Gala apple.

How about an intellectual? Easy as Pi. You’re a Ginger Gold.

Fitness fanatic? Then you’re a Fuji, living proof that crunches are worth the effort.

girly-girl

This will come as a surprise… to no one – I’m a Girly Girl!

According to the site: “No matter the occasion, you’re always polished with a snazzy dress and just the right amount of makeup. You’re not afraid to show off your feminine side—including a tendency to blush. But, you always keep it classy.”

What do you think? Is that a good fit?

Apparently, this makes me a Cripps Pink  A.K.A. Pink Lady. Naturally sweet with a juicy crunch.

*blush*

In addition to the fun little personality link, there are “perfect pairings” with tips on pairing different varieties of apples.

You can also click on the “Varieties” tab and choose a specific type of apple to learn all about it.

honeycrisp

Like Honeycrisp, my all-time favorite apple. You’ll  find details about the apple, its personality and suggested pairings.

If you love apples, or just want to spend a few minutes having a little fun, check out Appletizeme.com

She Who’ll be Telling Captain Cavedweller about being  Naturally Sweet  – the Apple Said So!

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Fall Scents

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Home and Garden, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2013| 3 Comments »

Announcing fall has arrived!

There is no denying the fact fall is upon us.

Who’d want to anyway… that would be denying all that delicious apple and pumpkin goodness just waiting to be tasted as well as the spicy smell in the air, the crunch of leaves beneath your feet and the glorious turning of the leaves.

If you really want to make your home feel like autumn inside, think about some wonderful fall scents.

Through candles or wall-plug-ins, you can create the most wonderful, inviting atmosphere inside your home that says “Ahh, autumn is here.”

Just think about walking into a home where the scents of pumpkin, apple, cinnamon or spices fill the air. It makes you think about fall and hayrides and pumpkin pie and all sorts of wonderful, comforting experiences.

My favorite, favorite scent right now is Apple Pumpkin from Yankee Candle. A couple of friends came over recently and one of them was convinced I was baking some decadent treat. Nope. It was just the candle – but my gracious, it packs a lot of scent.

The main thing to remember as you fill your home with the scents of fall is to stick with one scent at a time.

If you’re burning a sweet pumpkin candle in the kitchen, don’t light a heavily spiced candle a few feet away in the family room. Before you know it, you’ve got warring scents and quite possibly a headache.

When possible, I try to buy the same scent in varying sizes (a few big jar candles for larger rooms and votives for smaller areas).

Have fun finding your signature fall scent and see if the warm smell doesn’t make you (and everyone else who comes through your door) smile.

She Who Is Off to Light Her Candle

 

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The Corn Man

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Garden, Home and Garden, Musings, tagged , , , on August 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

sweetcorn

During the summer months, when fresh produce abounds, I try to buy as much as I can from local fruit stands. The other day I stopped at one I hadn’t tried before because I wanted some sweet corn and there were multiple signs advertising their selection.

Although there wasn’t an overwhelming about of produce to choose from, fragrant cantaloupes, lemony cucumbers, vibrant tomatoes and boxes of plums were set out in an appealing display.

Gathering up a few things, I looked around for the corn and didn’t see any. Asking the man running the stand if he had any, he smiled and nodded his head of white hair. At this point, all he needed was some funky sunglasses and a T-shirt to confirm he had not quite left behind the haze of the 1960s. Both his speech and laid-back body language assured me of this.

Turning around, he pointed to a huge barrel and removed the lid where sweet corn hid beneath a burlap covering. Pulling out a few ears, he showed them to me, describing his “beauties” as “elegant and lovely” before bagging a half dozen ears for me.

Seeing the corn man, along with those burlap bags took me hurtling back to the summer I was seventeen when my parents decided my divine torture for the summer would be helping them sell sweet corn. Although I’m sure it was probably just a few acres they planted, at the time it seemed more like hundreds. For a few weeks that summer, it seemed like all I did was pick corn (which caused my asthma to go into overdrive), shuck corn (which caused my whining to go into overdrive) and bag the shucked corn for customers. Some corn we delivered and others we sold right from the front yard, where huge piles of corn husks sat until yours truly got the privilege of hauling them off to the garbage.

To this day, I hate shucking corn although I do enjoy a good ear of sweet corn.

Thanking Mr. Corn Man for the produce, I begrudgingly shucked the corn for dinner that night.

Although I had my doubts, the corn man was right – those ears were not only sweet, but elegant and lovely, too.

She Who Needs to Go Back to the Fruit Stand

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