Very thankful for November and the joy it has brought

My new bestie :-) You may recall that I have a new best friend....my sour dough starter named Serendipity. She stares at me when I open the refrigerator door in our basement. In my younger years, I had no interest in dealing with a sour dough starter as it was always sports for the boys, hiking, going to camp, traveling, career, etc. Times have changed (in 2020), and it has afforded me time to bake bread and share with others. Everyone loves it.  

Where I walk some mornings at the golf course. 

Sometimes the moon is out. 

Up north were my camp is. 

I was gifted 30 dahlia tubers, and am looking forward to these red beauties next year. 

I have enjoyed taking sunset photos at Oneida Lake. They are some of the best in the world.

My mug is always full thankfully.

I can't be without fresh basil :-)

Morning view out my living room window. 

Our first snowfall on 11/17/20.

This is my "office view" of the living room mantel. I work in the living room in the morning, and then move upstairs to my office for the remainder of the day. I enjoy seeing this lighted mantel when the mornings are dark. 

We have much to be thankful for with the exception of the virus. I guess we must go one step at a time. Stay well.

To The Moon and Back - A Pumpkin Party

We have a full moon on October 31......so let's go to the Moon and Back and have a Pumpkin Party with a paper piecing kit I used to decorate the table this year. Mr. and Mrs. Skellie are happy to join us so we can have a party of four.

Advice from a PUMPKIN....

Be well-rounded.

Get plenty of sunshine.

Give thanks for life's bounty.

Have a thick skin.

Keep growing.

Be outstanding in your field.

Thing big! -- Ilan Shamir

 

Some of you will remember that my mom made Halloween very special for her family, friends and neighbors. Everyone went to "Joyce's" house each Halloween to socialize and admire the pumpkins she carved. 

This was a "dry run" for the Halloween party I will be hosting next October. Better to play it safe this year.  Have A Safe and Happy Halloween my lovelies! 

xo

Deb

This and That in October

When our two year old grandson Quinn visited, guess which pumpkin he wanted to hold? If you guessed the pink one, you are correct. He loved it. The mums were just starting to bloom when I took the first photo.

Here are the mums blooming like crazy. I got lucky this year and bought them from a fund raiser. I ordered six total, and the two purple ones on my front porch are ginormous! I think every neighbor has stopped to ask where I got them. 

Our sweet granddaughter Claire was baptized on October 11 at Our Lady Of Lourdes Church which is five minutes from our home. Only immediate family members were allowed to attend, and they did a Zoom for those who were not able to attend. I am sure by the time she makes her first communion, things will thankfully be much different. She slept through the entire baptism. We will start watching her one day a week when mom returns to work.  

Apple crisp is always a big hit in our household. 

I make a small Concord Grape pie each year with organic grapes from the farm.  

I had to ask Xavier what his costume was. LOL  It is Paw Patrol. I have never been good at figuring out Halloween costumes. I'm going to be a witch this year, and Joe will be Sasquatch. 

We managed to get photos of all three grandchildren...Xavier 4, Quinn 2 and Claire is two months.

We are setting a table outdoors by the front door this Halloween, and there will be treat bags for the kids that come. We won't have our usual 150, but maybe we will have 20 ?? I've set the table for the two of us which is a dry run for my Halloween party next year. In 2019, I planned to host a witches' gathering in the forest at my camp in 2020 but that's not happening now. 

Thank you for your visit! Happy Halloween my lovelies!

Grandma Brown's Baked Beans

Are you loyal to hometown brands?

I have been using these beans for over 40 years. Empty them into a baking dish. Add some ketchup and mustard, some brown sugar, caramelized onions and a little maple syrup. Top with strips of bacon or crumbled bacon and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and the beans are bubbly. There you have it: a quintessential Central New York side dish, for summer or any other season. 

Grandma Brown’s Baked Beans got their start in 1937, during the Great Depression, when Lulu Brown, of Mexico (New York), began making large pans of baked beans and selling them in local grocery stores. The beans were so well received that her husband, Earl, and her son Robert E. Brown, decided to sell them.

Thank you for stopping by. I'm still getting used to this new blogger platform. I haven't blogged enough to master it :-)

September We Are Loving You

Can you believe that the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus can tolerate winters in our Zone 5?

I'm concerned my loofah plant will not produce "loofahs" before the killing frost hits in October. I have shown you a loofah that I bought at the farmers market just in case.

September has been spectacular in many ways.

xo

Deb