Happy Haunting!

Here are a couple recipes to warm your bones on this cold Halloween. I found this Chipotle Black Bean Chili in the October issue of Midwest Living. 

And this little number is for all the "mummies" out there...get it? Mummies? {so sorry} It's a Pumpkin Spice Martini from Shecan2cook at Allrecipes.com

It's sure to keep you nice and toasty!

Happy Haunting!

Gaia

It's 5:00 Somewhere and a Surprise

Today is one of those perfect fall days. Sunny, breezy, 70ish. The perfect day for an Autumn beer. Yes, i know it'd the middle of the day, but it's a perfect beer day!

This is my lunch companion- Mr. Samuel Adams and his Octoberfest nectar

 These are my other lunch companions-waiting for a hand out {yeah, they all got a bit of pretzel}

The trees are just starting to come into their full Autumn splendor

                  Have you tried hard cider? It's delightful- great with something spicy like the black bean chill I'm making tonight!

This was the lovely surprise i came home to today! Nice, right? Yup, this morning this was a cute little fluffy owl minding it's business, perched sweetly on the staircase- now? Im not so sure. Can't quite put my finger on it, but something not quite the same. Hmmm...

Happy Wednesday!

Gaia

On A Roll

I'm on a roll. No, literally, i'm rolling everything. Martha says rolled towels take up less space, and if Martha says it, it's probably true! It drove me crazy when my dish towels would bunch up in the drawer or worse, disappear behind the drawer!

So, i rolled 'em up. And.They.Stay.Put! Love it! I rolled the bath towels, the hand towels and the dog towels. I'm on a bit of a cleaning frenzy. No ones safe when i'm in this mood!

Do you know the Fly Lady? Hop on over to www.flylady.net and get caught up in the clean {well, we're not catching up, we're jumping in!} I bought her duster {i feel so Downton Abby, dancing around with my duster!} and her purple rags, and i just have to say, amazing!
Do you get the cleaning bug?

Happy Tuesday!

Gaia

I"m Smokin' !

Now, now, let's not get our panties in a bunch! I haven't taken up a bad habit, i've simply discovered the delicious world of the smoker! It looks a bit like something from Star Wars, but it produces the most amazing flavor! I've been experimenting with cherry, and apple wood. I think i love them both.

I found a great recipe here . I searched "How to make smoked salmon" and, ta-da, there it was. Yes, it is time consuming, and yes, you have to baby sit your smoker all day, but, oh my, it's worth it!

I glazed half of the salmon with maple syrup to give it a sweet crust. It makes a great dinner, hot off the smoker, or, chilled and spread with cream cheese on a bagel. Dee- lish!

Have you tried any new dishes lately?

Happy Tuesday!

Gaia 

Sunny Daze

 We had such a sunny surprise this past weekend at out Northern Nest- The sunflowers had bloomed!

 When we left in August, they were just big 'ol green buds on a stem.

 In a months time they shot up another foot, and unfurled their papery yellow loveliness.

Don't they just make you want to smile? : )

Happy Wednesday!

Gaia

Fall Favorites

I can't believe it's been over a month since i last made a post! Well, we're all back from our summer retreat, and faced with a hard case of reality. Ms. B and Ms. A are both in High School {on the same schedule thank.you.very.much!} and i'm left with free time. Yeah, i know, i should be jumping for joy! Woo too! Me time! But, I'm just not feelin' it yet. So, to snap myself out of it, i went to Target. Doesn't Target always make everything better? And this Target has a Starbucks. Hello, spiced pumpkin latte! On the way home i stopped at our local cider mill and got myself a bag of greasy donuts. Mmm, donuts. And of course they taste best scarfed down in the parking lot! 

What are your favorite fall treats? 

Happy fall!

Gaia

Vintage Window Make-over

I've been carting these two windows back and forth with me  from one house to the other for the past year. I just couldn't find the right spot for them or decide how to use them. Finally i decided what to do. I washed them down and scraped off the extra paint.

Confession: I'm a bit of a paper hoarder. I love paper stacks, scrap booking paper, sheet music, old newspaper- you get the idea, it's an illness. Any hoo, this paper is bee-u-tee-ful. I had Ms.A and Ms. B each pick out four patterns they each liked, cut them to size and taped them onto the back of the window. Easy peasy.

Ta Da! Dry erase message boards for their rooms!

Grab yourself a dry erase marker, leave a lil' message or love note, and wipe it away when your done! Easy peasy.

On another note, is it me or does it seem the stores pushing the Fall merchandise earlier and earlier every year? This may be one of those "Is it hot in here, or is it just me" moments-i don't know. I did fall in love with this magazine when i was at the grocery store- yes, i shop only the most glamorous places! Fall is my favorite time of year, and this mag is full of beautiful food and decorating ideas. It is a bit pricey at $9.99, so i don't think this one will be going into the recycling bin!

Enjoy your week!

Gaia