From The Finer Things:
Decorating your entertaining space for Thanksgiving or another autumn event can be as easy and inexpensive as walking out to your yard and gathering a variety of natural accents. Here are a few of my favorite natural decor ideas from around the Web:
Pine Cone Ribbon Wreath - Country Living
Birch Branch Centerpiece - KurtCYR
Acorn Filled Hurricanes
Pink Roses & Teacups
Apple Picking with G&G
About Grandparents Day
National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Sunday after Labor Day and is celebrated in the United Kingdom on the first Sunday in October.
Grandparents Day can be traced back to the first national Grandparents Day in 1978. With the efforts of Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia, she has been recognized nationally by The United States Senate, in particular Senator Alphonse D’Amato, and President Carter as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the young in the community to the important contributions senior citizens have made, and to the important contributions they are willing to make if asked. She also urged the young to adopt a grandparent, not for one day a year, not for material giving, but for a lifetime of experience and caring just waiting to be shared with others.
Later that year, Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) introduced a resolution in the United States Senate to make Grandparents Day a national holiday. Five years later in 1978, Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day and then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation[1].The statute cites the day’s purpose as: “… to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer.”
Things to do with your beloved grandparent(s) this year:
Have you ever wished you could whip up a chocolate cake in a matter of minutes? One that you might devour without having to share it with anyone? The following recipe is just that. You can scarf it down on your own in front of a movie or have an original idea for an activity at a shower or other event. What a wonderful favor this would make to include the dry ingredients and print out the recipe
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
I got an email tonight from my sister-in-law telling me how someone in her little neighborhood rang her doorbell and ran away. Sounds like a typical halloween prank, except when she opened the door, she found a nice little treat basket with candy, magnetic frames, a leaf ornament and a candle. What a nice, festive thing to do for your neighbor! I did a little research and it seems this used to be more like a chain letter and also more for little kids. I like the idea of giving little festive gifts rather than candy for the kids, especially since it’s going to sit out on the front step if no one is home right away. I would love to try this in my neighborhood and see what the reaction is like. There are a few sites with information about how to play, the most notable is this one at Organized Christmas which includes the signs to hang on your door and a poem to hand out with the gift baskets. You can also just put up your own handmade sign if you wish. I think if I were to participate in this I would not want my neighbors to feel obligated to play. So I found the following poem at Crazed Parent and it would work nicely for this purpose:
A little ghost came to your door because Halloween is near.
You don’t need to Boo anyone else – just spread your Halloween cheer!
Autumn is my favorite season. It’s so magical when the leaves start to turn and fall off the trees, and the lawn becomes littered with bright reds, greens and yellows. It’s the beginning of the holiday season when people are to be visited, food is to be made and parties are to be had. What better way to spend a crisp fall day or evening than decorating pumpkins? It makes a great idea for [tag]kids parties[/tag], where they can set up around a large table or outdoor space with brushes, paints, glitter and other odds and ends like the feather boa in the photo. Then you have an instant front step decoration or table centerpiece. Just make sure you serve up some shrunken head cider while decorating the pumpkins.
I love Halloween. I can still smell the vinyl costumes we used to get from the store when I was young. I always loved this one holiday where it’s okay to dress as crazy as you want, and even if you dress up on the wrong day, no one cares because at this time of year, anything goes. My most favorite Halloween memory is of dressing up as Lisa Simpson, to my friend Matt’s Bart. We happened to be invited to a Halloween party at an old mansion and I dare say there was something definitely creepy about this place. The party itself wasn’t very memorable, but the days leading up to it were – planning out my costume and spending the hours beforehand perfecting the look and getting my hair spiky just like the character.
I just happened to be browsing my TiVo selections and found an episode of Martha Stewart’s where a guest, Allison DiNatale, showed Martha how to make this cider punch which looked really cool and reminded me of the party at this old eerie mansion. It’s really very easy to do and adds a new level of creepiness to any halloween party or little gathering. It can be prepared regular or spiked, making it a very attractive dish to make for any fete. All you need are some classic glossy black pillow box favors with your favorite candy or treat inside and a festive favor label to complete the look. Your guests will love it!
Creepy halloween cider recipe
From: Martha Stewart Show
Ingredients
Serves about 30
Directions