Happy Halloween!

       We are in full on Halloween mode here today! Everyone is gearing up for parties at school followed by a special spooky lunch at home with haunted crafts to follow- the afternoon culminating with Trick or Treating of course! We have already been busy at work with the Halloween crafts- a few Jack- O- Lantern portraits and some ghoulish ghosts to fill our hallways!

      These cute little ghosties come courtesy of my friend Caro- I spotted them at her house a few weeks ago- she was prepping for a crafternoon at her daughter's Montessori. I though these guys were just so cute and fun we would give them a try- we used neon green instead of white for a bit more of a spooky look.

     This is the perfect craft for Halloween afternoon- quick and easy- all you need is black construction paper (we made  black cats earlier this week and so had to improvise with a painted background) Thinned out white or neon green paint and a straw. Dab the watered down paint onto your black background- place the straw close to the paint and blow- this is airbrushing at it's most basic! Once you have achieved optimum ghost shape allow your paint to dry- afterwards add googly eyes for silly effect!

    Of course we had to get those pumpkins carved and all ready for tonight- so the Littles did the dirty work of getting all the pumpkin guts out and then they drew on their ideal Jack- O- Lantern faces- I once again did the heavy lifting and wielded the knife to do the actual carving. Miss Lo was very specific in her face - however the Boy is much more of a conceptual artist and I had to decipher his drawing but this is what we came up with.

    The costumes are hanging and ready to go- Miss Lo and I have discussed wand etiquette and The Boy is practicing being in character- they are just too excited! If I had wings like these I would be excited too- this costume is everything Miss Lo has been dreaming of- glitter, tutu, wings, ribbon! I have no wish for today to speed by- but I know in a few short hours the knocks on the door will cease and these Littles of mine will crash from the excitement- the Mr. and I will kick back on the couch with a glass of wine or a beer and Halloween 2012 will be put to bed.

     Weather you are 3 or 23 I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! Don't eat too much candy!

BOO!

 
     Our decorations are up, the costumes are made and the pumpkins- planted by wee hands last spring- are ready to be carved into fierce or funny faces. Halloween we are ready! The Littles are really into the whole Halloween thing this year- obviously they are really excited about Trick or Treating- since we live in a building full of families this is a really fun night of the year. Many parents in our building are like my Mr. and I- we grew up in smaller towns where Halloween meant running willy nilly all over the neighbourhood collecting candy. The older kids were a bit more savvy and knew which neighbourhood had the best candy- once you were old enough you too could venture to the legendary neighbourhoods that handed out full candy bars!

       As a community we come together and organize Trick or Treating with in the building- it is a much safer version of what we did as kids- floor to floor instead of street to street. Families  who wish to participate decorate their doors and put out the carved Jack-O- Lanterns and then at around three P.M. the candy fueled madness kicks in. This is just one of the many ways that an apartment building in the city has found a sense of community and a bit of small town feeling. Of course- because as many would like to accuse I like to take the fun out of things- I decided to hand out an alternative to candy this year. I still think the wee ones will enjoy the mini bubble wands that I found at a craft store- a bit healthier and a tad bit longer lasting than tiny bars of chocolate.

       The final touches were put on The Boy's costume this weekend- it is very elaborate and I am impressed the Mr. is doing such a great job- I don't want to give too much away but lets just say his costume rhymes with "Eggo". Pictures of course to come - after the big reveal to all his buddies! Miss Lo is going to be adorable and is really excited about her costume as well- she picked it out weeks ago on a shopping expedition with Oma- it came with a wand- I think some wand training will be needed before the big day.

      I love Halloween- the true end of the harvest- saying goodnight as the earth goes to sleep for the winter season- the sun from now on is much softer and watery when it makes an occasional appearance. I also tend to jump directly into Holiday mode after Halloween- as I have mentioned before our family celebrates many different Holidays- Solstice, St.Nicolas and Christmas- my parents also celebrate Serbian Christmas which is something I would like to introduce to our Littles this year as well. Celebrating so many holidays might sound extravagant but it need not be so- most of our gifts are hand made and mostly the celebration is about the meal and the candles and being together on a special evening.

       Another thing that I love- especially at this time of year is sending and receiving mail- it is this personal touch sent by the hand of a friend or loved one that led me into creating Plain Jane Designs so many years ago. I have to brag a tad and mention that I feel this season is shaping up to be my personal favourite- the line this year is simple and clean but still with oodles of personality and quirkiness!

      This pleasant little juniper branch with bright red berries that pop out happened in my studio today- the Littles were otherwise engaged in a game that involved all their dress up clothes and the pop up beach tent- so I had a little time to sit and sketch. These beauties are tiny but statement making-
 2.5"x 3.75" in size with matching envelopes. Packages of six are available for $12 plus shipping- either message me or wait till they pop up on Etsy next week.

   
 

In My Kitchen

 Pumpkin Bread

      It needs to be said- I love pumpkin- pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin donuts- oh and those famous pumpkin lattes? Yah I love them too- but only as a special treat! Haters be hatin' on pumpkin lately but I'm not going to cave- it's one of my favourite parts of fall! With this in mind I thought I would share one of the most popular recipes in my book- Pumpkin Bread- all spicy and moist it is more of a cake in loaf form but lets call it bread and overlook all that melty brown sugar on top- this is healthy!

Dry Goods:
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup oat bran
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
           or
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger

Wet Goods:
1 cup pumpkin puree ( make sure it isn't pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup egg whites
1/3 cup water
2 3/4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup walnuts ( optional)

Topping:
Pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp brown sugar

The Deal:
Preheat oven to 350 degree F

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl combine all wet ingredients, except walnuts, and mix well. Add wet mixture to dry and mix until all ingredients are incorporated- fold in walnuts.

Pour into a greased loaf pan- sprinkle pumpkin seeds and brown sugar on top. Bake for 50-55 min, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Serves 10 pieces.


p.s.- I will admit that I did not come up with this recipe on my own- like most of my recipes I have changed things around a tad and made it my own- I have no idea where I got the original from- but  as the glued in piece of paper in my cookbook can attest to, it came from some random magazine years ago!

Thanksgivings

      Today marks the beginning of a four day food and family extravaganza- it also marks the beginning of holiday season in my my mind.  Thanksgiving is quite possibly my favourite holiday on the calender ( besides my birthday- it's in February- be sure to send gifts)- I like to think of it as Christmas with out all the snow and stress. What Thanksgiving means to me is a chance to unplug from city life and slip into my Country Mouse routine! Oh and have other people do all the cooking- thanks Dad!

     The photo above was taken by my Sister in Law three short years ago at a favourite pumpkin gathering spot of ours- Davidson Orchards in Vernon- we go every year. My Mr. and I look somewhat scattered and our babes are so wee- Miss Lo was only about six weeks old at the time- I cant even remember most of this time- so I am grateful for all the pictures my Sister in Law shot that day!

    This year we may break with tradition a bit- My Father in Law has something planned for The Littles and I am just as excited as they are! I may pop in on Monday for a quick hello but most likely you will find me drinking Mimosas with my sister at a family brunch- I just want to soak up as much of our dear families as possible this weekend! ( cue eye roll from my sister)

    As with every holiday we have our own traditions that we draw on from our childhoods- my Mother used to get my sister and I to collect all sorts of leaves and sticks- flowers if there were any left- and to create the center piece for our Thanksgiving feasts. Really I feel it was a make work project for any child who happened to be underfoot! This year our Littles are big enough to carry on this tradition- we started off by gathering pine cones and making these funny turkey- which will become surrounded by fall foliage on Momo's table this coming Sunday afternoon!

    Sitting on my deck in the sunshine it is difficult to believe that another Thanksgiving is upon us but it is indeed- from here on out the days get shorter and rainier and before you know it Winter Solstice will be here. I am so thankful for this extension of summer- this year has been a good year and this is the perfect way to say farewell to the sun and prepare to tuck in for the winter.

     Friends even if it not Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods I hope that you can pause and think of a few things to be grateful for- we should all be so lucky! May you have sunshine on your back and fire in your cup- happy Friday friends!