Happy Halloween!

My favorite holiday! I don't know why, probably because it has to do with fun and monsters instead of religion.

As a kid, today was all about CANDY! I remember being so excited that the day just went on forever (kinda like Christmas Eve and waiting to open presents) and it seemed like the night would never come.

The pic here is one of my dogs, Ike... this was taken when he was much younger. Probably under a year. Now, he's 8 and a half. His muzzle is now almost all grey. He's my sweet old man.

He was not at all happy to have that on his head and it took both my husband and I and a whole lot of cheese to make it happen.

We don't have human children so tonight is about keeping the dogs relaxed. We'll start a couple crockpots - italian beef for the hubby, veggie chili for me, and come 5:30 when trick or treating starts, we'll put up the baby gate to keep the pups downstairs, head to our media room and switch on Ghost Hunters Live (Sci Fi channel from 6pm - 1 am, CST) and hang.

We don't give out candy because it just stresses the dogs.

I hope you have a delightful Halloween, no matter what you do.

Sons of Anarchy

I resisted. I did.

I kept seeing the commercials for this new show on FX over the summer and I had to endure my hubby's excited outbursts when he saw one and I was able to resist 3 episodes before I was sucked into the fray!

It's a fabulous show and I blame my husband.

The Sons of Anarchy website describes the show as "an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club intent on protecting their sheltered small town against encroaching drug dealers, corporate developers and overzealous law officers. The club is equally determined to protect their ruthless and illegally thriving arms business. Charlie Hunnam stars as Jackson 'Jax' Teller, a man whose love for the brotherhood is tested by his growing apprehension for its lawlessness."

With star power like Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman as the leads of both the show and the 'family' and an eclectic and seasoned supporting cast, this show is gritty and makes no apologies.

There is strong language, stronger violence and an even stronger feeling that you're watching things you shouldn't be.

Charlie Hunnam as Jax is compelling. He's real in his portrayal of a son conflicted. He's a new father who is at odds with himself and those around him. He's touching and sweet one moment, and hardcore and dangerous the next. He teeters on the brink of an undying loyalty to the club his late father helped build and his longing for a different life.

It sure isn't fluffy and it sure isn't for everyone but it has a strong underlayer of the importance of family and the bonds of friendship and loyalty. It isn't always politically correct or fair and sometimes it's downright horrifying in it's depiction of what humans are capable of.

It will make you angry and sad.

Like a train wreck, you can't help but look and wonder and hope that everyone comes out of it ok.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

No one would call my husband sophisticated and that's why I love him.

He's complex in some areas and deceptively simple in others - he loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and this causes some angst from me as I am a housewife and one of my daily jobs is to make my man his lunch and while I aspire to fancy multi-layered sandwiches with exotic cheeses, hearty breads and spreads, he'd happily eat PB&J on white bread every day for the rest of his life.

Now, you may be thinking, big deal! Well, here is a confession - jelly makes me cringe. The stuff is otherworldy and the texture gives me the heebie jeebies. Truly.. it's a scary, quivering mass.

Now, I love me some jam (but never with peanut butter - both should stand alone except in this amazing recipe I found for PB & Jam bars! I'll post it below) but every day that I have to spread that jelly stuff over bread, I die a little inside.

so... because I love him, I make the sacrifice.

Here is the recipe:

Barefoot Contessa's Peanut Butter & Jam Bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (hey, get some Watkins Vanilla from me!)
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (I use large and it works)
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (Ina recommends Skippy, I use Jif)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven.

Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool and cut into squares.

Call Me An Addict!

I wrote about Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab already but as I've fallen deeper and deeper into the fragrance oil culture, I've been led to and discovered other companies that intrigue me and even tho I love BPAL, as it was my first love... I feel the need to 'date' before becoming monogamous with them. (My friend Marie is pretty faithful to BPAL)

A friend of mine calls fragrance oils, 'liquid crack' and I'm beginning to see why.

I followed links from friends and placed orders. I am waiting for the goodies to arrive but I thought that I might post links to the various places I've discovered. If you are into the fragrance oil scene and know of any great places to buy online, please let me know!

Also, I recommend signing up for newsletters from any site you may be interested in because newsletter members get notice of sales, special offers and coupons.

The Soap Box Company carries a variety of different brands so it's nice to find one place and one cart to dump your treasures into! In addition to oils, they carry soaps and other bath time pleasures. I placed an order for three Arcana Soap oils, one Possets oil and a Cobalt Blend oil there. They are an e-tailer based close by in Chicago so I'm hoping the turnaround time is pretty quick so my impatience can be rewarded and a quick fix is imminent.

Heaven & Earth Essentials - I'll be placing an order with her today, I'm sure. She has a few blends I want to try and she has a full array of bath goodies that can all be custom scented with any of her fragrance oils. Gotta love that! Also, I signed up for her newsletter and a few hours later I got an email back with a $5 discount code! So, sign up and then show her some love by placing an order.

Specialty Bottle - a fragrance addict needs a few tools of the trade to manage her addiction and I found those here. I ordered some mini amber bottles so I can share or sell partial bottles to friends. You can buy them by the piece.

Places I've visited or have been told about, but haven't yet ordered from.... yet. I'll add to the list as I discover more, I'm sure!

Cobalt Blends

Possets

Nocturne Alchemy

Good Judy

The Scent Addict is also one stop shopping. Oils, soaps, bath luxuries and more await you there.

Accessories for Fragrances - a friend of mine buys her decanting supplies here.

Happy Birthday, My Friend

Today, October 21st, would have been the 41st birthday of one of my dearest friends, Brenda.

Brenda passed away in 2005.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her. I keep her photo on the bulletin board in my home office and because we shared an addiction to lip gloss, I think of her every time I apply it or when I discover the next big thing - I very often think, even now, that I need to call her and tell her about it.

She was vivacious and fun, demanding and moody. She was unique and smart. She was a good friend, daughter, sister, girlfriend and mother. I miss her. The world is a little less glossy without her.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Marie, my ‘too-cool-for-me’ friend gave me a bottle of fragrance oil for my birthday. She has no idea what a special gift that was to me (well, she does now) because no one else I know would do that. (edited to add that my friend Nat gave me a bottle too!)

She is big into oils and quite the expert. Last year she let me sniff a scent called 'Nosferatu'.

Raw, wet earth, the coolness of the cement mausoleum, the crispness of the trees and the frigid breeze of the fall. It was crazy and it captured me. It's amazing how scent artists can blend oils to smell like specific things!

I’m what they call a ‘foodie and fruit’ girl, meaning I can’t handle floral scents so she went on the hunt for a scent that would work for me and she ended up getting me a delightful scent called ‘Sticky Pillowcase’ from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL).

Sticky Pillowcase is described as “Terminal sugar rush. A little goblin's candy bag, upended. Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint.” And it’s fabulous!

I’m now just getting into the fragrance oil arena and I have a few other friends besides Marie to help me on my journey. Mindy and SuE have been more than generous by sending me little goodie packets with sample vials for me to try. They have all been so great at choosing scents I’d really like.

Fragrance is such an important and personal thing. It can elevate (or even change) your mood and bring you out of a funk. It can evoke good and bad memories and can take you places you've been or wish you could go. Scent can remind you of people you love and people you lost.

There is nothing greater than having someone say 'you smell good!'.

It’s a huge learning curve but it’s fun. It’s also kinda pricey so I’m only going to be able to indulge once in awhile. Marie and I recently went in on a BPAL order to save on shipping and I decided to treat myself to a bottle of what I was pretty sure I’d love, it’s called ‘Butter Rum Cookie’, described as, “a boozy addition to the devil's bake sale! Rum-soaked butter cookies, crusted with sugar, soaked in almond and garnished with orange rind.”

Next month, Marie and I are going to split a bottle of ‘Hellcat’, which is described as “a soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, butter cream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond.”

I invited Marie to post here about fragrance oils since I don’t know that much.. so here she is:

"To me the difference between BPAL and Commercial perfumes is that Commercial perfumes are designed to evoke a particular sort of person. Really they are playing towards the eventual advertising. You are supposed to desire to be that other person and they can sell you just the expensive bottle of scent to help you on your way.

BPAL's oils are very different in intent. Beth is an artist who paints with scent. Each fragrance is an image, idea, character, archetype, situation, piece of literature, etc. fully realized. The variety is so amazing that there is something for everyone.

Besides just smelling good, and seriously I have never smelled a commercial scent that made my eyelids flutter the way some of my favorite BPAL's do, they educate and explore ideas. That allows the wearer to express who they really are...their loves...their passions...their mild interests...their sense of humor..."

I recommend stopping by BPAL when you have some time to kill and browsing through their site. It's like going to another world!

October is National Chili Month

I love chili and I make it about once a week in my crockpot - yes, it's vegetarian! Most people consider chili a fall/winter dish but it's really a delicious meal any time. I like mine topped with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and a small dollop of sour cream and served with cornbread or a side of Fritos.

I buy diced tomatoes and sauce from the warehouse club in cases of 8 and 12 cans so I always have the stuff on hand to make chili. I like to make it on days when I have alot to do around the house or if my hubby is gone and I don't have to make dinner because I can toss it in my small crockpot and just eat it all day long as I get hungry. It's diet friendly and good for you!

Here is my base recipe: (this can be doubled or tripled for larger groups)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can any beans (I like kidney or chili beans the best, but black beans work too. Pinto beans seem too soft to me.)

Then I add in chopped onions and garlic and my Watkins Chili Seasoning and a couple splashes of the Watkins Calypso Sauce (like Tobasco) and 1/4 bag of the Morningstar Farms Crumbles (fake burger) and I'm good to go!

You can also get creative and add corn or peppers, mushrooms, whatever you like. You meat eaters can add in hamburger or chunked up beef. Make it hot or not. It's your call.

Then.. the leftovers can be used to make nachos, chili dogs or chili fries! MMMMM

You Can Make a Big Impact on Small Business

A little background before I get on to my topic for today:

I am a small business owner. I am a consultant for Watkins, Avon and Taste of Home Entertaining. This is my job besides the job of being a housewife and pet mom. The economy is so bad that I have virtually no orders and the few orders I do get, although I’m grateful, doesn’t even cover the monthly cost of my website fees.

Last week, I met with a friend of mine who is also my insurance agent and we were doing a little checkup on the state of our insurance and to see if things had changed and if we needed to adjust coverage. She asked me – “what is your personal income?” I had to say zero, when in all seriousness, the zero is actually a negative number. I have to buy catalogs and materials, samples and such. I have fees to pay and I am bringing in almost nothing.

I sell Watkins and they have daily needs and groceries and I still can’t get any sales! These are things you buy every week, like laundry detergent and food! I really don’t get it at all.

It’s sad but I am not alone… which brings me to the topic of this posting.

This week I’d like every one of you (and pass this along to your friends) to go out and buy something from a small business owner you know. Heck, I challenge you to do it all week. You have NO idea how this impacts someone that works from home and works on commission or the person in your town who has to pay rent on their little storefront at the strip mall. That purchase impacts that person, their family and their team (many home businesses are network marketing, which means someone else is making a small commission on their sales so it goes up and up) and those with employees are affected as well – if they lose business, people lose jobs.

The small business owner is your friend. You need them to maintain competition in your area. If they go under, you lose because pretty soon your only choices are the big box stores that don't give a shit about you, your business or the service they provide.

Make an effort this week to make it a good week for a small business owner.

It could be a lipstick from the Avon or Mary Kay lady, buy a new stamp set from Stampin’ Up, a few kitchen goodies from Pampered Chef, surely you can spare $20 somewhere.

Here are some ideas:

• Go to the local bakery and buy your bread or the donuts for your meeting.
• Pick up your weekly needs at a local drugstore instead of Target.
• Book a party with your friend that has a 'party plan' business. It's a great reason to have friends over for food and fun and it helps her out.
• Buy a pizza from the pizzeria down the street instead of Pizza Hut or Domino's.
• Shop at the local hardware store instead of Lowe's.
• Take your car in for an oil change at the locally owned place instead of Lube Pros.
• Pick up your morning coffee at the local coffee shop instead of Starbucks.
• Have breakfast at the diner downtown instead of IHOP.
• Order Tupperware instead of picking up containers at Target.
• Pick up appetizer products for Thanksgiving from Watkins or Tastefully Simple.
• Buy some candles from a Partylite consultant instead of Yankee Candle at the mall.
• Shop for a unique gift at the museum gift shop in your town.
• Buy your best friend a box of candy from the local candy store instead of Godiva.
• Call up your Avon lady and ask if she has anything in stock she wants to sell for a bargain.
• Buy your salon shampoo at a local salon instead of Trade Secret or Ulta.
• Take a trip downtown and find something for yourself in one of the little shops.
• Pick up a bouquet of flowers for your mom at the local florist.
• Have your next meeting catered by a local restaurant.
• Order your holiday hams and turkeys from the local butcher shop instead of the chain grocery.

If you aren’t familiar with http://www.etsy.com , go browse there and buy a few things – think ahead for the holidays! Search thru ebay.com for things you've been wanting. You'll probably find a deal to boot! If you can’t spend money on yourself, then start your holiday shopping and do it all with small business owners this year – not Wal-Mart.

Every single choice you make can impact a small business owner in a very big way. Besides, you'll get personal customer service from someone that appreciates your purchase and is there for you in the future. I’m not saying you need to buy something from me. Just go and search out the little guy because those dollars could mean a meal on the table or a necessity for their family.

Madison

We went to Madison, Wisconsin to have lunch with a rocking family we know there and we really had fun after what started out as a horrendous morning (overnight some piece of shit took property from our car. There is nothing I hate more than a thief) and we had to drive over an hour each way with no music and no NPR. Not a happy car ride.

Anyway, we drove up to have lunch at Monty's Blue Plate Diner (menu here) and even tho we had to wait an hour to eat (we didn't really plan that so well) and were ravenous by the time food was placed in front of us, the food was yummy and we managed to remain calm and civilized.

Monty's is a place I wish was in my own town because they have choices for this frustrated vegetarian - Monty's had more than one or two or three choices! That is a rarity for restaurants. I usually have one choice of a vegetarian dish on a typical menu so this was quite refreshing.

My friends all had breakfast. Their exceptionally cool kid had a Mickey Mouse pancake. How fun is that? My husband had the dill and feta burger and spicy waffle fries. Very good, he said.

I had the best selling vegetarian meatless loaf, which was really more like a veggie casserole thing. It was made from carrot, onions, mushrooms, cheese and the like, served with a big mountain of real 'with the skin on' mashed taters and everything was smothered in ginger-cashew gravy... yum! My husband even had about 4 bites and he's a card carrying carnivore!

I also added a buttermilk biscuit because, come on, biscuits rock and after discovering we'd been burgled the night before, I needed some comfort food.

Afterward, we went to a place called Java Cat that had homemade gelato! Mmmmm. Too many flavor choices tho and I ended up with Malted Milk (which was fantastic) and Chocolate Chili (which I should have taste tested first because it was so f'ing spicy that I had to give it to my husband to eat. Seriously, I can take a little spice and heat but this affected my vocal chords for the rest of the day!) The shit just parked itself in the back of my throat to make me feel like a cat with a prickly hairball. They also had live harp music which was delightful.

Then, we went down to the square, where the hip and happening hang! Madison is a college town and people there just love to get together and soak up some culture and people action.

We visited some cute shops full of interesting goodies. My husband channeled my dad and waited outside every time we went in somewhere. (it's true when they say you marry your father)

We used the parking garage and when I expressed my concern to my friends that I only had 9 dollars in cash to pay for parking, they laughed and said 'this isn't Chicago' - we had to spend 85 cents for the convenience of the garage - that is a deal!

I've been to Madison a few times and I've enjoyed myself every time. I do recommend it and I hope to be able to spend more time up there to check out more local restaurants as being a veg head up there isn't that weird. Ok, I'm still weird in general but my being a vegetarian doesn't cast me out as much up there.

Edwards Apple Orchard

Ah, fall... around here it means cold, crisp weather, changes to the leaves on the trees, turning up the heat and digging out the turtlenecks!

Fall also means our annual trip to the apple orchard. I've been visiting Edwards Apple Orchard since I can remember. The trips were about family, fresh cider and apple cider donuts. (not necessarily in that order, sorry Mom)

My husband and I always get up early so we can be there when the doors open at 9am. It gets busy and you want to be in and out of there quickly. Our main objective? The always freshly fried apple cider donuts. These are no ordinary run of the mill bakery donuts. They are warm from the fryer, crispy on the outside, covered in sugar, tender on the inside and if you don't consume them within 15 minutes they revert back to a plain 'ol donut.

Seriously. You must eat them quickly to fully savor the sweet piece of bliss.

These should never be brought home for eating later. It's mandatory that they be history when leaving the property.. in fact, my husband and I buy a half gallon of cider and a dozen donuts and lock ourselves in the car - devouring the little gems of goodness and drinking from the jug - I know, it isn't very classy but it sure is good.

The orchard is in the middle of nowhere. Down long winding roads, far from any city or town. Cornfields and pastures. Farms and endless acres. A little piece of perfection in nature.

In January 2008, this orchard was hit by a freak tornado and the place was basically destroyed. Luckily, no one was seriously injured and they vowed to rebuild.

They had to rebuild the outbuildings and their home. The newly repaired orchard looks the same. The owners did a very good job rebuilding things to look as they did before the tornado. I think they understood the history of the place and the importance of the memories we all had. The buildings are bigger, but laid out the same. They reused timbers when they could. The apples are still in the back but the fudge has it's own little counter now. There are still bookcases full of candles and knickknacks and on the weekend you can still sample the salsa and cheese dips, fudge and apples.

The landscaped has changed. Less trees dot the grounds. The stories tall weathervane tower is no longer covered with vines, The place seems a little battered but stronger for it. Inside the main building, among the gifts and jams and bottled salad dressing, is a memorial to what was and was is - a wall full of photos on the devastation, pieces of bent metal and tattered shards of belongings found after the tornado cut it's path thru the heart of so many childhood memories.

When you visit now, you'll hear fractured conversations, whispers and recollections from the people who are strangers but in some way, family. If you grew up around here, the orchard was part of your life. Kids went on field trips, families bonded and friends came together there. I'm glad that it isn't lost and that so many more generations will experience the joy of sipping cider, eating a hot donut and breathing in the crisp fall air while forgetting the life you left behind a little ways up the road.

We usually kept our donut trek to once a year because no one needs to eat 4 or 6 donuts in a sitting more than once every 12 months.. but this year we went more than once. We went opening weekend, as we usually do and a few weeks later, met friends for one outing. I suspect I should make once last trip. For old time sake.

October is Adopt a Dog Month

October is Adopt a Dog Month and I encourage anyone that can open their home and heart to a homeless dog, to do so.

10 million dogs enter the shelter system each year and about 4 million are killed each year because there aren't enough homes for all of them. People choosing to not spay and neuter their pets, people adopting thru puppy mills and breeders and people who choose to buy from a pet store are to blame.

There are also many people who choose to surrender their pets or dump them when they become too much to handle. Dogs need training but training isn't that difficult and there are many resources available to help. You can sign up for a local obedience class, buy books or videos on dog training, even scour the internet.

Three of my four pets were rescued - the fourth, our cat, Bella was found as a stray at my husbands place of employment. I found both of our dogs thru petfinder.org and our other cat, Pete came from our county kill shelter. Ike, Sam and Bella were all very young when we adopted them but Pete was about 8 months old and well beyond the desired kitten stage so his days were numbered. He's been a perfect cat. Not one day of trouble.

Shelters are full of purebreds but even more fun, they are filled with mixed breeds, which means you can have a unique dog that doesn't look like anyone elses! If you have your heart set on a specific breed, you can search the internet for breed specific rescues. Don't use the excuse that you have to go to a breeder for a 'purebred'.

Don't fall victim to the breeder or pet store. Pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills.

When you adopt a pet from a shelter, you are actually saving more than one life. You save the life if the pet you take home but you also save another life by freeing up space in that no-kill shelter for another dog to be brought in. Many kill shelters have a waiting period for each animal - once that time is up they will be euthanized if they aren't adopted or rescued and placed into a no-kill shelter system.

Rescued pets are healthier and they have all their medical stuff taken care of - they are already fixed, microchipped, vaccinated and treated for things like worms and fleas. We paid about $200 each for our dogs and $90 for Pete... but since we found Bella we had to pay for everything for her and it was close to $500. $200 from a shelter is a DEAL!

If you are a busy person and can't commit to raising a puppy, consider an older dog.

'Older' can mean any dog over a year old! They are housetrained, crate trained, usually know basic commands and many are much calmer than a puppy. They can become a part of your family quickly and be your very best friend! Many dogs in the shelter system have been evaluated for behavior problems, fostered in actual homes and tested to see how they get along with other pets and children.

If you can't open your home to a pet, consider donating your time or money towards a shelter. I regularly donate dog toys to shelters since many shelters don't have enough income to buy 'luxuries' like toys, rawhide and treats. There are actually dogs in the system that have to be taught how to play with toys and that is a tragic fact.

I also sign up for free bags and cans of various foods and coupons thru pet food companies. My pets eat special food but when I get coupons for other brands, I pick them up and donate them.

Shelters can use old blankets, cleaning supplies, stamps and more.

Many shelters have 'wish lists' on their websites.

You could also donate unused computers, cellphones, and vehicles.

Many shelters welcome volunteers. You can stop by and take the dogs for a walk, play with the cats or pitch in to help clean kennels. You could also sign up to foster dogs.

Here are a variety of links I'd love for you to check out:

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

American Humane.org

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt an Older Dog

Proud to Adopt