Funny Magic

Happy Halloween! Missing Mojo Found!

It was there all along, in the darkest reaches of the basement...

The macabre pirate, now keeping watch over the neighborhood from our front porch.

Lights, cheesecloth, and spiders.

And everything we needed to set up our (mwahahaha...) Gruesomely Gory Mad Laboratory!

Charlie played Mad Scientist this year, and I'd say he did a fantastically horrible job:

It's gory, but that's the way we roll here at The Ranch.

Have a wicked weekend!
 

APB Re: Missing Halloween Mojo!

Yesterday, while on a Search and Rescue mission for my missing Halloween mojo, I volunteered at Juliet's preschool for their annual Halloween party:

(That's Juliet on the left as a princess, complete with (fake) furry stole and poofy pink dress; her friend was dressed as Tinkerbell.)

For some reason I haven't "felt the spooky" this year...decorations are still in the basement and the front porch remains unadorned with frightfulness. Today, though, we're gonna carve our pumpkins and after that, I'll start conjuring the creepy:

 

Better late than never, right??

A Little Good Mail and a Good Idea.

But before all that, a pillow. Here's the front:

And the back:

You know what I discovered in making this big 'ol pillow cover? That I really love just wingin' it. No pattern, no instructions, just taking what I've learned about sewing thus far and going for it, much in the way my daughter approaches crafting, I guess. Lately when she tells me she's in the mood for "crafting" I've been setting a box of goodies on the table for her and let me tell 'ya, she just goes to town with the glitter and pipecleaners and scissor and glue.  Today she took a strip of fabric that she found in there, tied a little knot, and pronounced, "A necklace for you, Mama!" And by gosh, I wore it to work and was damn proud.

Anyhoo, more good fun to share in the form of mail:

A stack of vintage linens.

An awesome old table runner.

  
Fabric that's telling me it would love to be a skirt.

Also some doilies and a small quilt top (not pictured, blurry, sorry). Thank you Marlana, my Vintage Swap partner! This has been an awesome swap to take part in and I'd definitely partake again. (Thanks Heather!)

And last but not least, I'm liking Amy's good idea, whereby we share our imperfections in the spirit of being "less-than-perfect" creatures...kinda' like noticing the good in the midst of the mess, the beauty in the boredom, the magic within the mundane, etc. At least that's my interpretation, and I'm looking forward to digging-in a little more - lately I feel like I've been skating on the surface of life. Am I making any sense? Ah, well. Time for me to go nighty-night. Ta-ta for now!

In the Northland

Hi! We're back from our short but rejuvenating and very relaxing weekend up north with my dad. We arrived at sundown on Friday, and after Charlie turned-in for the night my dad and I stayed up until 1:30 a.m.(!) talking and laughing around the campfire; oh, how I love these times with my dear 'ol dad.

We had a campfire going constantly as it was pretty chilly up there, especially once the sun went down. Thankfully, it was not rainy, just cool and cloudy.

We took some time for walking in the woods during the day on Saturday - found lots of deer tracks and even what we think was some, ahem, bear 'poo....which freaks me out a bit, as I'm kinda' scared of bears. Moving on now....

I was able to make some good progress on the sweater I'm knitting for Charlie, and spent some time knitting around the campfire - more knitting was done inside the warm and toasty camper, though.

Oh, how I love it up north...October is my favorite time of year up there...so cool and crisp and pretty.

But having to "powder your nose" in the outhouse??? Man, it's dang cold, especially when nature calls in the middle of the night! (That would be the good 'ol outhouse on the left.)

How was your weekend?
 

In One Word...

(via Alexis!)

1. Where is your mobile phone? Unpurchased.
2. Your hair? Straight.

3. Your mother? Loving.
4. Your father? Dependable.
5. Your favourite food? Pizza.
6. Your dream last night? Dunno.
7. Your favourite drink? Coffee.
8. Your dream/goal? Security.
9. What room are you in? Living.
10. Your hobby? Knitting.
11. Your fear? Unknown.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here.
13. Where were you last night? Upstairs.
14. Something that you aren’t? Vindictive.
15. Muffins? Rhubarb.
16. Wish list item? Pedicure.
17. Where did you grow up? Norwood
18. Last thing you did? Laundry.
19. What are you wearing? Jammies.
20. Your TV? Mad Men.
21. Your pet? Furry.
22. Friends? Essential.
23. Your life? Busy.

24. Your mood? Calm.
25. Missing someone? Emily.
26. Vehicle? Saturn.
27. Something you’re not wearing? Make-up.
28. Your favorite store? LYS.
29. Your favorite color? Pink.
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today.

31. Last time you cried? Monday.

32. Your best friend? All-knowing.
33. One place that I go to over and over? Target.
34. One person who emails me regularly? Sarahx2.

35. Favorite place to eat? Home.

In addition:

36. Best Vacation?  England.

37. Dessert? Cheesecake.

38. Why do you blog? Connection.

39. Skill you wish you had? Meditation.

40. Favorite trait in others? Humor.

 

Feel free to partake if you'd like, and have a great weekend...  

...I'm off to the north country this weekend with Charlie and my dad for some fall colors, fresh air, campfires, walks in the woods, and perhaps a little R&R - see you next week!

October Snow

Rather unbelievable, but very, very true.

I have a feeling it's gonna melt off, as the ground is still too warm to make it stick, but still. It's measurable snow in October. I want my Indian Summer back! Oh, wait, it never even arrived....boo-hoo. In other news I've been doing a bit of mending:

And working on my Mystery Socks:

The snow may not be pleasing me, but knitting a pair of pink socks pleases me to no end!

Happy Monday to 'ya!
 

It's Turn the Page Tuesday!

I've been on a reading kick as of late:

I picked up Undiscovered Country by Minnesota author Lin Enger at the library one day, and was not disappointed. It's essentially a "coming-of-age" story set amidst tragedy and deception; the characters are conflicted and real, and I loved that the story was set in northern Minnesota. Here's a bit more about the book:

While hunting with his father in the woods surrounding their hometown of Battlepoint, Minn., the young Jesse hears a shot and finds his father dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Adamant that his father could never take his own life, Jesse determines to uncover the truth. While his mother, Genevieve, retreats to her room and his younger brother, Magnus, looks to him for reassurance, Jesse becomes convinced that his uncle Clay actually killed his father. Despite a lack of evidence or support from law enforcement, Jesse hatches a plan to avenge his father's death...

This is Lin Enger's first book, and I'll surely be on the lookout for his next one.

Another fantastic book that I just finished is this one:

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton.

On a farm in western Missouri during the first half of the twentieth century, Matthew and Callie Soames create a life for themselves and raise four headstrong daughters. Jessica will break their hearts. Leonie will fall in love with the wrong man. Mary Jo will escape to New York. And wild child Mathy's fate will be the family's greatest tragedy. Over the decades they will love, deceive, comfort, forgive—and, ultimately, they will come to cherish all the more fiercely the bonds of love that hold the family together.

Originally published in 1962, it was highly praised and then largely forgotten until it was re-released with an introduction by Jane Smiley. Here's a link to a great article about the book. (Thanks Yarny Old Kim for recommending it to me!) 

What are you reading right now? (More TTPT here.)
 

Soup Swap - Italian Peasant Soup Recipe

 This soup has become a favorite in our house:

Everyone loves it, from my 10 year-old son to my rather finicky, English born-and-bred father-in-law; it's easy to prepare and extremely versatile, a couple of my favorite things about soup, aside from being warm. Here's the recipe for you - enjoy!

You'll Need:

1 lb. Italian sausage links, casings removed and cut into 1" slices (I use Italian turkey sausage)
2 onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained (I use cannellini and butter beans)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
6 Cups fresh spinach leaves
Shredded parmesean cheese

You'll Do:

In a big soup kettle, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, then drain. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the beans, broth, tomatoes, basil and oregano. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the spinach and heat until just wilted. Top with parmesean cheese and serve the hot-n-steamy goodness!

You'll find:

More Soup Swap recipes here!

Autumn and Apples

It's been a rainy past few days here...

...and I can't say that I've minded at all. Fall has arrived on my doorstep in all it's blustery glory, the leaves are quickly changing, and I'm wearing socks to bed at night - not because I'm getting old, mind you (~ahem~), but because my feet get darn cold at night! That never used to happen, as my feet were always warm, but in the past couple years? Pass the socks, please, or mama doesn't sleep well in cold weather.

Luckily for us today, though, the rain held off for a little bit while we went to Afton Apple orchard with some friends for apple, raspberry, and pumpkin picking.

 
 We came home with four different varieties of apples, a pint of red raspberries, and two pie pumpkins. Guess I've got some baking to do...! Also coming up next week:

Soup Swap on Monday at Jessica's place.

Turn the Page Tuesday at Adrienne's.

Wishing you all a fab weekend!