Updated on October 28, 2019
MONDAY MUSINGS: A CANADIAN HALLOWEEN
Hi guys!
Hope you had a fun-filled weekend and are all ready for Halloween!
My fondness for Halloween is no secret. I could be accused of being a little OTT!! As far as I am concerned Halloween can never be OTT enough!! The colours, elaborate costumes and happy smiles of children are a joy to behold. The sweet aroma of pumpkin spice candles, warm apple cider, and rich Fall foliage, fill my heart with a feeling of gratitude and abundance. And did I mention the Belgian chocolate pumpkins that come out around this time of year from Purdy’s? A proud Canadian chocolatier.
As soon as our Canadian Thanksgiving is over, I get busy for Halloween! The decorations come out gradually each day. I plan my costume, start making up treat bags and light my pumpkin spice candles. The house smells divine. We start lighting log fires in the big old grate. Outside, the wind is hurling a kaleidescope of colourful leaves into neat little piles. It’s both eerie and ever so cozy! I’m very fortunate to live close to an old spooky castle which adds a great ambience to this festive time of year!
The effort I put into Halloween is substantial, but equally the rewards are even greater. When my children were little, the joy they got from Halloween, and the generosity of neighbours when they went out trick ‘n treating, was immense. Now it is my turn to ‘pay it forward’ and do the same for other children. The look of joy and wonder on their little faces is priceless! It brings me back to those cold Winter evenings in Fort McMurray, where we were first stationed. Halloween was a beacon of light and hope in the darkness of a long Alberta winter.
Dead neighbourhoods smothered in snow literally came alive! Doors were flung wide open to strangers. I got to see what my neighbours looked like! Buckets of candy were given to our children. The fun, generosity, and magnanimity of Halloween carried me through the long dark days of winter. And soon it would be Christmas…
Thank God for Halloween. It confirms what I already know, which is that people are essentially good, and that we all like to feel part of a community — and to have fun!
Enjoy your Halloween wherever you may find yourself!
Halloween Hugs,
Patricia xxx
Posted on October 27, 2019
FOODIE FRIDAY: HALLOWEEN FAVOURITES
TGIF friends!
Well, it’s actually Saturday!! I’ve had a very busy Halloween weekend which started on Thursday with my first Halloween Party at the Homeless Shelter. I call out the Bingo there and supply prizes of candy bars, pop, and chips. For special occasions such as Halloween I bring along treat bags filled with treats which they love, Halloween cup cakes, juice, etc. and we party hard!! It went very well and I was happy to get the first batch of treat bags safely out of the house before I got at them!! Everybody went home happy!
Friday, I had two more Halloween Parties, one at TOPS, (my Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) friendship group. We were to dress up as items of food. Katherine went as a pickle, Roz a banana, Sherry was a watermelon and later handed out some delicious chopped watermelon to everybody. Sheilah went as a strawberry and gave everybody 2 strawberry flavoured tea bags and I went as a beyond meat veggie burger! Fun!
Friday evening I invited some friends to my house for my annual Hallowen get-together. I must admit if something doesn’t look visually appealing, I can’t eat it!! So many of the Halloween treats look ghastly! I had a few vegetarian friends coming so I made vegetarian lasagne and lentil and chick pea curry. My friend Anita cooked a ham and sliced it all up and decorated it with miniature pumpkins and flowers. It looked lovely! The sweet aroma of mulled wine coming from the kitchen, combined with the fragrance of apple cider scented candles made for a very cosy Halloween ambience.
For parties I tend to serve a meat dish, a fish/seafood dish, and a vegetarian dish. Rice, Cous Cous, and 2-3 salads, which always feature a kale salad and a Greek salad. Firm favourites! For appies, olives, cheese, prawns, stuffed olive leaves, and bowls of nuts and chips around. As well as sliced veggies and dips for those watching the figures!
All my guests left with little pumpkin treat bag and smiles on their faces!
This year I served the puking pumpkin! It is so easy to do and was a real crowd pleaser!
Posted on October 23, 2019
WEDNESDAY WOMAN: IRIS APFEL
At 98, businesswoman, designer, and fashion icon, Iris Apfel is feisty, fabulous, fastidious, and showing no signs at all of slowing down. I admire her energy, creativity, discipline, work ethic and down-to-earth attitude to life. She is fearless in her fashion statements as you can tell from her bold dramatic style. This girl is still in the game! Bigtime! Could she be the new face of 100?
People like her are an inspiration to fashionistas all around the world. Yes, she herself will freely admit wearing all that big heavy bling, which probably weighs more than her, can be uncomfortable at times, but style is more important to Iris than comfort. It’s the price you have to pay she will tell you. She says she is not pretty, never was pretty, dislikes the word pretty, but has something more important; style!
As an archetypal Virgo, Iris Apfel is incredibly disciplined both in her eating habits, and her daily routine. She likes order and simplicity in her life. She believes passionately in being true to yourself and unique. She has never been one to follow the crowd. She dresses for herself because as she says “Life can be gray and dull; you might as well have a little fun when you dress up’. My sentiments precisely!
The saying ‘No matter how you feel, you should always get up, dress up, show up, and never give up!’ was surely coined with her in mind. And that is why Iris Apfel is my Wednesday Wow Woman!
Hugs,
Patricia xxx
Updated on October 21, 2019
MONDAY MUSINGS: CODDIWOMPLE
Hi Guys,
Hope you had a lovely weekend despite all the crazy and disturbing stuff currently hitting our world. I don’t internalize any of it because it is totally beyond my control. Brexit, Turkey, Syria, Donald T. using his platform to market his hotels, etc. Then we have a big election today in Canada. I’ll be voting because my vote could be the one that counts. Who knows? If all that wasn’t enough excitement, New Zealand hammered poor Ireland in the rugby! Humiliating! Their worst defeat ever! But I won $10 on a scratch card, so things could be worse! Life really is a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
So what has all of the above got to do with Coddiwomple? you may well ask. I came across this word recently in my FB travels and loved it! It means ‘to travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination’. I loved everything about it because it reminded me of how important it is to have a purpose in life – whatever it may be! And to remain grounded, despite all the disturbia ‘out there’.
How do you stay grounded and peaceful in your life?
The answer my friends is to Coddiwomple each day, and while you are busy coddiwompling, take time out for a nice pleasant cup of tea, a biscuit, silence, and a sweet reminder of your purpose…your passions, your dreams and raison d’etre. There will always be Disturbia in our world. But in your world, there can be Peace and Love…
Wishing you all the joie de vivre your hearts can handle!
Hugs,
Patricia xxx
Posted on October 18, 2019
FASHION FRIDAY: LEOPARDSKIN IS BACK – FAUX AND FABULOUS!!
TGIF Girlfriends!
Everywhere I go, I’m seeing leopardskin. It’s on everything these days. Belts, shoes, bags, boots, pants, dresses — you name it! The proud Leopard is currently the King of Fashion! But then again, leopardskin never really ever went out of fashion. Real fur, yes, but modern designers have done so much with faux, it’s hard to tell the difference. You get the luxe look without the cruelty.
Having seen the displays around town, I went home and did some shopping in my own closet. I found great stuff under my very nose!! I’m going to have fun putting items together with just a peep or a pop of leopardskin! Love it with oranges, reds, and yellows!
The only additions this year were the belt, boots, and pants. I’ve put them to great use already, especially the boots!
Have fun putting your luxe leopard looks together!
Hugs,
Patricia
