Operation: Pumpkin Clean Up! {Was supposed to be: Menu Monday Pumpkin Pie}

With Thanksgiving a mere memory, and Elf on the Shelf making his appearance, it's time to decorate for Christmas!  Yay!

We've been listening to Christmas music all day and getting in the mood.  I pulled out the Christmas picture books and left used all my will power to leave the Christmas decorations boxes in the garage. 

We have to put away all of the Thanksgiving decor and put away all of our luggage/clothes from our Thanksgiving trip to LA and the Happiest Place on Earth before we can bring more stuff into the house.  I think I'll have the luggage put away in record time (it will be easy to beat my usual 1-2 weeks).

At any rate...the pumpkin scene in our front yard has passed its prime.  I was so looking forward to making pumpkin pie out of that 119 pound pumpkin, but alas...it's "melting" on my driveway. 

Luckily, that made for a relatively easy clean-up! 

All that wetness on the ground is from the pumpkin, yuck!



The back was "melting".



DH pushed on it a little and it was Jello underneath.



And then it started to crack.....

and crack some more.....

and then the back fell in.



Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!



I wonder if it still weighs 119 pounds?

That's yard waste, right?



This is all that was left.



One shovel scoop and that pumpkin is history!



Now can we get our tree?

When do you get your tree? Have you started decorating yet?

For some inspiration, be sure to check out the holiday decorating parties starting Nov. 30!


The Christmas Mantel Party is at The Lettered Cottage

The Christmas Vignette Party is at Southern Hospitality

The Christmas Craft Party is at Centsational Girl.

The Christmas Tree Party is at Thrifty Decor Chick

Check them out, you are sure to get TONS of new and creative ideas.  These ladies are amazing!





Menu Monday: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Short little post today...been taking care of 2 sick babes the last few days, so not much time to blog. But we did manage to carve 3 pumpkins on Halloween, despite a couple of fevers...and we roasted the pumpkin seeds.

Have you ever done that?

Usually we toss all the pumpkin guts into the garbage (you see, canned pumpkin makes great pumpkin pie; so does Costco, for $5.99, can't beat that!)

But this time I decided to show my kids that pumpkins are actually more than just

jack-o-lanterns, they are food too!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Separate the pumpkin seeds from the rest of the pulp as best you can (a little pulp in there just adds flavor)

Rinse the pumpkin seeds in a colander.

Lay the seeds out to dry. 

Don't dry on paper towels!

 

I told you this was the first time I've done this!!  Next time try using a cookie cooling rack or wax paper to dry them on.

I tossed 1 1/4 cup dry seeds with 1 TBS olive oil and then saturated with pink salt.

Spread out in a single layer (as best you can) on a cookie sheet and bake for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees. Yum!

Other things you could use instead of salt:

• onion powder
• garlic powder
• green can of powdered parmesan cheese
• Lawry's Season Salt
• Old Bay Seasoning
• cayenne pepper
• Cajun seasoning
• OH what about cinnamon, sugar and butter (instead of olive oil)
• or better yet, what about pumpkin pie seasoning and butter?!

Ta Da!

I do have a few more pumpkins left........HUM?!

And you guys were all wondering what I'd do with it.....

Finally, I did a quick internet search for the benefits of pumpkin seeds and found many many articles on the subject. In a nut shell they include:
Prostate Protection

Improved Bladder Function

Depression Treatment

Prevention of Osteoporosis

Natural Anti-Inflammatory

Prevention of Kidney Stones

Treatment of Parasites

Great Source of Magnesium

Lower Cholesterol

Cancer Prevention

Though one other thing I read suggested that roasting them kills a lot of the valuable nutrients, best to eat them raw. Either way, they make a

healthy, yummy snack.

Now, time to go get me a

Pete's Holiday Blend Coffee!

Starbucks Christmas Blend comes out Nov. 15, gotta wait a bit longer for that one.

"May the Force Be With You"

119 Pounds!

Any guesses???

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The weight of the dresser I carried from the garage to the girls' room this afternoon (the one I just finished re-painting)?

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NO!  While it felt that heavy, I'm sure it wasn't even close.

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The weight of the tulle I used to make the fluffiest tutu a girl ever did see?

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NO! But I swear my girls' weigh twice as much when they have it on (pics to come!)

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My weight?

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Come on, seriously?  Even if it was, would I post it HERE?

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The weight of my 3 children combined?

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Ok, that's your closest guess yet...but still NO!

They are a whopping 111 pounds combined

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The amount of laundry I have built up to do tomorrow this weekend after Halloween!
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Give up?

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It was my daughter's guess for the
"Guess the weight of the pumpkin contest" 
at Mollie Stone's and "she" was dead on RIGHT!

She had a little help filling out the entry paper.

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So.......you know what she WON? 
Come on, you can get this.....
It's not so tough to guess!

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THE 119 LB PUMPKIN!!!!!



It took two employees,



....and a rolling cart to get it out of the store.

It took two guys to load it into my car.

And then 'lil ol' me got it out of the car and settled into its new home.

                                                               Isn't it cute?!



Need perspective of how big a 119 pound pumpkin actually is? The winner is less than 25% its weight at 28 pounds.

Now we're ready for the trick-or-treaters!!!

Happy almost Halloween!



You've been BOOed!

We started a new neighborhood tradition today, BOOing!  I got the idea from this great website, Organized Home.  They have a big Christmas idea section, including checklists and countdown tables, but also have some fun Halloween ideas, too. To put a spook on your neighborhood, give it a try!


The first house we BOOed


-Print out 2 copies of this cute poem.
-Make 2 "BOO" signs.
-Put together 2 small Halloween themed gift baskets

-Attach the poem and BOO sign to 2 neighbors' front doors and leave the gift basket on the porch. Let the BOOing begin!

-Be sure not to get "caught"! 

Poem:

The air is cool, the season fall,

Soon Halloween will come to all.

With ghosts and goblins, spooks galore,

Trick-or-treaters at the door.

The spooks are after things to do.

In fact, a spook brought this to you.

The treats that come with this short note

Are yours to keep.  Enjoy them both!

Excitement grows when friends like you

One of my little spooks at work

Will copy it and make it two.

Neighbors will have smiling faces;

None can guess who "BOO-ed" which places.

A day or two to work your spell,

But keep it secret! Hide it well!
Join in the fun; the season's here.

So spread these "BOOs" - and share the cheer!

Please keep the BOO going by following these directions:

-Enjoy your treat!

-Place the BOO sign on your front door or a visible front window

-Within the next two days, make two copes of this note and two more BOO signs.

-Make two treat bags or BOO baskets

-Secretly deliver to two neighbors without a BOO

-Keep an eye on nearby front doors to see how far and fast it spreads by Halloween


Whole Foods


I picked up a pumpkin pail from Target, added some "Boo" chips, Halloween Pasta and Candy Shortbread cookies.  The kids around the 'hood are already buzzing!  They've been asking all around, "Do you know who is boo-ing people?"  "So-and-so keeps saying how she was BOOed and doesn't know who did it!"  Love it!  So fun.  There's still time for you to try this in your neighborhood.

Cost Plus World Market



Cost Plus World Market