Halloween Saturday!

We began our Halloween Saturday at the Leinbach estate auction

because I agreed to be Spa-boy's proxy bidder on a piece of Heisey

glass he noticed would be up for auction there. Imagine our

surprise when we found Honest Abe was there too!

I wonder what in those boxes interests him... Perhaps

he'll come across an old playbill for Tom Taylor's,

Our American Cousin and find out how it ends

After the Leinbach auction we headed over to High Point to

check out another estate auction. We didn't find anything there that

we couldn't live without so we took a little drive to explore the area

On our way home we stopped at our Favorite garden shop

because there was a Tree he couldn't wait to show me!

I said... This one? Yes, I'll take it!

He said, No silly. This one!

And I said, Are you sure?

He was sure. Seems that he was here

yesterday to pay for it. So off we went!

After a quick stop at the Market to grab everything I need to make

a fabulous Dinner to watch Yankees baseball over, we came home!

Home is good...

Very good!

Let's do some Halloween decorating!

I cannot tell you how many Different ways I've tried to achieve

this poofy icing Swirl on my cupcakes. I've snipped dozens of zippy

bags, I've tried to pipe through a coupler and I've even stood

on my head, which interestingly enough worked better

than the Snipped off zippy bags! But nothing worked

until I got super Lucky and met blogger Monica!

She told me this Magic happens for her through the

use of the Wilton 1A decorating tip. And then, she sent me Two!

Thank you, Monica - You're sweeter than my Icing!

Okay. You know how I am... When I stumble onto something I find

interesting I just can't let it go until I hunt it down, buy everything

I can get my hands on and then bang it out until I get tired of it,

or I become distracted by something else. Such was the case

with these vintage Wilton cake pans from the mid-70's

There are 12 sculpted cake pans that fit into a ten-inch

ring. I first saw the Happy Birthday insert, then I had to have

the Jack-o-Lantern and the santa and the... I love e-Bay!

Last week I baked the Happy Birthday insert... And this

afternoon I received a special request to bake the Jack-o-Lantern

for our Halloween weekend. So let's decorate... Don't forget this Tip!  

Easy-peasy-Lemon-squeezie! Except for those

blasted Leaves. I just couldn't get them right...

So I'm just going to Ignore them and say

it Looks like a Jack-o-Lantern cake to me!

Not a bad First attempt!

He said I missed a Spot... I told him to use his

imagination. Pumpkin stems are brown. Right?

It's late. I got a little Lazy on these last cupcakes. So

good night. I hope your Halloween is a Sweet one!

No trick, all Treat!

I'm home! And it sure looks like someone has been

busy in his Gardens today to prepare for the weekend!

Looks like all the new Japanese maples have

been planted around my new Garden lantern!

Every Autumn I think Fall is better than spring... Then spring rolls

around and I think spring is better than fall. It's tough to make up my mind!

With a view like this, you can't Blame me!

I blame my inability to Decide on these views all the time!

Wow! Looks like he was serious about wiring my garden lantern!

All the new Japanese maples are exactly in the right spots!

It looks like Cousin It has had a little growth spurt this week, huh?

Oh, my!

I heard a rattle in the gutter behind me... Suddenly, when I turned

around, out popped this Cardinal. Seems he's having a bath! 

This week the Japanese maple in the front

yard turned this incredible Crimson color!

It's a good thing I came into the house when I did... All my

timers are ringing so it must be time to Decorate cupcakes!

Thank you, Monica!

Is it Christmas or Halloween? Because today, I simply

cannot tell! First, I find this in my truck after work...

And when I got home, I found this Package waiting for me! It's from

a fabulous Blogger-friend of mine in Texas. I heart-Texas bloggers!

If you don't already follow Monica at Lick the Bowl Good

I have just one question for you! Why are you still here?

Drop everything and get over to check out her blog now!

Monica has created some of the most Delectable looking, (and

I'm sure, tasting!) deserts and dishes I've ever seen! And, when I

contacted her to ask how in the world she achieved that perfect

frosting Swirl, which has so far eluded me during all of my own

decorating efforts, on her Tres Leches Cupcakes, she was

not only kind enough to tell me which one of the Wilton cake

decorating tips she uses, but she also offered to send me one!

Clearly, Monica possesses the soul of a Brilliant baker, and has

exactly what it takes to be a fellow Food blogger's best friend

because she not included these Fabulously fun Zebra-striped

cupcake liners for me, but she also included Two of the tips!

Thank you, sweet Monica! I'm baking Cupcakes

right now and hope to make you proud!

Somebody loves Me!

He called me at the office to ask if I had any plans to bake

some cupcakes or a Halloween cake tonight... Then, I get

into my truck to go Home for the weekend and I find this...

Somebody loves me...

Or, he's just really craving chocolate Cupcakes!

Happy Halloween Weekend!

No. I did not get a dog. You know the rule about me and dogs. It's that

rule about how there's only room in my house for one High-maintenance

b*tch, and that's me... So this is Martha's dog and reading her blog

this morning about how her dogs and cats (Yea, cats!) are ready

for Halloween is just too fun not to share. I love Martha's blog

because she, (or a member of her Staff) updates every day!

Newt Gingrich, and my Garden lantern!

How's that for a blog post Title?

After he met Newt Gingrich for a brief excerpt reading and Discussion on his

latest book, the sweet man I married ran a quick errand for me and our garden! 

I've been stalking this Garden lantern for two years... Today, it's mine!

I first noticed it two years ago at, Antique Marketplace in Greensboro, and I

 kinda liked it... But I never thought we had the right place for it in the garden. That was

until we snapped up the five amazing Japanese Maple trees we found last weekend! Now,

with the addition of these trees, the lantern is Exactly what this area of the garden needed!

And, it's Drilled, which means very soon there

will be a soft, glowing Light in this spot too!

I've always liked how this ornament was just the

right amount of Oriental without being overly so

Don't judge me... That was my Honest, first impression of it

I love how the setting Sun lights up the lantern in this

spot. And, of course, all these gorgeous Leaves too!

Through some light Negotiating effort, I got quite the Deal on

it too... Which makes adding it to our Landscape even sweeter!

And, I only have Newt Gingrich to thank for giving us

a reason to get over to Greensboro to pick it up!