Woman in Real Life

 

Halloween is looking a little different this year for many people. I feel for the little ones who aren't able to go out trick or treating (and the adults who can't kick back at a Halloween costume party). Fortunately we - young and old - can still indulge in delicious treats and have a good time with the people in our bubbles. 

These Halloween Energy Bites With Candy Eyeballs are not only delicious, they're also a great source of energy for kids and adults alike - whether you are heading out to trick or treat or simply popping a snack into a container for a mid-morning break at work. Head over to Reducetarian.org to get my recipe. 

My daughter's birthday is today, just slightly more than a week before Halloween. The timing opens up some fun possibilities for party themes. And indeed she chose to go with a Halloween theme this year, asking her friends to come to her party in costume.

We held the party on a Friday evening and I pretty much spent the entire day shopping and decorating. The kids and their dad helped out after school too. Here's the birthday girl adding washi tape flags to party straws, above.

My little girl's birthday falls within the month of October, opening up some fun possibilities for linking her birthday party with Halloween. This year, she wants her friends to come in costume and she also asked to create her own party invitations.

Her dad (who has worked at art galleries and museums in the past) suggested creating invitations using relief printing. The most common form of relief printing is woodcut, where you cut an image in a wood block, apply ink to the wood and print the inked image on paper. The carved areas remain free of ink and thus create white lines on the printed surface.

When I was in my teens and my twenties, most of the thrifting I did was for books. My then-boyfriend, now-husband and I used to find all kinds of cheap books in the basement of the Amity in downtown Hamilton. Back then, I stumbled across this strangely wonderful medical book. Published by Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, ILL., it's called "What's New: Special Christmas Edition 1953."

Insta-Friday time...simple cell phone pics from our week. In my last post, I told you about the girls' night that my daughter and I shared last weekend while the guys were at the football game in Hamilton.

It was the last game at the old Ivor Wynne stadium in our hometown, so my husband wanted to be there. They are going to tear down the stadium and build a fancy new one.

I'm not going to lie to you. Halloween is here, and I'm going to be dipping into some treats.

Okay, truth be told, I have already had a few treats. I might have indulged in a couple of small packets of Swedish Berries...and a couple of chocolate bars.

I'm going to limit myself from eating too much candy though. How am I going to accomplish that? Why, by baking of course. If I have some homemade treats to consume, I won't be so tempted by the chemical-infused packaged goods.

Now for a What I Ate Wednesday look at what I ate on the weekend...besides candy of course.

On Tuesday, I took some random photos of life around here.

Keeping it Simple

When I was a child, my favourite season was fall. I loved the cooler air, the changing colours of the leaves and the late summer excitement of buying new clothes and school supplies for back-to-school. With a few more years under my belt, I find the allure of fall has decreased some, and I can't help but associate autumn with the long months of winter that follow.

In order to keep my spirits up, I try to focus on all of the joys that September and the fall season can bring. The first, for me, is always the Vegetarian Food Festival (this year from September 9 to 11) in Toronto. My family likes to hit Govinda's at the World Cafe for some delicious food from the people of the The Hare Krishna Centre. After that, it is apple picking on a fall weekend. We usually head to Avalon Orchards in Innisfil, Ontario for some of their delicious apple cider and fresh organic apples off the trees. Seeing the kids in their rubber boots running around eager to find the perfect apple is always a joy.

Add to that a Pearl Jam show, a Wilco show, the promise of a meeting with my beloved book club gals and a friend's fall wedding, and September is actually looking good. Of course, October brings Halloween and the chance to eat a little candy (okay, lots of candy), pick out some fun costumes for the kids and carve a few cool pumpkins. Even if you don't have little kids, carving pumpkins is a good outlet for your creativity (everyone has some!) and can help cultivate a little Halloween spirit too.

"Instead of brooding over the fact that nothing lasts," says Harold Kushner, "accept that as one of the truths of life, and learn to find meaning and purpose in the transitory, in the joys that fade. Learn to savor the moment, even if it does not last forever. In fact, learn to savor it because it is only a moment, and will not last. Moments of our lives can be eternal without being everlasting. Can you stop and close your eyes and remember something that happened for only a moment or two many years ago? It may have been a view of a spectacular landscape, or a conversation that made you feel loved and appreciated. In a sense it did not last very long at all, but in another sense it has lasted all those years and is still going on."