Hello friends and Happy Halloween!
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This year at my house I will be giving out Halloween pretzels for the trick-or-treaters!
I will be giving out pretzels because in years past I bought large bags of assorted candy and only have a few trick-or-treaters come to my house. I would have a lot of leftover candy and then give it out to the ladies in my knit and crochet group.
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I will dress Bosco in his pumpkin costume to greet the trick-or-treaters! We love looking at the cute costumes on the kids.
My sweet Bosco just turned 11 years old on October 15th!
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| Bosco in his Pumpkin costume |
I hope you all have a fun time and don't eat too much candy! LOL!
Enjoy the rest of the week and have a good weekend.
Julie
Hello friends. I can't believe it's already the end of October!
Can you believe that next week is Halloween?
I feel like the holidays are going to fly by so fast!
Well, today I'm sharing the easiest Banana Muffin Recipe. :)
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I love visiting Trader Joe's and on a recent trip there I picked up a box of TJ's Banana Bread Mix.
I was in the mood for something fun and easy to bake. Making the banana bread mix into muffins was the perfect idea!
I used the muffin recipe right off the box and I used creamed butter instead of vegetable oil as in the picture below. I added in two ripe bananas and they were the perfect add-in.
Some add-in ideas:
Ripe banana, coconut, berries, walnuts, or peanut butter frosting.
NOTE: These muffins can also be put in the freezer for another time to eat. When I want a quick snack I just take out one muffin and put in the micro wave oven for about 20 to 30 seconds. These muffins tastes so good nice and warm.
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| What you'll need |
Trader Joe's Banana Bread Mix Muffins
Ingredients
Trader Joe's Banana Bread Mix
2 large eggs
1/3 cup creamed butter
3/4 cup water
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Directions
Preheat conventional oven to 325 degrees F. Grease muffin tins with butter. Place mix in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, mashed banana, and mix together until blended. Fold in creamed butter. Do not overmix. Pour batter into tins and bake until golden brown; 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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| SO GOOD AND YUMMY! |
What is your favorite thing to bake for fall?
To see another banana bread recipe I made you can click here.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the week and weekend!
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
Hello friends. I hope you are all having a nice week and enjoying the fall weather. :)
I recently crocheted a baby sweater I made and shared with you last week. If you missed that post and want read about it, than you can click HERE.
I decide to make a matching crocheted baby beanie since I had more left over yarn.
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| Crochet Granny Square Baby Beanie |
This pattern is easy to follow and it can be found here. Some of the stitches in this beanie pattern remind me of a granny square. I thought that the hat and sweater would make a nice set and look cute together.
I will be donating this crochet baby set to our annual crochet/knit sale held next month at my church.
You can see below what the baby beanie and baby sweater look like together. You can get creative and use any baby yarn and colored yarn you like for this project.
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| Crochet Baby Beanie and Crochet Baby Sweater |
DETAILS:
The pattern to make this crochet baby beanie can be found here.
The yarn I used for this beanie is Red Heart baby yarn. You can use whatever baby yarn or colors you like for this project.
I also used a size US I crochet hook.
I enjoyed making this crochet baby beanie and I'm happy that it matches with the baby sweater. I hope I've inspired you to crochet this baby beanie or even crochet the whole set!
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the week and weekend.
Hello friends. Happy Friday!
My Friday Favorites are.....
1) My Fairy Blog Mother
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I am so happy I had a mini blog makeover!
If you've visited my blog recently, you might have noticed that last week, I had a few changes done to my blog look.
I had a new Header, Pinterest Pin It button, Share It buttons, Read More button added, and some yellow accents to the side bar. I love the way it looks now with the accent color yellow added.
It's been about two years since I last had any changes done to my blog. I really wanted an update but nothing too major to be done. I just wanted a few tweaks to improve the look and function of my blog.
I had my blog friend Linda from Life and Linda do a few blog design changes to my blog.
Linda is a very talented blog designer at My Fairy Blog Mother. Linda designs many Blogger websites and it was such a pleasure to work with Linda. She works with you and is professional and works in a timely fashion.
If you are in need of a blog makeover or you want a new blog, please visit Linda, you will be happy you did!
If you read this Linda, thanks so much for the mini blog makeover. I love it!
KEEP CALM AND KEEP BLOGGING
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Last weekend my husband and I went to the movies and we saw A Star Is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Wow, let me tell you this movie was so good and I loved it! Bradley Cooper directed the movie and he stars in it and both he and Lady Gaga's performances were amazing.
The movie is about a musician who helps a young actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.
If you have the chance don't miss this movie.
3) My New Longchamp Bag
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| Longchamp Le Pliage Collection Tote Bag |
I recently went shopping at the Longchamp Store. I bought the Le Pliage Collection Tote Bag - Small - in the color Gun Metal.
These bags are all the rage right now and can be seen on so many people of all ages. When my teen bought this bag in the Large size, in the color Navy, to use for college, and I saw how nice it was, I knew I wanted one too!
I love this bag because I can fit so much into it and it's perfect for everyday use.
These bags can be folded up into a small envelope and are great for traveling since they can fit into a travel carry on bag or suitcase.
4) My New Fall Mums
Last week I visited a stand in my neighborhood that had mums in many different colors. I planted
these colorful mums and arranged them on my stoop.
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I even added the cute Harvest decoration from The Dollar Tree Store. You all might recognize the decoration I bought from my Dollar Tree Haul. I love the way the mums look and it brightens everything
up.
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Have a nice weekend and see you all next week.
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Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
Hello friends. In the very beginning of the summer, I was excited to crochet a baby granny square sweater.
I made one a long time ago found here and in the photo shown below. I crocheted the sweater with thin yarn.
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This time I decided I would try to crochet another sweater using a thicker type of baby yarn in a light blue color. I had this yarn left over from a granny square baby blanket that I made for my niece.
I really enjoy making baby granny square blankets for family members who are expecting to have a baby.
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| Crochet Baby Sweater |
I found an easy pattern that I liked when I was searching for one on Pinterest. The pattern can be found here.
The sweater pattern calls for making 12 granny squares. If you can crochet a granny square and sew them together than you will have no problem making this baby sweater.
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| Granny Square |
Once I had all of the granny squares made I then started crocheting them together. I thought that it would be easier but then I changed to sewing them together. When you crochet the squares together it leaves a ridge in the middle of the seam.
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| Sewing the granny squares together |
I enjoyed working on this sweater and it comes together very fast. I will be donating this to our annual crochet/knit sale this fall at our church.
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| Sewing the Baby Sweater |
DETAILS:
The pattern can be found here.
For crocheting this baby sweater I used Red Heart baby yarn. You can use any kind of baby yarn you like for this project.
For crocheting this baby sweater I used a US size I crochet hook.
If I crochet any more baby sweaters with this pattern, I will make one in a larger size next time. The baby sweater shown above is a size that will fit a very small baby.
I hope I've inspired you to make a baby sweater too. If you start this project now than you will have enough time to make one for a Christmas gift. These baby sweaters make great baby shower gifts too.
Coming soon you will see the crocheted baby hat I made to match this sweater.
Hi friends. I can't believe it's already the beginning of October!
One of my favorite things to do is to shop at Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I love all three but I hate to empty the car and put everything away after a shopping trip to Costco.
I like to go shopping at least once a month or every three weeks at Costco depending on what we need. When I do go I usually find something new that I'd like to try.
I was shopping at Costco and I tried the Avocado Oil Buttery Spread. It comes in a large tub and I know that avocado oil is healthy for you so I thought I would give this a try. We liked it and I used it on my food and I cooked with it too. I will look for it again the next time I make a shopping trip there.
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| Avocado Oil Buttery Spread |
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The next thing I thought looked interesting was this Salad Topper.
Ingredients
Dry roasted sunflower seeds, dried cranberries (cranberries, sugar, sunflower oil), dry roasted pumpkin seeds, tamari sauce (soybeans, wheat, salt). May contain tree nuts.
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| Salad Topper |
I always add one tablespoon of salad topper to my salads. This gives the salad some crunch and flavor. I also use two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper for my salad dressing.
I usually take the salad topper out of the bag and empty it into a mason jar and keep it on my counter so that it's handy for me to use each night when I make a salad with dinner.
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Besides buying food at Costco I like to look at their clothes, socks, athletic gear, and even the jewelry section.
We usually visit Whole Foods like every other month. I love going up and down the isles to look for anything interesting or special that I'd like to try out.
I especially love going to Whole Foods in the summer when we usually have a BBQ and invite family and friends. I love buying food in the seafood section such as fish or shrimp marinated in different sauces.
They also have a fabulous meat department which we love. Last year my husband bought huge steaks to grill and they were a hit at the BBQ!
The last time I shopped in WF I found a jar of tomato sauce that was from The Meatball Shop. The Meatball Shop is a restaurant in New York City that has so many different types of meatballs to eat.
I also found black squid ink pasta that went really well with the tomato sauce from the Meatball Shop.
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| Meatball Shop Tomato Sauce and Black Squid Ink Pasta |
My other favorite place to food shop is at Trader Joe's. I love this store but unfortunately, it isn't close to where I live and at least a 20 to 25-minute drive. The parking is horrible as they do not have a parking lot, but I try to get there at least every other month.
This is just a small amount of what I like to buy when I do shop there. I usually fill up the shopping cart all the way up to the top! I love so many things there and especially the sourdough bread and the peanut butter pretzels to name a few.
The cream cheese is really good and I love spreading it on a toasted everything bagel for breakfast.
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| Trader Joe's Cream Cheese |
The last time I was at TJ's, I decided to try out the multi-grain lasagna and I was very happy and surprised at how good it tasted. You could see a lot of veggies in it such as the broccoli. This was really easy to heat up in the microwave oven too.
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| Trader Joe's Roasted Vegetable Multi-Grain Lasagna |
I occasionally like to make toast with peanut butter for breakfast, and when I do I just love this peanut butter as it has flax and chia seeds in it. I love spreading this on TJ's sourdough bread. Oh, it tastes so good and yummy.
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| Trader Joe's Crunchy Salted Peanut Butter with Flax and Chia Seeds |
We recently bought the hot sauce on our last trip to TJ's and we love putting this on different foods.
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| Trader Joe's Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce |
Some of you might remember reading about the blog post I did HERE on some of my favorite makeup. This moisture boost serum is a beauty product from TJ's that I really love using. It really makes my skin feel really soft.
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| Trader Joe's Nourish Hyaluronic Moisture Boost Serum |
Every time I shop at TJ's I have to pick up some assorted cards. The blank cards and birthday cards are nice and I think they are like one dollar each! :)
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| Trader Joe's Assorted Cards |
Have you tried any of these items at these stores? I'd love to know.
By the way, this was not a sponsored post. I just love shopping at all of these stores!
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
Hi friends. I thought it would be fun to participate in the TBB Asks for the month of October Link-Up party. The topic questions are October Fall 2.0.
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1. Favorite Fall Color?
I love all of the dark rich colors of fall like the color of the mums in the photo below.
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2. Apple Cider Hot or Cold?
I love hot apple cider to warm me up on a cold fall day.
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3. Caramel Apple: Yes or No?
No. I really don't eat caramel apples as they are hard to eat and too sweet for me.
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4. Pumpkin Donut or Apple Cider Donut?
I love eating apple cider donuts as they are one my favorite fall treats. I love visiting the farmers market in Union Square, NYC for those donuts as they are fresh baked.
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5. Long or Short Cardigan?
I like wearing both types of cardigans in the fall. I have them in a lot of colors but I like wearing gray and black.
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6. Favorite Football or Fall Party Food?
I love the shredded pork sliders my friend makes for her fall and winter parties.
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7. Orange or White Pumpkins?
I love to decorate the outside of my house with orange pumpkins like the ones in the bin. I also love to decorate with different colored mums.
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8. Hayride or Bonfire?
We all went on a hayride when my daughter was little with her cousins. We all had a fun time picking out pumpkins and going on the hayride.
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9. Favorite Fall Baked Good?
In the fall my favorite baked good is Pumpkin Cake. I made a pumpkin cake many years ago and posted it on the blog. If you would like to see the easy recipe to make one yourself, you can click here. You can also use the same batter to make pumpkin muffins.
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10. Most Anticipated Fall Activity.
One of my favorite things to do in the fall is going on long walks and breathing in the cold crisp air.
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I will be sharing this at The Blended Blog
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
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