You Say Witch Like Its A Bad Thing.....

Happy Halloween everyone! Did you buy a costume this year? I saw a few on social media from parties this weekend and it seems like every year they get better and better! Love it! I still need to get candy for the little ghosts and goblins trick or treating. We didn't have many at all last year so I think the ones who do stop by this year should get the huge candy bars. Or a ton of little ones.  I haven't decided yet. Do you dress up for work? I have in the past and it's always so weird if you need gas in your car heading to work. Oh well, I do LOVE Halloween though!

A few people have asked me about the cake I made last weekend so here's the scoop on how to make it-it is so very easy!

CANDY CORN CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 box white cake mix

1 box chocolate cake mix

3 containers white frosting

1 container chocolate frosting

Orange extract (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bake chocolate cake in 8 inch round pan. Only one cake will be used so you can freeze the other or make cute little cupcakes and eat them all.

2. For the white and orange layers, prepare the white cake as directed but then divide the batter in half and tint one half orange. If using the extract, add.

3. Bake both white and orange cakes in 8 inch pan

4. For frosting take one container of white and tint orange.

5. Place chocolate cake on cake stand/plate. Smooth a think layer of chocolate frosting over.

6. Place orange layer on top and cover in thin layer of orange frosting.

7. Lastly place white cake on top and cover entire cake in crumb coat.

8. Frost entire cake based on the layers, or decorate as you wish!

Deviled Egg and Cowboy Gorilla 

Deviled Egg showing her tail

Grandma P. and Grandma B.

Vampire Cabernet~I vant to drink your blood...well not really. But it's really pretty good! 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog and happy Halloween! 

Melody

xoxo

"It's a great day to be alive~make it a great day!"

Grandma Becker's entry from October 30, 1990****************************************

Grandma Perrin's entry from October 30, 1964****************************************

Fall...My Favorite Season of All! (See what I did there?) Ten Pumpkin Spiced Food Items You Need

Whether or not you are ready for fall, it's on its way. Only two more weeks from today and it will be official - September 22nd at 9:21am. Are you ready for pumpkins, fall foliage (and raking leaves), football, sweaters, sweatshirts, and tailgating? I will confess that I've started decorating with my fall decor because this, my friends is my favorite season of all. 

Another thing that screams "fall is here" is allllll of the pumpkin spice food that line the shelves at the grocery store. 

If you haven't been out recently, I'll help you out on a few of the items that will get in the mood for Fall. (maybe?) 

Pumpkin Spice Peeps. I LOVE peeps to look at, not to eat. I'll buy them for the grandkids!

Fan of yogurt? Well get your "gurt" on with this Pumkin flavor. 

Ghiradelli Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares? I'm in. People, we're talking chocolate here. 

Dreyer's Slow Churned Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream. Let's get this and watch a marathon on Netflix. 

I'm a huge fan of Cheerios, so bring it. #oldschool

Let's get the cereal out of the way. Frosted Mini Wheats-Pumpkin Spice? Frosted ANYTHING and I'll even run to the table.

I've never had Life cereal but I'd try it. Not sure about the packaging though. It needs a little more fall zing. 

Hmmm. Planters Pumpkin Spice Almonds. Isn't there a drink that calls for almonds?  Oh that's Amaretto. 

Toll House Pumpkin Spice Cookie dough.
You had me at Toll House. #sold

Thomas Pumpkin Spice English Muffins? These are the best on planet Earth. I don't care who you are, you cannot deny that Thomas English Muffins have the best deep pockets for catching all of that butter you're going to slather on. Did you say something about pumpkin spice?

Hope you enjoy the first night of the "unofficial" start of fall...NFL Thursday night football! 

As always, thanks for reading and if you have a favorite fall recipe, let me know!  

-Melody

xoxo

It's a great day to be alive~make it a great day!

Grandma Becker's diary entry for September 8, 1990 

Grandma Perrin's diary entry for September 8, 1964

All You Need Is Love

Ohhh man. I love the story posted below so much. Seriously, LOVE. But first...

Maybe you already know we have three dogs. Maybe not. But, true story. 

Miss Pippi Jackpot Judge has her own facebook page...I know, I know. Mr. Pretzel Potpie Judge does not but who knows, it may be coming. They have been with me through difficult as well as happy times and are always my biggest cheerleaders when I walk through the door. They are purebred Chihuahuas and I just love them to bits and pieces.

Mr. Pretzel Potpie and Miss Pippi Jackpot. 

Then, there's Oscar. 

Let me tell you about our third dog, Oscar.

Oscar

Harley Man and I adopted him from the shelter two and a half years ago when we lived in Gillette, Wyoming. He was an older dog that didn't get a lot of attention from people looking for "the one". In fact, they were ready to transfer him to a shelter that specializes in black dogs.

Who knew black dogs were hard to adopt out? I didn't.

We also learned Oscar spent his entire 10 years

of existence living on a chain.

After visiting Oscar with Miss Pippi and Mr. Pretzel we decided to take a chance. Harley Man and I decided to bring Oscar into our blended family.

The very first picture of Oscar leaving the shelter. His smile tells all. 

It has been the number one best decision we have ever made. Oscar "lets" Miss Pippi Jackpot Judge think she is still in charge, and has taught them both the rules of the outside world.

Like the story below, who rescued who? Oscar came into our lives when we needed each other.

Please consider adoption. Even if you normally would think of pure bred only, a lot of times the best are tossed aside and ready to fly.

I know.

In more ways than one.

Please consider adopting.

Really, watch this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm0qYRWQpZI

  

As always, thank you for reading!

Melody

xoxo

"It's a great day to be alive~make it a great day"!

Grandma Becker's diary entry for June 29, 1990

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Grandma Perrin's diary entry for June 29, 1964

Well Bless My Blooms!

Step into Spring. Spring Fling. Spring is in the Air. Tiptoe Through the Tulips. Dance in Dandelions. Life in Full Bloom. Spring Fever. Spring Cleaning. 

Even though it's been a drippy, dreary, and a downright dull day the flowers are in bloom, birds are chirping, and the grass is "new spring green". And the latest Justin Timberlake song is out. His first one in three years, I may add. It's uplifting, makes me smile and definitely makes me want to dance. 

So...

As I was dancing around in the kitchen to the latest JT song, taking bites of rhubarb pie (moderation is key, remember), laundry, and sweeping the floors I was thinking how grateful I am to have had amazing women role models in my life. 

My homemade rhubarb pie. 

Back up. Let me explain. Getting back to the bites of rhubarb pie made me think of my mom. She makes the best rhubarb pie. Seriously, a couple of years ago when I was recuperating from breast cancer reconstruction surgery I think I ate a whole rhubarb pie. I had a piece of pie everyday for lunch. It was the bomb. Its so weird because growing up the only way I ate this spring tart of flavorness was raw, and with salt. My mom used to make rhubarb pies every spring. Then I started thinking about my Grandma Becker - she did too. Which reminded me of my Grandma Pollock who is turning 100 this year. July 3rd to be exact. 

But getting back to eating, Grandma Pollock makes the BEST spaghetti in the entire universe. Wait. There's more. She also makes the best melt-in-your mouth sugar cookies. Oh my, and her delightful peanut butter bars are something that could be sold in a high end candy store. She used to make multiple pans for almost all of our special occasions. 
Homemade, only like Grandma Pollock can make.

And you know what? Her toast was always better too. 

Grandma Pollock

I'm very thankful to have and to have grown up with amazing women in my life. My Mom. My Grandma Pollock. My Grandma Becker. My Grandma Perrin. My Aunts. Of course its more than baking and more than I've written about today, much more. But sometimes it starts in the kitchen, being together, talking, laughing and learning. 

Aunt Bev, Mom, Grandma Pollock, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Aud, Aunt Linda

I hope I pass along these attributes to my granddaughters that all of these amazing women taught me. 

Brooklyn and Briley 

Now let's finish dancing. Plus there's pie. 
Spring has sprung! 

Thanks for reading!  I've got this feeling....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5RobDomh5U

~Melody
xoxo

It's a great day to be alive, make it a great day!

Grandma Becker's diary entry for May 10, 1990 

                                                     

 "Light rain early. Washed hose and good skirt. Mended a small hole in good gray jacket. Cleaned utility closet. Gerald got home and helped me - He went to Aplington I baked big batch of cookies-Gerald home at 5:15. Baking biscuits and creamed chicken - rhubarb sauce for supper."

                                         Grandma Perrin's diary entry for May 10, 1964

"Fair, mild - calm, lovely morning. Went to services, Bud and Dorothy's, Esther and Gerald's, here for dinner. They brought most of the dinner-very good (Smoked Ham) Gerald, Esther and I went to cemetery -P.M. Took flowers. Ramona and 3 children here a short time. P.M. She gave me a pretty scarf. Took two bouquets of lilacs and tulips to church."

Fifty-Two Candles

Oh yes, if we are friends on social media you already know today is my birthday! If you are sick of it then maybe we shouldn't be friends. Sooo sorry. NOT! HAHA! I will never stop celebrating the day I was born. 

Because you know what? I'm very, very thankful for being alive and being able to celebrate one more year being on this planet. 

I am a cancer survivor. 

And I LOVE LIFE. 

Celebrate your own life, and let's keep celebrating because many cannot. I'm not alone, we all have family and friends or know someone that have had their life taken too soon. So celebrate each day you are here. See the sunrise. Like REALLY see the sunrise or sunset.

Knock on a neighbors door that keeps to themselves. They may need a friend. Ask the co-worker who keeps to themselves how they are doing. Say hello to people in the grocery store aisles.

Volunteer at an animal shelter and give some love to the cats and dogs that are waiting for a family to love them. 

Each moment is a gift, right? Let's live it. Share it. 

From our deck when Harley Man and I lived in Wyoming. 

So I found a website that calculates how long you've been around-and found that I'm 365 years old. If I were a dog. 

Check out your own dog years! 

(The website is:  http://www.howlonghaveibeenalivefor.com/1641057054)

MY RESULTS:

>1,641,057,054 seconds.

>98,463,423,240 electric jiffies.

>27,350,950 minutes.

>455,849 hours.

>18,993 days.

>52 years.

>2,713 weeks.

>1,356 fortnights.

>698 lunar months.

>624 months.

>208 quarters.

>365 dog years.

>53.60 lunar years.

>13.01 olympiads.

>10.41 lustrums (a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome.)

>5.20 decades (WOW!)

>3.47 indictions (a fiscal period of fifteen years used as a means of dating events and transactions in the Roman Empire)

>2.00 generations.

>1.04 jubilees.

>0.52 centuries.

>0.05204 milleniums.

>0.00000022625033832969 galactic years.

>0.00000000164105705400 exaseconds. (A terasecond is 1 trillion seconds, or roughly 31,558 years)

Wishing you a fantastic night and let's eat cake. Life is too short not too!

Thanks for reading!

Melody
xoxo
"It's a great day to be alive~make it a great day!"
*********************************************************************************
Grandma Becker's diary entry for April 30, 1990

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Grandma Perrin's diary entry for April 30, 1964