Happy Halloween Weekend! The weather here is cool and crisp; just right for trick or treating. I'm planning a Halloween brunch on Sunday with some friends and then the rest of the day Bill and I will take Billy and Caitlin trick or treating. Can't wait!

I'm also going to sneak some time for myself to enjoy a cup of coffee and some country decorating magazines~~my favorite is Country Sampler. How 'bout you? I get so many great ideas from them. I have amassed a huge collection from past years and have been a subscriber for many, many years. I am so happy I saved all my issues of Country Collectibles,
Country Almanac, and others because I never get tired of them!

A friend of mine for many, many years shares my love for traditional Halloween. She decorates her home meticulously for the special day and has become renowned in her neighborhood for her special touches.

I wanted to share one of my favorites from her house. Her creativity is so inspiring. She took this wonderful witch, brightened her with the purple bow and in front of her long gown she added the big candy bowl with feet. It looks like it all goes together and it looks great!! She has her in her vintage dining room at the entrance and it's an amazing sight in person.

Hope you like it too!

Yesterday, on a rare day that Bill was not working, we went to one of our favorite places. St James is a lovely old town only fifteen minutes from our house that we visit quite often. We went to visit a historic mansion called Deepwells that hosts a haunted house every year. What I love about it is that it is not a scary haunted house with its patrons chasing you with weapons but instead a traditional home decorated to look as though it has been sitting for years with ghostly inhabitants. It's very fun. What's even better is that the admission is free; you leave a donation that goes towards the upkeep of this beautiful dwelling. NY State has cut so many funds that used to go to the preservation of these special structures so Deepwells Mansion has several events throughout the year to raise money. This is one of them. Completely run by volunteers. Thank you so much, volunteers!

After that, we walked directly behind to our favorite place in St James; the St James General Store. It was built in 1857 and has been open for business ever since. When you step inside, it's like stepping back in time with its old flooring and showcases and candy. They sell lovely little gifts and Long Island souvenirs , plus, on the second floor, there is a great book section and a Christmas decoration area. Such a wonderful place. My kids love to sit on the rockers on the porch and think about what it was like to live on Long Island in 1857!

Hurray! It's Halloween Party Day! Guests will begin arriving at 1pm so please join us!

The day is crisp and sunny (well, it will be once the sun rises) and already my party anxiety is setting in. Where is the bag of balloons I bought? I hope my food isn't dry! Will the kids get bored? Every year the same worries and yet every year everyone seems to have fun. Oh, and tomorrow I start thinking about next year's party!

Here are the witch's hat party bags. I made them for adults this year since the kids will be receiving goody bags among other party favors. Something for us, right?

Can't wait to see my family, old friends, new friends and VERY special relatives who have traveled from far away to be here.

Have a great day!

The beautiful weeks of Fall seem to fly by. There is hardly enough time to do all the things that you'd like to before Winter approaches. There are so many fairs, pumpkin patches and garage sales to visit I always feel like I run out of time. I am thankful we got to visit our favorite pumpkin farm, and we picked the apples and our Halloween party is next Saturday but I wish October was six weeks long!

Besides making the crafts for our party, I did also make a new wreath for my front door. It would probably look better if I changed my wreath hanger (it has a bird's nest) but I really like it and hate to take it down! I also hung one of my favorite retro signs. I love traditional Halloween when we were spooked by ghosts and witches and not by murderers with chain saws.

Have a great Sunday. I'll be putting the finishing touches on my menu and shopping list for the Halloween party and raking some leaves!

My decorating for Fall/Halloween is done and now I can devote myself to making favors for our upcoming Halloween party. I have hosted a kids party for over 18 years and it's probably one of my favorite things I do. I am working on witch's hat candy bags, which will be a party favor for the adults. I have several relatives coming from near and far as well as neighbors and friends and everyone brings their kids so it's nice to have a a few favors for the kids but also one for the adults as well!

I will post a photo of my candy bags when they are finished. If you are interested in making them, check Martha Stewart's website under party favors. This was a party favor she did several years back. It's not hard but it does take just the right amount of tweaking to get the hat assembled right! I try to save a template of it every year. In my opinion, Martha Stewart's Halloween crafts have been the most fun. I have made her Halloween "crackers" (tubes filled tricks and treats), paper and plastic candy holders and more.

I also have to get my menu planning underway. I serve snacks and finger foods so I have to finalize everything. The party is Saturday afternoon, October 23rd. I am running out of time! Thank goodness having a black cat (above, pictured is Robin) is good inspiration!

Apples picked from the trees of Masker Apple Orchards and pumpkins purchased from our favorite farm in upstate Warwick, NY. What a beautful day! We got lots of Red Delicious, Macs, and Empire apples and the kids had a great time picking them! It sure does pay to get there early because when we were leaving, the line to enter was miles long! The early bird gets the worm!~~ or in this case, the apples!

We then went to our favorite farm, also in Warwick. It's a big dairy farm that is no longer in operation. Owned by the Manno Family, they now sell pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, squash and specialty pumpkins hand-painted by their talented art teacher son. Every year for almost fifteen years we have visited this farm for our pumpkins and seeing the Mannos is just as special.

What I love most about this farm is that it is the same every year. There are no "bells and whistles" or added "special attractions" to make you visit. It's pumpkins, some wooden cutouts that the kids can pose behind for pictures, pretty displays and lots of chickens running around!Plain and simple! I love the fact that in these times, they are a constant! I know next year our favorite pumpkin spot will be the same! Mr. Manno said he'll keep operating until the day he dies because his farm is where he wants to be forever!

There are several murals on the farm painted by their son. He did a beautiful one several years back on the side of the main barn depicting the soldiers rasing the American Flag dedicated to 9-11. He told me yesterday that he is planning a new one for next year's anniversary of 9-11.

Today I have to get in high gear and finish my Fall/Halloween decorating and crafting. Every year for twenty years I have hosted a Halloween party and it's coming up the week before Halloween. I always invite close friends and family and the kids dress in costumes. Halloween is special to me. Traditional decorations fill my house; not gory or bloody types. The colors of orange and black are what Halloween is about!

SO, I have been working on some lollipops--both ghost and spider, and getting ready to do my witch hat candy bags which seems to be everyone's favorite. This is a great Martha Stewart craft from a few years back and I make them every year. I have tried to include at least one new "favor" to the party every year but so far my new addition won't be a different favor but a really special cupcake. I will include that picture when I make them for the party!

My love for Halloween takes me back to when I was very little and I enjoyed dressing as a witch every year except for a few years when I dressed as a clown. My Mom never bought me costumes; instead we used an old black skirt of hers, a black tutleneck and a witch's hat. Her skirt was floor length on me so it made it seem as though it were a long gown! Simple, but it worked. On the odd year that I was a clown, that was a pair of striped flannel pajamas that my Mom sewed pom poms on. Plus she would make me up to look like a clown! Being a witch was my favorite though and when I think back to how many years that one paper witch's hat lasted I am amazed! I loved when I was all done trick or treating walking home with my sister in the early dusk, shuffling through the leaves , chilly, hungry and excited to dump out my candy bag. Special times!

Anyway, I haven't been home alot lately between errands and school volunteering so today I must dedicate myself to getting everything ready. So on goes the pot of coffee (can't work without it) and away I go! I'll let you know how it turns out!

As a new season begins, so does a new adventure for me~~blogging! I have been inspired by my cousin Johanna and the countless blogs I have read and enjoyed. All (except for cousin Jo) are friends I have never met but have invited me into their homes and lives to share in simple pleasures. I would like to do the same, and I hope I will inspire others as well.

I have been married for twenty-two years to my Bill, and we have two children. We live in a home on Long Island that my husband built board by board and nail by nail, and we cherish it. We also share our home with five cats. Whereas Bill is the carpenter/decorator, I am the decorator/keeper of the premises! I love my home and enjoy making it warm and welcoming to all who inhabit it and those who visit.

I'm a stay home Mom, active Daisy Troop leader and school volunteer. I also enjoy cooking, traveling, reading, crafting and gardening. My decorating style is country and I LOVE all things Amish. I adrmire their values, their crafts, cooking and carpentry and have incorporated those features into our lives as well.

I hope you will join me on this journey of blogging and I hope we all have fun!

Margaret