Philadelphia Eagles Pumpkin & Free Stencil

My son had a volunteer pumpkin vine grow out of his compost bin this year. It was a very happy plant:@) He ended up with 15 pumpkins ranging in size from cantaloupe to about 10" round. Unfortunately the vine died before they all had a chance to get orange. But I saw an opportunity to carve an Eagles Green Jack-O-Lantern:@) What I didn't realize was, just how hard the green makes it to see the little dots to follow the outline of the design...

The pumpkins:

Never afraid to share a bloggy blooper... I had some carving issues, and the cheap little plastic etching tool was not a good idea after all. Wish I borrowed some of my son's wood working tools, they would have gone through the pumpkin like butter...

But warts and all,

the Philly Boo Crew approves:@)

Another logo option, as I was looking around I found some free stencils provided by the Eagles themselves HERE... There are small, medium and large sizes. All you need is a printer, or as I've done many times. simply place a piece of paper over your computer screen and trace the pattern. 

Happy Halloween Season🎃

Trick or Treating in Barbie's World

Barbie promised the kid dolls that if they ate dinner, they could do a little Trick or Treating early in the evening. The weather was beautiful, and as the sun was just beginning to set, it was still warm out so coats weren't needed. The kids were running around and excited (and just a bit hyped up on sugar). Until they stopped at Ken's... They were a little apprehensive approaching this spooky house...

But Frankenstein was the perfect host...

This year's costumes were a glamourous witch, little pumpkins, and a baby chick:@)

DIY Halloween Craft links:  Barbie Pumpkin No-Sew Poncho ~ K-Cup Frankenstein Mask ~ K-Cup Boo Bucket ~ Felt Pumpkin (or any day) Jumper Free Pattern (for Barbie, Curvy Barbie, Chelsea and Kelly dolls)

~This chick~ says Halloween can be fun for everyone!

Previous Halloween Dioramas:

Trunk or Treating Diorama

Halloween Party 2021

Loading Huge Pumpkin onto Jeep

Pumpkin Picking with Anthony Diorama-2023

Halloween at the Farm Diorama 2022

BOO!

Have a Happy Day🎃

Butter Bean Soup -Vegetarian or Not

It feels like we went to bed one night and the next morning it was soup season here in Philly... This Butter Bean Soup is a quick 30 minute meal that only gets better the next day:@) Canned beans are easy to use and always consistently creamy. Make this vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth, or we can also use chicken broth, which is what I did. Depending on where you shop and the sales, I think this meal for 4-6 people can be made for about $4. If you're a bean lover like me, don't hesitate to give this a try folks!

Recipe is easily cut in half.

And this freezes beautifully too:@)

📌My Beans Pinterest Board HERE.

Butter Bean Soup -from here

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium celery ribs, diced

2 (14 oz) can butter beans, drained

1 c water *If optionally mashing beans

2 c broth, vegetable or I used chicken

1 bay leaf

S&P to taste

*I had some fresh parsley in the garden, so I added it  for garnish

1. Heat oil, cook onion for a few minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add everything to pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. *Optional, remove some of the beans to a food processor and blend until smooth for a creamier texture. You can click the original recipe for full instructions. I just mashed some beans with a fork.

Enjoy a hearty meal and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Halloween Piggy Inflatables

I never really thought of pigs being a part of Halloween, but found this Three Little Pigs inflatable yard decoration at Walmart and was curious to see what else might be out there... 

Is it cold outside? I have a feeling this inflatable costume would add a layer of air insulation and help keep everyone warm:@)

And this Riding Piggy costume is hilarious and would be great as long as it's outside and you have lots of room to walk (and turn) around. The tail cracks me up...

This post is just a reminder to treat yourself to a little Halloween fun this weekend. Whether it's buying a caramel apple, picking out a pumpkin, watching a seasonal movie, or simply going for a walk to look at the neighbor's decorations.

Have a Happy Day🎃

Halloween Tiered Tray 2025

I changed out the Tiered Tray for Halloween. Lots of orange, black, and pumpkins. Just a mish-mash of odds and ends for some holiday fun:@) I still have to say, this $12 Aldi tiered tray is a great size! A reasonable price and it has turned out to be one of my favorite year-round areas to decorate. 

New table runner from Amazon, 

love it:

The left side is a pack of tray decor from Aldi. I think the cat has a lot of character:@) Thrift store candy corn tree and jack-o-lantern tea light. My son cut me a couple circles of wood from a tree he cut down, they make great risers for tray items.

And my tray still has to be functional... Salt and pepper grinders, food picks, napkins and a little candy bowl. Luminara wanna-be pilar candle $1 from thrift store. Even if nothing else is lit, I usually have this flickering away:@)

Small Fenton hobnail glass vase, my neighbor was doing a little purging and asked if I wanted it:@) It's holding the food picks.

Cute even if not fully lit and on a diet:@)

Happy Halloween Season🎃

Meatball Ghosts & Goblins for Halloween

I had to chuckle when both girls at work shared the idea for these Meatball Ghosts and Goblins with me. Had to make them:@) I decided to add them to a bed of green spaghetti for a spooky effect. This green was achieved with food coloring during cooking, you could also buy spinach or herb pasta that's naturally green. Ether make your favorite meatballs or buy large frozen ones. I even picked up pre-slice and packaged provolone, this is a super easy project folks. 

The heat from cooking the meatballs begins to melt the cheese. We can always add it back to the oven to speed that along (I cooked my meatballs in the oven), just need to keep an eye on it so it doesn't melt too much. My mouths occurred naturally by the cheese cracking on it's own. The eyes were added with a toothpick. 

To add to the holiday fun, let the kids 'slime' their own meatballs with some spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce.

Not sure I'd use the term cute... 

But they sure are Halloween fun:@)

This guy doesn't look very happy...

Meatball Ghosts and Goblins

1. Your favorite large meatballs cooked. *As a point of reference, I used 1lb meat, and made 6 large meatballs, I tried to give them a little bit of a cone shape, they just cooked into whatever they wanted to:@)
2. A slice of cheese to top each one. I used provolone.
3. Let heat from meatball start to melt the cheese. Add back to oven if needed to speed up the melting cheese.
4. Serve with pasta and spaghetti sauce.

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Day🎃

Keurig Duo -Today's Special Value QVC

I know what you're thinking, wait Lynn, it's the weekend... Don't you usually share some silly football theme'd something or gift idea? Well, I don't know about you, but no day starts for me without coffee:@) If you're in the market for a new coffee maker, or great holiday gift, this is a fantastic deal folks. It's the newest iteration of Keurig, offers carafe and k-cup options, ~and~ because it's QVC, there's a coffee bundle added, and free shipping. Yep, I'd say that's a wake up call!

Note: Water reservoir is in the back.

Enjoy a cuppa, and a great deal, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

And Philadelphia...

Has turned back into a pumpkin...

Have a Happy Day:@)

(if you're anywhere other than Philly...

We're gonna be grumpy for a while.)

Barbie/Ken Frankenstein Mask from K-Cup

I love to re-purpose k-cups any time I can, and here's a fun little craft for the kids. Or for an adult to make for doll play... These Frankenstein Masks, or Costumes, for Barbie and Ken can be as simple or elaborate as art skills -and patience- allow. I've made two, one an open face and the second has eye holes and more green. If this is a Halloween or birthday party craft, I suggest an adult have all of the k-cups pre-cut and let the kids color and decorate them. I used Sharpies for the boldest color. 

Bucket head and jagged bangs:

More of a hat look...

And a pull on mask:

I purposely used the most beaten up, dirtiest, well worn, black jacket I had to add to the Frankenstein look. Thrift store grab bag rescue:@)

My Barbie Pinterest Board here.

What I did:

1. Pull foil off of k-cup, tap out coffee grounds, pull out filter. Wash and dry k-cup.
2. The bottom of the cup will be the flat top of the head.
3. Using sturdy scissors, kitchen shears are best, cut off the ridge that had the foil glued to it. But leave two 1/4" pieces at the sides for the illusion of neck bolts.
4. If making open face mask, cut out enough of the cup in a rectangle shape to show the dolls eyes.
5. Make jagged cuts for the bangs.
6. If making eye hole mask, cut an arch between the bolts just high enough to expose the mouth and tip of the nose. Cut eye holes (I used a hole punch. Can use Exacto knife or utility knife.
7. Color with Sharpies as desired.

♻Let's recycle creatively and 

Have a Happy Day🎃