Halloween Cosume Ideas 2010 - Brainstorming

Almost a month away and it's time to start thinking about Halloween costumes.  I'm brainstorming couples costumes:

Bristol and Levi:


Mario & Princess



Energizer Bunny & Battery (My friend Margo's idea)


Dwight & Angela


Barbie & GI Joe

Looking for a Halloween Costume for 2010?

Halloween in our house is a big deal – and we don’t even have kids yet! People tell us that we go all out on Halloween, but we think others need to dress up more! Superheros and childhood stars are big winners for us, so how do we top the costumes of the past? We’re open to suggestions!

Take a look at our costumes over the past 4 years:

Hermione (Harry Potter) and Clark Kent

Rainbow Bright and Johnny from Karate Kid



I even made a "sprite" purse

Batman and Robin

She-ra and He-man

Repurposed Ball Jars

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/guest-column-collecting-antique-ball-jars/



Ball jars have been around for more than 125 years. You’ve probably seen them used for canning or perhaps as a place to hold nails or tacks. Collectors try to snag up unique and colorful ball jars. They trade pictures and stories and try to guess the age of their collection on online forums and websites.



But now crafty home decorators are getting into the Ball jar fun. These antique mason jars are emerging as an innovative and “green” way to decorate. I first got interested in Ball jars after reading my friend’s blog: Dishing up Design. (Check out Jenny’s blog—for great recipes and design tips).

Look at this cool way of using the jars:

http://rodelleemarie.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

Blue Ball jars make stylish vases, candle holders and accessories. Here is how I used them in my kitchen:

Apple Picking & Recipes

Apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, Charlottesville, VA

I love to pick apples and we’re lucky here in Charlottesville to have Carter Mountain Orchard so close! Just one mountain over from Monticello is the beautiful Carter’s Mountain Orchard where you can enjoy amazing views, delicious apple cider slushies and apple cider donuts—oh and you can pick apples too!

Carter Mountain Orchard

 

We picked Golden Delicous and Jonagold apples.

 

And now what to do with your apples!

 

Apple Pie with Butterscotch Crumble

Butterscotch Crumble Apple Pie

 

• 4 cups of sliced and peeled apples 
• 1 tsp of cinnamon 
• ½ tsp nutmeg 
• ½ tsp all spice 
• ¼ cup flour 
• ½ cup of sugar 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix it all up and put into uncooked pie crust.

Bake covered with aluminum foil at 375 for 20 minutes

 

Melt over hot water 1 cup of butterscotch morsels with a ¼ cup of butter, continue stirring until melted and then mix in ¾ a cup flour and a dash of salt until crumbled.

Butterscotch crumble

 

Crumble over pie and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Baked Apple

 

Core an apple
Place in pan with 1/8 an inch of water.
Pour 1 tsp of cinnamon into middle of apple and then stuff with apples
Cover and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

 

Guest Bathroom Redo!

before

After

Our guest bathroom as white and plain—and needed a little jazzing up!

Before

After

I painted the walls a dark chocolate color, added a new shower curtain (with the curved rod), new towels, and some decorations.

Before

After

Decoration idea for bathroom: Vase with wine corks (I stole this idea from my friend Amanda… and no we didn’t drink all of these—I asked one of the local wineries for their leftover corks.)

Before

After

Vase with corks

Painting: Find a flower or painting you like and do a similar painting (acrylic on a cheap canvas frame).


Painting



Polo at King Family Vineyards

Enjoy an incredible view during polo at King Family Vineyards.

The clear September sky melted with the green grass. The mountains stood present and picturesque. Horses neighed and people laughed. We turned an ordinary Sunday into a feature event with the help of King Family Vineyards and Roseland Polo.

Stomping the divots during polo match.

My parents came into town and my husband and I wanted to show them a good time. What better way than to sample some fabulous wines, in an incredibly scenic location while watching polo!



Polo at King Family Vineyards



The horses were tall, muscular and majestic. The crowd cheered, many of us not knowing all the rules, but we improvised.

Sampling wine before the polo match.

If you have a Sunday afternoon during the summer or early Fall, take a drive to King Family Vineyards. Park your car tailgate style, unpack some fold-up chairs, bring a sandwich (I recommend stopping at Bel Air Market on the way), do a wine tasting, buy a bottle and sink in to an enjoyable afternoon.

Wine tasting before polo at King Family Vineyards.

We preferred the 2007 Meritage (a Bordeaux style wine rich with tannins and full body taste) as we took action photos and shared cookies.

Cheer for your favorite team during polo.

Before you know it, the game will be over – but the memories last!

Have fun!

Crabtree Falls

4.4 miles
Steep hike


Crabtree Falls is a beautiful hike near Charlottesville. Be prepared for a steep hike with a lot of people, but the paths are nicely tended too.



We went with our friends and we brought three dogs with us. The dogs did well, but needed lots of water at the top. I recommend this hike!

The views are spectacular and there is a nice place to sit and enjoy the vistas.


Information:
11000 Crabtree Falls Highway
Tyro, VA
Website to visit for great information: http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/CrabtreeFalls/



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Barboursville Vineyard

From a handful of wineries in the 1970’s to more than 160 today, Virginia has come a long way when it comes to wine production. One of those early wineries, Barboursville offers some of the best wine in the state married with history.

View the historical ruins at Barboursville, the columns and brick structure left of the 1814 house of James Barbour, designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Spend $5 on a fabulous wine tasting and you get a souvenir cup and get to try 16-20 wines. While my husband and I were visiting a man brought back a bottle of wine from 1981. It was a large dusty bottle he brought back to have recorked.

While you're there learn how wine corks are made.

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