The colors of autumn fill every inch of our lifestyle blog thanks to this fall harvest dinner party at 2 Lads Winery. The beautiful evening in Michigan, where the leaves match the shades on the table, is the picture of the season; cozy plaid throws, candlelight, good wine, and great conversation.
Thursday evening we celebrated the autumn equinox, the first day of fall, when the sun aligns directly with the Earth’s equator and gives us approximately 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night across the globe. This time of year has been celebrated since the earliest human civilizations began, as fa
The colors of autumn fill every inch of our lifestyle blog thanks to this fall harvest dinner party at 2 Lads Winery. The beautiful evening in Michigan, where the leaves match the shades on the table, is the picture of the season; cozy plaid throws, candlelight, good wine, and great conversation.
Do you have an empty jar?
The way gas is distributed inside a piece of fruit determines whether it sinks or floats
These family-friendly Halloween games are for kids and adults alike. Browse our best DIY party game ideas from "pop the balloon pumpkin" to a spider toss.
From castles to vineyards to bird parks, these sites will introduce you to the ancient sport
Pan-seared Greek seasoned chicken meatballs, cooked together with lemon butter orzo pasta, for a complete dinner made in just one skillet.
My cheese fondue is an easy way to feed a crowd!
Carrots are a bit starchy so I like to use them for special occasions and keep the portions small. These make a stunning dish visually and are sweet, tender and earthy. A bit of creamy and spicy yogurt as well as a bright pomegranate or balsamic drizzle helps balance the dish. A few nuts or seeds would make an excellent addition as well.
a chic and refined Halloween decoration of a mirror, a skull and skeleton hands can be DIYed for your space
Over the holidays my 3 year old turned 4. Yes. A VERY busy time of year for us! I have really had to make a point of acknowledging this kid's birthday where it lands itself in the middle of the BiGGesT holiday of the year (4 days before Christmas). And although it feels hectic and crazy getting it all together, I don't want to ignore his special day. It's not his fault his parents are stupid and didn't plan ahead! This year the little man decided on a PiRAtE PaRrrtY. So we invited our friends...sent them a message in a bottle (found at Oriental Trading). Loved these because they came with the lables and sand. They also came with the invitation, but I decided to make my own...just so they'd match everything else I was doing. I even burned the edges of the paper for the full effect...it was a pain, but worth it. Can I say, there is a ridculous amount of pirate stuff out there to take advantage of. The kid did make it easy on me in that reguard. Decorations were easy to find, and I actually had a lot on hand and didn't need to go out and buy a ton of stuff. I was able to use the fabric banners from our last shindig. I found somewhere online (can't remember exactly where) where they had a table set up as you walked in the door with all sorts of pirate garb to get dressed for the occation...so I copied. Found these printable hats free online...but I can't remember where. I tried to go back and find them, but couldn't. I hate it when I do that. But I loved the girl skullies with the bows! I found the boys bandanas at Oriental Trading and just used polka dot fabric for the girls. I also made a few felt mustaches on sticks. Which, I was surprised, the girls loved just as well as the boys For the table I used a bit of burlap down the middle with shredded brown paper and coins and jewels sprinkled everywhere. The balloons tied to the chairs added a lot to the decor and the kids loved them. I also used regular old mason jars, filled them with shredded paper and stuck two Jolly Roger flags (Oriental Trading) in them. I also found the treasure map place mats and cute little treasure boxes at OT. The boxes had cute pearl candies inside. Borrowed the big PirAte ship from our toy room. I wanted a little back drop for the serving table, so I used a bunch of scrap fabric I had lying around and pinned it to a bulletin board (we had this party at the church...needed the extra room...dang winter birthdays!). I tried to billow it up so that it looked something like sails on our "ship". I strung a little rope and hung my piRate prints from them with clothes pins. I never did get a picture of the serving table all finished but we had the bucket filled with ice and had Squeeze-Its (or Deadman's Punch) to drink. I made the ship cupcakes and found the awesome sails and cupcake wrappers here. I think these were my favorite part of the party! Something about a cute cupcake. I used this yummy recipe for the chocolate frosting. Mmmm. And the favor bags and favors... The bags were just brown gift bags that I tied a little scrap fabric and burlap onto. I also tied a name tag and a wooden pirate cutout that I found at Joanns. Some of the 'TreASuRes' they found along the way. And finally...the paRrrtY. We started with a relay game where the kids lined up at opposite ends of the room. They had to race to 'walk the plank' then 'swab the deck' and push the 'cannon balls' across the deck to their teammate. We had 12 kids ages 2-5 and most of them were able to handle the game...although pushing those ballons did get a little tricky for some of them. Next we had a TreASuRe HuNt. We started with our maps and our favor bags, then set off to find our loot. My birthday guy showing me his map. Our hunt lead us around the church to different rooms where we found all sorts of treasures. I put a 'clue' (picture of each stop on their map) on each door so they would be able to find their way on thier own. Here they are dashing through the halls... The map lead them right back to where they started...at the BiG treasure box filled with pirate beach balls and ring pops. For our last game we had a TreasuRe DiG. We filled up our big tin buckets with sand (100 lbs each...don't ask me how we got them there!) and buried all kinds of jewels, coins, necklaces and rings. Then I gave each kid a card with the number of jewels, etc. they had to find in the buckets and had them dig for their buried treasure... The FavOriTe game by far. The boys loved digging in the sand, and the girls lOved the jewles! The crazy bunch having their cake and ice cream... The Captain of this ship. The Capt'n...and everyone else opening presents. And a little game of PiRate, PirAte, SkuLLy (or duck, duck, goose) 'til the mom's came to pick up thier little mates. All the mateys and their mustaches. ArrG. It was a fun one to put together, and I dare say the kids had a gOod time.
These fun little pastries are the perfect fall accoutrement. Flaky puff pastry dough filled with caramelized onions, spinach, and cheese, and then baked to a golden perfection. Equally perfect on a holiday platter, and as they are on a Monday night football tray!
How to make a corn dolly craft, a traditional English craft and prefect craft for a harvest festival or samhain craft
My go-to cake when it comes to fall weekend baking. This cake is simple, moist, pudding-like, and not overly sweet...so delicious!*Reprinted with permission from Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone.
This recipe is for Greek PLATES. Meaning not only is there delicious lamb, but there is also the most epic Avocado Tzatziki and um, oregano roasted potatoes, and umm hummus + feta + pita chips.
A mix of sweet and savory...super, simple, easy tarts that are garden fresh and so delicious!
Free Printable I Spy Halloween Activity. Print this fun Halloween I spy game for a classroom party game or church harvest party.
A simple autumnal equinox ritual to help you return to balance, replenish your inner light and welcome the change of seasons and entrance into fall.
Thyme roasted chicken with caramelized shallots, bacon, and grapes, served with fresh burrata cheese…all made in one skillet. This is all things simple, easy, and delicious. Perfect for weeknights, but hearty enough for a Sunday night dinner!
Between football games and pumpkin patches, there are a ton of fun things to do in the fall. Don't know where to start? Check out our list for inspiration.
Happy All Hallows Eve, Feast of All Saints, and Commemoration of All Souls everyone! Here’s how we celebrated/are celebrating/will celebrate. For Halloween, we carved pumpkins and went trick or treating around our neighborhood. It was lovely. The weather couldn’t have been nicer and there were a TON of other families out. We had a great […]
These apple cider doughnuts are the essence of fall. Homemade doughnuts made with mulled cider, cinnamon, apple butter, and maple. Fried to perfection, and rolled in cinnamon spice. The perfect way to welcome in the season!
Think of a buttery, flakey cookie and add sweet, cinnamon filled pumpkin butter, toasted pecans, and an extra sprinkle of coarse sugar for sweetness!
If haggis, neeps and tatties aren’t your cup of tea on Burns Night, up your game with this haggis-crusted rack of (Scottish-sourced) venison. Perfect as a Burns Night dinner party main. Serve it with these heather-scented roast carrots, which give another nod to the Scottish Highlands.
Learners will enjoy using their logic and fine motor skills as they complete this sweet seasonal puzzle.
A back-to-school event can establish your group as a well-organized, fun, powerhouse resource for the school community, and these shortcuts can help.
If you like a French 75, you’ll love the French Harvest. This twist on the classic cocktail calls for gin, lemon, sugar and sparkling cider.
This bouncy egg experiment teaches little scientists about egg anatomy and osmosis and takes just a few minutes to set up!
Inspired by the Harry Potter series, this blood-red drink is a mix of pomegranate, bourbon, Chambord (raspberry liquor), and lemon. The perfect moody drink to serve up this Halloween!
Puff pastry wrapped around creamy brie cheese, baked until golden and the brie warm and melty. Finish with sweet maple and thyme butter-roasted plums for a truly mouth-watering appetizer.
These perfect parmesan popovers are light, airy, hinted with browned butter and parmesan cheese, and are SO delicious.
Thursday evening we celebrated the autumn equinox, the first day of fall, when the sun aligns directly with the Earth’s equator and gives us approximately 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night across the globe. This time of year has been celebrated since the earliest human civilizations began, as fa
A silky toffee filling and creamy vanilla custard topping make this classic apple pie the perfect decadent dish for our lavish Sleepy Hollow feast. What
It's so simple, but also so delicious. The skin gets all crispy while the meat stays super most. And then, then there is the whole roasted garlic, parmesan herb BUTTAH thing going on. I am telling you, it's what your dinner dreams are made of. NO JOKE.
Nothing’s better than homemade apple strudel — unless it’s having one all to yourself. These individual strudels have a crunchy phyllo wrapper with a sweet interior of shredded apples, golden raisins and walnuts. Serve this classic German confection, aka apfelstrudel, as a sweet ending to your Oktoberfest celebration.
These perfect parmesan popovers are light, airy, hinted with browned butter and parmesan cheese, and are SO delicious.
Nostalgic banana pudding recreated in vanilla ice cream cake with a salty pretzel crust - YUM!
