Fab Friday Favs * Happy Halloween

What a fun evening. I had intended to post a pic of me on Halloween from back in the day but guess what? I don't have any! But these two are two of my true Halloween favs. Where I'm from, they have something called Beggar's Night the night before Halloween (to supposedly keep kids safe) and you HAVE to have a joke to be able to get candy.  I used to think it was that way everywhere. But apparently it's a Des Moines thing. 
And these two steal my heart. Their big night was last night. These are my nieces, known as Tinkerbell and Jasmine. The Hubbs has yet to get photos of the bonus daughters and their costumes (the oldest is at the High School football game and not trick or treating; the younger two are). So for now, these are my Fab Friday Favs.  

Happy Halloween, y'all. And tonight, I'm the one who should feel welcome and grateful.
*Update: thanks to my parents for sending along some photos from my Halloweens past.

My little sister and I c.1978. I loved my costume! Mom made it and looped all that yellow yard around the inside of the daisy.

Regret * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v.10.31.14

Happy Halloween!

Thirsty Thursday * You Want To Butter My What?

It's Thursday, which means we're all thirsty. Or at least I am. And I had a "spooky" Halloween cocktail recipe all ready for you. Until I got scared. More scared than I am about how many Elsas are going to show up at my door tomorrow night. More scared than I am about digging up my sweet potatoes only to find out I have no sweet potatoes (that's a weekend project for sure, so I have the support of The Hubbs if I find that my gardening skills have failed). No, this is even bigger than both of those put together. 

We're going to experience a daytime high of 48 degrees here on Saturday. With rain. That means that fall is officially here. And you know what? They're talking about snow in the North Carolina mountains this weekend. Snow! That means winter is hot (or in this case, cold) on our heels. And I hate winter. But there are ways to combat it. And by ways, I mean drinks. So instead of our super spooky drink (which I'll hold on to until next Halloween), I'm going with the classic winter drink recipe - The Hot Buttered Rum. 

When The Hubbs and I were in Highlands, NC with Matt (Lobster Rolls) and Sandra (Sugar Scrub) a few weeks ago, Matt offered me a Hot Buttered Rum. And to be honest, prior to that day, I'd never had one. But oh my word. Was it good. Matt told me that the Hot Buttered Rum's origins go way back and it was one of the most popular drinks in the Revolutionary War. In his words, "George Washington loved this shit." 

Matt let me shoot a couple of photos as he whipped some up for Sandra and I. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients 2 cups light brown sugar firmly packed 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter @ room temp (no margarine here - use the real stuff) 1 tsp ground cinnamon  1/4 tsp ground nutmeg pinch of ground cloves pinch of salt 12 oz Spiced or Dark Rum 2 cups boiling water Optional: Butterscotch Liqueur 

Mix the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves in a bowl, making sure everything is blended/creamed together thoroughly. If you have a hand mixer you can use, even better. Refrigerate the mixture until almost firm.

Transfer 8 Tbsp of the mixture into a very large Pyrex measuring cup (at least 4 cups or larger, like this one) or a glass mixing bowl that can take heat and has a pouring spout on it (like this one). 

Add the rum and then two cups of boiling water and mix well. Pour into four mugs (hope you're having friends over or it's going to be a very filling night for you) and serve with a splash of the Butterscotch Liqueur and cinnamon stick in each.  
Take two tomorrow night and don't call me in the morning. I'll be hiding from the cold under the covers. Until it's time for more Hot Buttered Rum. And you're welcome. 

Plot Twist * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v10.30.14

Trendy Wendy Wednesday * Stare Deeply Into My Eyes

Over the years, I've gotten less vain. I think. Or is it I've gotten more lazy (she says as she types this while wearing yoga pants and a tank top - yay North Carolina fall weather)? Hard to know. But I hardly wear 'real clothes' anymore. And working from home, makeup is optional. I do still like a manicure and pedicure every few weeks if I can fit it in. And a facial is a treat in which I try to indulge (remember my post about my acne facials and how amazed I am that they're covered by my insurance?) now that I'm peri-menopausal and my hormones have no idea what to do with themselves. But my real beauty treat revolves around my eyes. If need be, I can do my own nails and give myself a facial. Just don't take away my eyelash extensions! You'd have to threaten me with bodily harm to keep me away from AmyLynn at LashOut every two weeks.

I realize these may be viewed by some as an indulgence (we're so breaking up. You know who you are), but to me, they are a beauty necessity. I no longer wear mascara (hello, significant savings from not buying every new mascara out there only to find out that you can't put mascara on pig eyelashes). Heck, I hardly wear much makeup unless it's date night. But I don't have to. My eyelashes make me look "made up" enough to venture out to the grocery store or post office.

AmyLynn at LashOut in Cary, NC is my girl (and ok, sometimes my therapist - you talk about a lot of stuff while you're eyes are closed for 45 minutes)! She hooks me up every two weeks with gorgeous lashes (you should see what she did for my wedding! Actually, I'll show you) and out into the world I go after each appointment, pretty sure I can tackle anything that comes my way, as long as whatever it is looks deeply into my eyes. Heck - you could be so entranced by my lashes, you may not even notice I have on yoga pants. Again. 

You can learn more about them on AmyLynn's website, but the net/net is they are tiny man made eyelashes that she adheres to your existing lashes using a special adhesive. They shed off as you lose your eyelashes (we all do - just like we lose some hair on our heads every day), so you go back in for a touch up every two weeks or so. She can provide you with different lengths (drama or no drama) and colors (hello purple tips). You'll be amazed at how people look at you trying to figure out what's different. And no worries about changing the color of your eyes or discoloring the eye lid (potential side effects of some of the lash growth products).

Next time you have a special event, try some out. The first set takes about an hour and a half to apply (refills are quicker). You'll be hooked.  I promise. And you're welcome. 

Peace * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v10.29.14

Tech Stuff Tuesday * Get Off Your Lazy Butt and Do Something

I'm a woman that loves her efficiencies.  I hate wasting time (I'm pretty sure I've had this rant before on the blog). Hate. Hate. Hate. But with all the technology we have out there, I do a much better job of scheduling my time than I used to back in the day. Like back when you had to stop at a pay phone to call the office and see if the fax you were waiting for had come in. Much better job. But I'm always looking out for ideas around how to improve.
So, when I got an email from DailyWorth giving the the 4-1-1 on nine new apps to help me be more productive, I was hooked. All nine may not work for your sitch, but I guarantee that at least a few of them will. 

1. Workflowy Think of this app as a really fancy to-do list on your phone. You can nest items (like: Shopping then grocery and Lowes) and it will allow you to cross off each task as you complete it. And we all know that's why we really keep lists. So we can see how much we've done.

2. TinyScan Pro You're out and about running errands, getting ready to drop off that contract that you had motorized at the bank and you realize you have no way to keep a copy. Oh but you do. This app is all about scanning your documents. That's it. It will scan in color and everything is password protected. You work out of your car? This is for you.

3. Eishenhower No. Not the dead President. This is another to-do list of sorts, but it's organized differently for those who's brains are organized differently. It will break your to-do list into quadrants (do first, schedule, delegate, don't do). But there's a twist. There's a clock that ticks down for 30 minutes, reminding you to tackle those "do first" tasks and avoid splitting your focus. It's almost like having your mom look over your shoulder. But better. 

4. Clear This app is for you visual thinkers. Another task manager, but this one is color coded. Red means get off your butt and do this. Yellow? Well, that can wait a while. And green? Good job!  You actually did something. 

5. Due Due tracks your daily tasks (think recurring, like take the dog for a walk or remember your thyroid meds) and it intentionally doesn't integrate with your phone's calendar, so you don't have to have the daily tasks getting confused with your conference calls or teacher conferences. Due is so concerned with your day, you can even set it to remind you to get up from your desk and move around. Yes, even I have those days.

6. Mindnode Another app for the visually focused, this one is fun and more "big picture" kind of stuff. It's kind of like a flowchart for your crazy ideas. And you can email them to The Hubbs to see what he thinks (or not). Great if you're starting a business or always trying to stay ahead of the curve at work.

7. 30/30 Mom? Is that you? This app breaks up tasks into 30 minute chunks to keep you focused. Which is great if you get easily distracted like me. Or you just need a gentle push to remind you to make the time to get something done. Like clear out your email inbox. Just without the nagging.

8. My Minutes Ever wonder where your time goes? Yeah, me too. Every. Day. My Minutes can help you answer that questions. Workout every day and want to be sure you're getting your recommended 30 minutes in each day? You can ask it to track events you do every day, or just on certain days of the week (like, write one chapter of your book on Friday evenings, Wendy?!?). 

9. Asana Part of a team? This app is all about virtual teamwork without the endless email strings (although it can sync to your email if you want it to). You can split tasks up into "personal" or "workplace" to differentiate between that bake sale you agreed to help out with at the middle school and your next team meeting at work. And you can sync through a browser, so you want to see your tasks on the big scree (i.e. your laptop). No problem.
Ok, you should all be hitting the download store and planning what to do with all that extra time you're going to create.  Have apps that you use all the time to stay productive? As an efficiency junkie, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below. And you're welcome.

Watch Me * Your Daily Brain Vitamin v10.28.14

Your Monday Quickie * Follow The Yellow Brick Road, Witches

I don't know about you, but things around Casa Callahan have been running behind for weeks.  Last week's stomach plague didn't help me catch up either.  So, it wasn't until this weekend that we got around to decorating for Halloween.  While it's not my big decorating holiday (hello, bring on Christmas!), The Hubbs and bonus daughters love it and they go all out. We've got lights and carved pumpkins and some creepy skeleton hanging from the front porch light that starts shaking and moaning when you move past it. But I can't help but feel like we're missing something.

I have a good friend in Atlanta who takes things to a serious level when it comes to Halloween.  First, she's queen crafter (remember when we made the decorated coozies with the bonus daughters (and later while at fishing camp in Canada)?  Her idea. And when we used the Clorox pens to create sayings on tshirts? She was there helping craft once again).  You should see her front porch, complete with bats, witch hats and skeleton "pink" flamingos in the bushes.  It's a sight to behold.
She's such a super crafter that she was the brainchild behind the backdrop for a seven year old's birthday party with a Wizard of Oz Theme recently.  And while I realize that it wasn't exactly Halloween in Oz when Dorothy was there, it was fall, in Kansas I think. And I think they used to show the movie near Halloween each year.  And the flying monkeys were friggin' scary as hell.  So it seems appropriate that on the week of Halloween, my friend Jody and I give you some possible decorating ideas.  With that, I'm turning today's blog over to Jody.

HI, blogland.  First and foremost - let's get this out of the way now. I do not like social media. I think it is weird that people want to share random things with others. Also, I have a thing about privacy, but that can all be for another time.  I heart my Wendy in a true and deep way and I support her need to share and create an environment of sharing, so I am compromising my dislike for social media (Ohhh the martyr that I am).

Jody dressed up as an Asian dude at some museum in Chicago when visiting me there a zillion years ago.

I do LOVE crafting and themed parties, and dressing up, and general silliness and merriment. So much so, that I convinced one of our other besties, Susan, that a Wizard of Oz birthday party would be awesome for her daughter's seventh birthday (I'm not sharing the seven year old's name because that would really break my rules. Rest assured she is awesome and hilarious and smart and well-deserving of said party). Susan reluctantly agreed to the extravaganza once I told her I would help craft all the things.  

Enter Pintrest.  We love and hate "The Pinterest" because it can be a time suck. We love and hate it in spite of all the cute ideas. And we love and hate it because it makes us freakishly competitive with strangers over how “cool” our lives are.  But mostly I hate it because there are rarely any directions on how to execute anything other than cooking---and ewww gross to cooking (*editors note (which is me, Wendy) Jody is not into the cooking thing, but luckily her husband Jake is. This keeps them from starving or living on frozen pizza). This is why Pinterest sucks.

So, amazing pics of Yellow Brick Roads can be found, and I needed one for the party.  Directions on how to actually make said road, that make sense and are achievable? Not so much.  But I. . . . I bring to you instructions on how to make a yellow brick road for a seven year old's birthday party.  Instructions that any normal person can execute. This is why I am awesome!!

Things you need:

• 1   Roll (or rolls) of brown craft paper
• 2    Yellow paint
• 3.    Giant Sponge
• 4.    Plastic sheeting
• 5.    Plastic paint tray liner thing
• 6.    Time
• 7.    1 really old banana, or other object on kitchen counter with a little weight to it
• 8.    Football game on TV

Step 1-  Park your husband or significant other front of the football game—you will need to spread out and will not want any comments from the peanut gallery while making this. Make sure he has beer and snacks to keep him out of your hair for at least an hour. If your kids that will be in your hair, I am lite on solutions for that one, as that is not an issue in my life. Benadryl?  Maybe "learn about football with Dad" time? Play outside in traffic?  I'm out of ideas here.

Step 2- Cover your work space with plastic sheeting. Turns out I had some leftover super ugly wrapping paper my neighbor's kid had been selling door to door. It worked like charm.  I am fortunate enough to have a fair amount of kitchen counter space to work with. Dining/kitchen tables may also be an option. The floor works too, but you will probably get stiff and there is a high likelihood of “accidental premature walking” on said road.

Step 3- Unroll brown craft paper.  Doing this in sections is the way to go. I was able to do four feet at a time.  I would not go much longer than that, because it can get hard to move it around by yourself if you have anything longer than that. Use the almost rotten banana or whatever else you have on hand as a weight on the end.

Step 4- I bought Tempera Paint at Michael's (you could also order it online here). It is non-toxic and cleans up with soap and water. SHAKE IT A LOT. Odds are it has been on the shelf forever and has settled a bit. Pour about a quarter of it into the paint tray liner thingy.

Step 5-  Get the giant sponge a little damp—I found slightly damp to slightly dry worked best—bone dry was no bueno and super wet was no bueno.  Dip your sponge into the paint, scrape off any excess and apply to the paper.

Step 6- “Bricks” should not be uniform in appearance or application. Vary the pattern a little on each row.  Remember munchkins and monkeys have been treading on these forever. :-)

Step 7-  Let it dry a bit. As long as you didn't saturate to the paper, you should be able to move it to a secondary drying location in about 15 minutes.  It will take about another 25(ish) minutes to dry all the way.

Each section (depending on size) will take about 15 minutes to complete and then add in the drying time. I went through a roll and "some" of craft paper and just about three bottles of paint for about 35 feet of yellow brick road. Measure first.

The effect was kind of awesome and fed my freakish need to be a competitive crafter.  Better work has been executed. However you have never seen a more impressed group of  seven year olds! 

Until next time- Craft strong and Craft On!!

Personally, I think it would be totally awesome to have a yellow brick road leading up to my front door for the trick or treaters on Friday. First, I have to find my Glenda the Good Witch costume. Or maybe I'll just dress The Hubbs up as a flying monkey.  Either way, you're welcome.