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Autumn Leaves

This week, we share ideas for re-purposing our Halloween decorations, a seasonal art project, a quick and delicious recipe for tuna pizza, our garden update and, of course, the bears!

PUMPKINS AND SCARECROWS

Our Halloween decorations included many items that can be used throughout the fall season. The ghosts and skeletons have been exorcised until next Halloween, but the pumpkins and scarecrows now form the basis of our fall decor. With Roy’s handmade pumpkin pillows on the couch, we simply turned the faces to the wall for a quick and easy change-up.

LEAF ART

This craft is a flashback from grammar school – still fun to do!!!

You will need:

Leaves, crayons, paper (see tips below), paper towels

To do:

Place leaf vein side up on paper towel.
Position paper over leaf where you would like the image to appear.
With side of peeled crayon, gently rub paper over leaf.

This requires some trial and error. Make sure you have extra paper so you can experiment.

Tips:

Pick out different shapes, sizes and varieties of leaves.
Use paper that is not too thick. Printer and construction papers work well, but thicker paper, like cardstock, will be less effective. Test out your paper before starting your project.
Leaves with prominent stems and veins are great for doing these rubbings.
Experiment with different color crayon combinations.
Good use for broken crayons.

Scan your completed designs for multiple uses. Print the images onto cardstock for personalized greeting cards. Frame your creation for seasonal decor. Think outside the box, pick up some t-shirt transfer paper, and your creation becomes a fun t-shirt!

Check out this link for info on designing t-shirts with your artwork:

http://www.ehow.com/how_10039627_transfer-pictures-tshirt.htmlZZAS

TUNA PIZZA

These tuna pizzas are quick, easy and delicious. Simply put your favorite tuna salad on an English muffin, add 1/2 slice of low-fat Swiss (or your favorite) cheese and veggies (if desired). We used chopped green peppers. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. These come out of the oven very hot – let cool slightly before eating.

We used 4 cans of tuna for 6 English muffins.

GARDEN UPDATE

The unseasonably warm weather continues and has made the garden last longer than we had anticipated. We are still harvesting peppers and tomatoes in November!

VEG ART

HOLIDAYS COLLIDE!!!

Our Christmas cactus, which we received as a gift from Kevin’s mom, Irene, more than five years ago, is blooming in one of our Jack-O-Lantern pots.

JOKE OF THE WEEK

If money really did grow on trees, fall would be everyone’s favorite season!

THE BEARS

The bears wanted to help rake the leaves under this beautiful tree, but their (matching) rakes were too big, so they decided to play! (Who can blame them!?)

ENJOY!

Roy and Kevin

We Fall for Halloween!!!

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Halloween approaches! This week, we share two ideas for easy-to-make decorations, a recipe for sweet potato salad and, of course, our garden update and the bears!

HALLOWEEN TREE

We created the Halloween tree pictured above using easy-to-find items, most of which were purchased at our local dollar store.

You will need:

1 tree branch with some off shoots – our’s is 22″ tall
Two 8-eight foot strands of black garland
Decorative plastic Halloween figures
Plastic Halloween rings (ours are bats, skulls and spiders)
One 18-inch square of fabric. We used fleece, but burlap would be great, too!
Gravel to act as stabilizer in the pot
Newspaper and/or plastic bags for filler
Curling ribbon
Basket, flower pot or the vessel of your choice

We foraged our yard for a spooky-looking tree limb with offshoots on which to hang our decorations. The branch was wrapped in the black garland. The garland had pumpkin and skull images on it, which we removed and saved for another project (see below).

How to create your tree:

Line flower pot/basket with cloth.
Put gravel in cloth-lined pot.
Nestle tree in gravel.
Fill pot around tree base with newspapers and/or plastic bags.
Gather cloth up around base of tree and secure with ribbon.
Arrange the Halloween rings and decorations on your tree.

This tree can be made any height, depending on the size of the tree branch and container used. It would make a great addition to a children’s Halloween party. At the end of the party, kids can take tree decorations home as favors. Do your own variation with light-weight candy, toys or whatever says “Happy Halloween!” to you!

GARLAND WREATH

The first step in this easy-to-make decoration is to line a 12-inch wire wreath form with black garland (shown). Next, cover the wreath with an orange and black pumpkin-themed garland (thanks, dollar store!). To finish it off, a larger pumpkin (leftover from the tree project above) represents the moon, lighting the sky for one of our cute clip-on witches from last week’s blog.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

This sweet potato salad is a delicious side dish for your Halloween and fall celebrations!

Tricia Yearwood (yes, that Trisha Yearwood!) had this recipe on one of her recent Food Network television programs. We tweaked the recipe by using non-fat sour cream, doubling the hot sauce and topping with toasted chopped walnuts. Very tasty. Like all potato salads, it’s even better the next day!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/sweet-potato-salad-recipe.html

GARDEN UPDATE

With frost warnings predicted for our area last Sunday night, we brought our flowers, basil, chocolate mint, and pepper plants indoors. We also picked most of the tomatoes, even though they were still green (see veg art below). Temperatures have risen, the plants are now back outside, and they are having another resurgence. One more unexpected comeback!

VEG ART

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What is one room a ghosts’ house doesn’t need? A living room! source: Halloweenjokes.com

THE BEARS

Hmm . . . we didn’t know the bears were expecting company! Not sure they did either!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

We’ve Only Just Begun!!!

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A year ago today, we decided to start a holiday blog and do one post a week from mid-October through New Year’s Day. Once the ball got rolling, we didn’t want to stop. The blog has been a lot of fun to do and it has inspired us to be more creative. Thank you to everyone who has followed and contributed to our the blog. We’re looking forward to another crafty and tasty holiday season and a fun 2016!

PAPER

For wedding anniversaries, the traditional gift for the first year is paper. With that tradition in mind (sorta), we share two crafts made from paper. The first paper project is a clip-on Halloween witch made from construction paper and a clothespin. The second project is a banner we made for Kevin’s brother’s family, wishing them luck on their upcoming move to Florida. Additionally, we offer a recipe for broccoli rabe, a garden update and, of course, the bears!

WITCH CRAFT

Halloween is coming and we are creating a few fun and easy crafts. This week, it’s the cute clip-on witches shown above.

You will need:

clothespins
black, orange, green and white construction paper
glue stick
double-stick tape
scissors
a fine marker (black ink)
ruler

To make:

Cut the following equilateral triangles:

three 1-1/4 inch triangles – 1 green (head), 1 orange (hair), 1 black (hat)
two 1-1/2 inch triangles – 1 black (dress), 1 yellow (broom head)
two 1/2 inch black triangles (shoes)

You also will need:

one 3/4-inch x 1-1/2 inch white rectangle
one 1-inch x 1/8 inch strip of green construction paper

Draw (as shown in picture below):

lines on the white rectangle – every quarter-inch
a face on the green triangle
a black verticle line on the yellow broom head

A little more cutting (see picture below):

cut the white rectangle in half lengthwise to form the legs
cut broom bristles 1/16-inch wide ending at the verticle line
cut 1/16-inch wide strips in bottom of orange triangle to create hair
cut 1/4-inch off the tops of the yellow and black 1-1/2 inch triangles
cut the tops off of the 1/2-inch triangles (1/8 inch off the tops)

attach orange hair to the back of the head with glue stick as shown below.
attach shoes to legs and legs to body
attach arm to body

attach head to body and hat to head
using double stick tape, attach broom bristle to end of clothespin

Before attaching, the back of the witch should look something like this:

Attach witch to clothes pin as shown using double stick tape.

The completed witch will look something like this.

These witches love to help decorate! Use them to clip Halloween cards to curtains or on our clothesline banner (search previous blogs for info). Looking forward to seeing photos of your witch creations!

This is a simple, kid-friendly craft which is more difficult to describe than to create. Use these basic guidelines and have fun!!!

BANNER

We designed this special banner by thinking of what symbolizes Florida and came up with the two obvious answers: oranges and sunshine. We cut out orange and yellow circles to represent those iconic images. Some quick cuts turned the yellow circles into suns and green leaves attached with small black paper fasteners transformed the orange circles into fruits. Stickers express the sentiment, “Enjoy FLORIDA!”. The banner was strung together using curling ribbon and embellished with sandal and beach themed stickers. (The top of the exclamation point at the end of the banner is a surf board sticker; the paws represent their dog, “Sadie”.)

This was a fun project to create, making use of quality stickers, craft paper, and a new circle cutter. We’ve said it before, but it bares repeating. Always look online for coupons from craft stores (and any stores for that matter). We saved money on all the items use in this banner with just a few minutes effort to print the coupons.

BROCCOLI RABE

In our effort to explore new foods, this week we tried broccoli rabe. The first recipe found on- line did not boil the rabe first. It was awful – very bitter! Our second attempt is this recipe from one of our go-to favorites – Rachael Ray. It’s a delicious, healthy way to cook this green.

Here is the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/broccoli-rabe-with-lemon-and-garlic-recipe.html

GARDEN UPDATE

The recent, unseasonably good weather has kept our garden thriving! We have at least 70 green tomatoes on our two cherry tomato plants and 25 peppers in various stages of growth on our Shishito pepper plant. They better hurry up and ripen before this weekend’s predicted frost or we may be growing them in the house. Wonder how much indoor grow lamps cost!

Kevin spotted this lone flower today on the vine that grows on the fence that surrounds our property! This vine has never flowered in our eight years here!

VEG ART

The apples have taken over. (No, we didn’t grow them!)

THE BEARS

The bears are starting to figure out their Halloween costumes!

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin

MONSTERS, MASH AND MORE!!!

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In this blog, we share a monster craft and our tasty reduced calorie mashed potatoes with cauliflower and parsnips and, of course, our garden update.

PAGING DR. FRANKENSTEIN!

Halloween is a time when monsters run amuck, but these easy-to-create monsters are fun and functional.

We made these funny monsters with coffee cans, fabric fur scraps and googly eyes. Fun and easy!

You will need: furry fabric; googly eyes; cans, jars, or other containers; craft glue (we use Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue); rubber bands; felt, pompoms; cloth scraps; construction paper; chenille rope; and anything else that will create the perfect monster!

To Make:

Wrap fabric around can and secure at the top and bottom with rubber bands;
Glue eyes onto fabric to create face;
Add a nose and mouth if desired;
For feet, we cut out 2 egg shapes, which were approximately 2 inches by 1.5 iches and glued them to the bottom of the container.

For the arms on some of the monsters, we used chenille rope found at fabric stores.
For the hands, we cut heart sharps from felt or construction paper.
Use your imagination and decorate with fabric scraps and whatever you like!

These cute monsters make great vases or containers for candy and silverware for your Halloween parties. Fill one with flowers or candy for a great hostess gift!

MASH

We love mashed potatoes, but they have too many carbs and calories. We change them up by adding cauliflower and parsnips.

You will need:

2 and 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces
One lb. bag of frozen cauliflower
One large parsnip, peeled and chopped
Butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk

To Prepare:

Place potatoes and cauliflower in Dutch oven on medium high heat and bring to a boil;
Saute chopped parsnip in butter or margarine over medium heat until tender – 5-7 minutes;
When potatoes and cauliflower mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add cooked parsnips to potato and cauliflower;
Cook an additional 10 minutes until tender;
Heat 3/4 cup milk until it is warm; milk, butter and salt and pepper to taste;
These potatoes are great at this point. But reheated at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and they tasted even better!

AND MORE!

GARDEN UPDATE

Summer-like October weather this week. Garden is looking good and still producing!

Here’s a night shot of our patio. Some of this summer’s favorites – shisito peppers, cherry tomatos and impatients continue to thrive.

VEG ART – Welcome Apple (not the computer)

JOKE OF THE WEEK What do monsters turn on in the summer? The scare conditioner! source: Halloweenjokes.com

WATCH OUT BEARS – THE MONSTERS ARE COMING! (DONT’T WORRY -THEY HAVE CANDY!!!)

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin

Fall into a cool season!

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It’s officially fall and the temps have dipped. This week, we share delicious recipes for delicata squash and our apple spice upside down cake. Also featured this week, the first of many quick and easy Halloween decorating ideas, a garden update and, of course, the bears.

DELICATA SQUASH

Kevin’s sister, Christine, introduced us to this user-friendly squash. It’s makes a tasty side dish, after being part of your fall home decor. You can eat the skin, which is different from some other squash varieties. The original recipe can be found in the link below.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

You will need: two large delicata squash, about one lb. each; two tablespoons olive oil; one teaspoon dried rosemary; salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare:

Wash squash, split in half. Remove seeds.
Cut into moon shapes, about 1/2-inch thick.
Toss with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Roast 15 minutes, turn squash over and roast another 15 minutes.

Here is the original recipe from eatingwell.com

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/roast_delicata_squash_onions.html

APPLE SPICE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

This idea came from a recipe Roy found in Readers Digest many years ago. It makes good use of a cake mix, and adds fruit, so it’s really a health food!

You will need: One spice cake mix and the ingredients listed for preparation: two tablespoons butter; six medium apples, peeled and sliced; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; two tablespoons brown sugar; pinch of salt.

To prepare:

Melt butter or margarine in pan over medium heat.
Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Mix well, saute for 5-7 minutes until apples are tender.
Prepare cake mix according to directions.
Place cooked apple slices evenly in the bottom of a greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
Pour cake batter over cooked apples. Bake according to package directions.
Cool for 15 minutes. Turn cooled cake onto platter.
Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

Great warm or cold!

Not a spice cake fan? Works with carrot, yellow or white cake mixes as well. Experiment with different cake and fruit mixes. Chocolate cake and cherries? Share your ideas with us!

PUT ON A HAPPY (OR SCARY) FACE!

We added Jack-O-Lantern faces to these planters by cutting faces out of construction paper and attaching them with double-sided tape for a quick and simple decoration. Funny sidenote: Christmas Poinsettia and 2 Christmas Cacti are shown! Use what you have!

Using the same technique, we decorated this 4-sided lamp and table combo (left) with a variety of faces. Happy accident – when photo was taken of the decorated lamp shade, another panel showed in the mirror.

We cut our Jack-O-Lantern faces out freehand, but you can find templates for them at:

http://www.myhomeideas.com/holidays/9-jack-o-lantern-templates/jack-o-lantern-pumpkin-carving-template

What can you decorate in your home? Use you imagination and share your ideas!

GARDEN UPDATE

This week, the Impatiens (don’t they look great!) and marigolds have had a surprising resurgence, and the shishito peppers just went crazy! Plus, we were pleased to discover our first purple pansy bloom. We grew pansies from seed this year, and blooms have been few and far between. It’s late in the season, but our patio garden continues to bring us food and joyl!

VEGETABLE ART:

Home-grown basil adds dimension to this week’s pepper harvest!

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What did one leaf say to the other? I’m falling for you!

Source: Mytutors.com

THE BEARS

The bears couldn’t wait to play in the falling leaves, so they got into our leaf garland decor (above). Now they are enjoying rummaging through our fall and Halloween clothes!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Reentry and Splashdown!

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We just thoroughly enjoyed a mini-vacation. It started off with 2 nights at the beach. Then we went to visit family and enjoy Kevin’s brother’s retirement gala. Our third state in four days ended with a delicious dinner at another hotel. Finally, we made it home in time to see the New England Patriots win on Sunday. (Phew!) Here are some tips for reentry from vacation, an easy way to display vacation photos, a quick and tasty dessert, and this week’s garden update. Also, a look at what the bears did while they were home alone.

TIP (IN HINDSIGHT)

We had a great time on our vacation, but forgot to bring several items, including cell phone chargers, a corkscrew, extra batteries and our beach chairs. The real issue was not having a good vacation to-do-list. It seems so simple, but have a master list of what to do, what to pack and what to buy to prepare for your vacation. Check it twice! Santa is onto something!

HOW TO MAKE REENTRY EASIER

FOOD

Last week, we offered a great recipe for baked ziti, which we prepared and had waiting for us in the freezer for our return. We realized it would have been nice to have dessert, too!

These ice cream sandwiches would have fit the bill.

Using store-bought cookies and ice cream, these fun treats are quick and easy to make.

You will need:

Ice cream, cookies, sprinkles, nuts, chocolate chips, and other toppings of your choice. Lots of cookie and ice cream combos are possible – let your imagination and taste buds decide! Today, we used chocolate cookies with fudge swirl ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. Our second sandwich features iced oatmeal cookies with vanilla ice cream, raisins and walnuts.

To make:

Cover a sheet tray with parchment or waxed paper and place it in the freezer.
Spread each topping on individual plates.
Put 1 scoop of ice cream onto a cookie. Cover with another cookie. Roll cookie sandwich like a wheel in the topping of your choice, coating the ice cream. Pop this onto sheet tray in freezer.
Allow to set in freezer for 1 hr. If not eating immediately, wrap sandwiches tightly in wax paper.

How about you?

What would make your reentry from vacation or a long weekend better? Perhaps your favorite coffee, a nice bottle of wine, or a couple of lottery tickets to scratch? Have something fun for your vacation reentry – not just doing the laundry!

PUT UP THOSE PHOTOS! (no pressure)

Don’t leave your vacation photos in your camera or cell phone. We take lots of photos during vacation, and print out and display some of them clothesline-style on a 6-foot piece of jute, strung between two tacks. The photos are attached with painted clothespins. They are a great way to keep that vacation spirit alive. These are pictures from the beach and the retirement party.

Bonus picture: Here’s a pretty sunset we saw in Westerly, RI!

GARDEN UPDATE

The warm weather so far this September has been a boon for our garden. We were pleased to pick a bunch of tomatoes and a few peppers when we came home from vacation. The herbs actually looked better, which leads us to think we may have been over watering them. The miniature marigolds grown from seed are still hanging in there!

VEGETABLE ART

THE BEARS

The bears did their best to stow away, as you can see,

but they stayed home and managed to keep themselves entertained.

They were supposed to tackle their summer reading list, but instead they ate popcorn and watched endless loops of Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, and The Jungle Book!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Nice to get away!

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With a vacation coming up, we share some ways to save money and eat well on vacation and then have a smooth transition for when we return home from vacation. Also, we have a garden update and check in on the bears latest exploits.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

EATING OUT: One of the pleasures of a getaway is eating out. Research which restaurants are available where you are going to stay. Look for coupons and deals on-line. And plan to splurge once in a while!

IN THE ROOM: Does your room have a microwave and fridge? With a little planning, you can eat things you like and save a few dollars. Why not pick up some bread, cold cuts or canned tuna to make sandwiches. If you have a microwave, cold cuts, cheese and a tortilla make a tasty, warm wrap. Also, corn on the cob is easy to microwave (how-to’s on our Fourth of July blog). Check on-line to see if your vacation location has a farmer’s market. Get some fresh veggies and fruit for a quick snack or lunch when paired with cheese and bread. Great way to support local farmers!

WHEN YOU GET BACK: We like to have a nice meal like lasagna or meatloaf waiting for us in the freezer when we get back from a getaway. It makes coming home easier. This week, we made and froze pieces of baked ziti with ricotta. It has all the flavors of lasagna but takes less time. All it will need is a quick re-heat in the microwave when we return from vacation.

CHEESY BAKED ZITI

This baked ziti has all the flavor of lasagna with a third of the work.

You will need:

1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium bell pepper, chopped; 1 cup sliced mushrooms; 1 lb. ground turkey; one 13.25 oz. box cooked rigatoni whole wheat pasta; 4 cups of your favorite marinara sauce; one 32 oz. can diced tomatoes; one 2 lb. container part skim ricotta; 3/4 cup grated parmesan; one 8 oz. package Italian blend shredded cheese; 1/2 tablespoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 clove grated garlic; 1/2 teaspoon garlic herb mix and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fresh basil for topping ziti.

How to prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Over medium heat, saute peppers, onions and mushrooms in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook for 5 minutes or until turkey is browned. Stir in chili powder, oregano, Worcestershire sauce and grated garlic. Add diced tomatoes and sauce. Cook mixture for 10 minutes. Add cooked pasta to meat sauce.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta with parmesan cheese, garlic herb mix, and pepper.

Spray a 10 x 16 x 2 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread a single layer of the pasta and meat sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan. Make sure bottom is covered but that the pasta is in a single layer. Spoon ricotta mixture as evenly as possible on top of pasta layer. Top cheese layer with rest of pasta. Sprinkle with shredded cheese mixture. Cover pan with foil and bake ziti at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an addition 20 minutes until browned. Top with chopped fresh basil if desired.

PHOTOS

We love to take a lot of photos when we are on vacation. We print up some of the best ones and display them in our home, where they are easy to see and provide great reminders of good times.

Framing some of your pictures is great, but you also can display your vacation photos “clothesline style”. We put up this mini clothesline on our wall and clip vacation photos to it. Our clothesline is a piece of jute attached to the wall with tacks. We hang photos and mementos on them with clothespins which we have painted various colors. We also glue shells found on the beach to a few of the clothespins with hot glue. This idea works great for displaying cards, lottery tickets, and reminders, too!

GARDEN UPDATE

We picked a few tomatoes and peppers and topped our ziti with some of our home-grown basil.

Here is this weeks veggie art masterpiece!

Quote of the week: Laughter is an instant vacation! Milton Berle

THE BEARS

We’re not sure if the bears will be successful with their stowaway attempt (see above) but they have made the best of things anyway!

Speaking of getaways, we would like to congratulate the silver bear on his retirement and thank him for being a fun part of the blog! We also congratulate Kevin’s brother, Bruce, on his retirement and look forward to sharing in the celebration later this week!

Happy travels!

Roy and Kevin

Talkin’ About Walkin’

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We are gearing up for our annual participation in the local Providence AIDS walk this Sunday, September 13th. With that in mind, the focus of this week’s post is “walking”, as we touch on walking for exercise, gallery art walks and walks for charity. We also feature photography and our garden and sports updates. Finally, we check in on the bears one more time.

EXERCISE

We love to walk – it is an excellent, low-impact exercise. Here is a great post from real simple magazine (they do not use capital letters!). This multi-page post highlights the benefits of walking and offers specific walking guidelines.

http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/benefits-walking

Simple energizing snack: A quick pre- or post-walk snack we enjoy is equal parts unsalted peanuts and raisins. Tasty and easy!

ARTS

Many communities offer art walks or gallery nights to support the local arts community.

We are fortunate to have many art galleries within walking distance in Providence. The galleries offer discounted rates once a month during “Gallery Night”. Transportation also is available for those who may need it. Art walks are a great way to check out your local galleries.

In the Providence area? Here is info on our Gallery Night – next one is 09/17:

http://www.gallerynight.org/

Western MA folks check out “artwalk” in Easthampton, MA, on 9/12:

http://www.easthamptoncityarts.com/artwalk

Look in your area to see if there are any arts walks. It’s a great, inexpensive way to learn more about your local art scene!

CHARITY

Roy was 10 when did his first charity walk in Springfield, MA. It was called, “Step Out For People”, a walk to raise money for Forest Park, the city’s major park. He participated in this annual walk several times. Those donating would pledge per mile for the walk, which was 25 miles! 25 miles!!! This was the 1970s and parents let their kids walk, often by themselves, through the streets of Springfield, MA, for 25 miles! They did the 25-mile thing a few times and then saner heads prevailed, and 10k or 5k walks became the norm. Everyone got buttons (pictured above) whether they made 25 miles (25 miles!!!) or not.

We have been doing AIDS walks together since we first met in 1995, in Springfield, MA. Sunday will be our 7th AIDS Walk in Providence since we moved here 8 years ago. Had to work one year when they had the walk on a Saturday – though we still donated to the cause! All the money raised during these nationwide walks stays local – helping those who are living with HIV and AIDS. If you would like to support us this year, click on the link below to donate. THANK YOU!!!

http://www.firstgiving.com/team/303880

Look for information on-line for local fund-raising walks in your area. A great way to support your favorite cause, meet people and get some exercise!

TAKE PHOTOS

Whether you are walking for health, arts or charity, don’t forget to take photos. Most phones have decent cameras these days, so snap away, print and frame! Get those pics off your phone and out into the world for people to see and enjoy. Roy was on a walk today and saw these beautiful roses. (An unexpected late bloom because of the heat wave!)

GARDEN UPDATE

Another surprising bonus from this early September heat wave is that the Shishito peppers have kicked back in. We picked six today, and have 20-plus new blossoms on the plant. The Super Sweet 100 Tomato Plant has at least 30 buds, while the Husky Cherry Red has more than 25 tomatoes in various stages of ripeness. Our mini-marigolds are hanging in as the picture above shows. Hoping to keep the warm temperatures going a little longer!

VEGGIE ART

Title : Which way? This way? No . . . No . . . That Way!

SPORTS UPDATE

The Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, led by Tom Brady, are kicking off this year’s NFL season on Thursday, September 10th, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gillette Stadium will be rocking!!! GO PATRIOTS!!!

THE BEARS

The bears have finished their walk, changed into their Patriots gear and grabbed their pom poms. They are ready for some football!!!

JOKE OF THE DAY

“Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.” Steven Wright

Source: searchquotes.com

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

United We Stand for Labor Day!

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Labor Day Is great because it celebrates the contributions workers have made in our country. We both come from hardworking families and decided to devote this week’s blog to Labor Day. Included are some quotes and articles, some personal reasons why we support unions, our repurposed lunchbox, tipping advice, and ways to keep your workday lunch cool. Of course, there also is a garden update. Some of this week’s post is serious and some fun. We think it’s a good balance.

HERE’S THE SERIOUS STUFF

LABOR DAY HISTORY

Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. Here are an excellent article and some great videos with info about the history of Labor Day.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/labor-day

A great quote from one of our favorite columnists:

“Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.” Molly Ivins

thinkexist.com

Unions help working families; they certainly helped ours. Here are two, from what could be many, personal examples of the benefits unions provided our families:

Roy’s Family;

Roy’s mother, Phyllis, battled breast cancer for 5 years from 1970 until her death in 1975. Had the family not had decent health insurance, which was secured by the union at his father, Bill’s, work, Roy’s family never could have afforded her treatment and could have lost their home.

Kevin’s Family:

Kevin’s father, Warren, passed away, leaving a pension to his widow, Kevin’s mom, Irene. Irene collected that pension until she passed away 20 plus years later. Had the union not secured that pension, she would have had to get by on a much smaller income.

LESS SERIOUS STUFF:

The Iconic Lunchbox

Roy’s father, Bill, carried this lunchbox to work for many years. Being a metal worker came in handy when he had to fashion a new handle after the original one wore out. These days, it is back to work for the lunchbox as a holder for our markers and crayons. Having it around brings back good memories for Roy. It also reminds us that its important to balance work and fun and what is more fun than being creative?

Lunchbox tip:

A great way to keep the contents of a lunch bag or box cold is to include an ice pack (the type that you use in coolers). If an ice pack is not available, a frozen water bottle or juice box also works great. It keeps your food cold and will de-frost in time to quench your thirst during lunch. Plus, it’s a space-saver! Another option to keep your lunch cold is to wet a new sponge and freeze it in a Ziploc bag. The frozen sponge will keep your lunch chilled and then act as a moist wipe when it thaws. (Make sure its a new sponge, not the one hanging out by the sink!)

SPEAKING OF TIPS, HERE’S SOME GOOD GUIDELINES (from Emily post, no less!)

Tipping: There are many professions whose employees rely largely on tipping. Here is an article with appropriate guidelines for tipping.

http://www.emilypost.com/out-and-about/tipping/89-general-tipping-guidelines

GARDEN UPDATE

Because of this week’s heat wave, we had a surprising, late-season tomato surge, harvesting 60 plus tomatoes. Only a few peppers.

Here is this weeks veg art piece:

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER

Source: the other 98%

THE BEARS

The hard-working bears featured above have earned the right to relax this Labor Day weekend!

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin

“Wrapping” Up Summer!

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In our families, we have been called the fun uncles, hence the title, “funclesarts”. One of the goals of this blog has been to share some of our creative gift ideas. This week, we offer a fun gift idea for kids and our taco fries are a special gift for Mexican food lovers. Finally, let’s “rap” about our stamped gift wrap, which is sure to please!

GIFT FOR KIDS

Recently, Roy visited family members who rented a house in Narragansett, RI. We wanted to give a couple of gifts to the little ones, aged 4 years and 18 months. We found these inexpensive pails and shovels, emblazoned with Disney characters, Minnie Mouse and Cars. Roy’s 4-year old great niece’s bucket included coloring books, washable crayons and markers, bubble solution and wands. Her brother’s bucket had picture books and coloring books. Roy had a great visit and a good time was had by all (except for Kevin who had to work).

TACO FRIES

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

You will need: 4 medium russet potatoes, 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, 3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix from the packet – we buy the low sodium type.

How to make: Cut potatoes into wedges. We get about 8 wedges per potato. Toss with oil and taco seasoning mix. Bake 15 minutes. Flip fries and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with your favorite condiments or Mexican toppings, including sour cream, salsa or guacamole. Kevin likes these with ketchup (huh!) Very versatile!

GIFT WRAP

Inexpensive stamps and ink pads transform brown wrapping paper and newsprint into personalized gift wrap. Use fun stickers for the recipient’s name to finish the presentation!

GARDEN UPDATE

As the end of summer nears, our garden crop has become less productive. We picked only a few tomatoes and peppers this week. On the positive side, there are a lot of blossoms on the pepper plant and many green tomatoes. Hoping that the hot, humid weather predicted for the upcoming week will yield a late-season harvest. Our basil plants continue to thrive – great in sauces, salads and pesto!

After a slow start this summer, our pansy plants, grown from seed, are having a late-season coming out party!

VEG ART

This week, we welcome one of August’s most anticipated guests – the native tomato!!! It is a lifetime favorite of ours and a delicious addition to the basil, peppers and cherry tomatoes from our own garden. Add some mozzarella and call it caprese salad!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/caprese-salad-recipe.html

BEACH PICTURES

Candid shots of Roy’s family enjoying the beach in Narragansett, RI. Nothing better!

JOKE OF THE WEEK: What color socks do bears wear? The don’t wear socks, they have bear feet! (source:enchantedlearning.com)

BEARS

Looks like the bears got into the ribbons – again!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

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Funclesarts

Because creativity can be simple, affordable, and it makes life more fun!

Category Archives: Uncategorized

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“Wrapping” Up Summer!