Creepy, Eerie, Spooky Halloween Hello

There's a fabulous crafts shop called Lanesboro Junction in the town by the same name, Lanesboro, Massachusetts.

There will be a post on some of the shop's offerings in the near future but today, I want to show you some of the Halloween season decor on display there. They have such cool things!

Isn't the fellow in the photo at the top enough to give you the heebie geebies?


Everything in the store is made by a group of 75 artisans. Just think!  Everything's also made right here in the good ol' USA!


Look at this neat banner and the rather scary spider above it:

Check out these cool little witchies:

And pumpkins galore:

There are quite a few ghosties, too, including this fellow who's more happy than scary:

By the way, if you are interested in more information on any of the items in this post, or would like to buy any of them, you can contact "Christine," store manager, at (413) 997-4350. 
Lanesboro Junction can also be found on Facebook.

Now, I also want to say, HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all. Be careful, good luck with all the little trick-or-treaters, and most of all, have FUN!

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ITEM SHOWN IN TODAY'S POST?

Bye Bye Autumn, Hello Winter

Mother Nature played a big trick on people in Western Massachusetts.

Instead of cool and sunny autumn weather, we got whacked with a gigantic snowstorm.

I even brought the scarecrow "kids" into the front hallway from the front porch. Otherwise, they would have gotten buried in snow.

Brought the fall bouquet in a basket in, too. It looks nice on a table in the hallway.

All afternoon I kept running from window to window to take photographs. As infuriating as it is to get snow in October, it's so doggone pretty.

The plants looked forlorn and, well, buried.

The front walkway?  What walkway?

Even Mr. Crow got to come in and hang out in the warmth. He's gazing out the front window wondering what the heck happened to autumn.

On days like this, it's just nice to be :

Finger Puppets Rule the Day

Do you love going to new shops and checking out their wares?

I love unique crafts and things that make me smile. The finger puppets I found last fall at the Baldwin Country Store in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, cracked me up.

 I usually go there for their specially made vanilla extract. You can read a post about it here:.http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2010/08/no-substitute-for-real-vanilla.html

The puppets were packed away in the attic and  I forgot all about them. While poking around up there recently, the little "uglies" popped out of a box. 

The minute I laid eyes on them they made me smile all over again.

Downstairs they came and now they are spooking our kitchen windowsill.

Happy early Halloween!

DO YOU HAVE SOME HOLIDAY DECORATIONS THAT MAKE YOU AUTOMATICALLY SMILE?

Wholesale Club Membership and Red Roses

When one lives in a rather buried burg, the opening of even a little store is big news.

When a big store opens, watch out!  That's super gargantuan news!

A BJ's Wholesale Club recently opened in Western Massachusetts.  People throughout all the surrounding towns, as well as the main burg where the warehouse store was built, flocked to the grand opening in droves.

The parking lot around the store has been looking a lot like Christmas! That's when lots fill with frenzied shoppers.

Well, yesterday we took a drive to  check out the new BJ's and got our family memberships.  Guess what?

The lady behind the counter who took our pictures for our ID cards, handed me a bouquet of 20 red roses!  It was a "welcome to BJ's" gesture. What a thoughtful thing to do and what good marketing to show customers they are valued and appreciated.

As soon as we got home, I put them into a beautiful red and transparent glass vase. A special friend had given it to me in September for my birthday.

BJ's, for those who are unfamiliar, was started in 1984 by Zayer, a discount department store, according to good old Wikipedia. 

The letters in the warehouse's name stand for Beverly Jean, after the daughter of one of the company's founders!

As of last year, BJ's had 187 clubs in 15 states and more than 22, 000 employees or "team members."

People who want to shop at BJ's have to pay annual membership fees. During the opening of this new store, the usual $50 membership costs $40. A more elaborate plan costs more.

BJ's has thousands upon thousands of items. Because the Western Mass store is new, everything is sparkling clean and shining!  Huge aisles are filled to the brim with everything imaginable including groceries, shampoos, cds, flat screen tvs, and on and on.

Gas at BJ's pumps is discounted, too.

Competition is always good and BJ's, I would think, is definitely competition to a nearby Walmart as well as to Sam's Club and Costco members.

It's doubtful we'll ever spend oodles of cash there, (mainly because we don't have oodles to spend, ha!), but it's nice to have the BJ's membership for discounted grocery items, particularly.

And I love my roses in October!

Do You Shop at Wholesale Clubs?

Little Things Can Cheer Our Hearts

The day began cold, dark, and rainy.

It was hard to get out from under the warm, cozy covers of my bed. 

When I finally got downstairs, there was no more Colombian coffee.

It had been on my grocery list but I hadn't gotten to the supermarket. Bummer.

A zumba dance class I wanted to attend got canceled.

It seemed the day was going south pretty fast.

Then the mailman came and peeking up over the mailbox was a large white envelope. It was a special ordered copy of American Miniaturist magazine.

The entire cover shot plus an article inside was all about work done by Cynthia, a dear blogger who shares a passion for dollhouse miniatures. Her fabulous blog is Cynthia's Cottage Design.

Right behind the white envelope was the Christmas issue of Victoria Magazine, another of my absolute faves.

Those two magazines saved the day!  Let's hear it for the little things of life that cheer our hearts.

WHAT WAS THE LAST LITTLE THING IN YOUR OWN LIFE  THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?

The Many Gifts of Autumn

Autumn evokes all kinds of emotions.

First of all, it makes a heart fill with intense gratitude for the gift of sight.

And gratitude for cool, crisp air to breathe.

More gratitude for splendid colors, like sun-filled yellow against a brilliant blue sky.

It's also a season that fills a soul with longing.

One hopes  the sun-filled gorgeous days will stay awhile and not give way to blustery Old Man Winter.

One yearns for the leaves to stay put on the branches so the splendor can continue for as long as possible.

There's a tinge of woodsmoke in the air. Someone's lighted a fireplace. Oh! Cold chilly nights are right around the corner. Good snuggling weather is on its way.

Autumn days make one realize how precious life is.  Trees illuminated with rich and regal colors, shimmering and shaking tenuously on the branches, are gifts, however short lived.

For sure, autumn moves me to tears with its intense beauty. 

Sweet autumn! Stay. Stay as long as possible.

As would have been said in the olden times,

 "I do not wish to bid you adieu."

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST PART OF AUTUMN FOR YOU SO FAR?

Take a Moment for Your Hobby

Sometimes life feels like walking fast on a treadmill.

The days fly by, then weeks, and months. There's hardly time to slow down and smell the roses. 

That's how it's been around here lately.  There have been way too many nights of just six hours or so of sleep and that's not enough.

When the treadmill of life starts to spin out of control, it's time to stop and indulge in a hobby. Now, admittedly, I have so many hobbies it's not funny. One of them is doll collecting.

Okay, I'm a kid at heart.  Dolls are absolutely adorable to me. Due to amassing several dozen of them in all sizes, I "try" not to buy any more. Honestly I do.

One of my sweet dolls is as pretty as a picture. I've posted on her before because she's one of my favorites. If you are interested in how she was acquired, you can read about it here:  http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2009/11/diamond-in-rough_07.html  And here's a post on how she got dressed to the gills for Christmas.

Recently, I wanted dress her up for Halloween. The little orange velvet Halloween hat cost 25 cents at a yard sale. I wanted to get her one of those infant outfits decorated especially for the holiday but couldn't justify spending the money.

So, zipping into a  nearby Goodwill, I was thrilled to find a very small orange dress and  bib that reads,   "My Little Pumpkin."  Total cost?  All of $2.00!

After washing the new duds, dolly got dressed up. She looks cute, don't you think?

My Halloween cutie pie now sits in a white chair on the hall table, joining a small army of scarecrows.

When I work on one of my hobbies, even if it's for a tiny bit of time, I feel happier.

What about you? 

WHAT'S ONE HOBBY THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Halloween-Themed Birthday Bash for a Five-Year-Old

One advantage of being born in October is that guests can come dressed up in costumes to your birthday parties!

All the decorations can be just in time for Halloween, too.

One of my nieces is a party planner extraordinaire. She's so amazing and creative.

It's party time for her five-year-old.

Just look at these party treats!

Now this is a birthday cake, (made by another talented niece), that you could roar about:

These apple slices you can really sink your teeth into:

There are black cats and pumpkins, too:

And spiders in the scary brew:

Ghosties are hanging from the lights:

While another ghostie on the table gives quite a fright:

There are lush caramel apples:

 And lollypops, too:

Don't you wish this birthday bash was for you?