1) Don’t delay: Leaving costume selection until the last minute is never a great idea, especially if you have a specific costume in mind. Deciding on a costume now will give you enough to plan accordingly.

2) Get groupy: Coordinating costumes with a partner or group of people very popular. Some examples are the Flintstones, the Jetsons and Saturday Night Live’s Spartan Cheerleaders.

3) Vintage is in: Costumes inspired by ’80s-era and earlier shows are gaining popularity. Offerings include Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony and Smurf costumes, with many available in adult and child sizes.

4) Think big screen: Many of the newest costumes on the market are based on movies that were blockbuster hits this past summer For instance, there are costumes inspired by this summer’s “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Ted”, and for the kids “Brave”, and ” The Avengers,”

5) Accessorize, accessorize: For maximum impact, don’t stop with just a costume. Accessories like wigs and colored contact lenses can really take a costume to the next level, There are thousands of wigs available through Halloween costume retailers – Check out iparty.com and costumecraze.com for some great ideas.

Remember have fun and be safe!
Happy Halloween!!!

One of the things I look forward to LEAST after a long day at work is grocery shopping. I hate the busy parking lot, the long lines at the deli counter and fumbling through my coupons once I reach the register. As I was complaining about this to my sister Brittney last month she asked “Why don’t you use Stop & Shop’s Curbside Pickup?” Brittney has an 18 month old son who refuses to sit still in a grocery cart so she’s been using this service for months – I had never heard of this before but was quickly intrigued!

Now some may call me crazy for using curbside pickup when I am fully capable of walking through the grocery store but curbside pickup has its benefits for me too! I am able to login to their website, see the specials, choose the items with the best prices this week and everything is bagged and waiting for me at my chosen “pick up time.” Also, shoppers aren’t allowed to tip when they pick up their groceries so there is no added cost! I simply pull up, pop my trunk, hand over my coupons and payment and the Stop & Shop team fills my car with groceries.

There’s something to be said for choosing your own produce and meat at the store, but the next time you have had a long day and don’t feel like fighting the crowds at the grocery store, give Stop & Shop Curbside pickup a try!

Starting on October 4, 2012 at 6:30pm Salem will be kicking off Halloween with their Annual Haunted Happenings Grand Opening Parade! I grew up in Salem so I know what an exciting time October is for not only residents but for visitors from all over. The parade happens rain or shine so let’s hope that tomorrow will be a sunny bright day!

To get a complete list of street blockings go to www.salem.com.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

APPLE CRISP
Printed from COOKS.COM
________________________________________
4 cups apple slices, peeled
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oats, rolled (raw)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
Put apples in shell baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients, add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Makes six servings.

Okay so I know in past posts I have mentioned many great things this time of year has to offer and right there at the top of my list is beef stew! There is no better comfort food on a cold night and yet, it can be something really simple to make! C’mon you 9 to 5 people, I know you know how tough it is to get home after a long day at the office and have to think about preparing dinner and be stuck eating at a late hour but with a crock pot its wake up, throw the ingredients in and you are good to head off to work and know that when you get home dinner is done and ready for you to eat! It’s definitely a great lil time savor that cooks just about anything! Beef stew, soups, chili etc…i could go on and on and what better than a steaming bowl of chili while huddled around the tv this Sunday for a football game!? So many websites out there offer amazing easy recipes for crock pots so don’t worry about that you are going to cook tonight after a long hard day when all you want to do is go home and put on sweats and sit on the couch in front of the tv and enjoy some home cooking that was cooking all day and ready for you as soon as you need it! Enjoy all the fall goodness with simple recipes and a crock pot! What a time savor!!

I have an iPad, iPhone, computer, Google TV, Apple TV, Comcast, Netflix… I get stuck in a YouTube loop, you know the ones, you go on looking for ONE thing and end up spending an hour drifting off into the land of side videos and find out you just watched your 24th video about talking animals… Yeah, that YouTube loop. We exercise on our Wii Fit. I text my husband and family. I also text and email clients for job number two all the time! Facebook is where I keep in touch. I find interest in Pinterest. I even met my husband on line, no not a dating site! A Boston chat room through Yahoo, remember those? I made fun of his screen name.

Technology is an amazing thing, but I miss the little things. Here are some that I really miss, and I try to keep alive, and why they are so important.

1. The hand written letter or card. There is nothing better than checking your mail and finding a card or letter from a long lost friend. I am a membef of a couple of birthday card clubs, yeah dorky, but it’s great. Around my birthday I recieved cards from all over the US and even places further. There is just something about someone taking time out of thier day to sit down and write to YOU. If you miss someone, instead of sending them an email, try a card or letter. It does the soul good.

2. Hanging out with someone while they are disconnected. How many times have you been out with a friend and it takes all you can to get them to look up from thier phone as they text or tweet or update thier status. I know that I have been guilty of this. It’s hard to break away. Shut off your phone if you can, or keep it in your pocket.

3. A hug. Yes, that little thing! A virtual hug is one thing, but there is nothing like a big squeeze!!!

4. Photo Album. Like a real live one that you can hold onto. Or a picture in a picture frame. In our bedroom we have an electronic picture frame. It’s nice, but nothing like a picture you can hold in your hands or put in your pocket.

5. A real conversation. I love messaging my friends around the world, but there is nothing like hearing a voice!

What do you miss?

Nothing says Fall in New England quite like The Big E in West Springfield! Begun more than 90 years ago, the Eastern States Exposition was intended to provide a way to develop and showcase the declining farming culture of the region; today, it does that and more. Over the course of 17 days each September, “more than one million people attend the … autumn extravaganza of entertainment, exhibits, and agriculture” (see their <a href=”http://www.thebige.com/ese/aboutus/History.asp”>website</a> for the full history). Some have been going for generations and some are inevitably first-timers but, somehow, everyone in attendance is having the best day ever – probably because there really is something for everyone! There’s a huge carnival set up on the grounds with lots of rides and games for kids <em>and</em> adults – but, to get to it, you have to make your way through all the concessions. You want fried food? You can get just about anything you want in fried form at the Big E: dough, pickles, butter and Kool-Aid (yes, you read that right). There’s a lot more than just food & rides, though. The New England states are all represented, too, with the best they have to offer (from Vermont maple syrup to the Maine baked potato). On the agricultural side of it, you can see cows, llamas, sheep, goats, piglets, chicks, alpacas, horses, and – if you can believe it – more. There are giant pumpkins, pepper flowers (what?!), mums…the list goes on and on. Needless to say, it’s easy to lose track of time and literally spend an entire day roaming around! The fair is running through September 30th, so you still have time to make it out there. Check out <a href=”http://www.thebige.com/fair/”>TheBigE.com</a> for all the info you need… and just GO!

Everyday eyeglass wearers understand how important choosing the right frame and style is. Glasses have a huge impact on your appearance, state of mind and how others perceive you. A study by the UK’s College of Optometrists finds that people who wear glasses even do better in job interviews. Traditionally my experience buying glasses is that they are expensive, on average $300 per pair making owning multiple pairs/styles cost prohibitive. The worst part is selecting the frames, trying on pair after pair while huddled in front of a tiny mirror at the eye doctors. I always feel rushed and make this important decision in just a few minutes when you really should get to test drive them for a little bit. That was the old way to buy eyeglasses thanks to www.warbyparker.com , which has made the process of glasses shopping so unbelievably easy.

Here’s how Warby Parker does it:

First visit www.warbyparker.com. Then select 5 frames to try on at home for FREE. That’s right totally free. My trial frames arrived 3 days after ordering them. Once the 5 day trial is up simply use the enclosed UPS shipping slip and send them back.

Now it’s time to buy some glasses; simply log in to warbyparker.com select your frames and upload or email your prescription. I was able to take a pic of my script via iPhone and emailed it to them. Super easy!

My new glasses arrived 5 days later, they are perfect – I love them. All Warby Parker frames are just $95, so having multiple styles is totally doable.

There’s more to love about Warby Parker; they donate a free pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair of glasses that they sell.

Great people, awesome company – check them out.

In the spirit of the season I thought I’d share a recipe that will add a little “fall” to breakfast in your house. I love anything pumpkin flavored and so does my husband. This breakfast is both easy and inexpensive to make!
<strong>Pumpkin Pie French Toast</strong>

<strong>Ingredients</strong>
• 14 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice
• Butter and syrup for serving
<strong>Directions</strong>
• Set out the bread for dipping.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin and pie spice until smooth.
• Dip each side of the bread and cook on a hot, greased griddle or skillet. Flip after 1 – 2 minutes.
• Once all are cooked, serve with butter and maple syrup.

When I was little, the last thing I’d ask my mother before I left for school was always “What’s for supper?” My mum’s an awesome cook and I always wanted to know what dish I could look forward to at the end of a long & grueling day of 3rd grade. As I got older, I tried to get her to teach me her tricks in the kitchen; sadly, however, I could never really catch on (her lack of patience with my learning curve didn’t help too much, either – but that’s another post on a completely different blog). Fast-forward to today and I’m useless in the kitchen – unless you count clean-up, which most hungry people don’t. I keep wanting to take a stab at making <em>something</em> but the recipes always feel like a science project to me. I need something easy! I need encouragement! I… may have found what I’m looking for.

<a href=”http://shine.yahoo.com/”>Shine from Yahoo!</a> is quickly becoming one of my go-to sites (you may recall <a href=”http://www.apartmentrentalnews.com/article/read_any_good_books_lately”>this</a> post). I’ve just discovered they have a <a href=”http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/join-shine-supper-club-170000821.html”> Supper Club</a>, which is a little forum where they give you food themes & challenges; once you’ve attempted their challenge, you go back to the forum and discuss your experiences with everyone else who tried it. It’s sort of like a support group for people who fear the kitchen – whether it’s because they don’t know how to throw a dish together or because they’re bored with the ones they’ve been making. It’s a really great feature on the site and I think it’ll really help people like feel a little more at home in their own kitchen. Whether you’re a beginner like me or you’re some sort of master chef, if you’re up for a challenge – give it a try!