Mother's Halloween

My love of Halloween comes from my mother. Every year, she has the whole family over for chili before the kids head out for Trick-or-Treating. Here are a few pictures of her decorations this year. Happy Halloween!

 

 

Halloween 2016 Continued

Halloween is my favorite holiday for decorating. Last year, I went for a low budget spooky witch house to compliment the exterior of my pre-renovation house. Considering that we opened up the front porch, ripped out the massive driveway, painted everything, and got new landscaping, the yard trash look of 2015 was not going to work this year.

J lovingly (possibly under duress) agreed to help make the spider of my dreams. Yes, my dreams. I worded the request very carefully because J prefers to call a project good enough way before it is perfect. While my spider did make his debut October 2, Hurricane Matthew sent him back into hiding. Now he is back and better than ever.

My pallet signs from last year fit with the theme. The spider web is made from landscaping burlap, sewed into tubes, stitched in place, and spray painted white. I also used two cans of glitter spray paint and it was pretty worthless. I may get out there with some glitter mixed with mod podge this weekend. Glitter is always appropriate for Halloween.

We followed this guide for making the spider, with some modifications. For one, we bent the pvc legs with a heat gun rather than cutting and using angled fittings. Our body and head have an interior frame of wood dowels and tension wire and are covered in weed barrier landscaping fabric. We also had to drill holes and use pins to hold the legs in place. The spider guide was meant for a spider that stays on the ground rather than being hoisted onto a roof with a pulley. Our eyes are made from a styrofoam ball cut in half, painted with silver glitter, then covered with silver sequins. That task was as painstaking and boring as you might imagine.

I am already thinking about what to add next year - possibly some smaller (and less labor intensive) companion spiders and more webbing stretched out across the rest of the facade. J is just happy to have weekends free of spider manufacturing. 

Halloween Mantel 2016

Hurricane Matthew got in the way of my exterior Halloween decorating, so here is a look at my fireplace mantel. Almost everything is from thrift stores, the Dollar Tree, or was lying around my house. 

The skull mirrors, spiders, black roses, and tombstones are all from the Dollar Tree. I love that place for filling in the gaps of my decorations. The purple vase and flowers, along with the candle sticks and holders are things I gathered while wandering around my house looking for stuff in the color scheme. The skulls are from thrifted, the chain is from Home Depot, and the silver skeleton hands on the edges of the mantel are a gift from Melinda. The fabric is from Joanns - use a coupon!

I have a timer set so that the purple lights come on in the evening, which makes everything glow. We still haven't renovated the fireplace so for now I have to be content with purple light rather than a fire. 

Halloween 2015

Here are a few pictures of my Halloween decorations this year. It was my first Halloween decorating my own house and I was super excited.  The branches were pilfered from the side of the road and the signs were made from old pallet wood behind my paint store. Side note: paint is typically delivered on pallets, so paint stores should have some should you ever need a pallet. The bats are just construction paper and I borrowed the monster from my mom. 

Bits from Behind the Scenes: Turkey Edition

On a recent trip to Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) upon picking up a turkey to check the price:

Melinda: #$@%*! ....$85.12?!?!?!? For a turkey?  Did the #$@%*! thing lay golden eggs before it died?

~long pause to hightail it to the car and head to Safeway for their 88 cent a lb special~

Waiting for the arrival of a perfectly cooked and reasonably priced turkey.
Also waiting for all the wrinkles to naturally fall out of the tablecloth as I despise ironing round ones.  Despise.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our wonderful Posh Purpose readers!  I hope you are filling up on something yummy and spending time with your loved ones.

Say No to Holiday Fluff!

Ah...the holidays.  Beautiful trees, spending time with loved ones, and going to Christmas church service...and hoping that those extra scoops of holiday food goodness somehow magically disappeared with Santa on his sleigh instead of taking up residence on your backside for the long winter.  Since the season of eating begins tomorrow, I think it's best I revisit last year's article on maintaining your weight through the holiday season.  My least favorite diet tip that aaaaall the magazines like to put out there is still the one about eating your dinner before you go to a party so you don't eat while you're at the party.  Um, news flash...I don't have to be hungry to eat a cookie or drink a pint of egg nog.  It's like jello...there's always room.  Plus, who wants to be the person who deprives themselves of all Christmas treats?  Um, not this Posh Purpose girl.  So!  Here we go!  Most of these tips are about planning and making minor changes to make up for a few extra calories here and there:

Posh Purpose's Kindly Suggestions on How to Still Fit in Your Pants Come January

1. Religious calorie counting on days you don't have parties/events - 1600 calories* and no more (I use an Android app called Fat Secret...horrible name, but decent app).  Weigh in daily to keep yourself honest.

2. Eat something healthy before a party - soup and salad if you have time or yogurt and nuts are both good options.  Although I don't believe in eating before you go to a party in order to not eat at the party is a good idea, I also don't think I want to have my blood sugar drop and find myself face first in a cheese platter either.  Been there, done that.  Also, your tummy and waistline will thank you if you go to a corporate with nothing but dried out chicken and greasy (but tasteless) sides.  Those items just aren't worth the calories, but you would probably devour them if you went on an empty stomach.

3. Eat 3-4 small servings of things you truly want to eat at the party - things that are special for Christmas time or you know are a specialty of the hosts....then don't eat them again at any other parties.  For example, I love egg nog, rum balls, and peppermint bark.  I could have a small cup of egg nog, 2-3 rum balls, and a piece of peppermint bark at a party.  At the next party, I would bypass these items and perhaps choose a scoop of hot crab dip, a small cup of apple cider, and a slice of pie.  Then bypass all of those items at any other parties.  Fill up on veggies and lean protein for the rest of your food selection.  Cold shrimp is a very good choice that you will often find this time of year.  My theory on this tip is that I will get to have all my favorite things without overloading my plate at each and every party.

4. Cut back on your everyday treats -  ex. if you are putting half and half in your coffee, switch to 2% for the next month.

5. Eat seafood at corporate events - My nutritionist once said that if you have to go into an event blind or without any ability to customize your food, go for fish.  Even if the fish is deep fried or sauteed in butter, the calorie count for fish starting out is lower than any of the other proteins.

6. Stick to wine or hard cider - Lots of taste, less calories than a mixed drink, classier than a shot, and no fat.

7. Plan out where you can eat when you are running errands or Christmas shopping now - For me, I know the meal combinations I can have at Chick-Fil-A (grilled chicken nuggets and small fry or spicy chicken sandwich - no bun - and small fry) and Panera Bread (bacon turkey bravo half sandwich and half salad or bowl of soup) which are readily accessible.  Other options for a sit down meal, are Olive Garden (soup, salad, and bread sticks) and Seasons 52 (no item on the menu is over 475 calories).  I would suggest looking at your local area where you plan on doing the most shopping and coming up with a game plan.  My nutritionist told me successful dieters have plans and people tend to gain weight the most when they are rushed for time and don't have a plan set in place.  That's how you wind up pulling through the Taco Bell line and ordering a burrito and two tacos with extra nacho sauce.  This goes the same for traveling!  Have a plan of where you can stop on the road or in the airport.  Bring snacks with you so you aren't tempted!

8. Add on 15 mins to your work out time or another workout a week.  This one can be super hard!  If you can't add it to your work out or you have no extra days for a workout, try to go for a walk at lunch during your work days.  Also, try and have a nice walk (so relaxing!) or jog (if you feel so inclined, I rarely do) on the major holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.  It will help you digest post-meal and it's a nice way to either spend time with family or get away from them (depending on your situation).  I'm going to try to hit up zumba tomorrow morning right after the turkey goes in the oven!  I'd also like to add in a post-church zumba class or a spin class on Sundays.

9. Take none and leave all - If you are having a party or hosting Christmas dinner, stock up on to-go containers.  If it's not healthy, it must go.  If you are attending a party, refuse to take anything.  You can "accidentally" leave it behind.  Whoopsies.

10. Plan a non-meal event for your girlfriend get togethers -  I suggest coffee.  You can get a small drink (latte with cinnamon on top - caffeine & protein!) and if you can't stay away from the bakery case, split something with your friends. You'll save money and calories.  More active options would be to go bowling or ice skating. 

11. Eat what you want on the main days - Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.  Chances are you probably won't be eating more than one big meal each of those days.  Even if you are eating 2,500 calories, you are doing it all at once and not three times that day.  You should also be able to rebound from 1-3 days of poor eating spread out over several weeks....it's the week long time frame of Thanksgiving and in between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day that I've noticed really make an impact.  I also don't see the point in eating low-cal versions of traditional foods - pumpkin pie with splenda is just not the same and cranberries flavored with agave sounds nasty.  If you must exercise some sort of self control or you are attending multiple meals in one day - fill up on whatever main protein there is (ham, turkey, etc.) and the healthiest side (usually green beans).  You can have one small scoop each of all your favorite things and only eat the best offerings at each meal if you are going to multiple places (i.e. if your Aunt Gertrude's sweet potatoes are better than your granny's...don't tell, but don't eat either).

12. Get back to your regular groove as soon as possible and don't beat yourself up - You may still gain 1-3 lbs between now and the New Year...but that's much less to beat myself up about and far fewer pounds to work off compared to the 20 billion people who join the gym and take all the parking spots/machines post-holiday 15 lb. binge.  I'll just go back to my regular schedule - I hope without having to buy new pants.

If you've got any other tips, let me know!  I'm always open to suggestions.

* I'm not a licensed professional, so you should consult your doctor before starting any nutrition plan or exercise program.

Fall Decorations

Even though it is almost time to switch over to Christmas decorations, I wanted to share Mom's fall decor. I am thrilled that she is putting up so many great decorations because I have not been in the mood to decorate my own teeny tiny apartment. It is far more fun to enjoy her beautiful house.

Posh Purpose Review: The Cottage Shop in Nags Head, NC

When we went to Nags Head last year, I came across a super cute shop called The Cottage Shop that sells home decor, Christmas decorations, entertaining essentials, and small gifts.  I bought our yearly ornament from The Cottage Shop last year and I decided to go back to look for another this past weekend.  I also got a bunch of great Christmas decorating ideas for my first Christmas tree that I was able to put together using cheaper sources such as Michael's.  The store is creatively decorated with at least six Christmas trees, but doesn't feel too crowded or overdone.  The sales ladies are all wonderfully helpful and sweet.  Here's a couple of the displays that I thought were especially creative...like this inverted white Christmas tree designed to look like underwater sea life:

I also really like the more natural look to this red and burlap woodland tree.  I love the frilly bow at the top.  The faux poinsettias are really pretty pops of color!  Using faux florals on my tree is one of the ideas I got from this store last year.

These beautiful hanging ornaments would look great in the windows, hanging from the banisters or mantels, or even from certain chandeliers.

Unfortunately, I couldn't limit myself to just one ornament this year!  All the ornaments are so pretty and well-made, that I wound up buying four, but luckily they were only $11.99-$13.99 each aaaaaand the super sweet sales lady gave me a discount.

I'm super excited to put these on my tree in a few weeks!  If you are in the Outer Banks, I highly recommend that you stop by The Cottage Shop at one of their three locations for some decorating inspiration and gift ideas. There will be another sale on Black Friday if you are lucky enough to be spending Thanksgiving at the beach!

Duck

1201 Duck Road

Kitty Hawk, NC 27949

252-261-8121

Nags Head

5000 South Croatan Highway

Nags Head, NC 27959

252-441-2522

Corolla

Timbuck II Shopping Village

790 North Ocean Trail

Unit G

Corolla, NC 27927

252-453-3525

This is the Last Halloween Post, Promise!

Enjoy the final stages of Mother's Halloween decor!

Here is the foyer decor. As you can see, she added a lot to it. I could not manage to take a picture where the lights didn't appear pink so imagine the glow to be more purple and spooky. 

Mom hosts a chili and tostada party for the family and added friends. She decorate the dining room quite a bit since some of the adults eat in there. The room very easily adopts a spooky vibe, making it even more fun.

She made eyeball cupcakes for the kids. The baby swiped the package of eyeballs a week earlier and had a hissy because we wouldn't open it for her. She had lost interest by Halloween.

This ghost is hanging in front of my parents' bedroom in the family room. This room is too big and dark for most decorations to have an impact, so Mother went big for this corner. The family baby would not look at it! Very amusing.

 Mom wrapped two vases in our old trick-or-treat bags. The wiry thing is a giant marshmallow roaster that I gave as her birthday present a few years back. This is the first time she has actually used them, and clearly it isn't for their intended purposes. She found some strange decorations on clearance at Pier One that she ripped apart and wired onto the marshmallow roaster. Don't worry, you don't typically cook marshmallows with Made in China glittery bits flailing about.

Alright, I promise no more Halloween. Mom's party was great fun and the kids loved all the decorations. They also love cleaning out Mom's candy supply when they get back from trick-or-treating. And now onto the rest of the holiday season!