Author: Pamela Layton McMurtry

   Halloween heralds the dawn of the holiday season. It seems once fall arrives, time races and before you can catch your breath Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are knocking at the door right behind the trick-or-treaters. 

   As much fun as holiday observances are, they can place a burden on your time and resources so I am offering a few green tips for saving money, the planet and your sanity during this busy and wonderful time of year. 

     If you missed our BYU SiriusXM Radio 143 discussion on Wednesday, here’s the transcript, I’m on the second half. http://www.byuradio.org/episode/c1992fa5-d52c-4c32-af2c-b9b2abf0e1b1/the-kim-power-stilson-show-angels-around-us-halloween-help

   Halloween costumes and activities don’t need to cost an arm and a leg, check these tips for having fun while saving $$$ 
http://www.familyshare.com/family/ghoulishly-great-tips-for-celebrating-halloween

   $ Tip: A Harvest and Halloween Handbook shows ways to create costumes from items you already have and for incorporating reusable clothing into costumes as well as other money-saving and artistic ideas for autumn holidays. 

   Trade old costumes with family and friends. Make simple costumes great or upcycle last year’s by adding an amazing accessory like a sword or jewelry. 

   $ Tip: Wet ‘N Wild nail polish at Walmart is $.97 a bottle – it has great colors and coverage. Buy patterns on sale weekends at fabric stores or with coupons, check their websites.
   
   Minions are big this year, dress yours in long-sleeved yellow t-shirts and thrift store denim overalls with canning jar ring glasses.  

 

   $ Tip: create a scene using items you already own repurposed in unusual ways. 

   Check your favorite thrift store for art and Halloween decor and scout the great outdoors for branches and autumn leaves. Hang your children’s art projects to create a gallery and memories. Tuck branches in a pot or urn and display photos of your family’s past Halloween costumes and activities. 

   Join Kim Power Stilson and me on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 3 p.m. Eastern as we chat about lively autumn traditions and activities. There’s so much more to fall than Halloween, and we LOVE Halloween!

In this town we call home…

I could decorate for days and days, but this year I’m practicing restraint and focusing on my favorites. I’ve added a few autumn and Halloween touches here and there and am saving my energy for Christmas when my son Tim returns from his LDS mission to Alabama and our family is together again!

 The antique crate in the kitchen is filled with Halloween mugs and glasses and ready for spiced pumpkin cocoa

The vintage-style paper lanterns are tied with Houndstooth plaid ribbon

The pumpkin tureen ready to be filled with fresh soup…

Mr. Cezanne, this is an American kitchen at Halloween 

There’s more to enjoy when you get recipes and costume tips in your download of 

A Harvest and Halloween Handbook

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-harvest-and-halloween-handbook-pam-mcmurtry/1116031757?ean=2940148379744

http://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Halloween-Handbook-Artisan-ebook/dp/B009PA8ON6/?keywords=pam+mcmurtry&qid=1374845872&ref=sr_1_1&ie=UTF8&sr=8-1


Keep your little pumpkins busy with 32 Halloween carnival coloring pages

Buy A Harvest and Halloween Handbook today and the owl will get a bigger cage. 

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It is never too early to start thinking about Halloween costumes. If you are looking for an activity to share with your little pumpkins the last week or two before school starts, you might start working on this year’s haute couture.

Here are the top costumes for 2015; provided by my friend Rhonda Cowan, who with her sister Sandy, owns Etoile, THE L.A. movie studios’ go-to costume and gift shop.

Starting at the top of this year’s lineup:

 

 

 

As summer heat begins to fade, the desire to enjoy a picnic in the great outdoors grows. Here is a sandwich that is hearty, healthy and filling and is made with whole grain bread, cheese and vegetables. I serve it with no-bake Berry Delight and will publish the recipe soon.

Pack a picnic basket with a quilt, cloth napkins, a bunch of sunflowers and a hearty, yet healthy meal and enjoy the lingering beauty of the season and if you are lucky, a little night music.


Hearty Vegetarian Deli Sandwich
Choose the best-quality whole grain bread you can bake or buy. The filling of a deli sandwich should be at least as thick as both of the slices of bread.
     
      Lightly spread 

low-fat cream cheese 
      
     on both slices of

high-quality whole grain bread
     
     Stack half of the following ingredients on one slice of bread and the remaining ingredients on the  second

sliced Provolone cheese
sliced, peeled cucumber
sliced avocado
sliced tomato
sliced red onion
salad greens
salt and pepper
sliced Portabello mushrooms
     
     Sprinkle a small amount of 

Light Italian salad dressing on one half. 

     Carefully combine the halves, spear with a toothpick and wrap securely. Chill until time to serve. 

It’s that time of year again; if you haven’t downloaded your copy of 

Do it today!  For only $9.99 you will get dozens of delicious recipes, party plans, games, decor, costume ideas and activities to celebrate your favorite fall holidays. It is your best autumn entertaining value. 

Hi friends! My Pioneer Scavenger Hunt is now available on Etsy as a digital download. For the price of a greeting card you can download and print your own copy of this fun and educational game for your children, school or church group. Through fun engagement young people learn about the lives of pioneer children (what no ipads?) and has been enjoyed by groups from family-size to 100+ children. Just click on the link below, you don’t even have to walk 1300 miles for the experience!

Happy Pioneer Day,

 Pam 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/240583887/pioneer-scavenger-hunt

Newell took me to the Scottish festival and Highland games today in Lehi, Utah. 

All that gorgeous plaid in one place. Hi, my name is Pam and I am a plaidaholic. I love men in kilts, I mean I seriously adore them. I hope when I die, I am assigned to the Highlands in heaven and that the angels there play bagpipes and drums. 

Even on one of the most momentous days in my life, I couldn’t stay away from the plaid.

I loved the Highland games and all of the clan displays. My clans include the Stuarts (Stewarts), Holladays, Fifes and others. Since I have collected tartans and decorated for Christmas with Royal Stewart as long as I can remember, it made sense when I found out they were my relatives. And this unfortunate plaid addiction may be encoded in my DNA. No cure; I might as well enjoy it. 

The state flag of Alabama, where son Timothy is serving an LDS mission. My next project when he returns home is helping him find a nice young woman and convincing them they need to have the men in their wedding in kilts. Ahhh. 

Plaid even showed up on the front of my Halloween book. 
http://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Halloween-Handbook-Artisan-ebook/dp/B009PA8ON6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/pam-mcmurtry?keyword=pam+mcmurtry&store=nookstore 

And inside.

 I even dream in tartan. 

When my Christmas book is published, guess what will be on the cover? 

Well, it’s late; sweet dreams I’m signing off. 

When you are ready to hit the road, take along healthier snacks and diversions for more summer fun! This is an article I wrote for FamilyShare:

http://familyshare.com/family/the-open-road-beckons-healthy-and-happy-snacks-and-diversions-for-your-summer-road-trips

• Come away, come away, come away with me!
  As summer breezes begin to blow, the temptation to embark on an adventure becomes almost irresistible (do you remember the Wind in the Willows?) Here is a menu to fuel the energy of your wanderlust and set you on a course for a wunderbar journey. (Approved by my Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetic Educator husband.)
  Healthy and happy foods make for good traveling companions. If you eat mostly healthy food, you’ll feel better and will probably consume fewer calories than if you eat a lot of junk food. The cold things need to be in a cooler with ice and the rest can be packed in a cute container with compartments or in a basket that’s easy to get to. A friend always puts her veggies in mason jars with ice water. Don’t forget paper towels, wet wipes or wet washcloths in bags and a trash bag.
  Tip: My sister-in-law makes her husband stop once a day for a sit-down meal on long road trips. I like to pack a portable propane grill or chef’s single burner, a pot, spoon, disposable paper plates and bowls. You can heat up soup, and add a packaged salad or cook a simple meal, even oatmeal or eggs for breakfast.
  When you are trying to make good time on the road, here are some of our favorite snacks to pack for the journey.

• Drinks

  A cooler filled with ice and drinks will be your best friend on the road. Consider forgoing the usual sodas (sticky) and try some of these suggestions:
  Water and fruit-infused water in bottles (strawberry, orange, lemon, cucumber, etc.)
  Sometimes you need caffeinated soda for drowsiness. It can also be diluted half and half with water so it’s not so sweet, or try the diet variety.
  Fruit juices and nectars
  V8 and vegetable juices
  (Vernor’s) ginger ale for motion sickness
  Bring straws.

• Snacks

  A cramped car is the last place you want to jam a bunch of sugar-filled children. Give the traditional candy and chocolate bars a break on this trip and pack some of these items instead.
  Mixed nuts
  String cheese
  Whole grain crackers
  Popcorn
  Trail Mix: I don’t like raisins and sticky foods in the car, but we do have a great dry trail mix made with mixed nuts, M&Ms, whole grain cereal and candy corn.
  Confession: I like adding oat and marshmallow cereal (Lucky Charms), but you could make it healthier with whole grain oat or wheat cereal. Pack it in bags or keep it in a large container and scoop out small paper cupfuls to pass around:
  2 C plain M & Ms (about a pound)
  5 C mixed nuts or peanuts
  1 1/2 C candy corn
  4 C cereal
  Also: 
  Olives
  Fresh fruits: grapes, apples, bananas and cut up melon for older and neater eaters
  Fresh veggies: carrots, jicama, cucumber, grape tomatoes, celery, broccoli, peppers
  Sandwiches, wraps and pinwheels (tortilla rolls with cream cheese, meat, tomato slices and lettuce)
  Whole grain bagels and cream cheese
  When you know the trip will be long, don’t waste time stopping numerous times for food. Instead, why not consider packing a loaf of whole wheat bread and jars of peanut butter, honey or jelly (and a spreader). It’s a money-saver as well as a time saver on the road. You may also offer your hungry passengers these items:
  Yogurt in tubes
  Bar cookies are usually thicker and more stable than round ones
  Homemade granola bars
  More travel tips:
  Pack a Frisbee or football for quick and stretching workouts at rest stops. Be sure to find a safe place to play.
  Bring something soft and fuzzy like a stuffed toy or blankie for young travelers. Stroking something soft helps relieve stress. (The cat probably would rather be left at home.)
  Pack some sunscreen in the car for stops and sightseeing.
  Paint the back of a wooden tray with chalkboard paint and pack some chalk and a rag. If you don’t want crayons and markers in the car, the kids can still draw and play games and the tray can be used for snacks and a play surface.
  Busy books, paper dolls, toy cars and dinosaurs and simple travel games can be wonderful. You can get ideas and free templates on social media sites.
  Incentives: have a container of money in the car labeled with a list of forbidden actions like name-calling, whining, hitting, etc. If the kids get out of line, take out some of the money. Give them what is left for souvenirs and special treats.
  Buy a donut-shaped travel pillow for each passenger. They are heavenly for a quick snooze without waking up with a stiff neck.
  Check out a few well-written audio books from the library. You may tire of the constant interaction, conversation and “togetherness.” Put on a good story and relax; better yet, find a series. Listening makes the time pass faster, too. To keep the happiness meter up, we love good comedies by Dave Barry and Bill Cosby. Do your older children have books they need to read for school? You can knock out a reading assignment and have an interesting discussion to boot.
  You don’t have to leave your happy, healthy lifestyle on the side of the road. With a little preparation ahead of time, your family trip can be just as pleasant along the way as the anticipated destination.
• Beef jerky