Happy "Fright" Day

BOO Cups



This Jello pudding treat was fun to make! You can have some fun with this rich chocolate dessert too! Click here for the Recipe. In the recipe search box at the top of the page, type in boo cups.

    You can really dress up your dessert with glassware. An ice cream sundae, banana pudding or cobbler looks even more delicious in a nice glass dish.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing Fall Decorating and Gardening Ideas

Thanks Val for sharing your beautiful home with us! Your Fall decorations are perfect. The tumbling pumpkins and gourds on the front steps add such a Harvest feel.

Love the touch of autumn color in your gorgeous pots. If you enlarge the picture you can see her iron pumpkin candle holder by the front door.

This Chiminea Jack-o-lantern is very popular this year.

Most of Val's plants are from The Arbor Gate.



This is a great piece for the kids at Halloween. Sparkley and fun. This piece is from the Roundtop Collection.

It's not too late to decorate!!!

         

First Impressions

Dressing up the Entrance

When a visitor comes to your door, its their first impression of your home. We know this in our heads, but it doesn't mean we have to settle or rush. Keep looking for a pot/pots that you really love. I call it a piece of art, my husband calls it a small investment. Pots last a long time, it's what you put in them that may not!

I went to The Arbor Gate, where I had help picking out the plants that would be hardy enough to last through winter. I took pictures of the pots with me to help decide which plants would be hardy, and beautiful for the upcoming holiday season.

Since my pots are enormous, they require 4 bags of soil each, yes each! I know, I cant believe it either. I was told that Rose Soil would be the best for the type of flowers that I chose to go with.

I used regular potting soil for the bottom half (for filler) of the pot and the Rose Soil for the top half, because that is where the plants will be actually sitting.

I chose to put my "White by the Gate Camellia", which is my evergreen shrub/tree toward the back. It will sprout snow white double flowers. I cant wait! This will be a nice backdrop to the bright colored cyclamen.

I chose these trees because I can leave them in the pots for about 5 years and then replant the Camellia trees in the ground. I covered the tree roots with the rose soil and left lots of room for my cyclamen.

I carefully arranged the flowers still in their plastic pots so that they alternate in color, I want to see what it will look like before I plant them. These cyclamen will have colorful blooms all season long.

These plants are "Grandola Scarlet" and "Grandola White" cyclamen, perfect for partial shade. Now, for the final finish...

I love my new entrance and I hope you do too. Thanks for stopping by!!

Arbor Gate

Don't let The Arbor Gate fool you, the first building you see may be small and definitely quaint, but there is so much to see here.

The very first thing I have to mention is the customer service. Not every nursery is as knowledgeable as The Arbor Gate or as friendly.

They have every size, shape and color of pottery here. You don't know how to care for your plants or want to learn how to grow herbs? No problem. They offer classes too. 

What a great setup for a snapshot.

You are probably trying to guess what this particular piece is....give up? It is a candelabra made of iron. You place a big candle in the middle. Gorgeous.  

More pottery and rows and rows of gorgeous, well cared for plants, flowers and herbs. I hope you are getting in the mood for planting some fall foliage......I just like saying foliage. That is a fun word..

This cute little building is Arbor Gate too...

The Arbor Gate Too, had the best and the most Halloween decorations I have seen so far this year. Now that's an entrance!

There are so many beautiful things everywhere, I was afraid that I might miss something....I guess that means I have to go back, just in case I did. 

Ok, this was my favorite part, something I had never seen before. A Fall Christmas Tree. If you click on the picture to enlarge you can see that the tree topper is a cornucopia. What a creative idea!

This tree had an adorable witch hat for the topper and the witch's arms and legs sticking out of the tree.

The arms and legs are made of wood. SO cute.

I think I am going to name this room the Jan Barboglio room.

Jan Barboglio creates decorative iron accessories embellished with glass or wooden accents.

More Jan Barboglio. These accessories are very popular in Cypress. 

This table is decorated with an article about Texas BBQ. Hmmmm, just the word Texas BBQ makes my mouth water.

Someone is getting ready for Christmas. I cant wait!!

www.arborgate.com/nursery.php  

Almost forgot, The Arbor Gate is located on FM 2920 right up Cypress Rosehill.

Homecoming Mums and Garters

The chrysanthemum is the Queen of the Fall Flowers

I thought everyone could use a little history lesson. I didn't know the history of the Homecoming mum, only that it was a tradition. It is not only a southern tradition, but a Texas tradition. So, when I was in High School, like a good southern young lady, I just took part in the tradition without ever really knowing why......Now that I have a son in high school, I really wanted to know how it all started.



Homecoming - 10/15/10



The first homecoming celebration dates back to the year 1911. University of Missouri Athletic Director, Chester Brewer, afraid that fans and alumnus would not attend the “big game” due to a change in location, devised a plan to add some excitement to the game. He challenged the alumnus to return home for a great celebration with parades, parties, a rally, and of course the big game.

 For many of us in the South, and for virtually all Texans, our introduction to the chrysanthemum is a corsage for the girlfriends/dates for the Homecoming football games.

TEXAS HOMECOMING!!



On their way to the "big game".



It’s once again homecoming season across the nation, but in Texas and Oklahoma particularly. Texas students take homecoming mums just as seriously as the homecoming football game itself. I think you can tell by the size of the mum and garter in this picture.

In Cypress, Texas the homecoming mum is an actual work of art. The silk flower has replaced the chrysanthemum as the centerpiece for homecoming mums, and you will find them decorated with dozens of charms, ribbons, bells, and even with the high school mascot, teddy bear or a special sport or interest that your date is involved in. The evolution of the “mum” has been a sight to see.

It is, in short, a fashion statement. A MAJOR fashion statement!

But homecoming mums are so much more than that. They are a sign that somebody loves you. They’re no longer given only by boyfriends.

Mums can come from friends, your mom, dad, aunt, really anyone. Anybody who's anybody wears one.

A homecoming mum can easily cost $100 and up...WAYYYY up! and weigh as much as 12 pounds!

Homecoming mums have become a status symbol for many high school students. Designs change every year. Now....the colors change by class, (ex. Senior mums may be gold and white, Juniors may be be red and gold only, everyone else red, gold and white etc.) When I was in High School (and we dont want to get into what year that was, I might cry). We only used our school colors. These days, the more original the better.