Julie's Favorite Things, Part 1 (Halloween Edition)
I may not be artistic, or know how to write code, I am a mediocre piano player, and a not-horrible cook, but if I am exceptional at anything, it is shopping. Not only shopping, though, but the finding useful stuff kind of shopping. And, because I am mostly a homebody these days, by choice, I need to let someone, ANYONE know about the useful, money-well-spent purchases I have recently made.
I would like to kick off, "Julie's Favorite Things," series with a Halloween edition. Because...Halloween is in 6 days!!!
I am not Oprah, and I am not a billionaire so I can't give away my favorite things, sorry!
But, I am here to share what I think are good purchases. If you agree, please let me know! I would love to hear from you.
As a mom, and a single one at that, I am constantly in search of things to help make my life easier. Clone of me? Sign me up. A robot that cooks my kids exactly what they want to eat? Take my money. Milk frother and steamer so I can save money by not going to Starbucks every day? Why not! Pumpkin Scraper Glove to help scrape out those stubborn seeds? Yes, please!
Here are some invaluable items I have recently purchased:
Pumpkin Carving:
Who else loves the idea of pumpkin carving, but hates how messy it is, how hard it is to get those damn seeds out, how hard it is to actually end up with what you want, and how dangerous it can be, especially with kids? If that is you, then check out the cool finds I snagged to make pumpkin carving (dare I say it) enjoyable!
Scraping the seeds out of the pumpkin is my least favorite part of pumpkin carving. It's messy, I usually break whatever tool I have decided to use, I never am able to get as many seeds out as I want, and it is time consuming. Not any longer, though, thanks to this handy device! It helps reduce not only the mess, but also the amount of time it takes to scrape out the seeds. It also comes with a rubber glove and a couple of carving tools. I purchased the Adult + Kid kit. For $2.00 more, it comes with a kid-sized scraper glove and rubber glove.
This is not your grandma's pumpkin carving kit. This is genius! So much easier than attempting to carve an elaborate design with a knife. Just use these "cookie" cutters and, voila! Safe, easy, and cool. I also ordered this rubber mallet to punch in the cutters.
I bought a new Halloween inflatable this year because our ghost from years prior got damaged somehow last year. It was unfortunate, but I really like the inflatable I got this year. It is a good mix of spooky, fun and cute, and is the perfect size for our front yard.
I have always wanted to make homemade ice cream, and what better time to do it than when the weather is getting cold. Ha! So, I ordered the Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment for the stand-up mixer I already had, and made some Halloween themed ice cream.
I used this simple vanilla ice cream recipe and used all organic ingredients. Except for the Halloween sprinkles, which were not organic, unfortunately.
The ice cream was DELICIOUS! I can't wait to make our next batch.
Not specific to Halloween, but my new milk frother and steamer is my favorite recent purchase. I don't drink coffee (I know, GASP), so I don't own a coffee maker or espresso machine or Keurig or anything that makes coffee. I used to drink a hot chocolate every morning, but I have been trying to follow the Eat Right For Your Blood Type diet (I will do a WHOLE post about this soon) to reduce inflammation and to feel better, and hot chocolate is not something I should drink every day (I am in the everything in moderation camp). Soy milk is healing for my blood type, so instead of drinking a hot chocolate every morning, I drink a cup of frothy steamed soy milk, and I love it!
Okay, now I have to go steam and froth some more milk.
See ya, BYE!
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