Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween...enjoy a little Trick or Treating...and this easy recipe.  What better way is there to get everyone's stomachs ready for all that candy then these Mummies?!
  Eat, pray, love,
BrigetBrigette

Mummies on a Stick

Ingredients

• 1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated breadsticks
• 10 Popsicle sticks
• 10 hot dogs
• Prepared mustard

Directions

• Separate dough; roll 10 pieces into 24-in. ropes. Insert a Popsicle stick into each hot dog. Starting at the stick end, wrap one dough rope around each hot dog, leaving 2 in. of the hot dog uncovered at the top for the mummy head.
• Place mummies 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Place remaining bread sticks on another baking sheet.
• Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Add dots of mustard for eyes. Save leftover bread sticks for another use. Yield: 10 servings.

(Originally published as Mummies on a Stick in Taste of Home Halloween Party Food , p22)

House Cleaning Tips

I did not write this, but wish I had...I would love to work on getting into a daily or semi-daily routine so that I don't have to panic and spend hours when company is coming or it's just time to do it.

If anyone has any other tips or tricks, I'd love to hear them...please share by commenting to this post.

Eat, pray, love,

Brigette

How to Clean Your House in 30 Minutes or Less

Cleaning house can feel like a gargantuan task, especially when you’ve let things slide for a few days too many. But it doesn’t have to be such a time-consuming undertaking. By incorporating these easy tips into your daily routine and prioritizing the areas that have a knack for getting the messiest the quickest, you’ll find that keeping the house in order is as easy as pie. The only drawback is that now you’ll have to figure out what to do with your new-found free time.



Kitchen:

• Do the dishes or place them in the dishwasher after every meal. (5 minutes)
• Wipe down counter tops and stove with an all-purpose cleaner after cooking. (2 minutes)
• Wipe up any spills and sweep up any crumbs after eating. (2 minutes)

Bathroom:

• Keep sanitizing wipes under your bathroom sink so you can quickly wipe the countertop after each time you wash your face or brush your teeth. (2 minutes)
• Once a week, wipe the toilet and seat rim and clean the toilet bowl. By keeping the cleaning products within reach, you’ll be more likely to reach for them even if you’re not doing a major cleaning  (2 minutes)

Bedroom:

• If you’ve already started a load of laundry, don’t consider it finished until you fold and put away clean clothes. Doing it right away ensures you’re less likely to have piles of clean clothes on your bed. (5 minutes)
• Each morning, clear bedside tables of dishes, books, and reading glasses from the night before. (2 minutes)
• Get into the habit of making your bed every morning, the moment you get out of bed. You’ll be happy you made the time when you come home that night. (2 minutes)

Living Room:

• Every few days, wipe the tables with a microfiber cloth to pick up dust while you watch TV. (2 minutes)
• Break out the Dustbuster to swoop up crumbs on the floor and in the couch cushions. By doing this while you watch TV, you’re integrating the chore into your daily routine, instead of waiting for a deep-cleaning session. (2 minutes)
• Before retiring for the evening put away all entertainment gadgets, DVDs, newspapers, and games that have been left out. (4 minutes)

(This came from a post by DivineCaroline, on Mon Oct 10, 2011 - it's not my own, but I thought it was worth sharing.)

October in The Dells...

We actually had the opportunity to visit The Dells in the beginning of October this year.  We usually go the 3rd weekend of the month to celebrate our anniversary.  But this year it was the 1st weekend, and oh, how things are different at the beginning vs. the end.  You wouldn't think that two weeks would really make that big of a difference, but boy does it.

The first thing we noticed is that the trees still have leaves and they are starting to transform into the beautiful colors of fall that we all know and love.  The other thing that was very apparent is that people were still coming to visit.  There were people every where from downtown to the restaurants to the hotels.  And...things were still open for these people to come visit.

One of our favorite experiences in the Dell's to eat at Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty (http://www.paulbunyans.com/), but they close for the season the 2nd weekend of October.  So this year it was very exciting to drive into the parking lot and see lots of cars and know we were going to get that great, home-style breakfast we love so much.  (Isn't it funny what people get a kick out of?!)

So, if you get a chance to visit the Dell's in the fall...we highly recommend the first or second weekend of October...you won't be disappointed.  We are even thinking of changing our visits from now on, too...so you might see us there.  ;)