A CRAFTY APPETIZER & A MOST WONDERFUL ENGAGEMENT!

I have been having so much fun the past few days, so many exciting, happy things to talk about with you!  I'm starting with one of three bouquets of flowers that I got for a song at my grocery store.  The first time I've paid $$ for flowers since before spring, I think!  I will share the others in my next post.  Aren't these gorgeous?  Both are types of mums and last forever!  And I wanted to start my post with something pretty...

Are you tired of seeing my hand yet? lol!  In all it's various stages of healing I might add.  And it is now doing just fine.  Yep, big infection, my surgeon said some people react differently to the stitches.  Personally, I think the hand should have stayed dry until the stitches came out.  So I'm on antibiotics.  The morning I was scheduled to have the suture removal, I was awake and up at 4:00 a.m., although my appointment was at 8:50.  That's how fretful I was.  I was so nervous (and it WAS painful) that I babbled away while he snipped.  "So, you seem to like to get up early.  Are you enjoying the mild fall we're having?  Are you putting your garden to bed?  Do you have a garden?"  I came home and took the antibiotic and two pain pills and slept all afternoon.  It was quite blissful and I'm feeling so much better.  Funny, as I awoke from my nap feeling quite groggy to answer my phone, it was the hospital wanting to schedule my next surgery in 2 weeks.  I wanted to hang up on them.

I mentioned a hush hush surprise in my last post.  Well, here it is!  My oldest son, Jeff, proposed to his girlfriend, Deirdre, yesterday!  And she said YES!!!  Isn't that a gorgeous ring?  He had it made by his own design.  We all knew for several weeks after he had asked for permission from her father.  I have a very blurry video of the proposal, complete with him down on one knee.  The Husband and I cried while we watched it.  She was in such disbelief!  Jeff is very independent, and he holds people to very high standards (yes, we butt heads a lot!).  I think Deirdre is his match...very happy with her career and the traveling it requires, she's focused and fun and has great family values.  We've just loved her since Jeffrey "brought her home".

He didn't want anything over the top, he proposed in the early morning and then gave her warning...he had invited over 100 of their closest family and friends over for an engagement party that evening!  Well, a little chaos ensued, all the girl wanted was to go out and shop for a nice outfit and to have fresh flowers in all of the bathrooms! 

I bought this cake at the grocery store I go to, it has a fabulous bakery.  I didn't plan it, I was actually going to just get an assortment of sweets.  Red Velvet.  Sigh.

I offered to make an appetizer and saw that I had Pinned this recently.  And lucky for you, its not too late to make it in time for Halloween.  I'm going to give you the recipe as I fiddled a bit with it.  But it's here.  And it's very simple.

~~~~Cheese Ball Pumpkin~~~~

8 oz. cream cheese

10 oz. fine sharp cheddar

1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles

2 t. Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 t. celery salt

1/4 t. onion salt

A mixture of finely chopped walnuts (about 1/2 cup) and 1 t. paprika. 

Mix the first 6 ingredients well,  I used my KitchenAid mixer.  Mold into a pumpkin shape.  This was a little weird, and yes, I did it with one hand so I know you can do it, too!  It was like shaping a meatloaf and I was doing it on parchment paper.  It just wasn't looking right so I gathered the paper around it and rolled it around to make it a ball shape.  Voila!  Press the top down a bit if you want a "fatter" pumpkin!

I put the chopped walnuts in a gallon freezer bag and crushed them for the most part with a mallet.  I would definitely crush them more the next time, perhaps on pulse in a food processor? Just looks better without the larger pieces.  Then you can run a butter knife down vertically spaced every few inches to make the natural lines in the pumpkin.  For the stem I used a real one from one of my pumpkins on the porch.  I rinsed it well and then wrapped the bottom portion in plastic wrap so it wouldn't come in contact with the cheese ball.  And though this all sounds like a huge process, it took about 15 minutes.  Note***  I doubled the recipe to get the size you see in the picture.  It would be one tiny pumpkin if you followed the amounts above!  And it was delicious with Triscuit crackers.

There were so many delicious appetizers on the island already, Deirdre's family gave it their all.  And it was elegant.  Later in the evening 12 pizza's were delivered!

I flipped over these cookies.  It wasn't until I looked at my pictures today that I recognized the diamond rings in the middle!! :)

So this was one exciting night and I'm glad it all went down as Jeffrey wanted it to.  He was walking on air for the days before and channeling all his nervous energy into this.  He said that they had vaguely discussed marriage, but it was never a "plan".  The Husband and I are so happy that our son found such a great girl and he's embarking on a whole different stage of life.  And we love Deirdre already.  Mary Clare, Kevin's wife,  fit seamlessly into our lives.  She and her family are wonderful people and I'm so close to them.  And...another surprise, in the midst of the engagement party, MC got a call to go to the hospital, her sister Katie was in full on labor! 

Welcome Margot Brennan, born at 3:10 a.m.!  Healthy and cute and her parent are bowled over.  You have read about Katie and Kevin's love story here.  Oh, I can't wait to hold that bundle of cuteness!  Again. MC's family is like family to us.  I love each and every one of them.

The Husband and I also met Deirdre's family for the first time last night.  Her father, mother and sister are just the nicest people, very Irish (just love brogues!).  How I love these people already!  I think we will be great friends.  What is with all those horror stories of in laws?  We are loving it.  Maeve and I will be friends and future grandmother's together!  I am so lucky!

All play and no work...a week from now I will be in Asheville!  The last time we took a trip, back in May when we were gone over 11 days, I had a luggage packed over the limit and having to shamefully open my suitcase in front of strangers in order to not pay $75.00 extra, I have no intention of doing it again.  Not so positive...the weather changes everyday this time of year...heavy sweaters, jackets, boots and plain old flats.  Very positive, our condo has a washer/dryer.  I am going to be a very 'mix and match' girl so I can wear a few things over and over.  Totally against my nature of wanting to have a whole look every day, but it will work whether I like it or not!

These are a pair of shoes I've been longing for that I recently purchased on Zappo's.  I love the cutout on the sides.  And the ankle strap makes for a flat that fits perfectly.  If they are too tight, ugh.  Too loose, they flop off at the heel.  Love them with skinny jeans rolled up a bit.  Oh, I love vacations and the excuse to shop beforehand!!  :)

That's it for now.  I will be back again later in the week!

Joining Cindy at Amazing Mondays!  Please visit to see so many amazing things!!

Jane xx