Outfit of the Week: Happy Halloween! by maggiebags on Polyvore featuring Maggie Bags Cicily Tote.
Outfit of the Week: Happy Halloween!
October 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Seven Fun Facts About Pumpkins!
October 23, 2014 By 1 Comment
October brings lots of orange onto the scene, doesn’t it? Even if you’re not in a temperate climate to enjoy the changing leaves, no doubt the doorsteps and storefronts of your neighborhood are crowded with those friendly orange globes: pumpkins!
Pumpkins are so common this time of year, I almost didn’t want to write about them. But in my research I read that most Americans don’t buy fresh pumpkins to cook and eat - they are mostly used as decoration and for carving jack o’ lanterns. I found this so surprising, given how people go crazy over pumpkin-spice-anything this time of year! I love cooking fresh pumpkin, especially in a delicious creamy pumpkin soup - so perfect for chilly weather!
I learned so many things about pumpkins beyond using them for recipes, that I had to share some of this pumpkin lore! Here are 7 fun facts about pumpkins:
- Pumpkins are a member of the squash family, which also includes cucumbers and your typical summer squash and butternut squashes.
- Pumpkins weren’t the first vegetable to be carved into fantastical faces! Nope. It was the lowly turnip the Irish used to carve before bringing their veggie carving tradition to America!
- The only continent you won’t find a pumpkin growing is… Antarctica!
- Pumpkins are almost entirely edible! Around the world, people eat the leaves, flowers, flesh, and seeds (shelled or unshelled!).
- Pumpkins are 90 percent water! Compare that to the watermelon which is 91% water!
- The United States grows over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin yearly!
- Pumpkin Chunking is a competitive activity in which teams use devices to try to throw pumpkins as far as possible! Sounds fun!
- Pumpkins are often featured in literature: Cinderella, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and even Harry Potter and The Nightmare Before Christmas. (Don’t forget Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin!).
I hope those facts give you a new-found fondness for the happy orange vegetable that appears every October!
What’s your favorite way to use a pumpkin? Did you know any of these facts already?
Julie is a New England family lifestyle blogger who loves partnering with her hubby to wrangle and entertain two inquisitive boys. She shares natural living, food, parenting, and educational ideas on her blog Happy Strong Home.
Outfit of the Week: Arrow
October 22, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Outfit of the Week: Charming
October 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Outfit of the Week: Charming by maggiebags on Polyvore featuring Maggie Bags Large SoHo Satchel in Sand.
4 Step Plan to Enjoy the Holidays
October 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Since the orange and black decorations are already full force in stores, with turkeys soon to follow, I’ve been thinking about how I can make this holiday season more enjoyable than last year’s. Don’t get me wrong, last year was wonderful, but I ended up so busy, I was rushed getting out my Christmas cards, and surprise, at least ONE person noted that I didn’t include my typical family letter and poem! Wow! They noticed!
I definitely regretted not having the time to pen my annual letter, and hope to avoid that time-crunch this year. So here’s my four-step action plan to enjoy the holidays so that you can also use it to make the holidays more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Plan it to a T!
Yes, we all want to be spontaneous, but I’m just not sure a season filled with scheduled parties and freak snowstorms is the right time for that. Leave spontaneity for those easy-going summer months. This time of year, a plan is your best recourse for smooth sailing. Things to plan out:
• Decorating - yes, put it on the calendar and then also mark down to get the boxes of decor out a few days in advance! I like to mark down a night to put together and mail out my Christmas cards as well!
• Shopping - some people like to go on Black Friday, others love to shop the sales of Cyber Monday. I prefer to go when all that dust has settled. Whatever your choice, mark it down, so you don’t accidentally plan a dentist appointment right on Cyber Monday when the latest promo code hits!
• Cleaning and Prep - you may need more than one day if you’re hosting family dinners. Mark down specific days to bake holiday treats so you allow yourself time to buy ingredients as well as to create your signature cookies and pies!
• Holiday parties - you likely know which gatherings you’ll be invited to - mark down tentative dates on the calendar. At the end of your planning, you’ll see if you really have time to attend other invites that come up. And, because you’ve planned, if you get an invite to a last minute shindig, you’ll breathe easily knowing everything else already has a date to get done!
Now that you have your main items on the calendar, decide if there are other holiday activities you’ll attend like a concert, drive through light show, etc.
The point isn’t to pack your calendar from end to end, but to make sure that every activity - including the prep work! - has a time assigned so you can get it done without stress.
You are What you Eat
So they say. I’ll be a Cinnamon Walnut Crescent Cookie every day during the holidays then! Holiday food is delicious, but many of us end up tempted to overindulge. Here’s my plan this year. Instead of sampling EVERYTHING, I’m going to only eat the treats I already know I love! Maybe I’ll have two. Focus on your favorites and you’ll not feel like you missed out on anything but the after-dinner bloating.
Set a Holiday Mood
Even if you don’t go all out decorating the house, yard, and your car, you can still set a holiday mood with a set of lights. Or some hand-drawn turkeys or trees from your kids. Light a pumpkin or candy cane smelling candle. It just takes a little touch of decor to bring a sense of the holidays into a room.
Tape up Christmas cards as they come in the mail. Make paper chain garlands. Even just a bit of leftover greenery from the tree stuck into a vase with a red ribbon can brighten a bathroom’s look (and smell!). You don’t have to decorate the whole house to have one pretty holiday space where you can relax.
Focus on what the holiday means for you
Are you happiest just spending time with family? Make sure that’s on your plan! Do you love the gifting part of the season? Perhaps you could host an ornament exchange. Hate the crowds and commercialism? Try shopping online or hand-crafting some gifts this year. Think deeply into what parts of the holiday season you love, and which drive you crazy. Then make time for the activities that lift your spirits, and kindly decline the other parts of this time of year.
I believe if I follow this plan (and you too!), the rush of the holidays will not blindside me this year, and I’ll be able to soak up all the moments with thankfulness and joy moving into the New Year!
Julie is a New England family lifestyle blogger who loves partnering with her hubby to wrangle and entertain two inquisitive boys. She shares natural living, food, parenting, and educational ideas on her blog Happy Strong Home.
Outfit of the Day: Fuschia
October 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Outfit of the Day: Fuschia by maggiebags featuring Maggie Bags Cicily Tote in Tuxedo.
Outfit of the Day: Crochet Scarf
October 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Outfit of the Day: Crochet Scarf by maggiebags featuring Maggie Bags Butterfly Bag in Cranberry.
Foodie Friday: How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
October 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Each year when fall arrives, I always enjoy seeing so much squash around - whether it’s decorating front porches or part of a meal. One of my favorite squashes is spaghetti squash. If you’re trying to eat low carb or simply just want to bump up the nutritional value of your typical pasta dish, spaghetti squash is the way to go. I was actually surprised that my husband was ok with substituting spaghetti squash for his pasta, but he said he liked the texture of it, not to mention the taste.
I was a little intimidated about roasting such a large item, but it was actually very easy! Without further adieu, here’s how to roast spaghetti squash. You’ll need a spaghetti squash, a large butcher knife, olive oil, salt and pepper.
1. Preheat oven to 425º and place aluminum foil over a large cookie sheet.
2. Cut rounded bottom off squash so that you can more easily stabilize it on your cutting board, then cut it in half vertically.
3. Use a small knife to go around the seeds area of the squash - remove seeds.
4. Brush olive oil over entire squash followed by a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
5. Roast for 30-45 minutes or until pulp is malleable. Do not overcook or pulp becomes somewhat mushy.
6. Let squash cool a bit before trying to handle it. Take a fork and use it along the pulp to “shred” it into strips.
Voila! You have roasted your first spaghetti squash! You can use this as a side dish as it’s quite tasty on its own or use it as a pasta substitute.
~Laura Owens, Maggie Bags
If you have ever posted a Facebook comment, retweeted a Maggie Bags™ tweet or seen one of our super cute sets on Polyvore then you have “met” Laura. Laura is all things social media for Maggie Bags™. Her passion is to connect with our customers in interesting and creative ways. When she is not connecting at work she is connecting with her family, relaxing with yoga or blogging from her cat’s point of view.
Outfit of the Day: Teal Pop
October 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Outfit of the Day: Teal Pop by maggiebags on Polyvore featuring Maggie Bags Campus Tote in Garnet.
Almost Sold Out - Save 25%
October 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Almost Sold Out!
These bags are going fast! We have very limited quantities left of these bag colors so be sure to get one before they are sold out. Use code ALMOST at checkout for 25% off through October 23.
Don’t Forget - Support Breast Cancer Awareness This Month
Purchase any pink bag during the month of October and we’ll donate 50% of the proceeds to support breast cancer research and awareness. Over 20 pink bags to choose from so shop now.
To get 25% off during Maggie Bags’ Almost Sold Out sale you must order online or by phone and you must use code ALMOST. This offer has no cash value and is not redeemable for cash. Offer valid through 11:59 p.m. Eastern, October 23, 2014. Not valid on previous purchases and cannot be combined with any other promotional offers.
