No tricks…just treats here!
How spoiled are we? One of my best friends, Cassie, sent me a large surprise package.
“Happy belated birthday and happy Halloween!”
She knows me oh so well! Get a look at all those fun goodies!
We’ve been best friends since our freshman year of high school And haven’t looked back.
You know, we have been living in South Korea for quite some time now. There are still just so many different things on my list that I want to get out and experience while living on this peninsula. This weekend we had a change of plans, so we decided to tackle one of those touristy things on that little old list of mine.
I STILL love being a tourist! It just doesn’t get old to me.
We headed into Seoul and took a Han River cruise at night.
The river is such a beautiful part of the city of Seoul. There are various tours that you can take to enjoy the Han River. We ended up taking the hour and a half cruise at night for only 15,000 won per person, roughly $15.00. What a great option to admire the city and its lights in the reflection of the water.
Prepare yourself for some photo overload…
We were just taken away with all the bridge and building structures. Speaking of bridges, half way into the tour the boat goes underneath the Banpo Bridge. Once it gets to the other-side, it turns itself around and waits for a few brief moments. After those few moments pass, you get to see a spectacular water and light show. What a treat! The Banpo bridge fountain is the worlds longest bridge fountains in the world. Wait to go Korea!
The fountain is programmed to play various shows throughout the day and into the night. At night we learned that the fountain has 200 multicolored lights. These rainbow like lights illuminate the fountain and are synchronization with music. How peaceful!
After the show, once everyone got in the opportunity to snap pictures of themselves. Kimchi! The boat announces that it will be going back under the Banpo bridge. If you don’t want to get wet, move under the boats awning area. Some did not listen nor care and got soaked. You know me, with the cool Autumn night air coming off of the river, It didn’t take me very long to seek out shelter.
How long have you been in your city? Do you like to do touristy things too? What are some of your favorites?
I remember looking forward to a Friday night as a child. Some of those Friday nights included school dances, while others included football games, a sleepover, and earlier on (dating myself here) watching TGIF on TV.
As an adult I still look forward to my Friday nights just as much as when I was a child, if not even more.
It’s been one of those scramble brained weeks. You know, the kind that you misplace your cellphone, later discovering when getting out your lunch you accidentally put it in the refrigerator earlier that morning. Yes, the kind of week where you put your full carton of milk in the kitchen pantry, luckily realizing that you did just that right before walking out the door. Or, last but certainly not least, the kind that you wastefully print 15 envelopes out, incorrectly mind you, while trying to get your absentee ballot request out. Ugh! all my defeated little brain could think after that fiasco was, “no wonder so many people do not vote..” (Don’t worry, it went out in the end!)
Do you ever do these sort of things? Have those sort of weeks? Find yourself slowly losing your mind? Do you chalk it up to age? HA HA! Typically at work I say, “This getting old business is for the birds.” Really, it is! Perhaps there is a need for ginkgo bilobain my near future too?
I think we can all agree when I say TGIF!
Tonight for dinner we Bees decided on our favorite place for a bite to eat. It was exactly what I needed. Happy heart and full belly.
Happy Friday!
A great man once told me, “Take a handful of mixed jelly beans with some peanuts and pop them into your mouth for a sweet and salty combination.”
🙂
I am undoubtedly my grandfather’s granddaughter.
We both enjoy the finer things in life…
You know what I am talking about..
S W E E T S!
There is no denying where this sweet tooth of mine comes from.
Pumpkin Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 cup puréed pure pumpkin
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Oops, I forgot this in the photo)
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
Combine all of your ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Whisk, whisk, whisk. Pour everything into your ice cream maker and hit start. Pop into the freezer a bit longer.
Done, easy as that! If you desire sprinkle with a few chopped up pecans and cinnamon. Mmm!
Oh no.. that is not the only pumpkin treat baking in the Bee’s kitchen this afternoon.
No, Halloween didn’t come early.. that isn’t some scary Witch waiting by the oven.. It’s all nat-ur-allll me!
Pumpkin Sticky Buns
I may or may not have practically drank the cream cheese frosting.
Thankfully this isn’t live TV. ha ha! So you all will never really know.
Goodness, before you know it… “just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling”..
Sorry, I couldn’t contain myself. But really.. it’s right around the corner. I couldn’t be more delighted! We Bees have so many blessings to celebrate this year.
My heart skips right out of my chest when I think about how much I love to give gifts, send out greeting cards, see the lights, decorated trees, capture memories on my camera.
Oh, and of course SEEING our family and dear friends too!
Anyone want to share pumpkiny recipes? Brews, stews, bakes, etc. I am all eyes and ears.
Do you ever have those days where your body feels like it could stay in your comfy bed all day long? That is exactly how Bean and I feel this morning. I think last night I committed some sort of social crime and took my 20 something body to bed before 10pm on a Friday night, my 9-year-old heart could hardly fathom it.
Look at that fog. That was this morning outside of our place. The closer we get to Halloween the fog always reminds me of some eerie Tim Burton movie, like the nightmare before Christmas. Gosh! I used to watch that movie over and over again as a child, while spending the weekends at my grandparents, eek. Do you think that’s something to be concerned about? I think if it was good enough for the Grandparents, and they still love me today, so it’s okay… Right?
The sun is slowly burning off the fog now, I love seeing the rays shine through the thick air. I am feeling more energetic as we speak. Guess now is as good of a time as any to take the first step out of bed, but not without my pink Hello Kitty slippers.
Enjoy your weekend ahead!
6AM rise and shine!
Taking in the beautiful orange glow of the October morning sun.
Doesn’t the sun look like it’s melting into the ocean below?
The October sky has us all under a spell tonight. The pinky, bluish, and purply hues are so magical. I could sit and stare out at the beautiful sky all night. I can’t help but think of the Indian summer nights in our home state of Pennsylvania. I’d sit on the back patio for hours at our home, my grandparents, or my in-laws and just be completely wrapped up in the moment.
Those memories may seem so far away right now, but oh how they comfort and sooth my wee little bee heart.
What does October look like tonight where you are?
“Well, you can’t have a dream
And cut it to fit
But when I saw you, I knew
We’d go together
Like a wink and a smile.”
Oh Ms. Bean, you are a riot!
We have purchased you numerous kitty beds, and yet you still insist on the comforts of a box.
Last night Mr. B could hardly contain himself, he walked into our bedroom and burst out laughing. I was snuggled under the covers already for bed, and there was Ms. Bean in her box already for bed too.
He said, “you two belong together.”
He’s right, we belong together like a wink and a smile 😉
Oh silly Bean! You brighten our world!
Dear friends,
Isn’t Fall so enchanting? there is just something about fresh apples, pumpkins, the colorful mums, the fog around the mountain peaks in the distance when driving to work in the morning, breaking out my cardigans, getting to see the leaves change, feel the difference in the weather, cooking big batches of soup, sip on something pumpkiny or cinnamony, Charlie Brown, scarves, boots with knee socks, snuggling in my comfy goose down comforter to watch my favorite movie with one of the large living-room windows open in the evening, the fact the moon comes much earlier and shines so brightly.
I love reminiscing about my childhood in the fall. The simple days of scooping up a huge pile of crisp colorful leaves when they would fall, and jumping in them. If we were home right this very second I know what Mr. B and I would be doing, why going to the Bloomsburg Fair of course. I’d also be finding reasons to make multiple trips to Starbucks to get my hands on their sweet treats and autumn drinks. Unfortunately the Korea Starbucks do not serve either in recognition of fall. 🙁 (Currently open and willingly accepting donations) he-he-he! Just kidding, we will survive.
AH! Everything about Fall screams comfort to me. I just cannot get enough of it.
What’s your favorite season? The older I get, I realize more and more how much I enjoy getting to see the seasons change. I was so blessed to have the opportunity to grow up on the North East coast where I’d see and experience these magical changes every year.
Good Morning,
The weekend has been very quaint and quiet. Very peaceful. I made sugar and cinnamon roasted mixed nuts, twice (EEk!) oOOOoh but the house smelled so divine! Celebrated a good friends 30th (surprise) birthday. I sipped hot tea, enjoyed the morning sunlight peering into the windows with Bean, and took Velma out for a spin among the marshmallow-clouded sky. Perfect in my book!
Hope you all had quaint and quiet ones too.
Sugar & Cinnamon Roasted Mixed Nuts
Ingredients:
1 Tsp Cinnamon
3 Tbsp Sugar -or- Splenda
1 Cup Mixed nuts
1 1/2 Tbsp Melted coconut oil (Or, if you are not a fan of coconut oil try grape-seed)
Lets get cooking!
Preheat your oven to 325F or 160/170C. In a mixing bowl, mix all of your ingredients except for your mixed nuts. Once all mixed, toss in your mixed nuts, combine. Spread nuts in a single layer on foil or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Roast 15-20 minutes or until lightly toasted and you see your desired level of brownness. (Be careful! The sugar can have a tendency to burn if you let it go to long). You may lightly dust the final product once you take out of the oven if you desire.
For fun you can try adding in a pinch of brown sugar, or a pinch of nutmeg, even shredded coconut flakes are fun too! (Say’s the girl who despised coconut growing up)
Don’t say I didn’t warn you when your house is smelling incredibly sumptuous after about 5 minutes of these little gems roasting in your oven.
Enjoy!
