Monsters in the Kitchen

 Sugared decorations for cakes and cupcakes. The monster assortment. Sweeeet!

If, however, you want to keep monsters out of the kitchen, according to Bill Cosby, Jello on the floor has stopped many a monster.

Let me mention Stefan G. Bucher's amazingly wonderful Daily Monster drawings, too. According to Stefan, "The Daily Monsters are restless, and they've been waiting for your visit." Don't disappoint them.

Happy Halloween!!!

Trick or Treat

Look who showed up at the door yesterday looking for treats!

Coming soon: Watch for a Bento Box Gifts studio party! In the meantime, for more treats, haunt all the great shops and restaurants in West Reading, PA.

October Obsessions

It's true. I'm obsessed with monsters, but not in an unhealthy, "under the bed" kind of way.

Let me introduce you to today's monster. He's know simply as "Bendy Monster" and hangs out at my desk most afternoons.

Give him some love.

Feng Shui Auspiciousness

“Which is more important, work or health or happiness?” Good question. One author sets out to align her furniture with the conflicting principles of feng shui to create an auspicious space. After moving the bed from the wealth corner to the marriage corner and back again, she offers this good advice:


“I still move the bed every few months, gambling that a little bit of a stomach ache is a small price to pay for true love or that, since I need to work hard, it’s as well not to travel. I have discovered that I have only two fundamental rules: make sure that everywhere you might want to sit is soft and everywhere you might want to work is hard. Because wherever you can sit you can also sleep and wherever you can type you can also eat. From this evolve two simple rules. Do not sit on the stove. Do not type in bed. As for the rest, I shall simply have to wish for things to work out, like everyone else does.”


I want to credit the author of this piece but the page I pulled from the magazine {TASTE Magazine by Williams-Sonoma, I believe} doesn’t include her name. Contact me if you have info as to her whereabouts, please!

Local Treats

Maybe Reading, Pennsylvania isn't your hometown but anyone would enjoy this box of "Local Treats" from Berks and Lancaster Counties. My curated collection of favorites are a Holiday Gift Guide "staff fav" at Berks County Living Magazine. (Thanks, Kristin!) Makes a totally great hostess gift. Available at Firefly on Penn in West Reading, PA, or contact me here .

Did you know the Reading Museum has it's very own mummy?

Follow me for more gift ideas! Twitter : BentoBoxGirl

What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You

Milo, the October calendar cat, doesn't know it's November.

Things you might not know:

"How, oh, how, do I find a gift for [insert person who's hard to buy for here]? "Bento Box Gifts to the rescue!

I'm always on the prowl for good gifts. Visit Bento Box Gifts on facebook, browse the blog and and follow me on twitter at BentoBoxGirl for even more gift ideas.

Who's the hard-to-buy-for person on your list?

Important Dates

More!
Today, August 8th, is "Sneak a Zucchini on your Neighbor's Porch Day." Aside from abandoning your overabundance of produce in the middle of the night, celebrating the day with a chocolate zucchini cake sounds just fine. SCAD designer Megan Ave'Lallemant even has a greeting card for the occasion.

But seriously, if your garden is overflowing with more vegetables than you can eat, freeze, or turn into sauce, jam, or bread, why not share them? Grow and Share, is a local program that delivers fresh fruits and veggies to the Food Bank to fight hunger and poor nutrition in our area. Donating is easy, even if you're not a gardener; I just purchase an extra squash or melon or whatever and stash it in the ice chest at the Grow and Share outpost at my Farmers' Market. Great idea, don't you think?

Shower Me With Stars.
Wake up before dawn this week to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. Here's a sky watching guide from EarthSky and a great quote: "Remember, meteor showers are like fishing. You go, you enjoy nature…  and sometimes you catch something."

Enjoy August.
Download a calendar from Bento Box Gifts so you don't miss any other important dates this month. http://tinyurl.com/3rtn8o3