Glittered Pumpkin Candelabra

I got the urge to do something different in my dining area this Halloween season.  One day the idea popped into my head to put pumpkins over the lights.  The hardest thing about this project was finding these "old-fashioned" pumpkin buckets.  I finally found them at my local Walgreens for $1.99 a piece.  I had already measured my lighting fixture to know how much space there was between the individual "candles" and how tall the bucket needed to be.  I almost always have a tape measure in my large purse, so I knew that these would work before I bought them.

The first thing that I did was to drill the hole in the bottom of the pumpkins so that they would slip over the lighting fixture.  I used a 1" paddle bit on my hand held electric drill and it was super easy.  Messy, but easy!

I decided that I wanted to apply glitter to the pumpkins.  I used a set of  Halloween micro-glitter from Martha Stewart that I have had for at least two years.  They have fairly large jars, as far as glitter goes.  In a bowl I mixed a about 1 part black glitter with about 4 parts orange glitter.  I spread Mod Podge onto the pumpkin with a sponge utility brush.  It works best if you do small sections at a time and only work in a up-down motion.  Sprinkle the glitter over the glued sections and then move on.  I avoided the black parts until the end when I used a paintbrush to cover those areas with glue and then put black glitter in those areas.

I absolutely LOVE how the pumpkin candelabra looks glinting in the late afternoon sunlight.  I did learn a few things though:

•  I think that the project would have been just as good (and better for the perfectionist) without the glitter.  It is very hard to apply a perfectly even coat of paint, so there are variations in the amount of glitter in different areas of the pumpkins.
• This project used a LOT of glitter.  I needed another bottle of orange because I was getting skimpy on pumpkins 4 and 5.
• You may want to get different light bulbs.  I was not happy with the regular lightbulbs, so I purchased white night light bulbs and I love the eerie glow.  Plus, I don't mind leaving it on as a spooky night light.
• I really was not pleased with the lighted result on the first night that I created this project, but their imperfection has grown on me.  Everyone who has been in my house has loved them.
  



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins- Weight Watchers Style!

My DS decided this afternoon that he would like to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.  I absolutely LOVE www.AllRecipes.com , so we went and found a recipe with a four-and-a-half star rating and he got started.  Since we had big cans of pumpkin and he only needed half the can, I thought it would be fun to try a Weight Watchers friendly version (I am on week 3. . . 8.6 pounds down. . .woot!).  We were fully prepared to throw out our creations if they were nasty, but they weren't!  In fact, my DH thought they were BETTER than the regular version!  Go figure!!!

Here's our version:



15 oz pumpkin
2 1/2 C Splenda
2 single servings of no sugar applesauce
2/3 C water
3 eggs
2 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chocolate chips (mini might have been better)

Mix everything together and fill muffin cups about 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes.  You will want to bag them up when they cool so that they don't dry out.  This made 24 muffins.

PointsPlus Value. . . 3  (actually 2.6. . . so have two and don't feel too guilty!)