Pumpkin Snacks, Mystery Novels and Fall Craft Ideas

Pumpkins, Mysteries and Crafts

What do pumpkins, books and crafts have to do with one another?  They all are appearing in today's post!  I enjoy doing posts that share a variety of topics and today I'm giving you ideas for great Fall snacks, books and an easy peasy craft that anyone can do. 

I haven't been to the Trader Joe's here until last Saturday when I decided to see what this store has to offer. I found these Organic Pumpkin Spice Granola bars and decided to give them a try and, oh my goodness, are they ever good! I haven't gotten on the "all things pumpkin" bandwagon in previous years, but these babies may change that. 

I also spotted these pumpkin biscotti and decided to give them a try. Yumm....!!!  The spice is just enough, not overpowering, and it's definitely hard to eat just one! I have a feeling that when these are gone, I'll be back at Trader Joe's!

I can honestly say that these Trader Joe's pumpkin snacks are delicious!

Now that we've got the snacks covered, how about a couple of good books to read while you eat?  I recently discovered a new mystery series that I am really enjoying. The series is "Secrets of Mary's Bookshop" and is part of the Guideposts series of books. There are several different series published by Guideposts such as the Church Choir Mysteries, Tearoom Series, etc. I had previously read some of the Church Choir Mysteries, but they didn't catch my interest. So, I was delighted when I discovered the "Mary's Bookshop" series and really enjoyed reading the first one. 

At this point, I am reading my third book of this series. I enjoy the character of Mary Fisher, who has moved back to Ivy Bay in Cape Cod after being widowed. Mary spent many summers in Ivy Bay as a child and she returns to live with her sister, Betsy, and to achieve her lifelong dream of opening a bookstore. While selling books and renewing childhood friendships. Mary also gets involved in solving many mysteries. The one thing I don't like about this series, is that several different authors write the books. While the story lines and characters are consistent, it is possible to tell that different authors are writing. But, so far at least, I am still enjoying the series and recommend it to others. I have been lucky enough to find these books at our local used bookstore. They are also available on Amazon, so I can get more titles there. Not sure if the library carries these. 

I recommend the Guideposts "Secrets of Mary's Bookstore" series. 

Now, we've covered great snacks and good books. How about an easy Fall craft?  I'm a big peanut butter eater and I recently did a cupboard clean out and discovered a few almost empty jars. Oops, how did that happen?!  Anyway, I cleaned these jars thinking I would stick them in the recycling bin when an idea hit me. Why not up-cycle these jars into something useful? 

Why not add a little pretty Fall ribbon around a jar and turn it into a cotton ball holder for the bathroom?  It's so pretty and just what I needed in my bathroom!

This jar makes a great covered drink holder.  I added some color by cutting scrapbook paper to size and wrapping it around the jar. The Mr. drilled a hole in the lid for me and I added a matching color straw. How pretty and easy is that?! This is great for taking cold drinks with you in the car. 

Using empty peanut butter jars for other uses like storage and beverage holders is a fun and easy Fall craft!

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Let me know what you think of these snacks, books and crafts. Would you try any of them? By the way, have you noticed the blog looks a bit different? Along with a new blog name, I fashioned a theme redo and hope you like it! Hope you'll leave a comment and make my day!

Wishing You Joy,

Debbie