While fall isn't technically over until December's Winter Solstice, now that the trees outside my window are mostly bare and Halloween has passed, my attention will turn to holiday preparations and hibernating at home as nights grow long and temperatures cool. I've loved sharing autumn's splendor with you from my home in Connecticut. If you've never experienced a New England autumn, I hope you'll make an early resolution to plan a fall foliage trip in 2007.

It's time for me to quit blogging and concentrate on raking before the first snowfall. I hope you have many wonderful memories of this fabulous fall season and abundant reasons to be thankful during the final months of 2006. ~Kim

"It's Halloween, Mommy!" Who needs an alarm clock with a four-year-old in the house? My little Ariel will be trick-or-treating twice today, first at nursery school and then in our neighborhood this evening. I'll be chaperoning this morning's outing, and my husband will do the honors tonight so that I can be home to greet all of the little ghouls who stop by.

If your kids will be banging on doors this evening, it's important to review these safety tips. It's also a good idea to have a candy consumption policy in place before they get home with all of that sugary stuff. Personally, I'm in favor of the one-treat-a-day rule.

Well, I still haven't carved our pumpkin, still haven't strung up spiders and ghosts and still need to get ready for this morning's treat-gathering expedition, so it's time for me to fly. Have a very happy--and safe--Halloween!

P.S. My mother-in-law and I are headed to a Vermont spa this weekend, and I highly recommend that all mothers plan a post-Halloween girls' getaway. A quick escape will restore your sanity and keep you away from the temptation of all of that candy!

That is the question now that Halloween is just days away. If you decide to carve a jack-o'-lantern, read these tips first, and browse these free pumpkin carving patterns for inspiration.

If cooking is your choice (pumpkins are nutritious and low-carb, after all), try serving something orange for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and a snack with these recipes for pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin gnocchi, pumpkin chocolate cheesecake and low-fat pumpkin bites.

And whether you carve or cook... be sure to scoop out, season and toast your pumpkin seeds.

_{Jack-o'-lantern photo © 2004 Kim Knox Beckius.}

Most of us in the U.S. will be turning our clocks back one hour tonight in preparation for the end of Daylight Saving Time at 2 a.m. Sunday. Sure, you could catch a few extra zzzs, but here are five other ways to spend that extra hour today:

1. Make your own Bubbling Bath Salts, then luxuriate in a fragrant tub.
2. Play old-fashioned board games with your kids.
3. Upload all of those digital photos you have stored on memory cards or your hard drive so that friends and family can finally see them.
4. Prepare your holiday budget and shopping list so that you won't add financial stress to your life in the months ahead.
5. Transform your bedroom into a clean, clutter-free sanctuary so that you'll get a peaceful night's sleep even when you don't have an extra hour.

Don't forget--this is a good time to replace the battery in your smoke alarm and to change your toothbrush, too.

Did You Know? Daylight Saving Time will begin earlier and last longer next year.

Costume? Check. Plastic pumpkin? Check. Homemade Halloween treats for the kiddies? Er... no. I've agreed to chaperone my daughter's nursery school trick-or-treating outing on Tuesday, and I realized last night that I can't bring in either of the candies I've purchased--Butterfingers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups--because they contain peanuts. Her school is a peanut-free zone due to the risk posed to children with peanut allergies.

Usually, by this time of year, I've made at least one batch of my famous Pumpkin Chip Cookies--they're just Toll House Cookies with butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips. But I've been so busy that baking has been the last thing on my mind.

Looks like I'll have to fire up the oven this weekend. If you'll be baking a batch of Halloween treats, too, here are 10 recipes that will delight little goblins:

1. Sugar Skulls
2. Chocolate-Covered Cherry Mice
3. Squashed Frogs
4. Monster Munch
5. Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
6. Baked Caramel Corn
7. Freaky Fudge
8. Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats
9. Chocolate Spiders
10. Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

My daughter and I just got back from an invigorating leaf walk. Now, the question is... what can we do with all of these leaves? Usually, we press them or make leaf rubbings, but I'm in the mood to try something new. This leaf print craft project sounds easy enough, although maybe a bit messy. We could make leaf people, but I'd have to run to the craft store to buy googly eyes.

Oh, here's an idea... we can make a leaf collage. Or, better yet, we can trace her arm and paste the leaves to create an autumn tree that is also a personalized memento of our time spent playing in the leaves.

I put off decorating for Halloween because I was busy getting ready for my litte girl's mermaid-themed birthday party. Last night, after the family had gone and the dust had settled, I had an ingenious idea for making this place look spooky in a jiffy. I'll simply leave the fishnet hanging above my doorway in place, swap the green and blue balloons for orange and black ones, and replace the dangling fish and seahorses with spiders and ghosts! If you don't already have fishnet hanging in your house, you can still decorate for Halloween in a hurry. Here are five quick ways to get ready for the holiday:

1. Make garbage bag ghosts faster than you can say, "Boo!"

2. Delve into your kids' or your own collection and decorate with scary action figures.

3. Craft an easy but adorable witch wreath.

4. Mix up your own goopy slime with just three ingredients.

5. Use Halloween clip art to trace designs onto brown paper bags. Cut out the patterns, then insert candles to make spooky luminarias.

_{Mermaid party photo © 2006 Kim Knox Beckius.}

Now that we know it'll be the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 World Series, which gets underway tomorrow, it's time for you to make an important decision. Will you host a World Series Party?

The Tigers have been the oddsmakers' pick to win the Series since mid-summer, and if you're a Detroit fan, it'll be easy to whip up the city's signature Coney dogs. In St. Louis, they like their toasted ravioli (here's a recipe), which sounds a bit more involved, but it's always nice to root for the underdog.

As for me, I'm still knee deep in mermaid party preparations (update: I found my daughter an adorable polka-dot dress), so if anything, I'll make a big plate of nachos and hope the best team wins.

From New York City to L.A. and in Boston, Chicago, DC, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Minnesota, too, more than 200 spas are offering $50 treatments in honor of Spa Week, which runs through October 22. At this great price, Spa Week is the perfect time to try something new.

If it's your first time at a spa, you may feel a little bit intimidated. I still remember my first massage; I left my bra on, which made the therapist's job rather tricky! Since then, though, I've become much more adventurous, allowing myself to be scrubbed with maple sugar, massaged with lavender flower body butter and even slathered with pumpkin goop.

But enough about me. If you live in a Spa Week city, make your appointment now, and pamper yourself before the stressful holiday season arrives. If you don't, then concoct your own body scrub, turn on some soothing music, and treat yourself to a relaxing spa experience at home.

Your Spa Questions Answered

• Which spa treatment should I choose?
• What are the different types of massage?
• Do I have to get naked?

Are you throwing a party this month? Then, like me, you're probably starting to panic. Whether it's a pumpkin decorating party, a scarecrow making soiree, a Halloween monster bash for grown-ups or a child's birthday party, there are so many things to do in advance if you want the event to go smoothly.

My daughter's mermaid-themed birthday party is this Sunday, so I have a lot to accomplish in the next six days. This morning, we got her hair trimmed and ordered an Ariel cake, but we still don't have a party dress after shopping at three stores, and we didn't find the ocean-scented candles we were searching for, either. I just printed out this checklist to help me get my house clean and ready for the festivities, but I can't seem to find a recipe for a blue-colored punch anywhere (although I think the adults will like these Blue Hawaii drinks!).

At least it should be easy to find a birthday present. With the recent release of The Little Mermaid on DVD, there are Ariel toys galore in all of the stores.