Ghostly Pumpkins

Pet safety on Halloween

2010-10-12T15:10:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago I posted about safety for both kids and parents. Today I will be talking about safety for pets. Yes, that's right...pets. We adore our pets and they are an important part of the family. I call them fur-babies (in general) and I and like many others would not want to see them harmed in any way. Here are several safety tips to avoid accidents and ensure your pet's safety this Halloween:

* Keep all candy well sealed and out of reach of all pets. Make sure all wrappers are discarded and your pet is not able to dig them out of the trash. This can cause intestinal blockage. This could also result in vomiting and ingestion of chocolate can especially be toxic. Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures.

* Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur.

* Place festive decorations out of reach of pets. Stay away from small or low-hanging items, or even large items with parts that could appeal to pets. Ingestion could cause choking or result in the need for surgery.

* Designate a secure spot for your pet inside your home, since traffic to and from your house may increase dramatically on Halloween night. This helps to reduce anxiety that it may cause your pet and cause it to run away.

* Exercise caution when walking your pet outside. Frequently scan the ground for dropped candy that your pet may want to consume.

* If you dress your pet for Halloween, make sure the pet enjoys such things. Make sure the outfit is roomy, reflective and fire retardant. An item of clothing that is too tight could cut off circulation and/or choke your pet. Make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe, and doesn’t restrict her movement, vision, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Avoid costumes with small or dangling accessories that she could chew off and possibly choke on. Make sure an adult supervises pets in costume at all times.

* It’s not a bright idea to keep lit pumpkins around companion animals. Pets can knock them over, and curious kittens especially run the risk of being burned.

* Don’t leave your pet in the yard on Halloween. There have been reports of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen and even killed pets on this night.

* It is especially important to keep your feline inside for several days before and after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk from children’s pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. As a safety precaution, many shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween.

* IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

Halloween Safety

2010-09-30T12:23:00.002-06:00

With Halloween a month away I thought I'd post some Halloween safety for both children and adults.

For children:
* Look both ways before crossing the street.
* Don't eat candy without your parents permission.
* Don't eat opened candy.
* Use face paint instead of masks if possible. Masks may cause vision and breathing restrictions.
* Carry a flashlight.
* Go to only homes that have a front light on.
* Accept treats at the door--don't go inside a stranger's house!
* Use sidewalks. If there are none then walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.

For Parents:
* All children under 10 yrs. old should be trick-or-treating with an adult.
* Try to make children's costumes a lighter colour. If not possible, use reflective tape for easier night visibility.
* Your children's costumes should fit properly and not be too long. If possible, get ones that are fire retardant.
* Plan a trick-or-treat route for your children.
* Feed your children a nutritious meal before going trick-or-treating as this can help prevent them from eating treats before being inspected.

Browsing the isles...

2010-09-21T10:50:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I finally got the time to browse the isles in Walmart in their Halloween section without kids I might add happily! That meant I could take my time to look and not have to feel rushed or hearing the usual..."I want a drink of water" or "I need to go potty!" or hearing them whine saying they are tired and want to go home. Someone like me who doesn't get a chance to go anywhere alone without the kids is truly a blessing for me.
There they had many outdoor/indoor lights to hang whether they be in the shape of pumpkins or bats or whatever, then the large outdoor figures that you have blown up. I passed by all those without a second look. There were an array of costumes and I hope that I can get the kids what they want to be before they are all snatched up by others. There were alot of fairy and princess stuff with wings, wands, lots of nylons of different kinds. They had different trick or treat bags and containers for little ones to carry and keep their precious candy hoard but I prefer using the pillowcases. They are stronger, easily just toss them in the washer to clean and bigger. ;)
Onto the masks...not so much gore this year but creepy/scary looking. So I carefully proceeded to look through them all to find an old woman's facemask for my own costume. The one I chose was a witch. (there are a couple different ones of what they termed 'witch') It looked more of an old woman's face with a red and white checkered scarf for around the head which will be perfect to hide anything I need to around the mask and to make it look more real and not clumsily put together.
Before I had gone to the store to browse I had taken the baby sleeper and stuffed it with stuffing from old stuffed animals that were too old to pass on and were no longer used. No need to waste the stuffing and save money to boot! I sewed the mittens on as well and along the snaps on the body of the sleeper so no stuffing will peek out. It's slowly coming along and I think in a couple weeks or so I will be finished...depending on if I can find a large black dress to wear. I might have found a dress...but it's not black...it's more of a dark blue denim that I think if it comes down to it I will buy it (It's at the Salvation Army clothing store just a block from my house)

Signs of Halloween

2010-09-14T16:12:00.004-06:00

Besides the usual display of Halloween magazines that are out and have been since the last week in August (at least here they were) there are now other tell-tale signs of Halloween. First was the dollar store getting their shelves stocked after school started. Walmart is now getting their shelves stocked. In the dollar store I found a great wooden cane for my costume! :D My only concerns are to find a large dress...everything else isn't a problem to find.
With the chill in the air I went to the Salvation Army to see what they have for sweaters for what I have a feeling will be cold this year. On one rack were some used Halloween costumes. Now there were none that I could use or have my kids use. My youngest daughter wants to be a tiger and my son a bat. All I need is to find a black sweater and he is done...just a matter of putting it together. My older daughter can't seem to make up her mind so we shall see what the stores have for costumes and maybe she will finally decide. lol! I don't blame her...so many costumes and you have to just pick one! Not fair! LOL!
Another sign of Halloween...at least in this house is my kids bugging me over and over every day once school started to decorate for Halloween...every year! lol! This year it's my older daughter who is doing the most bugging, whining and pleading. I told them I don't decorate till AT LEAST the 15th of October. But she is stubborn like me so I relented...sort of. I decided to bring up the Halloween movies last night so perhaps that might make them content for a little while...either that or it will backfire and cause them to be even more impatient and bug me all the more. LOL! We shall see. I will try to prolong it as long as I can and as close as I can till the end of the month.

Halloween Magazines

2010-08-25T14:01:00.004-06:00

Well the Halloween Magazines are now starting to fill the shelves in full force. Off I was to go to pick up a few things I needed to make supper when Vic calls me on his cell to let me know at the drug store they had sales, etc. But what made my ears perk up was him telling me of all the Halloween magazines he saw out on the rack. I go over to discover there were about four or five there!
With three young ones I couldn't take my time to browse through them all so I flipped the pages quickly to make sure there wasn't any that was just all recipes. I picked one and off I went. (I always pick just one at a time) I got home to put things away and such and when I finally had some time to sit and relax I looked through it and I have to say I am impressed with what was inside.
Better Homes and Gardens has a magazine (as pictured) with something for everyone. There are actually some ideas here that I've never heard nor seen before and I'm thrilled to say its full of great stuff that I don't have to tear just a few pages out to put in my Halloween binder...just about the entire magazine is a keeper so I'll be keeping it intact and will be able to enjoy looking through it over and over. :)

Weird Halloween Trivia

2010-08-25T10:57:00.003-06:00

Halloween stirs up all kinds of phobias, and many may be feeling creeped out by the festivities this year.
Some suffer from the following fears:
* Fear of cats = ailurophobia
* Fear of ghosts = phasmophobia
* Fear of Halloween = samhainophobia
* Fear of the dark = nyctophobia
* Fear of witches = wiccaphobia
* Fear of the number 13 = Paraskavedekatriaphobia
* Fear of cemeteries = coimetrophobia
* Fear of spiders = arachnophobia

It was believed that black cats were witches’ familiars and protected them.

Vampire bats do exist, but not in Transylvania. They are typically found in Central and South America where they feed on horses, cattle or birds.

If you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, legend says you will see the face of your future spouse.

It is also believed that if you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you.

If you have a unibrow or unusually long middle fingers, then you just might be a werewolf, otherwise known as a lycanthrope.

In France, more than 30,000 werewolf cases were tried between 1520 and 1630.

It's illegal to sell a haunted house in New York without informing the buyer.

Trick-or-treating is an Irish tradition, based on a custom where wealthy landowners would give food to the poor on Halloween night, believing ghosts would look favorably on them for doing so and spare them from mischief.

There is a poisonous mushroom called a jack-o'-lantern. These mushrooms are a bright orange-yellow in color and on rainy nights they appears to glow in the dark.

The first Frankenstein film was produced by Thomas Edison in 1910.

A pumpkin is a berry in the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes melons, cucumbers, squash and gourds. All these plants are native to the Americas.

The 13th

2010-08-13T10:23:00.002-06:00

Happy Friday the 13th! :)

Found one!

2010-06-01T14:03:00.002-06:00

Well, I found a picture online. A friend hunted it down for me and you can see it here...
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/grim-granny-662441/
Sorry...still haven't figured out how to properly post links on here. But you can copy and paste it in your browser. It describes how to create the costume as well. I found it in a book, not realizing it was online too. :) Huzzah!
I actually got the cane and a purse at the local Salvation Army. It's a great place to find what you might need when creating your costume. :) (Especially if you are on a budget.)
So this will be the costume I am going to make for myself. :)

I've decided on a costume.

2010-05-27T15:30:00.002-06:00

I wish I could find a picture of it to post on here...perhaps I'll have to wait till I get it together and put it on then get my ex to take a picture of me so I can upload it. Anyway... it's called Mommy Weirdest. I had taken out several Halloween books to see what I can find for ideas on costumes. It's in a Disney book. "It's Family Fun Trickes and Treats. 100 Wickedly Easy Costumes Crafts, Games & Food" By Deanna F. Cook and the experts at FamilyFun magazine. There are actually several good ideas for costumes in this book.
It's a creepy optical illusion of an old woman with a baby on her back. I need to go to the Salvation Army store to see if I can find a large black dress for the woman and there should be a baby sleeper there. I'll need a baby bonnet that will fit me as well. I have a pair of mittens and I'll need to find a soother. The nylons will be no problem to get. Then just the granny purse, cane and granny lookin' type shoes. I'll have to wait till it's closer to Halloween to get an old woman's mask. I'll post how to put it together when I've finished it. I've got the backback I need and plenty of newspaper to stuff it with so that is part of it already done right there. :)
I'm hoping it won't be too cold this year. Last year it was gorgeous weather wise...mild. It's too bad the kids were feeling a little under the weather recuperating from the flu then. Guess I couldn't have both nice weather and healthy kids. LOL! Perhaps this year will be different.

Halloween itch

2010-05-06T16:46:00.002-06:00

Usually there are two times of the year that I get the Halloween itch. In the month of May (yes, this month and I've already got it! LOL!) It will last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. And around the end of August/beginning of September which lasts right up till Halloween itself.
Today I was looking online at my local library for books I might want them to ship to me to read. I picked a few but wondered what else I could do. Then it hit me...Halloween! LOL! Well that was it. The Halloween itch was back and I quickly went through some of the long list. Alot of them were children's books but I found a few on making costumes. So I made sure to request those.
After the kids came home from school and had a snack I asked them what they wanted to be. My son wanted to try the bad again as last year I was unsuccessful to create it in time and my daughter wants to be a white chicken. LOL! The bat I think I can manage now. The chicken...it's going to be hard to find white feather boas. That is the only item I'm going to have a hard time with. I warned her I might not be able to so we might have to have a back up plan. But we'll see how things go. :)
As for what I will be...I'm not sure yet but hopefully I can figure it out before it's too late!

Its time...

2010-02-07T11:42:00.002-07:00

Time that I should post something here. Seems the older I get the busier I get. Christmas was the usual busy holiday. We had Vic's sister come for almost 2 days which my kids loved. Then of course my daughter's birthday, then Vic and I split up and then had to do my youngest daughter's birthday. So...I'm trying to get my life back in order and figure out what I will be planning/doing for this year. Some year...I hope the rest of the year isn't like the last month was.
So for this months GPD I will be reviewing my Halloween binder. I've gone through old magazines already and tore out only the parts that I want to save and will add it later to my binder. I will have to start thinking of what I will build/make for a costume for this year so I hopefully will have time to find all that I need once I figure it out. I should also check out the Halloween forum more often too. Perhaps I'll get some new ideas from there.

Merry Christmas all!

2009-12-24T10:32:00.002-07:00

Wishing you and your loved ones peace, health, happiness and prosperity now and in the coming year.

The Aftermath...

2009-11-01T10:48:00.003-07:00

Well, Halloween is over now. My kids were recovering from the flu and thankfully got well in time for them to do some trick-or-treating but they didn't want to stay out too long. That was fine by me as they really don't need all that junk food. Last year we had none so I decided to go out with the kids and their dad. People thought my youngest was adorable in her pink poodle dog costume, my other daughter was dressed as Hannah Montana and my son was a skeleton in a black robe. They did fairly well for candy...I think because all the places we went to the people told us not many came by so they would end up giving a fistful of candy to each of them. The weather was surprisinly wonderful...plus 2 degrees celcius and a little breeze. I was thankful the weather was so nice for the all the kids who went out last night.
Once home, I sorted their candy, letting them have a few then I put the rest away. Then I put on "The Nightmare Before Christmas" for them to watch till one by one they went to bed. Surprisingly we got 5 kids at the door (compared to none last year). I myself wasn't feeling well, nor in the Halloween Spirit to dress up this year. This morning I realized I am suffering from bronchitis *ugh* so I'm not sure when I will feel up to taking down all the Halloween decorations.
Its time now to get ready for Remembrance Day. Hope you all had a good Hallowen!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T08:34:00.002-06:00

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and happy Halloween!

Three more days!

2009-10-28T11:21:00.004-06:00

Wow! Hard to believe that Halloween is just about knocking on my door once again. It's been a rough month here but I have managed to get costumes for my kids ready but alas...despite my plans for making my costume...I was unable to get what I needed to create it. *sigh* Ah well! Perhaps I can spend the next year getting it ready. *fingers crossed*
But since I love dressing up I will have to think of something that I will be able to throw together between now and then. *scratches head and ponders*
The forecast has called for showers but not enough to discourage the trick-or-treaters this year. They say we should only get 1 mm of rain. If so then hopefully by the time the darkness has decended upon our fair city the skies will be clear.
My youngest is going as a pink poodle, my daughter will be Hannah Montana so I will have to get her hair ready the night before. Her hair is long and blonde so I don't have to get her a wig. :D My son is wearing a black robe with a skull mask and carrying a double-bladed axe.
For the first time, their school is allowing the kids to dress up and have a little party in the afternoon on Friday. Usually they only let the kindergardeners dress up. The condition is of course that they can't have any gore or weapons as part of their costumes...no violence so my son will have to keep his axe at home. But on Halloween night of course is a different story.
Friday or Saturday we will be carving our four pumpkins and roasting the seeds. Last year we tried roasting the seeds from the white pumpkin and they were terrible. So never again will I roast the seeds from a white pumpkin but we will still carve them. :D I also have several pages printed out of colouring pages and puzzles that the kids can do and we will be watching some Halloween DVD's that are appropriate for the young ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-11T09:17:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow crazy Cannucks! :D I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. We always have our dinner on Sunday instead of Monday so right now the turkey is in the oven and smelling wonderful, the deviled eggs are done and with the pumpkin pie are chilling. Soon I will be making the stuffing and peeling potatoes. My son keeps coming downstairs and he takes a big breath and sighs telling me how good the turkey smells. LOL! I love it when the whole house is filled with the aroma of the turkey cooking. Try not to stuff yourself too much! :D

Spice Bags for Warm Winter Drinks

2009-09-30T09:56:00.003-06:00

With Autumn officially underway we find there are days that are warm and days that are cold and as the days pass there are more colder days than warmer. Here is something that might help keep your insides warm as well as your hands as you hold your mug and reminisce.

* 8 sticks cinnamon, broken into small pieces
* 2 whole nutmegs, crushed
* 1/3 cup whole cloves
* 1/3 cup minced dried orange peel (or 1/4 cup ground)
* 1/4 cup whole allspice berries
* optional: garnish with cinnamon sticks,
* slice of orange, lemon peel

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Tie in sachets of 1 tablespoon each in a double thickness of cheesecloth; transfer to an airtight container. One sachet of the mixture will flavor 1 quart of cider, tea or wine.

To use, simmer 1 quart of the chosen beverage with 1 sachet for 20 minutes; ladle into mugs. If desired, add a garnish or a sprinkling of additional spirits.

Talk Like A Pirate Day

2009-09-19T14:50:00.002-06:00

Once a year, on this day is Talk Like A Pirate Day. And only a few days ago I found out they announced that they will be doing a Pirates of the Caribbean 4!
So to help us landlubbers or those with no sea legs ;) here are some words and/or saying of pirates to help you get into the mood. Perhaps you can even dress up as one today. :D

* Ahoy: Hello!
* Avast: Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"
* Aye: Yes
* Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."
* Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!
* Black spot: to be 'placin' the black spot' be markin' someone for death.
* Booty: treasure
* Buccanneer: a pirate who be answerin' to no man or blasted government.
* By the Powers!: an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!
* Bilge rat – The bilge is the lowest level of the ship. It’s loaded with ballast and slimy, reeking water. A bilge rat, then, is a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship.
* Bung hole – Victuals on a ship were stored in wooden casks. The stopper in the barrel is called the bung, and the hole is called the bung hole. That’s all. It sounds a lot worse, doesn’t it?
* Davy Jones' Locker: the bottom o' the sea, where the souls of dead men lie
* Doubloons: pieces of gold...
* Gentlemen o' fortune: a slightly more positive term fer pirates!
* Grog – An alcoholic drink, usually rum diluted with water
* Jolly Roger: the skull and crossbones pirate flag
* Keelhaul: a truly vicious punishment where a scurvy dog be tied to a rope and dragged along the barnacle-encrusted bottom of a ship. They not be survivin' this.
* Landlubber: "Land-lover," someone not used to life onboard a ship.
* Lass: A woman.
* Lily-livered: faint o' heart
* Loaded to the Gunwales (pron. gunnels): drunk
* Matey: A shipmate or a friend.
* Me hearty: a friend or shipmate.
* Privateer: a pirate officially sanctioned by a national power
* Scallywag: A bad person. A scoundrel.
* Scurvy dog!: a fine insult!
* Shiver me timbers!: an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud.
* Sprogs: raw, untrained recruits
* Swashbucklin': fightin' and carousin' on the high seas!
* Thar: The opposite of "here."
* Walk the plank: this one be bloody obvious.
* Wench: a lady, although ye gents not be wantin' to use this around a lady who be stronger than ye.

There is a site just for this and you can find it at http://www.talklikeapirate.com/
Have fun!

It's In The Stores!

2009-09-04T09:03:00.002-06:00

Halloween stuff has finally begun to hit the stores! During a day when I had little money on me at the time, I decided to go to the dollar store just to browse. And what did I find? Lots of Halloween stuff on their shelves! I practically drooled over all the stuff. Alot I saw they had last year but there was also some new stuff that I can pick up later on. I went to the other dollar store across the road and they only had a few things out...same as Walmart. There were a couple hand towels with the Halloween theme on them for only a dollar. So I picked up a couple and a couple other things...only cost me about five bucks. :) So between now and Halloween I'll be scraping my extra coins and such together so I can begin adding to my Halloween decorations. It won't be long before I start putting them up around the house. Yes, I love Halloween! :D

I Found Another Blog Giveaway

2009-09-01T10:33:00.001-06:00

There is another blog giveaway over at this blog...
http://pfatt.blogspot.com
There are some great stuff there to win and I believe the draw is on Sept. 8th so there is still a week to go so pop on by their blog and enter.

Skull Book Giveaway

2009-08-24T10:09:00.003-06:00

The Giveaway is for one of his Skull Book Lights: What arcane tome is this? Perfect for a cluttered spell crafter’s desk or witches bookshelf, this ancient tome with a aged skull and battery operated flickering tea light candle is nice for anytime or your Halloween display. Each one is OOAK and may look slightly different than the pictures shown here. Each one is crafted with great attention to detail.
So of course I will throw my name in the hat as it were and try to win this. If you want a chance to win, pop on over to here...
http://www.grimvisions.com/giveaway/skull-book-giveaway
Contest Ends: Sept 13th 2009, 12 Midnight PST
Good luck to all who enter! :)

Happy 119th Birthday Mr. Lovecraft

2009-08-20T08:40:00.002-06:00

Lovecraft was been born August 20th 1890 in Providence, Rhode Islands and died March 15th 1937. He liked the atmosphere of 18th century and thought that 19th century was kind of barbaric. Lovecraft has written 67 stories between 1905-1935. Lovecraft was an American sci-fi, horror, and fantasy author most famous for giving us Cthulhu. Cthulhu is a cosmic entity who first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu." He/She/It/Whatever is represented with an octopus head, dragon-like body and wings, and a human caricature.
Lovecraft has had a huge impact in our modern culture. Arkham Asylum in the Batman series is based off of a sanitorium in one of Lovecraft's stories. Not to mention, that 3 of Metallica's songs (The Call of Cthulhu, The Thing That Should Not Be, and All Nightmare Long) are based off of Lovecraft's literature.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die"
- H. P. Lovecraft

Decided on a Costume

2009-08-19T08:42:00.003-06:00

As you see in the picture here...this will be the costume I'm going to try and put together. (Instead of buying online.) So between now and Halloween I'll be scouring the thrift stores, dollar stores to find the bits I need to complete this costume. I already have the stocking but they are purple and black stripes. The makeup is easy, thankfully. I don't like using masks because it is too hot and I find a little hard to breathe in and I also don't like slathering alot of makeup on my face. (Especially when I have little ones who like to give me hugs and kisses alot. LOL!)
During this time I will also be on the lookout for things I need to put together costumes for my older 2 kids. Haven't decided on the youngest yet.

Give-away at...

2009-08-18T10:09:00.001-06:00

http://kingofmicestudios.blogspot.com/2009/08/little-blog-love-back-atcha.html

Here she has a lovely little box to give away (pictured here). Just comment on what makes you smile. You can get an extra two entries...just follow her directions and you can get a total of three. You still have time to put your name in the hat as it were before the draw! Good luck all!

DAG Treasure Hunt

2009-08-09T10:08:00.002-06:00

I'm usually not lucky enough to win anything and when I do it is very rare. Well this is one of those times! I entered the DAG Treasure Hunt. Many blogs were in on it with each one giving away a great prize of their own creation. The pic you see here is the one I won! Yay! So because I won I'm going to give a little plug for her blog.

http://www.wendysbrainchild.blogspot.com/ is her blog. You can also view her artwork at www.artbywendy.net
Thanks so much Wendy and I look forward to receiving the prize! It will be a great addition to my Halloween collection. :D

Monsters?

2009-08-01T10:18:00.003-06:00

Appropriate for Halloween is the fact that there are monsters of all kinds and we often see them on the faces of kids on Halloween. But the kind of monsters I am talking about are those found in lakes and such. One such famous one is the Lochness Monster. But here in Canada, we too apparently have our own.
* In British Columbia in Lake Okanagan is one such monster called N'ha-a-itk, also called Naitaka. It was said to be a long loop-backed lake serpent with a horse-shaped head, bright eyes and, according to some, pointy horns and fins. The First Nations people had feared Naitaka and wouldn't fish near it's home without first offering it a living sacrifice. Often it was a dog, chicken or duck. By WWI, Naitaka had come to be known as Ogopogo.
* Grate Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories they say holds a fast-moving, quick-diving dragon-like creature that has been recently been dubbed Ol' Slavey.
* Lake Champlain that runs south from Quebec into the U.S.A. has a resident monster named after Samuel de Champlain nicknamed Champ.
* In Manitoba's interconnected waters of Lake Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg and Lake Winnipegosis is a greenish-black beast named Manipogo.
* In Ontario, a creature in Lake Simcoe's Kempenfelt Bay have one named Igopogo, named after it's British Columbia "cousin" but many think it might just be a really big freshwater seal.
* Then there is one in Quebec's Lake Memphremegog named Memphre has been sighted more than 200 times since the early 1800's.

*pic is of Champ in Lake Champlain

Tim Burton

2009-07-22T09:46:00.002-06:00

Love his work! Check out the Official Tim Burton Gallery open at TimBurton.com

Poe Coincidence

2009-07-16T10:34:00.002-06:00

In the 19th century, the famous horror writer, Egdar Allan Poe, wrote a book called ‘The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym’. It was about four survivors of a shipwreck who were in an open boat for many days before they decided to kill and eat the cabin boy whose name was Richard Parker. Some years later, in 1884, the yawl, Mignonette, foundered, with only four survivors, who were in an open boat for many days. Eventully the three senior members of the crew, killed and ate the cabin boy. The name of the cabin boy was Richard Parker.

Halloween Drinks for Adults

2009-06-30T09:14:00.004-06:00

Since June only has 30 days my GPD will be today. :) I managed to finally get some ink for my printer and was able to print off some things for my binder. I think with both my Halloween binder and my Christmas binder I'm going to have to get bigger binders for them as they are getting quite full.
Today I will post drinks for adults with the Halloween theme.

Banshee
1/2 oz Creme De Banana Liqueur
1/2 oz Creme De Cacao Liqueur
2 1/2 oz Milk or Cream
Shake with ice and strain into a Cocktail Glass.

Black Martini
1/4 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 oz Blavod (Black Vodka)
Combine the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and the strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Frankenstein Cocktail
1/2 oz Green Melon Liqueur
1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Jägermeister
Splash of Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Fill a Collins glass with ice. Add the Melon liqueur, Blue Curaçao, Peach Schnapps and the splash of orange juice. Fill to top with pineapple juice. Stir to mix. Lastly, float the Jägermeister on top.

Jack-O'-Tini
2 oz of Premium Vodka
1/2 oz of Pumpkin puree
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
2 oz of Orange Juice
1/2 Tsp. of Honey
Combine all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a thin orange skin curl.
Cool Drink Note: A great autumn/Halloween variation on the classic martini.

The Great Pumpkin Punch Recipe
1 Part Apple Cider
2 parts Ginger Ale
1 Part Rum
Pour the ingredients into a hollowed out pumpkin with floating pumpkin chunks.

ABSOLUT RASPBERRI Red Eye
1 part ABSOLUT RASPBERRI
2 dashes raspberry liqueur
Pour frozen ABSOLUT RASPBERRI into a shooter glass. Pour the raspberry liqueur onto a bar spoon and carefully add to the center of vodka to form an eye.
Notes: If you go to a bar and ask for a "Red Eye" you'll get a bottle of beer with a side of tomato juice.

Vampire Cocktail
1 1/4 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Chambord Liqueur
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Measure and pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Zombie
1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Dark Rum
2 oz Orange Juice
2 oz Lemon Juice
Dash of Grenadine
1/4 oz Cherry Brandy
Pour over ice in that order into a Sling Glass or a Zombie Glass and garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Drink Notes: Some people like to shake their Zombies; some don't -- some prefer to layer and then give the drink a quick stir with a couple of straws. There are quite a few variations of the Zombie; many recipes call for Apricot Brandy instead of Cherry.

source unknown

Halloween Drinks

2009-06-28T09:13:00.005-06:00

Here are some great drinks to try for Halloween time for kids of all ages.

*Bloody Bug Juice

24 ounces frozen strawberries thawed
6 ounces lemonade, frozen concentrate
1 quart ginger ale
1 cup raisins
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

Place the strawberries in a bowl and mash with a fork.
In a large pitcher, mix the strawberry mash, lemonade
And ginger ale. Place handfuls of raisins and
Blueberries (bugs) into tall glasses. Pour the liquid
Over the bugs, then sit back and watch the bugs and
Scum rise to the top of each glass. To quench a
Creepy crowd's thirst, double or triple this recipe
And serve in a punch bowl. Drape some gummy worms
Over the rim of your bowl for a particularly
Swampy-looking effect!

*Halloween Drink
Mix something yellow with something blue; orange juice and mountain dew are good for the yellow. Great blue drink - kool-aid is good for the blue. You'll end up with a radioactive shade of green. If you're using a punch bowl try this: get some latex gloves, fill them with water or juice, freeze. Unmold carefully and float "disembodied" hands in a punch bowl. Dry ice and black lighting is a good effect, too.

*Ghoul-Ade
1 pkg. Grape unsweetened kool-ade
1 pkg. Orange unsweetened kool-ade
2 cups sugar
3 quarts cold water
1 quart chilled gingerale.

This will be as black as midnight, but delicious.

*Goblin Goo Drink

1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Brand Grape or Orange Flavor Gelatin Dessert
4 cups (1 qt.) cold prepared KOOL-AID Grape or Orange Flavor Soft Drink Mix

PREPARE gelatin as directed on package.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm.
BREAK gelatin into small flakes with fork. Spoon about 1/2 cup gelatin into each of 8tall glasses. Pour 1/2 cup cold soft drink over gelatin in each glass. Serve immediately with a straw to sip gelatin pieces and soft drink.
VARIATIONS: Two Color Goo: Prepare grape and orange flavor gelatin as directed on package. Refrigerate and break into flakes as directed. Layer 1/4 cup orange gelatin flakes, 1/4 cup grape gelatin flakes and additional 1/4 cup orange gelatin flakes in each glass. Pour orange cold soft drink. Over gelatin in each glass.
FIZZY Goblin Goo: Just before serving, prepare KOOL-AID as directed, substituting cold seltzer for water.

Next time I will post some drinks for the adults. ;)

Bat Lore

2009-06-09T13:33:00.004-06:00

Guardian of the night, cleaner

Latin Name - various
Folkname - Fledermaus
Planet - Moon
Polarity - Feminine
Deities - Persephone, Camazotz, Fu Hsing

Weather Lore
The indigenous Americans regard the bat as a bringer of rain.

Folklore
In a Chinese folk-tale, the bat did not go to the phoenix's (Feng-huang) birthday party because it claimed to be a quadruped; later on it did not go to the unicorn's(Ky-lin) birthday party, claiming to be a bird. Both the unicorn and the phoenix had to admire it's cunning. Western belief has always linked the bat to vampires - undead spirits which prey on the blood of the living. In the Middle Ages in Europe, people thought bats sucked blood from sleeping children. A vampire bat has four razor sharp canine teeth with which it collects the blood of other animals, usually horses, and shares it with other bats. Bats starve very quickly, so this food sharing saves their lives.
If a bat should fly near you it was thought that someone would betray you, or even worse affect your daily life with either a curse or enchantment. A bat flying around the outside of a house or into a room was thought to indicate that a period of misfortune would befall someone known by the family. Bats on the wing were seen to have different meanings. If many were seen before twilight then fair weather would ensue, and for perhaps obvious reasons, to see one actually hit a building whilst on the wing was a sure sign of rain.
Some beliefs also originate in Africa, Australia and many are universally known. Often thought of as an extremely lucky animal, many would traditionally carry a bat bone to provide protection and encourage prosperity. In fact, although often associated with the darker aspects of what some may call witchcraft, the opportunity to become invisible at will was thought possible by carrying a right eye in the pocket. To kill one would shorten the life of a man according to folklore in Africa and Australia as the life of a bat was seen to parallel that of man, and if you ever found one entangled in your hair, be careful not to hurt the animal but get ready for a change of hairstyle as it was thought to encourage bad luck to head your way if the bat was not released by cutting the hair.

Mythology
The bat is an attribute of Persephone as Queen of the Underworld; it is a symbol of Fu Hsing, the Chinese god of happiness; and among the Quiche tribe of Guatemala the bat is a god, Camazotz (the equivalent of the Mayan deity Zotzilaha Chimalman). In the mythos of the Kulin and Wotjobaluk tribes of S.E. Australia, Balayang the Bat discovers the two ancestors of women, Kunnawara (Black Swan) and Kururuk (Native Companion) in the river and takes them to the creator god Bunjil, who gives them life, and says ' Man is not complete without you, nor will you be complete without him.' The bat is also the totem animal of the men of the Wotjobaluk tribe.

Symbolism

In Africa, the bat is ambivalent, symbolising perspicacity as well as darkness and obscurity. To the alchemists, it represented the androgyne, as being of dual nature (both bird and mouse). In Buddhism, it signifies a darkened understanding. In Chinese symbolism, the bat is yin because it is nocturnal. The word for bat, 'fu', is a homophone of the word for happiness, implying good luck, wealth, longevity and peace. Two bats indicate good wishes and are an emblem of Shou-hsing, god of longevity. Five bats symbolise the Five Blessings (health, wealth, long life, peace, happiness). A white bat symbolises longevity, referring to a story of a 1000-year-old bat hanging head downwards from a bough. A red bat symbolises good fortune (red being the Chinese lucky colour). In Christianity the bat is 'the bird of the Devil', and incarnation of the prince of darkness (Satan is depicted with bat's wings) As a supposed hybrid of a bird and rat, it is a symbol of duplicity and hypocrisy; as haunting ruins and lonely places, it symbolises melancholy. In European folklore the bat represents black magic, witchcraft, cunning, wisdom and revenge.

To the Hebrews, the bat denoted impurity and idolatry. In Japanese symbolism, it is unhappy restlessness, a chaotic state. As bats lived in caves, which were seen as entrances to the next world, they were thought to be immortal and so became symbols of immortality. In parts of Africa, Australia, Bosnia, Tonga, and England, the bat was sacred because it was believed to represent the soul of the dead. Some people even believed that if you touched a bat, your soul would be able to travel at night. Bat symbolizes Rebirth. Shaman initiates undergo a ritual death in which they face their fears and are reborn without their old identities. Bat medicine teaches us to release fear and any pattern which no longer fits in with our pattern of growth.

Bat's Wisdom Includes:

Shamanic death and rebirth
Pollination of new ideas
Transition
Initiation
Viewing past lives
Understanding grief
The use of vibrational sound
Camouflage
Invisibility
Ability to observe unseen

Some Frugal Halloween Ideas

2009-06-08T10:31:00.003-06:00

The average family in North America spends over $100 per year on Halloween goodies. As your kids drag you through aisles full of ghosts and goblins, the scariest thing about Halloween is threatening to leave bite marks in your pocketbook. It can be much less expensive and a lot more fun to devise your own chilling creations. Here are a few tips that you can use to help save a little spending money and still make some great stuff for Halloween.

Face Paint
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
food coloring

Mix all ingredients together in an old muffin pan and you are ready to paint. This amount makes one color.

Fake Wound
1 Tbsp Vaseline
tissue
cocoa powder
2-3 drops red food coloring

Place Vaseline in a bowl. Add food coloring. Blend with a toothpick. Stir in a pinch of cocoa to make a darker blood color. Separate tissue. Using 1 layer, tear a 2x3 inch piece and place at wound site. Cover with petroleum jelly and mold into the shape of a wound. The center should be lower than the sides. Fill the center with the red petroleum jelly mixture. Sprinkle center with some cocoa. Sprinkle a little around the edges of the wound to make darker.

Fake Blood - Mix 2/3 cup white corn syrup, 1 tsp. red food coloring, 2-3 drops blue food coloring to darken and 1 squirt dish soap (helps blood to run well).

Abrasions - Dab brown, red and black eye shadow on area. Apply blood over area with cotton balls. Use comb to gently scratch area in one direction. Apply cocoa or dirt over wound with cotton balls.

Black Eye - Apply red and blue eye shadow to depressions around eyes.

Bruises - Rub red and blue shadow over bony area to simulate recent bruises. Blue and yellow eye shadow to create older bruises.

Look Old - Cover face with baby powder. Draw dark lines on your skin for wrinkles. Smooth edges to blend. Cover again with baby powder. Add baby powder to your hair to create gray hair.

Deviled Eyeballs - Make deviled eggs. Add a green olive with pimento in the center for an "eyeball".

Radioactive Juice - Mix equal parts Mountain Dew and blue Kool-Aid.

Toxic Juice - Add some green food coloring to lemonade for a spooky color!

Bloody Eyeballs - Boil cherry tomatoes 30 seconds. Allow to cool; then peel skin.

Goblin Hand - Freeze green Kool-Aid in a rubber or latex glove, float in punch. (Make sure it's not a medical type of glove as they usually have a type of powder inside to help people put them on easier so it wouldn't be good to use those kinds. Don't want any of the powder in your punch!)

Spider Webs - Use the tape from old cassettes or black yarn to make spider webs. Use cotton balls stretched out for small spider webs.

Glass Jack-o-Lantern - Outline a pumpkin face on a spaghetti or pickle jar with black paint. The paint around the outside of it with orange paint. Place a candle inside for a jack-o-lantern.

Halloween Guess It Game

In this game, you challenge the participants to reach into mystery boxes filled with creepy things and try to guess what each item is. The person with the most correct answers wins the game. An example is if you want them to guess "grapes", you might try to confuse them by saying, "I think it's eyeballs..."

Cut a hole in the top of a shoe box or laundry box for each item to be used. Cover the box with black spray paint. Decorate each box with pumpkins or spiders for a more festive flavor.

Place the following items inside, one per box. Be sure to place enough of each item so the guests can adequately "feel" the guts.

Eyeballs - grapes or peeled cherry tomatoes
Intestines - cooked spaghetti
Skin - oil a piece of plastic bag
Brains - scrambled eggs
Hair - an old clown wig
Bones - thoroughly washed chicken bones placed in some sand
Vomit - chunky salsa
Fingers - hot dogs cut into finger sized pieces
Teeth - corn nuts, pine nuts or popcorn

Have a Pumpkin Hunt - Hide mini pumpkins like you would Easter Eggs. Let the kids find and decorate them. For small children use glue sticks with construction paper cut-outs for decorations.

Edible Slime - Pour lime gelatin into a glass bowl. After it is partially set, add gummy worms. Chill until lightly set. Then serve slopped all over the plate.

Bloody Popcorn - Add red food color to melted butter and pour over popcorn.

Freeze gummy worms in ice cubes and add them to drinks. Cut gummy worms in half if needed.

Source: unknown

Halloween tips 2

2009-05-20T09:24:00.003-06:00

* Fog machines are now very inexpensive and readily available during the Halloween buying season, adding one to your haunt or party makes a big impact on your Halloween celebration and will add that extra effect to thrill and scare your trick or treaters.
* Add some spider web to your party decorations and haunt, you can find it at most stores selling Halloween products. Just attach to something and pull it out all over!
* Use apples for taper candle holders. Choose small, round apples that will sit stable on a flat surface and remove the stems. Cut a small round hole in the top of each apple - deep and wide enough to securely hold a taper candle. Make sure the apples are shaped so that they have a flat bottom, so they won't tip over.
* Great party idea, start a circle ghost story! Sit in a circle and start a scary ghost story. Each guest adds on to the story until it reaches a scary ending!
* Videotape your Halloween memories! Interview some of your trick-or-treaters, your yard haunt, carved jack-o-lanterns. You'll be glad you did when you sit down to watch it later!
* You can find candy companies on line that will add a personalized wrapper to your candy bars! They are relatively inexpensive and make a great treat to hand out at your yard haunt!
*Having a party for little ghouls? Let them make their instruments out of oat meal cans, tin cans, add a inexpensive plastic flute, noise makers, kazoos and start a musical Halloween parade through your neighborhood! The kids love it and the neighbors will, too!
* An alternative to bobbing for apples is to hang them by their stems with thread from the ceiling and let party goers try to bite them!
* Hang long strands of white thread on your porch to simulate spider webs. Make them long enough so that little kids will be able to feel them, too. Spray them with water to add an extra creepy factor.
* Have a pumpkin carving contest for your kids and their friends. Buy a few smaller pumpkins and give prizes for the most creative. You can also use paints as an alternative.

Great Cakes!

2009-05-14T14:03:00.002-06:00

I was browsing the net and found a blog with great ideas about wedding cakes. They are pretty amazing! :D The picture you see on the left here is from the site. I don't know who made the cake or took the pic but I love it!
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/03/sunday-sweets-undead-wed.html

The Horror Survival Guide

2009-05-12T09:31:00.003-06:00

Don't you just shake your head sometimes at people in the horror movies...a friend had posted this and I remember thinking of some of these while watching some of the flicks...good rules to go by IMHO.

*When it appears that you have killed the monster, *never* check to see if it's really dead.
*If you find that your house is built upon or near a cemetary, was once a church used for black masses, had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices in your house, move away immediately.
*Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.
*Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.
*If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, or if they speak to you using a voice which is other than their own, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. NOTE: It will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared.
*When you have the benefit of numbers, *never* pair off and go it alone.
*As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.
*Never stand in, on, above, below, beside, or anywhere near a grave, tomb, crypt, mausoleum, or other house of the dead.
*If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, leave the room immediately if you value your life.
*If appliances start operating by themselves, move out.
*Do not take *anything* from the dead.
*If you find a town which looks deserted, it's probably for a reason. Take the hint and stay away.
*Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you're sure you know what you're doing.
*If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.
*If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, get away from them as fast as possible.
*Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you're in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.
*If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.

Source Unknown

Frankenstein nearly came true!

2009-05-09T09:45:00.003-06:00

In 1803, Italian physicist Giovanni Aldini ran electric current through the newly dead body of murderer George Forster.

The prison record states that "on the first application of the process to the face, the jaws of the deceased criminal began to quiver, and the adjoining muscles were horribly contorted, and one eye was actually opened. In the subsequent part of the process the right hand was raised and clenched, and the legs and thighs were set in motion."

One witness reportedly died of fright, but there was really no cause for alarm. If Forster had returned to life, the prison planned to re-execute him — after all, he'd been sentenced to "hang until he be dead."

Halloween tips

2009-05-08T17:24:00.003-06:00

Once a week I will post some Halloween tips you might want to consider when preparing for Halloween...

* Spookify your computer with a scary screensaver!
* Old tree trunks or cut sections of thick limbs make great stands for your Jack O' Lanterns, witches cauldrons and other props. You can sometimes find these at nurseries. You can also check with local firewood providers.
* Hollow out mini pumpkins and use as votive candle holders. They are inexpensive and look really great, you can even carve or paint faces in them!
* Ask your Halloween party guests to bring a carved pumpkin to the party. Set up a special table to display them all on (this will also enhance your party décor!)
* Serve fresh veggies using a hollowed out pumpkin as a bowl. Cut of the top and clean out, leaving the top in a jagged edge design! Use mini pumpkins to hold dips!
* Add the effect of lightning to your haunted house, yard haunt or Halloween party with a Lightning Machine. This unit realistically simulates the effects of both thunder and lightning!
* Use clear food handlers plastic gloves to freeze ice hands to throw in the punch bowl. It will keep it cold and look great!
* For an eerie effect, hang glow-in-the-dark bats, skeletons and spiders from the ceilings and trees! Write scary Halloween messages or body outlines on your front walk using colored chalk or washable fluorescent paint. Use a black lights to enhance the effect.
* Treating your kids to a spooky Halloween dinner will make them less likely to eat the candy they collect before you have a chance to check it for them.
* Create creepy autumn centerpieces by filling vases with dried flowers, brown leaves, and empty branches. Tie a black ribbon bow around each centerpiece.

American Ghost Hunter

2009-05-07T09:16:00.002-06:00

Those who know me well know how much I enjoy ghost stories. Not only will I read them in books but watch shows on tv (if they aren't too cheezy if you know what I mean) One show is Paranormal State.
This is the official trailer for the feature film, "American Ghost Hunter". Produced by those who bring us Paranormal State which I try to watch every Monday night. :) I love the show so I'm really looking forward to watching this movie when it comes out! :D

April GPD

2009-05-01T14:07:00.003-06:00

For April's GPD I began to look over the net for ideas for costumes. I haven't decided what I want to dress up as. Last year I wanted to dress up as a ghost but couldn't find what I needed to put it together.
My son has decided he wants to be a bat. So I looked online to get some ideas I can use to put it together. It's a fairly easy costume to do so that won't be a problem. I just have him wear all black, attach black wings to his arms and give him bat ears with some vampire teeth to finish the costume off.
My older daughter hasn't figured it out yet. She probably won't decide till the end of September when we go to the store to check out the costumes and our youngest is only 3 so we will probably find something when my other daughter chooses.

March GPD

2009-04-09T09:09:00.003-06:00

I forgot to write about March's GPD. So I'll write about it now. I have a large book I got in the mail about Canadian Ghost stories that I've been slowing digesting as it were. ;) I find ghost stories so fascinating. :) This GPD I also was able to browse on the net and found a bunch of great ideas. Some were labels for bottles and jars and others were ideas to put into the jars. I haven't thought of a costume yet. It's too bad my friend doesn't live closer to me...she is a fantastic seamstress and would be great in helping me to make my costume for me. But she is so busy making tunics and other period clothes that I'm amazed she finds the time to do anything else. So I'll just have to come up with something on my own. Perhaps for the April GPD I can browse the net for costume ideas.

February GPD

2009-03-10T10:29:00.003-06:00

Last month since February doesn't go all the way to the 31st I had it on the last day of the month. Wearing my Halloween socks and wearing black, I spent some time reading one of my ghost story books that my man gave to me for Christmas. I had also looked on the internet and other places for ideas for what I will dress up for Halloween this year. My older daughter of course wants to be another kind of princess. So far she has been Snow White, and Cinderella. I think she said she wanted to be the Little Mermaid this time but she might change her mind so I won't bother have it down as a definite. Usually with my son when he makes up his mind he doesn't change it. But he said he wasn't sure yet. The youngest I'm sure we will find something. She is still not that old enough to choose for herself.
This month for GPD I'll be starting to get ready for Easter but will manage to spend some time on Halloween. :)

Missed GPD!

2009-02-20T12:10:00.002-07:00

Usually the first two months after Christmas I tend to feel more tired...so that means I don't get much done...plus I have two of my kids birthdays...on in Jan. and the other in Feb. so my mind tends to be more focused on that. Hopefully this month I will be able to get my mind in gear for this months GPD.

Books...

2008-12-31T12:10:00.007-07:00

With the holidays soon over I can now look forward to planning a little with the other holidays. I'll be posting in this blog once a month if I can on GPD.
For Christmas I got a special surprise. My dh knows how much I love ghost stories and have several books of them. Well I got two for Christmas... "Ghost Stories of Christmas" and "Haunted Christmas Ghost Stories" both were written by Jo-Anne Christensen. I can't wait to read them.
The great thing about these books is I can put them in my book basket for both Christmas and Halloween. How perfect is that? :D So I think for this month's GPD I will start reading and I know I'll have a hard time putting them down once I start. LOL!
Is there any type of Halloween books you like to read?

Halloween wrap up.

2008-11-10T10:20:00.004-07:00

With Halloween now over, it's time to put all the decorations away. Last weekend I put just about everything in boxes. I keep the boxes out for a week because I know that as I go about my daily routine I will find more Halloween decorations and stuff that I missed. Of course I realized that I had my Halloween curtains up in the bathroom. So I will have to take those down today and put away the last box.

Since Halloween is over I won't be posting as much on this blog...perhaps once a month or so. But with Christmas coming up I will be posting on my Christmas blog mostly now. I hope you all had a great Halloween! I'll probably be posting more on this blog at the end of August.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-31T10:55:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. Last night we carved pumpkins. The two older children did each of their own and I did one. I also roasted the pumpkin seeds...though I think I'll leave out the seeds if we get a white pumpkin. They don't taste as good as the seeds from the orange ones. The morning I woke to hear the older 2 kids playing in one of their rooms. They were too excited since is was now finally Halloween.
In a flash we busied around the house getting ready for school. I packed their lunches, made them breakfast, packed their backpacks since they needed their swimsuits. The afternoon they will be going swimming while the morning, the grade 6's are putting on a penny carnival. You can get in by giving pennies or some food for the food bank. They also get to have a treat that they are selling so I made sure they had some pocket change so they could get one.
Last night we had them try their costumes. The youngest was in a foul mood and did not like it when I tried to put on her Halloween costume. So I decided that today if she still didn't want to wear it I have a back up plan...she can wear my older daughter's lady bug costume that she wore years ago. Meg seems to hate the witch's costume but didn't mind wearing the bug's costume. So...we shall see which of the two she will choose to wear this evening.

One more day!

2008-10-30T10:54:00.003-06:00

Halloween is tomorrow! The kids are excited and can't wait to try on their costumes. My son wants to be a fisherman. Just have to dig out is fisherman's hat. My older daughter is of course snow white. She likes being any of the princesses...she's a princess nut! LOL! Helps me when I need to think of what to get her for a gift whether birthday or Christmas. The younger daughter is only 2 and she will be a cute little witch. We will just have her go around the block then come home to stay with me to help hand out candy while their dad takes the 2 older ones out for trick-or-treating.

Today when the kids come home from school, we will be carving out our pumpkins. We have a white one and 2 orange ones. That is the least amount we have ever had. Usually we carve anywhere from 4-7 pumpkins. Talk about alot of pumpkin seeds to roast! LOL! I'm just hoping and praying that the weather will be warm enough for them. But as usual here in Canada when it is cold, we just put the costume over their winter coats/snowsuits.

The Headless Horseman

2008-10-29T10:22:00.004-06:00

When Halloween draws near the one story I remember being fond of as a kid was the Headless Horseman. I couldn't wait for the cartoon that Disney did to come on every year. Now there is also a movie about it that Johnny Depp stars in. (Though that is more for the adults.) There are actually many stories of this infamous horseman...New York, Texas...even in Europe where many say the story originates from. Exactly where, I am not sure yet. There is even an account of it by the Brothers Grimm.

In one story a man wanted to ride in a local race, even though he knew his horse really isn't the best. He sets out late, and meets up with the local ghost - a headless spirit on a black stead. The ghost challenges the man to a race, and since the man's a good jockey he manages to win it. The ghost is amused by the whole thing and loans the man his spirit horse for the race. That was the rough but it is out in a book somewhere.

Even in Ireland they have their story. The Dullahan - Ireland’s Headless Horseman. My friend sent me this story years ago. I think it was written by a B. Haggerty. And seeing as some of my ancestors are from Ireland...I thought I'd post a story about it here...

It is said that after sunset, on certain festivals and feast days, one of the most terrifying creatures in the spirit world, the Dullahan, can be seen riding a magnificent black stallion across the country side. Wherever he stops, a mortal dies. Clad in flowing black robes, the Dullahan has no head on his shoulders. He carries it with him in his hand, and because he is endowed with supernatural sight, he will hold the head up high. This allows him to see great distances, even on the darkest night. But beware watching him pass by. You’ll be punished by either having a bucket of blood thrown in your face or you might be struck blind in one eye. The biggest fear of all, however, is if he stops wherever you are and calls out your name. This will draw out your soul and you’ll no longer be among the living. Unlike the Banshee, which is known to warn of an imminent death in certain families, the Dullahan does not come to warn. He is a definite harbinger of someone’s demise and there exists no defence against him - except perhaps, an object made of gold. For some reason, the Dullahan has an irrational fear of gold and even a tiny amount may be enough to frighten him off.

One story from Galway says that a man was on his way home when all of a sudden he heard the sound of horse’s hooves pounding along the road behind him. In dread , he turned around to look. It was the Dullahan. He tried to run, but nothing can outrun the angel of death. Then the man remembered that if he couldn’t outrun him, he could outsmart him. With that, he dropped a gold coin on the road. There was a loud roar in the air, high above him, and when he turned to look again, the Dullahan was gone.

While no-one knows for certain how the Dullahan originated, it is thought that he is the embodiment of the Celtic fertility god, Crom Dubh, who was worshiped by an ancient king of Ireland, Tighermas. Each year, Tighermas sacrificed humans to Crom Dubh, and the usual method was decapitation. The worship of Crom Dubh ended in the sixth century, when Christianity came to Ireland and the old sacrificial traditions went out of favor. But Crom Dubh was not to be so easily forgotten, for it’s said that he then took on a physical form - the headless Dullahan - which means dark man - riding his mighty charger and using a human spine for a whip. And, while this is the way he is most often described, in some parts of Ireland, he drives a black coach drawn by a team of six black horses. They travel so fast that the friction from their hooves is said to set the hedges on fire along the sides of the road. And, no matter how firmly they are locked, all gates fly open to let the Dullahan through.So, if you’re in Ireland this Hallowe’en season, be safe at home by sunset, don’t look out your window, and definitely keep a gold object close at hand!

Picking Pumpkings

2008-10-28T09:53:00.004-06:00

Your pumpkins will be in your home for at least a few days, so take the time to give your potential pumpkin some thought.

*Envision the shape of the pumpkin that would best suit your jack-o'-lantern design. Go so far as to draw some simple faces on pieces of paper that you would like to carve in your pumpkin. You can also look online for some ideas or buy at the store stencils.

* Go to your local pumpkin patch or the local grocery store. Don't go too early, since you want your pumpkin to be in good shape when Halloween arrives.

* Make sure the pumpkin you choose is able to stand up. Pumpkins do not have to be perfect; they look a lot scarier if they are weird. Once I had it laying on it's side and used the stem as the nose. Everyone thought it was one of the best ones we carved. :)

* Choose a pumpkin that is big enough to be striking when lit inside, but not so big that it keels over when carved.

* Examine the stem. If the gourd's stem is loose or has evidence of rotting, don't buy it.

* Pick up the pumpkin and examine it from all sides. Reject any pumpkins with blemishes such as white mildew, brown stains or wormholes.

* Knock on the pumpkin. It should sound hollow when ripe.

* Barter for a lower price if you are buying many pumpkins, and if you are buying them close to Halloween.

Stained Glass Pumpkins

2008-10-26T09:43:00.006-06:00

Soften and alter the stark light of a jack-o’-lantern’s candle or bulb by using sheets of colored wax paper to create a stained glass-o’-lantern.

Or, if you can’t resist the lure of tradition, you can also use this technique on a classic pumpkin and carve a motif such as an Indian-summer sun. When the light diffuses through the wax paper, it casts a unique glow onto a stoop or stairway.

1. With a serrated knife or mini handsaw, cut a hole into the gourd’s top or bottom; scoop out the seeds.

2. If you’re using a template, draw the design on a sheet of paper and cut out. Tape the drawing to the gourd, and use a needle poking tool or pushpin to trace your design. If you’d rather draw directly on the gourd, use a soft felt-tipped pen, so the nib won’t bruise it, in red or green ink so stray marks don’t stand out. Cut the design out. Use a smooth blade to clean rough edges.

3. Attach colored wax paper to the inside of the gourd with straight pins. If you’re using a candle, make sure that it’s short and sturdy so the paper doesn’t burn. Or to be safer use battery operated lights to place inside. There are lots out there to choose from.

Easy Halloween Wreath

2008-10-25T10:46:00.004-06:00

This is so easy to make, the kids can make it up in 5 minutes! So gather them 'round to make this spooky fun Halloween wreath.

You will need:

* 8" styrofoam wreath

* 2-2" strips of orange fabric 44" long

* 1 2" strip of black fabric

* 12" long Metallic trim (optional)

* 1 yucky rubber spider

* Craft glue

Do not worry about the type of fabric you are using. It is the color effect we are after, anything that is orange and black will work. Wool, felt, satin, cotton, etc.

Instructions:

Wrap the orange strips around the wreath to cover the base entirely. Glue ends down in the back. Do not worry about raw edges showing. Wrap metallic trim around the wreath in the same manner and bring ends to the back and glue down. This step is optional but I think it gives some extra "snap" to the end result. Tie black strip in a bow and attach at the top with glue. Tie black thread around the body of your yucky spider and hang down from the middle of the wreath. Glue the thread ends in the back of the wreath as well. Let the spider hang free. This is the spider's web. It is so simple and the kids will have fun hanging all sorts of yuckies from the wreath. It also costs next to nothing if you use odd and ends from around the house. Enjoy!

Homemade Face Paint

2008-10-23T09:46:00.002-06:00

For those of us who prefer to save a little money and make things rather than buy it here is some homemade face paint you can make.

* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1/2 teaspoon cold cream
* 1/2 teaspoon water
* Food coloring of your choice

Mix the cornstarch and the cold cream together. Add the water and stir. Add the food coloring one drop at a time until it is the shade you want. Do this for each color that you want. Paint on the child's face with a small paintbrush. Store in an airtight container.

Halloween Definitions

2008-10-22T12:28:00.003-06:00

Here are some cute Halloween definitions :)

* Coffin: What you do when you get a piece of popcorn stuck in your throat.
* Frankenstein: Hot dog and a mug of beer.
* Full moon: What your repairman reveals when he bends over to fix your fridge.
* Goblin: How you eat the snickers bars you got for Halloween.
* Boogieman: Guy who passes time at a stoplight picking his nose.
* Invisible Man: What a guy becomes when there's housework to be done. Also, see Mr.Hyde.
* Jack O' Lantern: An Irish Pumpkin.
* Jack the Ripper: What Jack does to his lottery tickets after losing each week.
* Mummy: Who kisses the boo-boo after you scrape your knee.
* Pumpkin Patch: What a pumpkin wears when trying to quit smoking.
* Skeleton: Any supermodel.
* Vampire Bat: What Dracula hits a baseball with.
* Zombie: What you look like before that first cup of morning coffee.

Candied Carrots

2008-10-18T12:12:00.002-06:00

Carrots...one of my favourite vegies. I try different recipes all the time and found one that was tasty. :)
Ingredients:
* 3 cups sliced carrots
* 3 Tbsp. butter
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cook the carrots until tender. Drain the liquid. Add the other ingredients, stirring well to coat.

Halloween Countdown...week four

2008-10-14T17:56:00.003-06:00

Time to look at decor! This is my favourite thing to do...though I think I got the jump on decorating. LOL! I couldn't wait so I did alot of my decorating already. ;)

This Week:
* Inventory the freezer and record the contents. Plan to eat from the freezer for the month of October, freeing up space for party foods and food for the oncoming holiday season! Use your food budget savings to stock up on items for the party or on holiday staples. (Haven't done yet)
* Do a mini freezer cooking session and put 5-10 entrees in your freezer. Use these meals on busy fall evenings with sports practice, football games, or just relaxing with family. (Haven't done yet.)
* Start now to buy one bag of Halloween candy or treats for the Trick or Treaters. If you buy a little each week is much easier on the budget. (Already have some candy put away)
* Do a quick declutter this week so that your fall decor will sparkle. (Check)
* Decorate for fall this week. (Got most down already)
* Don’t forget your front porch or entry. Give it a quick clean and add some pumpkins, scarecrows, or other fall decor. (I did clean up the front porch outside but I didn't decorate. People tend to either destroy or steal things so I'm concerned it will happen.)

Hot Apple Cider.

2008-10-13T17:06:00.005-06:00

As the cold winter months approach, hot apple cider sounds better and better. Of course you don't have to stick with the usual apple...you can try different kinds. I have saskatoon berry cider and cranberry/raspberry cider. Mmmm...it definitely helps keep warm these bones. :)

HOT APPLE CIDER

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 gallons Apple Cider

* 2 whole cinnamon sticks

* 5 cloves

* 1 large orange, sliced thin with peel left on

* 1/2 lemon, sliced thin with peel left on

* 1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

In large pot, combine cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange and lemon slices, and sugar to taste. Serve hot.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-10-12T18:04:00.003-06:00

To all Canadians, I want to wish a happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone pauses to appreciate and are thankful. I am thankful for the time we had with my FIL. It's one year ago today that he died. I pray he is now at peace and no longer has to suffer any more.
We had the usual big turkey dinner. It was just the five of us this year. Everyone seems so picky about what they like and don't like. So I just told them..."I'm cooking what I am and if you don't like it you can go hungry and maybe it will make you think more and appreciate what we do have." Thankfully this year I only had to fight with one of my daughters to eat. One of them actually didn't whine or complain. *sigh* I started this morning for a couple hrs. and then paused to head off to church and drop off food for the food bank. Then once back home, finished cooking/making everything that was planned for the dinner. Trying to keep the kids out of the kitchen when they are hungry is a chore in itself! LOL!
So once everyone chowed down and was almost finished eating, I was actually able to sit down myself and eat. *phew* It was delicious. So dh then shortly after, fell asleep on the couch and I had to clean up and put everything away. It's hard to wash dishes when your 2 yr. old daughter is playing in the water and trying to drink it. *yuk* So I managed to get most of the dishes washed. I'll wait till the kids are in before I tackle the rest of them else I'll have more of a mess to clean up when I'm done! LOL!
I'm taking a break at the moment...in another hr. I'll get back to it. A woman's work is never done!

Witch's Mix

2008-10-11T10:15:00.003-06:00

This fun mix takes only five minutes to prepare, looks great on the table, and taste terrific. It's great when you are in a jam and don't have much time to make something or need to make something in a jiffy.

Ingredients:
* 1 cup popcorn (or Cracker Jack's)
* 1/2 cup candy corn
* 1/2 cup small marshmallows
* 1/2 cup black jelly beans

Mix all ingredients together in a colorful bowl. Makes 8 servings.

Black and White Halloween Ideas

2008-10-10T10:08:00.002-06:00

If you decide to go for a kind of theme for Halloween...here is one theme you might think about doing...black and white!

http://www.365halloween.com/black-white-costume-ideas

http://www.countryhome.com/projects/holiday/blackmagic_1.html

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/theme_parties/25906

Halloween Hangman

2008-10-09T11:02:00.002-06:00

Do you love playing the hangman game? Here is one for Halloween! Have fun!

http://www.dedge.com/flash/hangman/

Halloween Countdown...week 3

2008-10-08T11:11:00.002-06:00

This is the week for planning your party menu, treats, and any special Halloween meals as well as freezer meals for when you are too busy to cook.

Things to do...
* I don't have to worry about anything to do with getting ready for any parties...not having one.
* Finish picking up all decorations. There’s plenty out in the stores by now. (Got pretty much all of it. Just picking up the odds and ends if I see something I like that catches my attention.
* Food is the focus…try out a party recipe or two this week..better to test before serving. (Since I'm not doing any parties, I have decided to focus the food geared towards Thanksgiving since it is next Monday. I have all I need to make the Thanksgiving dinner.)
* Party favors and goodie bags.(Not for any party but I have started to buy candy for the trick-or-treaters)
* I'm still working on getting the rest of the Halloween costumes together.

Thanksgiving...10 days left!

2008-10-03T09:55:00.006-06:00

For us Canadians, we have Thanksgiving the second Monday of October...so we have 10 more days! My son is excited because he love the big meal. We found turkeys on sale so we got 2 of them...(the other one is for Christmas.) We will have some of the pickled beets I made, stuffing and deviled eggs. I don't know if dh will make his own special stuffing but I will make the one I like. (I don't like his). I still need to pick up a few things this weekend for the dinner but it's not much left to get.
It will only be the five of us this year unless my dh invites someone who doesn't have anyone to celebrate Thanksgiving with. His brother and sister that lives nearby will be going out of the province to their mom's for the holiday. There is also a feast/gifting going on there. It will be a year the day before Thanksgiving since my FIL died and their family, being Native Canadians, usually have a feast and gifting a year after a family member dies. It can get expensive. So they will be going to that. The kids were diappointed thier aunt and uncle won't be here but they felt better when I told them they might be here for Christmas.

Halloween Countdown...week two

2008-09-30T12:21:00.004-06:00

This week is planning parties and traditions. I'm also going to focus on some cleaning.
Things to do this week:
(X) Copy and print out week two to do list.
() Make invitations. (I'm not doing a party so I will skip all the things to do for parties)
(X) Do a quick deocr declutter. (I already have my fall/Halloween decorations up except for a few left)
(X) Plan the date, time, etc. of any trips to a pumpkin patch. (I am trying to find one. It none around then I'll have to look to get my pumpkins elsewhere. My dh already picked up a white one.)
() Fill out and post to do list for Master Bedroom
(X) Decide on costumes and start purchasing any elements needed. (My two daughters already have theirs...one is going as Snow White and the other is a Witch. My son wants to be a fisherman. Only have to make fish to attach to his fishing pole and a fisherman's hat left. I don't know if I can find everything I need. I'm looking for pink sneakers and pink shades to complete my outfit.)
(X) Check your gift closet and decor stash for any items bought on clearance last year after Halloween.

Halloween Countdown...week one

2008-09-23T15:58:00.003-06:00

This week is the start of the Halloween countdown which will help get things organized and done so I can enjoy Halloween without feeling so rushed. This week is for planning, calendars and lists.

(X) Promise to spend at least 15 min./day this week to get organized
(X) Set up Halloween/Autumn planner in a notebook or 3-ring binder.
(X) Print a cover and spine pages and insert in clear view binder. Add section deivders then add blank lined pages for any notes, records, etc.
(X) Make or designate a planning calendar and place in binder in proper section
(X) Traditions or events will be the same...the usual decorating, making costumes, carving pumpkins, toasting pumpkin seeds, and the usual trick-or-treating. I haven't found anything new to add to our usual traditions.
(X) Planning a party? No so I won't have to worry about that part.

Most of the decorating is up now. I finally found some magnetic strips and washers for my clipboard countdown and was able to finish it today.
My youngest daughter wants to be a witch, my older daughter wants to be snow white and the oldest...my son wants to be a fisherman for Halloween. I have both my daughters costume and most of my son's ready. Not quite sure what I will dress up as yet.

Decorating

2008-09-09T10:52:00.003-06:00

I couldn't wait. I usually start decorating in a week or two but this past weekend I started to put up some decorations for Fall/Halloween. The kids don't mind as they are excited and can't wait for Halloween to arrive. I will do most of the decorating. The window clings will go on almost last. The last ones are the purple and orange lights that my dh will put up around the living/dining room for me since he is much taller and can reach easily up where the ceiling and wall meet. :)

I also started a little earlier for the Halloween countdown than planned. So...for the Pre-Halloween countdown...I wrote down all the rooms I will be working on during the countdown, then went around to each room and wrote down what needed to be done in each room. The room that will be the hardest is the master bedroom. It seems the family like to dump things in my room so now I will have to go through everything and try to find a place for it all.

When to start...

2008-08-21T10:19:00.003-06:00

I was going through my Halloween binder today and decided to see when the Halloween countdown will start. I see that people will be starting on September 21st this year for the six weeks but I will have to start a week earlier...which is September 14th because I have an extra week in there do do...it's the Pre-Halloween Countdown assignments. I saw at the Dollarama store they are starting to bring out the Halloween decorations. So next month I'll be taking a trip there. I figure they should be done putting out all of them by then.

GPD for August...

2008-08-11T10:16:00.004-06:00

Well, I couldn't wait for GPD day to arrive. LOL! Can't help it...I just love Halloween. So I have printed off the Halloween Countdown which you can find here... http://magicalholidayhome.com/?page_id=113 . I also revamped my binder and purchased page protectors for it. I also made new section dividers. Once I get my printer fixed I can print off more things for the binder. I've also found some Halloween cards from the past several years. I think I will have to display those when I decorate next month. I figured since I do it with Christmas cards, then why now Halloween ones. :D

Clipboard Craft

2008-08-02T21:16:00.001-06:00

I'm working on a Halloween Clipboard craft. I took an average sized clipboard, painted it black, then used some Halloween scrapbooking paper, stickers to decorate it. On it I put a couple of washers and on the back of the tags with single diget numbers I put magnetic strips so it will stick to the washers. As a finishing touch I put some orange, silver and black ribbon to loop through the hole on the top. It hangs wonderfully. My kids liked it so much, they told me they wanted to make one of their own for their room. LOL! So I guess the next time I get some extra money, I'll be heading back to the dollar store to pick up more supplies so my kids can make one of their own. :D