Jack O Lanterns...

 We like the traditional Jacks.

We traditionally open them,

 

scoop them,

 

carve them,

and then, back to the top, light them...

Apple Cake

I LoVe Apple Cake.

It's an Autumn treat I look forward to every year. 

I used the same recipe from last year 
with GaLa apples.

The Gala apples really held up well 

and absorbed the Spices wonderfully.

I'm also a BIG fan of The Bundt Pan 

so the Apple Cake is always cooked in a bundt. 

Friday is a great day for Apple Cake because

Friday is ruled by Venus,

and apples are the perfect offering for Her.

I actually only used 4 of these {small/medium}apples 

and still had about 1/2 cup extra, which I used. 

The Delightful Daughter has great fun

sifting the flour with 
my Grandmother's old crank sifter. 

  

Cream Sugar, Butter, add Eggs...

Fold in 1/3 Flour mixture,

add half the buttermilk and fold,

1/3 Flour mixture,

second half of buttermilk,

last of the Flour mixture,
Apples, & Walnuts.

 

  

Bake at *350 for approx. 45 minutes.

Check with wooden chopstick 

(or skewer or toothpick}

to see if the inside is done.

You may have to do 10 minute cook~ments.

Watch for burnage.

Until a deep dark golden brown

I let my cake cool completely before removing.

Slice and serve.

I like mine with coffee,

The Delightful Daughter likes her's with whipped cream,

The Big and Little DuDes like their's as is,

walking around, 

leaving crumb trails....

recipe here:

http://theholidayhohoqueen.blogspot.com/2009/11/apple-cake.html

Glammed Up Halloween Decor

 I still LoVe these simple wooden decorations. 

They are SO versatile!

VERSATILE! 

which means, 

you probably won't run out of ways to decorate them.

One big checkmark in their favor is they are very inexpensive, and very abundant 

in art craft stores.

They are perfect for The Womb Weebles. 

 

I've seen many people over the years
who do Halloween Trees, 

and these would be a FanTasTic way to dress it up.

I had a couple of the pumpkins left from the Classroom Project last year {alas, so far, no projects this year.}

The charming Bat has been in my possession a few years.

Let's play dress up.

things needed for Object de Halloween Art

*************

 Wooden blanks in Various Shapes

GLiTTeR! a given!}

Glue of your choice, I used trusty Elemers

Colored Ink {or paint}

Soft paint brush

String for hanging

 

Start by staining or painting your Wooden Shape. 

Remember that these type wooden pieces 

will really soak up the liquid, 

so work quickly to spread the Color.  

The wood will damp, so to dry mine 

I set it under my work bench light.

Once the wood is dry, break open the GLiTTeR!

I used the Glitter on the PumPkin 

to imitate the grroves and vines, 

and just followed the curves on the Bat as you can see. 

Try mixing shades of GLiTTeR for a deeper effect.

 

Tie string on after dry, and Le Glammed Up Decor is good to go. 

Sparkle, Sparkle, 

October's readings

I'm excited to finally get my new reading treats.

Two were new and unknown to me, 

two I've been waiting all year for their release.

Matching my bOoks to my Holidays is a favorite quirk of mine.

 Anytime of the year, 

I can make an afternoon of it or a day of it..

especially if I can get a bowl of Curry involved.

I digress.

 

The Carolyn Hart and Peggy Webb book's 

are the two I waited all year, or more, for..

A Mischievous Ghost~Detective AND Elvis..that's a righteous day!

 

Hopeful about the new ones; 

I read so much that

it's hard to find 

an interesting series.

 

book, chai, peace.

that's the ticket.

1014

Priscilla's Earthly Delights ~

I, ooh'd and aww'd over this Blanket Set 

as soOn as I saw it.

With the Autumn getting cooler,
what other excuse do you need?

I have a thing for Corduroy,

It reminds me of a few blankets The Southern Grandmother owned,

and...wait for it,

it's PurPLe.

The GLiTTeR IcIng on this Cake...

it's like sleeping on a

purple marshmallow Cloud. 

AAAAAMazing.

It has secret powers, and will knock you out

as soon as you lolly on it.

 Two pillow shams complete 
this insanely comfortable set

and 
gives it an 
insanely high snuggability level

{Priscilla says "Insanely Insane!"}

The artist formally known as would be so proud...

bought at WallyWorld

FuLL mOOn ~ October ~ Hunter's mOOn

san*guine ~ {adjective}

1. cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident;

a sanguine disposition.

Moon of many mOons..

Hunter's moon

Blood moon

Sanguine moon.

Hunter's Moon, or sometimes the Blood Moon, 

gets it's name from Hunters 

who tracked and killed their prey 

by Autumn Moonlight,

stockpiling food for the Wynter ahead.

It's also a great time to give 

thanks for the Animals and Plants 

that died to allow the balance of nature to be maintained.

"Twilight, a timid fawn, went GLimmering by,

and Night, the dark~blue Hunter,

followed fast."

~ George William Russell

Sanguine moOn is yet another name 

for this October moOn.

Cheery and red?
maybe we should call it Blush Moon.

Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.

John Lennon

/ˈsæŋgwɪn/ Show Spelled

 

Also at this time, the Veil between this World,
and the Underworld, is thinnest.


The Celts associated this moon with Protection, Prosperity, Healing.
Increase in Psychic Abilities and Fertility also.

"His sanguine Spirit turns every firefly into a Star."

~Arthur Conan Doyle

Spend some time reflecting on this moon tonight; 
think about how we are a part of the natural cycles.
How this is a time of inner cleansing to make way 
for the justice of karma; 
a time for moving beyond sacrifice to seek renewal.
Reflect on the sacrifices you have made this year;
they will nurture and fortify your spirit through the coming darkness and cold.



Then again,  nothing like a quick dash through the woods naked
under a full moon to lift the Spirits!

a red iron-oxide crayon used in making drawings.

Zoë: You sanguine about the kinda reception we're apt to receive on an Alliance ship, Captain?

Mal: Absolutely. What's "sanguine" mean?

Zoë: Sanguine. Hopeful. Plus, point of interest, it also means "bloody".

Mal: Well, that pretty much covers all the options, don't it?

Blood moOn Rabbits
http://www.redbubble.com/people/mimidesigns/art/285923-8-la-luna-sangrienta-blood-moon

Blood Moon watercolor ~ Natalie Russo
http://natalierusso.com/blog/2009/6/4/blood-moon.html

Blood Moon Knitting ~ Gil Yefman
http://www.gilyefman.com/index.php?/works/knitting/

Blood Moon lore
http://irelandsown.net/bloodmoon.html

Hunter's moon wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter%27s_moon

Blood moon pagan wiccan
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/moonphasemagic/g/Blood_Moon.htm

Hunters moon
http://www.helixtree.co.uk/hunters-moon-5-p.asp

Hunters Moon sculpture
ttp://www.etsy.com/listing/16049043/harvest-moonprotector-spirit-of-samhain?show_panel=true

Twilight by James Christensen
http://www.jameschristensen.com/

Black Felt Cat

 

 I found this project in Creepy Crafty Halloween

{http://theholidayhohoqueen.blogspot.com/2009/10/good-place-to-start-is-with-book.html

It's the Black Cat that goes with the doll.

I'm not very talented with a needle,

and this was a perfect practice project.

I just used what I had on hand:

Black Felt

Black Upholstery thread

Copper Metallic thread

GLiTTeR ~ Carnelian {marthastewart collection}

Elmers glue

Scissors

Sewing Needles

 

I would have much preferred to outline the felt and then cut, 
but due to a lack of any kind of chalk ANYwhere in my House! 
I pinned and cut around.

Use the Copper Metallic thread to stitch on a face,

 

Using the Upholstery thread, I sewed the pieces together,

 flipped right side out, and stuffed.

Use a dull pencil or chopstick to get the very tips of the Ears and Tail.

 After stuffing, turn the bottom edges in,

and loop stitch shut.

I made a bow tie with Elmers,

poured on the GLiTTeR,

and 

Viola!

You could use them:
* as a Trick or Treat treat for a special one
* Halloween tree decor
*Autumn sachet filled with Spices


mew.

102110

Ghosty Movies for Ze Family

Our whole family LOVEs vintage movies.
We are big fans of Don Knots, Abbot and Costello,Danny Kaye...
you get the picture.
Two movies in particular are absolutely great favorites:

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
The Time of Their Lives




These vintage movies are just cracker jack.

The Blu man gets kicks out of any kind of slapstick comedy,

The Lolly Babe gets the whole experience,

I like the clothes,

The Chook Man likes the main actors..

It's a Family Affair!

The Bonus of course, is that The Kiddos will grow up with

a really cool sense of history and a wide

variety of tastes and knowledge.

Hopefully with an Appreciation and Uniqueness which will bring enjoyment to them.

Two SiSters Mary Thoughts for the Day ~ October

"Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all aglow."
-   Author Unknown

 

"To have a raven's knowledge"

"Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o-lantern.  Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin.  However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray.  Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household. 

"There is something in October
sets the Gypsy blood astir.
We must rise and follow Her;
When from every hill of Flame,
She calls and calls each Vagabond
by name."
~ William Bliss Carman

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. 

~Author Unknown

When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.
~Author Unknown

Hold on, man.  
We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," 
or "forbidden" in the title.  
~From Scooby-Doo

The Dance of All Hollow's EvE ~ Joe Sorren
http://www.joesorren.com/index.php

Raven painting ~ Fred Tomaselli

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Tomaselli

Jack O Lanterns Hanging in Tree photo
http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/AM-139-0119.html