Countdown to Halloween Day #7 : Going to the Fair UPDATE

I posted earlier in the week about taking my entry to the local county fair.   You can read more about it here.    I am happy to report that my protest American Gothic pins brought home a first place.  And, two of my students got honorable mentions, so I am really proud of them.

I am still after a best in show....maybe next year....

Countdown to Halloween Day #9 : Tips for living in a Haunted House.

I personally don't live in a haunted house, but I know someone who did.    My husband thinks I am crazy for believing it, but he has never visited the house in question.   My aunt and uncle and their 4 children lived in a haunted house.

They purchased the house and a large amount of land in the  60's.   Over a few years time they did renovations and added a major addition to the existing house.  They also  built an in ground  pool, guest house, and barn.  After all of this was complete, that is when strange things began to occur.  Over the years, my aunt always joked about living in her haunted house, but would never really talk about anything that she saw or experienced.     Her daughter is the same way, to this day she will not talk about anything she saw or experienced in that house.

My cousins are all older then I am, so when Anne got married I was rather young.  I would say around 5 or 6 years old.   I remember hearing family members whispering about her wedding gifts getting mysteriously moved around her room or they would find gifts in strange places.  And I vaguely remember them talking about seeing something in a closet.  But everything was always kept very hush, hush.   I also remember family members talking about a strange motorcycle that would drive toward the house and then disappear.

I never experienced seeing anything like that, but  I was always afraid to go to the back part of the house by myself.  The floor plan of the home was open, if you entered through the front door, you could go left into the kitchen, right to the bedrooms, or straight ahead to a large living room.   I never liked going back to the bedroom/bathroom area of the house.   Once you got back there,  you always felt that you were being watched and that something heavy was pressing on you.  There was a presence you could  and it wasn't warm and fuzzy.   That part of the house was also always colder then the other parts of the house.

who ya gonna call?

    I was checking out HGTV's website and came across tips for living in a haunted house.   Their suggestions are:  don't panic, do your research, and call the Ghostbusters. I suppose that is sound advice.   

My aunt and her family lived and thrived in a haunted house for over 30 years.    They sold the house in the 90's because  they didn't need such a large home anymore and decided to downsize.   What is funny, is that they sold the home to another family that we know.  The house again went through some remodeling and occasionally, they will mention having a strange feeling in the house. 

I would love to have the house investigated by a paranormal investigator.  I truly believe something is there.

Countdown to Halloween Day #8: More costume ideas

Here are a couple of ideas that I found on pinterest.  


                            Sea Monkey Family!   Hell Yeah!! Who doesn't love Sea Monkeys?

Bob Ross, Master of Happy Trees

                                                              Sheldon and Amy

Countdown to Halloween Day #7- Going to the fair

I thought I would throw this into the countdown because going to the county fair can be kind of scary.  I think the local fair here compares to a Saturday night at Walmart.  Yeah, it can be that bad.

Again this year, the fair is sponsoring a bowling buddies contest.  It is a contest were you get a used  bowling pin and decorate it.   Last year was the inaugural event and I am still little angry that Admiral Ackbar didn't even get an honorable mention.   
Squidy awesomeness got beat out by a craptastical farmer.  The picture below, I lifted off the fair website.  You see that farmer with  the white ribbon.  THAT THING got 3rd place!

  Anyway... I am over it.. not really...  I still feel like I was robbed.  

Craptastical Farmer

This year, I decided that I would be more ambitious.  I also decided that if they wanted farmers and homespun fiesta then that is what they would get.  I  recreated "American Gothic" by Grant Wood.   Nothing says homespun, corn fed, Amurica then that.






American Gothic is probably one of my favorite paintings.  I appreciate the symbolism contained within the painting and the history behind it.  I wanted to challenge myself since portraiture is not one of my strong suits.    Perhaps it wasn't my best idea.  I am very critical of the finished product.  I think Ackbar by far is better.  Still, I am standing behind my work.  I also have to admit to the fact that I did procrastinate hard core this year.  So, that doesn't help matters .





I think that they are better then last year's third place winner.   I would like to see them get a "best in show" but honestly I would be happy just to have them place.    They got dropped off Sunday and the fair opens today.   Wednesday, I planning to go and I will be able to update everyone how they place.

Star Wars Reads Day

I thought I would share a quick post about Star Wars Reads Day.   Saturday was the 2nd Star Wars Reads Day.   The event was started to encourage children and adults to discover the joy of reading through Star Wars books.  The event had a great turn out!  A group of us lent our support to a local event.   Being in costume most of the day, I didn't get to take many pictures.   I am thankful for the few pictures that I do have.  

It's a Frap!   Ackabar (aka- me)  after a day of trooping needed a frap.

Countdown to Halloween Day #6: Harry Potter Inspired treats for Halloween

 I said this with my Monster book tutorial and I will say it again, Harry Potter is huge at our house.  I love it because the treats that the wizarding world enjoy are truly magical!   So here are a few treats that we are making to share with family and friends this month.

I found this tutorial on Pinterest that teaches you how to make Sorting Hat caramels.  It is a video tutorial so it's nice to watch and work at the same time.  I was very pleased with my first attempt at making them.

The picture here is one of mine.  I think they are adorableas cupcake decoration or even just by themselves.   Here is a list of ingredients needed to make Sorting Hat Caramels.

-1 bag of Brach's Milk Maid Caramels.   Each hat uses 2 caramels.

-tooth pick or small skewer

-rolling pin

-wax paper





My other favorite treat to make is Chocolate  Frogs.

Equipment:
Microwave
Wooden spatula
1-2 Plastic Frog Molds   ( I purchased a frog candy mold from Amazon.com.  The mold I purchased makes 8 frogs at a time.)
Microwave safe mixing bowl

Ingredients:
One 12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips or a 12 oz. package of white chocolate chips
rice krispie cereal

We melted the chocolate in the microwave.  Check and stirring every 15-30 seconds until smooth and melted.




I used cooking spray to coat the molds.   Then we spooned melted chocolate into the molds.    I gently tapped the molding tray on the counter to remove any air  bubbles.

After the molds were filled.  We placed them in the refrigerator to cool.  Once they were completely cooled, we popped them out of the mold.


We made another batch using the white chocolate chips and some fruity pebbles cereal for some extra color.  We played around with the texture on these.  We tried crushing the cereal and sprinkled it in the molds.  Then we did more, where we crushed the cereal and add it to the melted chocolate. 



The final result was a plate of chocolate frogs that any wizard would be happy to snack on.

Hope you enjoy these fun Halloween treats.  

Countdown to Halloween Day #5: How big of a Monster Cereal fan are you?

The Monster cereals have invaded our pantry.  My children are loving it! And, I have to admit that I am loving it too.  Growing up, I never got to eat Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, or any of the Monster cereals.  I tried various different ways to smuggle some in my mom's grocery cart, but it never worked.  I always had to go over to a friend's house if I wanted some.

 So, grab you a bowl of  Count Chocula, watch some Saturday morning cartoons, and lets see who the real Monster cereal fans are.  Lets play a round of cereal box trivia!

MONSTER CEREAL TRIVIA

What did Fraken Berry and Count Chocula originally call their flavored marshmallows?

What was Fruit Brute's original catch phrase?

Which sport was not played by the monsters in their commercials- basketball, baseball, football, or bowling?

True or False : Bella Lugosi once appeared on the front of the Count Chocula box.

What year was Franken Berry and Count Chocula first introduced?

Which Monster cereal box appeared in two 90's movies?

True or False:  Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy were never actually available at the same time.

What was the original color of Boo Berry's hat?

What distinctive feature is on Franken Berry's fingernails?

True or False:  The Monsters released a disco album in the 70's?

Which actor's voice served as the inspiration for Boo Berry?

What was the original color of Frute Brute's nose?

The original Franken Berry character featured a metered gauge on what side of his head?

True or False:  Bigfoot once appeared on monster packages.

answers:  sweeties,  the howling good taste of fruit, football,  true, 1971,  Frute Brute, true, yellow, strawberries,  True,  Peter Lorre,  orange, left side