Happy Halloween!

Tonight is the night
when dead leaves fly
like witches on switches
across the sky,
when elf and sprite
flit through the night
on a moony sheen.

Tonight is the night
when leaves make a sound
like a gnome in his home
under the ground,
when spooks and trolls
creep out of holes
mossy and green.

Tonight is the night
when pumpkins stare
through sheaves and leaves
everywhere,
when ghoul and ghost
and goblin host
dance round their queen.

It's Halloween!

-Harry Behn

Resistance is Futile

I hate change. It doesn’t become me. I’m not very good at it. I’m just not. And there are some things that I truly have always felt weren’t meant to change.

Like books.

The book has basically been in the same form for 500 years. Ever since Gutenberg. And something that has resisted change for 500 years is not going to be easily improved.

How can you improve the book?

I adore books. The sound they make when you open them… the smell of the paper and binding… the whisper of the pages as you turn them... the amazing covers… how gorgeous they look on the shelf…. The feel of them in your hands…

Times do change, I realize this. But, the thought of technology invading the world of books is, well, hard for me to accept.

As a matter of principle, eBooks send me reeling. You can’t hold an eBook or smell it or look at it. eBooks aren’t that fun to read on a laptop or mobile phone. You just can’t read a 300 page book on that kind of devise. At least I can’t. (I don’t seem to have as much of an aversion to books on tape ~ don’t ask me why ~ however, I do think they are always read way too slow and it’s annoying.)

So, how can you improve the book? I’m just not sure you can. The hardest thing to replicate about a physical book, one of the reasons it is so elementally suited to its purpose is… it disappears.

When you’re reading a book, you’re not thinking about the ink or the paper or the feel and the cover. All those things disappear and what you’re left with is the author’s world. And for all those things that I love about books, this is the thing I love the most. Being taken to another time and place.

Is there another way to make that happen? A few months ago I heard about the Kindle. It’s a portable, wireless book reader. You can download books, read blogs, read the newspaper. It’s the size of a paperback book and only 10 ounces. Someone said, “It’s the future of book reading.”

Well, that got a huge “hrmph” from me. I didn’t want to hear anymore about it. Not a word. What is this world coming to? Why does everything have to be bigger/smaller, stronger, faster? Why? I’d rather have a good old tome in my hands any day. A Kindle doesn’t look good on a shelf or smell like paper or have a groovy cover.

But…

Then I started noticing things…..

Everyone seems to have one.

And I mean, everyone.







Some have even more than one.

I admit I’ve started to become a bit more curious about it. I mean… I’m thinking about it more. You know. Just checking it out. Does that make me a traitor? I sort of feel like it does! I'm feeling rather guilty!

Kindle. v. to call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses). Evoke, raise, provoke to fuel or ignite. To spark. Yes, well, it’s certainly doing all that.

It’s not like I have to have one. per se. I’m not quite ready to give in just yet.

Another Halloween Favorite...

The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile

(Because some things are simply meant to be shared)

Keeping it under wraps

May I just go on record to say that these things are freakishly scary in real life? They're as tall as an adult, and look astonishing real.


Let's just say that in the future, they won't be placed in my front entry. Trust me. It wasn't a good idea....

Grave Matters

When in Salem...

Old Burying Point

Salem, MA

(sigh) I know. But with 5 boys in tow, whatcha gonna do?

Tim was the ringleader,
I'm afraid.

The Witch House

Ah, Salem. Our favorite place to spend the weekend, and the best place on the planet to spend Halloween!

I guess there are some things about living in New England that we miss.

Fall Leaves

Salem Common

Aut-yum Leaves

Here's a treat no one will leaf behind. Made with store-bought piecrust dough (that's my kind of dough!), these leaves are filled with chocolate and peanut butter chips, but try jam and cream cheese, or chocolate chips, walnuts, and mini marshmallows!

Ingredients
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
Prepared pie crust
Mini chocolate chips
Peanut butter chips
Raw sugar
Flour for work surface

1. Heat the oven to 375°. Whisk one egg with a teaspoon of water and set it aside. 2. On a floured surface, roll out a prepared pie crust so it's about 1/8-inch thick. Use a large leaf-shaped cookie cutter (ours is 4 1/2-inches wide) to make as many dough leaf pairs as possible. 3. For each pocket, spread about 4 teaspoons of mini chocolate chips and peanut butter chips on a leaf, leaving a 1/2-inch margin at the edge. Brush egg wash onto the edge, place a second leaf on top, and press the edges to seal. 4. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle it generously with raw sugar. Bake the leaves on a parchment-covered cookie sheet until their edges are just beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Let them rest on the sheet a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

"Nearly headless...

How can you be nearly headless?"
-Hermione Granger

How about a good old spooky story right before bed? Everyone needs a copy of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on their nightstand in October...

There was something in the moody and dogged silence of this pertinacious companion, that was mysterious and appalling. It was soon fearfully accounted for. On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow-traveller in relief against the sky, gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was horror-struck, on perceiving that he was headless!—but his horror was still more increased, on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him on the pommel of the saddle; his terror rose to desperation; he rained a shower of kicks and blows upon Gunpowder; hoping, by a sudden movement, to give his companion the slip—but the spectre started full jump with him. Away then they dashed, through thick and thin; stones flying, and sparks flashing at every bound. Ichabod’s flimsy garments fluttered in the air, as he stretched his long lanky body away over his horse’s head, in the eagerness of his flight.

From The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Washington Irving

Less is More. (More or less)

Tucson is Halloween.

It's true. It's huge. Last year, my sister thought she was ready. "I have 100 pieces of candy," she claimed. They ran out. (of course they did!)

And living in a neighborhood like this, it's completely understandable! I'm not sure if even 1000 pieces will be enough!

I have never in my life seen a neighborhood so decked out for Halloween as this one...

And you should see it at night!

(pssst... I think that spider is real. This is Tucson, after all).

Every single house on the block.

Except for this one.

My sister's house.

Less really is more.

I think they'll probably only need 100 pieces of candy.

How to concoct a witch's brew...

Seriously. It's even green. The recipe is over at my sister's blog... (she's just gone private, but she would honestly love you to be a regular. So go ahead and knock on her blog door. She's a good witch. I promise).

Oh, and the witch's brew? I wasn't kidding... It's green. It's good. And you'll love it.

It's a wonderful night for eyebrows. It's a wonderful night for teeth!

It's a wonderful night for Grinch Night!



We ADORE this show. It's a Halloween tradition at our house.

"Max? Max! Go bring the paraphernalia wagon!" Classic.

Pumpkin Baby

Could it get any cuter?

So the car caught fire tonight...

... and they say nothing exciting ever happens around here.

Last week Doug went on splits with the missionaries and stepped in a fresh pile of dog doo. And got it all over his shoes and the pant leg of his new suit. The expensive one.

Tonight he came home from a Prop 8 meeting and his car caught fire as soon as he arrived home. We're talking flames. 911. Sirens. Firemen. (ahem). Neighbors. Lots of water. Firemen. (Believe, me. It's worth repeating).

I'm not sure what his ward's got planned for next week....

Mother Trucker

My Getaway Car

(No drivers were hurt in the making of this blog post)

I can now truthfully say I have my year supply.

Ack!

How long will an unopened bag of Mother's Circus Animal Cookies last in my freezer?

This is a serious matter! I just learned today that Mother's Cookies is closing. An icon from my childhood. (Ah, heck. An icon from my adulthood too). How could they? This is harsh. They're blaming the economy. Rising food and fuel prices. Haven't they noticed the nation's obesity epidemic? They should have said something! We'd have rallied to the cause! It's not like Circus Animal cookies were to die for... (they were actually rather gross). But you couldn't stop eating them. You know? You had to eat them until you shuddered. This is like the death of the Time Lady all over again and I confess I am in mourning. I'd rant some more, but I really need to get to the store...

A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet...

We love popcorn at our house.
Have you ever tried popcorn balls with marshmallows, toffee, or cranberries?

Ingredients
(Makes about 12)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for buttering hands
1 package miniature marshmallows (10 ounces)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup dried cranberries, or English toffee bits, optional

Directions
1. Melt butter in a large heavy pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and brown sugar and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
2. Pour popcorn and cranberries, or English toffee bits if using, into pot; toss well. With buttered hands, shape into 2 1/2-inch balls. Set on parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet to dry slightly.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Martha

She uses ingredients I've never even heard of. She can't talk like a normal person and uses words like "gelatinous mix" instead of Jell-O, or "laaaaatex" gloves instead of latex. Half of her stuff is impossible to do for a mere mortal. I usually feel just great about myself (cough) when I catch one of her shows or leaf through a magazine. But there are occasions where she comes up with something I can actually do or improve on. It's a good thing. I can't believe I just said that.


Pumpkin Lanterns
Take an ordinary paper lantern, dress it up with leaves, a stem, and tendrils, and it will assume a totally unexpected identity: a Halloween pumpkin. A few craft supplies are all you need to transform these inexpensive, light-as-air globes.

Glittered Pumpkins
These decorations bring sparkle to tables and serving areas -- and they last far longer than jack-o'-lanterns. To make one, use a medium-size paintbrush to spread a layer of white glue over the surface of a small pumpkin. Hold pumpkin over a paper plate or a sheet of newspaper to catch excess glitter. Sprinkle powder glitter over pumpkin in several colors (we used penny, persimmon, orange, and pink champagne), covering completely. Let dry for about an hour; shake off excess glitter. Coat stem with brown acrylic paint; let dry. Pumpkins will keep for months.

Batty Bags
These batty bags are easy to make and will be gobbled up by hungry trick-or-treaters. Cinch cellophane bags of jelly beans with these easy construction-paper-covered clothespins.

Spider Toothpicks
These obliging arachnids help guests get a handle on snacks. With scissors, cut the bugs off plastic spider rings (available at party stores), then puncture their centers with a needle tool (from crafts stores). Insert the toothpick into the hole from bottom; color tip with a black marker. Set out with nibbles, such as mini mozzarella balls.

Mashed Boo-tatoes
When you've already got costumes on your mind, why not disguise dinner as well?

Pumpkin Pie Potpourri
Use a pumpkin incense burner to suggest the cozy scent of pie just out of the oven.

Share the Scare

Diane and I had so much fun creating a Halloween gift basket (which I forgot to take a picture of!) for an older sister in the ward. We stuffed it with pumpkin and Frankenstein embroidered dish towels, a classic Halloween book (you're never too old), seasonal See's candy (you can never get enough), a Halloween themed magazine, and lots and lots of love. We were sneaky, she adored it, and we felt great! It doesn't have to cost much, but why not trick-or-treat for someone who needs a little extra love this season?

Tell Me A Scary Story

What's Halloween without a few chills and a scream or two? Carl Reiner. Brilliant. Go buy it.

Something with red beams of light shooting from its eyes was coming down the basement stairs. It came closer and closer... the hair on the back of my neck was sticking straight out. I finally saw it- and it was alive!

What are you still sitting here for? I said go buy it!

I spent the week in Tucson...

With my nearest and dearest. We had a marvelous time!


Bob and I drove up in Coach. It looks like it belongs there!

We went on drives and saw cool places.


We shopped. A lot. I mean, really a lot.

We discovered some things about Tucson that are a bit different...

They eat weird food. (That's cactus in the produce section! If anyone knows what to do with that, I'd sure like to hear about it!)



They do dangerous and rather bizarre things. (I did tell her not to).


Their guests perform harsh menial labor.






There are frightening Jurassic Park similarities. Like dinosaurs.

And like being chased for more than a yard by a deadly scorpion in the garage.

I almost died.


They have unusual post offices.




(But at least they do have them).






They have reckless daredevil tendencies... like driving in the middle of nowhere with 34 miles until the next gas station and only 12 miles to empty.


But I couldn't imagine a better vacation and a better place to spend it. I love my sister and I had the best time!