A quick unedited post~
I have been consumed with getting the 3 children's Halloween costumes ready. Between the end of the week school parties and Trick or Treating in their grandparents neighborhood, I believe Candy is overtaking my house. Not that they have free range of it- I put it in a basket and hide it above the fridge beyond where their hands can reach even with the highest chair. After a week it all "mysteriously" disappears.
That neighborhood is where the Captain grew up and many of his friends still have parents who live there. of course, it was mostly their homes we made a point to visit and they would dump a big bunch in each of their bags. We were told "these are our children's children- they get all they want". LOL. Panda has been going there since her first time out in costume so it is always a treat for them as well to see her grow from Frog's size to a young lady.
Most of the pictures did not come out well, so these are the best of the evening. (no one around here seems to believe in beggars night on actual Halloween anymore due to all the bad hype of others).
I have been consumed with getting the 3 children's Halloween costumes ready. Between the end of the week school parties and Trick or Treating in their grandparents neighborhood, I believe Candy is overtaking my house. Not that they have free range of it- I put it in a basket and hide it above the fridge beyond where their hands can reach even with the highest chair. After a week it all "mysteriously" disappears.
That neighborhood is where the Captain grew up and many of his friends still have parents who live there. of course, it was mostly their homes we made a point to visit and they would dump a big bunch in each of their bags. We were told "these are our children's children- they get all they want". LOL. Panda has been going there since her first time out in costume so it is always a treat for them as well to see her grow from Frog's size to a young lady.
Most of the pictures did not come out well, so these are the best of the evening. (no one around here seems to believe in beggars night on actual Halloween anymore due to all the bad hype of others).
Panda as a "wood land fairy"
This costume was a request from the catalog she found at her grandparents. I was asked to make her one like this*. Of course, i was thinking warmth so she had to go with the above. She was fine with it but not happy about the wings. She was upset because so many people thought she was a butterfly... Sorry chica-mommy can only do so much and wings are not one of them.
Frog is a white chicken- (Thank you Martha Stewart for the cool idea!) and Lil' monster- I mean Man - is Frankenstein. The head is from the bottom portion of a milk jug. Painted green, scar stitching is embroidery floss and the hair is faux fur. Of course the costume would not be complete without the bolts jutting out from the sides, a dark blazer, grey wool sweater and shredded pants. his face paint was coming off within minutes of it coming on, so it is rather faded. The rain sprinkled down upon us, but the beggars were not to be held back. they marched on, knocking on doors and in sweet frightening voices would say "trick or treat".
Lots of compliments on all the costumes made me feel happy. I am a stickler for homemade costumes pieced together with imagination and fun. I hate to see so many store bought ones. Where is the imagination? The charm? The spirit behind what halloween has always been? You get to be something/someone different for 1 day and get treats. Put some effort into it people! (and I do not mean by standing amongst the aisles of crappy pieced together choices they sell at stores) Ack!
I have been baking as much as possible since I do not want to turn the gas heat on. We are looking to lay insulation next month since we have just 1 1/2 inches up there- and who knows why it is that low. I use an old electric rom heater for the couch area but the mornings are so cold, it is hard to get out of bed.
This costume was a request from the catalog she found at her grandparents. I was asked to make her one like this*. Of course, i was thinking warmth so she had to go with the above. She was fine with it but not happy about the wings. She was upset because so many people thought she was a butterfly... Sorry chica-mommy can only do so much and wings are not one of them.
Frog is a white chicken- (Thank you Martha Stewart for the cool idea!) and Lil' monster- I mean Man - is Frankenstein. The head is from the bottom portion of a milk jug. Painted green, scar stitching is embroidery floss and the hair is faux fur. Of course the costume would not be complete without the bolts jutting out from the sides, a dark blazer, grey wool sweater and shredded pants. his face paint was coming off within minutes of it coming on, so it is rather faded. The rain sprinkled down upon us, but the beggars were not to be held back. they marched on, knocking on doors and in sweet frightening voices would say "trick or treat".
Lots of compliments on all the costumes made me feel happy. I am a stickler for homemade costumes pieced together with imagination and fun. I hate to see so many store bought ones. Where is the imagination? The charm? The spirit behind what halloween has always been? You get to be something/someone different for 1 day and get treats. Put some effort into it people! (and I do not mean by standing amongst the aisles of crappy pieced together choices they sell at stores) Ack!I have been baking as much as possible since I do not want to turn the gas heat on. We are looking to lay insulation next month since we have just 1 1/2 inches up there- and who knows why it is that low. I use an old electric rom heater for the couch area but the mornings are so cold, it is hard to get out of bed.
Anyway, after many trials over the years of cut out sugar cookies, I have found a way to keep them soft instead of crunchy. For those of you out there in search of the best recipe- thinking it is the recipe- here is the big secret! First (starting out with a good tasting & trusty recipe) you need to make sure when you roll out your dough it is a minimum of 1/4 inch thick. After laying your cut out's on the cookie sheet and baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit , do not let them over bake. Do not let them get golden. 5-7 minutes is all that is needed with the above thickness. Put your timer and oven light on. start checking after 5 minutes. When you take them out, their bottoms should not be dark. A light golden color ON THE BOTTOM is what you want. The ones below are actually more cooked by 2 minutes then my normal timing. They were a second batch and I was busy shooing those darn Ducks off my car. Freezer camp is coming but not soon enough.
I wish I had known that helpful information when I started baking many, many, many Moons ago. The recipe is from a cookbook called " The all new good housekeeping cook book".
I have found many great and useful recipes in that book. I do believe my extent of its use has been solely for breads and baked goods. Dinner recipes are mostly from my head. So I am not able to vouch on the other sections.
The children have trick or treating in MY grandmothers neighborhood today. Every year we do both. But I limit the streets to 4, since it is rather large in there. Not all houses participate, but the kids love seeing their friends in costume and socializing outside of school.
I have also been informed by Miss Panda, that she is to be a scary witch next year. Of course I hate the scary stereo types put out on that so I will try to swerve her with a Victorian gown & a "harry potter teachers style" hat. we can do make up to add mystery and scare, but NO black shredded dresses or green hook noses with warts! I will try to make a "real" witch broom, complete with a tree limb handle for her to carry. But this year is not over yet...
I LOVE this holiday!
Hooves need trimmed, leaves need raked. My car needs cleaned, and Frankensteins head needs repainting thanks to the drizzle.So I'm off......
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie
I have found many great and useful recipes in that book. I do believe my extent of its use has been solely for breads and baked goods. Dinner recipes are mostly from my head. So I am not able to vouch on the other sections.
The children have trick or treating in MY grandmothers neighborhood today. Every year we do both. But I limit the streets to 4, since it is rather large in there. Not all houses participate, but the kids love seeing their friends in costume and socializing outside of school.
I have also been informed by Miss Panda, that she is to be a scary witch next year. Of course I hate the scary stereo types put out on that so I will try to swerve her with a Victorian gown & a "harry potter teachers style" hat. we can do make up to add mystery and scare, but NO black shredded dresses or green hook noses with warts! I will try to make a "real" witch broom, complete with a tree limb handle for her to carry. But this year is not over yet...
I LOVE this holiday!
Hooves need trimmed, leaves need raked. My car needs cleaned, and Frankensteins head needs repainting thanks to the drizzle.So I'm off......
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie
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