Halloween

On Halloween .Witches come true.
Wild Ghost escape from dreams...
Each Monster dances in the park,
While owls screech and scream..


I love Halloween almost as much as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I love the fun of Halloween not the gruesome yucky stuff . Decorating the house inside and out is creative fun.
Turning the yard into an instant grave yard or scarecrow and pumpkin patch. Flying ghosts and spider webs give the illusion of something fun.

Carving pumpkins are a delight. Finding the right pumpkin for the right face.
Did you know you can carve the foam pumpkins as well ? Doing this you can have your pumpkin forever. than just a couple of weeks. I use Pumpkin Masters they have wonderful patterns or I make my own. Then with a battery candle you won't worry about melting the pumpkin.

My friend at work gave me a great recipe for the pumpkin seeds :
Throughly wash the pumpkin pulp off of the seeds first.

In a 5 quart pan put 6 to 8 cups of pumpkin seeds 1/2 to 1 cup of salt cover with water and bring to a boil . Boil for 1/2 hour.
Drain and lay on apaper towels and let dry over night.
Place on cooke sheet in 200 degree oven and back for 2-3 hours or until dry and crunchy.

The only gruesome Halloween thing that we did has turned into a great memory.

My husband had this vest it was only a doctors delight. ( although he is not a doctor) This vest showed the insides of an exploded stomach. It showed parts of the heart, spline, bone and other things, I hot glued tiny ants on it to enhance the sight of the vest. He wore this with and gas mask and army fatiges at his work and won a night at a hotel for us.

My son Jeremy was sick it was October 30th. We were getting ready to go to the doctor. Our Doctor was so dry we could hardly get him to laugh at jokes. Well I couldn't resist it being so close to Halloween. Jeremy doned on the "Vest" at the doctors office while we were waiting for the doctor. His patient set up was so that when he opened the door he would see who was sitting on the chairs then turn to the left for the patient.
Our doctor came in and saw my husband and I , we talked for a minute and then indicated that Jeremy didn't feel to well. He turned to the left and out went his arms and a big WOE!!! I have never seen him get so excited and animated!! He said this is so cool.. and off he went down the hall with the vest to show the physical therpist Exclaiming" Look at this Noel.. Everything is in the right place and it is so cool"...

Years later our son married a wonderful gal and she was then a medical assistant to this office of our Doctor. He didn't make the connection with the family until he saw my son at a Christmas party.
Soon after he left the office to go into private practice doing home visits for Hospic patients. My husband and I came to the party and he had his wife take our pictures. His wife said he will never forget "the VEST " and still talks about this to this day. After that experience he loosend up and started telling us jokes...

Halloween can be fun ..

Grandchildren

Grandchildren are a such great joy. I saw this comment that said ." Grandchildren are the reason that you didn't strangle your children when they were young."
I really don't know about that because I love my children, true they can be a pain but they were fun.

I do love my grandchildren. They are all boys and they range in age from 4,3,3, 6 months and one about to arrive any time. My son and I are hoping that he will arrive on Halloween. Just think you always get candy for your birthday and get to dress up too.. My daughter-in -law said no way she is crossing her legs and determined that that baby will arrive on November the 1st.

I think grandchildren keep you young and exhusted trying to keep up with their inquisitive mind.
It is so fun to see them connect things like... How does a tiny seed grow into a pine tree? Or how can a pumpkin become a jack -0- lantern? why do there have to be bees?

We have one grandson Jonathan that has austium. He would make a great engineer , He loves to see how things work and can quickly process that information. He is on the go and loves music.. He loves going to his autisum school and is learning many things.

Daniel loves his brothers and is always kissing them on the cheeks and forehead. He will be a great Dad when he is older. He loves going to pre school and works hard on his homework. He loves Halloween and Christmas like his grandmother.

Andrew is the socor player he loves running and keeping up with his big brother. He cried when he couldn't go to pre school too , but then it was ok to stay home and make cookies with Aunt Hollie.
Andrew says that Daniel is his best friend.. Doesn't that just swell the heart? I hope it last.

Nathan is the 6 month old . He thinks everything is funny and when he watches his big brothers he squrms almost like he would love to get down and join in the fun. He was 9 lbs when he was born like he wants to growup as fast as he can.

Alistair Scott is the one we are waiting for. Will he have blonde hair like his brother? and be tall ?
All this just adds to grandmother and grandfathers joy...
We love interacting with them and reading, playing games and taking naps.... they just are the warming part of the heart...

Grandkids are great!!!

Halloween/ Fall

I love this time of year, when the days are warm and the nights are cool.

The green of the leaves are turning yellow, red, brown, orange.

There is something about when the harvest is gathered and bottled and stored for those cold winters when you long for the warmer sunny days...

I remember coming home from school and the back porch smelling like a fruit stand with peaches , pears, apples . I would help Dad with the chores and Mom with the dinner. We would quickly get the dishes done and then start peeling and bottling and water bathing.

Dad would push his sleves of his shirt up and grab a paring knive and work right along with us.

My job was to check for nicks in the bottles and sterilize them, then I could peel and stuff the bottles with the lush, yummy fruit. I would think one slice for the bottle and one for me...

To this day when I smell these fruits I think of Mom and Dad the fun of working together as a family.

When I married I longed for the time to share this with a family of my own.

One year an apple orchard was going to be torn out and the message to the community was $2 a bushel and way we went my husband ,my mother and I.

I was expecting our third son so my job was to hold the basket. We brought home four basket full of rosy red apples. The next day my Grandmother and Mother came over and to work to work , we made applesauce,

and sliced apples for pie.

We set my second son who was just a baby himself on the table and he sang sweet little songs for us as we peeled apples.

As my family grew the "boys "were not interested in canning. My daughter however loves helping me make jelly and canning. Until recently.....

My son grew pumpkins ( with his sister help keeping them watered ) just a few mind you. Just a few grew into 32 pumpkins. The pumpkins grew in the grapes and roses and into the window wells of the basement.

I found a recipe for pumpkins from scratch from the field to a pie. OH it was wonderful. Now he is interested in canning this wonderful bounty.

I love fall.. I love to teach canning and feel the goodness in something that you have grown and harvested.

Oh by the way , my daughter and I made Choke Cherry Jelly ( the fruit only found in the mountains of the west ) Blueberry,Marion,Raspberry jelly and Orange Necterine.. and Grape jelly Yummy...

I do love Fall..