Oh My Pumpkin Seeds!

Oh my Pumpkin Seeds!  I have just discovered the tastiest Fall Tidbits ever.  And being the crafty lil' Good Witch that I am (most of the time), I just couldn't help but start mixin' up ingredients in my apothecary kitchen and creating a whole new bowl of YUMMY!  Okay...I bet you are just dying to know what I conjured up, so I'll tell you.  First of all, I discovered a new Fall product at Trader Joe's.  Of course for me, everything at Trader Joe's is new however....because we just got our very first store here this Summer....woo hoo!  So when I was there on Monday trying to find my trail mix, I stumbled upon Trader Joe's Spiced Pumpkin Seeds.  Of course the word 'spice' immediately sends up a red flag for me, because I do not like hot and spicy anything.  And I figured they probably had some kind of Chipolte or Cayenne Pepper on them.  But luckily I am also a curious and resourceful lil' witch, so I checked the ingredients.  And lo and behold, the 'spice' in these babies is of the 'sweet' variety....like allspice and cinnamon.  Now we're talkin'!  But still being ever so cautious, I decided to buy just two bags in case I hated them, knowing the Hubby human Hoover would eat whatever I refused to, because he's not picky and he hates to waste food/money. Good man!

Now I must backtrack to our other favorite Fall treat...Publix Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream.  That is some tasty tasty stuff with bits of real pie crust and ribbons of whip cream in it.  We'd already picked up about 5 cartons of it when it was on sale, because that's how we roll.  Did I mention that there are also currently 10+ bottles of that International Delights SF/FF Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer that I mentioned in an earlier post, sitting pretty in our second refrigerator?  Yeah....that crap was too hard to obtain for too long, so when we finally found a well stocked cooler....we cleaned them out!  Where was I?  Oh yes...my new magically delicious concoction of Autumn Deliciousness.  

So when I finally got a handful of those Spiced Pumpkin Seeds in my mouth, I was in Pepita Paradise....omg, they are SO freakin' scrumptious and pretty much highly addictive as well  Also, these are the 'shelled' pumpkin seeds I'm talking about...not those nasty in the hull ones.  Anyway....the light bulb in my head goes off, and I think to myself...what a wonderful world these tasty tidbits would make an incredible topping for my Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream!  So I got right on that....and the rest is Halloween History in this house.  

 Everyone loved it....in fact we probably love it TOO much, but it is what it is.  So needless to say, I sent the Hubster back over to Trader Joe's first thing the next morning with a standing order of 'every bag on the shelf'.  And in true Hubster fashion, he brought me back just 6 out of  the 30 available bags....curse him!  That's okay...he'll just be making more trips like he had to do for the creamer, until he finally broke down and stocked up like I told him to begin with!  So for those of you with a Trader Joe's anywhere near you, get over there and get some now.  As for the Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, Publix is a Florida only store I believe, but Trader Joe's has their brand of  Pumpkin Ice Cream too, and I'm sure your local grocers do as well.  And don't forget to add your Spiced Pumpkin Seed Topper!  You can thank me later for Brewin' this up!

 

2014 Halloween Industry Forcast & Trends

So I stumbled upon this Halloween Industry Magazine on-line that talks all about everything Halloween related for the upcoming 2014 season.  It touches on all the latest trends to look forward to in everything from costumes, make-up and accessories, to party decorations and outside yard haunt decor.  There is a palpable excitement brewing for the upcoming Halloween season this year due to the fact that Halloween will finally be falling on a Friday again for the first time in awhile.  A Friday Halloween equates into ever-more Halloween sales of all kinds because kids and adults alike will be able to extend their partying through the weekend....no school the next day for all the little ghouls and goblins coming down from their candy binges, and no work for the adults hungover from their creepy cocktails.  For that matter, a true Halloween Head could theoretically host an All Hallow's Eve Soiree on Friday night, followed up by a Dia de los Muertos Fiesta on Saturday or Sunday!

2014 Halloween Trends via 'Selling Halloween'

Black and White All Hallow's Eve Party

Dia de los Muertos Increasing in Popularity

So just what do the experts predict will be popular this year?  In costumes it seems that DIY (do it yourself) costumes have grown in popularity, probably thanks to sites like Pinterest and Etsy.  So with that, comes a desire for accessories to add to and complete a one of a kind  ensemble, rather than a ready made store bought costume that can only be worn once.  Accessories can be mixed and matched for use with other costumes and even regular outfits, as well as being used again at Renn Faires and theme parties, and for Cosplay and Larping. Licensed characters are always popular, but research has shown that buyers want more quality in their costume pieces and are also prone to mix and match styles and themes like "mixing a fantasy anime wig with vampire fangs and 60's fishnet stockings to make a unique costume."  And..........love em' or hate em', pet costumes are big, with 14% of 2013 celebrants dressing up their pets last year to the tune of $330 million dollars!!!  Wow...who would have guessed that?

Buyers Looking for Quality and Reusable Accessories

Halloween Costumes for Pets is Big Business for Retailers

This coming Fall, many indoor Halloween Parties will be hosted in the 2 weeks leading up to Halloween....so what themes are retailers looking to stock for 2014?  Well as to be expected, the tried and true colors of Orange and Black, along with Purple and Lime, are always the most popular colors.  And as for 'Icons', apparently Cats came in on top in one analysis, followed closely by Bats, Pumpkins and Owls.  Vintage Halloween is always a favorite decorating style and for good reason I'd say.  And although Ghosts and Pumpkins are also perennial faves, the industry experts have seen an uptick in Skulls and Skeleton imagery on the rise.  However, there was also an alternate opinion...that many people dislike frightening imagery, so the retailer in that market was opting for a softer look in their party goods.  What about you all....are you hard core or soft core Halloween Heads?

Orange & Black Most Popular Color Scheme

Black Cats #1 Halloween Icon

Vintage Halloween Always Popular

Uptick in Demand for Skeletons & Skulls

Another hot trend, that I personally LOVE, is the Day of the Dead decor!  However according to industry experts, it tends to be more of a 'regional' trend with those on the West Coast and East Coast digging it more than those in the MidWest.  And apparently those of us who like it, also enjoy it as a year round aesthetic...thus making it a good seller in those areas all through the year. (I can personally attest to leaving some of my Sugar Skull stuff out year round in moderation.)  They also report that the Goth theme of Black and White is popular in costumes, thereby influencing its popularity in the party good sector as party-goes want to match the theme of their shin-digs.  They identified Zombies as a growing trend, with Witches, Tombstones, and Spiders good sellers as well. And lastly, anything 'Glittered" also sells well, much to the dismay and horror of the true die hard Halloween aficionados.

Day of the Dead Celebrations Going Mainstream

Black and White Goth Costumes on Trend

Witch Costumes Always Good Sellers

Zombies a Growing Trend

Breakdown of Top 10 Costumes for Adults and Kids

So there you have it....a synopsis of some of the tantalizing tricks and treats headed our way this Halloween Season.  So the big question is....what are YOU gonna be for Halloween this year?  Will you follow the trends or start a new fad?!  If you'd like to read more Halloween Industry Trend news, check out this link to Selling Halloween!
(All Images from Pinterest and Selling Halloween)

Halloween Hits the World Market

So new this week here in Florida...World Market finally started getting in their Day of the Dead and Halloween Merchandise....woo hoo!  I snapped a few shots, but not all the shelves were stocked completely yet. I loved these grinning Jack O'Lantern Gourd wind chimes.  Seeing them hanging there in one giddy lil' grinning group made me oh so Halloween Happy!  

World Market also has a nice selection of Dia de los Muertos items.  I especially liked the Skeleton Cats and Skeleton Owls which were new.  I picked up a black and white Sugar Skull Head plate.  And almost bought a Sugar Skull Stress Ball because lets face it...who doesn't have stress and couldn't use an item like that every so often?!

And they also had a cute selection of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein Movie melamine plates and serving platters that were Monsteriffic too!  

Another bonus to World Market is that they have a great selection of just about every Autumn/Halloween Beer, Hard Cider, and Wine known to man.  So if you'd like to sample one, before committing to the whole case......just pick up an empty 6-pack bottle holder, and fill it with single bottles of beer in every Pumpkin-y, Autumn-y flavor that tickles your fancy, it's that easy.  Then just take it back to your place with some Pumpkin Chips and Salsa....and you're all set to host your own lil' Beer Tasting or Mini Octoberfest in the comfort of your own home. 

There were lots of other good finds that I would have photographed and shared at World Market, but the employees who were stocking the shelves kept watching me with a suspicious eye as though I might actually make out the door with a Skeleton or bag of Chocolate Monster Eyeballs...so I decided to put the camera away, make my purchases and leave.  But it is definitely worth checking out if you have one in your area!

And So It Begins...the Pumpkin is Back!

And so it begins....bring on the Autumn Season!
What a most wickedly wonderful surprise I woke up to this morning, thanks to my dear hubby!  I opened the refrigerator doors to discover the First Pumpkin Goodies of the Halloween Season.  Bye-bye sugar-free Hazelnut coffee creamer...you have officially been replaced until further notice by a brand new fat-free/sugar-free Pumpkin Pie Spice Coffee Creamer by International Delight!  In the past I've always used Coffee Mate sugar-free Pumpkin Spice creamer because it's the only Pumpkin flavored one we could find that was also sugar-free.  But this year International Delight has stepped up its game and actually beat Coffee Mate to the grocery store...at least with the sugar-free version.  And as I sit here typing, and sipping from my Owl mug, I can attest to its Pumpkin Pie Tastiness! 

And as if that man didn't already score enough brownie points with me today...my new creamer was flanked with Limited Edition Pumpkin Pie Yogurt - Light, from Yoplait!  How cool is that?!  I have not sampled the yogurt yet, so I can't report on its tastiness as of this writing, but truly how bad can anything with a lil' pumpkin in it really be?!  I am super excited to give this stuff a try, and plan on doing just that at lunch today, but the more important point of today's post is that it is officially The Season of the Autumn People....at least in the grocery stores....woo hoo!  I should also mention that the hubster also brought home a bag of Pepperidge Farms Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies the other day too, in case anyone is interested in checking them out. I was skeptical at first, but they were moist and soft and quite yummy...however there are only 8 cookies in the bag and with 5 people clamoring to try them....the whole bag was decimated within about 5 minutes!  Hence, why there is no photo evidence of it's existence!  All the more reason to go buy some more!  Would love to know what the rest of you are finding in your area grocers...so please be sure to post! 

The Halloween Watch Begins

Well it's now July....and that means that we are one month closer to Halloween....woo hoo!  And as it turns out, Halloween is officially on its way into retail stores near you....or at least near ME!  I can happily report from the mainland of Florida the following Fall/Halloween sightings thus far.  Of course the craft stores are always first on the scene as expected, since crafters need to start procuring supplies for their Autumn crafting and fairs.  At last check, Michael' and JoAnne's both had their autumn floral out including fall leaves, pumpkins, crows,  gourds, owls, and ribbons etc.  Michael's also has their Halloween ribbons out as well. 

Here in Florida, we have a store called Garden Ridge...not sure where else this store is in other parts of the country, as I just discovered it last year....it's similar to Old Time Pottery (which did NOT have any Fall/Halloween stuff out yet last time I checked, although they may have some now that July 4th is over).  But anyway, Garden Ridge does have both Autumn and Halloween stuff out already.  They were just getting it out 2 weekends ago, so there's probably even more now.  That is the first official sighting of substantial Halloween merchandise I've seen.  Additionally, Hobby Lobby also has most of their Autumn stuff out now....along with most of their CHRISTMAS!  Yes, I said Christmas...ugh!  I always loathe seeing  Christmas come out before or at the same time as Halloween, but Hobby Lobby is a religious store, so I've noticed that they will actually wait quite a long while to put Halloween on display, while having Christmas merchandise out as early as June.  At least they have the Autumn stuff anyway.  And lastly, someone online mentioned that Grandin Road has sent out a 'Halloween Preview Catalog' email as well.  There are some Halloween items on their site right now, but their "Halloween Haven" is not officially up yet.

** And that is it from my neck of the woods...would love to know what everyone else is seeing.  And for any of my old Halloween pals that have switched their blogs over to Google + or whatever that is.....I do apologize, but I can no longer comment on your blogs unless I sign up for it, and I don't want it.  I think it sucks that they want to force you to switch to it in order to be able to stay in contact with our blogger friends.  So please know that if you have switched over, I am still following your blog, but I guess I will not be able to comment any longer....boo hiss, sorry!  :o(

 

Spooky MAY-hem in Florida!

Time for some SPOOKY MAY-HEM!

Well it's almost the end of May, and you know what that means right?  It means it's time for Spooky Empire's MAY-hem Convention in Orlando, Florida.  How dreadfully delightful that the Ghoulies have come to town.  They kicked off the 3-day event last night with a Day of the Dead Poolside Opener Party, complete with eats,drinks, music and make-up!  A most frighteningly festive way to get the party rolling and start getting in the mood for the upcoming Halloween season.  The Convention rolls back into O-town in October, just in time for the Halloween happenings, adding a Zombie Walk and Hearse & Creepy Car Show! 

 

On Saturday and Sunday, there will be a variety of spooky events happening, including horror movie film festivals, live shows and events, costume contest, horror art, and lots of macabre merchandise to procure for this year's Halloween Yard Haunts.  There will also be autograph signings and photo ops with some of your horror movie favorites, such as "Halloween" Director John Carpenter, Robert Englund aka Freddy Kreuger, Lana Parrilla the Evil 'Snow White' Queen from TV's "Once Upon a Time", Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula in Disney's "Little Mermaid", and Nick Castle aka Michael Meyers from "Halloween"....just to name a few. You can check out the full list of attendees here!

The event looks to be a virtual Spook Fest full of all things Creepy and Cool.  For any of you Halloween-Heads living in Florida, or just visiting here on vacation.....be sure to check it out this weekend Friday-Sunday, tickets available at the door.  And be sure to catch the video below of Pat Carroll (aka Ursula) doing a reading of the famous intro dialogue from Disney's Haunted Mansion ride...you know, the one you hear when you are in the elevator waiting to go inside and the walls start stretching!!  She has one of the the best 'evil laughs' in the business!  Love her!
(All images © Spooky Empire, Halloween Extreme image © Ricky Brigante)

Halloweeny Things at the Pottery Barn

It's Friday, and the weekend is here...hooray!  However, we will be working most of the weekend on house renovations and getting ready to put in new carpeting next week.  Lots to do!  While looking online for any new Halloween merchandise this morning, I did find a few things that I really liked from Pottery Barn, and thought I'd share some images.  I believe it's just a preview, and the items are not actually available yet, however, I created a shopping cart and added two things to it...and it appeared that it may actually let me purchase.  Of course, I didn't click on, to actually place an order, so perhaps I'd get a "not yet available" notice if I continued, not sure.  

I really like these string lights.  I especially love the Skellington-esque Jacks, because they are different from the standard Jack O'Lantern grin.  But at almost $40, the price does seem a bit steep for an 8ft. 10 count light strand.  Also, there were the cute Witch Hats, But I do already have a Witch Hat light set, so I supposed I can live without them.  But those Jacks are really calling me!

Jack O'Lantern Lights

 

Witch Hat Lights

And these small serving plates are fantastic too.  

I am especially digging these Halloween Plates... 

"Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble"!

 

Witch's Spells Plates

 Day of the Dead Plates

Okay...well if anyone is actually out there and reading this....

I hope you have a stellar weekend!  :o)

All Images © Pottery Barn

Pier 1 Fall / Halloween Preview

Looking online this morning I realized that Pier 1 has their upcoming Fall/Halloween merchandise up now, although it will not be available for ordering until July 21st.  Not sure if it's out in the stores yet or not, though I doubt it is out quite yet.  Anyway, here are just a few of the items I liked.  Generally, Pier 1 has too much glitter and frou frou for my taste, but there were a few cute things. 

I love Designated Halloween Pillows....in fact, I may have a slight hoarding issue when it comes to them because they used to be few and far between.  But the last few years, they have become ever more popular.

 

And since I am also partial to Witches, I like this candle a lot!

  And of course I also have a thing for Owls, so I couldn't resist these either!You can visit the Pier1 Fall Halloween Preview on-line now 

to check out all their upcoming seasonal offerings!

 

All images © Pier1.com

A Halloween Theft and Aqcuistion

So first is the acquisition, which is this super cute and witchy Spider Web Skirt from Grandinroad that I ordered today...thank you to Old Fashioned Halloween for posting this, as I had been eyeing it for a while and I ended up getting it at the sale price thanks to their post...woo hoo!  Anyway,  while looking through the Halloween merchandise, I was distracted by a dapper pair of banjo dueling skeletons that I thought were pretty cute.  I would prefer them to be life-sized myself, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose.  I watched the little video of them and they looked pretty cool, and got good reviews too.  Then I stumbled upon Grandinroad's Preview Video for their 2013 Halloween Line.  It's called "The Witching Hour"!  The music was surprisingly hard core sounding for a store...but it was fitting.  It says it will premier July 31, 2013, can't wait to see the rest of the goods!  Check out the video here...

And now for the theft....so, last Halloween night, I set up one of my skeletons on the bench by my front door.  I dressed her as a witch, complete with clothes, hat, cauldron and potion bottles.  For my inside apothecary, I like to use old bottles and ones I make myself.  But I had an assortment of those colored ones from Michaels that I seldom bring out, so I decided to use them.  As the annual tradition mandates, we left my Mom to man the door for the Trick-or-Treaters, while we headed out with our gang on the golf cart.  Later in the evening we returned home, once the visitors had dwindled down to almost nil' and the grand-parental units were tuckered out inside.  But much to my horror...I noticed that most of my potion bottles were GONE! 
 
I assumed my Mom must have taken them inside for some reason.  But upon further inquiry, she had not.  NO, indeed....someone had stolen all of my potion bottles except for ONE!  (There were only about 3-4) But still, what vile lil' creatures dared to come up to my home, that I decorated so lovingly spooky for their amusement....and proceed to STEAL my decorations while my parents were distracted or gone inside????  That was disheartening for me to say the least!  I guess I should just be thankful they didn't steal the skeleton and the cauldron too.  But what kind of heartless monster does something like that?  And my poor Mom was mortified that they had stolen them while she was on door duty....ha!  I assured her it was not her fault, and that they weren't even my good bottles anyway.  But that's not the point...the point is that they violated my Halloween Property....curse them...curse them all!

I have a good mind to put a sign on the door this Halloween saying:  "HALT, Ye Thieving, Gutless Trolls That Stoleth My Potion Bottles Last Hallow's Eve....BE WARNED! The Witch that Resides Here Has Placed a most Heinous and Evil Curse Upon Your Wicked, Wretched Soul!!"  :o(

Back in the Halloween Hood & First Fall Finds

Well Hello Hello....are any of my favorite spooks still out there?  It's that time of year again when I am finally attempting  to take a summer break from those hectic holidays, and the super busy spring semester and end of the school year!  I have missed everyone here so much, and have been anxiously awaiting my opportunity to come back home here to Halloween Town on the web, and resume communing with my fellow Halloween Heads!  I hope everyone has managed to stay safe, sound and healthy!  Of course I'd be completely remiss if I failed to point out the obvious.....that it is now JULY!  And we all know what that means....YES! Halloween is just around the bend!  Woo Hoo!


Can you all believe that Halloween is just 114 days away...4 months and counting.  And everyone should know that it is the next three months leading up to October, that are what really gets the ole' Halloween Juices flowing and Monster Blood pumping.  It's the lead up that holds all of the excitement, anticipation, planning and preparation.  Of course October itself, is always a Candy Fueled, Pumpkin Scented, Spell Bound cacophony of sights, sounds, aromas and colors.  A Magic Filled month of Autumn Treats, Creepy Decor, Colorful Costumes and Candy Consumption....but lets not forget to pay homage to the 3 blistering hot and miserable months that precede it.  Those wretched summer months that we must endure en route to our much beloved month of October, and that most Magical of Holidays...All Hallow's Eve!

For it is in those three dreadfully dry and dull months, that the first signs of the season begin to slowly awaken from their seasonal consumer crypts.  As the last of the garden gnomes and pool toys disappear in the summer blowout sales, quickly replaced by the surge of school supplies and backpacks....that is when the astute Halloween Aficionado will discover the first tale-tell signs of the Harvest Season emerging.  Sprouting quietly like the shoots of last years pumpkin seeds...the crafting stores will start the season rolling.  Artificial Autumn flowers, leaves and gourds slowly appear, followed by feathered owls and crows.  Next comes the first sightings of the seasonal ribbons, and then scarecrows and fake pumpkins!  Within the following month, true seekers of the dark may be lucky enough to spot the first signs of Halloween decor at Garden Ridge, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby or Michael's.  And by August/September the first of the Fall themed Magazines should be hitting the shelves, filled to the brim with Hauntingly Good Halloween Inspiration.  And usually by September, the limited time only, seasonal flavored goodies begin to blow into the supermarkets on an Autumn Breeze.  Before you know it, it's Pumpkin flavored coffee, donuts, bread, lattes, cookies and candy galore!  Aaaahh....if you close your eyes and make-believe real hard, you may even be able to smell the spicy scents wafting in the air.

My first sightings this year were of course the usual Fall flowers, gourds and feathered birds at Michael's.  Also, Hobby Lobby has their Autumn Section bursting at the seems.  And Costco even has Autumn wreaths and skeletons out already!  I know there are those who would prefer not to see seasonal items until at least the month before the holiday, but for me....seeing these things always puts an extra spring in my step and gets me in creative crafting mode!

Yes, it is this slow crescendo, and trickling out of the Autumn/Halloween merchandise that makes the waiting and anticipating so much fun!  October still lies in wait, beckoning with a low, mournful faraway call, that will grow slowly louder and more hectically frantic as the month draws nigh.  So take the time now while the pace is slow, to start your Seasonal Sleuthing in the area stores to see what macabre merchandise is clawing its way to the shelves.  Has anyone else started seeing the Fall merchandise in your neck of the woods?  Be sure to share and post your sightings, so we can all join in and partake in the anticipatory excitement of the impending Halloween Holiday
~ Wendy  :o)

Halloween Candy from Hell

Evil Image © Ramon Dirge (I think....it's too small to read)

Okay....consider this post a public service announcement from me to you! By YOU....I mean anyone who consumes candy or plans to give candy out this Hallowe'en!

You may recall that I blogged about going to see 3 movies last weekend. Well, since we were planning to see so many movies, and movies are SO stinking expensive nowadays, and we have to multiply that expense x 4.......I thought we should try to save some money on food and drinks while there. So I, in all my infinite wisdom or lack thereof....thought we should buy some candy at the Dollar Store and take our drinks in a cooler in the car. Then when it was time to go into the movie, my daughter and I would sneak our stash into the movie theater in big purses.

So far, so good....the plan worked beautifully up until the third and final movie of the weekend. That is when things went drastically wrong. However the scope of the wrongness would not be fully realized until several days later. So here's where things took a wrong turn....
For my choice of candy for the last movie I selected 'Sour Skittles'. I love Skittles, but I had only tasted a couple of the 'Sour' variety out of my kids bag in the past. But I liked them, so I figured they were a good choice in lieu of the fact that there were no regular Skittles to be had in the dollar bin. So the movie begins and I embark on my life altering consumption of said 'Sour Skittles'.
Now I am of the 'suck and savor' variety myself....that means that I like to suck the outside of the candy first, be it candy coating, chocolate coating, or sour powder....then I commence to eating the innards. So that is exactly how I consumed each and every 'sour skittle' that I ate....one at a time....slow....methodically....with patience and exact precision. The 'sour' would make my mouth water and pucker, then I would eat the gooey sweet inside as a reward for making it through the 'sour' part.

However, I did notice after a while, that the skittles always seemed to land in the same spot in my mouth when I was sucking the sour coating off. They would tuck up into the top left side of the roof of my mouth. This routine continued for awhile, interrupted only by the occasional swallow of my drink. But then something started happening...I noticed my mouth was starting to feel a little sore. Not sure exactly what the sensation was, I noted it, yet kept on eating my Skittles.

It was almost like I couldn't stop, even though something was telling me I should stop....yet I ate on. Eventually, I discovered a need to actually suck on the ice cubes from my drink in order to soothe my irritated mouth. And FINALLY, I did quit eating them although I had only finished about 3/4 of the bag. So the movie ends, mouth stills feels a little funny and slightly sore, but other than that all seems well.

But I am here to tell you that all was NOT well! When I got home and was brushing my teeth before bed, I opened my mouth because my tongue hurt, and lo and behold, the whole center of my tongue was swollen and red, almost as if it were scalded. I didn't think much about it, and by the next day it seemed to have gone away.But then about 2 days later, I noticed that the roof of my mouth was getting really sore in one spot....the same spot where I'd tucked those skittles into, to strip them of their sour coating. I tried to look at the roof of my mouth in the mirror, but it was impossible to see the spot. So I pressed on it with my finger and it literally felt like it was bruised. So I asked my husband to look at it and he said yes, there was a dark red/purple area that looked like it was bruised and peeling.

By Wednesday of this week, the spot was getting even more sore, and when I went to drink some coffee, the pain was excruciating. This pain got continually worse and made eating pretty much anything; a miserable experience. The spot felt like it had been burned badly. Then the more I thought about it, the more I felt like it was some sort of chemical burn from the acidic coating on the 'sour skittles'. Because the pain originated while I was eating them, I just didn't really heed the warning signs at the time because I'd never eaten a bag of the sour ones before.So I go on-line and search for the term 'chemical burn in mouth from sour skittles', and go figure....there were MANY entries about that very thing?!!! You've got to be kidding me! There they were, account after account of people suffering burns, peeling skin, bleeding tongues, loss of taste....you name it! REALLY?!!! These things happen and yet they continue to produce a candy that mutilates the inside of your mouth?!

Well this is Saturday....tomorrow will be one full week since I ate just 3/4 of a bag of 'sour skittles' and I can still hardly eat anything, even soft stuff and drinks, without being in total pain. My daughter took my iPhone and took a picture of it so that I could see what it looks like, and it was UGLY! No wonder it friggin' hurts so bad! It's chemically burnt and bruised from where I held those tiny 'pellets from hell' in the same exact place each time.

What evil is this that has been unleashed upon me from the Candy Gods? Why do 'Sour Skittles from Hell' have NO warnings of physical damage, or at least a 'Eat At Your Own Risk' with a skull and crossbones symbol? And if this can happen to me from just eating 3/4 of an individual size bag....what atrocities could befall young unsuspecting Trick-or-Treaters from the consumption of these 'toxic poison pellets'?

So I am sharing my nightmarish story here as a public service announcement to those who may be thinking of consuming or gifting this particular candy. As I contemplated my ability to sue the Skittle company for damages incurred, I decided it would likewise be prudent to consider that the same thing could be done to us, should some parent's kid come down with chemical burns from the candy we gave them on Hallowe'en! So tis' probably best that you leave this one off your grocery list this coming season.
Alas, always being one to try and find the positive aspects of even the worse situations....I can happily relay the news that I have lost several pounds from being unable to eat or drink for a week. But chemically burning the roof of your mouth with 'Sour Skittles' should not be considered a safe and effective diet plan, so please don't try this at home! I'm curious if anyone else has ever had this experience? Or if you know of any other deadly candies that I should avoid?