Crafty Costumes!

Halloween is always a painful reminder of the one skill that I wish I had, but sadly do not and will never possess....sewing.  But never fear, all is not lost on the costume front because I am industrious and willful when it comes to accomplishing something I set my mind to.  So I have come to fancy myself as the McGyver of Halloween Costume Construction....armed with liquid hem, safety pins, string, glue and anything else laying around the house!  That's all the ingredients that were needed to conjure up some costumes for my chitlins through the years.  My only requirement and self-imposed expectation was that they had to somehow manage to stay in one piece until All Hallow's Eve drew to a close.  

I will not lie and say that my kids have come away from my costuming endeavors unscathed.  For it is true that they have endured the occasional pricking of a safety pin into their flesh, or allergic reaction to some make-shift adhesive, and possibly even a mild case of chaffing and heat stroke on particularly hot October eves down here in Florida.  But I say...no pain, no gain...nothing great ever comes easy.  And besides...temporal discomfort beats showing up at school and parties with the same over-done mask and boxed costume as three other kids....right?!  Alas, I have been quite pleased with my efforts to add that lil' spark of something special to their Halloween celebrations over the years, and the kids love being a part of the process.  Which is just another great thing I love about my favorite holiday!

So I thought the Halloween Countdown would be the perfect time and place to share some of my 'not so handy' mad creation skills. And in hopes that I can inspire even the most 'sewing-challenged' among you to give 'homemade' costumes a try...I can also attest that my kids have even miraculously won a few costume contests along the way too!  Who would have thunk it??!  So you'll be emboldened to know that ineptitude and total lack of viable skills....are no opposition to imagination, determination, a little magic, and the love of Hallowe'en!  :o)   So, do any of you hand make your family's Halloween costumes too....or am I the only inept and deranged glutton for punishment?

 

Still can't believe I actually sewed this Mermaid outfit myself.  She couldn't do anything but sit with her legs out straight, ha...but it was perfect because she couldn't walk yet anyway, and she never crawled at all before she walked.  So it worked, and she won the baby costume prize at a Halloween party we went to!

 

I created this Cat in the Hat costume with a few individual store bought items, some felt and safety pins.  But my most favorite part was the clever little fish in the plastic fish bowl idea. I enlarged an illustration of the fish from the book, glued him on the inside of the plastic bowl, drilled some holes in the fish bowl, and tied on some rope.  Then she used it as her candy holder while trick or treating.  And she won the costume contest too. It was that fish bowl that sealed the deal!

I think I'm most proud of this Scarecrow costume because it was a lot of work and turned out so cute!  I actually managed to figure out how to sew straw onto the collar, cuffs  and bottoms of those overalls...denim is tough and raffia is a pain...but the end result was worth it and it didn't itch like real straw!  I can sew as long as it's mostly in a straight line, but it takes me about 2 days to read the instructions on how to run the sewing machine before I can even proceed.  I'm not a big fan of sewing, but I sure wish I knew how!

Yep the Scarecrow outfit  held up well and was unisex....so I saved it and made my son wear it a few years later.  My favorite part was the big realistic looking crow sitting on the straw hat...everyone really loved that little detail!  In fact, I think I am really more a detail girl anyway...someone else can sew the main outfit, and then I'll come along and add in all the details!  I need a costume design partner to work with.

Cave Boys and Girls!  I decided I was going to go for a duo costume choice this time, so I didn't have to create 2 different costumes.  The cave kid idea was the perfect choice, and easy to do!  I also didn't feel like undertaking another sewing attempt, so I just cut out rudimentary patterns ala Fred Flintstone, and safety pinned those frocks together like a mad woman.  They actually held up well too, with the exception of some minor injurious pokes and pricks of the pins here and there!

Okay...so I don't sew or do costume make-up well either.  Here, they are a French Mime, a Blonde Vampire which is just ridiculous, and their friend the Zombie.  This was obviously not my finest hour for costume design or make-up and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  But they did color coordinate nicely, so at least there's that!

 

So last but not least...here my son was a Witch Doctor and I bought that gauzy suit from the store and added skeletons, skulls, teeth and makeup.  And he actually looked pretty cool.  My niece is on the left and she was a Zombie Princess.  Her Mom had been practicing on the head wounds and rotting flesh for weeks, and she did a great job to.  But my niece's immersion into the character with the deadpan expression and zombie walk was hysterical....ain't Halloween fun?!! 

All Images © Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)

All Tricks and No Treats for Me This Year!

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on Halloween.

Hello Everyone....And Happy Halloween!  I hope everyone had an exciting September! I personally find September to be almost as much fun as our much beloved October.  September brings all the excitement of the first Halloween items haunting the store shelves, and the first delicious taste of the Pumpkin Spice goodies of the season.  I truly live for, and long for, the 1st day in September all year long, which is then followed by the Autumnal magic of my favorite month of October!  Ahh yes...October! A month of leaves aflame in color, gourds ripe for the picking, breezy days and crisp cool October eves, twinkling with stars and awash in the glow of magical moonbeams.  And of course the mischievous grins of Jack O'Lanterns glowing bright on Hallowe'en Night!

In fact, this year I had actually begun my Halloween Countdown planning early and I was so proud of myself. Since this is my first post this season, you probably won't believe me.  But it's true....I decided that I would not be caught coming up short of posts in this year's Halloween Countdown, so I began completing posts early in the summer and saving them for October.  And I'm proud to say that I actually had 10 of them finished and under my witch's belt before tragedy struck.  Yes, anyone who has followed my blog for the last 5-6 years knows that I never miss the Autumn Season and Hallowe'en here in the blogosphere.  I might be MIA the rest of the year due to real life taking precedence, but I always find my way home to my Halloween Town on the web, and my little Witch's Lair in the Halloween Tree by August or September.  I blow back into town on a magical autumn breeze and revel in the Halloween Frolic with all my fellow Halloween Loving Denizens!  And I always come laden down with gifts to share of photographs, crafty things, haunted tales, artwork and poems to celebrate the season.

But sadly, that was not in the ole' tarot cards for me this year, even in spite of actually being semi-prepared in advance for once!  No, unfortunately the fickle finger of fate, lay it's boney curse upon me and turned my world upside down.  In mid-August, my dear Mother suffered a stroke.  So I spent the rest of a sleepless, stressful August, and first part of September, in and out of the hospital and rehab with her.  Then due to extenuating circumstances far beyond my control....we had no choice but to move her into our home with us for good.  This meant the rest of September and now October have been inundated with that massive transition, with no real end in sight any time soon.  Two lives have been forever changed and I'd be lying to say that it's been anything but overwhelming, exhausting and all-consuming!  It was not something that either of us would ever have wanted, yet it is what we now must both endure.  I have hopes that time will make things better, and that once all the dust of sorting out the mess and combining our lives has cleared....that maybe things will get easier for us all.  And maybe by this same time next year...we will have gotten into a groove that we all can live with..  And maybe, just maybe....I will be able to once again embrace the season with the same positivity, exuberance and anticipation that I've always had for it....but that has eluded me this year!

So needless to say, this is the very first chance I've had time to log on over here and provide an explanation as to why I haven't been online.  Since I literally exist the whole rest of the year...solely for the autumn months of September and October....I've found it rather depressing to be incapable of tapping into the excitement that this time of year usually brings. It hasn't been for lack of trying mind you...as I did reluctantly break out the Halloween decorations, and we've watched a lot of my favorite Halloween movies, and somehow even managed to still take our annual New England trip with a LOT of help from our relatives, who agreed to stay in our home with my Mom while we were gone.  But even in the midst of the most glorious Autumn Foliage we've seen in New England in a long time....I was just too depleted physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to tap into my usual seasonal excitement....and it's left me feeling rather down I must confess. But that doesn't mean that my favorite season of Fall, and my favorite holiday of Halloween is completely lost....it's just been majorly hijacked and hampered by life's ruthless twists and turns.:o(

So I have missed everyone here so very much, and I send out heartfelt wishes to you all for a most Magical All Hallow's Eve!  I didn't want to come completely empty handed, so  I'm posting a few Autumn Photos from my collection.  They are filled with the familiar black and orange colors that epitomize for me....the most spooktacular season of the year!  I sincerely hope everyone has been enjoying all the fun the Fall Season and Hallowe'en Holiday has to offer, and I hope to be able to share in the Autumn Revelry with you all in full next year, since life had other plans for me this time around! Hope to see you all around the Hallowe'en Tree this time next year, if not sooner!

PS...And just so I can officially keep calling it the "Annual Viewing"....I am posting the disturbingly fun yet so awkward and creepy  "Pumpkin Man Dance Video below! At least I was able to keep one tradition alive and kicking (literally) this year!  Enjoy.....or not! ;o)

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(

Halloween 2012 Recap and Apology!

Well the New Year has begun for some.  All Hallow's Eve sets the great wheel of time in motion and with it the old year dies and passes away, while a new year full of opportunities is born.  So with any New Year, I feel I should reflect on what I learned.  So I will give my Halloween Recap in today's post.  And this is a long post because I need to provide myself a record of this year.  Why am I recapping now?  Well because for me this October was somewhat of a FAIL, at least in some respects.  For instance, before the month ever arrived, I was already swamped with obligations involving work, school and volleyball.  I had intended to do lots of crafting and prepping for the upcoming Fall season during the hot summer months but alas the summer was wrought with needy family members, sickness and relentless volleyball activities.  So I got nothing done and was already starting out behind schedule. :o(

I must also now confess and apologize for being a complete failure with the Halloween Countdown this year.  I never want to skip out on it because it is an important part of my Fall ritual, but this year I was unprepared and quite a failure.  Actually, I thought I was doing good, with 5-6 posts already done and ready to go.  However,  I had to use those while on vacation since I can't work from up there.  Also, I've had a bit of a time getting used to the new blogger changes which I do not like.  So when I got home from vacation, I had no posts done, and VERY LITTLE time to work on them.  Usually, I have at least SOME time, to get something whipped out each day....but not this year.  It was very difficult to find the time, and that was causing me a good deal of unhappiness and anxiety.  So there are many days with no posts, and all I can do is apologize for coming up short.  I vow to do better next year.  I am going to prepare a couple of posts each month and save them, so they are ready to go for next year.  I had so much stuff to share too, lots of great photos from my travels, poems and art, etc.  So I hope that I will be more on my game next Halloween season, and I hope that I can be forgiven!

I don't know about the rest of you, but September is almost more fun than October for me.  September is Pre-Halloween....the build-up!  The month of anticipation and preparation.  But I was barely able to do anything because of all the other requirements coming from the school and sports.  I've never been a big sports fan because I'm not athletic, but this year I grew to loathe them!  They truly believe that the sport is the ONLY thing that should matter in your life. So needless to say, our annual Autumn trip to New England in the middle of the VB season did NOT go over well.  But I told them last year that it was an annual event for us and we would ALWAYS try to take it at that same time.  So that drew in some negative energy.  And as a result, I am seriously rethinking our involvement. 

(I don't know about other folks, 

but this is what I see when I look at a Volleyball!)

Then the Florida Highschool Sports Association, in all their UN-infinite wisdom, scheduled a play-off game on Halloween night!  NOT because the week was packed with games and they had no choice....NO, there were NO OTHER GAMES scheduled for any of the 4 other days that week....NONE!  Just one on Halloween night!  WHO DOES THAT CRAP!  Obviously there was someone who dislikes Halloween making those decisions, and they decided to ruin it for everyone.  I intend to write them a very stern letter about this too.  So my son was upset because he thought he'd have to miss Halloween for his sister's game.  But we agreed that she'd have to go on her own with the team instead of us taking her. I can't tell you the negative effect this had on my mindset this year.  I was so bummed, that I almost couldn't get out of my funk to even pretend to enjoy anything else.  But on a positive note (depending on your perspective), as the fickle finger of fate would have it....her team lost when they shouldn't have, and they were out of the playoffs just before Halloween!  So the rest of us were quasi-happy, and we all got to be home for Halloween.

But with all my good plans, I got pretty much NOTHING accomplished this whole season.  I did put up the Apothecary and most everything inside, but not until the first of October.  I usually have it all up by Labor Day.  And the front yard had nothing in it at all until 3 days before Halloween.  That doesn't usually happen either. So I shall take stock of what I was able to accomplish and enjoy.  We did go to New England and Zipline, and the weather was so cold; there were actually a few small snow flurries while we were there.  We did go to Salem, (aka HalloweenTown) and  because we went later in the season, the color down there was really beautiful.  We went to the farms and ate apple cider donuts, fresh apples, hot spiced cider and pumpkin treats a-plenty.  We watched several of my favorite Halloween shows, including Disney's Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Halloween Tree, The Good Witch and a few others.  We had lots of autumn breakfasts filled with pumpkin donuts and pumpkin coffee.  We got to do a small 'Corn Maze' and do some small scale 'Punkin' Chunkin' too! 

AND....for the first time in a while, I was actually able to carve my own pumpkin this year!  In years past, we always have a big Pumpkin Carving Party which means I am working my butt off attending to the needs of all the party guests.  And as such, I am unable to sit down and actually enjoy the festivities myself.  That's the burden I choose to bare as the Official Halloween Cheer-Meister in my area.  And with the kids' new school schedule, and the relentless onslaught of our daughter's Fall Volleyball schedule, we have been unable to host a big party for the last two years.  The high school actually scheduled all the Homecoming activities for the last week before Halloween this year, with a Saturday night Homecoming Dance on the night we usually have our party.  CURSE THEM!  And of course our daughter wanted to go, which made a big party impossible!  (Have I mentioned how incredibly distraught I am over the havoc the school continues to wreak on my month long Halloween Celebration?!)  So there was no party of course, but there were a few days left before Halloween.    And the weather here was quite chilly and autumn perfect, so we made hot Potato Bacon Cheese soup and carved our Pumpkins...just the 4 of us!  So I actually got to get my hands down in the pumpkin guts and carve that baby myself, which was a complete joy for me!  I sprinkled their lids with cinnamon, brought them all inside, and lit them up to add to the ambience.  Here they are...nothing spectacular, but it sure was fun!  (There are only 3 because my husband just helped us with the hard parts that we didn't want to do...ha!)

And finally, All Hallow's Eve was upon us....WAY too quickly, but it arrived at last.  We had 14 family members over to the house.  The weather was fantastic this year and was cool enough for Chili and cornbread muffins.  We had pumpkin chocolate chip bread, spiced cider, ghost cupcakes, and smores. The kids were decked out as zombies and a witch doctor.  The Golf Cart got a few new additions this year....notably, one of my Skeleton crew decided to hitch a ride on the roof....yes, beware of hitchhiking ghosts skeletons!  And he was quite the talk of the busy streets.  We even had people taking pictures of us which was a little disconcerting...ha!

Also we were told, that next to the Haunted House, we were the best house in the area and people were stopping to take photos of themselves and their kids in front of our Graveyard, Man-eating Spider and Lord of the Harvest Scarecrow.  So that fills my wicked lil' heart with much happiness and makes it all worth it!  :o)

We live in the back of the neighborhood.  And what's so magical about our little area is that the day before Halloween you'll see very little stuff in any of the yards (except ours), and the streets are empty except for the kids who live back here. Sometimes I even wonder to myself if this is the year that no one will show up or bother with Halloween.  But it never fails....a Magical Halloween Wind blows in overnight and come 7:00 pm on All Hallow's Eve, this place has mysteriously transformed into Halloween Central.  I am SO LUCKY to live right here.  And I'm not talking about just our neighborhood as a whole, which is really huge....but back in our section, where the night really comes alive...or DEAD!.  Yes, THIS is where the Magic Happens!!!  I've said it a bunch, but my neighbors never disappoint.  And our area's reputation has grown so big, that we now have city police posting no parking signs on the grass down the main entrance into our 'hood'!  

Yes, they come from far and wide.  Masses of people....the 'nubile young', the 'roudy raunchy teens' and the 'older than dirt' alike!  They come in by car, foot, bike, tractors, hayrides and this year....even a BUS!  I kid you not, a small bus towing a hay wagon filled with people behind it....showed up to trick or treat.  Part of the draw is that SO many houses decorate and give out good candy.  Part of the draw is the throngs of costumed revelers themselves, and then part of the draw is the house on the last street, that puts on a REALLY GREAT small scale Haunted House, with props and costumed characters to rival Universal.  In fact, I'm pretty sure they must have ties to somewhere...cause those props cannot be found at the Spirit stores.  They do tons of lighting, music and fog out front, and the scares start in the yard and go through the downstairs of the house and back out.  I LOVE THOSE PEOPLE!  They are my heros!  It is SO MUCH work, and they do it without fail every year, and it's all free!  They let masses of complete strangers into their home...(I'd never do that...uh uh, no way!)  And they do it all for the love of Halloween!  And because they do....I LOVE THEM!  

And can you believe, that we don't even know them personally?  I have no idea who they are. They live right around the corner; so you'd think I'd go over and introduce myself to them.  But I choose not to know them, because I prefer the mystery of it all.  I like how it's a regular house of people the rest of the year, but on Halloween Night, and ONLY Halloween Night....it magically transforms into a Haunted House!  So I choose to let them remain a mystery to me.  And this year, as we went through the house, they actually got me pretty good....someone came from behind, and scared me so, that I screamed out loud and almost mowed down the kids trying to get out the door....ha!  :o)

So as I reflect on this past Halloween, I am torn by the emotions I've felt.  Unhappiness at nothing working out like I'd planned....tempered and soothed by the sheer joy of the night itself, which was nothing short of Spooktacular as always.  And in the end, I guess Halloween Night itself does trump everything else when it is as perfect as it was.  So with that, I will end this excruciatingly long post that was admittedly done to help me reconcile my mixed feelings about my favorite month of the year.  I do hope everyone had a most Magical Halloween, thanks for letting me share mine with you! :o)   
(All images © Wendy Amdahl (all rights reserved)

Trick or Treat - Give Us Something Good to Eat!

Trick or Treat!

Give Us Something Good to Eat

So with the big day soon approaching, it seems as good a time as any for a Halloween Candy Etiquette Primer. There is no doubt that Trick or Treating for Candy is by far one of the best parts of Halloween for both kids and adults alike. Most of us began our Halloween experience on the 'Receiving' end. We were dressed up in funny or creepy costumes, and taken door to door to strangers houses to beg for treats.....and this somehow magically made good sense to us and to our parents. If you were lucky enough to have parental units such as these, who indulged you in this yearly ritual....then please take a moment to sit in silent reflection and gratitude at being the offspring of such fun-loving and cool parents (like this Dad below)!!Alas, time marches on, and after many Moons have waxed and waned....you one day awaken to find yourself on the 'Giving' end of the Trick or Treating Exchange. You've finally grown up....or not in many cases! And you may now have kiddies of your own, or just be too old and gray to pass yourself off any longer as a child...and thus, the right of passage takes place. You spend your first Halloween gearing up to receive Trick or Treaters, and thus pass on the torch of 'Halloween Spirit'! If you are a REALLY cool and fun adult, you will also of course decorate your house inside and out, and don a costume of your own as you pass out the goods to the next generation. But your biggest decision will be....What Candy Do I Give? And this is where an honest assessment is in order.We must ask ourselves these questions? What did I LOVE to get in my sack when I was a young Trick or Treater? What did I LOATHE to get in my sack when I was a young Trick or Treater? What do the kids today want to get in their sacks? What kind of Halloween Legacy do I wish to leave behind?

These are important questions! Now it's true that the first two questions would seemingly be a matter of opinion. However, there is actual research (albeit highly unscientific) that shows that there are indeed a few 'universal items' that fall in each list. But let's begin with the LOATHE list, shall we? And let's first apply lessons we've learned from Charlie Brown & The Great Pumpkin many years ago that still apply today. Kids prefer Candy to Toys and Trinkets....and Rocks! It's the one and only day of the year that people are willing to give you gobs of FREE CANDY that your parents won't let you have any other time. So it's a no-brainer that Candy wins out!Toys might seem like a valid alternative, but save the toys for party favors. And don't even think about any Fruit, lest you wish for reprisals later in the evening! That of course means Apples, but also includes Raisins; according to surveys. Fruit is just too risky, and good parents would just throw it away, so it's also a waste of money. Well-intentioned, utilitarian objects are also a no-no! Such items as books, pencils, fast food coupons and toothbrushes, while indeed useful....will only be met with utter disappointment, and will forever seal your fate as the worst house on the block! You will evermore have to endure The Scarlet Letter of Halloween Shame....UnCoolness! That is NOT the legacy you want to leave is it?! Of course not! So what DO kids want today? Do they love the same things you loved as a child?Maybe....maybe not! Unscientific research presents us with the following considerations...1.) Kids unanimously detest receiving boxes of raisins...but then we already ascertained that. 2.) The 'Sweet and Tart' group of candy items also ranked at the low end of the scale, with the most favorable showing in that class being Starburst. 3.) The 'Chocolate' category always ranks high, and oft times is the clear winner. This group includes all the perennial favorites such as Reeses, Hersheys, Twix, Snickers, Kit Kat, etc. 4.) When it comes to 'Chocolate', kids tend to prefer Milk over Dark....so save the dark for the adults. 5.) Also keep in mind that one big benefit of Chocolate to Trick or Treaters', is its high currency bartering rate in the Post Trick or Treating Candy Exchanges that occur later in the evening. 6.) In a surprise upset back in 2001, the 'Gummi' group actually won out in non-official testing. This group includes many things that are popular today, but probably weren't around when you were young, like Gummi Worms, Creepy Peepers, Twizzlers, Dots, Mike &Ikes, Crabby Patties, etc. 7.) There were also some specific items that ranked consistently low on the scale, which may seem surprising, like Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Rolls and DumDum pops. Those who dissed the DumDums wanted 'real' suckers instead. And last but not least...8.) In what almost constitutes 'legal slander', Candy Corn, the poster child of Halloween Candy, was insultingly relegated to being the "fruit cake of Halloween, it never goes away!" {Gasp} {Truth hurts!}
So there you have it....the informative low-down for In-the Know, Halloween Treat Givers! Choose your currency carefully, and put yourself in the shoes of the Trick or Treaters, for it wasn't so long ago that you were on the receiving end of that big Candy Bucket. Go forth and spread the Halloween Spirit while paying keen attention to the Legacy you will leave behind for other Halloween Enthusiasts through the decades! :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?

A Fond Farewell to Halloween 2010 - Recap

Well Hallowe'en has once again slipped hauntingly into the land of pleasant memories. It takes its place in the boneyard of Hallowe'ens past. But like all Hallowe'ens before it....this one too, deserves to have a fitting wake. A trip down memory lane to recap the highlights of the magic it left in the hearts and minds of our Hallowe'en loving family!
Yep, it's official....the post Halloween blues have settled in. You would think it to be a feeling only experienced by children after Christmas. And it's true that I often feel quite childish in my fascination with all things Halloween. The excitement and the anticipation are very real for me. So the build up to the day is every bit as exciting as the day itself. Thus I often begin to mourn its passing even before the actual day has arrived. But I can honestly say that Halloween night this year was just as perfect as it could possibly be. Halloween falling on a Sunday made for a nice relaxing day. The kids and I even had time to catch some Halloween shows on TV and make the Gingerbread Haunted House we were given as a gift. I thought it turned out pretty cute.We had a gathering of friends and family over for dinner and treats before the evening's festivities began, and you can see some of them in the photo below. There are still several others that failed to make it into this shot, including me, because I was taking the photos. Although the intentions were there, some of us, myself included....did not actually dress up in costume this year. We just ran out of time and energy I suppose. But we did wear assorted hats and ears at least!
We had yummy Potato Bacon and Cheddar Soup for dinner with warm bread for dunking. It was the perfect hearty meal to fill everyone up so that our energy would sustain us through the night. And of course there were lots of cakes and cookies and dips and candy as well. The elders of the family come and dress up to stay back at the house to pass out candy, while the rest of us head out into the streets to take the kiddos Trick or Treating. These are my little nieces all dressed up and ready to head out for the night!
My daughter and her quartet of tween-agers giggled and chatted incessantly as they disappeared into the crowd of families. And we decided to take the new Electric Vehicle out and about. You can't really see it here, but we affectionately named our cart "Black Magic", and I designed a decal of the name, with a crescent moon and stars to put on the front. I figured if the neighbors weren't scared enough of us already....they would be now...muwahahahaha!
Now this might seem a bit like cheating, but I can assure you that we were just one of several folks on golf carts Sunday. Our neighborhood is very large, but beyond that, the lots are very large, which makes for a lot of walking. On foot, the kids and adults typically can only make it down 2 streets, 3 streets max, before your feet are aching. And since it's Florida, you're usually drenched in sweat too. But not this year....
Not only was the weather cool and perfect for a change, but we decided to deck the 'Golf Cart' out in jack o'lantern lights and Halloween decals, and use it to transport our large crew around. It seats six adults, but can take more when there are smaller children or smaller tushies on board! So we devised a system to work in shifts. The hubby and I always rode up front, then we'd take my niece, her husband, my two little nieces and my son to a street and drop them off. Next we'd go pick up my daughter and her 3 ghoulfriends from the street they were on, and drop them off on the next street, where we'd pick the first group back up again and take them over to the following street. That way everyone got to ride and walk and it was far less tiring. I had little mini lighted Jack O'Lanterns up on the dash and we had Halloween music on the CD player. It was heaps of fun. That's the hubby up front, and just a portion of the rest of the clan. Our neighborhood has truly morphed into Trick or Treat central. And literally hundreds of people come from all over. I like to think that I have been instrumental in spreading the contagion of Halloween excitement here. Oh...and I don't know if any of you remember earlier this year when I blogged about our neighbor who gives out candy to the little ones and beer in paper cups to the parents, but here is a photo of him. We heard the call as we approached his house..."who wants some beer"?! We took him up on the Heineken he had on tap in a mini keg in that little refrigerator you see in the background! His little beer station has become an institution here....ha! He and his wife have 2 young children themselves, so don't worry, he would never serve any alcohol to minors.
The house on the street over from us has a really good Haunted House every year. It's occupied by college age/young adults who seemingly have some connection to Universal Studios because their props are very professional and high tech. They certainly aren't available in any Halloween store around these parts. They do up the inside of the house, as well as lighting up the entire front yard. And you can hear their 'Halloween' theme music from several streets over. The image below is their yard, but again I just had my small camera so the quality is not that great.
While we were there, 2 John Deer tractors pulling big hayride wagons showed up and an entire fleet of Trick or Treaters young and old disembarked and swarmed the haunted house. I tried to take some photos to show not only the Haunted House, but also the flocks of people milling about. It's really a magical time, and the back section of the neighborhood where we live, is the most festive section of the whole subdivision. It always make me smile and chuckle to see hayrides coming through a golf course community. It lets you know that Halloween is serious business here! :o) Needless to say, there is always some debate over whether the residents approve or disapprove of the fact that people who don't even live here, come into our neighborhood to Trick or Treat. It obviously means that we must buy a LOT of candy which is expensive when you give out the good stuff. You don't even want to know how much we spend just in candy alone....it would SCARE you! BUT....all the extra people make the whole area so festive and exciting. And they are all usually very well behaved. I say....bring em' on! I will note however, that we have seen an ever increasing age to the Trick or Treaters here, including old teens, young adults and even an old granny this year, who had her bag out for loot. I like that...and why the hell not?! Life has 364 other mundane and responsible days to be a grown up....why not be a disguised kid again one night a year?We received many compliments on our yard haunt, especially the real iron gates we use for the little cemetery and of course our 10 ft. scarecrow. My parents said that people were stopping in front of the scarecrow and taking pictures of their kids and families standing in front of him. I love that!
And THAT right there....is why we do all that we do on Halloween. For those kids who will remember fondly when they are grown.....trick or treating in a really cool neighborhood where everyone totally got into the spirit. Where there were haunted houses, and hayrides. Where the candy givers all dressed up and tried to scare them right back, and where they gave out the good candy. The candy that you can't wait to sit down with at the end of the night for the big 'Candy Exchange'! That's one of our own kids' favorite parts of the night!
And one day, those same kids, long since grown up....will dig out their vintage Trick or Treat photos to show their own children and grand kids, or share them on their blogs. And those photos will show them standing in front of my graveyard and scarecrow....and people who love Halloween like we all do here, will ooh and ahh over the customs and costumes of those days of yore!
So it's time once again to wave good-bye to the passing year, and to another enchanting Halloween season! I bid thee a fond farewell old friend, and I await your return again in the coming year!