31 Days of Halloween

Hi All,

I made a vow last year: The month of October must be reserved for activities related to my favorite holiday, Halloween. Bean agreed with this plan, and so today, it begins. The goal is to do something related to the holiday each day. So, that means I've got lots of scary stories to read, movies to watch, treats to make (okay...Bean's the cook and baker, not me...) and general Halloween-trivia to research. Am I happy about this plan? Heck yes! I start as I do every year by getting out all of my Halloween decorations for the house. I tend to favor the 'cute' decorations more than the 'scary' ones. No bloody things hanging around in my house! I love horror and all, but come on. No one wants to look at a coffin in the living room. It's just too morbid. I'm remembering that couple on 'Wife Swap' (shhhh. Don't tell people that I watched. It was all Bean's idea! It was!) who had skulls and coffins throughout their house, year round. That kind of extreme is just crazy. There's nothing wrong with embracing the next phase (that's what Halloween was originally about: honoring those who have gone before us), but glorifying killing is a little disturbed. It's that old Catch-22 again!

That debate can't rightfully be settled. I can't tell you why it didn't bother me to watch helpless teens get killed in 'House of Wax' but I nearly got sick watching 'Hostel' and wouldn't even attempt 'Saw 2.' I think it's more the idea and the feel of a horror movie that I like. And horror stories, I could read all day! But anyway..

I'm a bit of a knicknack collector (in general, and for all seasons and occasions)...and my Halloweenies are my very faves! Well, unless you count action figures as knicknacks. Which I don't. They're toys. Yeah, that's it. Toys...


My Favorite Halloween Decorations include:

1) A little set of 2 cute ceramic (smiling!) ghosts and a pumpkin that my kindergarten aide gave me. Dad was the principal, so the teachers all knew me, but Mrs. Blakenbaker was a special one. And her gift is appreciated to this day.




2) My Puffkins Halloween pals. These little stuffed animals/monsters are so cute, you want to squeeze them. Perhaps I do, when I get them out. The best is Ding the bat. Get it? Ding...bat. :)





3) Snow Globes. There's a black cat, a witch, and soon, a skull. With little bats that fly around when you shake them up. Coooool.




4) Candles. I have black cats, ghosts, and pumpkins. But my fave is this candleabra. Never to be lit! Just for decoration.




5) Cauldron. It's just a black plastic pot, with cloth 'flames' that shoot out of the top, as if it was really brewing something. No 'You're such a witch' jokes!




6) My black cat collection. I really wish I had much more, but these knicknacks and this plush are pretty sweet, I think.




7) Edgar, Tha Man! Ok, Ed was not originally part of the H-ween display. But as he's the Master of The Horror Story, he must be included. Will's jealous.




8) Of course, here is my FAVORITE decoration. From a pic of us last year. :)




I wish I had more black cat stuff, and any raven stuff. The ravens I see don't quite satisfy; hence, I don't have a raven anyplace. Except there is one on Ed's shoulder. :)

Of course we also put up wall coverings of spooky scenes inside and tombstones outside, and lights, and hanging spiders, and I'm getting a fog machine, and possibly a blacklight. But we won't do that until it's time for the parties. Pics of all of that to come later, I'm sure.


In other news, I saw 'The Lake House' the other night, and liked it. It was a bit slow-paced and longer than it had to be, but it was a nice little romantic movie type. Bean hated it and could not grasp the general idea of two people communicating even though one is in the past. Having watched every episode of three Star Trek series, I am used to time travel, alternate universes, the time-space continuem (sp?), and the like. Plus, I like Sandra Bullock and Keanu (whoa!) Reeves.

I'm off to continue my Trilogy Viewing.

Have a great day!