12 Days of Halloween
Day 4

Day 4 Feature: Patriotic Pumpkin
Exercise your Right to Vote!

I felt like a proud American today after I voted in the 2008 Presidential election. An elderly man, probably in his 80s, stood on the sidewalk at my early voting location waving an American flag. It was so symbolic of the struggles and fights our predecessors made for the right I was exercising. (women, African Americans, illiterate, poor, etc.)

My belief is there probably isn't a perfect candidate in any election, but I would encourage you to evaluate what's important to you and what your family values are. In the age of the internet, we have so many reliable sources of information to lead us to the candidate that most closely matches our beliefs and hopes for the future.

Do your country proud!

Have a voice!

Exercise your constitutional right!

Stand tall as an American!

Be thankful for the opportunities and freedoms we have!

Your vote counts! Think back to the 2000 Presidential election if you ever doubt that's true.
(KV Trivia: I was in Broward County Florida election week 2000; talk about being in the center of the universe with local, national and international media coverage; this tid bit of information might come in handy at my next b-day party)

12 Days of Halloween

Day 5

Day 5 Feature: Pumpkin Carving

Talk about creativity and artistic ability! Wow! I was so impressed by the carved pumpkins on display at the Arboretum. I happened to show up on the right day and got to cast my vote.

Which one do you like the best?
Which one do you think I voted for?
Check back in a few days and I will tally the votes and make the announcement.
Also, I will contact the Arboretum to find out who won their contest (the real contest).

tulips

lion

graveyard

witch

jack-o-lantern

dog

butterfly

A sample of the assorted & unique pumpkins proudly displayed throughout the Arboretum
(not part of the contest)

Leave a comment and tell me which one you like the best.
We'll have our own little blog contest.
Too bad we don't know the contestants or we would send them a prize.

12 Days of Halloween
Day 6

Day 6 Feature: Autumn at the Arboretum

I love the Dallas Arboretum. It is one of the most peaceful and serene places in the Metroplex. During the fall its 66 acres of gardens are filled with thousands of pumpkins, chrysanthemums and other fall blooming flowers. The 15 foot Pumpkin House is one of this autumn's attractions.

Enjoy the Great Pumpkin Festival
at
Autumn in the Arboretum

i like the Halloween-ish look of this tree's bark

White Rock Lake

12 Days of Halloween
Day 7

Day 7 Feature: Cheesecake Pops

Here is another fun & easy recipe. Depending on how the pops are decorated, they can be made any season of the year. Along with the pumpkin painting, my niece and nephew had fun making these last weekend too.

Ingredients:
1 box JELL-O No Bake Cheesecake
1 1/2 cups milk
lollipop sticks (these can be purchased anywhere Wilton products are sold such as Michael's)
1 container Baker's Dark Semi-Sweet Dipping Chocolate
Decorations - sprinkles, colored sugar, nuts, etc.

Directions:
Prep tips: This is an easy recipe but some of the steps require refrigeration/freezing so allow time for that. Also, you'll need to make room in the refrig/freezer for 3-4 dozen balls with lollipop sticks.

Beat filling mix and milk with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Filling will be thick. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll filling into balls with moistened hands. This is the key - your hands must stay moist or you will have a sticky mess. Place on a sheet of wax paper. Insert lollipop stick into each ball. Freeze for 2 hours.

Melt dipping chocolate as directed on package. Dip frozen pops into chocolate, turning to coat completely and scraping off excess. Immediately dip balls into sprinkles. This has to be done fast because the chocolate sets quickly.

Keep refrigerated.

Summer & Hunter having fun decorating the cheesecake pops;
This was an OUTSIDE project

Besides a lot of fun, look at what they have to show for the weekend

I am adding this post to Living Locurto's Halloween Blog Party. I hope you'll join the fun!

12 Days of Halloween
Day 8

Day 8 Feature: ??Haunted?? House for Sale

My feature today coincides with Julia's Hooked on House Tours Blog Party. Check out the beautiful homes that are on display. If you are hooked on houses, you'll love her blog. Reading it is something I look forward to each day! Click here to access her blog.

I'll be very honest and tell you that the single blog entry for today was not planned. I fully intended to have 2 separate blog entries - one for my 12 Days of Halloween and one for the House Tour Blog Party. After taking an evening walk with my dog Roxy this week, I realized I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Take a look!

As Roxy & I were walking in the cool crisp fall air, we turned down a street that seemed to have a lot of "stuff" in the front yard. The closer we got, the more intrigued I became and the for sale sign became more visible. Wow, they really like to celebrate Halloween, was my initial thought.

side view - approaching the home i'm liking it

front view of home not bad

As I began walking up the sidewalk to take a closer look at the ghosts and goblins and skeletons, I suddenly realized their yard art was a little disturbing. Those who know me know I'm a big fan of Halloween and I'm all for doing it up as big and spooky as you like, but shouldn't things be a little toned downed if your house is for sale? You wouldn't want to spook anyone (or their children for that matter) when showing the home.

dismembered bloody arm in the shrubs; bloody face with multiple bloody open wounds; okay, now i'm starting to get a little freaked out

skeletal remains scattered throughout the front yard; big life size human-looking monster wearing a bloody denim shirt; looks like it came straight from a horror movie; i'm feeling a little more uneasy as i'm still making my way up the sidewalk; by this time Roxy is barking at all the "stuff" in the yard; i knew i had to hurry & snap the pictures

perched proudly at over 7 feet tall to greet each person who comes house hunting
holy cow! holy heart failure batman!
for people who are scared of clowns, they'll never get overcome their fear

This gives a whole new meaning to "first impression" and "curb appeal".

I began wondering if this house is really for sale or if this was a Halloween joke. Would you really have a bloodied clown & knife standing in the front entrance??

The only way to find out was to access MLS. When I got home & started searching, I couldn't find it. I was almost convinced this was a joke. I was about 1 second away from calling Coleen to do a power search for me when I finally stumbled on its listing.

Okay, now I know it is for real. It's for sale. Legitimate. On the market.

My next thought was that this house better be darn impressive and absolutely fabulous on the inside. Take a look at the photos and decide for yourself........

House Description on the Internet:
"2 story, 5 bedroom, 4 bath, 3145 sq ft, built in 1998"

"This lovely home is nestled in the ____ neighborhood. Some of the many features include the stunning 2 story entry......."
Oh, the entry is STUNNING alright!!!

kitchen

family room

study

master bedroom

formal dining room

formal living room

bedroom 2

bedroom 3

bedroom 4

12 Days of Halloween
Day 9

Day 9 Feature: Graveyard Cake

This is a cake that doesn't have a real recipe. I saw a picture of it several years ago in a magazine. You can make it as easy (box cake) or as difficult (everything from scratch) as you'd like. Depending on who is going to eat it determines how much effort I put into it. This is a fun project for kids. They love to set up the tombstones and other graveyard decor in the dirt. Then of course, they love to eat it!

Here is how I make this cake:
The picture above represents the easy method using a box cake and canned icing.

Ingredients:
box cake
chocolate icing
oreos (I use chocolate filled so the "dirt" will be all brown)
Pepperidge Farm Milano milk chocolate cookies (any cookie with this shape will work for the tombstones)
black decorating icing gel (this is used to write & draw on the tombstones)
edible pumpkins, ghosts, gummy worms or anything else you want in the graveyard

Instructions:
Bake the cake according to the box instructions; Spread chocolate icing over cake after it has cooled; Crush the oreos into a fine consistency that resembles dirt; Sprinkle over the icing; Decorate the tombstones using the fine tipped black decoratoring icing gel; Place tombstones in cake; Add other edible decor; EAT!