Goodbye, October

Saying a fond farewell to this Fantastic month

This is a photo of me on my 3rd Halloween dressed up as an angel!  

I really loved that costume.  

The wings were sparkly plastic and they looked like heaven. 

I felt so pretty in it!  

Even though I had my winter coat on under my costume because we lived in the arctic, i.e. Michigan.

This is the only photo of me in a Halloween costume so I cherish it.

I got the original tiny photo blown up to two different sizes so I could do this scrapbook layout.

I have so many fun memories of Trick or Treating every year in our little suburban neighborhood when I was a little girl.  

I remember my dad taking us around 'begging'.  

He would pull my younger sister in the little red wagon until she was big enough to walk.  

One of my fondest Halloween Trick or Treating memories 

{besides getting a peek into everybody's home} 

was this house on our block that really went all out for the occasion.  

There were cool lights and spooky fog and a big huge cauldron on a tripod filled with candy set up in their front yard and guarded by the scary witches {aka..our neighbors}.  

It was rather daunting to approach but exhilarating at the same time. 

 My mom & dad went to a party at the Benton's next door to the spooky house 

and I remember thinking as I drifted off to sleep on their couch, 

This is a dreamy night!

My mom says that I was supposed to be born on Halloween but I was a week late.  

That's cool with me though, because it means that after all the exciting Halloween parties & doings are over with there's still my birthday to celebrate, prolonging the spooky fall fun 

until Crazy for Christmas begins.

Halloween Pets

I think my pets like Halloween.
They like us so they must Love this holiday as much as we do!

Here's Teddy relaxing on the veranda with Sarah's Jack o'Lantern.

Bella is ready for Trick or Treating!

Do you like Emily's costume?  

She is dressed as Um from Umbridge in Alice's red court dress. 

I Love this photo of Emily and Charlie the Bunny, he's a Netherland Dwarf.  

Aren't they cute?

Hello Cloud!  Isn't this a sweet photo of my daughter's beautiful cat who was helping be looking gorgeous for Sarah's Halloween party guests.

Zoe is always so curious.  It tickles me when she follows me all over the house.

All the photos were either taken by me, my awesome sister, Mary Ann 

or my Lovely daughter, Sarah. 

Visit her blog, Lostvestige for more of her fabulous photos.

Old Salem in Fall

I'm Lucky, I live close to Old Salem

It's a historical village that has a few shops, bakery, tavern, 

lots of cobblestone and interesting architecture.  

I go there for walks in the morning when it is quiet and no one is around.

There's a water pump fountain in the town square and lots of folks walking around dressed in period clothing that work there.

I especially like Old Salem in the fall when the air is crisp, the leaves are turning colors and they crunch under your feet.

I also Love to go The Cobblestone Farmer's Market held every Saturday, 

9am-noon, May through November 

for fresh produce, eggs, baked goods, flowers and whatnot.  

Everything is arranged so beautifully.

It gets even more picturesque when the leaves start to change in October.

I LOVE how the folks that live here decorate their front steps.

Around Halloween there's a Jack O'Lantern carving contest, then everyone displays their carved pumpkin by setting them on the fence that surrounds the town square.  

The ambiance is incredible in the evening
when they are all lit with candles!  

My birthday is in November and it has become 

a new tradition to go for a sunset walk around,

then eat dinner at the Tavern in Old Salem.

Here is a photo my daughter, Sarah
of Lostvestige
took of the Tavern on the evening of my birthday dinner last year.  

I Love the way the moon looks shining above.

I usually order the same thing every time I eat here, 

Moravian Chicken Pie!

And maybe a cocktail ~ Cheers!

Then there's warm gingerbread cake with lemon sauce for dessert to share.

I ♥ Old Salem!!!

Just wait until I blog about it for the holidays.

All the photos were either taken by me, my awesome sister, Mary Ann
or my Lovely daughter, Sarah.

Visit her blog, Lostvestige for more of her fabulous photos.

or Google!

The Ghosts Come Out

It's that spooky time of year again when the ghosts come out to haunt our houses.  Everywhere you go you see them hanging all over, especially in stores.  I confess, I get super excited when I see all the spooky decorations. This is how I haunt my house:

Here come my collection of the cutest little vintage wax candle ghosts made by the Gurley Company.

The little ghosts float right over to the kitchen cupboard that I like to decorate for every holiday.

We live in a hundred year old house so there are lots of ghosties that hover around.

This cute little bluish guy has haunted our veranda every October for over 20 years.  

That's my daughter, Emily, dressed up in her Ciel Phantomhive costume from Black Butler that she put together using thrift shop and attic finds.  She's standing by her pumpkin and my pumpkin's got some great coloring on it and it has a spooky ghost haunting it!

I'm crazy about this amazing spooky ghost cake!  

Isn't it fun to see silly spooky ghosts everywhere this time of year, even on cake?

A few more shots of the ghosties that are haunting our house.

All the photos were either taken by me, my awesome sister, Mary Ann 

or my Lovely daughter, Sarah. 

Visit her blog, Lostvestige for more of her fabulous photos.

or Google!

Pumpkin Carving Party

Each year we gather together one afternoon, 

a few days before Halloween 

to scoop pumpkin guts and carve them into spooky Jack-o'-Lanterns.

The designs can be as elaborate or simple as you wish.

This is my Jack o'lantern I carved back in 2010 using a pattern and the nifty tools.

We've been collecting those Pumpkin Master patterns and carving kits for ages.  I'll pick them up on clearance after the holiday.  The tools work really good even if you prefer to do a more retro look with googly eyes and goofy grins.

I just love the way our front porch looks swathed in twinkling lights, faux cobwebs and adorned with all our pumpkins carved into jack o'lanterns with a candle tucked inside lighting them up.

Family and friends are welcome, the more the merrier! 

We extend the dinning room table to accommodate everyone and cover it with newspapers or an old plastic tablecloth, also purchased on clearance.

 That's one of my best friends and her 2 daughters when we were all younger.  Sometimes I make a big batch of chili or soup to slurp for sustenance while we all carve away, having a few laughs and listening to some Halloween themed music.

I'm crazy about heirloom pumpkins with all the vibrant colors and interesting shapes.  And we always take a sample taste of the raw pumpkin.  You should try it!  It tastes good.  Toasted pumpkin seeds are delicious and nutritious so I always bake a few batches while we're carving.

Don't the Jack O'Lanterns look amazing perched on our porches, grinning and ready to greet Trick or Treaters?

I just Love the green pumpkins with the traditional orange.  

That's my daughter, Emily, dressed as Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler.  She did a wonderful job creating this costume using some of my old/ vintage clothes & shoes that she then embellished.

All the photos were either taken by me, my awesome sister, Mary Ann 

or my Lovely daughter, Sarah. 

Visit her blog, Lostvestige for more of her fabulous photos.

Take me to the Fair

We Love our Dixie Classic Fair.  

It's that exciting time of year when our local fair opens.

I Love seeing all the thrilling rides

The Himalaya and the swings have always been my favorites.

There's so many tasty cute treats to try.

Cotton candy, caramel and candy apples, ice cream and funnel cake are my favorite fair foods.

Have you ever tried a Red Velvet Funnel Cake?  Only in the South!

And then there are some treats that might look cool but I wouldn't want to try!
Would you?

So many interesting things to look at.  I can almost hear the sounds and the smell the aromas of the fair!

Just another beautiful day at the Fair.

All the photos were either taken by me, my awesome sister, Mary Ann 

or my Lovely daughter, Sarah. 

Visit her blog, Lostvestige for more of her fabulous photos.