A Texas city girl in a small New England town …
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This year, “Wednesday Addams” came for a visit from the Nevermore Academy. After I took some photos of her, she went trick-or-treating with the neighborhood’s ghosts and goblins. We all remember what happened last time Wednesday smiled, right? If you can’t remember, it might be a good idea to re-watch “Addams Family Values”.
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𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑪𝒂𝒕
Good things happen when this cat crosses your path. A complex blend of wood, citrus, and musk creates a bright freshness.
Top: Spicy Cinnamon
Mid: Clove
Base: Cedar, Frankincense
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This cute vintage door hanger was inspired by “Making It My Own DIYs” on YouTube. The only difference I made to my own hanger was that I didn’t make a bow and left it in its original state.
Here is the YouTube Video: “Making It My Own DIYs” by Brandy. It begins at minute 10:50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-YmktOY304
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For the last five Wednesdays, I posted photos of the pumpkins I have been carving for Halloween. People were admiring my Jack-o-Lanterns and asked how I carve them. In this blog, I will explain it.
Before I even think about this carving process, I have to look for the right pumpkin in the store or at a pumpkin patch. The key points I’m looking for are:
A pumpkin should look healthy. Because it will rot if it has nicks, bruises, or the stem is cut too short. It should also be the right size for the pattern I have in mind. The pumpkin should be smooth and without warts. Having a bumpy surface makes it harder to apply the stencil and carve the pumpkin. Sometimes, I look at a pumpkin and think: This is not the right one, I just keep looking. Since I started looking for pumpkins at the beginning of October, there is plenty of time to find the perfect one for my project.
Usually, on October 30th, I begin to carve pumpkins. This gives me an extra day, in case I’m getting too busy on Halloween. I’ll let you know how I keep the pumpkins nice and fresh for a day or two before they have their big day on our front porch.
When the “Jack-o-Lanterns” were still damp from soaking them in water, I lit them with a few tea candles to see how they looked in the dark. Katelynn and Sara can’t wait for Halloween night to get the pumpkins on the porch and show them to the kids from the neighborhood.
Are you ready for the results? Here are the “Jack-o-Lanterns” of 2017:
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Kevin, the girls, and I went to a couple of fun events that season. Finally, we made it to “Boo at the Zoo” at the Fort Worth Zoo. The weather was perfect for some Trick-or-Treat time. And Sara had a Halloween Party at her daycare, where she could play games, have hot dogs, lemonade, and cake. Once in a while, it’s fun to splurge.
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In 2013, we decided we wanted to register for the “Family Fright Night Camp Out” in our city. It’s an annual event on the lake peninsula in Stewart Creek Park. We brought our camping gear, Halloween decorations, and lots of candy. The event has costume competitions, Halloween decoration competitions, scream competition, Trick-or-Treat, Movie Night, etc. The girls loved camping in the park. For the Halloween season, I carved five pumpkins. Three we used for the above event. And then I carved another two for the girls on Halloween.
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… to be continued in October 2026.
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We have arrived at the last part of this year’s “My Jack-o-Lanterns” season. I can’t believe October went by so fast. Here are the pictures of the pumpkins from 2014, 2015, and 2016.
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… to be continued in October 2026.
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Another cute little Black Cat Shadow Box I made for the Halloween Season.
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It’s National Black Cat Day on October 27th! Black cats need a little positive PR as their reputation as an omen of bad luck is well-known (and unearned, frankly). In the lead-up to Halloween, National Black Cat Day provides the chance for feline fans to show off their love for the oft-maligned but always iconic animal.
The black cat carries a unique status among the wide batch of different breeds. In some locales, notably Scotland, Britain, and Japan, the presence or appearance of a black cat is indicative of imminent good fortune and prosperity. Beyond these regions, though, public favor of the black cat runs sharply southward. In much of the Western world, black cats are considered to be harbingers of misfortune and wickedness. This unfortunate association stems from an image that will be familiar to many readers, which is that of the black cat serving as a companion to potion-brewing, spell-casting witches everywhere.
This relationship would prove to have severe consequences for owners of black cats in America in the early 17th century. As the Pilgrims established their occupancy on the east coast of the country, they maintained a strict suspicion of anything remotely tied to the perils of witchcraft. The black cat served as a symbol of the supposed evils and Satanic sympathies of witches, and as a result, those found harboring black cats would receive harsh punishments; some would even be sentenced to death.
While, in general, the fears surrounding the demonic potential of witches have subsided significantly, the black cat will be left wondering why it still must suffer the consequences of a damaged collective reputation. According to several animal advocacy groups and adoption agencies, black cats experience lower rates of adoption and higher rates of euthanization relative to other cat breeds. Because of this, National Black Cat Day stands as a fantastic opportunity to subvert these trends and demonstrate appreciation for an animal that could use a little luck.
: https://nationaltoday.com/national-black-cat-day/
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by Penny Parker Klostermann
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I kept the haunted house simple. I used two wooden cutouts, Jenga blocks as spacers, popsicles as shingles and window shutters, a large ribbon for the windows, a rub-on sticker ghost, orange fairy lights, paints, and hot glue.
First, I painted the wooden cutouts and Jenga blocks with black chalk paint and let them dry. Meanwhile, I painted the popsicles for the shingles with a mixture of chestnut brown and black chalk paint. The popsicles for the shutters, I stained with anti-wax. When the cutouts were dry, I lightly brushed the one I wanted to use as the front with white chalk paint and let it dry again.
Next, cut out a big spider web ribbon in rectangles and glued them on the backside to cover up the front windows. I added the shutters in different directions to make them look like they are ready to fall off. I rubbed my little “Boo” ghost close to one window. Once the front was done. I glued the front and back sides together with spacers. I also added extra spacers to rest my battery box for easy access to them. Then I glued the shingles on the roof.
Last but not least, I wrapped the fairy lights around the Jenga block spacers. Now, we also have a big haunted house as a shelf or mantel sitter.
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𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇’𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒆
While folklore suggests this unassuming yellow woodland flower might repel werewolves, we’re sure its delightful floral fragrance will have you happily howling at the moon!
Top: Floral
Mid: Amber
Base: Powder
𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕
Fiendishly delightful citrus notes swirl intriguingly with rare wood accords to create a fragrance that will drive you batty with pleasure!
Top: Fruit
Mid: Patchouli
Base: Citrus
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Kevin worked on the cauldron in previous years. But it came out the best on Halloween 2009. He had to cut a hole in the bottom to fit a pipe for the fog maker. A purple light bulb was installed before he aligned the inner cauldron with some dark fabric. Kevin glued some eyeballs and bones on top of the fabric to make them look like the witch just tossed them for her brew in the cauldron. Of course, needed a stand and a “fire”. Kevin got some golfball-sized styrofoam balls, cut a small hole, and spray-painted them, so they would look like charcoal. Then he pushed red string lights in the precut holes to make the “charcoal look like it was glowing in the fire. Once the stand and the “charcoal” were in place, he set the cauldron on top of it and let the fog machine do its job. Ta-da! The witch had some brew cooking.
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Katelynn loves going to the pumpkin patch because she can jump in the bounce house, go on hay rides, and pick a pumpkin. Sara just enjoyed crawling around between the pumpkins. Every pumpkin had to be tested by giving it a good slap on top. We also went to the Pirate Days. Unfortunately, “Boo at the Zoo” got rained out on the day we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. But it wasn’t the end of the world, either. The girls got out and had fun, anyway.
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Aww! 2011 was one of my favorite Halloween Seasons of all time so far. Katelynn had a crush on “Marvin, the Martian” and wanted to marry him. That’s right. She loved this Looney Tunes character so much that we had to get her a plush Marvin. She said she wanted to become an Astronaut and be the First Woman on Mars. Over the years, her idea of flying to Mars has changed. But she still wants to be a Paleontologist, now.
Sara was the cutest little garden gnome I’ve ever seen. It was her first Halloween, and she could walk to the houses. But she still had a hard time catching up with her older sister. Her little feet were not fast enough. So, she called Katelynn to wait for her: “Kaitin, Kaitin! I want to go T’ick-o’-T’eat with you!” Sara wasn’t scared of any monsters either. Since we always made a big fuss out of Halloween, she must have thought it was normal.
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… to be continued …
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Another Sunday has arrived to show off some of my Jack-o-Lanterns from the years 2013 and 2014. Some I carved for our local “Family Fright Night Campout”. And a couple of pumpkins I carved for Halloween night. The white skull pumpkin is from Courtney. She asked me if I could capture a photo of it. It looked so cool, I had to add it to my Jack-o-Lantern photo collection.
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… to be continued …
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One of my favorite projects was converting a Dollar Tree Dollhouse into a Haunted House. The wooden bottom with the fence came from Target; the rest of the items are from Dollar Tree. The house I painted with black chalk paint inside and outside. In the meantime, I hot-glued the trees as a background on the “property”. After the paint was dry, I lightly brushed it with white chalk paint to show the crevices. I used some Jenga blocks to raise the house because I didn’t want it buried in the peat moss.
Since the doll house had furniture and a couple of people, I used one person and a tissue to make a little ghost. For the eyes, I used bits of pipe cleaner. The haunted house also has nailed-up windows and a creepy spider. And I added more moss to the roof.
What would be a haunted house without a pumpkin patch and a graveyard? For the pumpkin patch, I found those little glitter pumpkins and tiny hay bales to raise one pumpkin up. For the graveyard, I used popsicle sticks, cut them to size, painted them to look like slate, wrote some funny names on the gravestones, and glued them across the pumpkin patch.
Finally, I installed orange fairy lights in the haunted house to give it a spooky look. I made sure I left space between the trees and the house for easy access to the batteries. I also kept the haunted house display simple. Could I have added some bats, more ghosts, witches, and trick-or-treaters? Yes. However, I didn’t want it to look too busy. And there is always room for another project.
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𝕮𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝕮𝖔𝖗𝖓
Here’s the Kringle Candle Company’s take on the classic creamy vanilla, honey, and light spice that bedevils every autumnal sweet tooth. So far, this candle formula is my Halloween favorite.
Top: Creamy Vanilla
Mid: Sweet Honey
Base: Light Spice
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This garland was really easy to make. I used some pipe cleaner ribbons, twine, wood beads, a galvanized metal ghost, and yarn, which I had hung from a Dollar Tree Halloween sign.
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I counted 24 wood beads, painted 8 white, and 8 black, and then mixed black and white to paint the last 8 beads gray. The galvanized metal ghost I sanded for the chalk paint to stick better to the surface. I let the beads and ghost sit to dry.
Meanwhile, I wrapped a white yarn around my hand about 20 to 25 times to make a tassel. First, I drew some eyes with a marker on the little ghost. But I decided to use tiny bits of pipe cleaners for the eyes. Since it is a boy ghost, it needed a cute little bowtie, which I made from a ribbon and a pipe cleaner. The galvanized metal ghost is a girl and has a head bow.
In the end, I attached the twine to the girl ghost, fed it through the wood beads, and finished it by knotting it together with the boy ghost. Since I had a little happy accident with the knots, I just glued a little piece of ribbon around them to make it look like it belonged there.
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Kevin had a couple of motors he wanted to use for something neat on Halloween. He decided to make moving cat eyes. A couple of tiki candle holders, styrofoam balls, and spray paint needed to be purchased. The strings, wooden picks, black foam sheets, and velvet fabric we had lying around the house. Kevin also installed some mini light bulbs inside the eyeballs. So, they were glowing while they moved and stared at everyone.
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Katelynn wanted to help me with the pumpkin carving. So, I’ve got her a little pumpkin she could play with and get the pumpkin guts out. She always loved to say: “We need to get all the pumpkin yikes out!” And then she played with the gooey inside of the pumpkin.
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Sara was only twelve days old when we celebrated Halloween in 2009. She was such a cute little Pumpkin. Katelynn wanted to help with the pumpkins again, while her little sister took a nap. Katelynn was very proud of being a big sister. She really enjoyed taking Sara out for her first Trick-or-Treat. All bundled up, we walked through the neighborhood and collected candy on this cool October night. The fresh air was good for the little munchkin.
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… to be continued …
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… to be continued …
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Last year, I worked on a Vintage Cat Shadow Box for Halloween. As usual, I got my inspiration from Pinterest and YouTube. I purchased items at Dollar Tree and ordered the rest from Temu and Amazon. I still have so much paint and brushes that I don’t have to worry about getting more for some time.
For the box, the half-rounds on top, and the risers on the bottom, I had to mix some colors of orange, cardinal red, and chestnut brown. I wanted to get it as close to the cat’s hat as possible. It became slightly darker. However, I was satisfied with the outcome. The trick to painting the half-rounds is to stick them on some tape. The tape prevents them from moving around. The same can be done with the risers.
For the inside of the box, I measured the inner space and cut some scrapbook paper to the size of the inner frame. Once I glued the paper to the back, I could work on the vintage cat sticker. The sticker itself was too flimsy. I stuck it to some cardboard to make it more stable. Behind the cat sticker, I hot-glued a Jenga riser to bring the image forward.
Something was missing. So, I decided to take one of those Halloween metal cutouts, paint it black, and let it dry before I used a white coloring pencil and drew some extra lines on the letters. The outer frame of the box still looked a little plain. I found some burlap and black ribbon. It just fits perfectly around the box. I added the two painted Jenga risers to the bottom.
The Vintage Cat Shadow Box can be used as a shelf sitter or as a tiered tray sitter. It can hang as a picture on the wall. The possibilities are endless.
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This is one of my projects, which I did late last year. I started with the frame I got from a thrift store. It was gold-colored. Originally, I wanted to keep it that way for a Christmas project. But I still had a picture of Nevermore. And I tried to put it to good use. I painted the frame with black chalk paint and lightly brushed it with gold. Once the paint was completely dry, I framed the picture. That was the easy part.
At Target, I found a birdcage; at the thrift store, I got some candle holders; at Dollar Tree, I purchased the flowers, bows, and other embellishments; and I had to order the raven from Amazon. The floor of the cage and the candle holder I painted with black chalk paint. When the paint was dry, I cut up a flower foam into the form of a cube and glued it to the cage floor. I had some black shredded paper that came as packing material with one of my orders. It became part of the nesting material when I wrapped it around to hide the foam cube. I centered the raven before I poked the flower stems into the foam to build the nest. Usually, I don’t glue the stems into the foam, so I can rearrange it for a later display. For the rim of the cage, I glued laces in place. Since the candle holder looked too plain, I made a bow and attached it to the neck. The creepy little spider gives it the extra little touch.
Inspiration from “Making It My Own” by Brandy – “Nevermore” Frame:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOH8-x59Fe0&t=9s
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𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒏
Primary notes of clove and cedar dance mysteriously with hints of incense, citrus, and other exotics to create this utterly bewitching fragrance.
Top: Cedar, Clove
Mid: Incense
Base: Incense
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Diddlina is Diddl’s girlfriend. When I was younger, I collected everything about Diddl and his friends. I even made my own journals by drawing pictures of them. In October 2005, I created Katelynn’s Trick-or-Treat bag myself. The bag I had from a previous occasion. I imaged the concept, traced it, and then glued the tracing to construction paper. The broom got some tinsel I found in an art supply store. I used a black pen to color the face, hands, feet, hat, and costume, giving it character. And voilà, Katelynn had a Trick-or-Treat bag like no other.
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… This Halloween season was completely different from last year’s. Katelynn was excited to go to “Trick-or-Treat”. She knocked on the doors with a happy “T’ick-or-T’eeeeat”. Since she couldn’t pronounce the “r”, the neighbors thought she was adorable and gave her a lot of candy. After three houses, we had to walk home to empty the bag before we could go out there and get more candy. Oh my, so much candy and no meltdowns anymore.
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In 2004, I heard about the Munster Mansion Replica when I watched VH1 while I was preparing dinner. I talked to Kevin about it. And one weekend, we drove from Dallas to Waxahachie. When we found it, we looked at it. The owner, Charles McKee, waved at us, and we waved back.
A couple of years later, I read in the Dallas Morning News that the McKees have these weekend tours right before Halloween. Kevin and I got a babysitter for Katelynn, and down we went to Waxahachie again. They used the big parking lot in front of a local school. A school bus and a limousine were busy around the clock, picking guests up and dropping them off. It was a long wait. But once we were on the property, we had a lot of entertainment. One of the firebreathers asked me to pull a nail out of her nose. I replied, “… before this happens, I will pass out.” Everybody in line was laughing. 😊
Once we made it inside the mansion, we were not allowed to capture photos or record any film. It made us pay more attention to the tour as well. If you like to see photos and documents, you can go to the official website and check it out for more information. Here is the link:
https://www.munstermansion.com/
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In 2007, Kevin had to go to Trick-or-Treat with Katelynn. I was still recovering from a knee injury and would rather stay at home. It was fun. Katelynn was dressed in her “Snow White” costume and received plenty of candy, while the neighbors and I were busy giving out candy. I have to admit, I missed the door-to-door walk that year.
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… to be continued…
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… to be continued …
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Kevin suggested, when I’m working on DIY projects, I could make one for Katelynn and send it with the other Birthday gift to Dallas. Since I still had the metal pumpkin from the “Happy Halloween” sign left over. I used a wooden stand-up pumpkin from Goodwill, which I got in a two-pack for $2. Target has the same sets for $5. With black and white chalk paint, pumpkin orange acrylic paint, Halloween scrapbook paper, Dollar Tree Jenga blocks, a “messy” bow, and a rope around the stem, I added some character to the pumpkin. On the back side, I worked on some Thanksgiving decorations. So, when Halloween is over, Katelynn can turn it around for the November holiday.
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~ Author Unknown ~
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Do you remember me posting the Halloween vintage black cat sign three days ago? There was still the “Happy Halloween” panel left over. Brandy from “Making It My Own DIYs” had a very cute idea. But I did my own spin on it.
I had a black frame I got from Goodwill. The frame had some scratches, so I sanded it and repainted it with black chalk paint, then dabbed on PLAIDs “Pumpkin Orange” with a round sponge brush. Once the frame was completely dry, I glued a couple of Jenga blocks on the “Happy Halloween” panel before I secured it to the picture frame. Next, I did the little skeleton witch. Once she was done, I made a messy bow and added everything to the frame. Now, she looks more like a Halloween Skeleton Witch/Fairy. The project turned out great. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same as what we see in videos. It’s always good to bring our own creativity to the plate.
Brandy’s Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htCuIpYASOM&list=TLPQMDIxMDIwMjPnVXFfUuEHyQ&index=1
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I’m so excited, my Halloween Kringle Candles have arrived today. In mid-July, the Kringle Candle Company had a special for their Halloween Kringle Tumblers. I believe they could be ordered only for several hours before the sale was over. Kringle Candle Co. had different Halloween candles later in the year, but I wanted to get my fingers on those tumbler candles. In July, I got an email from them saying when they have the sale ready for the Kringle tumblers. I, being crazy for Halloween and candles, had to go for that deal. The online store had plenty of selections to choose from. However, I went for four different scents and purchased six candles in total.
The original founder of the Kringle Candle Co. was no other than Michael Kittredge II himself. He was also the founder of the Yankee Candle Co., which has been in business since 1969. After selling candles nationally and internationally for the past 30 years, Michael Kittredge II sold the Yankee Candle Co. to Forstmann, Little & Co. in 1998. Michael Kittredge II retired from candle making.
In 2008, Michael Kittredge III, the son of the Yankee Candle Co. founder, made his first candle. And it came naturally to him to make and sell candles himself. In 2009, the Kringle Candle Co. was born and has the flagship store with the candle factory/packing, and shipping on an 18,000 sqft. property in Bernardson, Massachusetts. Over 10 years later, the company is still in business, growing its product line and sending the candles all over the United States. Many of the Kringle Candles can also be outside the USA.
Unfortunately, Michael Kittredge died due to cancer in Boston on July 24, 2019. He was 67 years old. May he rest in peace. And we are thankful for the millions of amazing-smelling candles over the past 50+ years.
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In 2004, I saw a little lamb costume for Katelynn. She was so cute. Unfortunately, I made the hat piece a little bit too big. But that was okay. She had a lot of fun getting candy on Halloween night.
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This was Katelynn’s First Halloween. She was only 27 days old when I carved the Kitty pumpkin for her. The story behind the pumpkin itself can be found here under this link:
https://underthewhiteoakleaves.com/2022/10/01/my-jack-o-lanterns-2003-2007/
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Katelynn was at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch for the first time. Oh, she had so much fun playing with the straw. Kevin and I had to fish it out of her clothes later. She was so busy throwing the straw in the air, it went everywhere. The next day, we dressed her up as a lamb. I made the costume myself. The head was a bit big for her. She enjoyed going to Trick-or-Treat with it.
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It was the first year we celebrated Halloween at our new house. I made a DIY-Diddlina candy bag for all the goodies we would receive from going to Trick-or-Treat. On the other hand, Katelynn was still little and a bit unsure if she really liked this whole “Trick-or-Treat” thing. When we walked from door to door, she wasn’t very happy. Once she had some candy, it wasn’t nearly as bad anymore. But she did not like the door-to-door walk at all. A year later, this would be a whole other story. …
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… to be continued …
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Since I love Halloween and I am stuck on a budget, I looked at some DIYs on YouTube. I stumbled across Brandy’s “Making It My Own DIYs”. Her videos are so inspiring and make a Dollar store item look like it’s worth a lot more Dollars. It is so much fun to be creative. I fell in love with her Halloween Vintage Black Cat Sign in one of her videos. So, I gathered all the materials I could find in Dollar Tree, Goodwill, and Temu. And here is my own creation. I made it my own DIYs.
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My favorite month has arrived! October has all the beautiful Autumn activities I like the most. We can go pumpkin picking at the farms, wear sweaters, while shopping for Autumn goodies, and eat and drink a lot of Pumpkin Spice everything. and watch the leaves finally turning in beautiful shades of gold, orange, and red. In the meantime, decorations will go up to make our house and yard look more spooky for the Halloween season.
I LOVE OCTOBER!
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Under The Harvest Moon 