A Witches Brew Poem

October 30, 2025November 4, 2025 TanjaLeave a comment

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Witches Stew

Bubble, blubber, squirm, and gloop,
Boiling broth of bat’s tail soup.
Wobble, slobber, liquid goo,
Add the sole of one old shoe.
Spooky shadows dance around,
Of frogs and rats and snarling hounds.
Steam swirls rising to the roof,
Add one small ear and one old tooth.
Gnarly, scratchy, tickle, and itch,
Stir round and round to make it rich.
Mushy, sticky, sizzle and stew,
They’re making mischief just for you.

by Gareth Lancaster

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Halloween Season (Part IV) 2010 – 2011

October 23, 2025October 29, 2025 TanjaLeave a comment

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2010

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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2011

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 …

2025 · Halloween · Throwback Thursday

Halloween Season (Part III) 2008 – 2009

October 16, 2025October 24, 2025 TanjaLeave a comment

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2008

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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2009

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 …

2025 · Halloween · Kringle Candle Company

Kringle Candle Company’s “Witches Cauldron”

October 10, 2025October 22, 2025 TanjaLeave a comment

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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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2025 · Halloween · Throwback Thursday

Halloween Season (Part II) 2006 – 2007

October 9, 2025October 19, 2025 TanjaLeave a comment

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2006

… 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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The Munster Mansion in Waxahachie, Texas

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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2007

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.