Trick or Treat ~

Trick or Treat
from a journal written by
Donna Turnbull


The last night in October when the leaves are turning brown.
The strangest looking creatures start swarming over town.
Ancient witches three feet tall go arm in arm with tramps.
Scar-faced pirates share their loot with queens and ghostly scamps.
Up and down the streets they go, this merry, motley crew.
They carry bags and baskets and tonight they will call on you.
So let us bid them welcome with cookies, pies and such.
I think that if we feed them well, they won't scare us half as much.

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Tonight is Hallow'een. Don't forget to leave out some goodies for those Spirits and Haunts that may come visiting on this night when the veil has been lifted.

I would like to Thank Domestic Witch for hosting this month long party filled with fun, laughter, spooky tales and the chance to meet so many new friends!

Happy Hallow'een to All!
May the New Year bring you health, wealth and happiness!

Happy Birthday Dear!

Today is my dear sweet Hubby's birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Here's another Elvira video just for you!
Because I know how you have always admired Elvira's ......uuhhmmm....

assets.

Our Kitties...

Every Witch has her familiar, which can come in any plant or animal form. But most commonly in the form of a Cat.

Here's a tribute to our Cats. In order of age...

Cursor - she's the old (now 16) lady. She was a semi-feral barn kitten that we adopted.
She enjoys her spot by the fire.


Fantum - Queen of the House. She was a 'drop-off' that we adopted. She can't meow. She can only make a scratchy noise that sounds like she is clearing her throat.


Gomez - He's the King. He was also a 'drop-off'. When he showed up as a kitten, he had on a collar that was almost too small for him. He likes to sleep under the covers with us.


Goliath - We got him at 6 wks & he was no bigger than a pack of cigarettes. He now weighs 25+ lbs. & is a very needy cat. He needs lots of snuggles.


Valentino - He showed up on our doorstop and never left. We should've named him Velcro because once you pet him, he won't leave you alone. He acts like one of our dogs. He even knows some tricks.


Squeakie - She showed up as a young, unwed mother. She wouldn't come inside (despite Hubby's efforts) until right before a terrific storm came through. She then moved all her 3 day old kittens inside (we have a cat door) & took up residence in Hubby's den with the babies.

Our Puppies....

I have to brag a bit.......

Hubby and I have three Alaskan Malamutes, Kenosha, Elvira, & Boreas.

Kenosha

Elvira and Fantum

And on occasion we will have a litter of puppies. The last litter we had was in the Autumn of 2008.

There were seven fluffy bundles of fur running around the house. Oh what fun that was! You can read about their exploits here, View From the Floor.

We kept Boreas, the first born boy.

And on occasion we receive news and pictures of his litter mates. But one of the litter stands out - Loveland. Her new Mommy has her started on a career that is most fulfilling - for everyone involved! She recently received a certification as a Therapy Dog from Therapy Dogs International. She works at a Nursing Home near where she and her Family live. Kudos to Loveland and her Mommy!

Extreme Pumpkin Carving

Need some ideas on how to carve your PUMPKINS this season??
Check out this site, Extreme Pumpkins.

A Passionate Couple

Don't you just LOVE the Addams Family? I always wanted to go live with them when I was a kid! Their home, their relatives - it was all just GHOULISHLY GREAT!

Gomez and Morticia were so in LOVE with each other - passionate, amorous, and so romantic!

More Eye Candy and an Award

I would like to Thank Debra of She Who Seeks for this Great Award. I'm honored. Do stop by her blog if you get the chance and say 'HI'!



Here's the official guidelines of this award:
1. Share 10 Honest Things about myself.
2. Present this award to 7 others who have encouraged me or
whose blogs I find brilliant in content or design.
3. Let them know of the award and the guidelines.


Here's the 10 Honest Things about me -

1. I love to bake bread
2. I'm a morning person
3. I'm afraid of heights
4. I know how to spin wool into yarn
5. I was once a dog trainer
6. I like my glass (or two) of wine every night
7. I bared my------on Bourbon Street
8. I love the TV show "The Big Bang Theory"
9. I've watched a July 4th Fireworks Display during a snowstorm
10. I have butchered (with Hubby's help) an elk on my dining room table

There! That wasn't so bad!

I'm supposed to pick 7 Bloggers who have encouraged me or who have outstanding blogs - that's so tough! Because ALL OF YOU, MY READERS, encourage me by reading the stuff I write! And it seems that every blog that I visit is outstanding in its own unique way! I could spend all day just blopping around in the Blog World! So I am leaving this award for you my readers - if you don't already have it, then please take it. Just leave me a comment and your Blog link so all the wonderful World may come visit!

Classic Horror Movies

Some of my favorite actors include Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., & Boris Karloff. I grew up watching their Monster Flicks on Saturday afternoons (on a black & white TV - yes, I'm that old!) The Horror Films they starred in were filled with suspense, irony, and left a lot to a person's imagination.

But my all time favorite horror/suspense film actor is Vincent Price. Here's a catchy little tune sung by this classic actor.

Creepy Crawlies

And what would Halloween be without some CREEPY CRAWLIES to look at?
(Beware! - there will be a spider amongst the pics!)

Halloween How to's.....

Click here for a How-to on these Pumpkins

Click here for a How-to on the wreath made from recycled plastic bags

Click here for a How-to on this mask and other great leaf crafts.

Leaves...

Autumn! What a glorious time of year! Soak up the long rays of afternoon Sun. For it won't be long before the short days of Winter have settled in.

The Leaves are falling. And soon the Trees will stand stark and bare against a Wintery sky.

Out come the rakes (or the leaf blowers) and an annual ritual begins. Do not look at it as a chore. It is simply housekeeping. I rake my leaves to use as mulch in the flowerbeds and along the fenceline to smother any errant weeds. I add them to the compost pile to help create wonderful 'Black Gold' for my flowers. And I make BIG piles of leaves for the Dogs (or me or Hubby) to run through. Oh, What fun! Let your inner child come out and play this season!

Where the Pumpkins Grow

Where the Pumpkins Grow
from a journal written by
Donna Turnbull


Down in the fields where the pumpkins grow,
Magic lies there as we well know.
Dark is the night and the stars grow pale.
October winds make a howling gale.
Black is the night and gold is the moon.
Witches are riding and none too soon.
Black cats are yowling with backs arched high,
While the moon glows gold in the midnight sky.
Owls hoot, 'whoo, whoo' and look very wise.
And bats fly eerily across the skies.
Goblins and witches and shosts are seen.
For this, you remember is Hallow'een!

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Today is our daughter, Jenny's birthday. We Love You!
Hugs-n-Kisses! ♥
We'd sing to you but we thought this might be better....

Eye Candy & an Award

After all the Parties yesterday, I think we'll all be happy just looking at pictures today!

These are all items I've received in Swaps that I have recently participated in.

Witches Cupboard Swap received from Jilly of Life With Nature Girl


Shadowbox Swap received from Kathy of Country Chintz


Pinkeep Swap received from Courtney of The Cajun Hillbilly Housewife

These Ladies created some GHOULISHLY GREAT items & I feel quite lucky to have received them and gotten to know some wonderful women as well. If you are out Blopping around, stop in and say 'Hi' to these lovely Ladies.

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Sherry of Byrum Art has graciously given me a Triple Award! Wowzers! Thank you Sherry!
Now I am supposed to pass it on to ten Blogs I L♥ve! But I love SO MANY!! And there are so many Blogs out there that deserve this award that I can't limit myself to just ten! I shall leave this award here for you my dear readers to pick up. Just leave me a comment and a link to your Blog so that the world may come visit.

My Own Ghost Story

Thanks to everyone who shared their first scary movie with us yesterday. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was scared silly at an early age! Now on with the story...

It seems that I have always had encounters with Spirits. I grew up in an old adobe house (built in the 1800s) in a very small community in southwestern Colorado. I don't know how many nights I would wake up knowing that there was someone outside my bedroom window watching me. When in fact there was no one to be seen.
I later lived in another old house (in the same town) that had served as a neighborhood store. There were always noises in the night and the constant feeling that you were never alone.


The first house that Hubby and I lived in was the PUMPKIN HOUSE. It was originally a small cabin in what had been a gold mining community in Colorado. The whole area was rich with history and I'm sure quite a few "Old" residents were still around. The House had a loft where a very ominous presence could be felt. Occasionally we would hear bumps and creaks in the night - was it the house settling? Or was it the presence? We'll never know...


The next house was located in the Colorado Mountains as well - in an out of the way valley that was a get-away place for mobsters during the 1920s. Again rich with history. Our home was a cabin that had been built in the 1950s. There was a spirit there that enjoyed Beethoven's song, Fur elise. Quite often it could be heard on our answering machine. Not always - just sometimes. We didn't put the song on there. We had several pictures simply 'fall' off the wall for no apparent reason.


We next moved to an old house in southwest Louisiana. The house had once been the maid's quarters for a well-to-do land owner. The house had been moved to a vacant section of land shortly before we bought it. The house always seemed to be tidy, despite the fact teenagers and three large dogs were always tromping through it. Occasionally a ball could be heard bouncing on the wood floor.


Our present home isn't that old nor does it have a lot of history to it, But orbs are quite often seen in the pics. Dust particles? Maybe... But quite a few people have commented on the 'comfortable' feeling the house has. We also find change (coins) laying around in the oddest places.

Especially in the rooms where the orbs are seen.

Did we just pack up our ghost(s) and move them with us? I don't think so. Because each house has had a unique 'feel' to it. Maybe Hubby and I are just a little more in tune with our surroundings and can sense the Spirits. Maybe the Spirits like us.

Except for the house in Louisiana, the other 3 did have something in common - quartz rock. Large amounts of quartz rock can be found in those areas. Quartz is a natural amplifier of energy.

Do I believe in Ghosts? Let's say I believe in Spirits. Do you??

My First Scary Movie

I can still remember the first movie that SCARED the willies out of me! It was the movie, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, starring Don Knotts. I was 6 yrs old when I saw it and even though the movie itself is not a scary one, to my young mind all I could think about was the organ that played on its own.

In the film, Don Knotts plays a wannabe newspaper reporter who is assigned to spend the night in a mansion where a murder/suicide was committed 20 yrs earlier. Legend says that the ghost of Mr. Simmons, who murdered his wife, plays the organ at night. At midnight, Knotts sees the old organ begin to play by itself. Knott's newspaper article about his night's experiences results in a court case which then leads to the discovery of the real murderer.

Since seeing that movie (and getting over my fear of the dark), I have developed a love for good suspense filled movies. No blood, guts or gore for me!

What is the first scary movie you can remember seeing??

Ghost......

I have just recently started a collection of ghosts. Because what would Halloween be without GHOSTS ?

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Here's a link to instructions for making an easy Holiday Wreath.
Dabbled

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I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful comments yesterday. It really warmed my soul. ♥

A Thank You Gift for My Fantastic Followers! ♥

I have come to a milestone and I would like to celebrate with YOU! Because if it wasn't for YOU, my Faithful Readers, I wouldn't have come this far.

This blog, The Candy Corn Chronicles (don't you just LOVE CANDY CORN?!), now has over 100 people who follow it. THANK YOU! ♥

Beginning this month I will have a monthly giveaway JUST FOR YOU ~ THE FANTASTIC FOLLOWERS of this Blog. I will announce a winner every month on the 13th. The winner will receive a little something that I have made with my own two grubby little hands. This month's prize is Jack the Pumpkin.

October's Winner is

LESLIE of My Own Little World

{I have managed to convince over 100 people that my babbling and random thoughts are interesting.
Boy, Do I have YOU fooled!}

Elvira!

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
She's my hero. ( oops! I mean heroine. ) Any way, I've always admired her for her spunk. I had the pleasure of meeting her and she is quite the gracious Lady. A natural redhead too! (like moi!)

Trail of Gold

Trail of Gold
from a journal written by
Donna Turnbull
(My Mother)


King Midas passed this way today and left a trail of gold.
The lanes of yellow goldenrod mark pathways where he trod.

He chased the wild canaries through all the woodland trees.
The sunflowers by the roadside prove his activities.

The colors rival the yellow sun; the world is aureoled.
King Midas passed this way today and left a trail of gold.

Questions Answered......

Someone mentioned wanting to know about the natural disasters I have experienced, so here goes...

1. Blizzard - while growing up/living in Colorado High Country, experienced several severe storms that would knock out power & left us using the wood stove to heat & cook with & kerosene lanterns to use for light
   
2. Earthquake - while never having experienced a severe one, I did feel quite a few while living in both Washington & Alaska; seeing the plants sway from the ceiling hooks, hearing the dishes rattle in the cupboard, & feeling the ground move under your feet is something else
3. Flood - when living in Louisiana, Tropical Storm Allison flooded the bayou behind our home, bringing the water up onto the nearby road & almost covering the bridge which was located at the corner of our property
4. Forest Fire - while living in Colorado, one major forest fire brought dark skies, smoke, & soot our way. The other smaller fire was much closer and a Forest Service fire fighting helicopter dipped water out of the local pond with its bucket to drop on the fire.
5. Hurricane - While living in Louisiana Hurricane Lili came ashore almost directly south of us (we lived approx. 20 miles from the coast). Lili was a Category 4 (with wind speeds of 145 mph) one day prior to making landfall but rapidly decreased in strength to a Category 1 when it hit the coast of Louisiana.
6. Tornado - The first tornado was a small one which was spawned from Hurricane Lili and went through our property; defoliating several trees and demolishing a storage shed. The second one was just this April when a EF3 tornado left a 14 mile path of destruction through the town of Mena, Arkansas (where we live).
7. Volcanic Eruption - I lived in Washington near Mount St. Helens before and during its eruption. Experienced ash fall-out and earthquakes.

I'm throwing these in for good measure -

1. Freezing Arctic Temperatures - Lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for several years and experienced (minus) -70 deg. temperatures
2. Blistering Desert Temperatures - Lived in Phoenix, Arizona from June through December & I was pregnant!

I had someone mention to me that I must have a dark cloud hanging over me, that is why I have experienced all of these things. I don't think so! Having had experiences like these comes from moving around a lot! And boy, does it give you stories to tell!

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Here is the ONLY picture I could find of the PUMPKIN HOUSE that we lived in. (And all the locals knew the house by THAT name!) It is located in what was a small ex-mining community in the Colorado Rockies. It was originally just a one room cabin. The window you see is the one Hubby would paint up at Halloween. {the color may be a bit off as I had to scan the photo}

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As for yesterday's PUMPKINS, check out this site STOLLOWEEN. I used his method of making JOL to make mine. This is the front of the two Pumpkins you saw yesterday.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, & more Pumpkins!!

My PUMPKIN crop didn't do so well this year - those nasty squash bugs!! So I made my own!

They will make a nice addition to the PUMPKIN collection I already have.

Oh Nuts!!

I gathered nuts yesterday.

Here in the WildWoods, there is an abundance of natural foods to gather and eat. Among them are nuts - pecans, black walnuts, and chestnuts to name a few.

We have four large pecan trees in front of the house and every year we are serenaded to the plunk, plunk, ting of the pecans falling on the courtyard or the lid of the metal grill. (oval shaped in front of pic)
In the backyard we have black walnut trees. They drop tennis ball size gems which make a horrible racket when run over with the mower. (large round green thing)
The chestnuts are the most fascinating. They come in a spiny husk that pops open when ripe and two or three chestnuts will drop to the ground. You don't want to walk on one of these barefoot! (four nuts & what looks like a spiny hedgehog on the right)

Of course, Our bounty is shared with squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and armadillos......