SWEET AND SALTY PUMPKIN SEEDS

2 cups separated and dried pumpkin seeds (from your jack-o'-lantern)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Choose sweet (sugar and cinnamon) or savory ingredients (cumin and salt), I always make a batch of the sweet (sugar and cinnamon) then make a batch of the sweet and salty (using the cumin and salt) then after they cool, and I season again to taste, then mix them all together in a large storage container. It is an awesome sweeet and salty mix!
Preheat oven to 350°F.pum

In a bowl, toss the seeds with the butter and either the savory or sweet seasonings.
Spread the seeds evenly in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring the seeds every few minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely. Taste the seeds and re-season if des
ired.

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES 2009

THIS YEAR, HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ARE GOING TO BE SOME OF THE BEST WE HAVE SEEN IN YEARS. WITH THE PASSING OF SO MANY FAMOUS CELEBRITIES AND SOME OF THE GREATEST MOVIES FOR INSPIRATION, ONE SHOULD REALLY NOT HAVE ANY TROUBLE IN FINDIING THE TOP HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ARE FOR 2009!
TWILIGHT IS WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT AND THE CHANCE TO BE ONE OF THE VAMPIRES THAT ACTUALLY LIVES IN THE DAYLIGHT HOURS AS WELL AS THE NIGHT HOURS IS INCREDIBLE! STAR TREK IS ONE OF THE TOP GOOGLE SEARCHES AND OF COURSE WE CAN NOT FORGET HARRY POTTER. WITH THE LATEST STAR TREK MOVIE, A WHOLE NEW GENERALTION OF FANS HAVE JOINED THE LEGIONS OF TREKKIES AND WILL BE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ON HALLOWEEN DRESSED AS ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE CHARACTERS.

IT IS REALLY FUN FOR A GROUP THAT WILL BE SPENDING HALLOWEEN TOGETHER TO PICK A THEME, MOVIE OR TELEVISION SHOW CHARACTERS TO DRESS UP AS. SOME THEMES COULD BE BRANCHES OF THE MILITARY, SUCH AS ARMY, NAVY, MARINES, COAST GUARD, NATIONAL GUARD, OR BRANCHES OF LAW LIKE POLICE OFFICERS, LAWYERS, JUDGES, DETECTIVES OR METER READERS. SOME FUN MOVIE SUGGESTIONS COULD BE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, STAR TREK, THE SIMPSONS, FRIENDS AND SESAME STREET. WHEN YOU DO HALLOWEEN AS A GROUP IT IS QUITE ENTERTAINING FOR EVERYONE!



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MUSICAL TOMBSTONES

A spooky variation on musical chairs, this Halloween game features creepy music and participants that tote their own tombstones.


WHAT YOU NEED:
Folding chair for each guest
Large sheets of stiff gray paper
Basic craft supplies
Cassette of creepy music
Tape player
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Give each child two sheets of gray paper that have been cut and stapled into the shape of a tombstone. (Each stone should be large enough to fit over the back of a folding chair.) Hand out markers, glue sticks, sparkles, scissors, construction paper and--if you've had the time--paper cutouts of Halloween creatures. Have the partiers decorate their stones with creepy drawings and silly epitaphs ("Here Lies John Blake, Hit the Gas Instead of the Brake...").

2. Follow the usual rules for musical chairs, except have your players carry their tombstones as they circle around the seats. When you stop the music, everyone rushes to find a chair. The player left without one is out of the game; he starts the graveyard, putting his tombstone over the back of an extra chair set to the side and sitting down. The game continues, with you removing a chair at the start of each round, until one child is left sitting with her unused tombstone and everyone else is in the graveyard.

PEOPLE PUPPY CHOW MIX RECIPE

MY KIDS LOVE THIS ALL YEAR LONG, IT IS AN ESPECIALLY FUN RECIPE AND TREAT IN THE FALL AROUND HALLOWEEN. IT ALSO WORKS GREAT FOR HALLOWEEN PARTIES.

INGREDIENTS:
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 box rice or corn chex cereal
1 lb powdered sugar
Melt chocolate chips with peanut butter. Pour box of cereal in large bowl; pour melted chocolate-peanut butter over cereal and mix well until coated. In large, clean, brown paper bag add approximately half of the powdered sugar. Add coated cereal to bag. Top with remaining powdered sugar. Close and shake bag well until all cereal is coated.

Handprint Spiders

This is a very cute, fun craft for young children. You will need:
Black Paint
Construction Paper
Wiggly Eyes
Paint your child's four fingers and palm black NOT the THUMB...
Press the painted hand onto paper pointing fingers out.
Paint other hand and press it in the opposite direction overlapping palm prints. Add some wiggly eyes and you have a very cute, not so scary spider!

TIPS ON "HAUNTING" YOUR HOUSE

When you are putting together your own haunted house you will need several different types of props to produce scary scenes and creepy creatures. By using illusions and magical effects, it will add to your scenes and mystify your guests. Using fog machines, black lighting and other special effects are important items and will add to the feeling of the supernatural, inlcuding using the appropriate music and sounds effects.

Here are a few ideas that will help transform your normal home into a terrifying haunted house!

Start by covering your furniture with white sheets. Then use prepackaged stretchy cobwebs that are available easily during the holiday season. Stretch the cobwebs as thin as possible without breaking the strands, although a few dangling will help add to the effect! Drape the cobwebs across the corners of windows, in top corners near the ceiling, you can add a few to lampshades and across shelves too. Take down your good curtains, and put up some old curtains from a thrift store or garage sale. You can slash and tear them, they need to look ragged. You can also make them stained by soaking them in the bathtub with tea or coffee mixed into the water. Replace regular lights in the room with black lights or flicker candle bulbs, however the food area and bathroom should have more lights.

WRAP THE MUMMY

THIS IS A HILARIOUS GAME YOU CAN PLAY WITH CHILDREN AT A HALLOWEEN PARTY. IT IS ALWAYS LOTS OF FUN AND IS A BIG HIT WITH ALL OF THE KIDS.
FIRST OF ALL YOU NEED TO DIVIDE THE CLASS INTO SMALL GROUPS (ABOUT 3 OR 4 IN EACH GROUP) THEN, EACH GROUP HAS TO PICK A "MUMMY". GIVE EACH GROUP A ROLL OF WHITE CREPE PAPER OR A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER. THEY HAVE TO WRAP THE MUMMY, NOT COVERING THE EYES OR MOUTH. THE FIRST GROUP TO USE THE ENTIRE ROLL WINS!

CREEPY COFFIN SANDWICHES

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE A CREEPY COFFIN SANDWICH:
TWO SLICES OF BREAD
VARIOUS LUNCH MEAT
CHEESE SLICE
LETTUCE
MAYONNAISE
TOOTH PICK
PUT LUNCH MEAT AND CHEESE ON TOP OF ONE OF THE SLICES OF BREAD, SPREAD SOME MAYONNAISE ON THE CHEESE, TOP WITH LETTUCE THEN THE OTHER SLICE OF BREAD. SECURE WITH A TOOTHPICK.
CUT THE SANDWICH IN THE SHAPE OF A COFFIN USING A COFFIN TEMPLATE
(AVAILABLE HERE)
www.kraftfoods.com/assets/images/home/coffin3.gif

COFFEE FILTER VAMPIRE BATS

ITEMS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THE VAMPIRE BAT:
1 BASKET TYPE COFFEE FILTER
PURPLE AND BLACK WATER COLOR PAINTS
PAINT BRUSH
1 SMALL WOODEN CLOTHESPIN
BLACK OR PURPLE ACRYLIC PAINT
TWO SMALL WIGGLY EYES
WHITE SCRAP OF PAPER
SCISSORS
GLUE
HOW TO MAKE THE VAMPIRE BAT:
PAINT THE CLOTHES PIN EITHER BLACK OR PURPLE WITH ACRYLIC PAINT AND SET ASIDE TO DRY.
PAINT ONE HALF OF THE COFFEE FILTER WITH BLACK WATERCOLOR PAINT, AND THE OTHER HALF WITH THE PURPLE WATERCOLOR. LET THE COFFEE FILTER DRY.

WHEN THE FILTER IS DRY, PLACE THE PURPLE HALF ON TOP OF THE BLACK HALF SO THAT THEY LINE UP. PINCH THE FILTER WITH YOUR FINGERS, GATHERING THE PAPER IN THE CENTER OF THE STRAIGHT EDGE.

OPEN THE CLOTHESPIN AND CLAMP THE GATHERED END OF THE COFFEE FILTER INSIDE THE CLOTHESPIN. ADD A DROP OF GLUE INSIDE THE CLAMP.
USE SCISSORS TO CUT HALF CIRCLES FROM THE ROUNDED WINGS TO RESEMBLE A BAT'S WING. US THE COLOR DIFFERENTATION BETWEEN THE BLACK AND PURPLE SIDES OF THE COFFEE FILTER AS A GUIDE.
CUT JAGGED EDGES ALONG THE CIRCULAR SIDE OF THE HALF CIRCLE TO FURTHER DIFINE THE SHAPE OF THE VAMPIRE WINGS.
GLUE THE TWO WIGGLE EYES TO THE FRONT OF THE CLOTHESPIN.
CUT TWO SMALL TRIANGLES TO MAKE FANGS OUT OF THE WHITE PAPER AND GLUE THEM TO THE CLOTHES PIN "JAWS"'

FUN IDEAS TO DECORATE FOR HALLOWEEN

THIS A LIST OF ITEMS YOU CAN USE TO CREATE A DISPLAY OF HALLOWEEN YARD DECORATIONS. THE LIST IS INTENDED TO STEER YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN PUTTING TOGETHER THE MATERIALS NEEDED TO COMPOSE A CREATIVE YARD DECORATION FOR HALLOWEEN.
PUMPKINS
GOURDS
GRAPEVINE
CORNSTALKS
INDIAN CORN
BITTERSWEET
OLD CLOTHES
BURLAP MATERIAL
STRAW
SOME TALL STAKES
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, THEY MAY WANT TO BRAG ABOUT HAVING THE "SPOOKIEST YARD" IN TOWN. YOU WILL HAVE TO SHOP FOR ADDITIONAL ITEMS. NYLON INFLATABLES HAVE BEEN INCREASING IN POPULARITY. YOU COULD MAKE MONSTERS OOZING WITH BLOOD, USE A SMOKE MACHINE TO CREATE A FOG IN YOUR YARD AND PURPLE LIGHTS FOR SPOT LIGHTS ARE GREAT!

Easy Jack O Lantern Mask

For each mask you will need:
A paper plate
markers, crayons or paint
scissors
hole punch
green yarn or elastic

1. Draw a jack-o'-lantern's face on the back of a paper plate.

2.Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth that you drew on the back of the paper plate.

3.Color, paint or use marker to decorate the jack o lantern.

4.Punch holes in both sides of the jack o lantern mask.

5. Tie green yarn or elastic to each side.

Spooky Spider Pretzels

These scarey spider treats look almost lifelike, as if they are crawling across the platter and they are super easy to make!
For each Spider you will need:
2 round crackers (like Ritz)
2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter
8 small pretzel sticks
2 raisins


With the peanut butter, make a cracker sandwich. Insert eight pretzel "legs" into the filling. With a dab of peanut butter, set two raisin "eyes" on top. Makes 1 Spider.

Cute Games For Halloween

Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin Game
Supplies Needed:

•1 regular sheet of foamboard
•Acrylic paints - orange, black, green
•Wide permanent marker
•Black construction paper
•Scissors
•Small white stickers
•Roll of narrow tape
•Black scarf for blindfolding
•Small Halloween prizes
Preparation:

Draw a large pumpkin shape on the foamboard. Paint it orange. Paint a green stem. Paint black pumpkin eyes and mouth. Outline the pumpkin with the black marker.

Cut out pumpkin noses from the black construction paper. Place a white sticker on one side. (This will also be the side that you use to place the rolled-up tape so that it will stick to the poster. Before the child takes a turn, a helper should write the child's initials on the sticker and place the tape on the nose.)

Game Play:

Play just as you would play Pin the Tail on the Donkey of course! When the noses are all placed, remove the closest one(s) and see whose initials are on the back. Or, play in groups of 5 and award a winner before removing those from the pumpkin and going to the next group.

Halloween is coming!!

I know it is only August, but for those of us who are serious about Halloween, the spectacular holiday, you know that the late summer starts bringing in thoughts of harvest season, and for us Halloween lovers that means PUMPKINS!!! Whether you are going for that GIANT pumpkin to compete for prizes with at your local county fair, or just to grow your own pumpkin patch and have your own home-grown Jack-O-Lanterns, your efforts should be paying off now as the pumpkins are taking on good size. Halloween brings the crispness in the air, thr frost on the ground, wonderful aromas of pumpkins, spices and apples. There is no other day that everyone has a good time, noone is put down or made fun of for being totally different! AND the kids get to go door to door and get FREE candy! Yummy!