Holidays: October 2007 Archives

The drought hit us pretty hard in this part of Virginia. Pumpkins aren't as plentiful and in most places they are priced at a premium. One place was selling them for $2.77 per pound. Last year they were .39 cents per pound. I can't see paying that for a pumpkin and only using it for a day or two and pitching it out. That is a waste of food, if not for people then for animals. The frugal part of me just comes up short and I told the kids no pumpkins for the front porch this year.

Instead we took that same money and bought fun-kins. The faux look-alike pumpkins that won't rot, we can use every year and I don't have to feel bad about wasting food.

 

We waited until the craft stores where putting them on sale to move 'em out and we picked up several Sunday evening. I spent a little time yesterday carving them. If you haven't yet carved one of these don't be fooled. They are nearly as hard to carve as a real pumpkin. I used the same technique for transfering the pumpkin face then used an exacto knife to carve the lines. My hands were tired by the time I finished all of them. It ws work people! I used photoshop to make some face patterns. I printed them out to use as my guide for cutting. Using a stick pen I made little dots through the paper template then cut out the pieces following the dots.

You can see that Fingers McGillicutty had a great time being in the middle of it all. I did the carving and he carried them out to the porch for me. He gets very excited over everything. He wants to be in the middle of it all. He was climbing up and down on the table and chairs. He took the little pieces that came off as I carved and carried them around like priceless treasures. He is so funny. It is really hard for me to believe that in about a week he will be 21 months old. Already. He has left his baby stages very quickly. He is talkative but it is the baby talk that only the trained ear of a mother is able to interpret. Don't even ask Steve what he just said. He just stares at you with that look of a deer caught in the headlights.

I had been wanting to do the 'boo' set of pumpkins every year and finally this year I made them. With these foam pumpkins you can't use candles or the oil lights for lighting. I refused to buy those battery operated things that flash so annoyingly. Besides Halloween night is not a good time to have flashing lights in the dark that might set off some schitzo feind on a Jason or Michael Meyers trip and ruin a perfectly good evening. Also what a huge waste of batteries that I could better use in my camera making photos of my kids and the cute trick or treaters that come to my porch.

For this very out of the way place we get a lot of trick-or-treaters. alot who are too old to be out trying to get some candy. I am going to be mean this year. Anyone who looks like they are 14 or older I am turning them away with treats. Last year far too many teenage boys came to our house not once but TWICE trying to get candy. What is up with their parents letting them go out alone knowing they are scrounging for candy and in some cases pushing little kids down to get to a door first. I am not putting up with it this year. I am going to say, "NO," and send them on their unmerry way. We get about 200+ kids and that is ALOT of candy. And great day in the morning have you seen the price of candy this year? Are they lining the little foil packages with precious metals now days? I think I should dress up as the Grinch and be done with it. LOL

Ok. So. Moving on.

In keeping with the chicken theme I have had going lately I would be remiss to let you all down without at least one more post featuring poultry of some sort.  Here it is. This is my rooster jack o'lantern. I wish I had gotten a couple more of the really big pumpkins and done a hen on her nest to go with the rooster. We did go back to buy another big pumpkin but the craft store was all sold out. Imagine that. Two days before Halloween and the stores are selling out of decorations. What ever will we do when there is nothing left to buy at the after halloween sales? That is usually when I buy a few things to have for the following year without having to pay full price.

These pumpkins are lit with the replacement lights that are sold in the Christmas section. You know, the ones that you insert into a little hole in the back of a little village house or store. Now I shouldn't have to invest in pumpkin decor for a very long time. or perhaps we could add just one to the collect each year. That would be fun.

Before I go and start sorting out my candy to give out tomorrow night I have to tell you something about my goats. Cindy, the not so nice doe, is sick. She has little sores on her udder bag. I called the only goat vet in our area for hundreds of miles and she will be coming by sometime this morning to check her out. Also, we have been making some super nice homemade soaps to add to my baskets for Christmas gifts. Goat milk soap is some of the best for your skin. I have goat milk. PLENTY of goat milk. I'll make some photos to show you all of the process of transforming oils and fats and lye into some of the most luxurious soaps you can buy. Yes, I said lye. You cannot make soap without lye. Once the chemical process has taken place there is no lye left in the mix. It is the process of saponification. If someone tells you lye soap is harsh to your skin tell them they know nothing about soap. And tell them that bar soap mess they buy and shell out big bucks for is chemicals and actually a detergent they are washing their face with. Not soap at all. Wait till you see my goatmilk and cornmeal exfolliating bar! Or my goatmilk and lemon kitchen soap. Or my goatmilk and grits gardeners hand soap. Good stuff!

Go get ready for Halloween. See you tomorrow.

It is that time of year again when I begin to put together my Christmas baskets.

This is what I have so far -

Pepper Jelly

Crabapple Jelly

Dried Rosemary

Dried Thyme

Dried Mint

Dried Parsley

Crushed dried red chili peppers

Black walnuts (from our trees)

A homemade ornament - as of yet unknown

Maybe some homemade beer

If the chickens are laying there will be a gift box of fresh organic eggs

The goats should still be making milk and there might also be quarts of homemade yogurt

Also homemade cheese

I am also thinking about a loaf of fresh crusty bread

I have no idea what else

Any ideas?

Would you like to have some if not all of the above in a nice pretty basket during the holidays?

I am all about the homemade gifts. I know some people will call us cheap and feel slighted but those are the people who have no idea the efforts it takes to make things from scratch with them in mind.

Now, fill up my comments with ideas and suggestions.

Please.

And thank you.