Zombies in the Duct Work!

Good Evening Everyone!
Hope you're having a great week!
So far this week has been pretty darn good!

Just got off the phone with a company that my wife and I are dealing with to help us start our own business. It was a very productive telephone session! I'll post on that in the future as things become more focused and I know more. Hopefully this will all come into being in the next few months! **fingers crossed**

Ok, let's start with....
the Giveaway (big surprise, right?).
Am I doing something wrong? Am I not friendly enough? Am I boring? Am I...........?
I've been looking at the 'numbers' and can see a lot of people on the giveaway page, however, I have two people playing. Two? Really? :( 
Did the Halloween angle scare people off? This is not how I saw it in my mind. LOL!
Anyway, enough with the negative. It is now Wednesday and there is only four days left till I draw a name for the table runner. So....don't you wanna play? If so, now is the time to do it! Here's the link (you know, just in case it slipped your mind).....

This past weekend I got the fence completed. YAY! My daughter's boyfriend came out to help me with the fence and panels. They were both here for the weekend. It was nice to have help. Which was really weird cause I'm not used to having help. I'm a loner. Ha! Anyway, Perry helped me take nails out of the remaining wood and then putting them together. He then helped me skin the second panel - which was a BIG help as the wind decided it was going to be unreasonable and blow things all over the place. We even managed to get it done and only put one small rip in it. It was in the back corner, so it won't be seen. Then we hinged them together. They look pretty good even if I do say so myself (somebody has to, right?).

And....I took no pictures of these two panels together. I was too busy trying to get it inside before the wind ripped it to shreads. Take my word for it, they look good. It's the 'bat' material on two panels, one on top of the other.

I also got the other two, which will be on each side of the red panels, finished. They look pretty good too. Not sure I'm 100% about them yet though. But I think once I get them all together they'll be great. I did get some photos of them though....

the completed fence. i will be adding a few more hay bales

to help stabilize the fence and have a place to put some

pumpkins and my skeletons. once i add everything and

some lights this should be amazing!

this is where they started....

this is where they are now. i had to have the

stool....that's what happens when you're short :)

a close up of the skeleton

a close up of the ghosts

not thrilled with the wood showing through

but i think it will 'disapear' in the dark.

at least i hope it will

I promised to post the link to the decorative letters and the drawing in my header as soon as I found it again...well, I found it. The decorative lettering is here and the drawing, by Harry Clarke, is here. 

My wife brought me a surprise on Monday. I know she's not a 'Halloween' person but she does keep an eye out for things that she thinks I would like. And I do....

coupons for the haunted house that is right down the road

from me. this is in an old bar that isn't anymore

On Monday I went to The Engineer Guy to see 'a class' given by none other than Roy Wooley. Roy is from Face Off and works at Netherworld. He was doing a demonstration on Zombie makeup. On the way  I picked up my daughter. I'm glad she came with me. She said she had a good time and learned a few things. Anyway, as I left work, I noticed this spot on my hood. I thought at first it was bird goo, but then it moved. Yes, it was a large spider. Big enough for me to see clearly from the cab of my truck. This little bugger hung on all the way to my daughter's house. It was warm out and I had the window open. All I could think all the way there was 'this thing is going to fly into my lap and I'm gonna crash my truck'. That was the longest 20 minute ride I've ever taken. I had to chase him off my truck when I got to my daughters. And he wasn't scared. He raised himself up and prepared to fight. I resisted the urge to squish him and just scooped him off the hood.

Then my daughter fed me spaghetti before we left. Yummy, yummy! We met up with Jan at the Engineer Guy and went into the classroom. It was a fairly small room. There was probably a dozen people or so. Not overcrowded but full. Roy is the most down to earth 'celebrity' that I've ever met (not that I've met many). Everyone kept trying to get him to spill the secret of who won Face Off. He's been fighting questions since June. I don't know that I could keep that secret for that long. :)

Right after he got started I realized that my phone battery was dead. CRAP! Fortunately, Jenifer and Jan both took pictures! Thank goodness, I'd have been really mad if I left with no pictures. Roy explained how to use cotton and Skin Tite to create a Zombie. Some really good tips! And then he explained all about alcohol based makeup. I've never used it before but now I think I might.

After the class I wandered around The Engineer Guy and looked at all the things I wanted but couldn't afford.....silicone, rubber, plastics, makeup....etc, etc, etc. I did however find some material that I got so that I could play with it. It's called Fosshape. It looks and feels like felt but hardens when heat is applied. I have so many ideas for this stuff. I talked for a while with the owner and he told me all about Fosshape and it's counter part, Wonderflex. Which is something I want to try later on. I also spoke with one of the class attendees who have used Wonderflex.Wow! This guy made two dragon heads out of the Wonderflex. It's a thin 'plastic sheet' that is heat reactive. Some really amazing work! There was also a couple from one of the area haunted houses.

My daughter got Roy to take a picture with her and then another one cause she didn't like how she looked. Being 20 is just so terrible. LOL! And he signed the back of one of my business cards for her. It turned out to be a pretty good night! I'm really glad that I got to go. Here's a few photos from the class.....

Roy giving tips on using a syringe to dispense the

Skin Tite - so you get equal amounts in small batches

a layer of Skin Tite and cotton applied

a few layers of Skin Tite over the cotton

to build it up

applying makeup to Skin Tite

Roy added layers of color with makeup brushes....

and airbrush

preparing the alcohol based makeup

the end product. this was all in about an hour.

this guy is interning with Roy

Roy and me, grinning like an idiot!

my free loading, hood surfing spider

Today my daughter sent me a text with Dryer Duct Pumpkins! She found them on Pintrest, so I don't have a link but I think the picture is pretty self explanatory. I thought they were really cool. I may try to squeeze one or two in before Halloween! :)

simply idea - looks great!

That's all for this episode!

til next time...

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

Four days to the Giveaway. Four days to decorating!!





Can You Smell It?

Good Morning Everyone!
Can you smell it? It's in the air! Fall is right around the corner....of course, you know what that means.....
HALLOWEEN!!!

I have made my first 'official' purchase of the season....two actually. :)  I have noticed that more stores are finally putting out the Black and Orange. Some places are just slower than others. LOL
My daughter and I were out shopping yesterday and to my surprise was not one but two Halloween mega-stores, right across the street from each other. YAY! One is Halloween City, they are normally here each year. But right across the street is Spirit Halloween. I know they have a big online presence, it will interesting to see what they have in the store.
And Friday night I noticed that a local bar is no longer open but in it's place are signs for a new Haunted House! There hasn't been one in Villa Rica since Travis' Psycho Shack. I'm excited! I think I may try to get a group of people together again this year to make the trip to Netherworld. Never had much luck putting that group together....people always back out at the last minute. Maybe this will be the year. Hhhhhmmmmmm. Anyone interested??
I also got some yummy new cookies! From Pepperidge Farms. Pumpkin Cheesecake. They are really good!

first 'official' Halloween purchase 2012

and the second

yummy, yummy, yummy!

Ok, before I go any further I have to take care of a recipe....a few posts back I was telling you how my wife had made some really amazing Butternut Squash Soup. I had a request for the recipe, so here it is.

This goes out to Rhissanna. When you make it Miss B you'll have to let me know how it turned out!

This recipe comes from the Rival Crock Pot cook book that was published in 2006.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

makes 6 to 8 servings.

10 minutes prep time.

     2  pound butternut squash, rinsed, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch cubes

     1  firm crisp apple, peeled, seeded and chopped

     1  yellow onion, chopped

     5  cups chicken stock

     1 tablespoon curry powder, sweet or hot

  1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

        salt and pepper to taste

  1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries (optional)

1. Add squash, apple and onion to the crock pot.

2. Mix together the stock, curry powder and cloves in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the squash and apples.

3. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 5 to 5 1/2 hours until the vegetables are tender.

4. Using an immersion or traditional blender, blend the soup to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper.

5. Garnish individual bowls with cranberries (optional).

That's the whole recipe. Now for my opinions.....the cranberries are NOT optional! They add just the right contrast to the soup. As far as a garnish...well, they sink not float. As for the blender, we blended it for what seemed an eternity. It is soup, it's not thick. My wife and I discussed it and the next time it gets made we are going to add a bit of corn starch to it to thicken it up a little.

I hope you enjoy it!

Now continuing on.....

It's time for some concentrated efforts! LOL!! I have 21 days to pull all my Halloween things together.

Twenty-one days? What?

No, Halloween is still 51 days away, you say.

NOPE! I don't decorate the week before Halloween. Come October first, I'm out putting up lights and 'crows and various monsters and ghoulies! So it's crunch time! I can't wait!!!  :)  I have a few things to complete - top of the list is my panels. I would like to do an 'old fence' too. So much to do. Wish me luck!

Also, if you can believe it, we've made it to 125 posts! And 42 members! I couldn't have timed this any better if I planned it! If you remember, way back in February, I said I would have another giveaway when I reached 125 post or 50 members, well, it seems that we have reached that goal. I've been working on the goodies - through the hacking and coughing- so that it would be ready (yes, unfortunately, I am still sick). I've been thinking of what I will have as the 'rules' as well......I haven't completely decided on what crazy things I will require. Hhhhmmmmm, hand stands? cartwheels? funny faces? So many choices. LOL! At any rate, my very next post will have all the information needed to join in the fun! Excited yet? You better be! HA!

Well, I do believe that's all for this post.

Got a busy day ahead of me.....grass mowing, dog bathing, laundry. Sewing and stuffing too! Hope you all have a great day and a fantastic upcoming week!

til next time..

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!!!

TTFN

watch for the rules in the next post!

i hear witches cackling! :)