Halloween Birthday Party 2008

Welcome to the Black Hat Diner a place where all the elite ghoulish gather for a nip, a sip, and horribly good fun. There are only two rules. Number one - eat, drink and be scary. Number two - see number one.

This year we had a kids dress up party for Joseph's birthday. He and his big brothers are waiting not so patiently for their creepy, little friends to arrive.

The menu was simple yet yummy. Fried Rice, Wontons, Mozzarella Bites, Blue Corn Chips with Onion Dip, Carmel Corn, Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, Candied Bon-Bons, Sunset Punch, and Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting.

Sunset Punch is a mixture of 2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate, 1-2 liter of Cream Soda, 1 -2 liter of 7-Up, and 1/4 cup of grenadine syrup. Combine the juice concentrate with the two bottle s of soda in a punch bowl. Then drizzle the grenadine syrup around the inside edge of the punch bowl allowing it to drip through the mixture. For special effect I added a bloody ice hand to float about.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream Frosting recipe came from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The frosting recipe is heavenly and we are planning on using it on toast and between cookies.

The Wontons were simple. I simply made a filling of fried ground beef, onions, garlic powder and Braggs. (a really good soy sauce!) I also made a filling of chicken flavored seitan, onions and Braggs.

Then I rolled them up and fried them.

The Candied Bon-Bons were simply a red velvet cake mix that I mixed with one can of cream cheese frosting. Hand rolled into balls and refrigerated untill solid. Then I dipped them in white & chocolate candy melts and slapped sprinkles on them. I got this idea from Bakerella.

And of course I didn't have anyone back down from the table of goodies.

After dinner it was time for Joseph to blow out his big six candles. He's officially a big boy now, or so he thinks. Our big boy is the guy in the yellow hat in the picture above this one he's thirty.

Now it's time to go outside and carve the pumpkins!!!

A Fanciful Twist Halloween Party 2008

Come along my pretties and you shall see wonders of darkness and creepy delight. Step beyond my porch if you dare, a black widow spider is waiting for you there. Do you hear the cackling laughter high in the sky? Its time for the witches to arrive!

Rattle Bones Jim

and his stepbrother Ben Booregard will show you the way to the door.

Joy, oh, joy - wonders of delight this year

we're having two gathering nights.

Toss a nickle in the cup, park your broom,

and rub the pig for good luck.

Bats and spiders are our trusty pets but please

don't harm them if they give you fret.

Step into the my parlor and meet some friends.

In a bed of black glittered poison ivy is where you'll find my sisters - Broom Hilda, Millicent, Hazel, and crazy old Vie. Pumpkin Pete brought a late date Bessie Booregard. But isn't that Ben's old thing.... Oh my!

Be sure to watch out for the little ones who are drifting

around.Charles and Rosie are wide-eyed with excitement as

they spot what's in the chair over there.

Pick a treat if you are brave. Mr. Smythe is

very protective of his goodies from the grave.

Don't for get to visit the emporium while you are here.

To stock up on all your supplies and ware for your magical fare.

What will it be... werewolf hearts, flies, pixie hands, graveyard dirt, spiders or rats?

Perhaps scorpions, eye of newt, or broke butterfly wings? Are you in need of fairy wands for that special spell? Ours work really well.

A mysterious door with warnings galore, however if you feel the need to relieve yourself you'll have to brave what lies

beyond... the potty room door.

It's still early and there's plenty of time for more so come on around the corner to explore.


Did you remember to buy your new broom

for the new year this month?

Group photos will be taken in the out in the back forty inside the conservatory. (Just a note here- this is a copy of the last Halloween picture taken with my grandmother in 2003. It is has five generations in it. I'm on the back row in the middle.)

Maybe a trip to the wax museum is your thing.

Giggling Goober can't wait to dine.

He has an appetite for anything divine.

The diner is open with many eats and treats, however,
You'll have to come back because the cauldron is still a bubbling.

Don't forget to return on Monday and I'll have all the

wicked good eats and treat & recipes

from my family Halloween bash

that is happening Saturday night.

Trick or Treat 2007

The night begins in the afternoon with the donning of the ceremonial garb and face paint. This pirate costume (vest, pants, and scarf) was only a $1.00 and we added the hat, eye patch, and sword for another $1.00 all from Dollar Tree. What makes this even a better deal is that our youngest is going to use the same costume this year. How's that for a $2.00 dollar costume.

This little grim reaper was also a $2.00 jewel.

This guy - I got no idea where he came from! Okay, this is the hubby that I'm always yapping about on my other blogs.

This is my youngest daughters son. I just grabbed an old sheet and snipped it up for a ghostly effect.

This Scream costume was purchased on ebay for a big $5.00 and this year our pirate is going to re-wear it.

Here are some of the neighborhood houses that we visit each year. We've got a great area for children to trick or treat - its rows of houses were all the neighbors decorate their houses and sit on the porches and give out candy. It's lots of fun!

Once we get home everybody does the candy bag dump and we give it the once over. Once the boys get the Okay they begin trading candy they don't like for what they do. I always take all the jawbreakers and toss then to the trash. I have this thing about jaw breakers and kids choking on them. I think this just carried over from when they were smaller, anyway everybody just automatically takes them out and gives them to me.

Then we light the fire pit, sit around it and munch away and discuss what we saw and how spooky cool everything was. And reference somethings on paper for the next years Halloween - now where did I put that paper?

Sandbox Counting

Last weekend we went to the thrift shop and Joseph found a bag full of plastic eggs he bought for 25 cents. He's a big spender!! He is learning the value of the money by earning and spending his own. He does chores for granny which she pays him in return. Last week he helped his brothers mow the grass and he earned $3.00.

I asked him what he wanted to do with all his eggs (now that our hens are laying full force now he has an obsession with eggs and birds) he said, "I'm going to play with then in the sandbox, have egg hunts and fake the chickens out by putting them in their nests."
 

Well, I had to have him take them out of the nesting boxes because one of our Buttercup Ladies kept sitting and sitting on a couple of the crazy things. Bless her heart, she was trying to hatch them. He and the boy next door, grabbed a couple of our baskets and took turns hiding and hunting eggs until dark a couple of nights.

Today I was sitting outside while he was playing in his sandbox and he began making little houses in a rows and counting them. Each time he made a new one he would say, " I had eight little houses and I made one more and now I have nine. Isn't that cool ?" He worked his way up to twelve, adding as he went.

 

Then he wanted me to check to see if he spelled his name correctly, sometimes he puts his e before the s. But today it looks like he did a great job! you never know where a kid will go with a 25 cent bag of eggs.
 

Then it was time for a little snackie (this kid has a built in clock that goes off every day at 3:00), his choice today was dill pickle chips and dry Autumn Wheat Squares.

 

All right he's got a little snackie, he's kicked back and what else would a person watch but ----

 

 

Curious George.