30 Days of Gratitude

Happy Halloween, everyone!!

While this holiday is Mighty Distractible's favorite, you may have noticed that we've spent slightly less time talking about awesome spookiness than in past years. I blame this on our respective recent health distractions.

And, with that, I'd like to share a little information with our readers. In early August, I received a breast cancer diagnosis. Two weeks later, I had a single mastectomy and nine lymph glands removed. By the grace of whatever higher-power you believe in (science, God, the Universe, whatever) I was given a clean bill of health three days after my surgery. All the cancer was gone - it hadn't spread into my lymph nodes or lymphatic system, and the tissue surrounding the cancerous area was cancer-free. No chemo or radiation. No "I can never remember the name of the estrogen blocking drug". My post-surgery meeting with the oncologist was kind of funny because she really didn't have anything to add to the conversation other than, "we'll keep an eye on things."

No one knows why I got cancer. I have absolutely no family history of the disease and I live a relatively healthy life. I don't work in any high-risk industry, like ones that use a lot of chemicals and stuff. And no one expects me to ever have a recurrence.

So, basically, I had a surgery - like an appendectomy or a gall bladder removed. The recovery has been long and exhausting. I'm having implant reconstruction (with augmentation on my other breast - YEA for having a matching set!) in early December and, as soon as that's over, this becomes part of my history and ceases to be part of my current story.

I've had a lot of people get really irritated with me because I refuse to wrap myself in pink ribbons and own my "cancer". But, to my mind, I didn't have cancer. I certainly didn't have BIG C cancer. We need to save the term "survivor" for the brave souls who sit in a chemo chair every week, lose their hair and throw up until they've lost a third of their body weight. Or the people who get to have their skin burned by radiation over and over for months on end. I had a surgery with a four week recovery and I get new boobs for Christmas, courtesy of the insurance company. I came out of this on the "win" side.

Tomorrow is the first day of November. The DreamBank (which I've mentioned here numerous times) is doing an installation called "30 Days of Gratitude" and I've decided to co-opt the idea. So, for the next 30 days, I'll be posting a quote about gratitude on our Twitter account, @distractedminds. Here's the one we're starting with:

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
Brian Tracy 

I encourage everyone to take a few minutes each morning - before you get out of bed - to quietly make a mental list of things you're grateful for that morning. It can be as simple as "I'm grateful to have a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in" or "I'm grateful I have a job to go to". Or, if it's easier, do the same exercise just before you fall asleep. Falling asleep with a head full of positive thoughts is guaranteed to bring you sweet dreams. :)

Let's be thankful, friends. Life is good.

- Alex

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Regular readers of Mighty Distractible are well aware of our love of Halloween (and all things creepy, if truth be told). So, today, as the hallowed day approaches, I thought I'd do two things: 

1. Post links to some of our previous Halloween-themed posts (because, honestly, there's some good reading there!) and...

2. Steal Reprint this amazing article from mashable.com

Vintage MD Halloween-themed posts include lists of awesome scary movies, scary books, a couple of recipes, and even a "how to throw a Rosemary's Baby party". Here are the best ones:

• Spooky podcasts
• Alex's starter list of spooky movies
• Cassandra's all-time favorite spooky audiobooks
• A magical Halloween recipe
• Cassandra's favorite spooky films
• How to throw a Rosemary's Baby party
• Baked rat recipe (perfect for Halloween!)

And now, the best Halloween article I've seen this season... a great list of mostly current, very scary books from contributor Molly Horan at mashable.com called "9 Books Scarier Than Any Horror Movie". Enjoy!

==================================

9 Books Scarier Than Any Horror Movie

by Molly Horan, published October 14, 2013

There is nothing better than a good ghost story.

It might be tempting to pop in one of your scarier movies when you want to get into the Halloween spirit, but there are plenty of novels sure to keep you up for just as many nights.

Just be careful if you read these titles in a public place. You might mistake the woman who just wants your extra chair as your book's monster. And no one wants to go viral as "shrieking girl in Starbucks."

• 1. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

  What if you were the thing your neighbors whispered about, the dark shadow that everyone felt but no one acknowledged? The Replacements takes place in a town where every once in a while, a baby will be taken and replaced by a not-quite-right double that dies soon after the switch is made. The entire story is told from the perspective of one of the replacements that has mysteriously lived into his teens.

  IMAGE: PENGUIN PUBLISHING

• 2. Horns By Joe Hill

  Pick up this novel written by Stephen King's oldest son before the movie comes out, and you can only picture Daniel Radcliffe as the newly horned, deeply troubled protagonist Ig. It's proof that the scariest creatures in fiction are not ghosts or vampires, they are characters so twisted by grief and rage they've become unrecognizable.

  IMAGE: HARPER COLLINS

• 3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

  When people talk about what kind of superpowers they'd like to have, the most common are typically flight, invisibility and mind reading. Mara Dyer has the power of her fear and her anger, and it's not until she walks into a room of live-caged bugs and walks out of a room of dead ones that she understands just how powerful she is.

  IMAGE: SIMON AND SCHUSTER
• 

  4. Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

  Readers today are never at a loss for new zombie books, and any story about society crumbling under the weight of the brain-eating undead is bound to be terrifying. What makes Handling the Undead particularly spine-tingling is the window of hope for the characters that their undead loved ones might mean them no harm.

  IMAGE: MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS

• 5. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

  The best thrillers tap into a specific (and realistic) fear. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown opens in the aftermath of a typical party. But when the young heroine wakes up, instead of finding drunk people, she's surrounded by dead people. And it only gets creepier from there.

  IMAGE: HACHETTE BOOK GROUP

• 

  6. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

  What's truly creepy about this Shirley Jackson classic are all the unanswered questions left with the reader. At the end of most thrillers, you at least know what to be irrationally afraid of. With this novel, you won't know if you should be wary of the haunted house on the corner or the mysterious woman who lives next-door.

  IMAGE: PENGUIN PUBLISHING

• 7. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

  Cas has been killing ghosts for as long as he could handle his late father's ghost-slashing knife. It's a lonely life, but one that he fully accepted until coming face to face with Anna, the murderous ghost of a dead teen who wants to leave but can't. Anna doesn't want to kill but must, and she terrifies Cas -- not because of her black eyes or blood-soaked dress, but because she makes him hesitate.

  IMAGE: MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS

• 8. The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

  This is the original Paranormal Activity, and definitely not a book to pick up before you move to a new house, or come anywhere near one. It can also provide a fun after-dinner game: How many terrifying noises, smells, or sounds does it take for you to move out?

  IMAGE: SIMON AND SCHUSTER

• 9. Miss Pergrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

  This novel has the makings of any great horror flick: an abandoned orphanage, haunting children (Because the first rule of effective horror trailer-making is to include a small child's eerie rendition of nursery rhymes.), and a horrible tragedy. If you doubt your ability to fill in the creepy pieces with your own imagination, the included spooky vintage photographs are guaranteed to haunt your dreams.

  IMAGE: QUIRK BOOKS

Happy Halloween From the Lamest House on the Block.

The culmination of Spookytober has arrived.

It's a cold and windy day in Madison, WI and I'm afraid that the little spooks will be required to wear jackets over their costumes tonight. It somehow wrecks the atmosphere when the ghosts and goblins are wrapped in fleece and gortex.

I was complaining to Cassandra the other day that I'm having, what can only be called, craft-block. For weeks I've felt uninspired and unable to create. The result of this is that:

1. I haven't done any creative/craft work of consequence in ages
2. My house didn't get decorated for Halloween

The second of these is, frankly, my biggest source of guilt right now.

While I don't decorate on the same scale as Cassandra, I am (usually) one of the most decorated houses on my block. I have an awesome graveyard and a nearly-lifesized skeleton that lives in it. There are ghosts in the windows and larger-than-life rats and bats living all around my front yard. Then, on Halloween night, I put on my vampire cape and pointy teeth and I sit outside with my black bowl full of candy - a gargoyle and skeleton candles on the table beside me.

For many years, my dogs dressed up and sat outside with me but, as often happens with toy dogs, they eventually became too barky and annoying to participate in the event. Now they're relegated to the house. They're really missing out...

Tonight I'll still sit outside because, frankly, having my doorbell ring every five minutes sends the dogs into fits of barking that builds on itself until they become completely crazed. Plus, I love seeing all the kids running around the neighborhood.

In the spirit of the day, I'd like to share a great creepy food idea with you. My friend Tami made these amazing "meat mice" for dinner the other night.

She modified the original recipe a lot - making hers with ground pork, vegetables and a lot of spice. And, she simply baked them in the oven instead of cooking them in tomato sauce. She also served them over roasted potatoes instead of spaghetti. So, basically, they're meatloaf shaped into mouse shapes. I love them.

Here's the original recipe from the Facebook page, "Better Gnomes & Cauldrons". Obviously, you can alter this considerably to your taste. In the end, you just want to be able to eat some mice.

Baked "rats"

1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
uncooked spaghetti, broken into quarters
thinly sliced raw carrots
black peppercorns, cooked black beans

For the sauce, um, blood:

1 can (19 oz.) crushed or ground tomatoes
1-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, onion, egg and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well.

Now make the rats. Using a measuring cup, scoop out 1/4 cup of the ground beef mixture. Form it, by hand, into a firmly packed teardrop shape -- pointy on one end, rounded on the other. This is your basic rat. Place it into a 3-quart shallow baking dish and gently pinch in the neck area. Poke a piece of uncooked spaghetti into the larger rounded end as a tail. Repeat with the remaining ground beef mixture. When all the rats are neatly placed in the baking dish, stir together the tomatoes, water, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the rats. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, basting occasionally with sauce. Then cover the dish with foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the rats are fully cooked. Gently remove rats, one at a time, from the sauce and place gently on a serving platter. (Take care not to damage the tails -- they're fairly delicate.) Into each rat, insert two carrot slices as ears, peppercorns (or whatever) for eyes, and a few more broken strands of uncooked spaghetti for whiskers. Spoon sauce around the rats and serve, smiling wickedly.

–Alex

Spookytober Movie Madness!

It's SPOOKYTOBER!

For those of you who may be fairly new to us, Cassandra and I adore Halloween.

I love giving out candy to the little spooks on the actual day. In Madison, we celebrate Halloween on Halloween - even if it's in the middle of the week. Plus, I live in a neighborhood with tons of kids so it's always a celebration. The toddlers start coming around 5pm and then the kids get older as the night progresses. Usually, around 8:30pm or so, the first teenager with no costume and a pillowcase shows up. That's my cue to shut down the candy train. In my version of Halloween, if you want candy, you have to work for it. It's not hard to pull together a hobo costume now, is it? Seriously.

Cassandra has her own Halloween obsessions which I'm sure she'll talk about at some point this month. I'll just give you a small insight... She gives over her entire dining room to SpookyTown. 'Nuff said.

When it's all said and done, my favorite part of Halloween is the opportunity to wallow in all things horror. No one looks at you sideways when you watch old scary movies in the month of October. And I love a good horror movie - especially ones from the 1970's. As a matter of fact, Cassandra and I just spent a couple of lunch hours watching The Omen from 1976. Religion-based horror is our favorite genre.

In past Spookytobers, we've written posts about our favorite movies, television, podcasts, and books. We'd like to encourage you to go back and check out some of these posts because you might just find the perfect gem of a scare.

Oh the Horror! - Alex's list of favorite scary movies

It was a dark and stormy night... - Cassandra's list of spooky audiobooks

It's Spookytober! - Cassandra's suggestions for spooky podcasts

But for today's post, I'm going to provide a few suggestions of current movies and/or tv that are perfect for the season. As always, this comes with the disclaimer that these are MY favorites. And, while I'm sure I'll have forgotten (or passed over) something you really, really like - that's what the comment section is for!

Enjoy!

- Alex

Spooky Television

666 Park Avenue - So far it's not super scary but we've only had two episodes and the premise is promising. A big old NYC Park Avenue apartment building is somehow EVIL (from the DEVIL) and is owned by a couple that's super-rich and also EVIL (from the DEVIL). The couple is played by Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams - both of whom can be super-scary in a "we're beautiful and hiding something" way.

American Horror (The Asylum) - If last season is any indication, this new series is going to be one hairy scary ride. Part way through last season I thought, "How are they going to maintain this story over multiple years?" and now we know that they're doing each season as a separate "mini-series" - new setting, new cast, new scary story. This year, the setting is an asylum (obviously from the title) that is run by NUNS! Woot! Scary nuns! I'm holding out great hope for this one.


Spooky Movies

Sinister - A family moves in to a house where the previous family had been murdered. The writer-husband finds an old box of movie reels in the attic and he watches them (has he NEVER seen a horror movie?). Turns out that, by watching the films, he activates a demon who killed all the previous families in the house. And, of course, the demon is now after his family. The trailer looks super-creepy. Plus, it's got little kids doing scary horror things which is always good for a fright.


Paranormal Activity 4 - So... yeah. Generally, I would advise against any fourth sequel but the thing about the Paranormal Activity movies is that they're not at all about the story. You really go to see them just for the frights. And there's something really scary about the "home movie" format. It makes the whole thing more "real" somehow.




Silent Hill: Revelations 3D - You all know that I love an extra D on my movies (if it's appropriate) and I can think of no better use of 3D than this. The trailer looks OVER THE TOP creepy and, weirdly, reminds me of Hellraiser (one of my all-time favorite scary movies). Plus, it's got Sean Bean in it. I think I've made my argument here.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is in full-force at the Ooo! Shiny! country house.

Pumpkin goo.

Soaking seeds in saltwater....mmmm.

Yesterday was full with pumpkin carving, pumpkin seed preparing, and tiny apple pie making. Yes, tiny apple pies.

Yummy and cute!

Have you seen these apple pie's made in 4oz mason jars around the interwebs lately? I have no idea where the concept originated, but it is really cool. I had to bring a preschool snack for their Halloween party today so I thought I'd give these a whirl.

How cute are these 4oz mason jars?

As I mentioned above, there are many tutorials out there on how to make these small bits of heaven. I think that this one from the Our Best Bites Blog is particularly good.

Cut the apple pieces smaller than usual for the little pies.

I used my tried and true apple pie filling recipe (below) and the Crisco pie crust recipe. They turned out delicious. I will definitely be doing this again!

Apple Pie Filling

5 apples (I prefer tart)

3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 tablespoons Penzy's "Baking Spice"

Half a lemon

Peel and slice apples to desired thickness (generally I cut mine for a regular pie at about 1/4" thick). Squeeze the juice of half of a lemon over the apples to coat. Mix the flour, sugar, and spice together in a bowl and then pour over the apples and stir. There is a reason for the expression "easy as apple pie".

I will snack on one of these cuties tonight when I am watching scary movies after the kids go to bed...bwwaaahhh!!!! Happy Halloween all!
–Cassandra

Party Like It's 1968...

...and your baby is The Son of Satan!

In the world of Mighty Distractible, "spooky" is a year-round celebration - not just to be celebrated on Halloween. However, we recognize that many of you reserve your spooky love for the month of October. Therefore, we try very hard to limit our blog posts about spooky subjects to the Halloween season.

If you're interested, here are a few other posts from last year's "Spookytober":

• It's Spookytober!
• It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
• Ghost Hunters (review)
• Creepy Inspiration

While we had fun with each of these posts, my favorite entries are our film lists. Last year, I posted my list of favorite scary movies - a fairly comprehensive introduction to good (or good-bad) horror films. Recently, Cassandra posted a list of her favorite spooky films.

There is one movie in particular that both Cassandra and I are obsessed with - Rosemary's Baby. I won't get into the myriad reasons why this movie ranks as one of the best films ever committed to celluloid because that would become the Longest.Blogpost.Ever. But, I will share with you our secrets for hosting an awesome Rosemary's Baby Party (perfect for Halloween!!)

How to Host a Rosemary's Baby Party

There's a lot of eating and drinking that happens in Rosemary's Baby, and it's a recent-period film, so there's plenty to work with when planning your perfect Halloween party.

1. Costumes can be simple 1960's outfits. A trip to your local thrift store will yield plenty of options. But, if you really want to get specific, there are many secondary characters, including some very odd ones in the dream sequence, that would make great costumes including: the Pope, JFK, a Japanese photographer, etc.
2. Appetizers should include beef carpacio (raw, paper-thin beef) with capers. Rosemary ate her meat raw when she was pregnant with the Son of Satan. Also, she's given a charm containing "tannis root" which, by the description, I think might look like capers. Another good choice is chicken liver pate. Rosemary ate raw chicken livers but I'm guessing your guests wouldn't be into that so much.
3. Dessert has to be chocolate mousse - or, as Minnie (the devil's minion) calls it, "chocolate mouse." The way to make this especially perfect is to crush up some chocolate Necco wafers and mix them in the mousse. They need to be, basically, powdered so that you can't really tell they're in there. The Necco wafers will give the mousse the "chalky under taste" that Rosemary complains of in the movie. You can also serve chocolate chip cookies which Rosemary baked to give to the trick-or-treating children in her apartment building (oh the days of homemade treats!)
4. Cocktails should be appropriate to the '60's - martini's, Tom Collins', Gin Fizzes, etc. But, regardless of what you have available on your bar, you absolutely must serve Vodka Blush (recipe below). Roman and Minnie (devil's minions) serve Rosemary and her husband, Guy, Vodka Blush at their first dinner together. (Be sure to over fill the glasses and spill a little in remembrance of Roman.) While not a particularly popular drink today, sherry is another option as this is what Rosemary drank when she was pregnant - and she was afraid it had harmed the baby.
5. Another drink option is to recreate the "herbal drink" that Minnie makes for Rosemary each day. The consistency is like a yogurt smoothie and the color is green. I would recommend making smoothies with vanilla yogurt and using some green food coloring to get the right color.
6. If you like playing party games, Scrabble should be on the docket as Rosemary used Scrabble pieces to help her solve the anagram that reveals Roman's true identity.
7. Of course, the movie should be playing in the background throughout the party!

I hope you all have an amazing Halloween weekend. Just remember, to make it perfectly perfect, you have to have at least ONE viewing of Rosemary's Baby before November 1.

- Alex

Vodka Blush Recipe

2 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 ozfresh lime juice
1 dash grenadine syrup

Fill shaker 2/3 with fresh ice. Add ingredients. Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

It's (Finally) Getting Spooky

*Reminder - don't forget to comment on our review of What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? to be entered into a drawing for a free, autographed copy of the book!

I mentioned last week, I am a big fan of this time of year. What I didn't mention is, this is the season where other people become more like me. Let me 'splain...

This holy-water aspersory/aspergill is always on my kitchen mantle.
The raven addition indicates that it is now Halloween.

Those who know me well are aware of my fascination with the creepy. I'm not talking slasher films or zombies (I leave the walking dead to Alex). I mean the kind of creepy that on the surface looks okay...but on closer inspection, something's not quite right. I watch movies like Rosemary's Baby or The Omen any given day of the year. Most people only get into the spookier side of things in October. So this month is my chance to strike up conversations about movies I'm obsessed over. Love it!

Last year, Alex gave us a list of her favorite scary movies...this year I will take a stab (pun intended) at listing 10 of my must-see films....and if you have all day, I could go on.

• Rosemary's Baby (1968) - the most amazing movie ever made
• The Exorcist (1973) - you will be looking for signs of evil in children for a while after a viewing of this
• The Shining (1980) - after seeing this, hitting a single key on a piano will always give you chill
• The Omen (1976) - this could happen to anyone
• The Sixth Sense (1999) - utterly brilliant
• Nosferatu (1922) - old-school creepy squared
• Phantasm - scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a tween
• The Others (2001) - messes with your mind
• The House on Haunted Hill (1959) - don't let the black and while fool ya, it's f'd up
• Carrie (1976) - in my opinion, Piper Laurie  steals the show

So, settle in for a good scare with a cup of spiced cider and some pointy sticks in your hand. I promise that any one of these movies will make your Halloween even more of a fright (without any blood or gore.)

–Cassandra

The Fates (and why I'm not a "sexy cat.")

My days of dressing up for Halloween ended around the time I got too old to be a "sexy cat" or a "sexy nurse" or a "sexy mummy." This is also when I stopped going out for Halloween and relegated myself to the role of candy-pusher to the neighborhood kids. Frankly, I can't compete with a 21 year old "sexy hobo" so why even try? I also don't do cos-play, as I've mentioned previously in this blog, so the possibility of seeing Alex in costume is pretty slim.

All that changed this Halloween. I know, it's a shocker. But I have a really, really good excuse.

On October 29-31, 2010, Neil Gaiman hosted a weekend celebrating his book, American Gods, at the most wondrous roadside attraction in the U.S., House on the Rock.

Now, if I had my way, I'd spend this entire blog entry talking to you about House on the Rock. Since I discovered its existence in 1996, it's been my all-time favorite place in the world. But this post is supposed to be about my return to costuming so I'll leave it to you to learn more about this magical and purely insane place on your own. Suffice it to say, people either love it or simply don't understand it's appeal. Here's hoping you're the former.

The mystical convergence of Gaiman, the book (which I love), and the Attraction is heady stuff. I was damn-near drunk on the idea of this weekend. Then, just when I thought it couldn't get better, I learned that there was a costume contest in which the prize was a ride on the House on the Rock's famed carousel.

Now...carousels in and of themselves aren't all that interesting. Not even when the horses go up and down (which they don't at House on the Rock.) But the House's carousel has the dubious distinction of being:

• the self-proclaimed largest carousel in the world
• a carousel without a single horse (only other creatures)
• a carousel that no human beings have ever ridden.

I'm not entirely sure I believe that last one since I know that the original owner of the property used to have legendary parties there, but it's cool to think that I might be one of the lucky few to actually get to go on the thing.

My friends Lindsay and Laura and I decided, at the last minute, that we'd be the Norns - the Fates of Nordic Mythology. We had to choose a character from the book and this seemed appropriate (since we were three women) and just random enough to create some interest. The Norns are only mentioned a couple of times in the book and we liked their "cameo" appeal. So, at noon on Friday (the event started at 7pm Friday night in a town 45 minutes away) I started sewing.

The day before I'd found a pave velvet in three gorgeous jewel-tone colors at Joanne Fabrics - and it was on sale for $2.99 a yard. I, literally, held it up to my body and measured a double length for a tunic dress. I settled on four yards of each color. Then I got some gold triple-cording for belts, some gold elastic for tying up the "sleeves" (Greek style), and three yards of a gauzy white for head scarves. My vision was to simply double the fabric, cut a hole for the head and then run a seam up both sides. This worked, for the most part.

I did mine first, just in case I screwed it up. The basic idea worked fine but it turned out 4 yards was more than plenty. First I held my arms out and we measured the tunic width from elbow to elbow and then cut off the extra width of the fabric. This leftover will make an awesome scarf or even lap blanket. Of course the length was crazy too. To use up some of the length, I made the back longer than the front so that the dress would have a train. Then we simply cut the front to hit the ground around my feet. I didn't hem anything because we didn't have time but no one noticed. For the head hole I found the middle of the width and cut three inches in both directions. The fabric curled in on itself so I didn't need to hem and the "boat neck" affect left a nice drape in the front. I did secure the two "ends" of the cut with a piece of fabric in order to keep it from ripping during wear. Finally, I just ran up both sides, leaving a generous armhole. As you can see in the photos Lindsay and I wore our tunics "Greek style" with the entire sleeve gathered at my shoulder with a tie and my friend Laura wore her sleeves down. Both were right according to our Google image search.

Finally, I made "belt backs" with strips of the velvet. These had a pocket on each end in which the cording ran through so that the cording was only in the front. We didn't have enough cord to do a double belt for each of us so this was our compromise. We liked that the belts gave a pop of color to the tunics and tied our three outfits together.

The whole construction project took until 4:30pm that day (with many breaks for tea, ice cream, and talking.)

In the end, we were bested by people with more time/money/ambition then we. But I'm glad we tried and it felt good to run around with like-minded people in costumes. The post-contest party was a blast with hundreds of people running around House on the Rock in costume in the middle of the night. It was the definition of magic and a good time was had by all.

Even me - who doesn't dress up.

- Alex

Creepy Inspiration

Welcome to the last Spookytober post for this year. Like some people mourn the closing of the holiday season, I get sad towards the end of Halloween month. When the skeletons and spiders come down, I already start thinking about next year.

Here are some great resources online that are bookmark-worthy to spark the creepy side of your imagination...

Disney Family Fun
I was shocked to find some really fun things that I hadn't seen before on the Disney Family Fun site. Frankly, I usually find anything Disney-related too saccharine for my taste. I was particularly taken with the (quite labor intensive) apple slices carved into fake teeth and I don't even eat meat and I swooned over the Mummy Meatloaf. They have costume, decorating, and party ideas galore. Definitely a treasure-trove.

Martha Stewart
I am going to make a bold statement here. No one carves a better pumpkin in this world than the folks over at Martha Stewart. They could carve anything you set in front of them, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, basically anything with a shell. I know I can be a Marthaphile, but really, who else does a lace-carved pumpkin? The excellence over there humbles this wanna-be. And the Halloween shop on her site is a great place to get ideas as well. A lot of beautiful decorations out there can be hand-made if you don't want to purchase them.

My Halloween Ideas
This site is so much fun. Great ideas for decorating your front porch on trick-or-treat night, amazing secrets for making realistic bullet holes or a safety pin wounds, and even spooky stories. If you are having a Halloween party this is the reference site for you, neon jello shots, creepy-looking invitations, and more.

Inchmark Journal
This blog has some really cool ideas for Halloween costumes and treats. The neatest thing ever are the potted pumpkin pies. This is the best take-along treat concept that I have ever seen. There is also an owl costume for a little one that is simple, yet unbelievably adorable.

The Perfect Witches Hat

 I have been on the hunt for the perfect witches hat for a long time. As silly as it sounds, I have dreams of answering the door during trick-or-treat wearing with a hat so awesome that the kids squeal with delight. The required elements are: a very tall and pointy top with a little wonky curliness, a wide brim (preferably stiff), a really wide ribbon on the band (possibly some black flowers tastefully added around), and lastly, a spider or two hanging down from the brim. Black velvet would be my fabric of choice. I'm thinking Tim Burton-esque. I'd like to make my own, but in my web searches I have yet to find the perfect tutorial. What I think I will have to do at some point is create my own pattern, cobbled together from a few different ones. I found a couple here that will be great starting points: Dead Roses Witch Hat, and the hat from this Wicked Witch Costume. I'd love to hear tips from anyone who has tackled this sort of project!

So long Spookytober, I can't believe you are all done. The next 11 months can't pass fast enough!

-Cassandra

Oh the Horror!

Horror movies are an acquired taste. Their appeal is in their ability to get our adrenaline flowing and, I suppose, some folks don't want to feel that rush (although I can't imagine why.) When watching a horror movie with a group - especially in a crowded theater - the best part of the experience is when something really scary happens and a room full of people jump or scream, and then laugh like crazy. We do love a good fright.


Within the horror genre, there are myriad sub-genres offering something for everyone. You don't like things that jump out at you? Fine. We've got creepy crawlies that come at you slowly. Blood make you queasy? Okay, no slasher films for you. How about a nice psychological horror film? From the base to the elegant, there are scary films for every taste. Me, I like a subtle horror best - preferably with some thinly-veiled cultural analogy or religious theme - think Rosemary's Baby or The Omen (the original, please.)

Ages ago, a friend of mine announced that he'd never really seen a horror film. He might as well have thrown an actual gauntlet on the ground, the challenge was so obvious. I set out to come up with a list of palatable horror movies containing at least one representative film from each sub-genre. It stands to reason that I would only include movies that I considered to be superior or classic in their category. Please note that these two things can be mutually exclusive. Sometimes the best horror films are really, really bad.


So, in no particular order, here's the list I provided my friend. Through the miracle of Alex-never-trashes-any-email, I still had it in all its gory glory. Each movie's release year is listed (in case there were other versions) as is the sub-genre that the movie belongs to.

A final word about the list...It's my list. My taste. My opinion. For example, you'll notice there's only one slasher movie on here. I'm not a fan. So don't shoot me for not listing Saw/Friday the 13th/Halloween/et al. I'm sure you have your favorites too and I welcome your comments. If you think I missed a great film or a classic, put it in the comments section and tell me why I should love it as much as you do. 

Without further ado, your horror movie starter list. Enjoy!

- Alex

Lost Boys (1987) - vampire
Pet Sematary (1989) - undead/zombie

Seven (1995) - pyscho killer (Qu'est-ce que c'est?)
Salems Lot (1979) - vampire

Phantasm (1979) - I don't know what category to put this in to.
Reanimator (1985) - scientist reanimates human flesh

Carrie (1976) - paranormal/psycho killer
The Omen (1976) - religious/demon
Rosemary's Baby (1968) - religious/demon
Hell Raiser (1987) - monsters from another dimension
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - religious/undead
Believers (1987) - religious
28 Days Later (2002) - virus apocalypse

The Thing (1982) - alien/monster
Village of the Damned (1960) - alien
Evil Dead (1981) - monster/demon

Evil Dead II (1987) - monster/demon

Army of Darkness (Evil Dead III) (1992) - monster/demon
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 & 1977) - alien
The Mist (2007) - monster
The Blair Witch Project (1999) - witchcraft
Frailty (2001) - demon
Psycho (1960) - pyscho
Alien (1979) - alien
The Shining (1980) - ghost
Severance (2007) - slasher (this is a British film)