All-Hallows-Eve!!! (Halloween)

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 11, 2010

"The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even ("evening"), or All-Hallows-Eve, that is, the night before All Hallows Day. Up through the early 20th century, the spelling "Hallowe'en" was frequently used, eliding the "v" and shortening the word. Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hálȝena mæssedæȝ, the feast of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556".

HAPPY ~ HALLOWEEN!!!

"Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season".

So, what are your plans for Halloween?

There's usually a big Halloween Bash every year here so I might attend...although last year's Halloween party was a disaster with tons of drunken fights and police calls. Hoping this year might be better...

Let us know your plans...or anything else you'd like to share about Halloween. Images too...

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 11, 2010

...............

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds
Water
Salt
Melted butter

Vegetable spray Preparation : Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse seeds well. For every 2 cups of seeds, put 4 cups of water and 2 tbsps of salt into saucepan. Add the seeds and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Drain well in strainer. Place on paper towels and pat dry. Toss the seeds with melted unsalted butter in a large bowl evenly coated. Spray cookie sheet with vegetable spray. Spread seeds over tray and bake for 30 minutes, stirring, and tossing occasionally. When seeds are golden brown they are ready. Store in airtight container in cool place.

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 11, 2010

HALLOWEEN SUPERSTITIONS:

~ A burning candle inside a jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits and demons at bay.

~ If a candle suddenly goes out by itself on Halloween, as though by breath or wind, it is believed that a ghost has come to call.

~ Always burn new candles on Halloween to ensure the best of luck. It is not a good idea to burn Halloween candles at any other time of the year. It may bring bad luck or strange things will happen to you, over which you will have no control.
Gazing into a flame of a candle on Halloween night will enable you to peer into the future.

~ Girls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night can see their future husband in the reflection.

~ It is believed that if a person lights a new orange colored candle at midnight on Halloween and lets it burn until sunrise, he or she will be the recipient of good luck.

~ If you hear footsteps trailing close behind you on Halloween night, do not to turn around to see who it is, for it may be Death himself! To look Death in the eye, according to ancient folklore, is a sure way to hasten your own demise.

~ The old Celtic custom was to light great bonfires on Halloween, and after these had burned out to make a circle of the ashes of each fire. Within this circle, and near the circumference, each member of the various families that had helped to make a fire would place a pebble. If, on the next day, any stone was displaced, or had been damaged, it was considered to be an indication that the one to whom the stone belonged would die within twelve months.

~ According to an old English folk belief, you will invite bad luck into your home if you allow a fire to burnout on Halloween. To remedy the situation, the fire must be rekindled by a lighted sod brought from the home of a priest.

~ If a bat flies around a house three times, it is considered to be a death omen.

~ A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits.

~ Knocking on wood keeps bad luck away.

~ If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.

~ Put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night to meet a witch.

~ You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits.

~ In Britain, people believed that the Devil was a nut-gatherer. At Halloween, nuts were used as magic charms.

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 11, 2010

Forgot to show one of my pumpkins this Fall...

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 11, 2010

Top 10 Signs You Are Too Old to Be Trick or Treating:

1. You get winded from knocking on the door.
2. You have to have a kid chew the candy for you.
3. You ask for high fiber candy only.
4. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
5. People say, "Great Keith Richard's mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.
6. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or ..." and can't remember the rest.
7. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
8 You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.
9. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
10. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives/ex-husbands live

:eek:

: )

Burning Colon · Oct 11, 2010

Daddy does the same thing every year, we start by buying 2 pumpkins(1 for each kid so they won't fight), I make the girls clean them - I do the carving. Then, I ready the girls for their "candy getting" voyage and off we trek into the night. Mommy gets to stay home and give out the candies to the other little gobblins and witches, some years this is a blessing and some its a curse, it really depends on the weather. 1 year it was 17C and 1 year -15C with snow, if I remember correctly last year was about 11C and there was a full moon.

Here are some memory pics from last year:

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 11, 2010

Great shots...thanks for sharing!

Hallowen Pranks Video

: )

Wasatch · Oct 12, 2010

Nice.

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 12, 2010

Top 10 Signs You're at a Bad Halloween Party

1) Bobbing for Turnips
2) A carved watermelon in the window
3) Most abused substance: Candy Corn!
4) During game of Poker, when you lose a hand, you REALLY lose a hand!
5) No one enters the "Squeal Like A Pig" Room
6) Woman dressed as a witch actually turns the party's drunk into one of the Budweiser Frogs.
7) Everyone uses one of those Monster Eye Straws from Taco Bell to drink from the punch bowl
8) Instead of "Monster Mash", host decides to play the HANSON CD non-stop
9) Several scantily clad women standing by a bedroom door give new meaning to the phrase "Trick or Treat". They're all transvestites!
10) Roseanne shows up in her Pamela Anderson Baywatch costume

Ok yes, those were pretty bad, I realize.

Witty Halloween one liners...

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?
Frostbite...

How do witches keep their hair in place while flying?
With scare spray...

Why don't skeletons ever go out on the town?
Because they don't have any body to go out with...

What do ghosts add to their morning cereal?
Booberries...

What is a vampire's favorite sport?
Casketball...

What is a vampire's favorite mode of transportation?
A blood vessel...

Ok yeah I know they were bad too but kinda cute nonetheless.

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 16, 2010

Halloween Poetry...

The skies they were ashen and sober;
The leaves they were withering and sere-
It was night in the lonesome October

...Edgar Allan Poe

Hey ho for Halloween
When the fairies all are seen;
Some black and some green,
Hey ho for Halloween!

...Traditional Irish Rhyme

Jack-o-Lantern

Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern,
You are such a funny sight.
As you sit there by the window,
Looking out into the night.
You were once a sturdy pumpkin,
growing on a curly vine.
Now you are a Jack-o-lantern,
See your night lights shine.

Five little pumpkins

Sitting on a gate.
The first one said,
"Oh, my it's getting late!"
The second one said,
"There are witches in the air!"
The third one said,
"Well, I don't care!"
The fourth one said,
"Let's run and run and run!"
The fifth one said,
"I'm ready for some fun!"
Ooooo went the wind
And out went the lights
And the five little pumpkins
Rolled out of sight.

We bought a fat orange pumpkin
The plumpest sort they sell.
We neatly scooped the inside out
And only left the shell.
We carved a funny funny-face
Of silly shape and size,
A pointy nose, a jagged mouth
And two enormous eyes.
We set it in a window
And we put a candle in,
Then lit it up for all to see
Our jack-o'lantern grin.

The jack -o'lantern chuckled
Then winked his funny eye,
"I would rather be a pumpkin-face
Than be inside a pie!"
Jolly wolly pumpkin face
You're happy tell us why.
I'd rather be a pumpkin face
And not a pumpkin pie!

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 17, 2010

Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The hardest part about making pumpkin pie is getting the crust right. With this easy pumpkin pie recipe, you don't have to worry about that, because it starts with a frozen pie crust. Crushed pecans and graham crackers provide a barrier to keep the pie crust from getting soggy. To make this easy pumpkin pie a tad healthier, use a whole wheat frozen pie crust. You can find them in specialty grocery stores.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutesIngredients:
•1 9-inch frozen pie crust, thawed according to package directions
•1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
•1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
•2 large eggs
•1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (unsweetened, not pumpkin pie mix)
•3/4 cup sugar
•1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (skim is okay)
•1 tsp. cinnamon
•1/2 tsp. kosher salt
•1/2 tsp. nutmeg
•1/2 tsp. ground cloves
•whipped cream, for garnish

Preparation:

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2.Mix graham cracker crumbs and chopped pecans. Press into bottom and up the sides of thawed pie crust, forming a thin layer on top of the pie crust.

3.Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared crust.

4.Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake another 35-50 minutes, until a knife inserted one inch from the edge comes out mostly clean. The center of the pie will still look wet and be jiggly.

5.Cool completely (2-3 hours) before serving. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 17, 2010

Eat, Drink, and be Scary...

Caramel Apples...

12 apples (plus 12 popsicle sticks)
4 14-ounce packages of caramels
8 tablespoons heavy cream
crushed nuts

Rinse apples, pat dry, and remove apple stems and insert a popsicle stick into stem of each apple. Combine the cream and caramels in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until caramel is melted and smooth. Dip the apples into the caramel until completely covered. Let the extra caramel drip back into the saucepan. Roll in crushed nuts.
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place apples upside down on waxed paper and refrigerate.

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 17, 2010

"If I were a witch upon a big switch,
Riding through the air,
I'd fly around, then drop to the ground,
And give you an awful scare"!

"Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days"

: )

paulky_2000 · Oct 20, 2010

Halloween 1996:

This is the most awesome Halloween costume I ever had. I was about 28 in these photos.....and YES that is all my real hair. :rofl:

The photos were taken at work (Wendy's) on Halloween Day. That's my 1st. wife's little black dress. :lol:

I looked SO convincing that they assigned me to the front cash register and watched the expressions of the customers as my man-voice came out of the woman taking the orders. :eek:

It was a total HOOT!!

That's my manager groping me. He didn't stop laughing the entire 8 hours!

This was taken at the studio across the street. The girl that ran the studio said she'd take the picture for free if I'd pose. I think I should have shaved my legs. :rofl:

Anyone else out there brave enough to share?

Moshman · Oct 21, 2010

Scary stuff paul indeed. Someone must have another good set of halloween pics out there?

Masala Mojo · Oct 21, 2010

Moshman said:
Scary stuff paul indeed. Someone must have another good set of halloween pics out there?

hey Paul,

you look sexy and worth groaping in thisyar black dress. :onfire:

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 21, 2010

Oh my gawd that is just frigging hilarious, Paul!!! I've actually got tears rolling down my face as I type this...that's how funny your post is! I can't believe I missed the email notification for this or I would have replied sooner.

Too funny, Paul, and thanks so much for the laughs and the pics. I can well imagine you guys were laughing your asses off that day. Cool too that you'd dress like that, as a lot of guys wouldn't. Shows you have a terrific sense of humor.

: )

paulky_2000 · Oct 21, 2010

Why thank you very much! :dance:

If you'll notice, theres a construction site beside the Wendy's. When my shift was over, I took out the garbage. I had two huge trash bags in each arm and got halfway to the dumpsters when the construction workers began to yell and whistle at me. :lol:

I got to the dumpster fence and tossed the bags over in an overhanded motion.....which only made them hoot louder.

I turned and walked about 20 feet or so.....turned around and yelled in the deepest voice I could muster; "WHO ARE YOU YELLING AT?"

They were like this: :shocked:

There are few perfect moments in life........that was one of them.

salsalady · Oct 21, 2010

Wow, Pauly, you are one sexy broad! Yea, maybe shoulda shaved the legs, but...WOW! Who is it that has that sig line on here..."Gawd, I'm a sexy Be-ach"...that's YOU, baby....

That is too funny!

I'll share a Halloween story-

1986-My girlfriend worked for a large manufacturing company and they always had a big Halloween party at a hotel banquet room. One of the fun things they did, in addition to the usual costume contest, was have a lip-sync contest. I'd gone to a couple parties with her before and decided to do a lip-sync of my own.

The song I chose was Tina Turner "Typical Male". Some of the lyrics are-" All I want is a little reaction, just enough to tip the scales, I'm just using my female attraction on a typical male, a typical male..."

Here's a couple images-

Leather skirt and jacket, teased-up wild hair, even used some dark body makeup.

So I'm out on the dance floor, lip syncing the song, moving around to the tables along the edge and flirting with different guys, just part of the song and it's all going good. People are clapping along. I get to this one table and start flirting with this one guy (no idea who it is since I don't work there) and the rest of the audience starts really reacting to my flirting with this guy. I figure he must be a boss or something so I start really laying it on heavy to this guy, rubbing his hair, snuggling up to him and the audience is loving it. His wife/girlfriend/whatever apparently did NOT like it at all! She gives me this dirty look, gets up and stomps out in the middle of the song!
:rofl:

Aw, well, some folks just can't take a joke~

Here's the Tina Turner original video,

This is from another Halloween party in 1986-

And this is from 1996- Marilyn Monroe

This was actually at a fund raising event, the theme was 1960's.

The Hollyberry Lady · Oct 21, 2010

Too funny Paul. You must have killed yourself laughing! I wish I could have been there to see it.

Thanks for the great story and the pics, SalsaLady. Too funny about his wife storming out and only making herself look like an ass!

Wish I had some shots onhand to show too, but I'd have to go through some old photo albums and then scan some shots. My friend took pics of us last year on her camera but has yet to give them to me.

She was a Princess and I was Catholic schoolgirl wearing my old highschool kilt uniform. The party sucked though because the cops came, there were lots of fights...plus I got followed half the night by some guy I wasn't interested in.

Hoping this year's Halloween bash will be much better...

Thanks for the great pics and posts, you guys!

: )