Blog Archives
Halloween break 2009
Posted by doggonedmysteries
This is my ‘see you in two days’ post. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be busy getting ready for Friday’s festivities. I’ll be back on Saturday with pictures of our fun. I’m hoping to snap plenty of pictures of the little monsters who show up at our porch. That all depends on fast they come through though. Last year we had so many large groups arrive, I never got a chance to take pictures of them.
You try taking pictures when you have to work the fog machine and hand out candy at the same time. We did have fun though. Maybe if I beg Dear Hubby enough he’ll be willing to snap a few pictures.
Have fun! Many thanks to you for stopping by. For those of you who take the time to comment on my posts, I am grateful.
Posted in My blog
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, fun, Halloween, Holidays, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Trick or Treat, Writer, Writing
Trick or Treat night is almost here
Posted by doggonedmysteries

I need to buy more candy this week I don’t have near enough for the hordes. Thursday I’ll make a big pan of lasagna (in my brand new pan gifted to me by a very dear friend.) Then on Friday night, all I’ll have to do is heat it up after the children have finished. It saves me time.
I supply the garlic bread. G is bringing over a pumpkin swirl cheesecake that is to die for and I have a weakness for cheesecakes. The pumpkin swirl is one of her best. I know this because whenever she makes a cheesecake she brings me samples.
While the lasagna is cooking Thursday night, I might carve a pumpkin or two if I can the size I like. I haven’t seen many good ones yet. Most of them are too short, too small, or too thin. Yes, I’m picky.
Friday G and I will spend the day decorating the porch—a haunted house theme this year. We’ll get our exercise going up two flights of stairs to the attic to haul all the decorations down. It’s going to take several trips.
Posted in Holidays
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Candy, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, fun, Halloween, Holidays, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Trick or Treat, Writer, Writing
Things have a habit of disappearing
Posted by doggonedmysteries

Now that the temperature is on the rise, I’m more in the mood to start putting up my porch decorations. I will only put up black garland with orange lights and a few other strings of Halloween inspired lights. The major portion of decorations won’t go up until the day of the 30th, which, for our town, is Trick, or Treat night this year. They come down as soon as the pumpkin strikes eight. They then become the party décor in the house for the rest of the night.
If I lived in an area, where ripping people off wasn’t a blood sport, I would lavishly decorate on October the 1st. However, I don’t. Things have a habit of disappearing and not in a ghostly way. Only the cheap stuff goes out before Trick or Treat night.
Posted in Holidays
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Halloween, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
More Halloween 2009
Posted by doggonedmysteries
A Spirit Halloween store is only two doors down from Borders, and irresistible. Again today, I wandered into the world of Halloween props, costumes, and fun after meeting with my critiquing group at Borders. The clerks in SH now recognize and greet me by name—yes, I’ve been in there a few times since they opened.
It’s not because I spend large amounts of money in the store (because I don’t) that I made an impression with the clerks, it’s because I joke around with them. How can I not? They are an enjoyable group of people. Today we talked about how to decorate a haunted house, what props I have, what ones would work best, and how they’ve decorated their own homes over the years.
Most of us are in the same coffin, a lowly zombie’s budget with a regal vampire’s taste. It’s a good thing we are imaginative and inventive and have a few good props among the cheap ones. The least expensive but most labor intensive are the carved pumpkins.
However, with my tiny porch I’m running out of room for them. And did I mention the pumpkins were labor intensive? To carve them the way G and I do it takes hours and several glasses of wine…
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, fun, Halloween, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Trick or Treat, Writer, Writing
Let the Halloween preparations begin…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
“Only you would have a bag full of bloodshot eyeballs and a bubbling, misting cauldron on your kitchen table,” G said as she sat down with her coffee and moved the bag out of her way.
“It’s only twenty three days until Halloween. Here, check out this bag of spider rings Elena sent me.” I handed her said bag to see.
“Cool. What are you going to do with them?”
“Use them for any kids with allergies instead of giving them candy.”
“I want one for my youngest grandson. He’ll love it.”
“You got it. I’ll set a couple aside for him. Now, we need to start figuring out the porch decorations.”
G picked up a pen and began to write on the tablet in front of her. “Haunted house, right?”
“Yep. I need to dig out those old sheets we used to cover the tables we had the props on last year. We can hang them from the porch ceiling and drape down over the windows.” I scratched my head. “Maybe that’ll work. I’ll see what the Halloween store has to offer on Thursday since I’ll be up near there.”
“How many pumpkins will we need?”
“Um, the question is, how many will we be able to carve? My hands about fell off last year.”
“How about we do just one a piece for a change?” G put two pumpkins on the list.
“Works for me. I have a whole bottle of fog juice for the fog machine so we won’t need to get any this year.”
“Did you find your Halloween CD? Remember, last year you had to tear the house apart last minute to find it.”
“It’s on my desk.”
Posted in Holidays
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Halloween, Holidays, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Trick or Treat, Writer, Writing
43 days to Halloween
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’ve already started to haul a few props down from the attic. I bought a big rubber owl today. I needed something to replace my old screeching ravens that fell apart last year. Dear Hubby and I are going to drive each other silly with the owl. We keep moving it around on each other. You never know where the he is going be next.
I’m still on the hunt for a new costume. The one I want I tried to order for two frustrating hours online but for some reason it wouldn’t go into my shopping cart. I’m calling them when I get up and I’ll order it over the phone. After way too many years of wearing and revamping my old costume, I think I’m due for a change. I love to dress up to hand out the candy. Heck, the kids around here expect it now.
You know you’ve lived in the same old house for too long when people come up to you saying that they love your house, they remember Trick-or-Treating here as kids and now they are bringing their grandkids to you door. EEKS!
Posted in Holidays
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Halloween, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, spooky stuff, Trick or Treat, Writer, Writing


