Well, thanks to Janelle’s post last week, I went out yesterday and bought an eye patch and hat for our Jack-o-lantern. Cross your fingers that my daughter and husband–both incredible artists–will pull this off! I’ll post a picture next week if they do.
The Jack-o-lantern is probably my least favorite Halloween decoration. I much prefer my tombstones, my bone lights, my skeleton hands, my oversized stuffed witch and the various accoutrements that are on my dining room table, including a very obnoxious orange spider web table cloth.
You see, Halloween is my family holiday. My mother hosts Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, my aunt does Christmas Day. But Halloween is mine, baby! Last year, I made a delicious Italian Shepard’s Pie and shaped all the mashed potatoes into ghosts with little peas for eyes and made spidery pigs-in-a-blanket with potato sticks for legs and piped on ketchup and mustard faces…this year, I’m on deadline.
They’re all getting a big pot of spaghetti, because I can do that with my eyes closed!
But we’ll have fun. Our neighborhood does Halloween up right…everyone is outside. Not many doorbells to ring, actually, because it’s like a big open house. One neighbor does a haunted lanai and there are kids everywhere you look! Good times.
WARNING: MINI RANT AHEAD…
I get so annoyed with people who don’t understand what Halloween really is. People who start talking about glorifying evil and crap. In fact, just a few days ago on the Oprah radio network, Dr. Oz’s wife made a similar comment…and honestly, I lost all respect for the woman. Where’s your sense of fun? I mean…get over yourself. People of faith aren’t going to go to the dark side because they dressed up as Hannah Montana and got a half dozen Snickers bars from their neighbor down the street. Honestly… 
But enough about that…as you read this I’m either in my daughter’s classroom helping the kids make Rice Crispie treats, at the store picking up last minute stuff or cooking and …here’s a scary thought…cleaning my house.
Yet since I love the holiday so much, I felt like I needed to give you all a present.
Enjoy!
By all reports, Julie Leto was a sweet child once, somewhat shy, preferring to play quietly in her room making up stories. However, being raised with three brothers in a loud, primarily Italian household did have its influences and Julie discovered her inner tough girl. That’s probably why most of her heroines kick serious butt. Writing sassy heroines has worked out, as she’s sold nearly thirty books to three publishers featuring strong, confident women. Julie lives in Florida with her husband, daughter, spoiled dachshund, enormous guinea pig and a wide range of relatives all within driving distance.
ANOTHER WILD WEDDING NIGHT
Hard to Hold
Love Me If You Dare
Wild For Him
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:pumpkin: Now that’s my kinda pumpkin :pumpkin:
I know what you mean. Halloween was so fun as a kid. We had a big townhall where everyone would go (I grew up in the country and trick or treating was a bit difficult) and it was all decorated with various booths and a haunted house. Loved it.
But now political correctness, or whatever you want to call it, takes away all the joy from this kinda stuff. Like people who claim about the evil witchcraft in Harry Potter, or those who don’t allow their kids to believe in Santa. Where’s the magic in their hearts, I tell ya. And no, not black magic, either. Oh well, I’m going to have fun today :pumpkin:
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Nice the see that Halloween “full moon” has already risen where you are Julie!
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:bat: :ghost:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, ALL! :bat::ghost: 
Mostly better today though. Have a safe, fun day! :banana:
Sorry I didn’t come back and post yesterday. Another migraine.
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I’d like a pumpkin like that at my house! :ghost:Happy Halloween! :ghost:
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Now that’s a pumpkin!! :giggle:
I understand your rant about people thinking Halloween is about evil. Where did they ever come up with that! It goes hand in hand with people mixing evolution and religion. I never understood that one either…
When I was a kid I LOVED Halloween as I think most kids do. But I grew up in the south and NO ONE but kids were outside trick or treating. It wouldn’t be polite if the kids didn’t go up and ring the bell. That’s the south for you. One of many reasons I couldn’t stand it anymore. Now you know why I live in Colorado.
My husband grew up in New Jersey and his neighborhood was all about families and community. They had a great time.
Happy Halloween everyone! :bat:
Cher
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Oh, Carly, hope you’re feeling better today…sorry about the migraine
Cher
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I too dont understand that rant.. we go to church, i try to be a good person.. and i loved trick or treat as a kid.. it didnt turn me into a devil infested sinner.. last year the sunday before halloween or minister gave us that whole lecture during church so i was waiting for it again this year but he gave it up and kept his mouth quiet for once… thank goodness.. i wasnt impressed with his ravings on it… let the kids have some fun for goodness sake.. lol
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:present1: :arrr: :pumpkin: HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE :pumpkin: :arrr: :pumpkin:
Halloween should be all about the kids having fun, that’s what it was when I was a kid. We went to as many houses as we could in the 2 hours time we were allowed.
Julie, hope you have fun helping out in your daughter’s classroom, those were always good times, helping out in my son’s class when he was little.
:pumpkin: That is also 1 very amazing pumpkin, I’ll take it if noone else wants it. :pumpkin:
Carly, hope you are feeling better today.
Have a good day all and take care!!!!!!!!!!!
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My kids went to a Catholic School and their major fundraiser every year is a huge – I mean HUGE – Halloween carnival. They raise thousands and thousands every year – and it’s been going on for 30 years. They turn the art department into a full fledged haunted house – no rules for what can and can’t be done (other than “no touching”) and they have games and cake walks – every classroom has something going on inside it.
Not many people in this town will talk about it being evil, because if the Catholic school says it’s okay, well then it must be!
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Thanks for pumpkin!!! :pumpkin: I’m with you Julie, I love to dress up and don’t think there’s a problem with it all.
Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween.
Vicki :ghost:
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Sounds like a fun evening, Julie! Your neighborhood sounds like the perfect place for happy, positive Halloween experiences for the kids.
I too get so tired of the crap about it…people who call Halloween the devil’s holiday etc etc etc should pull out their damned history books and actually read something for themselves for once rather than swallow what others have forced down their throats.
My mini rant done too!
Have a great one!
:ghost:
:arrr: 
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I am not even Catholic! I just like the ‘happy’ version of Halloween.
I ‘wikipedia’ed it (Halloween) and it said that people, ‘hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent (according to, for example, Catalan mythology about witches and Irish tales of the Sídhe).” So, I can understand why people who are religious don’t like Halloween.
Back to my point…part of what makes this country great is the fact that we are ALL entitled to our OWN opinion. I believe in dialogues, NOT putting down of other’s opinions. So, yes, Mrs. Dr. Oz (I don’t even know who she is!) and others DO have the right to their opinions. Just because it is not yours, doesn’t mean it is WRONG, just different.
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Katie, I never called anyone a loser…I just asked, “Where’s your sense of fun?” That’s it…and that’s all. I don’t much like the scary, gory stuff, either…but to each his own. That’s pretty much my whole attitude about Halloween…focus on the fun!
And I wouldn’t trust anything I read at Wikipedia…it’s a public encyclopedia, so anyone can post information as if it is fact. I’m not saying what you posted is wrong…just that it’s coming from a source that is not 100% trustworthy. I could go on right now (and so could you!) and change the whole listing for Halloween.
So no matter what that listing says, I don’t believe that Halloween is anything more than a day to collect candy and get dressed in costumes. I do believe in spirits, but I do not believe they can harm people in any way. Religious beliefs notwithstanding (I’m a practicing Catholic, as most of you know) I don’t believe that one day is more apt to allow spirits into our world than any other day. I find it silly and superstitious to believe that. My opinion! Just like I don’t believe that children who read Harry Potter are going to start dabbling in magic…because I don’t believe magic is REAL. It’s fun and fantasy. Nothing more.
Because we all have different opinions and different beliefs, it is VERY important that we don’t force our beliefs on other people. So while that noose in your neighborhood may bother you, that person has the right to hang it in their yard so long as it’s not some sort of racist symbol. That’s what the great US of A is all about.
Halloween IS about the fun to me, too…that’s why I don’t want people who insist that it is EVIL and that claim that anyone who celebrates is a DEVIL-WORSHIPPER raining on my fun parade. We get so few in this lifetime.
I just find that life is a whole lot easier if people didn’t take themselves so seriously.
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Katie, you saying that you don’t like the dark side of Halloween because it frightens your children is your “opinion” and your right.
Julie saying she loves scary Halloween is her “opinion” and her right.
Your “opinion” that Dr. Oz’s wife was correct in what she said is your right, too.
And Julie’s “opinion” that Dr. Oz’s wife was wrong in what she aid is her right.
So far, you are both on exactly the same page.
The problem occurs when a quote/unquote “expert” gets on the Oprah Winfrey show and spouts her ignorance by baldly stating that Halloween is evil and the devil’s holiday. That was not presented as her opinion, but as some kind of historical fact (when it most definitely is not a historical fact.)
The concept of the “devil” as we know it wasn’t even in the realm of awareness for the people who invented Halloween. Nor, I might add, was Jesus or Christianity. The “pagans” who everyone today loves to think of as evil and Godless, were simply farmers “people of the earth” who lived in the country, tended their crops, and had never even HEARD of Jesus Christ. At the end of the autumn, when the crops died, they held a celebration of the ending of the old year and the starting of the new one. The death of the crops, the death of summer, the end of the year was, in their opinion, when the veil between life and death was at its absolute thinnest point in the year and was, perhaps, the one time of the year when they might be able to reach out to their dead loved ones. There was nothing evil about it, there was no devil involved, it wasn’t Satanic (they’d never even heard of Satan!)
It was all about nature. Death and rebirth. The end of one year, and the next day the birth of another. And honoring their dead.
When Christianity came along, and tried to convert the pagans, they appropriated several of their holidays in an effort to make the new religion more acceptable to them…including calling their old New Year “All Saints Day” and the night before it “All Souls Day” as a sort of a tip of the hat to the pagan beliefs about being closest to their dead loved ones on that particular night.
Do you see where I’m going with this? People claiming that the holiday is rooted in evil and perversion and satanism…uh, where exactly do they get that stuff? It isn’t true. And to get on a major national television show and say it is was just perpetuating the untruth…and people continue to swallow it, just as they swallowed the myth that the Harry Potter books were evil and promoted witchcraft, just because their church neighbors were saying it was. Never once making the effort to open the book and read a page.
By the way, as I’m sure you know, Wikipedia is not an encyclopedia, it’s written by the general public. So while you do get “some of the picture” you do not, by any means, get it all. Which is why school children cannot use Wikipedia as a reference in research papers.
Just fwiw…
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On the Wikipedia thing, that is why schools don’t allow it to be used as a resource. Which is how I learned not to trust Wikipedia – my girls taught me, LOL.
Happy Halloween, all. My girls are going as a Sailor girl; and an 80’s girl. I feel old. :pumpkin: :pumpkin:
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:arrr: :present1: :pumpkin: Happy Hallloween! :pumpkin: :present1: :arrr:
I hope you are feeling better today Carly.
Great pumpkin Julie! Here’s my pet peeve. How come you never see full frontal on a guy? You will see full frontal of women in movies frequently, but never the men. So there’s my pet peeve for the day. If female actresses are expected to show it all “for the sake of their art” why aren’t men? I think it is only fair. :giggle:
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Would you warn a girl if you’re gonna post such (hot!) picture – I’m in SCHOOL! lol. Thank god, I’m the only one in the computer lab. Whew!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :bat:
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Oh, Kelly, what a hilarious rant for the day!
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Thanks for the present Julie! I’ll be thinking of that pumpkin all day! Happy Halloween everyone! :pumpkin:
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I didn’t have time to go look up a ‘real’ encyclopedia
Yes, I do know that wikipedia is written by the general public.
I just get frustrated….Halloween brings out the worst in people. There are the “christians’ and then there are the ‘why can’t we celebrate all of the holidays’ people (this happens around Christmas, too). Hate to break it to you, but there is a thing called the Constitution, we all have a right to our opinions, we also have religious freedoms (do you want me to continue?).
I guess I am just always upset becuase of that noose in our neighbor’s house. I wish they lived there still, so I would go out, take a picture and show all of you. It is as real as real can be. It bothered me every year. I am not easily bothered. I am as tolerant in every sense of the word (religiously, spiritually, ethnically, etc). I have friends who are relgious of all differnt types, even some without. I have very multicultural friend base. BUT, How would you like a NOOSE in your neighborhood? I doubt the majority of the people here would like a NOOSE in their backyard.
What I was trying to get across, not very well is that we need to be TOLERANT of each other. This is how wars get started. TOLERANCE, people! I am not converting anyone…that’s not my job. I totally get why people see Halloween as anti-Christian. I totally get why people don’t. Both sides are okay.
Okay, I am done.
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DId I mention that the noose had a full-life sized dummy in it?
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Katie, I think you and Julie have the same point. Julie loves Halloween and was talking about enjoying it. She wants those who start with the hate of Halloween to appreciate the good in the holiday. So do you. But everyone has their own view of how to celebrate. Hence tolerance. Nobody wants a noose anywhere near them if it’s indicative of hate. On this blog, we’re just talking about everyone enjoying the holiday in their own way. :heart1: :heart1: :hug2:
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I agree with you halloween is jsut for fun why people have to find hidden messages in thing really astounds me….. JUST HAVE FUN!!!!
GLAD TO SEE ALLL THE PICTURES YOU GIRLS INCLUDED HAVE A GREAT HALLOWEEN
DONNA
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hmmmm….:scratch3: I don’t normally buy a pumpkin with a crack in it.
However I think I’ll make an exception in this case!
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Laura…that’s hilarious!
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When I was growing up we were able to accept homemade goodies as our Treat because we knew the people in the neighborhood that were passing them out. There was a lady that made homemade popcorn balls, one of my favorite treats at that time. Yum, those days are gone.
I hope everyone has a fun evening, enjoy the day, enjoy the treats & don’t get scared!!!! :yikes: :vampire: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:
Don’t eat to much candy!!
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Julie, Just one question…If I was to make THAT pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern where should I put the candle
I just couldn’t help myself…thanks for the Treat :flamer:
Happy Halloween everyone! :ghost: :pumpkin: :vampire:
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Wow this has got to be the first time I am aware of that rants take precedent over a pic of a man with a buff butt jack-o-lantern :pumpkin:!!! Personally I am just shocked. Wherer are your priorities?
Years ago my husband used to have a small kind of key chained sized rope noose hanging from his rearview mirror. He had made it himself and it was not at all about hate or racism, it was ‘cuz he thought it looked cool and he was impressed he could fashion one. Our friends liked it and he made some for them. He was in his early 20’s at the time and was into Role Playing games and it was just someting that was weird but fun.
Halloween for me is a time to frolick and use your imangination. Dress up and beg for candy. Carve a jack- lantern if you enjoy that, make caramel apples if you have the energy and the will power not to devour the whole bag of caramels before they can make it to the sauce pan( Do not talk to me about doing it the microwave!!! I am a traditionalist!!!! :arrr:)
Let’s try and have fun repsect each other and be positive for our kids and ourselves. Take Care all, and stay safe. :heart1:
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I’m dealing with more teeth & mouth issues this week, so I’ve been quiet here.
But I did want to stop in real quick to wish every one a fun and happy Halloween! :bat:
Julie — I love YOUR pumpkin!
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Oh, my God, these cracks in the Halloween pumpkin/where do you put the candle jokes are killing me! Rock on! :happy2:
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PS: I have seriously learned my lesson. No more going to the dentist on Halloween. Imagine the thrill of candy and tricks-or-treats right after getting the news that you need a root canal?!?!? ARGH! (I totally blame Carly & Janelle…they jinxed me…)
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:pumpkin: :arrr: :vampire: :ghost: Happy Halloween Everyone!!!
I’ve always loved Halloween, but I just looked at it as a day to dress up and get or give out candy. I grew up in the south and in our neighborhoods, everyone was out until the last possible minute. Either my mom or dad went with us so the other could hand out candy. We would meet up with friends and trade out candy as the night went on. Now in certain towns they schedule when you can go out and trick-or-treat. I just got home from Gatlinburg and all morning it ran the schedule by towns across the bottom of the screen. I don’t do a whole lot anymore for Halloween, but still love to see all the kids dressed up.
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I love Halloween and I especially love the great “pumpkin” picture! I feel like celebrating the perfection of the Jack-o-lantern that you have shared with us, Julie.
:pumpkin: 
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I forgot to mention earlier but for those of you that like haunted places, the guys that are on Sci-Fi Channels Ghost Hunters are just across the river in Louisville, Ky to film a live show at the Waverly Hill Sanitorium, rumored to be the scariest place in the world.
here’s the link: http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/sanatorium/
(hope that was okay to post)
I so don’t like scary places, but I may check out the show just to see if they can confirm any of the rumors I’ve heard over the years.
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Okay, first off, if Julie ends up needing a root canal I’m off this blog for good!!!
Secondly, I’m eating my Lucky Charm snack and when I read Laura’s comment about the pumpkin with the crack I almost ended up with it all over my keyboard! And before I ever read Tina’s name I knew she was the one asking where to put the candle. You gonna blow it out too? :giggle:
Hope everyone has a great night!
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I agree with Kelly- where’s the “handle”???
My poor doxie hates her Pirate costume. She looks so pathetic.
As for people who claim All Hallows Eve is evil, they are just ignorant about the history, about the Christian beliefs and how they evolved and don’t forget that is part of the problem- it is a Christian tradition.
It has to be the Holiday season, not Christmas. Instead of Easter, we celebrate Spring. I am surprised someone hasn’t found a way to PC St Valentine and St. Patricks’ Days.
I love today. I didn’t have time to do a costume, but everything is decorated, the candy is ready, and even though I am the only house on the street who does anything, they will come a knockin!! :ghost:
Must be all the stuff in the yard that let’s them know this is a Halloween friendly place to stop. :pumpkin:
Now for a treat I need a :tinitime:
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thank you Juile
:darth:
happy halloween to all
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What a nice :pumpkin:
Happy Halloween :vampire: :bat: :ghost:
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Well Bruce and I have definitely decided we like our new neighborhood…lol! The trick or treaters started coming at 5 and just now slowed down. And they lurrrrveeed our yard! Oh, my gosh, the excited terror on their faces, it was so darn cute and boy after boy after boy just kept going on and on about it. And the few “older” ones whose parents approved were invited in to see our leftover torture chamber & “dead grandpa’s parlor” nearly LOST their minds with excitement.
Bruce is a man of simple pleasures. Having about ten nine-ten year odl boys telling him he had the absolutely “coolest Halloween yard they’ve ever seen” is going to pump him up for months.
:arrr: 
:banana:
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lol Jodie, that was bad
Leslie, That’s what Halloween is all about isn’t it, ghost and gobblins and good clean fun, it made all the hard work worth it :ghost:
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Leslie I’m so glad you guys had a good time. We didn’t have any – nada, zilch, zero – kiddies. We just live too far out and it would be a waste of good time for them to come down here to me. They could hit 15 houses in the time they’d waste getting to me so we get ignored…sniffle, sniffle…
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Awww, Trick or Treat Jodie :pumpkin:
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I hate to be the one to break it it EV, but they have PC’d valentine’s day too. At my kids’ school, they call it “FRIENDSHIP DAY” and it makes me ill.
For Halloween today, it was the”Fall Festival” even though all of the kids dressed in costumes.
Katie, I’m with you on the noose, though. I don’t think I’d like to see that in my neighborhood, either. :pumpkin:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN :ghost: and thianks for the GREAT PUMPKIN
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Now that is EVIL! Not! LOL. Thanks for sharing.
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Oh my I swear this guy lives across the street from me.
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Great job! I love how easily you convey your information and make it such a quick read!