Here’s to the spirits of Halloweens in years gone by!
2012
Tired bumblebee
First time trick-or-treating at Dada’s office
2013
Cowgirl and trusty steed
What goes well, ends…not-so-well
2014
“Salad” the beloved horse
2015
Nice kitty
On the haunt
2016
Cheetah chick
Trick or treat
Stayed tuned for 2017! Do I hear the sounds of ‘Let it Go‘ in the background?
Happy Halloween to all your little ghouls and ghosts!
It’s all about the journey,
Beth
What a sweet Halloween kitty. Or so I thought.
She roared.
She hissed.
She clawed.
And turned one real kitty into a scaredy cat.
Have a purrfectly thrilling Halloween!
Take the road less traveled, Beth
And if you want to read more about all things Pampers, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or RSS/email.
Happy Halloween, from our horse to yours!
~Little Bird and ‘Salad,’ the pony
Take the road less traveled, Beth
Our search for the Great Pumpkin of 2014 took place at Jubilee Farm in Carnation. Ponies, pumpkins and SUNSHINE…what’s not to like about that? Last year our Halloween pumpkin search took place in the rain, but this past Sunday couldn’t have been more glorious.
Jubilee Farm is a real working farm, which is one of the reasons it’s my chosen spot to get our annual pumpkin. This bio-dynamic farm, located in scenic Snoqualmie Valley, has grown fresh fruits, vegetables, and offered meat, free from pesticides and herbicides, for nearly 20 years. They also participate in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription program, where members of the public support the farm by committing to purchase shares of its produce for a season.
Our first stop was the pony ride. Five bucks got you a horse, and a person to walk you around for a few minutes. ‘Spice’ was our trusty steed. She was a little blonde Shetland pony and Little Bird was in heaven as the two of them (mama and the horse helper) sauntered in the sunshine.
Next up: hayride in a REAL tractor to…the pumpkin patch. You can tell a certain little someone was pretty excited about this part of our adventure. They were packing ’em tight on the ride but we found a spot on a bale of hay and took a short ride to our reason for being here–picking our Halloween pumpkin!
If you plant them, they will come. Fields of orange pumpkins glowed in the sunlight. How would we ever decide which pumpkin to take home?
We searched and searched, clippers in hand, taking breaks for a snack here and a trip to the ‘nature toilet’ there (as a guide we had in Tibet once called it), until we found THE ONE. Then it was back on the wagon to the barn, where we could wash, weigh and buy our pumpkin.
But wait, what was that object we saw, flying through the sky? A pumpkin. Part of the daily routine at Jubilee during pumpkin season is the launching of pumpkins from their home built trebuchet (catapult). Definitely an audience favorite!
In addition to ponies and pumpkins, guests can enjoy lunch and snacks (including cider and gelato!), try to find their way through the hay maze, check out the farm animals (I love the running ducks and sometimes there are BIG pigs), stroll around 30 beautiful acres of cropland. And best of all…it’s free (no entrance fee or charge for the hayrides).
There is still time to head on over to Carnation, get a pumpkin or three, and check out Jubilee Farm. The farm is open Saturdays and Sundays through October from 10-5. And the farm is about a whole lot more than pumpkins. Jubilee offers farm talks, harvest tours and more!
Take the road less traveled, Beth
Herein lies the true story of what happened last Thursday, on Halloween.
Most kids go trick or treating on Halloween. Our cowgal? Let’s just say she strayed a bit from the proverbial trail.
Our afternoon started out with a trip to Dada’s office.
Halloween festivities were underway.
Our cowgal and Mr. Potato Head checked out the fish in the lobby.
Then we rode the elevator up to the 12th floor to pick up our visitor badges.
After sampling a few M&Ms, Mama Cat and Cowgal were hot to trot.
We passed an alligator. “He wasn’t scarey, was he Mama?”
There were a lot of hallways to explore. “My run away,” exclaimed Cowgal as she took off at a full gallop.
One of the hallways led to the break room, where Cowgal took a break to play games.
Then we passed by some interesting books to read. Caution: future hacker in training.
And wrote some code. Sorry about the permanent marker on your whiteboard, Dada 🙁
After a few rounds of hide ‘n seek.
It was time to walk down the stairs.
And up the stairs.
All good things finally came to an end (following multiple attempts at running through the security scanner).
After all, what would Halloween be without the classic meltdown?
It ain’t the clothes that make the cowgirl, it’s the attitude and heart.
~Anonymous
Happy Halloween!
CHINGO: Well isn’t that nice…
BILLY: Do you believe it…forget my birthday…and see what I’ll do! Last night I heard them talking and I heard them say they were going to “pretend” to forget my birthday, leave the house, and come back in a few minutes later a yell… SURPRISE!
CHINGO: Oh you’ll never fall for that!
BILLY: I’d never fall for that.
CHINGO: That’s what I said.
BILLY: I bet they are downstairs preparing their plan right now!
CHINGO: Well, let me go see if the Lady is awake.
BILLY: So I’m going to just go along with it and see what happens…
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Halloween is just days away, and I’ve got fantastical costumes on my brain. So when I saw a Facebook post, with a photograph of the wondrous dragon costume made by my friend and puppeteer, Mark Saltzman, I decided to give him a call and chat about all things puppets.
Why puppets?
It all started when I was an actor looking for work. I landed a job working for Disney and Sesame Street where I played “Hugh Mann,” in the live version of Bear in the Big Blue House. Working at Sesame Street, I became fascinated with how puppets were brought to life.
Then someone made me a puppet and that’s where my puppet-making skills started. One day my puppet was damaged, and I got a book to learn how to fix my puppet. After that, I began to make more puppets myself. I had already learned to sew when I was serving in the military as a parachute rigger. If a parachute was damaged, I had to repair it.
Being a puppeteer is like being an actor in that you are bringing something to life, but—unlike acting where the actor does this with his face—the puppeteer relies on his hands. It is amazing to watch a piece of fur come to life complete with emotions. Most puppeteers don’t think of themselves as actors, but they are, because they transfer their emotions with their hands.
Where did the name of your business, Kiwuppet Studios, come from?
My former partner is a native New Zealander so Kiwuppet is a blend of Kiwi and puppet. I lived in New Zealand myself for a couple years and traveled back and forth for about nine years.
What are some of your favorite aspects of making puppets and being a puppeteer?
I call myself a puppet designer, puppeteer, and performer. Being able to look at something and turn it into a puppet is thrilling. People have sent me photographs of a family member, and asked me to make a puppet. They’re not an exact likeness, but they are a pretty good representation.
Who is your favorite puppet and why?
Chingo, a dog I made. Chingo means friend in Korean, which is a nod to my stint in Korea during my military service. I was inspired to make him when I entered an art contest where I had to take something that already existed and turn it into something different. It took seven Costco stuffed white dogs to make Chingo, who is 7-1/2 feet tall if I wear him standing up! He has beautiful eyes and immaculate fur and, for his size, he moves really well. Usually I’m not standing though. I crouch or sit so Chingo looks like he’s sitting pretty or begging.
Aside from puppets you write scripts?
I had ideas in my head when I performed with my puppets. I kept looking for stories to perform with and couldn’t find what I liked, so I wrote a story about a boy and an alien.
Then, when I was living in New Zealand, I wrote one another script about a mermaid. In this story the mermaid is scared of a witch. I try to incorporate a deeper message in the theme of my scripts. The message in the mermaid script is: Don’t judge someone by the way they look– you might imagine someone is a certain way, but it may not be true. I want my scripts to teach the audience something–and–make kids laugh (mom and dad too!).
You also created a portable stage?
Yes. A friend in Seattle, who is an engineer, helped me design it. I wanted something more elaborate than the typical child-sized puppet box with a curtain, so we build an 8x8x8-foot stage complete with lights, a smoke machine, and a sound system. It has an upper and lower level. We took it for a test run and filmed the reaction of the kids and parents, which helped me edit my first script. PVC parts and black velvet fabric are the materials we used, and it all folds up. Home ceilings are are generally around eight feet tall, and I can lower the stage to fit.
Most people have no idea what happens behind the stage. There is so much going on! We are usually running around, and most puppet shows have two of every puppet. If you were behind the stage, you would see puppets being tossed all over the place.
What is the future for Kiwuppet Studios—where would you like to see your business go?
I believe you have to follow your passion in life, and share the skills and gifts you have with other people. For me, that’s the meaning of life. Puppetry is dying art and building puppets is really a dying art. I’d like more people to have an opportunity to experience puppetry.
Every year there is a National Puppetry Conference at Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. O’Neill donated his home for the betterment of the arts, and puppeteers come from all over the world to teach and attend courses. There are amazing shows for the public. In fact Avenue Q was created at this theater. I just love seeing so many people coming together to say: I have this idea and I want to share my experience. The age range of attendees in huge and they represent a wide range of styles from traditional puppets to marionettes, even Bunraku (Japanese-style puppets). I feel lucky to be able to be a part of this.
Down the road I can see myself making more music videos, like the video I made with Jason Eli. I’d like to do more puppet shows, make more puppets and costumes too. I’ve made some fun Halloween costumes, like the dragon you saw on Facebook. Anything I can manipulate with my hands I’ll make!
Note: Mark Saltzman currently lives in the Grand Rapids area. If you are lucky enough to be in his geographic vicinity, have him perform a puppet show at your next party! He also has connections to Seattle and is still a resident of New Zealand.
Check out Kiwuppet Studios! And to see the puppet Mark made for DJ, producer and mixer, Jason Eli– in action– take a look at this awesome video:
I like Halloween pumpkin carving as much–if not more– for the seeds as for the Jack ‘o Lantern. Every year, after I roast my pumpkin seeds, I ask myself: Why don’t I buy pumpkins and do this more often? Roasted pumpkin seeds are addictively delicious. I’ve seen recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds with: curry, cinnamon-sugar, Tamari sauce, spicy garlic and cayenne…you name it. I’ll bet they’re all tasty as can be, but when I roast ’em, I’m a traditionalist all the way: olive oil and kosher salt, simple and satisfying as can be.
Here’s my recipe:
1. Scoop out the seeds from your pumpkin
2. Separate seeds from the pumpkin gook
3. Rinse seeds off in the sink (I do this in a colander) and dry on paper towel (I leave them overnight)
4. Scrape seeds off paper towel (they do stick) onto a cookie sheet or large, flat baking pan
5. Drizzle with olive oil and stir with your hands to coat
6. Sprinkle with kosher salt
7. Spread them as flat as possible in the pan
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
9. Roast seeds until golden brown (20-30 minutes)
10. Try to stop yourself from eating them all in one sitting
‘Tis the season to get busy in the kitchen, so HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all my readers from our very own busy bee!
Want to seed your foodie imagination with more deliciousness? Check out Wanderfood Wednesday!
When I was eight or nine, I experienced a traumatic Halloween in the safety of suburban upstate New York. While I can’t remember my costume, I clearly remember the brand new cute plastic pumpkin that I was carrying to hold my stash of candy.
As my evening of ‘trick or treat’ came to a close the plastic handle from my pumpkin “purse” cut into my arm from the weight of my sugary loot. I was tired and lagging behind my friends. In the darkness, a boy approached. He was older than me and bigger than me.
In the blink of an eye, more quickly than a ghoul could say ‘BOO,” he grabbed my pumpkin with both hands and yanked it off my arm. As he ran off into the night, I cried: Someone stole my pumpkin!
My friends, intent on making it to a few more houses, were clearly annoyed and reluctant to hang out with the “cry baby” who should have been keeping pace with the masses and obviously didn’t put enough moxie in her struggle to keep the pirate at bay. My treasures were gone and there wasn’t going to be much sympathy. We went to a house and someone called my mother.
I went home with my tail between my legs, feeling scarred. The bloom was off the rose as far as Halloween went in my book.
Of course most of my Halloween memories are pleasant. I loved to dress-up and remember many of the costumes my mother helped my sister and I put together. One of my favorites was the year I dressed like a “flapper girl” from the roaring 1920s. A pink dress with fringe and a feather boa were the highlights of that costume.
Fast forward 40 years. Big Papa and I live on a street in a neighborhood where opening the door after dark isn’t exactly the wisest maneuver. For the past two years, on Halloween night, we’ve turned off the lights in the front of the house, holed up in the back of the house and pretended no one’s home.
Last year about 9:30 p.m., the door bell rang. We waited a minute or so and snuck into our dark living room to peer out the window. On our porch landing stood three teenagers, none of whom were in costume. Even if we had opened the door, and even if we had candy to dole out, I’m wasn’t up for playing ‘trick or treat’ with a bunch of freeloaders (or worse) who couldn’t even pony up a costume.
Truthfully, it makes me a little sad. As parents-to-be, dressing our little kiddo up in her first Halloween costumes are destined to be some of our earliest “wow, that was a hoot” memories. Sure there are plenty of areas in town where malls or businesses offer up a safe-haven to trick or treat for those of us who live in risky neighborhoods. But not being able to walk out our front door and knock on the door next door and the door after that is a bit of a downer. Half the fun (aside from a belly-ache worth of treats), is seeing Mr. and Mrs. Miller dressed up as mad scientists or running into that cute boy you have a first-grade crush on as you walk down your street checking out the faux spider webs covering the Davis’ house and the ten Jack-o-lanterns heading up the walkway to the McNally’s house.
No matter the perceived or actual danger of living in a less-than-safe neighborhood, I am looking forward to sharing the festivities with our wee one. Carving a pumpkin and cooking up the pumpkin seeds, watching her eyes open wide when she spots a larger-than-life Tinkerbell or screaming in fright when she comes eyeball to eyeball with the scary green monster. We’ve waited a long time to jump into the kiddy pool of holiday festivities. Becoming parents via adoption sure has been tricky, but I’m hoping being parents is going to be a treat.