Mirth and Musings Part 20

I love Hallowe’en parties.  They are my favorite parties to give, to attend, to plan and to savor.  I’ve traveled hundreds of miles for a Hallowe’en party and I would not hesitate to do so again.  As I’ve got older I think they become more precious to me, being the lone remainder of the nostalgic seasonal occurrences of youth.  I can no longer trick or treat, and I’ve no more schoolroom parties awaiting me.  Haunts are months of planning and weeks of production and since we are the dreamers and designers and do-it-yourselfers of our haunts, it holds little surprise for us.  The Hallowe’en party remains to offer that feeling of anticipated wonder.  We get to don a costume and be thrilled and chilled and immersed in the experience. An evening, a few precious hours to indulge in the spectral spectacle.  What is it that makes it all so special?  It shares all the common elements of every other type of party; music, food, decorations…and yet.  There is that something other…a sense of whimsy, of mystery, of funhouse fear that is singular and potent.

The most fantastic advice on how to give a Hallowe’en party must have come from the Dennison’s Bogie Books, please click pic to link to an archived site to read further on how to give just such a bash, with perhaps a dash of Monster Mash.

 

Fun with Shadows

My dearly Beloved was doing some shopping for me today and came home with this from our local Crate and Barrel.  It’s a drink dispenser holder and carafe and I’ve decided to use it as a candle luminary for the shadows! Apparently, though these are available online, the stores aren’t to put them out yet and so the kind folks at C&B dug these out of boxes just cause he asked, he came home with a set of glasses that match too.  Couldn’t wait to post the pic.  Enjoy.

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(Click pic to link to site.)

The first catch of the Season!

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Was visiting my local Pottery Barn today, hoping to catch a glimpse of what I’ve seen on their website and was surprised to find a few samples of this years’ offering on a table in the back.  I grabbed a set of their Jack O’ Lantern Salt & Pepper set.  Was checking out at cash wrap and the nice lady “J” was pleased to show me a couple of treats “from the back”.  These included items not to be found on their website at this time! Yay! I purchased the above, a Black Cat Wine Topper, a Witch Hat Wine Stopper, a Crystal Skull Wine Stopper.  It was awful nice of her to give me the sneak peak and I really appreciated her thoughtfulness.  Can’t wait for more…

Pumpkinology

Paciugo Gelato is meeting the need for pumpkin flavored yumminess that drives cravings this time of the year with their offering of a Spiced Pumpkin gelato thru November 27th.  Since Dallas based Paciugo has locations across the United States, chances are you are within driving distance of this amazingly flavored treat.  The spiciness comes from copious yet restrained amounts of clove in their mixture which builds as you devour it, I ordered mine doubled with their Dark Chocolate Fondente and all I can say is its well worth the caloric investment. Although gelato has roughly 70% less fat than premium ice cream without any loss of flavor or satisfying creaminess.  So indulge if you can. Did I mention they can turn any of their gelato flavors into lattes?  They don’t use syrups either. Sooo good.

gelato

 

 

Death to warm drinks

The packaging for this trendy extra large ice cube silicone mold by Fred claims “…nothing’s cooler than a crypt, icier than a lifeless stare, colder than fate.”. While that may or may not be true this 3D ice mold certainly produces an ice “cube” able to sufficiently chill a beverage without attendant watering down of drinks. Using this mold to follow the current trend in icing drinks is fun and would be a great addition to the Halloween themed bar, but comes at a cost as each lists for $10.00 on the Sur La Table website. So you’d need to purchase multiples to fill the needs for a party. I ordered four and the results are great, easy to use and look amazing. Lots of fun.

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Pumpkinology

One of the more fun aspects of this time of the year is the appearance of pumpkin flavored everything on the market.  Here, there and everywhere one can find examples of the orange winter squash in breakfast, lunch and dinner foods on grocery shelves and retail establishments. Numerous candies, snacks and beverages too.  Oooh so little time. Here are some examples and favorites:

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Sees Candies

 

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Barnes & Noble

 

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Barnes & Noble

 

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Barnes & Noble

 

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William Sonoma