The Other Halloween Tea

December 7th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Seasons, Tea, Uncategorized No Comments »

I think I forgot to mention the other Halloween tea I bought for the season. I realize this will last until next Halloween. But I could not control myself.

I got tea from Snarky Tea and Plum Deluxe Tea. Both are specialty tea companies who make their tea to order.

Plum Deluxe came out with the Trick or Treat Box.

The Licorice Spice Herbal was very tasty. What made this box so much fun was the Trick or Treat feature, Some teas did not taste that great, hence the trick and others were treats. they give you a score card which I rated the teas. It was fun to play along.

Snarky Tea did a Witching Hour tea mix. They gave quite a mix but the samplers are smaller which would be perfect for the 32 ounce mason jar.

I really like Snarky Tea and have a subscription to make cold brew tea Their tea is so flavorful. Below is the November cold brew delivery.

Today I should be receiving December cold brew package.

Sparky Tea always does a blending guide in case you want to mix it up. So far I have not done a blend but will one day.

Here is January 2025 release

Looks like I will have some good choices in my future.

So I will have plenty of tea in my future. Pinky up!

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Reading Autumn and Halloween Themed Books

December 5th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Reading No Comments »

I really wish I could read faster. I tend to read a chapter a day, so it takes me forever to finish. But I did have two books read plus the Amazon short stories.

This cute little young adult book was filled with autumn and pumpkin spice. I had to suffer thru teenage angst but otherwise a cute little book.

MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM

I have never read anything from this author before. I picked it up after seeing someone mentioning it on their Vlog. This book did remind me of my youth and they were spot on with the feeling about teenage girls. But unlike the other book, this one was well written from an adult perspective in a teenagers body. If that makes sense. It was deeper and discussed darker topics and family dynamics very well. Where the other book was just fluff.

Enjoyed both.

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Wrapping up the Scary Movies

December 5th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Holidays, Seasons No Comments »

This year I did not see as many scary movies as I did in the past. Sometimes I just cannot make the time for a two hour stint to see a film. I do better kinda watching oldies but goodies and doing other chores at the same time.

SIGNS

A classic film by M Night Shyamalan. What I like about this film is how they figure out the different signs from the past to the present that prepare them for the event of today. Signs are everywhere. Sometimes comedic scenes, some intense scenes, Both the adult and children actors are good.

THE SIXTH SENSE

This is another film from M. Night Shyamalan. The first time I saw it I did not realize he was dead. Bruce Willis does a great job acting in this film. Some scary scenes and I feel bad for the boy.

ROSEMARYS BABY

I love the older movies. Mia Farrow does a great job acting like the meek woman who turns for help to only be betrayed over and over again by those around her. The older neighbors who are a coven of witches/devil worshippers who trap her into becoming the mother of the antichrist give older people a bad name. Lol. A classic film.

APARTMENT/ A7

This is basically a remake of Rosemarys Baby. But instead of her husband betraying her in the classic movie, it is life and the missed opportunities that drive her to the apartment where she will fall victim to the devil.

PRACTICAL MAGIC

A classic to watch every Halloween. I love this film. I really want to live at that house and eat pancakes (the non poisonous kind) outside with the ocean in the background.

HELLBOUND

Imagine if the face of God came to you to tell you the exact second you are going to die and then to be dragged to hell by 3 monsters but not before they throw you around and burn you to a crisp. I would be terrified. And the world goes crazy and fanatical groups try to persuade your thinking. Scary as heck. And now I am watching season two.

THE JUDGE FROM HELL

Even Demons make mistakes. For accidentally sending the wrong person to hell, this demon is sent to earth to kill off murderers. Imagine you are sent back as a judge who lets horrible people off without a punishment then finds them later and kills them by making them relive the horror of their victims death. Then for fun, branding their forehead with the word Hell on it. All in a days work until you fall in love.

ITS THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN

A childhood classic. Every time I watch this little cartoon I am transported back to my youth excitingly waiting to see this show. Back in those days you looked at the TV guide to find out the time and day it was playing and planted your butt in front of the television set. No streaming services, no DVR, no VHS or DVD. Pretty much you snooze you lose. I still love the part where Charlie Brown goes trick or treating and always gets rocks.

That was it for Halloween movies and shows.

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Stitch a Halloween Small

November 24th, 2024 klwade Posted in Bucket List, Cross-Stitching, Holidays No Comments »

I think I mentioned it before but I am incredibly slow with my cross stitches. I usually only stitch on Saturday and Sunday morning because after work it is too dark and I am too tired to stitch.

This pattern is from Primrose Cottage Stitches and this is one of five new Halloween releases. I like their patterns but definitely cannot keep up with their releases. I actually stitch in a QSnap so it is a slower approach. I don’t really like the stitches when I do stitch in hand. That approach is faster but my stitches look wonky. If I am going to frame something I need it to look neat.

Now I just need to frame this beauty and it will be ready for next year.

Thank you for checking out my blog.

The Scents of Halloween and Autumn

November 22nd, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Holidays, Home Decor, Seasons No Comments »

Part of any holiday is smelling the scents that bring back memories. Of course my house cannot smell of cinnamon and candy corn all the time so I decided to get some fragrance oils that match the holidays. A little bit here and there will help.

With scents like Candy Corn, Marshmallow, Autumn Wreath, Caramel Corn, Night Air and Pumpkin Pie it will smell like Halloween.

I also have the Autumn scents from the same company.

These scents are definitely Autumnal. Apple, Brown Sugar, Forest Pine, Snickerdoodle, Harvest Spice, and Vanilla.

I bought a small portable aromatherapy fan to keep at my desk.

It is very small and you can use it anywhere including your car. It comes with a USB cord so you just charge and go.

I also got a larger one that was more functional with a timer.

It changes color and is quite soothing.

I know people use fragrance oils for other purposes, but I am at a loss. These are not essence oils but more fragrance oil so I would not use them on my body.

I read you can place a few drops on the toilet paper roll, the cardboard part. Also put some drops on cotton balls and place in drawers. If you have other suggestions please let me know.

I did order the Christmas scents but they have not arrived yet.

Thanks for checking out my blog.

Halloween Cupcakes

November 22nd, 2024 klwade Posted in Bucket List, Cooking, Recipes, Uncategorized No Comments »

I am really behind because it is getting close to Thanksgiving which is my first deadline. But I have been have issues with WordPress and I cannot seem to make a post. So now I am going thru the App.

If you recall, I made cornbread using the Halloween molds I got from Aldi. I made the cupcakes which were really too large. Before I could add the chocolate, my brother ate a couple of them. So I had to start again. This time I used smaller molds.

Actually these came out pretty good are were a more pleasing size.

I sprinkled some Halloween themed bits and the added some white chocolate.

Then I added the cupcakes back on top and put in the freezer for a bit.

Then popped them out.

I think these came out cute. They were very tasty but had a lot of white chocolate so it was a bit rich.

The goal was to try something new and I did just that.

Happy Halloween. Thanks for checking out my blog.

Halloween Mocktail #4

November 14th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Holidays, Recipes No Comments »

The last of the four La Croix Halloween Mocktail has been made.

This is the mocktail where I could not find the drink they suggested, so I used the Sprite Cranberry that I recently purchased. I have to admit that this was a very good drink. It is called Hocus Pocus La Punch.

I don’t know if it was the cherry juice or just the combination but it was quite tasty.

I could not find my jar of maraschino cherries so I used cranberries again. But since I used Sprite Cranberry soda it worked out fine.

So this wraps up the La Croix mocktail challenge. I enjoyed doing a little mixology and trying new tastes. I did get some use out of my Halloween themed glasses.

I highly recommend mixing some soda and juices together to create a new drink, perhaps you will find a new annual favorite. Thanks for checking out my blog.

Halloween Mocktail #3

November 8th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Cooking, Holidays, Recipes, Seasons No Comments »

Onto the third of this series of Mocktails for the Halloween season.

This time I made the La Mummy. Made with the orange La Croix sparkling water, it was zesty and fun to drink. I might make this again but instead of lemon juice I think I will use orange juice. I really like my glasses. I bought these at Joann Fabrics. It felt very Halloween like to drink this mocktail.

I have one more drink to make. Sadly I cannot locate the drink in the store so I might get creative, Halloween if anything is about bringing out the creativity in all of us.

For some fun I found this picture on the internet. I loved the show Bewitched growing up. Aunt Clara always reminded me of my Granny whose name was also Clara. Same style, same features. And now I too feel like Aunt Clara. Oh how time marches on. LOL


My Grandmother Clara, dressed to the nines to sit on the beach with her husband Sam. Can you imagine wearing a girdle to the beach, or a man’s suit. In those days you dressed up. Doesn’t she look like Aunt Clara?

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Halloween Mocktail #2

November 8th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Cooking, Holidays, Recipes No Comments »

Time for the 2nd mocktail using La Croix sparkling water.

I made the La’ Pumpkin Punch. For a dash of fun I added the gummy eyeball to the drink. Yes, I agree, it is kinda gross.

It was very tasty, I am not sure if the eyeball gave it that extra snap, but I enjoyed this one.

Thank you for checking out my blog.

Read Scary Amazon Short Stories

November 4th, 2024 klwade Posted in Babbling and Observations, Bucket List, Reading No Comments »

For Amazon Prime Members they provide a series of short stories to read for free. Last year I read the Creature Feature series which was a different story in each book.

This year I read Guillermo Del Toro /Chuck Hogan The Boy in the Iron Box. It was a continuing series of one story line broken out in 6 books.

Flying dark, a plane carrying a team of mercenaries crash-lands on a remote snowy summit. When they come across a mazelike stone fortress, it’s no refuge from the wolves and the freezing wind. It’s more like a trap. What they discover can stop the heart—or worse. As terror takes a new shape, the real battle for survival begins in this unrelenting serialized novel from Academy Award–winning filmmaker and writer Guillermo del Toro.

This was a good story but I prefer last year’s series better. I must admit I like these books and they come out with new collections all the time. Many of the books are written by popular authors that I have read. Each has a different theme. Some romance, some horror, others adventure. There is a collection of stories for anyone. I think the next series I will read is Busybodies or The Spy Who Vanished.

Keep in mind that each book counts towards your book annual challenge numbers. It kinda feels like cheating but it still counts LOL.

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