Homemade and Haunted

 It turned out the Tunnock's Tea Cakes were unsuitable for people with nut allergies. That was a bummer, so I made Danny some homemade ones. Obviously, they're not Tunnock's...they're Margruder's.

 I improvised a half-assed version of a box too.  Could have been neater.

 These were easy to do. Using sillicone moulds, I brushed them with chocolate, and when solid, I carefully removed them, and filled the interior with marshmallow fluff. I then affixed it to a shortbread that I cut with a glass to get just the right size. I piped them sealed with more melted chocolate, and that was that.

Not exactly the same, but good enough. I also made some homemade Twix bars with the same shortbread cut into logs and topped with caramel and chocolate. Those took all day to make (because I had to make the caramel) but it was worth it. Nut allergies are a drag, but it really is possible to make "faux" versions of popular junk food at home. I have my priorities (and they don't include laundry, mopping the floors, or dusting).

Now, for the Haunted part...

 Every year, the physics department at Creighton University puts on the Haunted Physics Lab.

 There's a couple dozen stations to show various laws of physics at work.

 The exhibits don't change much year to year, but we love going anyway.

 There's plenty to do, scary music, black lights, and graduate students you can stump with your questions.

 Whoa, I just lit that bulb up by waving it past that thing. Cool, man.

 Scary holograms

 Optical illusions

Rules.

 Even in the Haunted Lab.

 Reading the posters in the physics department will instantly make you feel like an idiot. Are there really people that understand that shit?

 The science building is quite beautiful...

...But don't stare up too long or you'll get dizzy (and it hurts my neck!).


I can't wait until Halloween!

Guys Lifting Their Heads Off

When Danny was about three, we took him to a diner in Council Bluffs for breakfast (pre-food allergies seems s long ago...). For Halloween, the owners had filled the place with moving decorations-flying bats, growling zombies, and like this fella standing beside me-"Guys lifting their heads off." The poor kid was so freaked out, we couldn't convince him to look around the place as we exited the safety of the booth.
"No! I don't like places where guys are lifting their heads off!" He screamed. The owners laughed, but we never did go back there at Halloween, or any other time.

He's over it now. In fact, until the 31st, we'll be spending a good chunk of our time in businesses that cater to the Halloween trade. I'm not buying anything, mind you, but they are great places to play, even if guys are lifting their heads off all over the place.

We have a religious neighbour that really dislikes all this Halloween stuff, so we've limited our decorations to a couple bats and some pumpkins. I'm not personally bothered by ghouls, etc. but I wouldn't want her to have to see it every day if it is that upsetting. I'm sure she wouldn't be too cool with guys lifting their heads off right down the street. The inside of the house is another story.

Nothing too scary about a tiered display of pumpkins...except perhaps the price! 

The garden is undergoing change with the seasons. I brought most of the ceramics inside, and the metal plant carts in for winter. The bag bed still has a couple pepper plants, sorrel, and some turnip greens. The small square bed has red Russian kale, and spinach. The pots have various cold weather cutting lettuces. We have warm weather all week, but at this time of year it is a bonus-we could have snow at any time. Tomorrow, we're going to make a scarecrow to sit in the blue chair, but I promise, he won't be lifting his head off!

Know what else is frightening... 

... the amount of Pendelton in my wardrobe. I find it difficult to pass up knowing how well made it is. If I owned such nice things I wouldn't be donating them to Goodwill. It doesn't get more "classic" than Pendelton-these are not clothes that go out of style.

This 49'er jacket is a newer re-issue of their famous design. The collar is smaller, as are the buttons, but otherwise they've stayed faithful to the original jackets. This time of year, a lightweight wool jacket is a good thing to have.

 Here's a look at my original vintage one. The wool is a bit less scratchy on the re-issue, which I consider an improvement.

 I didn't set out to build a Pendelton collection, but between the skirts, coats, jackets, and assorted trousers and blouses, it has become the dominant brand in my cool weather wardrobe.

 Outfit Particulars:
Polo neck bodysuit-Limited (decades ago)
Pendelton 49'er jacket-Goodwill
Pendelton wool skirt-Goodwill
Clarks shoes-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage Jenny Bag-eBay
Snood with bow-had it since high school
Earrings/brooch-both Hand-Me-Ups
Lippy-Revlon Icy Violet (a 40's shade re-issued)

Still, a woman can't live on quality wool alone...sometimes you need to eat

I found these at the newly-opened World Market in Omaha. A Scottish employee was concerned I hadn't seen the snowballs on another shelf, and excitedly told me they had them. I might be the only person alive that doesn't like coconut and marshmallow together. From the looks of their product line, I'm hoping these will be OK for Danny to try (Tunnocks doesn't make anything with nuts, and they do a good job listing all the allergens on the box-at least the boxes they use for export to the US). It would be a pity if I had to eat all six by myself (Mr. ETB's idea of getting in touch with his Scottish heritage is to eat curry!). Anyway, I won't tell you what these cost, but they aren't likely to become a regular indulgence.

What about you? Any clothing brands you find yourself collecting? What about Snowballs? Delicious taste treat, or vile work of the devil?