From the Desk of The Caretaker

31 Days of Halloween: Day 9: Spooky Punch

10/9/2022

This Spooky Halloween Punch with Frozen Hand Sculptures is sure to give your guests a fright this spooky season.

Ingredients
4 quarts Cranberry Juice Cocktail
2 cups Pineapple Juice
6 oz Frozen Lemonade Concentrate, thawed
1 (2 liter) bottle Ginger Ale (or Lemon-Lime Soda)

Instructions
Spooky Frozen Hands
For the hands, fill the food safe gloves 3/4 full with water (or use juice so you don't water down your punch). Tie them like a balloon and lay as flat as possible in the freezer (possibly on a tray). When frozen solid, take them out of the freezer and very gently cut the gloves off using small scissors or knife. Be careful not to break the fingers! Add them to the punch just before your guests arrive.

The Punch
When you fill a large punchbowl, make sure it is sitting where you want it first so you don't have to try and move it after it is full! Pour the cranberry juice, pineapple juice, lemonade concentrate, and ginger ale into a punchbowl and stir. Make sure you leave enough room for your spooky frozen hands!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 8: R.L. Stine's Birthday

10/8/2022

Today just so happens to be R.L. Stine's birthday. Many of us have read or know those who have read the Goosebumps and Fear Street books authored by Stine. In honor of Stine's Birthday, we're highlighting five books from the Goosebumps series. These might be interesting choices for young readers in your life, this Halloween season, looking to discover the original bone-chilling adventures that made Goosebumps one of the bestselling children's book series of all time.

Night of the Living Dummy
Lindy names the ventriloquist's dummy she finds Slappy. Slappy is kind of ugly, but he's a lot of fun. Lindy's having a great time learning to make Slappy move and talk. But Kris is jealous of all the attention her sister is getting. It's no fair. Why does Lindy always have all the luck? Kris decides to get a dummy of her own. She'll show Kris. Then weird things begin to happen. Nasty things. Evil things. No way a dummy can be causing all the trouble. Or is there?

Monster Blood
While staying with his weird great-aunt Kathryn, Evan visits an eerie old toy store and buys a dusty can of Monster Blood. It's fun to play with at first. And Evan's dog, Trigger, likes it so much, he eats some. But then Evan notices something weird about the slimy green ooze. It keeps growing. And growing. And growing. And all that growing has given the Monster Blood a monstrous appetite. . . .

The Ghost Next Door
Hannah's neighborhood has gotten a little--weird. Ever since that new boy moved in next door. But when did he move in? Wasn't the house empty when Hannah went to sleep the night before? Why does it still look so deserted? Hannah can't get any answers from her new neighbor. He just keeps disappearing in the oddest ways. And he's so pale...Is Hannah being haunted by... the ghost next door?

One Day at Horrorland
Werewolf Village. The Doom Slide. The Coffin Cruise. These are just a few of the terrifying attractions that await Luke and Lizzy Morris at HorrorLand. Step right up and join the Morris family as they ride each ride—and scream each scream—for the very first time. Because it might also be their last.

The Haunted Mask
Carly Beth thinks she's found the best Halloween mask ever. With yellow-green skin and long animal fangs, the mask terrifies the entire neighborhood. Before long, it has a surprising effect on Carly Beth, too. She tries to take it off . . . but it won't budge! Halloween is almost over, but fright night is just beginning.

31 Days of Halloween: Red Velvet 'Raw Meat' Rice Krispies Recipe

10/7/2022

These Rice Krispies treats could be a spooky addition to your Halloween spread. Not only are these delicious, with the classic taste of traditional Rice Krispies Treats, but they are a simple and creepy treat for your guests.
Ingredients:

10.5 oz mini marshmallows
3 Tablespoons butter
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup red velvet cake mix
6 cups crispy rice cereal
½ teaspoon red food coloring optional

Instructions:

In a large pot over medium low heat melt the butter and mini marshmallows.
When the marshmallows are completely melted, mix in the vanilla and red velvet cake mix. If you feel it needs to be redder, add food coloring at this point.
Remove from heat and gently stir in the rice krispies until evenly coated.
Once all combined evenly divide between the foam trays.
Cover the trays with plastic wrap and serve.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 6: Game Ideas

10/6/2022

Whether or not you are hosting a Halloween party or a family game night, here are some fun game ideas from the folks at Minute to Win It. The games below require minimal setup and could be fun for the whole family. In addition the games listed below, there is a plethora of game blueprints available on YouTube.

Face the Cookie:

This Halloween minute to win it game will have the whole family laughing, from the children to the adults! Each player will have to balance a Halloween cookie on their forehead.

Using just their facial muscles, they’ll have to find a way to work the cookies down their face and into their mouth! Remember, no hands!

Give It A Whirl:

Wth an upside down wine glass, players must use centrifugal force to pick up marbles (one at a time) and transfer them into a bowl across the room. The team to transfer the most marbles in 60 seconds wins. For a Halloween twist, decorate the wine glasses with washable paint or use purple and orange marbles

Tea Party:

Prior to game start, attach two tea bags to the hat so that they are hanging from the sides of the bill. When the clock starts, the player attempts to flip both tea bags onto the bill of the hat. To complete the game, both tea bags must be resting on the bill for 3 seconds within the 60-second time limit.

Cantagious:

Stack the 3 empty cans right side up on a table next to the 3 full cans stacked right side up on a table. When the clock starts, the player lifts the empty cans with 1 hand, the full cans with the other. To complete the game, the player, using only their hands, must transfer all three full cans and all three empty cans as described in the video to the opposing tables within the 60- second time limit.

Sticky Situation:

Place the bread on the platform, 10' from the foul line. When the clock starts, player may begin to bounce 1 ping-pong ball at a time at the piece of bread. To complete the game, player must release a ping-pong ball within the 60-second time limit so that it bounces at least once, then sticks to the peanut butter.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 5: Movie Ideas

10/5/2022

We've noted a few Halloween movie ideas to help you get into the spooky season vibe. Most of these are not-so-scary options to watch this Halloween season.

Goosebumps (2015) & Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

The Goosebumps movies are fun for the family to enjoy over some popcorn and punch. Both movies are a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit. They should be fine for even the most faint of heart.

Goosebumps: A teenager new to the neighborhood, teams up with the daughter of young adult horror author R. L. Stine after the writer's imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween: When collecting scrap in R.L. Stine's abandoned house, two teenage friends find a book. When opened they release Slappy, a ventriloquist dummy, from the book. The two must team up with Sonny's older teenage sisteron Halloween to return to Slappy and all of the other monsters he has freed from the book.

The Witches (2020)

Tis the season for witches... This imagining of ROALD DAHL's work is delightfully spooky.

In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world's Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe -- under cover -- to carry out her nefarious plans.

Knives Out (2019)

While not a Halloween-themed movie, who doesn't like a murder mystery this time of year. If you've not seen Knives Out, this is one you'll want to watch. Even if you've seen it, you'll find that it's worth a second watch.

The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there's one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure -- everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

The sequel: Knives Out: The Glass Onion is set to be released in late December on Netflix.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Based off Disney's attraction: The Haunted Mansion, this movie is one for the whole family. Even at almost 20 years since its release, this movie is still perfect for the Halloween season.

Workaholic real estate agent Jim Evers is accused by his wife, of neglecting his son and daughter, so he takes the family on a vacation. Along the way, the family stops off at a sinister mansion that Jim has been asked to sell, only to discover it's haunted by Master Gracey; his stern butler, Ramsley; and two other servants who need some help breaking a curse.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

This oldie but goodie stands the test of time more than 20 years since its release. Heads roll in this story of the headless horseman. The spooky lighting and filming of this movie make it an excellent choice for this time of year.

The curse of The Headless Horseman (Christopher Walken) is the legacy of the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Spearheaded by the eager Constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) and his new world ways into the quagmire of secrets and murder, secrets once laid to rest, best forgotten and now reawakened, and he too, holding a dark secret of a past once gone.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 4: Poisoned Apple Old Fashioned

10/4/2022

With spooky season upon us, we decided to add a few beverage ideas to our 31 Days of Halloween posts. Today we have a Poisoned Apple Old Fashioned that we spotted from the folks at Half-Baked Harvest.

Ingredients

coarse sugar for the rim (optional)
1/4 cup apple cider
juice from 1/2 a lemon
dash of orange bitters
1 tablespoon apple butter
2 ounces bourbon
ginger beer, for topping (optional)
thinly sliced apples and cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Instructions
1. If desired, rim your glass with coarse sugar.
2. In a cocktail shaker, combine the apple cider, lemon juice, orange bitters, apple butter and bourbon. Shake to combine.
3. Strain into your prepared glass filled with ice. If desired top with ginger beer. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and apples. DRINK!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 3: Halloween DIY Decor

10/3/2022

With many of us in search of elegant-looking fall decorations, an economical way to save might be to do it yourself. We found this stunning wreath at HGTV's site. Below are the materials needed to create this look for yourself. Click on the image to visit their site for the slideshow tutorial.
What you will need:

Styrofoam wreath frame
Orange tow rope (75 to 100 feet depending on size of wreath frame)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Artificial leaves
Mini artificial pumpkins
White spray paint
Vinyl adhesive letters

We found these dripping candles from Women's Day's site. These would be a great addition to your fall and Halloween decor painted white or painted black.

To make these giant dripping candles: have 1½-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch PVC pipes cut to your desired height. Then, on a covered surface, spray paint the PVC pipes white. Using a hot-glue gun and white glue sticks, apply glue from the top down the sides to make drips, as shown. Trace the base of a battery-powered tea light onto a sponge and cut out. Hot-glue the sponge into the top of the pipe and cover with white hot glue. Let cool completely, then push the tea light into the pipe to rest on top of the sponge. Finally, set the pipe on a circle of wax paper and drip white hot glue around the bottom edge.

Incorporate spooky classics right onto your Halloween decor with a horror novel book door. This one could be found on Country Living's website.

Make the Book Door: Cut long, thin rectangular pieces of differing colored kraft paper (we used red, gray, and black). Draw titles of books on the paper. Outline letters with gold paint pens. Fill in outline with paint pen or gold acrylic paint. Attach to door with double-sided tape. Add large bushel basket and buffalo-check doormat.

This one could be a fun one to do yourself or to get the youngsters involved in creating a Pumpkin Diorama. We found this on the Good Housekeeping website and think has the potential to become hauntingly scary or uniquely fall.

To make: If you love nothing more than an over-the-top look, fill a carved pumpkin with everything from reindeer moss and twigs to mini headstones. Don't forget the full moon (a Ping-Pong ball that you can easily hang from a thin string).

Speaking of pumpkins, why not create a Mini Pumpkin Centerpiece? These could make a fresh fall statement to your dining table this Halloween.

To make the centerpiece: Put mini pumpkins to work as votive holders for a flickering fall table. Snap off each pumpkin's stem, and position a candle in its depression. Cover with a clear glass hurricane shade and insert floral U-pins to hold the shade in place.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2: Pet Costume Picks

10/2/2022

To kick off our list of adorable Halloween costumes for pets, we have a Witch / Wizard Cloak With Hat. This simple, yet bewitching costume can be worn a dog or a cat and was found on eBay. Its simple design would make it great for getting charming Halloween photos.

Next up, we have bat wings. While these can actually be made at home for the crafty ones out there, we found these bad boys on Amazon. Bat wings can be a quick costume that your pets might acclimate to quite quickly.

Here, we have an 80's Retro Kid costume from Chewy. Apparently, this Halloween costume can be worn by a cat or a dog, depending on the size. If you're wearing an 80's inspired costume and want your pet to be on theme, this could be the costume for your fur-baby.

Up next, we have a UPS Driver dog costume. This is adorable if you are able to get your furry friend to keep the hat on. There is another pet costume variation of this one as a Postal Worker. This one is widely available online but we spotted this one at Party City.

Lastly, we have a darling Sherlock Holmes Detective Cape & Hat. Let your pet's inner detective out with this distinguished look from Etsy. This costume can be worn by dogs or cats and can go beyond Halloween. If you are planning a murder mystery dinner or game night, you can let your furry best friend dress their part.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 1: Mummy Pops

10/1/2022

For day one, we have a recipe for Mummy Pops coming at you from Delish. Bring in the Halloween season with these peanut buttery chocolate-covered cookie pops. Yum!

MAKES: 8
PREP TIME: 20 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 40 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
8 straws or lollipop sticks
11 oz. chocolate, melted
8 Nutter Butter cookies, opened
1 c. buttercream frosting (homemade or store bought)
M&M's Minis, for decorating

DIRECTIONS

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly dip straws or lollipop sticks into chocolate before topping on open Nutter Butter. Press cookie back together, then dip into melted chocolate until completely coated.
Place dipped cookie onto prepared baking sheet to set, about 25 minutes (to speed up the process, transfer pops to the refrigerator for 10 minutes).
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a straight flat tip with buttercream and pipe from side to side. Fill another bag with chocolate, lightly cover backside of M&M's minis, and press onto cookie pops. Dot each M&M with chocolate to finish eyes.
Set aside at least 1 hour to fully set.

Featured Murder Mystery Box Grave Danger

8/22/2022

Greetings Mystery Solvers,
Today we are highlighting our previously released Murder Mystery Box Grave Danger. Gregor Wallace is the narrator of the Grave Danger journal.

Remains have been found in a shallow grave. This appears to be the work of a serial killer as the apparent killer is taunting the authorities. Gregor, a veteran detective on shaky ground, kept a journal of the happenings surrounding the murders. Can you help determine who is responsible with the journal and evidence collected in the investigation?

Review the journal Gregor recorded and the clues he collected to determine who is responsible for the crime.

Grave Danger is now available for one-time purchase.

I must end this note as I am needed in the garden. Until next time, mystery awaits…

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