The Witch by Jack Prelutsky

THE WITCH
by Jack Prelutsky
She comes by night, in fearsome flight,
In garments black as pitch,
the queen of doom upon her broom,
the wild and wicked witch,
a crackling crone with brittle bones
and dessicated limbs,
two evil eyes with warts and sties
and bags about the rims,
a dangling nose, ten twisted toes
and fold of shriveled skin,
cracked and chipped and crackled lips
that frame a toothless grin.
She hurtles by, she sweeps the sky
and hurls a piercing screech.
As she swoops past, a spell is cast
on all her curses reach.
Take care to hide when the wild witch rides
to shriek her evil spell.
What she may do with a word or two
is much too grim to tell.

Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/poems.htm#17BcCGLHsXqaMhH0.99

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

I wish all my canadian friends a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful long weekend! Make sure if you have not already, enter your name for the free children's bookdraw!

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10 Halloween Activities to try with your Kids

If you enjoy Halloween with your kids, then start early by getting them excited with fun, spooky activities. 

1. One night, try to have a campfire and roast marshmallows.  Tell ghost stories appropriate to their age (this could even be done in the backyard). 
2. Make a blanket tent in their bedroom just above where they sleep and pick their favorite Halloween books. Snuggle up and read them together with a glass of milk.
3. Play hide and go seek in the dark with flashlights.
4. Wear festive pajamas and have a pillow fight.
5. Make up a fun play about ghosts (use blankets as a cover, easy costume).
6. Make Halloween treats to bring to their school (or for you to enjoy with them at home).
7. Make a Halloween craft together and gift it to someone.
8. If you have their Halloween costume and you don't mind letting them wearing it early, copycat Easter, and hide some ghoulish treats for them around the house for them to hunt!
9. Make Halloween sock puppets and play silly games with them. Change your voices just to add some funniness to it.
10. Paint your faces with Halloween designs.

Spiced and Hot Apple Cider

INGREDIENTS:

2 quarts of apple cider
6 cups cranberry juice
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
4 Cinnamon Sticks
1 1/2 tsp full cloves
1 lemon thinly sliced

PREP:

In a large pot, combine apple cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove cinnamon, cloves, and lemon slices. Serve hot.

This is so perfect for those chilly times, and would also make a great Thanksgiving drink! Enjoy!

~Hats Off to Reading~ Party at the Library

What a fun time it was to be a part of my local library's "Hats Off to Reading" party!  There were 3 special guests in total (me being 1, a police officer, and a teacher).  This "crazy hat" extravaganza was to create awareness to the children that everyone reads, and that it is important to keep on reading! 
Parents, it is important to read to your children daily!  Even if they don't read yet (or very well), we can still be great role models to them!  I like to bring my 2 year old daughter to the library. In fact, I try to take her there at least once a week or more.  Places like these, and I have said this many times before, have to be supported.  I do NOT want our libraries to become things of the past!  It is such a calm and peaceful place to be. 
At this event, I had the privilege to read one of my favorite books, The Spider and the Fly written by Mary Howitt and Illustrated by the great, Tony DiTerlizzi.  I picked this book not only because it is a fave of mine, but just like The Loneliness Cure (written by myself), it has a moral.  I do enjoy a good moral story now and then!
To make things more interesting, of course I had to wear a neat hat and match my clothes to the book I was reading. haha. That is how I roll! The kids enjoyed themselves, and I had a blast! Until next time, take care!

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Fave Season

After much deliberation, I now know what my favorite season is!  At first I thought, Summer. It`s so warm and sunny. You get to go to the beach.  Now don`t get me wrong, Summer is truly great, and I did have an awesome one. It`s not over yet!  BUT, as the weather gets windy and cool...I find myself excited with each leaf that falls to the ground!  Fall is at hand! Hoorah!  I do love Autumn. What a grand season indeed!  Colors of brown, red, and yellow surround and the anticipation of Halloween!  Is this all so early?  I hope not, because I honestly don`t care!  I just adore this chilly but-without-snow season! Should I shout it from the rooftops? (hahaha)
What is your favorite season?  What do you like to do during Fall that you look forward to each year? 



New Idea

I am really excited for the new story I just finished last night.  When great ideas come to me, they come to me fast and I can finish in less than an hour.  I know, crazy, right? It's efficient for me.  I have now at my disposal, 3 completed stories ready to be illustrated and then published.  It's a strange thing...my best ideas come to me late at night.  Anywhere from 12am-4am.  Ah!  Who stays up that late anyways??  The very odd time, I will almost be shocked awake by a wonderful idea, and I refuse to just let it sit there until morning.  Reason for that, is simply this...I would forget the idea.  So, I scrape myself out of bed, find my pen and papers (never too far away), and I scribble my thoughts down immediately. 
This particular story is very dear to me.  It is something I am passionate about.  The only thing I will reveal to you is: Have you ever read the story by Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree?  Do you remember the feeling you got when reading it? Well, I know how I felt.  It was a very emotional and moving story.  My hope is, that I spark that similar feeling to my readers.  Yes, it is a children's book, however is has a strong message in it, that I think adults will relate to as well.  Keep your eyes peeled for it, and I will make sure to update you! You won't want to miss it, I promise you. It's a very special story if I do say so myself. If I can move just one person, then that's all I ask for! Best wishes one and all! Much love!

Pretzel Recipe-Get your kids to help!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. yeast
• ½ c. warm water
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1-1/3 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt

Utensils:

• oven (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
• small bowl
• mixing spoon
• medium-size bowl
• cutting board, sprinkled with flour
• baking sheet, sprayed with nonstick spray
• measuring cups and spoons

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit (165° Celsius).
2. Put the yeast in a small bowl with the water and honey. Stir a little, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the flour and salt together in a medium bowl.
4. After the 5 minutes is up, check on the yeast mixture. It should be bigger than before and a little bubbly. Add this mixture to the flour and salt mixture.
5. Stir everything together. Use a spoon to start. Finish with your hands. The dough is ready when it's still a little crumbly and flaky.
6. Put the dough on the cutting board and knead it like you are playing with clay. Knead it into one big ball.
7. Break off a piece of dough that's about the size of a big gumball or superball. Use your hands to roll it into a skinny snake.
8. Twist the snake into a medium-size pretzel shape, and put it on the cookie sheet. Do this with all the dough, making 12 pretzels.
9. Bake your pretzels for 10 minutes. Let them cool and take a bite!

Serves: 12
Serving size: 1 pretzel
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
56 calories
1 g protein
0 g fat
12 g carbohydrate
0 g fiber
0 mg cholesterol
192 mg sodium
2 mg calcium
0.7 mg iron
Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.