Author: Pamela Layton McMurtry

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Last-Minute Costumes!

 
 
Ideas for last-minute, economical or unique costumes – or all 3!
 
Would your man like to be Superman in disguise?
How about a party with a room full of superheroes in their alternate identity disguises? 
Or would your children like to go as their
favorite historical or literary figure?
 
 
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Halloween Family Tree

 
Create a Halloween Family Tree!
 
1. Fill an urn, bucket or other container with dry florist foam or crumpled newspaper.
2. Push in dry branches and add a few leaves.
3. Copy Halloween photos, glue them onto scrapbook paper. Add brads and ribbon.
4. Hang photos on tree, add paper Halloween ornaments.
 

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Andrew’s Pumpkin Pie Cake

Andrew’s Pumpkin Pie Cake
Andrew votes this rich dessert better than pumpkin pie!

    Preheat oven to 350°. From a box of yellow cake mix, remove   
    one cup of dry mix and set aside for topping. Combine remaining
    cake mix with

1 egg
1/2 C butter, melted

      Pat into bottom of a 9’ x 13″ baking pan. Mix together:
         
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 large can pumpkin
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 – 12 oz cans evaporated milk

     Pour over crust. Set aside. Mix together until the texture of    
     cornmeal, sprinkle over pumpkin filling

reserved 1 cup of cake mix
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C chopped pecans (optional)

      Bake at 350° approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes or until   
      pumpkin is set. Serve warm
 

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Pumpkin Spice Cocoa

Pumpkin Spice Cocoa Bar…
Make some steaming Stephen’s brand Pumpkin Spice Cocoa;
offer Kraft Cinnamon Bun marshmallows, pumpkin cremes, caramels, butterscotch and fresh whipped cream. Mmmm
 
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Thank you Commander Mark

Here’s a note from Emmy award-winning Commander Mark !

“Pam, I’m ordering your awesome book online…the cover is FANTASTIC by the way”
with a Post to FB
“Look at my Sisters AWESOME new book! Let’s get her on the Amazon.com top 100! EVERYONE lets give her book a big push, let’s ALL post her letter below to our FB pages and twitter?! Her Fall Harvest Halloween book is packed full of brilliant ideas…I’ve always known she was super clever and creative, and her book sure proves it! ”

Have an astonishing day!
Mark Kistler
www.draw3d.com

Please check out Mark’s website – Now I wish I had been nicer to him when I was babysitting. What a guy!

 
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It’s Time to Party!

It’s time…

 
for a party…
 

 
Looking for a treat?
A Harvest and Halloween Handbook
 is ready for you on Amazon.com
 
With scrumptious recipes, handmade decor,  clever costumes and lots of fun and games – you and your little pumpkins will enjoy the happiest Halloween ever!
 
Don’t forget to invite your friends to join the fun.
 

If you don’t have a kindle, you can download a free adapter for your computer on the Amazon.com and you can read kindle books on your ipad or other device with a kindle app. 😀

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We have a Winner, (actually two winners…)



Dear Family and Friends,
The results of the drawing for the two free Harvest and Halloween Handbook ebooks are in.  And the winners are…

Melinda Rowzee and Jeremy Cowan!


Congratulations – I’ll get your ebooks right out so you can start enjoying the fun

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The “Mormon” View of Government


1 We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.


 2 We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.


 3 We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people if a republic, or the will of the sovereign.


 4 We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.


 5 We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.


 6 We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.


 7 We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religiousb elief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.


 8 We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquility all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment.


 9 We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.


 10 We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct, according to the rules and regulations of such societies; provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world’s goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.


 11 We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.


 12 We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do not believe it right to interfere with bond-servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or influence them in the least to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude.


Doctrine and Covenants Section 134;  written in 1835 by Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Homemade Halloween

 
Are you ready for some old-school fun?
Grab some vintage style fabric and whip up a  tablecloth.
Then gather a few retro-looking plates from Target and make up some tags
 to hang on a twig tree for decorations that can later go into scrapbooks.
You can get vintage images from Dover Publications books.
Make your favorite homemade doughnuts and have a good time!