DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Offbeat pumpkins are stealing the spotlight from ordinary varieties.        Green Goblin Origin : An heirloom from Chioggia, Italy; also called sea pumpkin but most commonly sold as ‘Marina di Chioggia’. Design cred : Knobby blue-green skin has frosty highlights. Can you eat it? You definitely should! It’s delicious cut into wedges, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and herbs, and roasted until tender.  Cinderella Origin : An heirloom from France; also sold as ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’. Design cred : It’s easy to see how the softly flattened top and ridged, deep orange skin could have inspired Cinderella’s carriage in Charles Perrault’s classic French fairy tale. Can you eat it? Yes, the rich orange flesh is tasty in pies.                                            Mini Fairytale   Origin : A minia

     Grouped together on the mantel, Drac-o'-lantern and pals create a Transylvanian scene. Run-of-the-mill pushpins turn into devilish red eyes. I found these on www.marthastewart.com .  Enjoy making these from real pumpkins or if you want them year after year, use the small fake ones. Tools and Materials Thumbtack or pin Small white pumpkin (For a big bite, choose a small pumpkin so the plastic vampire teeth seem huge) Miniature saw Plastic vampire teeth Small red map tacks Print mouth template . Lay template on pumpkin, and poke thumbtack through, all along outline, to transfer design. Cut out with saw; remove excess flesh. Wedge teeth into hole. For eyes, pin map tacks onto pumpkin. Fangs, partycity.com . Map pins, 1/8 inch, in Red; latitudesmapstore.net .

Austria     In Austria, some people leave bread, water, and a lighted lamp on the table when they go to bed. The reason why it is done is that it was believed by doing so it would welcome the dead souls back to earth for this particular night was a night of strong cosmic energies. In Austria Catholics celebrate the entire period between October 30 and November 8 as Seleenwoche or Alls Souls' Week.     On All Saints' Day Catholics attend church services in honor of the saints, the martyrs and those who have died for the Catholic faith. People may also visit their family’s graves to beautify them with wreaths and small lanterns. Sometimes a mass is said at the gravesite and the grave sprinkled with holy water.    On November 2 or All Souls' Day, Catholics attend a special Requiem masses, where they remember those who may be close to them that have died. Prayers for the dead are said and votive candles are lit to honor their memory. Belgium

 If your calendar is like mine, we're both missing out. Did you know that you can celebrate a different holiday every day during the month of October? Check out the list of special holidays below, guaranteed to be thought-provoking, or just make you smile! October 1st, World Vegetarian Day - a day when all are urged to partake in meatless menus, and for those already living the vegetarian lifestyle to celebrate the choice that safeguards their own health, protects the earth, and saves the lives of countless animals. October 2nd,   Name Your Car Day - a day set aside to choose a name for your car that suits its character. Let's just hope your car doesn't have a personality like the one in Stephen King's novel Christine ! October 3rd,   Income Tax Day- I'm not sure why anyone would want to actually celebrate the day that the dreaded Federal Income Tax was made a part of our lives back in 1913, but I guess it takes all kinds of people to make