October 13: Samhain's Sirens Maniacal Moonday!

Welcome back, Maniacal Marauders!

Are you ready to start the work week with some fiendish fun?

Don't forget your forget-me-nots are due on October 23. Email Serena.

Be sure you're including your email address in your entries for our giveaways! It's the law, and we'd hate to see you miss out because of something that simple.

Enjoy our offering for the day!

The Winner of DJ Martin's Book Giveaway is:

Sam Curtin!

The Winners of the Battle of the Bands Giveaway are...

Rob Zombie:

Loren Morris!

K.C. and the Sunshine Band:

Jonquil Alexia!

The Winner of the Samhain Wreath Kit Giveaway from Robyn Chausse is:

AlphaBetsy!

It's a Dangerous Costume, Charlie Brown! with Tara and Danger Smith

It’s almost Halloween time, and you know what that means.....Finding the perfect costume for a diva, I mean for Danger. We start thinking about this well into the early Winter and early Spring. She is so particular when it comes to this. It must be just what she is thinking in her head, fit just right, and have the wow factor, or she won’t wear it. Literally, she won’t wear it. Danger knows what she wants and if it falls short of her expectations, forget it. It will stay in the closet for years, never to be worn again. And, to top it off, we will not re-wear costumes. Oh no, that’s a major Halloween fashion DON’T. You NEVER EVER RE WEAR A COSTUME FOR HALLOWEEN. Needless to say, her dress up closet is almost overflowing.

However, this holiday brings her so much joy and excitement that I am happy to splurge $35 bucks a year for it. Whether she wears it again or not, to see that look on her face, is worth it. Now, I realize for some of you that this splurge to me might not be in your budget every year. Don’t worry. There are options out there. You just have to look for them, or have them find you. (HINT HINT, keep reading.)

So this year, we had the opportunity to receive a costume free of charge, YES FREE, in exchange for an honest review blog post to be posted with certain links on my blog. See, you can get costumes for free. Seriously, the only thing I purchased for her for this Halloween is the wig. The costume and shipping were paid for with the review opportunity.

After you are fill out the application and are accepted, the company emails you with what they want included in the review. Usually, it’s just how they want the links set up and what text they want the links anchored to. When you receive the costume, you simply blog about it using those link instructions and send the URL link in a reply email to the company.

It’s that simple. We have done this for several Halloweens. And you could too, it’s a great way to get free costumes and exposure for your blog. Want more information on product reviews? You can go here: http://www.costumereviewers.com/ to sign up. They will send you emails regarding upcoming opportunities.

For the longest time, she has been into Monster High dolls. I thought it was a fad, but I really think she will continue to be fan long after she outgrows the dolls. She loves playing with them and watching the videos on YouTube. What is the craze you might ask? Well, let me give you the 411. “The Monster High series was inspired by monster movies and horror fiction. The characters are portrayed as the offspring or relatives to famous monsters such as Frankenstein and Dracula.” (http://www.anytimecostumes.com).

Danger has been several of these dolls for Halloween, but that was a couple of years ago and new characters are always coming out. This year we had several to choose from. Which one would she pick? This year she/I chose Skelita.  (In my defense, she wasn’t home and I had to act fast. Frankly having her pick is sometimes too overwhelming for us both.)

 Who is Skelita? She is the daughter of Los Eleskeletos.  From her profile page online, “I love doing anything associated with Dia de los Muertos, like face painting, sewing, creating dioramas, dancing, telling stories and most especially, spending time with mi familia. I’m proud of my heritage, but I also embrace my own individuality, so I mix traditional clothing with modern fashion to make a unique look of my very own. It may seem like I’m always ready to attend a party, but that’s what unlife is to me; a grand excuse to celebrate and have a good time.” (http://www.monsterhigh.com/en-us/characters/skelita-calaveras)

I picked it without her knowing. I took a chance and hoped I picked correctly. Would she like it? Would I cause an epic diva Danger meltdown?

So what do you think? Was she pleased? Did it meet her expectations?

She loves it. I ordered a small (size 4-6), because well Danger is tiny. She is tall but she is small all the way around. It fits pretty well; the only issue is the tights. The tights are small and not quite long enough, but ordering a bigger size would have meant that the dress was too big. That would have been a diva Danger meltdown. Diva meltdowns are not pretty. Trust me, they are very dangerous to your health. Her only complaint was that her knee bones in her tights were in the middle of her shins. That is what happens when you have long legs and she can live with that.

Whew, crisis adverted.

The costume came with the dress, a belt, tights, and gloves. Overall, the quality is really good. The tights are thicker; the dress seems warm enough which is important since we live in the Frozen Tundra. Halloween is always cold and rainy. It never fails to disappoint; but the look on Danger’s face every year when her costume is perfect makes up for it.

I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you, but “I Put a Spell on You.”

The Witches’ Kitchen by Autumn Earthsong

Sometime you just have to have something comforting like a nice sweet potato.  This recipe however, takes them to a whole new level!  They are like eating candy..sweet and crunchy and delicious!  Would be great as an appetizer, a side or even just to have something sweet on a cool, Autumn evening by the fire.

Sugar and Spice Sweet Potato Skins
6 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
2 tsp nutmeg, divided
2 tsp ground ginger, divided
2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
3 TB butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Garnish: warm maple syrup and additional nuts

Pierce potatoes with a fork.  Bake at 400* for about an hour or until soft. Let cool.
Once cool, slice each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out baked insides, keeping skin intact. Place the potato insides into a large bowl.  Place the potato skins on an ungreased baking sheet.
Mash the baked potato until smooth; add in cream cheese, sour cream and one tsp of each spice.  Mix well then spoon mixture into the potato skins.
In another bowl, mix nuts, butter, brown sugar and remaining spices.  Sprinkle over top of potatoes.
Bake at 400* for 15 mins. Drizzle with warm maple syrup and sprinkle with more nuts before serving..if you wish!
*Makes 1 dozen

ENJOY, Autumn

Read my blog at www.autumnearthsong.com
Visit my herbal shop at www.etsy.com/shop/verbenalaneshoppe

Celtic Dragon Tarot Reading from Touch of the Goddess

A 60 minute Celtic Dragon Tarot session done via telephone (United States only) or to anywhere with Skype.

Value: $60.00

Rules: (READ CAREFULLY)

YOU MUST PROVIDE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS. If you choose not to share it in the comments, please use the contact form at the top of the page to provide your email address. You must provide your email address once per giveaway.

Drawing is held by random number generation and winner will be notified in email (that's why you have to have an email address listed). Announcement will be made in tomorrow's post.

Note: These giveaways are open to the U.S., Canada and where allowable. Void where prohibited.
Canadian residents, please pay close attention as by law, you have to use a different set of rules. Not to worry, we have you covered :)


CANADIANS READ HERE: You will be given 6 number of entries for answering the following (remember, we STILL NEED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS):

What percentage of the world's maple syrup is made in Quebec?

U.S. Citizens, and others- READ HERE:

1. Go to the Touch of the Goddess Etsy Shop .  Look over the site and tell us which product you like best.

EXTRA ENTRIES: (USE SEPARATE COMMENTS. If you throw them all into one comment, it counts as one entry only)

2. Be a follower of this blog. Comment that you are following us.

3. Like the Sirens FB page (come let us know you did in comments)

4. Like Touch of the Goddess Facebook Page. Let us know you did.

5. Blog about this giveaway (comment with the url for your blog entry)

6. Tweet about this giveaway (come back and give us the url for your tweet)

So, all in all, you get 6 entries for this giveaway! The deadline for entries is 9pm eastern time (8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific) tonight. Announcement tomorrow, same time, same bat channel ;)

Questions? Email Serena.