Friends:

After my shows, I rushed home so that Eliana and I could get ready for “Trick-O-Trunk” at our church. “Trick-O-Trunk” is a gathering of cars in a parking lot, decorated for Halloween. Instead of the children trick-o-treating from house to house, they go from trunk to trunk. The children don’t have to walk as far and because it’s run by the church, it’s a family affair with members of the church and the community. They also had games, a haunted hay ride, food, and a DJ. Here is Eliana the Pirate posing in front of a decorated trunk.

Eliana the Pirate in front of a Trick-O-Trunk - 10-31-08

We had so much fun! Here is a picture of our Pirate Family – Eliana, Dianne & Antonio. Argh, matey!

The Pirate Family - 10-31-08

On my way home, my stepdad, Clay, called me and said that he wanted to decorate his truck’s tailgate. It was soooo last minute. I arrived home at 4:45pm and Trick-O-Trunk started at 5:00pm! I rushed and put something together quickly, using my spooky backdrop. This is how it came out… not bad for a 20 minute rush job! It was the tallest “trunk” in the parking lot and the only haunted house!

Haunted House Tail Gate on Clay's Truck - 10-31-08

This is Eliana’s favorite Trick-O-Trunk, her “winner.”

Eliana's Trick-O-Trunk Winner - 10-31-08

Eliana had a ton of fun with her cousins, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jasmynn, and our friend’s daughter, Marie. Here are the costumed cuties…

The Costumed Cuties - 10-31-08

We all had a ball dancing. Eliana danced up a storm with her daddy, shakin’ it to “Suavemente.”

Eliana dancing with Daddy - 10-31-08

Here is Paw Paw (my stepdad, Clay) dancing with Camrynn, the princess.

Paw Paw and Camrynn dancing - 10-31-08

The kids played games, including “Mummy Wrap.” They won 3rd place, wrapping Marie with three rolls of toilet paper to the song “Monster Mash.”

Mummy Wrap Team - 10-31-08

Here is Eliana doing the limbo. Jack be nimble, jack be quick. Jack go under limbo stick… Limbo lower now!

Eliana doing the limbo - 10-31-08

It was such a fun night. Afterwards, Eliana spent the night at Nana and Paw Paw’s. Antonio and I went to the movies in costume! We saw Quarantine and then went out dancing for a little while. What a day and night!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Kerner Elementary Welcomes Dianne - 10-30-08

Friends:

Today I had the pleasure of performing “Scared Silly” to celebrate Halloween at Kerner Elementary in Lafitte, Louisiana. I saw the entire school – K-6 grades in two performances. The first performance was for grades K-3. The students were so enthusiastic and participatory. They were absolutely wonderful and perfectly behaved. Following my show, I had a Q&A session. Several of the teachers told me that their classes would be writing and mailing letters to me. I can’t wait!

Scared Silly for Grades K-3 at Kerner - 10-30-08

After the little ones filed out, it was time for the big kids to come in. I had grades 4-6 for my second show. I adjusted the show to their age level, telling more “mature” spooky stories, including a Louisiana story about a bayou bogie called the “Fifolet.” They were fascinated. While I shared the story, you could hear a pin drop in the cafeteria. It was tons of fun.

Scared Silly for Grades 4-6 at Kerner Elementary - 10-30-08

The school could not have been more welcoming. There was a beautiful sign at the front of the school (the first picture you see); assistance unloading, setting up, and packing up my show; AND the cafeteria staff took it upon themselves to feed me! Yum! Thank you to Ms. Bordelon, Ms. Blair, Ms. Callen, Ms. Perrin, and all the teachers at Kerner Elementary. You have a beautiful school and fantastic students.

I hope to visit Kerner Elementary again! What a joyous experience!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Eliana the Adorable Witch - Saturday, October 25, 2008

Friends:

Yesterday, I had a “Scared Silly” show at the Council for Aging in Chalmette sponsored by the St. Bernard Parish Library. It was a full, fun crowd. Eliana came with me and dressed in costume as a witch. Here is Eliana posing for pictures with a fan. Too cute!

Eliana posing with fan - Saturday, October 25, 2008

I told “The House that Witchy Built,” a story I wrote adapted from the Mother Goose story form of “The House that Jack Built.” I also told my perennially popular “The Viper,” the edge-of-your seat and hilariously funny “Ghost of Mabel Gable,” and “Rap, Rap, Rap.”

Dianne performing "The Viper" - Saturday, October 25, 2008

Don’t you love those orange striped socks? Here I am doing a magic trick with an audience member. I love the spiders hanging from the ceiling!

Dianne doing magic with an audience member - Saturday, October 25, 2008

Eliana helped me perform my original song, “Shake-A-Shake Them Bones.” It was so much fun!

Eliana and Dianne Shake-A-Shakin' Them Bones - Saturday, October 25, 2008

After the show, Eliana changed and chilled out on the front porch swing.

Eliana Chillin' on the Front Porch Swing - Saturday, October 25, 2008

Notice that she still has her witch hat on?! LOL She was so cute.

Thank you to Janet Perez of the St. Bernard Parish Library for inviting me and for taking the great pictures of the show! Another special thank you to Susan at the St. Bernard Parish Council for Aging for lending us their building (the library is still in a post-Katrina temporary space that is much too small).

Thank you to my wonderful audience – all the children, parents and grandparents who attended. We had a blast with creepy sound effects, clapping, singing, dancing, and laughing. I look forward to returning to St. Bernard Parish Library!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Eliana's Spookover Door Sign - October 18, 2008

Friends:

Saturday was a blast! The night of my 8 year old daughter, Eliana’s Spookover, finally arrived! Eliana was ready for some swashbuckling fun. Argh, matey!

Pirate Eliana - October 18, 2008

We worked all day cleaning, decorating, and cooking. I set up my spooky backdrop and decorated the table full of frightening food – bloody pigs in a blanket, petrifying pizza party pinwheels, Jack-O-Jam cookies, popcorn chicken parts, witches brew and more. Check out the table. I love the mummies marrying under the Tree of Terror.

The Spooktacular Table - October 18, 2008

This is what the Witches Brew (lime sherbet ice cream in 7Up) looked like…

Witches Brew - October 18, 2008

All the girls had their own cups with their names on them. The girls came in costume. They are so adorable!

The Spookover Girls - October 18, 2008

No one had the same costume on – we had Hannah Montana, a princess bride, a mermaid, Sharpei from High School Musical, a pirate, a hip hop dancer, an angel, and an aquamarine princess. 8 crazy cuties ready to party! Here’s a parent-to-parent tip: I had all the parents/guardians fill out an emergency card with all their contact numbers on it – just in case…

We began with The Ghoulish Guessing Game. They each had a Halloween monster pinned to their back and they had to ask 10 yes-or-no questions. The first to guess their monster won. Next, we had a costume contest. My mom, Josie; my husband, Antonio; and I were judges. We judged the girls on three categories: creativity, originality, and attitude. Each category was worth 10 points with a total possible score of 90. The judges had score cards that were totaled at the end. The girls strutted down the “runway” and then had to talk about who they were. The pirate won with 79 points with the hip hop dancer and princess bride tied for second place. The girls loved winning prizes.

The Pirate and the Princess Bride - October 18, 2008

After that we moved on to “Pin the Hat on the Witch.” I made a witch with different colored hats with double stick tape on the back. The girls were blindfolded with a sleeping mask and spun around 6 times. They pinned their hats to the witch. I took pictures of each hat after they were placed so we could remove the hat and judge in the end whose hat was closest. It was funny to see where the hats were placed!

Pin the Hat on the Witch - October 18, 2008

After that, we moved on to The Creepy Clothes Race, a relay game. The girls were divided into teams of two, with four girls on each team. They were given a bag of clothes that contained a hat, a cape, a shirt, shorts, gloves, and a scarf. Each player raced to the opposite side, dressing in the creepy clothes and then raced back, undressing, stuffing the clothing in the bag, and handing it off to the next player. I played “Ghostbusters” as they raced. It was laugh-out-loud zany fun!

Creepy Clothes Race - October 18, 2008

Our last game was “Keepin’ It Under Wraps,” a wrapping mummy with tissue paper game. Again, the girls were divided into two teams of four girls. The smallest girls on each team were the mummies. The remaining girls on the team were the “wrappers.” Each wrapper was given a roll of cheap toilet paper. They had to wrap the mummy as quickly and as best as they could without the paper ripping, which it did – plenty! It was hilarious. They wrapped and rolled to the song “Monster Mash.” The team with the best looking mummy at the end of the song won.

Keepin It Under Wraps Game - October 18, 2008

Afterwards, the girls had a massive tissue paper fight. I wish I could be a kid again! Such uninhibited joy!

Tissue Paper Fight - October 18, 2008

And yes, they helped clean up the mess too – very quickly! After all the games, the girls were ready to settle down and eat.

Then we began crafting. We made Batty Sock Bats from socks, foam, googly eyes, and chenille sticks.

Crafting Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

These are the finished bats. Aren’t they the most boo-tiful bats you’ve ever seen?!!

Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

Here is a closeup of the bats…

Batty Socks Bats Closeup - October 18, 2008

Next, we made mummies out of toilet tissue rolls and Boo Bags from white paper lunch bags.

Boo Bags - October 18, 2008

After our creepy crafts, we headed outside to the screened, covered patio for marshmallow roasting and spooky stories. I told several stories including “The Ghost of Mable Gable,” “Bloody Fingers,” “The Ghost with One Black Eye,” and “Blood Red Lips.” The patio was dark except for several lit candles. It was the perfect spookmosphere.

Gathering for Ghost Stories - October 18, 2008

Finally, around 1:30 am, we headed inside and set up the sleeping area on the floor of the living room. Everyone brought their sleeping bags. I put in the movie, Ghostbusters, and all but three girls fell asleep. The last three girls fell asleep around 4:30 am! That meant that I was up with them!

In the morning, Antonio made Eliana’s Devil’s Food Monster Muffins. The girls had a spooktastic time and I was ready for a nap!! LOL Two of the girls had never been to a sleepover and they loved it so much, they want to do it again! (Yes, maybe next year, girls!! hahaha)

Wrapping the Mummy - October 18, 2008

It was a successful Spookover and Eliana was elated. And that’s all a Mummy can ask for, right?! Happy Spooky Season!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Wrapping Mummy Roll Craft - October 18, 2008

Wrappin’ Mummy Roll Craft

Supplies:
1 tissue paper roll
Old t-shirt ripped into 1 inch strips or gauze
Pot of old coffee
Large googly eyes
Hot glue

Directions:
To make the t-shirt or gauze look old, soak it in the coffee for 10-20 minutes. Allow to dry. Gluing one end down, wrap a foot long strip around the tissue paper roll. Glue the final end down. Glue large googly eyes to your mummy. Now you have a wrappin’ mummy roll!

Batty Sock Bat Craft - October 17, 2008

Batty Sock Bat Craft

Supplies:
New sock
Fiberfill stuffing
1 large sheet of foam matching the color of sock
1 Red chenille stick
1 chenille stick in a color matching the sock
Two medium size Googly Eyes
White cardstock or index card
Hot glue

Directions:
Stuff one sock with fiberfill about 3/4 full. Tie the end of the sock closed with a matching chenille stick, leaving a long piece to use as a hanger. Cut wings and ears out of foam and hot glue to the body. Glue on Googly Eyes. Cut a small piece of red chenille stick to create a mouth. Cut two sharp fangs out of cardstock or index card. Glue to body. When complete, hang upside down in front of a window. This is a great craft to go with the book, Bats at the Library!

Boo Bag Craft - October 17, 2008

Craft: Boo Bags
Supplies:
White paper lunch bags
Extra large Googly Eyes
Single hole punch
Long chenille stick (or 2 twisted together)
Black marker

Directions:
Instead of buying expensive, fancy Halloween goody bags, have the children make their own Boo Bags. Open a white paper lunch bag. Roll down the top twice to create a cuff. Flatten the bag and glue extra large Googly Eyes to one side of the bag. Draw a circular mouth underneath with the words BOO! in a speech bubble. Hole punch each side of the cuff and fasten chenille stick, creating a handle. Fill with your favorite goodies! Note: For extra pizzazz, cut arms out of index cards or cardstock and glue them to the sides.

Ghoulish Guessing Game - October 17, 2008

Ghoulish Guessing Game
Supplies:
3X5 index cards
Glue
Clip art of Halloween monsters
Safety Pins

Directions:
This is a fun guessing game, especially for a party or program. Print out clip art of different Halloween creatures (mummy, witch, vampire, bat, jack-o-lantern, ghost, Frankenstein, black cat, scarecrow, skeleton, etc.) and glue to a 3X5

Eliana's Spookover Invitation

Friends:

My 8 year old daughter, Eliana is having a “Spookover,” a spooky sleepover. The Spookover (which was an annual tradition for my 18 year old when she was younger) will feature “Frightful Food, Ghoulish Games, Creepy Crafts, and Spooky Stories.”

We made the invitation entirely out of construction paper, Elmer’s Glue, and a paper towel (for the ghost). I created a template from card stock for the haunted house. The rest of the invitation is a matter of cutting and cutting and cutting. The windows and the front door open up to the text of the invitation. This “BOO-tiful” handmade invitation is sure to win some attention!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne