It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

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Like many of you, Halloween is my very favorite time of year, followed closely by Christmas of course. I adore the explosion of the senses that occurs in the Autumn. The colors, textures, smells and tastes excite the inner child in me. I get a thrilling rush of inspiration that carries me right through the Winter Holidays.

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Some of my regular readers may have noticed my extended absence of blogging posts throughout the last few months. That is partly to do with the natural cycle of being more busy during the Summer months, and partly to do with me breaking my knee a month ago. So, the Crafty Chick Update is as such:

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My children & I had a lovely Summer filled with backyard swimming, BBQ's, Beach & Lagoon Trips, a weekend boating vacation on Catalina Island. In July we had a nice 6th Birthday Party at the Lagoon for my son Jeremiah; and we even squeezed in a Wanna Be Camp Out in early August. (Details on the party at http://craftychickscuppacoffee.blogspot.com/2009/07/catchin-up-with-crafty-chick-gaia-art.htmll/ and the Wanna Be Camp Out at http://craftychickscuppacoffee.blogspot.com/2009/08/advenures-in-back-yard.html/ )

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Then, on August 30th, after a great day at the Lagoon; calamity struck. It came silently,like it usually does; and crept firmly into my life. Basically,the short story is that I fell and fractured my knee. (Details here: http://craftychickscuppacoffee.blogspot.com/2009/09/hey-guysguess-what-i-did-this-weekend.html/) I finally had my surgery last week; and am now on the road to recovery.

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This whole injury ordeal has presented me with many new obstacles; and is teaching me many unexpected lessons. I'm taking lot's of notes. Lol.

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Thankfully, my family, friends, and neighbors have been incredibly kind to me and my kids. It is true what they say about how you find out who your true friends are in times like this.

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Unfortunately, it seems that I am going to have to forgo our Annual Halloween Pumpkin Pot Luck Party for a much smaller affair.

You see, each year for the past 5 years we have invited our friends, family, and the local school & neighborhood families to my home during one Saturday in October. We decorate pumpkins, make chocolate haunted houses, play games and eat creepy fun foods. I think that I look forward to it as much (or more) than the kids. Halloween Parties give me the perfect opportunity to 'play' at decorating, with my arts 'n crafts, as well as making creative foods to serve.

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So, while it looks as if I will not be able to pull of the usual Halloween Activities- that we will definitely still be celebrating in a scaled down version. I figure that all of this will make me even more creative, and appreciative of whatever Holiday Celebrations that we do have this year.

I have also been saving all sorts of fun vintage Halloween images and some great blog post ideas. I will get to them as I have time and energy. The good thing about Holidays is that they come again next year, and the year after. Lol.

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That's about it for now. I hope that everyone is enjoying their own Summer's End, Back 2 School & Autumn Celebrations. Take care. :)

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~Danae, The Crafty Chick

Dinner & Drinks? Ok Just Drinks...

...And a Beer Batter Bloomin' Onion Recipe for you!

That's why its good to have a few cold ones in the fridge! You never know when you may need to placate the Hubby or the Guests while you make a frantic call for Take-Out! And of course light a few scented candles and air out the burn smell from the kitchen.

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Now for me personally, I like to drink beer- but NEVER EVER Schlitz Beer! No way! I am more of a Micro-Brew or Import kind of Gal. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my favorite 'everyday' sort of beer. But it seems like Schlitz put out quite a few cool ads 'back in the day'.

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In honor of this 'All American' drink- and in 'Sisterly Solidarity' with the poor Lady above who burt her dinner (Lol!); I have a cool beer related recipe to share. And it is perfect for Summertime too.

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OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE BLOOMIN' ONION

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4 Vidalia or Sweet Texas Onions

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Batter:

1/3 C Cornstarch

1 1/2C Flour

2 tsp Garlic (minced)

2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

24oz Beer

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Seasoned Flour:

4 C Flour

4 tsp Paprika

2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne

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Mix Cornstarch, Seasonings and Flour until well blended.

Add Beer, mix well.

Cut 3/4" off the top of the Onion. And peel outer skin of Onion.

Then make 12-16 vertical slits, being careful not to cut down to the root bottom.

Remove the center from the Onion (about 1")

Dip Onion into the Flour, and shake off excess.

Separate the petals, then dip into the Batter.

Gently place into he fryer basket, and deep fry at 375-400* for 1 1/2 minutes

Turn over and fry for another 1 1/2 minutes until golden brown and crispy

Drain on paper towels

Serve with a BBQ Dipping Sauce

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CREAMY CHILI SAUCE

1 pint Mayonaisse

1 pint Sour Cream

1/2 C Chili Sauce

1/2tsp Cayenne Pepper

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~Bon Apetite!

Oh, The Drama!

******** These just crack me up! ********

Those Were The Days...

W.C. Feilds and Mae West

- The very first

of the blonde bombshell Pin-Up Girls.

The Queen of,

"Why don't ya come up and see me sometime?"

Retro Fabulous Humor

Now this is a real ad...it hasn't been altered. Pretty Funny Huh?!

LARD??? I Dunno Honey. Do I Have To?

I know the quality aint so hot- but come on! Lard Information Council? Whats next?!

*Another- "I can't believe this is a real ad" post.

Can You IMAGINE???

And we thought today's kids were fast! No wonder we've had generation after generation of smokers!
*Just another "I can't believe this is a real ad!"

Russian Vodka...Russian Bride...

Now does she get to drink the Vodka while scrubbing the floor? 'Cause I might go for that...(TOTALLY KIDDING!)

*Another, "I can't believe this was a real ad" post.

The Guaranteed 3 Day Diet...

I think this is gonna be a good kick off for my, "I Can't Believe This Is A Real Ad Week!"

I have quite a few of these beauties stashed away, and I was trying to think of a good purpose for them...well, this seems to be it. So for the next few posts, these are all the Ads that I cannot believe are for real. (And maybe some that I wish were!) As far as I know, these Ads are in their real, and unaltered state. ~Enjoy!

WooHoo! Summer Is Here!

I cannot tell y0u just how happy I am
that Summer is FINALLY here!

The Good Things In Life...

Most of the good things in life are enjoyed in the little moments.
Sometimes we just have to relax a bit, and take the time to truly enjoy them.

Just One Of Those Days...

Do you ever have those days were you feel like the Wicked Witch of the East?

Where you try to be good. You really, really WANT to be good.

But no matter how hard you try...You end up feeling like this?!

At times, I do.

So glad Summer is almost here- I sure am ready for it!

Have a good day guys. ~Danae

Oy! I Feel Like I've Been Stuck In The 1950's!

Boy am I ever glad that's over with!

For those of you who already know...so sorry for the recap- I'll be brief. For those of you who didn't know why I've been neglecting my blog for a month now...it's because I've been stuck in the Dark Ages for the past few weeks. I've had me a real good run of 'bad techno juju'.

First my wireless Internet card busted.

I thought- "No big deal, at least I still have my cell phone's Internet. I can pick up my e-mail, read my blogs, go to a friend's house to post & send in my homework,etc.."

Then- the very next day my cell phone's Internet went out too!

So, I did what I was supposed to, called the tech support folks...and whad'ya think happened next?

Yup... In the process of trying to 'fix' my computer problem, the tech support people locked up
(ie: broke!) my cell phone. The whole damn thing- not just the computer!

After a few more 'major communication breakdowns' and other electronical setbacks, thankfully things started looking up for me. About 5 calls and 2 e-mails later, and they said that they are going to be sending me a new phone- "after their supervisor approves it!"

So cross your fingers for me, PLEASE! :)

And thankfully, last week I was able to get a new Internet card. So I am back in blogging action!

There were a few perks about not having such easy access to the Internet. One, it made me slow down and take the time to work on some offline projects that I have going on; which was very nice. I also was able to focus better on my school work, and I ended up getting not one, but 2 100%'s on my Research Papers (!) and a 98% on a test! Super Woo Hoo!

(Now, before anyone goes and thinks I am a genius or a rocket scientist (hee hee), let me tell you- I am not. These are just some extra-curricular classes that I am taking, and I am sure they are graded as such. (Not that I don't work my butt off to earn those grades- because I do; they just aren't in Biology, or Calculus. So now you know!

Also, I was able to get a bit of art work done, and work on some projects with the Kidlets. We are busy finishing up the school year and getting ready for Summer!

I LOVE Summer! I love spending the days at the pool or Lagoon, BBQ'ing each night, Sunday concerts on the cliffs overlooking the ocean...and whatever other fun stuff this Summer has in store for us! Hopefully a great 6th Birthday Party for Jeremiah, some camping, and maybe a trip to the Lake or to Catalina Island. (Or both if we are super lucky!)

So...I will close up this post with I am super glad to be back online- and Thanks to the Folks who still took the time to email me or comment on the blog while I was gone. You Guys are awesome! You are what makes blogging so much fun! Take care Ya'll- and have a nice weekend! ~Danae

SOME OF YOU WILL UNDERSTAND...

Aaaah, The Lovely Bernie...

Have You Ever Had One Of Those days?!#*@#?!

* WELL I'M HAVING ONE RIGHT NOW !!! *

Retro Fabulous Humor

A Little Retro Recreation Funny 4 U...

*Aaaah-ha-ha-ha! Now that is some good advice!*

A Little Retro Recreation Funny 4 U...

*Just a little something to put a smile on your face!* :)

*Enjoy your weekend* ~from Danae

An Awesome Anti-Hate Video To Share With You...

Hello Again! I wanted to share this with you all. It isn't Vintage or Retro related at all...but it is a fabulously important message that I think we all could benifit from. If you like it, I urge you to share t with the folks that you know. This origionally came from a post on rs. B's blog, "Cofessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom". (Excellent blog, by the way!) It is shared here with her permission. It is also up on my "Crafty's Cuppa Coffee" blog.

***DISCLAIMER***This video contains the F-Bomb, so if any of you cannot handle colorful language, have kids in the room, or are a kid yourself; then this message is not fo you! Otherwise...ENJOY!