Tannehill Halloween Fairytale Festival

AND THE WINNER IS...

KARMAN!!! Give me a call and let me know which one of the FIVE prizes you have chosen! Congratulations... and thanks to everyone who played!

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pics are of AUTUMN! I just rode around our little town yesterday and took a few photos of things that caught my eye.

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - You have a little more time to "like" my links to get your name in the Contest Bowl. I'll stop everything at 11:30 a.m. today and announce the winner by noon!

I made a mistake though. I kept saying "Thursday, October 19" was the last day of the Contest. Obviously, the last day of the Contest is today, Thursday, OCTOBER 20. My bad!

If you haven't been around in awhile, read the following to enter today...

Okay. This is a good one. After much thought, I decided to celebrate my third year of blogging (Thursday, October 20) by letting you enter the Contest via Facebook. Super easy.

All you have to do is "like" my link. I post A Simple Life link every day (Monday through Friday) on Facebook. If you hit the "like" button, you are automatically entered in the Contest!

NOTE - Every time you like my links (A Simple Life OR 50 is Nifty) over the next couple of days, your name will go into the bowl... again. I sometimes post two links a day. That is two chances a day! Not bad, huh?

And the prize is... to... die... for! If you win, you get to pick from the following items which will be purchased (by me) from Whole Foods Market:

1. Two beautiful bars of organic soap. (Just tell me your bathroom colors, and I will make sure the bars match. They come in many pretty colors and they smell divine!)

2. A $10 Gift Certificate to the Village Brasserie. (This is the little restaurant in the middle of Whole Foods. It is wonderful!)

3. An assortment of ten mini desserts delivered to your door.

4. A $10 Gift Certificate to Whole Foods Market!

5. A $10 Gift Certificate to Yogurt Mountain (which is conveniently located CLOSE to Whole Foods Market).

Remember... You can only choose one of the above!

What are you waiting for? Hit the "like" button under my link and your name will be put in the bowl for drawing Thursday, October 20 at NOON!

If we aren't friends on Facebook (or you are not on Facebook), feel free to contact me via e-mail, and I will put your name in the bowl. No problem!

RANDOMNESS #1 - Mikie's home! He enjoyed his time in Washington, D.C., but he was ready to be HOME... and we were ready for him to be HOME, too.

We had the traditional celebratory chili and cornbread dinner last night in his honor. I also tried a new dessert... which kind of bombed. There, I admitted it. I'll be doing the tried and true pecan pie today to make up for last nights "new pumpkin dessert debacle." No mistakes!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Speaking of chili, Mikie sent me a HILARIOUS e-mail the other day. It will make you LAUGH OUT LOUD! I promise! (I had to change a few words in order to maintain my G-rating. They weren't bad words. They just weren't "A Simple Life" words.)

New Mexico Chili Cook Off

This is an actual account as relayed to paramedics at a chili cook-off in New Mexico.

Note - Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better.

For those of you who have lived in New Mexico, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-Off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the Santa Fe Plaza. Judge #3 was an inexperienced chili-taster named Frank, who was visiting from Springfield, Illinois.

Frank - "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing at the judge's table asking for directions when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native New Mexicans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy; and they told me I could have free root beer during the tasting, so I accepted and became Judge #3." (I changed the word "beer" to "root beer." Again, just maintaining that ever-important G-rating!)

Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CHILI #1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI

Judge #1 - A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge #2 - Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.
Judge #3 (Frank) - Holy crap, what is in this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two root beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These New Mexicans are crazy.

CHILI #2 - EL RANCHO'S AFTERBURNER CHILI

Judge #1 - Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge #2 - Exciting BBQ flavor. Needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge #3 - Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more root beer when they saw the look on my face.

CHILI #3 - ALFREDO'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI

Judge #1 - Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.
Judge #2 - A bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge #3 - Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more root beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back. Now my backbone is in the front part of my chest.

CHILI #4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC

Judge #1 - Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge #2 - Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods. Not much of a chili.
Judge #3 - I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. I am eating nuclear waste!

CHILI #5 - LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER

Judge #1 - Meaty, strong chili. Jalapeno peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge #2 - Chili using shredded beef. Could use more tomato. Must admit the jalapeno peppers make a strong statement.
Judge #3 - My ears are ringing. Sweat is pouring off my forehead, and I can no longer focus my eyes. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring root beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really ticks me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming.

CHILI #6 - VARGA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY

Judge #1 - Thin, yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge #2 - The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, garlic. Superb.
Judge #3 - My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. Can't feel my lips anymore.

CHILI #7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI

Judge #1 - A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge #2 - Ho hum. Tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. (I should note that I am worried about Judge #3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.)
Judge #3 - You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing. It's too painful. I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4" hole in my stomach.

CHILI #8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI

Judge #1 - The perfect ending. This is a nice blend chili. Not too bold, but spicy enough to declare it's existence.
Judge #2 - This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild, nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor fella. Wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili?
Judge #3 - No report.

The Enchanting Belinda says, "My chili was perfect, by the way!"

RANDOMNESS #3 - I'm going on a hike today. That's right. A hike! My friend, Julie, has discovered a new and exciting campground only 15 minutes from our homes. FIFTEEN MINUTES!

That means in the bathhouses are less than desirable (and let's face it, most bathhouses are), I can just scoot home for a nice hot shower!

There's a stream and everything.

I cannot wait!

RANDOMNESS #4 - I didn't have to (get to) take Roxie on her driving lesson yesterday. Since Mikie arrived home, she immediately hit him up for some driving time.

"Babe. I've been traveling all day. I would kind of just like to stay home and relax and spend some time with y'all."

I waited for the fireworks to commence.

"Okay, Daddy. Maybe tomorrow." And then she kissed him! What's that about?

If I had pulled the "relax and spend some time with y'all" line, it would not have been pretty... at all!

I'm not bitter... just incredibly angry. (There is a difference, you know.)

Blog Linkage - I have some good ones today.

1. Go to Nesting Place under My Blog List. Scroll down to the post entitled "Day 17: Mirrors, the Pixie Dust of Design" dated October 17. I love this idea.

2. Go to www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com. It's a food blog as you might imagine, and there are tons of good recipes on this blog. Plus, I really, really like the name. I can relate to this chick.

3. Go to eighteen25 under My Blog List. Scroll down to the post entitled "(Past Projects) Halloween" dated October 19. They have some very cute and doable crafts for this time of year.

4. If you didn't read yesterday's post (and I can't imagine why you didn't), go to Nitty.Gritty. under My Blog List and scroll down to the post entitled "Happiness is Warm Laundry" dated October 18. I love, love, love this super simple idea. Everyone could do this TODAY... and make a little memory.

Enjoy!

Tannehill Halloween Fairytale Festival

This is an annual event held at Tannehill State Park the Saturday before Halloween each year. I have friends who attend with their kids, and they LOVE it!

The Tannehill Halloween Fairytale Festival is a non-scary, fun-filled holiday event focused on the campgrounds. It annually attracts over 6,000 visitors, most of them children.

Begun in 1992, the Halloween event features park-sponsored programs during the afternoon and traditional Halloween candy “trick or treat” stops at more than 200 campsites during the evening.

Park events include a moon walk, clowns, face painting, pony rides and sand art. Campground site decorations and lights are extensive, creative and surreal.

It's Saturday only from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., October 29, 2011.

The cost is $3.00 for adults (12 years and older); $2.00 for seniors (62 years and older); and $1.00 for children (6 to 11 years). Ages 5 and under are FREE.

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park
12632 Confederate Parkway
McCalla, Alabama 35111
205-477-5711

If you're looking for something "different," but fun, this would make a great FAMILY DATE!

Have a fantastic Thursday. I'm about to start looking for my hiking boots! I'll be back at noon to let you know who won the Contest. I'll also be here in the morning with Weekend Happenings.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda