Almost Halloween

When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.

Halloween is just around the corner and I have been searching for ideas and thought I would pass on some of the links to wonderful free resources I have found:

Pumpkin carving stencils at Halloween.co.uk
Halloween E-Cards at Dover Cards
Halloween Gift Labels at Land O' Lakes
Vegan Halloween Recipes/Resources at Bryanna's Vegan Feast
Cute Halloween Cards to Print at 123 Print Cards
Free E-Book "Halloween on a Dime" at Living on a Dime
Halloween Crafts at All Crafts
Papercraft/scrapbook collection at Canon Creative Park
Also see "What to do with Pumpkin Seeds"

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Halloween Beauty Tips

If you cannot face eating all the pumpkin after carving Jack O Lanterns please note that pumpkin, both raw and cooked, can be used externally on the skin as it's vitamins and oils make it a nourishing, anti-aging, hydrating, beauty aid and it's enzymes help loosen dead skin cells leaving your skin glowing.

A simple mask can be made with mashed/blended leftover cooked or raw pumpkin which you can use as is or add an extra ingredient like organic, badger-friendly honey or a free range egg or soy/dairy milk. Spread on face avoiding eye area (which you could cover with slices of cucumber or used wet tea bags to reduce any redness/puffiness), lie back and relax for 10 to 20 minutes and then rinse off with luke warm water.
Note: If you prefer a full descriptive recipe see the Vitamin Rich Pumpkin Face Mask Recipe with Dry and Oily Skin options at Care2 Healthy and Green Living. They also have an excellent Pumpkin Body Scrub recipe.

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Why not try a raw, nutritious, pumpkin pie for a change ?

Raw Pumpkin Pie
From Sad to Raw

2 cups raw pumpkin, cubed and peeled
3/4 cup young coconut meat (1 coconut)
1/3 cup coconut milk (or more)
1/2 cup soaked dates
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup ground raw walnuts
1/2 cup ground raw almonds

Put pumpkin thru champion, then put in food processor and add rest of ingredients. process till smooth--very smooth, this could take about 5+ min. Pour on top of your favorite raw crust. Decorate with pecans. Chill. Freezes well.

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I would like to thank Hamida of As Above So Below and Hamida the Herbalist blogs for the Award she passed on to me. I in turn award it to all those regulars who stop by and take the time to comment :)

Technorati : halloween Free beauty+recipes pumpkin+recipes rawfood

The Frugal Reader

I have been invited to join the Authors go GONZO! Carnival at Twiglet the Little Christmas Tree Blog. Sadly the closest thing I have ever got to becoming a writer is posting entries on this blog and my other blog The Vegan Diet. It is not that I haven't tried to write that great novel that everyone is meant to have inside them, but the fact I never ever got further than the first paragraph.

I should be able to write as I have always been an avid reader, starting at the age of three, devouring every book I could lay my hands on. My reading habits have changed in the last couple of years since I retired. Due to lack of space and having to tighten my belt I no longer buy books. I go to the library and scrounge the internet for free ebooks and magazines. I am now a Frugal Reader.

Below is a list of some of the useful websites that I have found:
Project Gutenburg
A library of 20,000 free ebooks whose copyright has expired in the USA Book listings. They are in many languages both Ancient and Modern and on many varied subjects, both Fiction and Non-Fiction. If you love the Classics you will find most of them here.
Vibration Magazine
A gorgeously-illustrated, free, quarterly journal about all types of Vibrational and Flower Essences and their uses both for your family and your pets. Articles suitable for everyone from beginners to the advanced. Free ebooks to download as well.
Sure Fire Weath
Great info for those who are working online as you can sign-up for instant access to business and niche ebooks.
The Natural Holistic Health Blog
A nice list of free ebooks on natural health and other topics.
eBook Lobby
Has free ebooks on the arts, photography, business, health, home and garden, and children ebooks.
Craft Creations Magazine
There are 43 issues of their magazine to download for free. With the holiday season coming up you will find their greeting card ideas very useful.
eBook88
A directory which has links to free ebooks on many subjects including health, sudoku, feng shui, goal setting, and childrens books.

Hopefully I shall write that book one day, but until then I shall continue to read, read, and read some more.

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There are some books that refuse to be written. They stand their ground year after year and will not be persuaded. It isn't because the book is not there and worth being written -- it is only because the right form of the story does not present itself. There is only one right form for a story and if you fail to find that form the story will not tell itself. Mark Twain
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Technorati Tags: authors+go+gonzo free+ebooks free+magazines frugal