Oh boy, my favorite month. I love October! I love Halloween and it's even my birthday this month (not so fav part of the year anymore) But it's still is a time when our temperatures start cooling down and it really, truly seems like we will see winter. October just seems like the gateway to all the holidays, somehow.

SheKnows has initiated some new boards and a Question of the Day. I hope you will all check them out. It's a fun way to meet some new people.

I would also like to announce that I given Amanda (crisantemo) the position of ACD. I know she will do a wonderful job. She has been my right hand for sometime as it is so now I have made it official. Please give her a shout out and congratulate her if you run into her.

I also hope you stop on by for a new Fall or Halloween siggy or glitter or blinkie. We have lots of makers who are here to make your wishes come true.

We here at Graphic Central wish you all a Happy Halloween. BOO



Our Get-To-Know-You question this month is what really scares you? All hosts please answer this in the Community Leaders board and remember to leave your P&P email address so you can get your points.



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Oct. 1st - World Vegetarian Day, Homemade Cookies Day
Oct. 2nd - Name Your Car Day
Oct. 3rd - Captain Kangaroo Day, National Denim Day
Oct. 6th - Child Health Day, World Habitat Day
Oct. 9th - National Poetry Day (England), Leif Ericson Day, Moldy Cheese Day
Oct. 12th - Farmer's Day, Dia de la Raza
Oct. 13th - Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
Oct. 15th - National Grouch Day
Oct. 16th - World Food Day, Dictionary Day
Oct. 17th - Black Poetry Day
Oct. 18th - Sweetest Day
Oct. 22nd - National Nut Day
Oct. 24th - United Nations Day, National Bologna Day
Oct. 26th - Mother-In-Law's Day
Oct. 28th - Plush Animal Lovers Day
Oct. 31st - Halloween

Special Goings-On
Child Health Day (First Monday)
Columbus Day (Second Monday)
Thanksgiving Day in Canada (Second Monday)
World Space Week (1st Week)
Fire Prevention Week (2nd Week)
Fire Safety Month Reading Hour
National School Lunch Week (2nd Week)
Teen Read Week (2nd Week)
Sweetest Day (Third Saturday)
Mother-in-Law's Day (Third Sunday)
National Magic Week (4th Week)
Daylight Savings Time Ends (Last Sunday)
Adopt-a-Shelter-Animal Month
Computer Learning Month
Family History Month
National Apple Month
National Clock Month
National Dessert Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Pasta Month
National Pizza Festival Month
National Popcorn Popping Month
National Pork Month
National Roller Skating Month
National Seafood Month
National Stamp Collecting Month
Polish American History Month



Curried Pumpkin Apple Soup

Serve this scrumptious dish as a first course on Thanksgiving Day or as dinner's main event on a chilly evening. The curry gives it a subtly exotic flavor, while the apple and honey add a touch of sweetness.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 teaspoons mild curry powder
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 whole bay leaf
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Sour cream and chives, for garnish (optional)
1. Melt the butter in a medium-size soup pot. Stir in the onion, celery, and apple. Partially cover the pot and sauté the ingredients over medium-high heat until the onion is clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and sauté the mixture for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and cook it for 1 minute more.

2. Pour the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, add the pumpkin, and puree the soup until it's smooth.

3. Pour it all back into the pot, then stir in the remaining chicken broth, the salt, and the bay leaf. Set the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

4. After 5 minutes, stir in the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of honey. Taste the soup, adding more salt or honey if necessary to get the desired balance of sweet and savory. Simmer it for 2 minutes more, remove the soup from the heat, and serve it hot. For a pretty -- and tasty -- touch, garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Makes 6 servings.



Gauzy Ghosts

It takes practically nothing to make this family of mischievous sprites.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Different-size plastic milk jugs or juice bottles
Laundry starch
Aluminum foil
Paper towels
White gauze or cheesecloth

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Top each jug or bottle with a ball of crumpled aluminum foil.

2. Cut white gauze or cheesecloth into 18-inch squares (one square for each ghost). Dip the gauze squares into a bowl filled with laundry starch. Pull them out one at a time and squeeze out the excess moisture. Drape a square over each bottle.

3. To shape the ghosts' shoulders and arms, loosely pile crumpled aluminum foil near the bottle and drape the gauze over it. Flare out the lower edges of the gauze and let dry overnight. (To make a dog, simply drape a small square of gauze over shaped foil.)

4. Once they've dried, carefully lift the ghosts from their bottles. They should stand freely on a flat surface.



There's a great new addition to the SheKnows affiliations and it's called Family Corner.com Magazine. Check it out here They have some wonderful crafting ideas and it looks like a terrific site to check out.



We thought maybe you might have a question about something that goes on here at Graphic Central. We have lots of forums here...Photography, Signature Fun-which includes, Blinkies, Glitter Names and Custom Signatures and Graphics. The hosts have added tutorials in each category if you would like to learn any of these graphics arts. Please read through the tutorials and have a go at it. And please show us what you make. We'd love to see. We are also very open to having volunteers and/or Hosts in our requests forums. Please inquire within about becoming a volunteer if you know how to make blinkies, glitters, siggies or graphics of any kind. If you have any other questions, something you would like to know about any of these fields, please let us know and we will give you the answer in the following newsletter next month. Just leave us a post.