Happy Halloween, the finale!

Are you glad I'm finally done with these posts? I am glad to be done! Though it's been a FUN two weeks.


The costumes:
We went with an Asian theme. I don't do themes every year but I like to if I can.

Samuel: Homemade ninja. Favorite part: the fact that I decided to use some old church pants that had a hold in the knee. I didn't have time to sew pants and or mend the old ones! Fabric was from my collection. All I had to pay for was the shirt.

Jocelyn: My FAVORITE this year. An Indian princess. I asked my sister Jennie to bring me a sari from India 6 months ago. Yes, I think that far ahead. Call me crazy but I already have an idea for next year's Halloween costumes! If our bunny is still alive :) Anyway, I love that hers is authentic and that I didn't have to sew it! Plus Jennie brought back those little dots (not sure of the name).

Cecily: Little Chinese boy, I mean child. This outfit is technically a boys but who cares! Again, my world traveler sister, bought this in San Francisco's China Town.

I wanted to have a little photo shoot for the kids but ended up only having it with Jocelyn. She loved doing this in our little forest. I couldn't decide which ones I liked the best so please excuse the amount.









The Food: My favorite part. Especially that nice little one in the middle. I love you Reese's peanut butter cups!!!

I offered $5 to purchase a toy for either one who wanted to sell me their candy. Not for me to eat (well, except for the chocolate ones for me and Swedish fish, sour patch kids and other favorites for Tyler). I am just sick of all the candy they beg, sneak or steal from now through Easter. I'd rather it just be gone. Not sure where I will donate it yet.

I started a tradition in 2005 of making doughnuts every Halloween season. I still have not found the best doughnut recipe, either cake or yeast. So this year I tried another new one this year. Apple fritters from Pioneer Woman. I liked them because I had the ingredients, they were easy AND the kids didn't notice the hidden apple chunks! Plus, of course, they were delicious!

Me enjoying them in my domestic apron. Doesn't it look like I'm pregnant?

Here they are, but not nearly as good as PW's photos.

And then I wanted to make gourmet caramel apples. If you look closely they look like the kids dribbled chocolate on them. I'll have to practice that. Fun gifts for friends!

And this is end of October!!!

Halloween part deux

Party #4
Law School annual Parade and trick-or-treating

Every Halloween the Law School hosts a pizza party and costume parade. Then afterward the kids go trick-or-treating in the little carrels, or cubicle/booth/desk thingys. The students provide the candy and/or decorate them and the little kids go around and "cash in".

Jocelyn was too shy to stand up and show everyone her beautiful costume.

I made their trick-or-treat bags this year. I was sick of looking at the cheap ones sold at the stores so I made some sturdy canvas bags that will last for years and are not too big. Actually, it's a good time to stop trick-or-treating too, when they're bags are full, so small the better. Actually, when I was a kid, and I got older though, I used a pillowcase. And I had that thing filled easily. Nowadays, is that possible? Do that many people actually hand out candy? or can you trust too many people anymore to get that much?? Some of the students wouldn't give the kids candy unless they said "trick-or-treat". Sheesh, guess I am a bad mom for not teaching them the proper ways.



Party #5 Halloween night (ie, Saturday night because we live in Utah. Fine with me!)

First, I was mean and made the kids clean up all their toys and settle their hyper rear ends down. Then while Tyler cut some wood for an exciting project that I have embarked on, the kids watched a short Halloween cartoon which scared Jocelyn. Then we carved pumpkins.

Uh, this is the only action shot I got.

Here they are. In the rain.
Tyler does the fancy carving. I used a drill for mine. Wanted something pretty.

Yes, It was a beautiful day until late afternoon. No signs of the the threatening storm. Then, around 5pm, it rained and poured. So I decided to take the kids trick-or-treating at the Mall. Wow. That was interesting. First, seeing all the weirdos in their costumes. Then we ended up parading through the mall for about 30 minutes resulting in about 5 pieces of candy. I think the rain brought more people in than normal and all the stores ran out. Plus they gave away lame candy like one single tootsie roll. Lame.

Afterward we went to Dairy Queen which worked out nicely because it was empty and quiet. Cecily had her first ice cream and went a little crazy about it. Call me a bad mother for allowing her to have a milk based food too early. Plus they gave us vouchers for a free ice cream. I like trick-or-treating there!

And then the kids crashed for the night and Tyler and I watched another law movie. Got to learn me some law lingo. Nice.

Halloween Decor

I decorated for the first time this season. It gets us all in the season and excited for this pagan holiday!

Fabric Halloween countdown chain

Pennant buntings (you can buy it here!)

Garbage bag ghost garland

Pillow slipcovers. I made these covers to reuse my existing couch pillows. I used velcro so I can just take them off and make some Christmas ones! And they're washable. I got this great pillow silhouette idea from my cousin Sascha. I found the cat template here and the spider web is just clip art. Each is made of felt and $1 store kitchen linens. The cat is sewn on and the web is ironed and sewn on for extra stability.

The bat tree inspired from Martha Stewart here. Spray painted dead branch with hanging felt bats.

The vase is filled with beans and these poisonous little orange berries (can't remember the name Gma F) were loosely inspired by Tiff.

Floating garbage bag ghosts

Floating felt bats in doorway inspired by my other cousin Sarah Jane here

Happy Halloween!

Conference Weekend

Over Conference Weekend my family got together at my folks house. The entire family was together because Jennie and Grant drove in from Denver. It was so fun to spend some time together, be filled with knowledge and inspiration from these great men, enjoying eat great food and conversation and playing too much Agricola! It was a nice long weekend because Tyler had off the next week so we didn't have to rush home afterward. And my dad took our family pictures the following Monday.




On the last night we went to a few towns over for Chinese food. Here is Cecily sitting in her first highchair at a restaurant. I thought it was cute how she barely fit over the table.

Good food was shared.
My little sister Rose and my mom!

Cecily's first corn on the cob. She's clearly enjoying it.

Jennie and Warren.

Grant, Tyler and Gledis (L to R).

Eva.

The kids collected leftover shells from Tyler and Grant's shooting session. They thought they were treasures. lol. Little did they know they were cleaning up!

The gathering.


The carnage left

from these delicious pancakes.

And then more listening and watching Conference. President Uchtdorf's was my favorite again.

Prego Jennie.

My dad taking notes and the corner of Levi's legs.

I did not catch any photos of Alex, Marci, myself, or baby Owen.

Halloween Parties

Any excuse to wear Halloween costumes more than once in a season is fine with me! Plus I was able to work out all the tweeks with their costumes before the big day! I love Halloween and planning, preparing and partying for it!

Party #1:
Pumpkinland , Orem, Utah

The Law Partners hosted a get together at Pumpkinland and the kids were thrilled to go. There was a pretty good (ie, not too easy and TALL) corn maze, a little "farm", and their favorite; bouncy houses. OH, and the funniest looking rabbits I've ever seen. The funniest was the brown fluffy thing I endearingly called "Ewok." Thanks Wendy N. for taking these photos for us.

The kids with friends Amanda and Katie.

Party #2:
Julie's "Earth's Best" sponsored party.

Cute decorations, yummy food and great company. The kids had fun playing with some new and some familiar friends in the ward. Thanks to my dad's cousins wife (ie, Alicia) for taking these photos. The kids are dressed from the Orient. Jocelyn in a Sari, Cecily in China Town garb and Samuel is a homemade ninja.

Trying to make Jocelyn smile. Typical.

At least she's looking at the camera now.

Party #3:
Cousins party

It was a gloomy rainy day. The BYU game was that day so Micaela was stuck in traffic and the deluge that never really quit. But it gave me some more time to prep.

Did you know that dry ice sublimates? In other words, vanishes? I bought some 2 days in advance, you know, thinking I was doing well with planning ahead. The store people kept in a plastic bag and then inside a paper bag and I took it home (with the windows close, which is also a safety hazard...but I wasn't going very far) and stuck it in my freezer right away. The morning of the party I go get the ice and it's gone! The bag is completely lightless and there are frozen fuzzy crystals everywhere. It disappeared! $4 wasted! I had no idea it would disappear in the freezer!!! Tyler laughed at me for not knowing. haha. So our witches brew was just root beer (thank you Emily!).

I did have grand and glorious plans of making a lot more food and decorating a bit more...but I spent too much time on the internet browsing recipes and ideas that I never actually got to executing them all. A lot of inspiration came from this cool website (seriously check out their Halloween food ideas) and from Martha Stewart.

Handmade banner and ghosts in the background.

Samuel devouring his frosting. Vera, as Dorothy and w/o her adorable red wig.

Emma, the witch. Paul (not pictured) was the cowardly lion.

Jocelyn (with princess dress up over her Sari), Peter and Creigh as Indiana Jones'.

The cupcakes using this recipe. And some cupcake flags, of course!

Place markers found on someone else's blog who got the idea from Martha. I was really excited about these. And the kids loved them too!

The food table. Notice no "brewing" action going on. And that is Samuel's sword. He thought it would be cool to add to the photo.

Horrible shadowy picture, does not do justice. Blah. Bat tree inspiration from Martha.

The table. Pizza was served (and not pictured).

I wanted to make these but ran out of time....so we had them on Monday night instead. These little mummy men. And actually, I am learning that not a lot of kids actually like to eat these. At least, not in my family. Jocelyn ate hers but Samuel opted out for leftover pizza.

Ghost cookies (nutter butters covered in almond bark).

The decorated pumpkins. They had fun with this. 3D, washable, glittery Elmer's glue.

More fun times ahead!