Bye October you sure were fun!

It's November!

 I can welcome it warmly now that I've had my fun with October and truly, family traditions can still be enjoyed with or without having children at home.

The house still gets decorated, Halloween picture frames with the kids old and young sit on the mantle. Witches and pumpkins, ghost and skeletons hang around finding themselves in every room. Scented candles fill the air as well as baked bread and cookies.

Carving pumpkins is also a big tradition for us. Being empty nesters makes it tricky because the fun lies in doing it with the children. 

I was able to carve early with my grandsons while in Idaho which was more than I could have hoped for.            

Pumpkins were available and the boys were willing, what more could a Grandma ask for?

 But luck hit me a second time last Monday when the three oldest neighbor kids came over carrying pumpkins.            

Carving pumpkins is not their mothers thing, but she knows it's my thing. 

What a win, win, win all around. Mom didn't have to do it, I got to fill my pumpkin carving cup and the kids went home with Jack-o-lanturns.

On Halloween night the witch in me came out and dinner was served with all the fixin's that would make one's skin crawl.

 It's probably one of my favorite meals to make and the victims who braved the meal actually survived....again.

We had Ogre boogers,

 Spider legs and rat hearts tossed in a salad.

 a rotting skull

 and skeleton bones.

If dinner wasn't enough there was an array of desserts to choose from.

Monster eyes,

 Cupcakes to die for,

 and of course Witch poop.

Then living where we live its very rare to received trick or treaters but we had a few who took pity on us and brought their littles.

This Candy Bot was so adorable. His costume, custom made by his dad, was so incredibly creative.

This cute mother in law of mine came to dinner dressed as a cow girl. It was either festive or genius. Since cows have multiple stomach chambers for digestion she probably was thinking it was safer in the long run knowing, or not knowing, what she was about to eat.

So thank you October for once again giving me the opportunity to get my Halloween on.

Until next year!