This Halloween has come and gone so fast. Probably because our family had the PIG Flu for 3 of the 4 weeks in October. I simply love Halloween parties, Halloween food, Halloween decorating, Halloween....well, you get the picture, right? Having said this, the week of Halloween I was still not feeling 100%, so the holiday was simplified just a wee bit. We did have Carson's 10th birthday at the beginning of the week, but not much more in the way of parties, food and decor.
Tradition in our family, is that you get to chose your favorite meal for your birthday. Carson chose roast, mashed potatoes, caramelized carrots and onions, and yeast rolls. A girl after my own heart. It was very simple, no friends or other family as I had planned. I think we were all kind of glad to just have a restful day with the crazy month we have had. Carson is at the age where she loves clothes and accessories. So for this birthday, she got several outfits from us, which is to be followed up by a day of shopping and lunch with me. My mother also sent her a gift card, cute swim suit for next year, and a great outfit. Her grandparents in Utah sent her a little birthday money that she is dying to spend at Claires! That's my Carson.
On Friday, Walmart Home Office opens up their doors for the employees children to come trick-or-treating. I forgot about this completely and Aaron called at 1 to see if I was coming at 3. Ahhh, NO! My hair was tore up! No makeup on. Spit up clothes on. Babies looking like rag-tag children and he wants me to get all the kids home from school and get their costumes on and be there by 3? Ha! Well, thankfully, Kelly came to the rescue. Her husband had better communication skills that day, so she was able to swing by and get the kids. That was a huge hit and they so enjoyed going to daddy's office. Thanks Kelly!
For Halloween, I really didn't feel like making my usual chili, corn bread and fun appetizers to munch on. So, we decided to take the kids to the free Sonic Night where they ate hot dogs and drinks. It wasn't the greatest, but there was no preparation, work, or cleanup involved, so it was all good to me. After that, we went with the Stephan's to the Burkhart's Halloween Party to eat and Trick-or-Treat in our old neighborhood. I sooo miss all of my friends there! Shannon's husband, Bill, had a flatbed trailer complete with hay so that all of the kids could pile on and ride through the "hood" trick-or-treating. My girls had a ball! I won't even tell you about the amount of candy that a large family can gather, especially when vendors hand out whole candy bars. It is insane.
The day after Halloween was Sunday this year. I have to admit, it was hard to get up and get ready for church. Maybe it was from the late night or too much sugar? Either way, we did arrive, but were 5 minutes late. Our ward is huge! You snooze, you loose! Being 5 minutes late and there was still no room in the gym, so we headed for the Relief Society Room. Nice cushioned chairs there, so it wasn't all bad. After church, it was too pretty to go inside after being cooped up indoors for weeks on end. Most of it was because of the flu, but the other reason was that it has rained most of October! Our family took a picnic and enjoyed a great drive. I was able to capture some cute fall pictures with my cell phone! Yes, my cell phone. My camera battery died. Go figure!
I really hope that the rest of the year goes by much slower so that I can enjoy all of the things I like to do. I am thinking about having an adult progessive dinner party. I simply love those! So it must slow down, so that the season doesn't "progress" right on by before I get the chance to get it together! I already have one host besides myself, but am in need of 2-3 more to open up their home for a bit...items left are 1: appetizers and 2: salad portion. If you decide to help, you will be able to have input on the guest list for sure! Any takers? It is sure to be a fun night! Happy Holidays!
