Halloween Party

 It's time for our annual Halloween Party hosted by Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist!  I look forward to this every year, don't you?  However, things at my house are pretty different these days.  Halloween with a toddler is more than a smidge different than Halloween with grown-ups only.  I venture to say it's sweeter and slower, which are awfully nice.

I coaxed Miss Onderful out of her jammies and cowgirl hat to head down to the Pumpkin Patch.

"We'll stick 'em up, Mama!  We'll take ALL the pumpkins!"  And then I have to take a deep breath and count to ten.  "No, love-we'll purchase a pumpkin, just like everyone else."

We arrive home with a pumpkin for every member of the family. A big handsome grey one for Daddy, and two happy orange varieties for Mama and Miss Onederful. What simple bounty, yes?  I feel rich in pumpkin currency.

She chooses a pumpkin to her liking and oh-so-carefully cradles it on the way home.  Then she sets it just so on the arm of her rocking chair.

We break for lunch....mmmmm, okra pickles!

This is my first year as a 'room mother'.  My daughter only goes to a preschool 2 half days per week, but it's still exciting to have a school party.  That's pretty  much the main reason I had children.....to decorate overly much on special occassions with a fresh new audience for my holiday addiction.  Her class has a candy corn theme, so I've been going a tad overboard.  I made oodles of vintage style candy corn shakers.  I fill them with extra rattley eco-friendly stuff, and also throw in a bell for good measure.  If I'm going to shake something, I want it to shake!

They're all for sale on eBay but I'll be giving the unsold shakers to her classmates as party favors.  In fact, even if they ALL sell, I know me....I'll stay up until 3:00 am the night before making new ones.  It's hard to find something that almost-two-year-olds would genuinely like.  Most Halloween stuff is far too scary, so....that leaves candy and things that make noise.  I thought these fit the bill.

If the notorious Miss V was here with us, I have a strong suspicion that she'd shake her money maker for all it was worth with us.  Shake it, V, shake it!!!

If I haven't mentioned it before, my child has quite the owl obsession.  She makes the best owl call in Texas, I tell ya.  I nabbed these at the local market to snazz up our cupcakes this season.  I know those sugary cake toppers are devoid of any and all nutritional value, but they just taste so....nostalgic when they've been marinating on top of horrible-for-you-icing all day long.

Speaking of nostalgia, I found a copy of an Ed e book at a thrift store.  I LOVED his
books when I was little. Emberly had a wonderful sense of humor and a way of making art accessible.  Do any of you recognize these?

 
The illustrations he helped us learn were so simple and witty.  Some people dismiss formulaic drawings when it comes to teaching children.  I understand that, I really do!  For example, how many people do you know that were shown how to draw a basic flower by making a circle for the center, then a bunch of teardrop shaped petals, then a straight stalk and basic leaves??? I'd say the majority of Americans would still draw a flower that way if we asked them to draw a flower.

Usually, I'd say "No formula approach to drawing."  In this case, though, I say YAY!  He presented drawing in such a basic, beneficial and non-threatening way.  Look below each phase of the illustration......he give a simple shape, like a D or letter O or triangles, to tell you what to do next.

This approach helped me to see objects as components.  I saw things as part of a whole.  As a child, I knew I wasn't always drawing a life-like representation.  Still....breaking a subject down into recognizable parts was an invaluable tool that translated well to real-life drawing.  Not to mention that these were just good old-fashioned FUN!

    


I think I've finally found the best combination for our family with this Harvest Snack Mix.

Mix in whatever ratios you prefer:

• Pretzels
• Candy Corn
• Dark Chocolate Chips   (Mine have that greyish discoloration due to temperature changes in my home.  They still taste fine, but if your climate offers great temp ranges, I'd recommend a new bag of chips to preserve that deep, dark black chocolate color.)

• Goldfish Crackers
• Raisins
• Pumpkin seeds
• Peanuts
• Miniature Reese's Pieces (M&M's work, too, I just preferred the brown, orange, and yellow colored shells.)
• Wheat Chex Mix Cereal
• Cinnamon Crunch Cereal

Here's the IMPORTANT PART!!!!

Make up all the non-popcorn ingredients FIRST and put them all in a big jar or bowl. Theeeennnnn when you're ready to eat some snack mix (and only then), pop up a bag of microwave or fresh popcorn.  THEN mix the original mix with the popcorn.  This keeps the popcorn from going all stale and gross due to storage.  Everything else in this mix keeps just fine.

You can skip the popcorn altogether if you want to, but who wants to miss out on popcorn?
Other thoughts on Halloween snack mix.....make a 'caramel apple" version with dried apple chips, a variety of nuts, caramel chips, and cinnamon cereal.   Or, go with spooky gross and add mini Oreo cookies, gummy worms, and drizzle the whole popcorny mess with "blood"...caro syrup and red food coloring. The possibilities are endless!

And then.....a few more moments of dreamy pumpkin reflection.  I believe it's naptime, my friends.  See you tomorrow!

Comments

[Lyndy Ward]

This is sooooo much fun!!!
Love your blog & your PICs.
Please fly by for my giveaways too...
Hauntingly Yours, Lyndy

My Haunted Halloween Party Link:
http://bit.ly/dho880
TODAYSGOLD
http://todaysgold.blogspot.com/

[Jill James]

You are The Bomb room mom! My daughter had a 1st grade teacher who was an art major and they had drawing lessons every day for 15 minutes (w/an overhead projector) LOVE your artistic candy corn's personality-filled faces.....

Memories.....okra pickles! I used to can them when I was a Southern Belle but now I have to buy them at $4.00 a jar....... :(

Owl cupcake liners? who knew......Halloween is soooooo fun with a little one - your daughter is precious

[Danielle Suplicki]

What a charming way to celebrate Halloween and what a great plan to stick 'em up and take the pumpkins, hehe.

Perhaps when you've recovered from your revelry, you'd like to stop by and visit with me.
http://thewhimsicalcottage.blogspot.com/2010/10/fanciful-halloween.html

[Jo]

What an adorable post!!! Hope you'll stop by, Happy Halloween!!!

[Charlotte]

Thank you, Thank you, for pics of Miss Onderful. I so want to give her a bear hug. Why do I think, even if she knew me, she would wiggle away, fix me with a steely gaze, and say "No hug"? Mmmmm, I've got to go concoct some of that snack mix with whatever I've got in the house. Popcorn, check. Cinnamon Toast Crunch, check. Almonds, check. Candy...NO.

[Aurelia]

Lol that Ed Emberley book looks great :) What a fun post!

This is my first blog-party but I'm having a really great time so far :D

http://modernwomans.blogspot.com/2010/10/something-witchy-this-way-comes.html

[Blanche]

So much fun! I love your photos and darling kids! I will have to try out that snack too!

Do drop by if you the chance!
-Blanche

[a fanciful twist]

Oh Laura, I just ♥ U. I love you, your shakers, your Miss Onederful, your giant bath tub, your love of vintage Halloween, your fab snack mix, and and and.. the fact that you can get rid of snakes in one click. You are my HERO!!

Thank you for being here on your crazy busy weekend!!

Also... that last photo, of Miss Wonderfully Precious, and her punkin with a stem to die for, makes me feel.... I don't know... She's dreamy adorable, and like she is growing up right before my eyes!!! Well, yes she is.. but, you know.. she looks like a little girl, not a baby!

I LOVe her!

♥, Vanessa {A Fanciful Twist}

ps: I would only shake it if no boys were around and we were in pj's acting silly!

[Shell]

Your daughter is the sweetest cowgirl I have seen!! The drawing book, I had that same one since I was eight years old. I still have it and it's one of my favorite books that helped me draw.

[Celina Matthews]

Thank you for inviting me to your party! I had a lot of fun! I hope that you will come to visit me at my party soon!

[Michelle Cummings]

what a wonderful party!
I love your creations! and that cutie pie!

Hope you'll come visit mine and my post(s) for all of October!
http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/

[Miss Linda]

I had a great time at your party. The sweet treats were amazing and it was fun to draw with you and Ed Embeley. I teach with the same books. Please visit me:
momentsinaneye.blogspot.com