A Happy Halloween

Yesterday evening our house was full of friends we love, too many sweets and simmering crockpots while blasting music poured out of our open patio doors and swept up the street as an impromptu dance party took the temperature, and the volume, up a few more notches.

It was a holiday, and in the eyes of this holiday loving mama, it was good.

To me, the preparation for any kind of food and friend filled occasion is as much a ritual as the actual party is just the icing on a cake of a good festivity. Planning is fun. Carving the pumpkins is a party in itself and saving the seeds to bake is an exciting ordeal. Shopping for the right kind of caramels for the caramel apple station and spray painting a dead tree limb black before covering in fake spider webbing to hang over our kitchen counters, well, that’s just fun too.

With the house cleaned, the table set and the scent of Autumn breezing through our house, we were ready to welcome guests. Party doors opened.
Make-your-own caramel apple station. Baked pumpkin seeds: clean and lay flat on baking sheet. Add salt and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.
The “man-down” scene as trick-or-treaters walked up to the house. Luckily we didn’t leave any man down on our way through the neighborhood… Aliyah running up ahead with her friends, not needing a mama hand to hold and Brayden trailing behind with me, trading hand holding for running to catch up while grabbing his little clock and saying, “Mom, my clock says I’m too late, Mom!” and back to hand holding again in our place at the back of the pack. His little legs just weren’t as fast as the others.

Our holiday was grand. The weather is cooling. We’re making fires in the fireplace and settling into Fall and the rest of the holiday season that is upon us.

And for now? I’m off to kiss my kids and get in a couple more cuddles before I’m scheduled to be on a plane tonight… and right now there are loads of laundry waiting for me and a suitcase that needs to be packed.