Our White Halloween Weekend

Our patio

How many times have meteorologists been incorrect with their forecasts? Many, many times, right? Well, this year, when they were predicting snow for late October, most of my friends and family didn't really take it seriously. We should have. We were shocked when Mother Nature dumped 10 inches of snow on our neck of the woods!

In the middle of the snowstorm we braved the storm to go to a Halloween party. We slipped and slided a little in our travels, but made it to the party safely. We were sure glad we did because it was a fabulous party! The kids all played together in their costumes and we enjoyed socializing with the adults. After several hours of partying, we carefully drove home in the snow and, thankfully, we made it up our icy hill.

On Sunday, my husband tested out our snow thrower which had just had a tune-up. Everything was in working order and he was able to clear our driveway. We headed out, but found that lots of places were without power due to the many trees that fell on power lines, so we went to lunch/dinner, then came home.

Halloween Monday arrived and school was closed because of the power outages. Many towns postponed Halloween, but our town did not, so we trick-or-treated through the snow with our family and friends in an area that was without power. Our night ended enjoying pizza at my brother and sister in law's house by the light of candles and a battery-operated lantern. Fun times!

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

This is Claire's Halloween costume:

Tranquillity Farms

After having such a fun time at Tranquillity Farms last year, when it came time to pick a pumpkin for Halloween this year, we knew exactly where to go! We were thrilled when my brother and his family decided to join us!

This year, things seemed a little smaller. There was a bounce house, a blow up slide, an area for pony rides and a couple of vendors, but that was about it. The gigantic corn maze where we got lost last year wasn't set up. Still, the kids had fun exploring the corn box (Think: sand box, but with corn kernels instead of sand.), bouncing in the bounce house and running through a corn stalk tunnel. We all took a scenic hayride out through the fields and into the pumpkin patch, then stayed on the hayride instead of exploring the pumpkin patch because we planned to buy one of the larger pumpkins that were at the farm stand back at the main part of the farm. The hayride was a great deal at $2 per person. We also bought each of the big kids a wristband for $5 which included the hayride and unlimited bouncing in the inflatable bounce house and slide.

Of course, the kids climbed all over the John Deere tractor and stuck their faces into strategically placed holes depicting two growing sunflowers and three scary ghosts before we called it a day.

Next year, we will have to check the calendar to see if there's a weekend where there are more activities scheduled and plan to go that weekend. We love this little gem of a farm and think it's one of our area's best kept secrets!

Mrs. Locker

As a child, I always loved Halloween. As an adult, I can't think about my childhood Halloween without thinking about my former neighbor, Mrs. Locker. Every year, she baked all kinds of delicious goodies for Halloween, then invited each trick-or-treater who rang her doorbell into her home where she displayed her homemade treats on her dining room table. She would take a napkin and unfold the quarters until she had a big square. Then she'd have each child choose a cupcake with chocolate or orange frosting (I always chose orange.) and place it onto the napkin. She'd select a couple of cookies, a piece of fudge and a penny and place them next to the cupcake. Finally, she'd gather the four corners of the napkin and bring them together, securing them with a straight pin, then send the little ghosts and goblins on their way.

Mrs. Locker was legendary. People would come from miles around to trick or treat at her house. Parents would drive to her house from other neighborhoods just so their kids could trick or treat at her house. If I remember correctly, a week or so before Halloween, Mrs. Locker would always remind us to come to her house early, before she ran out of treats. I also remember that she would count the number of trick or treaters she had using tally marks, then give us a final count in early November. It's mindboggling to think of how many dozens of cupcakes, cookies and batches of fudge she lovingly baked for Halloween over the years.

Rest in Peace, Mrs. Locker.

Four Halloweens and Counting

Claire has been (clockwise from bottom right) a lobster, a chick, a ladybug and Ariel, The Little Mermaid, for Halloween. The first three costumes were chosen by yours truly. I knew that once Claire was introduced to the Disney Princesses, I wouldn't have any influence over her choice of Halloween costume. I was right.