no tricks

I'm sitting in darkness.  Almost complete - mind the computer screen.

You see, it is Halloween night, I've been sick for several days (blah), and as much as I absolutely adore handing out candy and seeing all the cuteness, I really don't feel like getting up to go to the door.  Therefore: darkness.  If the house is dark, the people don't knock (it almost rhymes.....  just pronounce dark a little funny, and it should be fine).

Here is my moved back to Canada list thus far:

First time back to a pumpkin patch - way too expensive 

First Canadian Thanksgiving - missed.... in Ecuador

First Snow fall - missed......in Ecuador

First Halloween - sick

I'm doing well so far.   Thankfully the rest of the family is having much better "luck" than I am.  But I don't care what I am snotting on tomorrow, I will be at the Halloween party my mom is having for the kids.  I will, darnit!

The kids still did manage to carve pumpkins - I even carved the happiest little jack-o-lantern ever - in spite of my poopiness.  And the seeds will get roasted, and the pumpkins will get cooked and yumminess will hail.

But now it is just time for pictures.

Candy corn.

Need we say more?

(no, I am not recommending serving them with ketchup.... but it you do decide to do this, I would go with Heinz)

 While I was in Ecuador Cade must have been "educated" on Halloween.  I spoke to him on the phone one night and asked him if he had decided yet what he wanted to dress up as (prior to my trip, he stated that he wanted to be a box).  He promptly freaked out and said that Halloween was scary and bad and he didn't want to have any thing to do with it.  That broke my heart as we were all so excited to have Halloween again.

After much light chit-chat as a family about the joys of Halloween (and the reality that many make it into something bad, but we make it into something good), things turned brighter again, and Cade's creativity blossomed.  It started with his box of k'nex that I brought back from Ecuador, that he said he didn't want (and hasn't stopped playing with since I brought them.....).  He developed an automatic soccer kicker game where a motorized attachment swings an arm to kick a ball.  From there, he went into full k'nex mode.  More pictures to follow.....

Before I left for Ecuador I did do a very little fall decorating.  Very little.

I was longing for my "welcome fall" sign that I made.  I suppose I'll just have to whip something up for next year, as there was no time and few resources for such things in 2013!

Maddy wasn't feeling so hot, so she skipped out on the carving.  I was busy enough helping Lucy, and felt yucky myself, so I just did a quick carve of the big one today (below).  I'm rather partial to simple, happy faces when it comes to good ol' Jacks.  I back to the basics girl in these respects, am I.

Lucy went on a field trip today to the Mennonite Heritage Museum and constructed the wood triangular thingy hanging on the door handle.  She decided to quickly add a pumpkin picture for an extra little outdoor decor.

My intent was to somewhat recreate our Fairfield tradition of chili and fixings with family and friends, hot apple cider and hot chocolate, and trick or treating together.  Those intentions fell by the wayside once I took on these lovely germs.  Glenda picked up my slack and had us over for some chili anyway and then she and Eric took the kids around.  I did manage to whip out an owl costume for Lucy while I wiled away the sick hours.  It was quite something to not be able to dip into my own fabric stash for this business.  Me not have a fabric stash?  That is like me not having an arm.  I had to steal from my mom.  Not to mention using my sister-in-law's thread!

Brent and Glenda had a much more elaborate pumpkin display.  They appeared to have spent a tad bit more time on their carvings.  Rather beautiful.  Lauren's mason jar with fireflies stole my heart.

Mia originally was going to be a dryad (a tree nymph) which I was pretty excited about (originally, originally she was going to be a fairy with her cousin).  But after needing to make a 50's costume for another spirit day for her school tomorrow, my low energy won out and she stuck with 50s for Halloween as well (when I say make the costume, I really meant just cut out and sewed a poodle and string on her skirt and a poodle and ribbon on a cardigan - cardigan is for tomorrow).

And Cade's K'nex-bot.  Complete with grabbing pincer claw thingy.

Cole was some star wars thing that I should know but don't because I am lame like that, and Brooklyn was a judge.  A psycho judge, by the looks of things.....

Once Eric and Glenda were on their way with the kids, I came home and started doing this in the dark. After a little while I took a break and went back to their house.  On my way out I noticed that someone smashed one of our little jacks - the bottom one - Cade's.  Not nice.

When we all got back home, Cade lost it.  He was so disheartened, and just down-right mad/sad that someone smashed his hard work.  Poor guy - it was a rough end to a day that he put so much energy into making good.  Maybe a little face-kicked-in-pumpkin pie will make him feel better.

The pieces are in the oven....