Halloween 2009

I'm usually pretty pumped up for Halloween and dressing up.

This year, for some reason, my attitude was: "EH."

The boys kept changing their minds about what they wanted to be so I knew I wasn't going to get a family theme like we've done in previous years.

The Sunday before, we had the Gardner Halloween Dinner:

Tom and Hope decorated the carport really well this year!

After dinner we had a cake walk along with a rockin' Monster Mash Dance.

It's always a good time!

Wednesday:

Brimhall Ward Trunk-or-Treat.

I have grown quite fond of these.

Friday:

Our friends Jennifer and Sterling Kellis threw a halloween/birthday party.

It was a bring-the-kids-deal wth a bounce house and all.

Saturday:

All week long I had been reading blogs about cute, spooky, festive food to make.

To make myself feel better for not full-out decorating for the holiday this year, I made these pancakes. Recipe found here.

I cheated and used just regular pancake mix with orange food coloring because the boys were "so hungry Mom!".

They enjoyed the spooky theme, but since they were both obsessed with lions at the time, a graphic-specific pancake was requested for each:

Not my best work, I admit, but what the heck!! It's not Safari Day, for cryin' out loud!

It's HALLOWEEN!!!

Here's our pumpkins -- lions again.

By Saturday night the boys were pretty much done. What am I saying..... we were ALL ready for the week to end.

Notice their faces....... classic.

My Cross-Dressing Grape

When does a grape have it's day?

Every other fruit seems to be given a time to shine.

Peach season means peach pies, jam, peaches in jars for later.

Same with strawberries.

Bananas are made into bread and muffins.

Pumpkins bring Jack-0-lanters first, then for the rest of the year, people are making pumpkin bread, pie, cupcakes, cookies and even pancakes.

I love grapes. My kids do too. They stuff one in each cheek, smile and become the funniest looking chipmunks you've ever seen. A good grape will be just crisp enough to pop in your mouth, not mush, and have the perfect level of sweetness that wears off towards the end, making you want more.

However, unless you drink wine, buy grape jelly a lot, or include raisins on the list of a grape's talent ..... that's about it. No pies. No bread. No cookies.

This year I met a red-seedless who'd HAD IT with being a grape......

......and decided to be a pumpkin.