Halloween round-up...not for the faint-hearted!

Thank you everyone for your comments on my last post, I'm pleased to report that the second Halloween party was a screaming success! 

I cooked an early dinner so we could get out trick-or-treating (truth be told: I was trying to fill their stomachs before the candy feast commenced!). I made spaghetti bolognaise with my hidden-veggie tomato sauce (onion, garlic, carrot, peppers, courgette, whatever else is in the fridge cooked and pureed with tomatoes), so I knew they'd get a good dose of veg, carbs and protein. I topped it with mozzarella balls and black olive eyes, some strips of lasagna noodles, and baked it til the mummy was heated through. The goblins devoured it! 

Notice the change in tableware from the younger children's party in my last post...the older kids are into the blood reds and skulls now, very cool...

We went trick-or-treating for a good long time, lots of children and parents were out and about in the village and we all had terrific fun. The sleepover went well, I heard giggling waaaaaay into the night (Darling Husband was getting a bit grumpy about it, but I remember so clearly being 10 years old and staying up "all night" with my best friend, I told him to let it go!)

Of course one must have a Midnight Feast at a sleepover, especially if it's Halloween! So in addition to raiding their treat bags, I left a cauldron full of goodies in the kitchen and went to bed.

Surprisingly, the veggies were eaten too!

But there were still some shrieks to be heard the next morning, when the girls dined on pancakes with "blood" syrup...

eeewwww!

They loved it, I barely got a photo of a pancake before they were all devoured!

The "blood" is simply maple syrup with some red food colouring added

This looks remarkably like real blood, it's the consistency as well as the colour. My brother and I discovered this when we were children. 

My mother discovered this the hard way when we played a Halloween trick on her...

Now that I am a mother, I must state here, for all to read: Mom, I am *so so sorry* for subjecting you to our pranks! I don't know how you put up with (er...survived?) us! 

The gruesome decorations are being tucked away into their boxes until next year, but the fun memories will be fresh for a long time to come! 

Chrissie x

Bloomin’ CAL and Happy Halloween!

I’m afraid my hexies have gathered a few cobwebs this week...

A combination of half term and Halloween meant that I only got three more hexies completed. Oh, but I did manage to finish this lovely project:

My snood is finished! I tend to finish a scarf or cowl-type project by trying it on partway through and not by following the pattern. Usually the pattern is designed for someone a bit taller than five feet, so unless I measure it to me as I make, I’ll end up with a scarf that could double as a blanket...

So I pinned the snood last night and tried it on and it just seemed to be the right size for me. Ta dah! And now that I know it’s a very easy project and turns out well, I can make some for gifts. (Luckily, I still have enough of that gorgeous Drops yarn to make a pair of mittens or a hat!)

In the meantime, we’ve just come back from the first Halloween party of the day, for the little ones...

Talk about a feast! They dined on witch’s broomsticks, pumpkin-shaped sandwiches and cheesy puff pastry bats, amongst other goodies. A friend and I joined up to throw a party for our young ones – thankfully she offered her home as I have a trick-or-treat party and sleepover happening here later...

We both had lots of decorations to share. I was in charge of some veggie snacks, which took the shape of a pumpkin head

...and lots of sugar cookies to decorate and gobble up! There were cats, rats, bats and creepy spiders!

I also made larger pumpkin cookies and a few ghosts for the children to decorate with orange icing and all sorts of sweets!

Now I’m off to prep the food for the next party, a decidedly scarier affair for the older kids! Happy Halloween everyone! Please share your latest hooky WIPs below, I’ll enjoy reading them when I’m up late tonight listening to sleepover giggles down the hall...

Tomorrow I’m dusting off that pink hook and getting back to hexies!

Chrissie x

Half-term holiday house

My home has been transformed...

The goblins have decorated for Halloween. The parties have been organised (lunchtime for the pre-schoolers, sleepover for the big girls!) and the scary foodstuffs have been planned. More on that later this week...

Pumpkin garland adorns the windows, and pumpkin window stickers stare out at passers-by.

The hall mirror is a holiday shrine in our house, decorated with bits and bobs for every festive occasion to welcome guests.

Oh, but there is more transformation taking place here, because in addition to Halloween, this week the children are off school for the half-term break. 

You know its half-term when...

Pajamas are the uniform of choice until nearly lunchtime.

Craft projects are seized (I just finished Jo’s hat pattern in some leftover Sirdar Crofter yarn, and Bunny claimed it for herself!).

Toes are treated to “pedicures” in questionable shades.

...you can’t walk a straight line through any room in the house for the entire week.

Bedrooms are transformed into dense forests – see the giant duvet mountain? It’s also a cave...

Staircases become raging waterfalls, and pillows are rafts that plummet down the treacherous cascade.

Craft supplies are just left out on the kitchen table, pushed aside to make room for plates and cups.

And there is glitter everywhere. Everywhere.

We tend to stay close to home during half term, venturing out for a few day trips or play dates but mostly just mooching about the house and having time together. The kids are quite worn out from the daily routines of school and activities, so this is their chance to recharge – we have lazy time, sofa nests, lots of imaginative play – and their chance to refuel – Little Flower is having a growth spurt yet again, so she is eating and eating and eating...

How is your week coming along? 

Chrissie x