Tag: halloween

Posted in Holidays, Monthly Musings

Monthly Musings

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Halloween Eve! Goodness, all we’ve gotten is rain this week which has really felt like fall, but I’m ready to see the sunshine again. Thankfully, I think the rain moves out today and Halloween looks good for the trick-or-treaters.

Since it’s the last Thursday of the month, I’m linking up with Patty and Holly for Monthly Musings. I enjoy this link up so much!

This month’s topic is all about Halloween…

This is a fun way to wrap up the month…and Halloween on a Friday is the perfect way to wrap up the week!

1. Favorite Halloween traditions?

My favorite tradition is more of a fall tradition and that’s when we go to the pumpkin patch where we get apple cider donuts and see all the great pumpkins. While we’re there the kids pick our their pumpkins and those are the ones we carve. Carving pumpkins is my other favorite tradition. I really love it now because the kids can do the work on their own. haha!

2. Any special Halloween dinners or spooky snacks?

The night we carve pumpkins, I make a “special” dinner of hotdogs and mac and cheese. I used to make “bloody” fingers for years, but then I started making mummy dogs. I also make mac and cheese, but then I add green food coloring and call it “brains.” Some years I serve green grapes and say they are eyeballs. The kids humor me!

3. What do you typically do on Halloween?

Well, for years and years we trick-or-treated with friends. We had the same group that got together from when the kids were little through the elementary years.

Once the kids were in middle school, they still trick-or-treated in the neighborhood, but they kind of went out on their own, and Trav and I stayed home to pass out candy.

It’s bittersweet not trick-or-treating with kids, but I enjoy staying home and passing out candy; now it’s fun to see little ones all dressed up.

4. Do you carve or paint pumpkins?

We carve pumpkins. We used to use some of the paper templates, but now the kids just kind of choose what they want to do and wing it.

We carved pumpkins Tuesday night, and they turned out cute!

5. Favorite Halloween candy?

Screenshot

I have a sweet tooth for chocolate. I love Reese’s and Kit Kats, but I also love Sour Patch Kids.

6. What are you giving out for Halloween this year?

Candy!

Through the years, I’ve added in fruit snacks and pretzels for kids who might not want candy.

7. Full-size or fun-size?

I typically only buy fun size candy, but I let kids take a few pieces!

8. Favorite Halloween costume of all time?

I always loved getting the kids their costumes every year, and they had some great ones through the years. I loved when Hayden was his favorite Royals baseball player or Patrick Mahomes. The years that Hadley was a nerd and an 80’s girl cracked me up but…

I’ve shared time and time again, that when the kids were three Hayden wanted to be Batman, and Hadley had the idea (all on her own) to be Robin. I think her costume was the first thing I bought on Amazon. haha

9. Favorite Halloween movie?

When the kids were little, we’d always watch It’s a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I’ll catch it occasionally…

…same with Hocus Pocus.

10. What are the trick or treat hours where you live?

Our trick-or-treat hours are 6-8. I’m glad that it looks like the weather will cooperate. I appreciate that we have a covered front porch, and Trav and I will probably sit out there to greet the trick-or-treaters.

I hope your Thursday isn’t too spooky! I teach high schoolers, so every day is spooky for me! haha

Posted in Holidays, This and That

Halloween This or That

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday! This week seems to be flying by! I love a this or that post, and especially holiday themed ones. With Halloween around the corner, I’m sharing my answers…

…for this cute graphic that I found via Pinterest, of course.

Screenshot
  1. Carve or decorate a pumpkin: Our pumpkin carving tradition is holding on strong! It’s one of my favorite traditions.

2. Haunted house or corn maze: Neither! Hello, anxiety!

3. Addams Family or Hocus Pocus: Definitely Hocus Pocus. That being said, in the car, the teen girls were talking about Wednesday. I didn’t realize there was a second season, so maybe I can watch that.

4. Chocolate candy or fruit candy? Have you met me? Chocolate for sure!

5. Witches or Vampires? Witches!

6. Pumpkin spice or hot chocolate? I don’t do pumpkin spice lattes anymore, but I’m loving the pumpkin cold brew at Starbucks.

7. Halloween party or haunted house? Again, neither? lol

I enjoy passing out candy on Halloween. I think Hadley has Halloween party plans. I’ve never been a haunted house girl because I don’t like being scared!

8. Scary movies or kid friendly movies? I don’t mind a scary movie if I’m at home. I don’t want to see one in the movie theater. Kid friendly movies are great…for me too! Most years, we watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

9. Mummies or ghosts? Ghosts! Somehow, I think they are cuter.

10. Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger? NEITHER!

11. Cute costumes or clever costumes? Cute costumes, but I’m always amazed at how clever people can be with their costume ideas. Let me remind you of the cutest costume duo ever:

12. Candy corn or malt balls? I understand if you don’t like candy corn, but who likes malt balls?! I prefer candy corn when it’s mixed with peanuts, Reese’s Pieces and Crispix.

13. Trick-or-treat or hand out candy?

Oh…I miss the trick-or-treat days.

We’ve been back to passing out candy for a few years now.

We’ve officially segued into the kids wanting to go to high school Halloween parties with their friends.

14. Spooky or sweet Halloween decorations?

My kids give me grief that I have cute decorations instead of scary ones.

15. Skeleton or scarecrow?

I love these little guys that I stick in our mums the week before Halloween.

16. Witches broom or witches cauldron? Cauldron, I guess?

17. Buy a costume or make a costume?

We always bought the kids’ costumes through the years. It was just easier…as long as they didn’t change their minds!

Some fave costumes through the years…

18. Dum Dums or Blow Pops? Blow Pops…I appreciate the gum after all the effort.

19. Monster Mash or Thriller? Thriller!

20. Pumpkin patch or fall festival?

You know I love a pumpkin patch. We didn’t get to go last year, but I think we have time on Saturday. I can’t wait!

Let me know if you agree or disagree with any of my answers. Only one week left until Halloween!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, Seasonal

Friday Favorites {#231}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday! Happy November 1st.

Besides October, November is another favorite month of mine. The weather finally gets cooler, it’s the kids’ birthday month, and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!

How was your week? Ours was pretty good. We didn’t have a ton going on in the evenings which was nice. I feel like it made the week feeling longer…in a good way.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last Saturday, Hayden ran in the regional cross country race. This the last stop before the state meet.

It’s been a long but good season for him. He’s had some frustrating races and ones that he’s really proud of his progress. I do think it’s been a huge adjustment for him running varsity, and he’s close to logging 1,000 miles this year.

He’s been going to PT a few days a week for his hip, so I’m hoping that’s feeling better for him for the state meet.

We’re always proud of his effort and dedication. At the regional race, there are only seven runners per team, so it was nice that the course wasn’t so crowded. His team placed 3rd in the region, so that’s quite the accomplishment as well.

You know we lost the one tree in our yard, but the other one is still so pretty. I snapped this pic of the kids after church on Sunday, and I love it.

Guess what….as of yesterday, all of those leaves are on the ground.

On Sunday, I bought some new mums. My other ones didn’t last very long, and these two color ones from Kroger were a good price and so pretty.

I put my spider webs out and put my little skeletons in the mums. Festive and cute!

When my mom was in town, she helped the kids put together this “spooky” house that my Gma sent with her. I put two flameless tea lights under it, and it’s so cute lit up.

Sunday night, Hadley went to her Young Life group, and they painted this cute pumpkin.

On Monday, Hadley and friends helped at their former elementary school’s trunk or treat. They said they saw some of their former teachers and other friends they knew. Hadley was a Dalmation (she was hot, so not all the way zipped up at this moment) to her friend’s fireman. Hayden went too, but he couldn’t go until later.

Wednesday night, my heart was so happy. We had mummy dogs and macaroni and cheese brains before…

…carving pumpkins.

Hadley’s Chick-fil-A idea turned out so cute, and Hayden carved a skeleton (with a little help from Travis and me!)

Fave Outfit:

I snagged the “Lucy” scalloped pullover from SSYS, and I got so many compliments when I wore it this week. Some colors and sizes are sold out, but there are still a few color/size combos left.

Fave Meme:

‘Tis the season for all the things!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Relatable!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This time of the year, I always reminiscence about all the fun (and cute!) costumes the kids wore though the years…

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts from the week:

Monday Memes
October Books
Monthly Musings

What are your weekend plans? I’m grateful for a pretty slow weekend…and I’m one of the ones who loves to “fall back.” I know it’s crazy, but I like when it gets darker earlier and lighter out when we wake up.

Have a great fall weekend!

Posted in Holidays, Monthly Musings, Seasonal

Monthly Musings

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday! Also, Happy Halloween!

It’s officially the last day of October (and the last Thursday of the month), so I’m linking up with Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings.

This month’s topic is…Halloween and Fall Fun.

Let’s get to it….

1. What do you usually do for Halloween?

Well, times have changed. For years, I hosted two of my friends’ families for trick-or-treating and chili for dinner. My brother and his fam would join as well. Then, once the middle school years hit, the kids went off on their own around the neighborhood. This year, Hadley is going to a friend’s house for a get together, and Hayden and Travis will help me pass out candy.

This Halloween post from a couple of years ago was a fun little stroll down memory lane.

Halloween is usually a time when I’m pretty reminiscent about the younger years, but thankfully we get lots of trick-or-treaters, so at least I get to see little ones in their costumes.

2. Favorite fall traditions?

I love when we go to the pumpkin patch. We get apple cider donuts and pick out our pumpkins to carve. This year, we never made it to the pumpkin patch, and I was pretty bummed.

Besides that, I love when we can go to Keeneland in the fall. Travis and I were able to go last week on a really pretty afternoon.

Also, it’s fun when we can go to a Kentucky football game, but the kids end up going to those more than we do now.

Another favorite tradition is carving pumpkins. I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen, but we did that last night.

Chick-fil-A and a skeleton!

3. Milky Way or Snickers? Starburst or Skittles?

I definitely prefer Snickers to a Milky Way. I like Starbursts and Skittles equally.

4. Trick or treat or host a party?

How about sit on my front porch and pass out candy? Like I said above, I miss the trick-or-treat days…and hosting friends for a casual evening.

5. Hand out candy or go out with trick or treaters?

These days, I’m on my front porch handing out candy.

6. Do you trick or treat on Halloween or is there another day?

We trick-or-treat on Halloween. A few years, they’ve moved the day because of rain. My kids would usually get a couple or wears out of costumes with trick-or-treating at church, class parties, and then on Halloween.

On Monday, my kids helped at the trunk or treat at their former elementary school which was sweet of them to do.

7. Do you decorate for Halloween?

When I decorate, it’s usually for fall since those decorations can stay up for a couple of months.

I do put out a couple of cute Halloween things like this black cat that I’ve had for years.

8. What do you do with leftover Halloween candy?

If we have any leftover candy, I take it to school to give to my students as a reward. When the kids were little, they’d get so much candy…and I’d sneak some to take to school.

9. What are your trick or treat hours?

I think our trick-or-treat hours are from 6-8.

10. What do you have for dinner on Halloween?

For years, I would make “bloody finger” hotdogs and “brains” (mac and cheese), and “eyeballs” (grapes) on the night we carved pumpkins a few days before Halloween.

Then, a couple of years ago, I started making “mummy dogs” along with the other items. Last night, we had that for dinner before the kids carved their pumpkins.

I love these seasonal posts. It’s fun to look back on our traditions and special activities we do during the season.

What are your Halloween plans this year? Of course, we’ve been in a drought and there’s a chance of rain tonight! I hope it holds off for the little (and big! ) trick-or-treaters.

Say a prayer for me today…there’s nothing “scarier” than trying to teach high schoolers on Halloween. haha

Posted in Holidays

Halloween Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy November 1st!

Wow! That escalated quickly. I feel like October went by in a blink, and November is one of our most hectic months. I guess I’d better buckle up!

Well, I guess we’ve hit the “new norm” of having older kids on Halloween. For the second year in a row, Travis and I sat on the front porch and passed out candy while the kids did their own thing.

Here’s a recap of our Halloween festivities these past few days.

Last Thursday, Hayden and a few friends went to a nearby haunted house. The mom who took them is officially the “fun mom!”

They had a great time, and let’s just say that the “creatures” at the haunted house quickly determined that Hayden was the “weak link.” lol

No pics, but Friday night the kids went to their school’s haunted house and had lots of fun.

Over the weekend, I made Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies. I’ve made this recipe before, but I don’t know what went wrong. They tasted delish, but were flat and sticky even after baking.

I put out my “scary” skeletons in my mums. My porch is still decorated with pumpkins and mums, but right before Halloween I usually put a couple of these guys out. They prop up nicely in my mums.

Then, I typically put spider webs and spiders on the front bushes, but with the really soggy weather this past weekend, I never got to it. I will save the cobwebs for next year.

On Sunday, we had mummy dogs, “brains,” and “eye balls” for dinner. It’s a family favorite.

Sunday night, we found a bit of time to carve pumpkins. I still love this tradition and will cling to it!

Hayden carved “UK” for Kentucky, and Hadley found this “scary” face online with little horse shoe shaped eyes and a big mouth. After she carved it, we laughed because we thought it looked like a bear! Oh well.

Yesterday, at my school, the teachers decided to dress like students (& it was a surprise to the students! 😆) *not pictured: my AirPods I’m my ears*

Hadley and friends had a last minute idea to be Alvin and the Chipmunks for Halloween. Their costumes were so cute!

Hayden and friends…had no theme! haha…but they had fun. Hayden didn’t grow a mustache week, per my suggestion, but he still wore his Travis Kelce jersey.

Oh! It was a cold evening, but Travis and I passed out candy while the kids had fun with their friends.

Alvin and Kelce!

It was so cold that I wore my winter coat and warm boots.

We ended the evening at our friend/neighbor’s house for chili and s’mores.

Her “spooky” charcuterie board was so cute (and delish!)

Now that it’s November, it’s time to focus on the kids’ birthday and Thanksgiving. How much longer until I put up my tree?! haha

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#134}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

How was your week? We had a really good one that included Halloween, volleyball, school and more!

I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

A few fun favorites:

Last Friday, I went to see Heather McMahan’s live taping of her show for Netflix. We’d gone to see her back and January, and were excited to go again. We all met at our friend’s house for carryout Mexican food and drinks. Then, we went downtown for the show. The show was a mix of the material from January as well as some new material too. It was a great evening!

Since it was a taping, we couldn’t have our phones out during the performance. Heather looked stunning, and she snapped a photo with the audience at the end.

On Saturday, Hadley went to Great Wolf Lodge with a group from school. She had so much fun.

Halloween Fun:

While we were at the Heather McMahan taping, Hadley and the Student Council were hosting a haunted house. It was quite the success.

Look at my zombie volleyball player! haha

My brother’s kids made some sweet treats for us and dropped them off on Saturday.

We had our “spooky dinner” on Sunday night. I made mummy dogs and brains for dinner…with a side of eyeballs.

Halloween on a Monday should always be a hard no….but it was a great evening. The weather was perfect. Hayden threw on a jersey at the last minute to be a football player while Hadley was a construction worker with her friend.

Hadley and friends ran around the neighborhood together while Hayden and his friends did the same thing. They scored so much candy that it’s ridiculous!

Travis and I hung on the front porch to pass out candy. Honestly, I had a moment of sadness when I realized the last time I sat on the front porch and passed out candy was 2009 when I had a very big pregnant belly. This time has gone by in a blink, but I’m glad the kids were close by and had fun with their friends.

I went to grab a cup for my wine and laughed at my choice! While it’s a Christmas sentiment, I think it applies to Halloween on a Monday!

Volleyball:

Hadley had her first volleyball game this week! Volleyball is one of my favorite sports to watch, so I’m definitely looking forward to watching them this season.

She’s having fun with friends which is definitely a bonus.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This made me laugh way too hard…

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

This throwback to 2013 is one of my favorite photos. So sweet and festive for Halloween.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Halloween This or That
Prime Purchases
Currently
5 Fall Fits

What are your weekend plans? We don’t really have anything tonight, but tomorrow Hayden has a cross country meet, and then Travis and I will spend the day at Keeneland for the Breeder’s Cup. I’m one of the weird ones who loves the time change (in the fall), and I have feeling I’m going to need that extra hour of sleep by Sunday!

Thanks so much for reading.

Posted in Holidays, This and That

Happy Halloween

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Monday!

What’s scarier than a Halloween on a Monday?! Yikes!

Today’s post is all about Halloween fun with these two graphics I found on Pinterest (c/o @acaracollective). I’ll share them on Insta today. Let me know your answers!

Halloween Favorites

  • Candy: It’s hard for me to resist chocolate…especially a small Snickers or Butterfinger.
  • Movie: We always try to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. While it’s not a movie, it’s a favorite. On Fall Break, we watched The Addams Family which was fun.
  • Costume: I’ve shared before that my favorite costumes the kids chose were when they were Batman and Robin. So cute.
  • Activity: Our favorite fall activity is going to the pumpkin patch. For quite a few years, we’d go to Transylvania University here in Lex to see all the pumpkins lit up. Covid changed that, and then we haven’t been able to make it there the past couple of years.
  • Character: I don’t know that a ghost is a “character,” but he’s cute!
  • Tradition: I love our pumpkin carving tradition.

This or That:

  • Trick or Treat: Definitely treats…no tricks!
  • Not so spooky movies or scary movies: I guess I’m a scaredy cat…I prefer not so spooky movies.
  • Apple cider or PSL: I used to love PSL, but now I prefer a lighter version. Apple cider is good, but I prefer it hot.
  • Pumpkin patches or haunted houses: Pumpkin patches all the way!
  • Buy a costume or make a costume: Buy a costume, for sure. Thank goodness for Amazon. I do remember my mom making a few of our costumes when I was a kid. Then again, Amazon didn’t exist!
  • Craft or carve a pumpkin: We love to carve pumpkins.
  • Trick or treat or pass out candy: Well, sadly, I’m back to the passing out candy phase. I do love seeing little kids in their costumes though. I just feel like walking around with my kids went by in a blink.
  • Chic decor or spooky decor: I prefer chic (cozy) decor to spooky. My kids wish I’d make our outside more spooky, I’m sure.
  • Candied apples or caramel apples: Caramel apples are so good…but too much work to eat. I love caramel apple suckers.
  • 13 nights of Halloween marathon or your own movies marathon: Make your own movie marathon, for sure. I wish we had more time for movie watching.
  • Early night or late night: Early night is my preference. Trick-or-treating is from 6-8 and on a school night…so hopefully we’ll all be in bed at a decent hour.

I guess since the kids are full on middle schoolers, our Halloweens definitely look different now {sad face}

I hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Posted in Holidays, Traditions

Fall Fun

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

With our non-stop activities and going in a million different directions, we seem to have to “schedule” in the fun things.

One of the best things about October in Lexington is Keeneland. There’s no place like it in the fall.

Pre-kids, we’d go with friends a few times a meet and even tailgate beforehand…and go to dinner after! Obviously, life is more hectic now, but I like to go to the races at least once in the fall and the spring. It’s always fun to bump into friends and people that you know. Travis is there quite a bit for work, and sometimes I will tag along. When the kids were in elementary school, he’d usually pick them up once or twice and take them for the last few races. It’s just a fun thing to do especially when the weather is nice!

I shared a post all about Keeneland last spring…and here are a few pics with the kids…

…through the years…

and now…

We were able to go to the last few races on Friday, and I’m so glad we made it work!

The first race we were there, Travis had the kids each choose a horse, and he placed a trifecta bet…

…and they WON!

Hadley actually had winners in almost every race…and they hit another trifecta too. Hadley said, “This is easy!” {follow us for more parenting tips…}

Keeneland has great food and some great people watching too.

We had a really great afternoon. While it was a short visit to Keeneland, it was a good one!

Other weekend fun:

On Sunday, Hadley helped me put out the cobwebs, spiders and skeletons.

Then, the kids carved their pumpkins. I will say that while it’s bittersweet how quickly they are growing up, I’m not mad about the fact they can carve their own pumpkins!

They both had a “vision” and executed the plan. I love this tradition, and I hope we can do it every year.

When I shared my Pumpkin Everything post a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I wanted to try the Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Cake that I’d saved on Pinterest.

I added the ingredients to my Clicklist order this weekend, and made the cake on Sunday.

I followed this recipe…

Ingredients:

Mix and put in slow cooker…

Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip on top. We all enjoyed some after carving pumpkins on Sunday night.

It was so good! Now I’m thinking this is a fun way to make a cake without having to worry about the oven!

What are some of your favorite fall activities where you live? I’m so glad we made sure to get in a couple of our traditions this fall.

Tomorrow, I’m sharing the books I read this month.

I hope you have a great day!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays, Kids

Friday Favorites {#88}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! I spent all of yesterday thinking it was Friday, so I’m glad that Friday is actually, finally here!

I have so much to share this week! As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Favorite Picture:

I shared in yesterday’s post about our trip to the orchard to get our pumpkins to carve. We were only there for a short period of time, but I’m glad we made it work!

Favorite Moment:

Hadley was an acolyte for the first time last Sunday. It was sweet to see her take on this role.

Favorite Food(s):

Amy shared her Greek bowl recipe, and I had to try it. Y’all, this dish is so good. I’ve had it three times in the past week. When she says not to skip the homemade tzatziki sauce, she’s not kidding. Fun Fact: I hate yogurt, so I was worried that I wouldn’t like the sauce…it’s so good! So good. (I skipped the tomatoes and olives because I don’t like those. I’m kind of picky about some things 😉

And…these: 🤣 {hashtag: balance}

I shared about this Pinterest Pumpkin Sugar Cookie recipe earlier this week. I made these on Sunday, and they didn’t last long at our house!

Other Faves:

Last Friday was so rainy and cool that we had the first fire of the year. Friday night was so nice. I was in my pj’s early (after the pumpkin patch), we had pizza for dinner, and I watched tv while enjoying a glass of wine. I went to bed pretty early too!

We had our “Spooky” dinner and carved pumpkins on Wednesday which are both favorite Halloween traditions.

Another favorite is seeing the kids do what they love…

Hayden has been having a good time with his new basketball team, and is really growing as a player. Also, I think he really is growing! Hadley doesn’t seem to be a head taller than him anymore!

Hadley had her first performance with her school dance team during halftime of the girls basketball game on Monday. Their routine was so fun, and she had a great time!

My favorite front yard trees are starting to show off! We have some rain coming through today, and I hope the leaves don’t all fall off. I want to enjoy this view for as long as possible.

It’s been Red Ribbon (Say No to Drugs) Week. Hadley has fully embraced the dress up days, and Hayden joined her on Tuesday…”I’m too smart for drugs…” Dress up in your favorite college shirt or your favorite career clothes.

Hadley and friends were so cute on Wednesday…”Travel with your pack drug free.” You and your pack of friends dress alike. Doesn’t every tween girl have black leggings, a black t-shirt, and a colorful tutu on hand?!?

It’s been fun seeing her excited about all of these middle school activities.

Also, Hadley and a couple of friends went to the Fall Festival at her friend’s church on Wednesday. They had lots of fun, and she brought home some candy!

giraffe, elephant, and waffle!

Favorite Mom Meme:

I definitely used to be the mom who would bring the cute homemade treat, but I must have outdone myself during the primary years because once the kids hit intermediate grades, this was me:

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

I think I probably share these around Halloween every year, but I always get a kick out of looking back on what the kids were each year.

Seriously, Hayden still doesn’t know what he will be this year because I keep saying no to “killer clown!”

(Batman and Robin in 2013 are my favorite costumes for the kids!)

Weekly Recap:

I had a busy blogging week. Memes, all about my teaching career, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin fun!

October Memes
Teacher Talk Tuesday
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin Fun

I hope you have a great weekend and a very Happy Halloween.

Posted in Holidays

(Happy) Halloween Recap!

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How was your weekend? We had a really good one. Of course, Saturday was Halloween, but then Sunday was a great slow paced day to get caught up on life and prep for the upcoming week. On top of that, the weather this weekend was beautiful.

Today, I’m sharing a recap of our very 2020 Halloween.

Andrea shared this meme last week, and I laughed! It’s so true! I know I say all of these statements multiple times!

And…I saw this meme and thought it was very 2020.

Friday Night:

Our “festivities” started off Friday evening with our “Spooky Dinner.” I started this tradition last year, and the kids asked for it again. “Bloody finger” hot dogs, green grape eyeballs, ghoulish green mac and cheese, and this year I added in orange cheese balls because….they’re good 😉…and paired the orange with a black spider for Halloween colors.

kids’ plates…I added the mac and cheese after I took this pic. oops!
my plate

Trav said we should play Halloween music while we ate dinner. Hadley found a Halloween playlist with some fun music. This was a great idea until the kids started arguing about song selection. Ugh!

Then, I went to bed early. I feel like I overdid it a few days last week, and it all caught up with me. I was in my pjs by 6:00 and in bed by 9:00.

Saturday/Halloween:

I woke up Saturday feeling a lot better, and, thankfully, we had no plans until having our friends over around 4:30. We kept the menu very simple this year. I made Shay’s Chicken Tortilla Soup like I usually do, but I didn’t make appetizers or chili like usual. The soup was for the adults, and then we picked up Little Caesar’s Pizza for the kids.

Our trick-or-treat time was from 6:00-8:00, so I had our friends and my brother’s family come over at 4:30, so we could enjoy the nice weather, hang out in the the backyard, and eat before trick-or-treating.

Usually, we eat after trick-or-treating, and of course, it’s dark outside by then and we hang out inside. So, with Covid, we changed it up a bit to be able to space ourselves out and enjoy the fresh air.

I pulled a few decorations from my Halloween tub to use on the food tables on our back patio.

My sister-in-law (and the kiddos) made these fun Minion Rice Krispie treats. So cute and delish!

We snapped a few pics before heading out around 6:00 for trick-or-treating.

Hadley was a blue M&M with her group of friends. Hayden was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. I loved that both costume were their idea, and very simple to put together. Hayden even wore his Adidas (rather than cleats) because he said that’s who Mahomes endorses. Kid doesn’t miss a detail! 😂

I do have to give a shout out to Amazon for most elements of Hadley’s costume, and my friend Amy who cut out the m and ironed it on the girls’ sweatshirts.

I swear…they were just this little!

2010

Then, it was time for cousin pic with Princess Jasmine, and a Power Ranger!

We were excited to see our friends who we don’t see very often. These girls are five days apart in age and besties even though they don’t get to see each other as often as they’d like.

Fun fact(s): we’ve trick-or-treated with these families for 11 years, all these kids have November birthdays, and 80’s girl and kidnapped by alien are boy/girl twins too!

They are all growing up on us too quickly!

Here they are on Halloween 2010.

Hadley was able to trick-or-treat with the other M&Ms for a bit…

while Hayden caught up with some of his crew…

and then we all met back up to finish up trick-or-treating.

Most of the houses we went to had fun tubes to dispense the candy or individual bags out on tables…which is what we did.

Hadley helped me bag the candy Saturday morning.

After over an hour of trick-or-treating, their buckets were full…and it was time for the candy swap. 😂

We had such a great evening. We were able to see so many great friends, hang out with family, eat delicious food (and candy!), and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Lots of things about 2020 have been a bummer, but Halloween didn’t disappoint…and the kids have the full size candy bars to proved it!

and now…it’s November! How is that even possible?!

…which means the kids have started their birthday countdown. 18 days and counting!

What did Halloween look like where you live? Of course, I hope you had a great Halloween!

Take care,