Hodge Podge Halloween

The last few days of October kind of became a hodge podge of Halloween and other holiday celebrating. Some things were celebrated on their day and some were celebrated "observed." So here we go.

I asked Jet a while back what he wanted to be for Halloween. He told me, "Batty." I definitely went with a joke in there but also decided I could make him bat wings so he could be "Batty." Jeremy made bat ears for him.

He loved his bat wings so much, he wore them a lot. One day when they were all finished, he asked to watch an episode of Wild Kratts about bats. He wore his wings and watched the episode then told us things he knew about bats. "They sleep upside down." He said that as he was lying on his back trying to get his feet all the way up into the air. Have I mentioned I love that kid so much?

That day was October 29, National Cat Day (not to be confused with National Black Cat Day two days earlier). I took a picture of the neighbor's cat skeleton decoration again.

It was also National Oatmeal Day but we were too busy to celebrate that day. Jeremy and Lucky volunteered to make balloon animals at the Primary Carnival the Young Women put on. Jet got to test run his bat wings and ears. He enjoyed playing games and getting prizes and treats. He also decorated a sugar cookie. 

The Young Women really put on a good event. Besides the things Jet wanted to do, they also had face painting and freeze dance contests and musical chairs and crafts. I was impressed.

We celebrated Oatmeal Day the next day, October 30, which was actually Haunted Refrigerator Night. So Lucky and I made oatmeal muffins and I fried up some eggs (from the refrigerator- Boo!) for dinner.

Lucky: It looks like a duck face.

 

Earlier that day, our friend Stephanie came over to watch a spooky movie with Nichole and me while we drank hot chocolate and ate toast. Mmmmm. The movie was Something Wicked This Way Comes. I watched that movie when I was a kid and it was creepy. It's still creepy now that I'm an adult. I won't recommend it to my sensitive child.

October 31 was Halloween, National Breadstick Day, Frankenstein Friday, and National Knock Knock Joke Day. Jet and I did knock knock jokes a few days before when we were talking about that holiday coming up.

Jeremy got us donuts as a special treat for Halloween breakfast.

Jet did a really good job going in to school that day (he doesn't always). I think he was excited about Halloween and his costume. I watched Jet and Lucky in the elementary school Halloween parade. 

At home after Nichole got back from classes, she helped me make dinner. That was really helpful because besides working on the food, I was also running around picking kids up after school. 

Jet got fangs at school (which he calls a jaw- it makes sense), so a few times he told people he was a vampire bat. 

Because of Nichole's help, we were able to eat before trick or treating. Spaghetti Monsters to celebrate Halloween, National Breadstick Day, and Frankenstein Friday. 

The three youngest went trick or treating with me around the neighborhood then the whole family loaded up in the van and went trick or treating at my sister's house then went in to visit for a little bit. It's tradition. Every year, Jet talks about trick or treating at his aunt's house.

While we were out trick or treating, Jr. Jr., dressed as a jester, showed people juggling tricks and they gave him treats.  

Jet as you know was a bat (Batty).

Lucky dressed as Quirrel from Hollow Knight, the video game. Jeremy made his costume.

Hodge Podge Halloween celebrating. It's fun.

Kangaroos and Greasy Foods

October 24 was National Kangaroo Day. I hopped like a kangaroo in the morning when I went to wake the boys. Jet and I watched The Rescuers Down Under that night.

It was also National Food Day. For dinner, I was going to do Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Parmesan Broccoli from A Season of Family Meal Plans, volume 4. Rice would be good to go with those. I thought I could easily do another Indian food to go along so I made chana. Then I realized we had plain yogurt left from the tikka masala marinade, and I had a cucumber left over from when I made cucumber sandwiches, plus other ingredients to make a yogurt sauce to combat the heat of the food. I didn't have time to make a flatbread, though.

That Garlic Parmesan Broccoli was so good and I was able to make it from frozen broccoli. Thank you, Jordan Page and The Page Company. Yummy meal.

 

October 25 was... are you ready for this?... Pablo Picasso's Birthday, World Pasta Day, Greasy Food Day, and National Breadstick Day. We celebrated with abstract art made from Spooky Spaghetti & Meatballs (from the same cookbook) and Focaccia Breadsticks (from Shelf Cooking 101). It was also Frankenstein Friday so anything spooky counts for that.

Let's Talk About More November Celebrations

Speaking of nachos- like for New Year's...

 

November 6 was National Nacho Day. This was what happened with my 13-year old.

Mom: Today is Nacho Day.

Jr. Jr.: I know. I've had a really hard day.

Mom (looks sympathetic)

Jr. Jr.: Today is not yo' day.

Mom: Groan. 

We also ate nachos.

 

November 11 was Veteran's Day. I got my selfie with the flag. It was sunny.

It was also Corduroy Day, you know, because 11/11 looks like corduroy. We were having breadsticks so had some fun with them.

It was also National Sundae Day. I made hot fudge sauce to go with ice cream and whatever else. Yumm.

 

November 12 was Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day. We had individual pizzas so everyone could choose their toppings. Some of the kids even had dessert pizzas after their main pizzas. They got the idea for s'mores pizza from the Fablehaven Cookbook.

Speaking of the Fablehaven Cookbook, for Spicy Guacamole Day on November 14, we made "Bubda's Sloppy Guac" and "Lost Mesa Corn Avocado Salsa, both from that book. They were perfect to go with taco salad for dinner and family members had fun making faces in the food (the instructions for the sloppy guac even say to make a hermit troll face). We love that cookbook! 

 

November 16 was National Fast Food Day so we pulled out chicken nuggets and fries from the freezer and soda pop from the pantry and called it good.

 

November 17 was Homemade Bread Day and National Butter Day and GWR Day. GWR stands for Guinness World Records. We had homemade bread with butter but we also had hot dogs on homemade buns as a nod to the world record Jeremy broke back in July of 2015. He built a giant balloon dog. So we had hot dogs.

For William Tell Day on November 18, I made apple crisp. Yumm.

 

November 21 was Gingerbread Cookie Day. I made gingerbread cookie people while telling Jet the story of the Gingerbread Man. There have been a few times since then that Jet will run into a room I'm in and call out, "You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." I love him so much.

That day was also National Stuffing Day so we had a bruschetta bake with chicken, stuffing, tomatoes, and seasonings. Yumm.

November 23 was Thanksgiving. That morning I took a moment for myself. I got up early to help Jeremy get ready for work- made him breakfast, made him a lunch (a snack really because he got out of work early for which I was grateful). I had Bing Crosby in my head. "I've got plenty to be thankful for." After Jeremy left for work, I decided to take a bit of time for myself before getting to work on laundry, doing dishes, hard boiling eggs for deviled eggs... so I wrapped myself up in a blanket, drank some hot chocolate, watched some TV, and felt thankful.

When Jeremy got home we celebrated with food, lots and lots of food.

He brought home a pumpkin pie from work which we put whipped topping on. I also made a vanilla pudding pie and we put pumpkin pie ice cream on top of it. Mmmmm.

 

November 24 was National Leftovers Day or Turkey Leftover Day. Yes, we ate leftovers of course.

 

November 26 was Charles Schulz' Birthday. We decided to have a Charlie Brown/Peanuts Thanksgiving to celebrate with foods the characters made in "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Toast, popcorn, jelly beans, pretzel sticks. We also threw in some "peanuts" and "Peppermint Patties." And to drink we had lemonade because Lucy sometimes sets up a lemonade stand.

I also wore my bow earrings to celebrate his birthday. When some women in choir saw me and I explained why I was wearing those earrings, they suggested we go around the table giving psychiatric advice for 5 cents. So cute. I love my choir friends.

November 30 was Mason Jar Day. You know I love excuses to use my Fablehaven Cookbook. This time it was "Fairy in a Jar Layered Gelatin Treats." 

I couldn't find any gummy butterflies or gummy fairies but I could find gummy worms. Jeremy joked that it as more like "imps in a jar."

More October Holidays

October 15 was National Grouch Day. I couldn't get the words right to Oscar the Grouch's song, "I Love Trash." This is how I sang it. "Oh, I love trash. Anything dirty or dusty or dingy. Anything rotten or rusty or ringy." Those are not the words.

It was also P.G. Wodehouse's Birthday. We made stroganoff using Worcestershire sauce. Jr. commented that ingredient is Jeeves speaking with a lisp. "Wooster, sir." "Wooster, shir."

 

October 22 was National Color Day. We had an at-home potluck of different colors.

 

October 26 was National Pumpkin Day. I told author Joanna Barker that I would read her book, Miss Adeline's Match, when I got some pumpkin spice hot chocolate. The book takes place in the Fall. That's why it works. I used to get Stephen's pumpkin spice hot cocoa mix every Fall. We couldn't find any this year. We couldn't find any pumpkin spice hot cocoa mix in the stores. My husband got creative. He bought me a pumpkin spice frosty and I put some in my hot chocolate. It totally worked. So, I drank my pumpkin spice hot chocolate and read her book. Although, now that I've read the book, I would recommend drinking spiced apple cider while reading it because there is a whole apple harvesting section in the book. So if you're looking for a way to celebrate Fall (you know... next Fall because it's practically Winter here now, although there is also a scene in a snowstorm so I guess it fits both), I recommend reading Miss Adeline's Match and drinking apple cider. But then take a break and read later in the book with hot chocolate (it doesn't have to be pumpkin spice) during the part with the snowstorm. There. That's how to celebrate. Of course I also used my Provo City Library cocoa mug. Very appropriate.

October 27 was National Breadstick Day.