Halloween

This year we skipped Halloween. We didn’t mean to, of course. As it inched forward I kept thinking to myself that I better get busy pulling out the Halloween boxes. But we were slow and life was filling in every cranny. And no one asked, “hey mom, where are those…

Halloween was just plain weird this year. I’m sure many can relate. Holidays are just different during this pandemic in general of course. But there was also some weird melancholy quietness mixed in to a holiday that used to be so amped up! Do I just remember it as magic…

First of all, I cannot believe it is NOVEMBER. This is the time of year I start to stress out because I know what’s coming: Children for Children concert (more on that below), Turkey Trot (you can sign up HERE if you want to join us! And it’s early-bird registration…

Happy Halloween! Usually by this time my camera is filled up to the brim with Halloween get-ups, but this year this is all I’ve got from the neighborhood Fall Festival: At least it’s a pretty cute one! Love those friends and love that Lucy decided pretty much last Halloween that…

We were down to two trick-or-treaters this year. Lucy held on to an idea I had a while back to be Lea the American Girl Doll.  I was trying to sway her deftly away from some other idea, I can’t even remember what it was…little did I know that this…

The beginning of this week seemed to crawl like a snail and now suddenly it’s Friday?  How did that happen? And somehow it just suddenly turned into October 28th?  IT IS THE END OF OCTOBER (and my Dad’s birthday too…HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!  Your b-day poem is coming).  I can’t quite…

Just as I was starting to feel a little bit nostalgic on Halloween about the good old days when I could take a picture of all my kids together before we all headed out to Trick-or-Treat, they all miraculously happened to be home at the same time for five minutes.…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For me it all begins with pumpkin carving.   Why do I love this tradition so darn much?   Maybe it’s just the creative juices that come out.  Maybe it’s the family-togetherness.  Maybe it’s the nostalgia of doing it with my own…

I think Claire’s biggest worry about coming to China was missing Halloween.  I mean, what ten-year-old wants to miss a day like that?  Thank goodness that the good old “Trunk-or-Treat” tradition is alive and well in our branch (church) here in Shangahi.   These two little girls were in hog-heaven about…

This year I realized we are gradually growing out of Halloween.  I can’t even do my traditional Halloween collage because it was like herding ants to get everyone here at the same time let alone dressing up at the same time. For all those years I dreaded it.  The changing-of-minds…