Friday, October 29, 2010

Ghosties, Goblins & Dinner? Oh, my!



I love Halloween!

It's my second favorite holiday and a big deal at my house.  It has been for years.  I grew up in a small town where we knew everybody and kids could safely go door-to-door on Halloween night.  My mom made our costumes each year and neighbors went all out making homemade treats such as caramel apples and popcorn balls.  My late husband's childhood experiences were the opposite.  Growing up in a big city with a single mom who worked long hours and not having much money, he had never known the fun that could be had on Halloween. Imagine his shock when I charged into his life with the Halloween enthusiasm of your average 10 year old (though I was 24 at the time) and the complete confidence that he would be thrilled to dress up with me.  Poor guy didn't know what hit him!  lol!

To his credit, he indulged me that first year and had such a good time that from then on, he took over the planning of the Halloween "event" and had more fun than a litter of puppies! He'd plan our costumes, help me decorate the house and be dressed and eagerly awaiting the first ring of the doorbell about the same time the kids were getting out of school.  To say he got excited would be an understatement of mammoth proportions!


Whenever I said anything about how much he enjoyed Halloween, he'd say to me, "I may grow old but I'll never grow up."  My memories of our years together are a vivid testament to that!  It's been almost ten years since he died but every year his playful, enthusiastic spirit is with me as I dress in costume, apply my make-up and prepare to greet bright-eyed, laughing little goblins at my front door.  As you learned on my birthday, I have no problem sharing photographic evidence of silly life moments with the world so, with that in mind, here's a little stroll down our Halloween memory lane.




As you can see, the dh was a man secure in his masculinity.  Either that, or he had a hidden fondness for short skirts and curly blonde hair!  The kids who came to our door loved the costume, especially when he did a cheer for them.  For months afterward, kids would ride by on their bikes while he was mowing or working in the yard and chant, "Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis! Boom! Bah!" 












This was the year he was the Hunchback of Notre Dame and discovered that oatmeal tinted with green food coloring doesn't come off as easily as one might think.  He sported traces of the "look" until close to Thanksgiving! 








This year's costume was inspired by the late Dik Browne, who wrote the Hagar the Horrible comic strip, one of the dh's favorites. 












My brother designed our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes and my husband made them.  I nicely thanked them both and took pictures.  I know my limits. *g*






The last year that he was well enough to dress up with me was widely recognized by the 100+ people who visited our house as our best Halloween costume ever.  As you can see from the photo, I was a chef and the dh was "dinner."  I kept the lid over his head until the trick-or-treaters walked up to the table to take their candy from the tray.  Then I'd offer them a taste of the "specialty of the house" and lift the cover.  Reactions were priceless!  Only one person was scared.  Mostly, the kids were amused, curious or downright fascinated. 

A neighbor girl refused to leave until I lifted the tablecloth to prove to her that yes, the rest of his body was still attached. 

Another little girl wanted to know how long it took me to bake him. 

But the cutest reaction was from one little boy who stood there staring at him for close to five minutes while his parents tried to entice him back to the street.  Finally, he turned to me and in a quiet, awestruck voice asked "Does he take batteries?"   I've always wondered how many Christmas lists the "dinner head" ended up on that year! lol!






I've continued the tradition of dressing up to greet the goblins who ring my doorbell on Halloween night.  A couple years ago I was a gypsy fortune teller.  I wish I'd thought to put out a recorder to capture some of the questions I was asked.  Had me laughing for weeks!






Do you celebrate Halloween?

Do you dress up?  If you do, what costume are you wearing this year?  If you're not dressing up this year, tell me about your favorite Halloween costume or favorite Halloween memory. 

What's your "must have" Halloween candy?

I love mini Butterfingers, Snickers and Kit Kat bars.  It's the only time of year that I allow myself to eat them so I enjoy every single bite.  I dump them in the bowl first so if I have any candy left over, it's my favorite kinds. *g*

I also make molded chocolates and chocolate-covered caramel apples for Halloween but they go to special people like the nurses and other volunteers at the hospital.  Being safety conscious, I only hand out store bought candy at the door. 

Since I'm all about having fun and giving out treats on Halloween, I'm going to randomly select one person who comments today to receive a treat from my book stash.  Happy Halloween!

~PJ

77 comments:

  1. PJ

    What an awesome post and photos I wish I was in The States to celebrate with you what fun. Halloween just doesn't happen like that here in Oz although there are lots of scary sweets and dress up costumes available to buy in the shops at the moment. My grandson Jayden had a halloween party at pre school today and he was so excited dressed up in a cape and scary mask and skelton gloves and a big plastic scythe, he dressed up for me last night while they were here having dinner and I got a photo I will put it up on facebook soon.

    Love and hugs to you PJ have a ball
    Have Fun
    Helen

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  2. Sounds like you have so many wonderful Halloween memories, PJ!

    Some of my past costumes have been a green M&M, a hippie, a CSI, a vampire, an apple, and a ghost.

    At work, we have a couple who sets up a haunted trail upstairs for kids. I've worked at it twice with my sister. The first time I was an apple and she was a banana. The second time I was ghost and she was a mustard bottle. We had so much fun participating in that.

    My favorite candy would have to be Milk Duds. They get stuck in your teeth, but they are so good. :)

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  3. Thanks for sharing your Halloween memories, PJ. I love Halloween, but don't always dress up. I usually only get a costume when I have a party to go to. I love the Wonder Woman costume I had when I was in elementary school. My must have Halloween candy are Twix, Whoppers and Swedish Fish.

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  4. PJ, I love all your photos. It would be next to impossible for me to convince the dh to don a costume.

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  5. PJ those pictures are so cool and it is wonderful that you hold on to your memories.
    I don't dress up anymore unless there is a party and this year I am not going out. My favorite costume was when I dressed as a ghoulish bride and my bf as the zombie husband.
    I love the Twix bars, Kit Kats and any of the Hershey's mini bars.

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  6. What great pictures of an obviously great guy. And PJ, you are a radiant, gorgeous gypsy! I'm dazzled.

    My parents never let me go trick or treating (my mother was from Vienna and she thought the custom was "begging"), but she did sew me costumes to wear to school Halloween parties. She made a rabbit outfit out of white and pink bath towels once. She bent coat hangers for the ears but fortunately didn't pull a Joan Crawford on me.

    We live down a long private driveway so I don't expect any little goblins this year, which doesn't mean that we don't have plenty of apples and mini Snickers bars in the house. :)

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  7. What a great post. I really enjoyed the photos. I am not one for getting dressed up but, for me, the most fun is giving out the candy to the kids and seeing what they are wearing.

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  9. Helen, I'm glad you got a photo of Jayden. I bet he looked adorable!

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  10. Hi Trisha!

    What a cool assortment of costumes! I dressed as a blue M&M a few years ago.

    When I was a kid, Milk Duds were my favorite movie theater candy. I haven't had them in years though.

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  11. Jane, I love those Wonder Woman costumes. I bet you looked awesome!

    What are Swedish Fish? I've heard people talk about them but I've never seen them in the stores where I live.

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  12. PJ, I love all your photos. It would be next to impossible for me to convince the dh to don a costume.

    Thanks, Daz. I thought the same of my ex-jock, ex-military dh too but he really surprised me. Obviously! lol!

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  13. I love the blog and pictures, PJ!! It looks as if you and your habby shared so many great memories. :)

    The last time I dressed up for Halloween was when my husband and I were dating. I dressed up as Dorothy and he was the Scarecrow. In fact, we just looked at the pictures last night because my daughter had to dress up as a scarecrow for school today!

    My favorite candy bar of all time is a Whatchamacallit. Usually you can only find those in select convenience stores, though. My favoroite that I can find at Publix is Take 5. They are soooooo good!!

    And I will add that my sisters looked so cute dressed as an apple and a banana!!

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  14. Um, that would be HUBBY, not habby. ;-)

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  15. Dianna, I would have loved to have seen the ghoulish bride/zombie husband combo!

    You said, I love the Twix bars, Kit Kats and any of the Hershey's mini bars.

    I love all three...too much! In fact, I have to make a run to the store today for more Kit Kits because the "PJ Goblin" has been answering the call of the candy bowl way too much this week. *g*

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  16. Thanks, Maggie! I really love that gypsy costume. I used it again last year after hearing kids ask for the previous two years, "What happened to the fortune teller? Why isn't she here this year?"

    That rabbit costume sounds absolutely adorable and I have no doubt that you were adorable in it! I hope you have a photo.

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  17. Andrea, you'd be a wonderful Dorothy and I'm sure your daughter is an absolutely adorable scarecrow.

    Whatchamacallit's are yummy! I've never had a Take 5. What's in it?

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  18. Maureen said, I am not one for getting dressed up but, for me, the most fun is giving out the candy to the kids and seeing what they are wearing.

    It's all about the kids for me too, Maureen. That's one of the reasons I have so much fun dressing up; seeing their expressions when they first see me in costume. I have high school and college kids who still come to my house on Halloween, not to get candy but to see what costume I'm wearing. They've been coming to my house since they were little kids and I love that they seem to get as much enjoyment from it as I do!

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  19. Kirsten, I'm sure you were a beautiful Spanish dancer! I'm so glad you have the photo to help you remember the joy you felt that year.

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  20. I remember getting homemade items for halloween. As much as I love popcorn, didn't like popcorn balls, but loved the candy apples & cookies. One neighbor in particular always had such goodies and they were good. :) The end of the homemade stuff was about the same time I hit the age to stop trick or treating. The end of innocense in so many ways.

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  21. gamistress66, the caramel and candied apples were always my favorites too. I still make small Halloween bags filled with my homemade chocolates that go to the neighbor kids that I know well. My address label is on the bag so their parents know the source of the candy. Most of the kids have grown up and moved out so there are just a few that I give out now but I love seeing those faces light up when they see their "special" bag!

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  22. Thanks for the fun post and pictures, PJ! I wish you lived in our neighborhood. I'm sure the kids all look forward to knocking at your door every Halloween!

    I don't have any traditions, other than carving jack-o-lanterns. I think my favorite costume as a kid was the pioneer girl dress and sunbonnet my mom made.

    Shary came up with one a few years ago on her own. Her brother John had graduated from HS the previous spring and she decided to go as a graduate.

    When Shary was just a baby, she had a little ladybug onesies snuggie. All the women knew that she was a ladybug, but most of the men thought she was a Chicago Bull. ??

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  23. Deb, I'm laughing at the different perspectives on Shary's ladybug onesie. Men and women really are from Venus and Mars, aren't they? lol!

    The pioneer girl dress and sunbonnet sound adorable and I'm sure you were cute as a button in them!

    One summer vacation when I was in college, the shopping center where I worked had a frontier days festival and all the employees dressed in costume. My mom made me an "Indian Princess" costume to wear. I loved that costume! I had long hair that I could braid and authentic, beaded jewelry and moccasins to wear. I think I used that as a Halloween costume at least five or six times over the years.

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  24. MY DAUGHTER LOVES HALLOWEEN. I JUST TOLERATE IT. I'M NOT CREATIVE. MY CHILDREN RELIED ON HAND ME DOWN COSTUMES FROM MY VERY TALENTED SIL. KERMIT WAS A HUGE HIT, CASPER THE GHOST, a PRINCESS AND RAGGADY ANN & ANDY TO NAME A FEW OF THE COSTUMES.

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  25. Laurie, my brother and husband were the creative forces in my family, as you can see from the pictures. I manage to do okay on my own but I don't have their creative flair. I also don't sew. Sad but true. :(

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  26. What a wonderful post, PJ! Thank you for sharing your Halloween pictures with us, they're fantastic! :) You and the DH obviously had so much fun, y'all really went all out!

    And this post is so timely and apropos because I just watched the latest Good Eats with Alton Brown on Food Network and he had some great recipes for homemade Halloween goodies!

    Halloween was not really big in my family, though I did enjoy getting the Halloween goodies when I made the rounds of the neighbor. I grew up in a development with a lot of cul de sacs so trick or treating was easy. But as I grew older, I had a lot more fun giving out the candy and checking out what costumes the kids in the neighborhood had on that year.

    My favorites were always Snickers, which I love to this day. My parents always bought bags of lollipops (Dum Dums) to give away and I remember when I was in 7th or 8th grade, a group of my classmates came by my house at around 9 p.m. and grabbed the rest of the candy in a free for all, lol.

    One of my favorite Halloween memory was the year I went as a witch with a long black shirt, black boots, and a broom supplied by my friend. It was so much fun getting ready at her house and trick or treating together.

    This year, I don't live in an area with a lot of kids, so no giving out candy for me this year, unfortunately.

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  27. Lisa, what wonderful memories! You know, in all my years of dressing up, I've never gone as a witch. My neighbor across the street is dressing as a witch this year and I can't wait to see her costume. Several of the adults in our neighborhood dress up to greet the kids who come to our houses.

    I love Snickers too, especially the little minis. Have you ever had them frozen? Just pop them in your mouth and let them slowly melt. Verrrrrrry good! :)

    Thanks for mentioning Alton's Halloween recipes! I'm off to check out the website.

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  28. Greetings!

    I'm getting great ideas for future Halloweens here. Thanks so much! I'm also smiling quite a bit, so thanks for that too!

    When I was first married, I drove half an hour away to my hometown on Halloween night, stopping at McDonald's for supper first. You should have seen the looks I got! I was wearing yellow sleepers with a kleenex bunny tail, whiskers, etc. My parents and neighbours enjoyed it so much that I dressed up the next year as a Christmas tree, using large green garbage bags and affixing ornaments to it. I wore ugly green knee socks "underneath" as well. My brother came to visit my parents while I was dressed like this, and he asked if he could borrow my costume, as he was having a Halloween party at his house. He wore it to his party and just stood in the corner. Nobody knew who he was. His wife saw the socks and said it couldn't be her husband because he didn't own socks like that.

    Last year I dressed as a maid for our badminton Halloween night; I think I shocked everyone because I've never shown that much (or any, for that matter) cleavage before! Last night I dressed as a witch. It wasn't original, but the costume made for some tricky playing, as the gown had material hanging from the arms that was close to two feet long!

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  29. Laney said, I'm getting great ideas for future Halloweens here. Thanks so much! I'm also smiling quite a bit, so thanks for that too!


    My job here is done. :)

    I'm rolling with laughter over your brother's Christmas tree in the corner. What fun! And how clever of you to come up with the costume. I love it!

    but the costume made for some tricky playing,

    Oh my gosh, you play badminton in costume? What a fun idea!

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  30. Wow... that brings back some fabulous memories! :)

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  31. What wonderful memories...thanks so much for sharing them with us. This Halloween, I'll be handing out treats at the door, after seeing my grandkids off in their dinosaur and football player costumes. And, if I'm lucky, I'll have a couple of leftover Milky Ways to enjoy at the end of the night. Have a great Halloween weekend, everyone.

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  32. Love the post and all the pictures!
    DH and I are going to Detroit this weekend to Detroit Fanfare where I will go on a Zombie Walk and meet Stan Lee!
    Don't know if I'm dressing up or not. Figured I could do the zombie walk sans costume and no one would know the difference. LOL

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  33. Jenn said, Wow... that brings back some fabulous memories! :)

    I thought it might. And aren't you happy I didn't post any pics of you! *g*

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  34. Mmmm...Milky Ways! Another favorite Halloween candy, LSUReader!

    The football player and dinosaur sound adorable. The second year the dh and I were married, we dressed as a football player and cheerleader. A friend of mine was the football coach at a local high school and he outfitted me with the entire uniform. The dh was, of course, the cheerleader. *g*

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  35. Thanks, Sheila! Detroit Fanfare sounds like a lot of fun. You should dress up! And take pictures! :)

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  36. What a fantastic post...I smiled all the way through it!

    Christmas has long been my holiday of choice, doubtless because of the memories my grandmother created for us.

    However, my son is 2 this year, so Halloween is just starting to be fun again. You've inspired me to be certain to create a wonderful experience for him in years to come, in hopes that he has fun memories like yours!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  37. I love this post! Your pics are fabulous, PJ, and what wonderful memories you have. I know you'll be making memories for more little ones this Halloween.

    I admire others in costumes, but I hate dressing up and do so only if I can't avoid it. But I do love seeing the grands in their costumes. The six-year-old particularly loves costumes. He starts debating what he'll be for Halloween right after Easter. LOL
    He's going to be a Bakugan Draganoid this year, but I have fond memories of a chubby two-year-old lion who cried when he had to exchange his costume for pajamas.

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  38. PJ, your pictures are priceless!! Thanks for sharing them with us!

    My DH and I used to dress up for an annual party but don't so much anymore. My favorite costumes were the dead bride and groom (I used my wedding gown!) and the Invisible Man and Woman. We wrapped ourselves in gauze from head to foot, then threw on trench coats and off we went. One snag though. It's almost impossible to drive with your head wrapped completely in gauze. :-)

    My favorite candy = Milky Way!

    Happy Halloween, everyone!!

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  39. PJ-this is wonderful!! Sadly, I'm not a big fan of Halloween but I am handing out candy this year!

    What are you dressing up as this year?

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  40. PJ, great post. I love the pictures.

    My favorite halloween costume was when I was 7 and wore a pink Troll costume. Pink hair came out of the top of the mask. I loved it.

    I'm with you on the Butterfingers. I won't buy them to hand out because I'll eat them. But my kids never learned to appreciate them so they give theirs to me. Unfortunately, this is probably the last year one of my kids will go out. I may have to buy the Butterfingers next year!

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  41. PJ, I love all these photos! I love dressing up, but I don't have much of an opportunity. We don't really get trick-or-treaters, and I don't know anyone who has a costume party here. I think that's one of the reasons I like dressing up at Dragon*Con each year. :)

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  42. Great pics!! I love the Reese cups. Hard to resist.
    I'm staying home this year.
    Hope everyone has a great Halloween.

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  43. LOVE those piccies, PJ!

    Thanx so much for sharing your holiday memories with us. I remember trick or treating as a kid and getting apples and oranges along with the candy. My mom used to make popcorn balls to give out to the kids.

    The DH and I have been to parties in the past. One year we dressed as Laurel & Hardy... won a prize too! ;-)

    This year I'll be cruising the high seas on Halloween. I have a witches hat trimmed in black feathers that I plan to wear.

    AC

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  44. PJ, this is an incredible line up of memories! Your husband sounds like he was an uncommon treasure. :-)

    I think I liked the cheerleader best of all. I can totally see the neighborhood kids rah-ing at him for years after that. I'll mention it to my husband as a possibility.

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  45. Heather said, What a fantastic post...I smiled all the way through it!

    I'm so glad! I hoped it would make people smile.

    Christmas is my favorite holiday too but Halloween is close behind.

    Have fun with your little boy! You have so many wonderful memories ahead!

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  46. Janga said, He's going to be a Bakugan Draganoid this year, but I have fond memories of a chubby two-year-old lion who cried when he had to exchange his costume for pajamas.

    Aw, what a sweet memory!

    I have a feeling I'll be seeing more than a few Bakugan characters this year.

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  47. Glad you enjoyed it, Kate! Oh, I would have loved to have seen the invisible man and woman. That must have been a hoot!

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  48. Kim said, PJ-this is wonderful!! Sadly, I'm not a big fan of Halloween but I am handing out candy this year!

    I remember Halloweens up there when it was so cold we had to wear coats buttoned up over our costumes. All that work by my mom and nobody ever saw it! lol!

    What are you dressing up as this year?

    A puppy dog. Either a Dalmation or Scooby Doo. I have both costumes so it's just a matter of deciding which one I want to be.

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  49. Christie said, My favorite halloween costume was when I was 7 and wore a pink Troll costume. Pink hair came out of the top of the mask. I loved it.

    I love it! I had one of those troll dolls in Jr. High - pink hair and all!

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  50. Trish, I'm in awe of the costumes y'all wear at DragonCon. They're wonderful!

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  51. runner10 said, Great pics!! I love the Reese cups. Hard to resist.

    I can't say "No" to Reese's PB Cups. I hid them in the freezer but I could still hear them calling. Then I discovered how good they were straight from the freezer and all bets were off! lol!

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  52. AC, Laurel and Hardy would be a really cute costume!

    Have fun cruising the high seas this year. Hope you're going someplace warm and fun!

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  53. Susan said, I think I liked the cheerleader best of all. I can totally see the neighborhood kids rah-ing at him for years after that. I'll mention it to my husband as a possibility.

    Susan, I want to know his response! *g*

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  54. PJ said: I've never had a Take 5. What's in it?

    PJ, Take 5's are made with chocolate, pretzels, caramel, peanuts, and peanut butter. I love the salty/sweet mix. And of course, I bought the bags of Trick-or-Treat candy that has those in them!

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  55. PJ, if you dress up as a Dalmatian, you MUST send me a picture. Abby loves Dalmatians!!

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  56. PJ, I LOVE your post! And those photos are priceless. What a wonderful man your husband was! And how clever are both of you, coming up with those great costumes? That head one is a classic!

    Halloween isn't actually a big deal over here. But I love hearing about everybody having a ball in America at this time of year!

    Happy Halloween to all my friends!

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  57. I enjoyed your post, it looks so fun. I've never dressed up for Halloween since I stopped trick or treating as a child. I just don't have enough imagination to think up a good costume and no money to buy a "store bought" one. I do enjoy Halloween though, and I love all the decorations and going out with my sister's grandkids to trick or treat.

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  58. There's a Halloween block party in my neighborhood and I usually go there, sometimes in costume, sort of. It's kind of cold and can be wet so nothing that can't be layered or waterproof. I think I may go as a catgirl again this year.

    My favorite Halloween candy is anything dark chocolate and marshmallow Peeps (fun and great for s'mores).

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  59. PJ, Take 5's are made with chocolate, pretzels, caramel, peanuts, and peanut butter. I love the salty/sweet mix.

    Oh my gosh, Andrea. That sounds *so* good!

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  60. PJ, if you dress up as a Dalmatian, you MUST send me a picture. Abby loves Dalmatians!!

    Will do!

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  61. Thanks,Anna! Yeah, everybody pretty much agreed that "dinner head" was a classic. In 25 years, we never had a costume that topped it...although the cheerleader was a pretty close second. *g*

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  62. Glad you enjoyed the post, Barbara! I'm not nearly as creative at thinking up costumes as the dh was but I have fun trying. ;-)

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  63. Sheree, the block party sounds like fun!

    My favorite Halloween candy is anything dark chocolate and marshmallow Peeps (fun and great for s'mores).

    Yum!

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  64. My must have candies ae Snickers, Whoppers,Twix, and basically anything that is chocolate.

    I am not dressing up this year, but I always loved being a princess on Halloween.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    smccar1 at hotmail dot com

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  65. As kids my mom made our costumes for us. We would trick or treat as we could and come home to dump our bags and sort our candy. When I had my own family, I loved making costumes every year. I was still making them for my daughter when she was in college. We were in trhe military and lived on base when the children were little. It was the best of situations. We knew most of the people who lived in our section of the base, and many parents went around with their children. One year my husband was in costume with them and carried a mug of coffee with him. By the time he returned home it had turned into a trick or drink routine.
    One year his squadron did a haunted house for the families at their building. It was great fun. They did the head on the platter thing and it went over well.
    One of our neighbors dressed a scarecrow and sat in a lawnchair next to his sidewalk about half way down. After the kids got their candy at his house and were leaving, he would rise up as they walked by. Scared the living daylights out of us.
    Thanks for sharing your Halloween memories with us.

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  66. Halloween. Iloved to go trick or treating but I wasn't very creative with my costumes. I usually wore pieces of my older brother's sport's outfits. My children LUCKILY received hand me down costumes from my very talented SIL!

    Favorite Halloween candy:

    Plain M&M packets, Plain Hersey bars

    I buy them every year!

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  67. What a fabulous portrait of your dh, PJ, and what beautiful memories. "I may grow old but I'll never grow up." I love it. :)

    I've always loved heroes. When I was about nine I had a child-sized stuffed Pink Panther. I dressed him up like a princess in a babysitter's old prom gown and made a circlet for his head. I donned a fancy green and gold silk jacket and gold crown, and carried my damsel in distress around all night. A valiant prince was I!

    Oh, and as an adult one year, I went to a Halloween party themed with the Seven Deadly Sins as a giant tree sloth. ;)

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  68. Great post...loved the costumes! My favorite halloween candy besides anything chocolate is Candy Corn...chocolate, of course!

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  69. My must have candies ae Snickers, Whoppers,Twix, and basically anything that is chocolate.


    Hi Stephanie! Those all sound good to me! I remember my mom buying Whoppers in a big "milk carton" container when I was a kid. I loved them!

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  70. Karyn, I bet you were an adorable Mary Poppins!

    Great post, I will celebrate Halloween by having a Monster Movie marathon, and eat the leftover candy (I always buy way more than I need!)

    I usually have leftover candy too...which is why I put my favorites at the bottom of the bowl! *g*

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  71. Oh Pat, what wonderful memories. I love the scarecrow story! lol!

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  72. Hi Laurie!

    I was very lucky to have a husband and brother who were very creative. Left to my own devices...not so much! lol!

    Good candy! I love plain Hershey bars and those little ones always delude me into thinking I'm not really eating much. ;-)

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  73. I've always loved heroes. When I was about nine I had a child-sized stuffed Pink Panther. I dressed him up like a princess in a babysitter's old prom gown and made a circlet for his head. I donned a fancy green and gold silk jacket and gold crown, and carried my damsel in distress around all night. A valiant prince was I!


    What a wonderful story, Katharine! You were a budding romance author even then!

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  74. Great post...loved the costumes! My favorite halloween candy besides anything chocolate is Candy Corn...chocolate, of course!

    Hi Karen! I always look forward to candy corn at Halloween but then, after about three pieces, I've had enough. Too bad I can't say the same for Snickers...and Reese's...and Kit Kats...and...well, you get the idea! *g*

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  75. What a wonderful blog, PJ! I'm so sorry I missed it yesterday. I was chained to my desk at the office for 13 hours :-)

    I love all the pictures and can just imagine all the wonderful memories you have of you and your hubby during this particular holiday.

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  76. What a wonderful blog, PJ! I'm so sorry I missed it yesterday. I was chained to my desk at the office for 13 hours :-)

    Thanks, Buffie! I hope you're getting some much deserved rest and relaxation today!

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  77. PJ, I'm sorry I didn't get to comment earlier. What a fun blog! I love the pictures of your DH--what wonderful memories for you!

    I'm a huge Halloween lover. The one thing I miss about living in the mountains is that we don't live in a neighborhood, so we don't get trick-or-treaters. I have many wonderful memories of going door to door for candy when I was growing up, and then later taking my kids trick-or-treating. Lots of fun for everyone!

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