Braggin' Board: TO BE HONEST . . .

TO BE HONEST I have never enjoyed Halloween, but I did it for my love of candy. I hated dressing up in itchy, tight, hot costumes. I hated it when my mom used substitutes for costume make-up and used homemade remedies like Desitin (butt rash cream) for white make-up, Vaseline with coffee grounds for whiskers and so forth. You get my idea, don't get me wrong we always had creative costumes and always won prizes, she always went above and beyond and I am very thankful for her talents.

TO BE HONEST I hated carving pumpkins, they stink, it was hard and I had no patience. It didn't help any that my mom and brother were so talented that they made the best pumpkin faces and did I mention I had no patience to take the time to be creative (I think I get that from my dad, just get it done and cleaned up).

So now the dilemma as a parent, TO BE HONEST I still don't like Halloween but I have the guilt of trying to make Halloween a special holiday for my kids just as it was done for me. I can't sew like my mother and I don't have near the talent that she has, so my poor kids have resorted to mostly store bought costumes unless they persuade grandma to make it for them LOL.

We have always went to a pumpkin patch to gather our pumpkins. This year we tried growing our own pumpkins, did not happen (we will leave it at that). I was a slacker and we did not make it to a patch. Monday before Halloween I am sitting at work feeling terrible that my kids don't have a pumpkin and we have not been to the patch. I tell their dad and he had a bright idea and it was so much fun. On the way home from work, I stopped at Walmart bought 6 pumpkins. When I got home I kept the kids occupied while dad snuck out to our garden spot and placed the pumpkins I bought. Dad came in the house and made the announcement that we were going to get pumpkins, Whitney was so excited! They ran to get their coats and headed for the front door. Dad said "your heading the wrong way, we need to go out the back door" kids express puzzled looks, Dad said "didn't we plant pumpkins this summer?" Excitement went to pout faces, all at once they said "they didn't grow!" Dad told them to take the flashlights out and double check, well the pictures will tell the rest of this story LOL . . . .

So back to me hating Halloween. Next comes the carving, Georgie and Dalton dug right in and did not require hardly any help. YES! Then there was Whitney, mom I want Scooby Doo. Go ask your dad! Well the Dallas Cowboys were on TV so you know his answer. So it is left up to the MOM WHO HATES HALLOWEEN, my mind starts racing back to all the failed carving attempts from my childhood. Thinking to myself, I can not disappoint, she wants Scooby . . . Scooby it is.

I gave in, dug deep and found patience. I was surprised at what I could do when I really had to. I am not saying it is perfect, but to Whitney it is and that is all that matters. So TO BE HONEST I guess I don't hate Halloween as much as I thought I did - - - the candy helps too! The following pictures are of our family night of pumpkin finding and carving. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!