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Sunday, September 25, 2016

4th Annual October Tricks and Treats

 Well, technically, more like 36 as of this posting...

It's almost that time of year again, friends...

OCTOBER!

And we all know that October means cooler air, crunchy leaves, crispy apples, steaming beverages, pumpkin-flavored-everything*, Halloween excitement, and--here at my blog--a smorgasbord of fall activities and recipes.

I got a jump-start this year and began culling ideas back in early August. I found so many options I'm excited to try during this year's festivities (and, doubtless, some overflow for next year, too!)

As you know if you followed me in the past, I usually rely heavily on my stockpile of holiday edition magazines for my ideas. This year, though, because I've made so many of the offerings in those sources, I'm tapping into the magic that is Pinterest (a.k.a. the greatest time-suck in the world! Man oh man, how I LOVE Pinterest! Are you on there? Get on there!) I plan to continue cycling in a few ideas from my beloved magazines, but the majority of the fun this time around is sourced from the world wide web.

I'll be featuring drinks, appetizers, main dishes, crafts, autumnal traditions, a DIY beauty product, and tons of sweets (you had to know there would be sweets! I am me, after all!)

I'm making every effort to strategically structure and time my activities for each day (yes, I've got a calendar already mapped out for most days. Remember, I also graph my trick-or-treaters on Halloween. I highly recommend everyone embrace planning and data collection as the coolest!) In general, weekends contain more time-consuming or kid-helper-centered activities since my kids are off from school, while weeknights sometimes feature super-simple stuff I can make myself in between work or errands, or simple craft kits I can set out for my kids to do on their own between homework and dinner.

You can expect a similar format as I followed last year, with daily blogs including my own photos, tips, and directions where appropriate, but also with links back to the original source material. Hopefully not only will you be able to enjoy my blog, but maybe you can also discover other bloggers out there. Fun for all and all for fun. (Or something like that...)

In case you're interested in a general shopping list of sorts, now is a good time to start tossing these extras in your grocery cart. I'd also encourage you to plan a trip to your local dollar store and craft store to stock up on other seasonal goodies. (The dollar store has a ton of great things now! I did some damage in there a few days ago. Yikes!)

Here's a list of things you'd do well to keep on hand.

**SHOPPING LIST**

* apples

* a few 15oz cans of pure pumpkin (*which, I just read, is not pumpkin at all, but a combination of squash! Whaaaaaaa????)

* lots and lots of candy melts in assorted colors (I'd suggest orange, green, white, and milk & dark chocolate varieties)- I  use Make 'n Mold brand and get them at AC Moore. They range in price from $1.88-2.49/bag depending on sales.
 From AC Moore ad - so you can see what they look like
* Oreo cookies

* Nutter Butter cookies

* Vanilla sugar wafer cookies (the kind with the sugar in the middle of them-- not Nilla Wafers)

* Pretzels - sticks, rods, minis, and thins (we'll be dipping them, using some as spider "legs" and other decoration, etc.)

* Boxed brownie mix

* Festive candies - gummy eyeballs, chocolate eyeballs, finger lollipops, gummy worms, and the like (the dollar store has a great selection right now) 

* Assorted holiday crafts - I typically buy these Nicole projects (also at AC Moore). They're great because they are a dollar each. There are stained "glass" projects, headband crafts, wooden coloring activities, foam crafts, jewelry-making kits... you name it. They're great for rainy days and quick if you're pressed for time.

See top row for ideas-- from AC Moore ad

There are several other things you could stockpile, of course --assorted jars, artificial leaves, ribbon/burlap twine, etc-- but that's a good start.

I hope you'll check in each day to see what's happening. And if you try anything you see, I'd love to hear about it.

See you soon.

Here's to a happy October!