I made this wreath!

I know, I know.....I've been away far too long. You missed me, no? Well, I missed you, too. I have so much to share with you about vacation, the cruise, Mexico, San Diego, family, Thanksgiving, etc, etc. But I'm still in the time-sucking process of catching up on things undone while we were away. You'll have to wait just a little while longer. However, yesterday I made a wreath inspired by a favorite crafty blogger, Just A Girl,  and I wanted to share a picture. It isn't a great picture because I took it this morning with my cell phone. I'll try to get the real camera out tonight for a better shot. But for now, I love it. I hope you do, too.

Trick, Treat, or Bust

Well, despite our enormous candy stash and the fun of dressing up to hand it out, we had very few (less than 10, total) trick or treaters this year. However, while hanging out on the front porch we had the opportunity to get to know our new neighbors. They are lovely.

I'll leave you with a few shots of the decorations and candy.

A Halloween Office Party for the Record Books

I don't know what got into me, but I was excited about Halloween this year. Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween every year, but this time I was into it. I wanted to make things, decorate, and celebrate! But since it is just me and my partner at home (and now my sister, temporarily), all of the energy I spend decorating for holidays seems lost, 'cause my dear partner just doesn't have any enthusiasm about it. In fact, she hates the time spent putting up and taking down decorations. So, this year, instead of going all out at home, I decided to bring my creativity to the office. I should also add that my department at work isn't into the whole food day/organized celebration thing. So this was going to be a first for my co-workers.

My friend Tori inspired me to make a sherbet face punch. My dear partner went to Hobby Lobby to get the mask to make this delightful concoction. First, I lined the mask with plastic wrap. Then I smooshed sherbet as tighly as possible into the mask, and wrapped the back of the mask with the excess plastic wrap.

I learned a few things. First, try to find a mask that isn't too flexible. The sherbet slid around a bit as I pressed, distorting the nose, eyes, and mouth. Also, maybe let the sherbet soften a while before scooping it into the mask. My sherbet was pretty solid and hard to work with.

The end result was pretty great. I used Sprite Zero and Cherry Juicy Juice. The punch was delicious, if ghastly.

As I was preparing to make the punch, I ran across an idea to make a cheese ball using the same mask technique. Another terrific, horrific opportunity to be creative! I purchased proscuitto from the deli sliced as thin as they could slice it. I made my usual green onion and dried beef cream cheese ball, adding some proscuitto. Then, I lined the mask with plastic wrap and a layer of small pieces of proscuitto before pressing the cream cheese mixture into the mask. I wrapped the back with excess plastic wrap.

I had the same problems with the mask on this adventure as I did with the sherbet, though this time my dear partner was wise, suggesting that I let the cream cheese sit out to soften before I made the face. Sweet girl! One other thing, I didn't like the taste of the proscuitto with the cheese ball mixture. The tang of the vinegar or brine didn't go with the other tastes. I'd appreciate any ideas or suggestions.

The visual result was incredible. My co-workers oohed and aahhed and generally refused to eat it because it was so disgusting looking!

Others from the office contributed to the festivities, and a great time was had by all. I was proud of my little department.