TRICK-OR-TREAT RAIN CHECK

Do you remember me stating earlier in the month, right around last payday, that I had only $7 in my checking account after my various expenses?  Halloween candy was NOT in my budget and so it fell upon Dickidoo to provide the sugar fix for the plague of midget monsters that were due to descend upon our house at 6pm sharp.  After being married for 22 years, some of my habits have inevitably rubbed off on to him.  Unfortunately 'procrastination' was one of them.  He waited until after work on Halloween day to shop for the sweet treats and apple cider that we serve every year.  The consequences:  limited candy selection, the last 3 gallons of cider in the county (we usually serve about 5 gallons on Halloween night), and loooooooong checkout lines!

The invasion began early this year.  Our first ghoul showed up at 5:30.  Can you imagine how embarrassing it was to tell the little pint sized Goblin that we didn't have any candy yet and to please come back later?

Zack decided to be the 'treat giver' rather than to harass the neighbors like his siblings.  I think he really enjoyed passing out the candy... Kids would rush up to him begging for candy, he'd toss them some, offer their parents something hot to drink and 'Presto Amazo!' instant hero!  Oh yeah, its easy to give kids hands full of candy when you don't have to see them morph into sugar crazed monsters, only to crash hard and become sick, whining demons that have parents vowing never to let them eat candy again... (Until next Halloween.)  

We didn't light the outdoor fireplace this year because I was too busy making last minute costumes and Dickidoo was too busy with his shopping and chauffeuring the Littlest Oompa to rendezvous with her friends.  Several visitors looked sadly at the fire pit sitting dark and cold on the corner of the porch as they shivered in the 30 degree night air.  They forgave our negligence due to the fact that for the 11th year in a row we had steaming hot apple cider on a table for them to warm up with.  Next year though we will have the fire going, no matter what.  And we will have our treats ready early so we never have to endure the sad (and sometimes pure evil) looks on the kids' faces when we hand them a Trick-Or-Treat rain check instead of a piece of candy again.

Becca made a little goody bag for me from her plunder.  It was a brown lunch sack full of my favorite chocolate.  Thanks Becca-Bee!  Now please excuse me while I gobble down my chocolate and transform into a monster only to later crash off my sugar high and morph into a sick and whining ghoul... But I will be a happy sick and whining ghoul.  Yay CHOCOLATE!