Halloween Party 2011

As Halloween approaches I think back to a year ago when we hosted a large party for the neighborhood kids. It was a ton of fun, complete with children in costume, spooky decor, fun games and delightful treats. I've always loved this time of year, and masquerade parties are at the top of my must-do list.

As I contemplate whether I can pull off another shin-dig like this in just a couple of weeks, I went back and looked at photos from last year. I thought you might get a chuckle out of them, too.

My little skeleton almost made mommy-the-pirate walk the plank!

The kid's goodie table.

We played many kids' games, like Mommy Mummy. I hit up Costco for tons of toilet paper and the kids wrapped their moms like mummies. It was great! A neighbor got this shot of me - so creepy!

Here's another mom all wrapped up! Talk about standing perfectly still!

This cemetery cake was so easy. Just use Milano cookies for tombstones and crush up Oreos to make dirt.

Severed finger shortbread cookies. Almonds make perfect finger nails, and raspberry jam turns up the gruesome factor!

We had a treasure hunt, played pumpkin bowling, had an eye-ball relay race, and beat down two pinatas. Once it got dark, we roasted marshmallows over the fire pit. My mother-in-law even read tarot cards for the adults!

I wish I had more photos of the decorating. I hung black and white lanterns from the backyard trees. And we had spooky creatures coming out of the ground.

It was so much fun - I can't wait for Halloween this year, too. What are some of your favorite Halloween moments?