Favorite Halloween Books

2nd Brother is kind of understanding Halloween this year - my indoctrination seems to be working! I couldn't be happier that he has been requesting to have Goodnight Goon read to him at least once a day lately:

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich is another great one - very clever with fantastic pictures:


In a Dark, Dark Room might be too dark for really young ones, but 1st Brother really liked it starting around age 4:


I had to buy Ghosts in the House after Pepper recommended it:


The Hallo-Wiener is hilarious:


Although it's not technically a Halloween book, The Charles Addams Mother Goose has that feel because of its awesome illustrations:


The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark boxed set is waiting patiently for when the boys are a little older - I loved these growing up.

Reunited

After 5 years of sitting at the front of the congregation as a counselor in the bishopric - almost the whole time we've had kids - my husband has returned to sitting with us on the bench at church! The boys are usually pretty good, but it's nice to have back up now. His new Stake Executive Secretary job is still demanding, but requires less on Sunday than being a counselor did. Yes!

(For anyone who is confused by all this lingo, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are asked to serve in various positions in their local congregations/areas without pay, from pianist to teacher to the equivalent of a pastor).

Slop, Sloppy Joes

I didn't like Sloppy Joes growing up. I'm pretty sure the few I ever had were some sort of Manwich thing. But this recipe, with nothing out of a can, is easy and delicious:

Home Made Sloppy Joes

-1 lb. ground beef or turkey
-1/4 c. onion, chopped small
-1/4 c. green pepper, chopped small
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1 tsp. mustard
-3/4 c. ketchup
-3 Tbsp. brown sugar
-Salt and pepper

*Brown beef, onion, and pepper in pan over medium heat and drain liquids. Stir in rest of ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

And for all you youngsters who don't get the title of this post, watch this: