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    Home » My House at Halloween

    Creepy & Elegant Outdoor Halloween Decorating.

    October 30, 2018 by Karen 46 Comments

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    I always go for a creepy but elegant feel for Halloween decorations. Some black gauze, pumpkins and a DIY witches broom give your Halloween house a creepy but elegant vibe.  

    This post is about how I went simple and elegant with my Halloween decorating this year.  Some black gauze, twinkle lights and pretty pumpkins.  Add in the witches' broom I showed you how to make a couple of years ago and my first Halloween DIY for this blog, the Halloween wreath and Halloween decorating was done.

    So now let's talk about Halloween gut rot.

    I won't be having stomach issues on this Halloween night.  Most kids won't either, what with parents being so parenty nowadays.

    Don't eat this, don't eat that, gimme your candy so I can lock it up in this Pinterest inspired candy lockup drawer that doubles as a "Mommy has her period emergency kit."

    Someone who will be sick tonight?  My mother. Today at some point gastrointestinal distress will be attacking my mother Betty.

    Creepy & Elegant Halloween Decorating

    We couldn't possibly be more different, Betty and I.

    As a kid I would gather my Halloween candy, separate it all based on what kind of candy it was, count it, put it all back in the bag and shove it under my bed until the house developed an ant problem some time around February.

    Betty?  Betty eats candy until she's sick.

    Every Halloween she sets herself up by the front door with boxes and boxes of candy.  Before she knows it she's plowed through most of it and is turning a nauseous shade of green. That's her cue to lock the door, shut off the porch light and proceed to moan like she has dysentery.

    This is usually all before 3 p.m.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    I have a few problems with Halloween but eating candy until I sweat corn syrup is not one of them.

    Problem #1 with Halloween.  My level of creative OCD is not compatible with a quick pumpkin carving.  Couple of triangle eyes and a toothy grin? Sure. I'll just decorate one Christmas tree and hire someone to do my plumbing while I'm at it. Image result for rolling eyes emoji So if I don't have a spare 2 days?  I just don't carve.

    Problem #2 with Halloween. No start and end time.  I want to know exactly when all of this is going to go down so I don't have to turn out every light in the house at 8:30 while still worrying some jackass kid is going to bang on the door looking for candy my mother already has dibs on.

    Problem #3 with Halloween.  I eat until I feel sick.  I know I told you I didn't but I do. I just don't do it with candy.  I do it with chili.

    Every year, the night  before Halloween I make a big pot of my famous chili.  On Halloween night I don't have to worry about making dinner, I have a big bowl of comfort food ready to be eaten. I just heat it up on the stove, ladle some into a bowl and top it with chopped avocado, cilantro, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.  And then I do it again.  And again and again and again and again and again and again.

    I don't suffer the "dysenteries" like my mother.  I suffer the "Oh-my-god-my-stomach-is-going-to-explodes."

    And then I Google yoga poses that make you fart.

    Have a good night, don't eat too much candy, don't eat too much of whatever your traditional Halloween dinner is and don't expect me to answer the door after 8:30.

    →Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←

     

    More My House at Halloween

    • An Easy, Creepy, DIY Witches Broom for Halloween.
    • Edgar the Spider. A Halloween story.
    • Halloween Picks
    • DIY Halloween Decorations. Creepy, Elegant & Haunting.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Dana

      November 01, 2018 at 11:17 am

      And now that the happiest day of the year is past, we all eagerly await the Christmas Pledge, 2018.

      Reply
    2. Jody

      November 01, 2018 at 8:47 am

      Halloween is the best! Homes on the street go all out with decorations. We had about 500 kiddos last night--it was a parade. My husband was giving out chili for parents and had them help with pumpkin installation art. All at the Parent Warming Station.

      Reply
      • Karen

        November 02, 2018 at 12:41 am

        500?! That's insane. I'm not sure what I got but not 500, lol. 150, maybe a bit more? I should count one year. ~ karen!

        Reply
    3. judy

      October 31, 2018 at 9:33 pm

      Any chance your Mother might be lactose intolerant? It's amazing how much food has milk or milk solids(as a filler) in it. I had decades of misery until I discovered lactose free products.
      The porch is beautiful but sad spider is my favorite,have that pic on my laptop and every time It pops up I gotta laugh and I need desperately to laugh cause I am a tRumpairican-(WTF!) and I am usually glued to the news 24/7. My apologies for Canada's new designation as an adversary. I love Canada and all you sensible logical people. I'd like to think our midterms will make a difference but you know Russians? Hackers? Voting machines?

      Reply
      • Karen

        November 02, 2018 at 12:40 am

        I actually thought she was this summer, but then she seemed fine with milk/icecream etc. Mainly she's like a goat. ~ karen!

        Reply
    4. Meg

      October 31, 2018 at 7:04 pm

      Hahhaa I love Betty stories. I did eat chocolate until I passed out once...Woke up with the bag still on my chest. And promptly continued my chocolate fest.

      Happy Halloween!!

      Reply
    5. Jan in Waterdown

      October 31, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      Ya gotta check out Jimmy Kimmel's videos on Youtube.... parents telling their kids that they've eaten all the kid's candy, hilarious reactions.
      I've got chili waiting for me too with hopefully a nice cold beer.

      Reply
      • Jan in Waterdown

        October 31, 2018 at 8:15 pm

        ooooops! double post.... my bad

        Reply
    6. Jan in Waterdown

      October 31, 2018 at 6:27 pm

      Every year I'm the crazy lady at the end of the street and the kids love it. This year we planted a bunch of white styrofoam heads stuck on stakes in a tasteful grouping in the garden. I made chili too. And ya gotta watch Jimmy Kimmel's (on Youtube) videos about parents telling their kids they ate all the candy... there are some hilarious reactions!

      Reply
    7. Marilyn Meagher

      October 31, 2018 at 3:07 pm

      Looks great, as usual. I detest Halloween, I wish I liked it. I did it all when my kids were young and I love to see the little ones but I hate dressing up and I just don’t like it in general..people look ya me like I have two heads when I say I dont like it. Like I just committed sacrilege by saying it out loud. Anyway. Your place looks great. Enjoy the chilli and the yoga induced farts.

      Reply
    8. Jacquie Gariano

      October 31, 2018 at 3:06 pm

      So simple, so elegant. Love it. But my 2 daughters are Halloween fiends. Pumpkins, ghosts, bones everywhere. Here in my daughter Debbie's house there are dragons (3) a very large cat, skeltons on the front bench, ghosts and skulls. All out. We do have quite a few kids as we are near a school and have lots of young families here. Usually starts about 6 with little ones and goes till about 8 with teens. Lots of candy. ( I do have to hide the candy until today in order to have some for the kids, son-in-law is the thief)

      Reply
    9. Christine

      October 31, 2018 at 2:42 pm

      Oops, your mother.

      Reply
    10. Christine

      October 31, 2018 at 2:37 pm

      Oops, mother

      Reply
    11. Christine

      October 31, 2018 at 2:34 pm

      I love your other.

      Reply
    12. Tess

      October 31, 2018 at 2:28 pm

      I'm the Halloween version of the Grinch.

      We hide in our basement (which is very nice by the way), eating Halloween food and candy, watch scary movies or Bewitched, and keep all the lights off. I used to put a huge pumpkin in front of the door with a "We are closed" sign in it but my neighbors stole it once and we ended up having to share our smarties with the trick or treaters.

      Reply
    13. Tammy

      October 31, 2018 at 1:31 pm

      You are so funny! Glad I found you so I can have at least one laugh out loud moment with each post. Thank you!!

      Reply
    14. Martina

      October 31, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      Will you be wearing your zipper face tonight? Might save some candy that way, as they run away shrieking in terror...lol

      Reply
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