Ghost and goblins and witches…oh my! It’s that time of year again! I love this holiday. It is an excuse to dress up and eat lots of candy. What more could a girl want? This year is extra exciting for me. Being that it is our first year in the new house, I am very excited to be handing out candy to all of the trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. Since we were on vacation this past week, I did not have a lot of time to prepare. Therefore, pretty much all of my decorations, baking, and pumpkin carving occurred last night. And of course, I documented the activities. 

First up, we carved the pumpkin! Nick helped a little by cutting the top off for me. He isn’t one to stick his hand in the pumpkin guts and scoop out all of the insides. He left the messy part to me. I was debating about getting fancy with my carving but quickly realized I am not much of an artist. I decided to just stick with the traditional pumpkin face. I mean, it did not come out half bad for being an amateur carver. 

Next up came the baking. I decided that I wanted to bring in some sweet treats to the office and also to have them for later that evening at home. I stuck with what I know best. Funfetti cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting. I found these really cute cupcake liners and decorations at Target. The cupcakes were quick and easy, and actually came out really cute! 

Lastly, I saved some of the pumpkin seeds and roasted them. Nick and his brother Matt really enjoy them so I figured it would be a good snack for us to enjoy while we are passing candy out to the kiddies. The recipe for the pumpkin seeds is below.

Roasted Chipotle Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
Pumpkin seeds (as little or as many as you’d like!)
Olive oil
Chipotle seasoning
Pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. 
Wash of the seeds to rid of all of the pumpkin innards. 
Spread the seeds evenly out on a baking sheet.
Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. 

Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and a dusting of the chipotle seasoning. 
Mix the seeds, oil, and seasoning together with your hands to be sure all of the seeds are coated.
Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. 

I know everyone says this about their own mothers, but mine really is one of the strongest and unselfish people I know. Between working her day job, serving the people of her village as Mayor, and keeping tabs on her four kids who are all over the East Coast, I would say she has a lot on her plate. Despite all of that, anyone who knows her is aware of her caring and giving nature. She will be by your side at the drop of a hat in your time of need. She will talk to you on the phone for hours on end just to keep you company. I want to thank her for all that she does for me and our family! And for being someone to aspire to.