7 Quick Takes-Post Halloween and All Saints Day

1. This year was a first; I experienced trick or treating on the actual eve of the 31st. In most communities in southeast Wisconsin, the powers that be decide that trick or treating should be held the Sunday BEFORE Halloween. In the middle of the afternoon. Frankly, it's really kind of lame. When Halloween actually comes around, the kids are usually pretty "meh" about it, since they already have their bucketfuls of candy. So you can imagine my shock and delight when I discovered that here in Bible Belt, trick or treating is actually held on Halloween night!

2. Despite my initial giddiness over the above discovery, we had a pathetic amount of trick or treaters. I found out through a neighbor that even though trick or treating is held on Halloween night, most churches around here hold "Harvest Parties" and a lot of kids go to those. So most of our neighbors didn't answer their doors, and we have a ridiculous amount of candy left over. Not a good thing when you're a pregnant woman with a pregnant husband in the house.

3. Our darling little lion had a great time trick or treating, though. He was very excited by his candy haul! (Murphy O'Dwyer, as seen in the background, tried to help with the candy. Will and I strongly discouraged this).

4. Despite the fact that I turned 31 this year and I stopped expecting people to make a big deal out of my birthday a long time ago, I was showered with cards, gifts and well-wishes from family and friends on Facebok. It was a lovely day and I feel very blessed.

5. Yesterday was All Saints Day, otherwise known as a Holy Day of Obligation. (Interestingly enough, this was my mom's due date when she was pregnant with me. I was born on Halloween instead. I'll let you take from that what you will..). I had every intention of going to the 5:30pm mass with Tony, assuming that he would be relatively docile after a busy afternoon of speech therapy, play time at Gymboree, a yogurt treat at Counter Culture and reading at the library. Ha. Such a fool am I! He completely lost it at the library, and I quickly realized that any attempt to get him to sit through an hour-long mass would end badly. Very, very badly. We headed home, and I promised to all the saints to try harder next year. We shall see.

6. Will is going to be gone for the majority of this weekend, with ROTC duties. If anyone wants to rescue me from endless renditions of "The Cat in the Hat" and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes, I won't say no. As long as my kid can come, we're good.

7. I realize it's a little premature, holiday-wise, but I have a wicked craving for the stollen Will and I purchased from the Christmas market in Dresden, Germany a few years ago. I also realize this craving is extremely unrealistic, as grocery store stollen simply will not suffice (hello, alliteration!!).

Happy weekend, everyone.