The Coven Gathering

Ok, this post is actually about several fun October events, but the coven party was the highlight.

Early in October was our Fall Break. We weren't up to much, but one fun thing I did with the girls was take them to a British Restaurant in Layton, which Troy had heard about and encouraged us to visit. I was expecting a tiny little hole in the wall, and that is not what it was at all! It was more like a theme park attraction! We were delighted. Not only was there a little library off to one side featuring books about Princess Diana, Mr. Bean playing on the television, and charming decor everywhere, but half of the tables were set inside these little cottages that just made me happy. Super quaint.

We got fish and chips, a sausage roll, which has been mentioned in basically every British book I've ever read, mushy peas, which I have only recently heard about. The fish was the best. The peas were the worst.

We also tried a couple of desserts: Spotted Dick and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Both with custard. What I did not know what the spots in the Spotted Dick are raisins. Now that this is something I know,  I will not ever get it again. Sticky Toffee Pudding though... yum.

Later in the month, Becca threw a Witches' Coven party. She invited about 10 people and was surprised when every single person excitedly accepted. We all donned our witchy wear and arrived at her house, which was totally decked out for Halloween. She really did an incredible job.

My job was to try to copy my niece, who once made face pies which were amazing and creepy. I did not do anywhere near as good of a job, but they were still kind of fun. Becca made pumpkin-gruyere soup, served IN pumpkins. 

The activities included telling riotous stories, making potions and amulets, and reading palms. It was a super fun evening and I hope it happens again. 

We also held the ward Spooks-N-Beans party for the 2nd year in a row. It was fun, although it was a little quieter than last year. We only had 7 chilis entered into the contest, but the seats were all full, so that was good. Troy and I didn't go quite as all-out on costumes this year as we have. We decided to be Chris and Martin Kratt, and Romney dressed in a lemur costume to be Zooboomafoo. It was great for us, but not a lot of people knew who we were! We have always wanted to do it though, since Troy and Martin Kratt are basically twins.

Emma was dressed as an Elf, and we called her Lady Legolas. She had very carefully picked out some cool things on Etsy - ear cuffs and a tiara-type thing. She had made her own dress in her sewing class, and wore the cape she made a few years ago. I thought she looked terrific. 

Halloween itself was so strange - the girls both ended up making plans with other friends and were gone for the evening. I know this is normal for everyone else, but not for us! We usually host a soup night on our porch and gather with friends here. However, our back porch is covered in the contents of Chase's old bedroom, and the girls both wanted to make plans with friends. So off they went! Troy and I worked on the bedroom and answered the door exactly one time for trick-or-treaters - a darling pair of siblings who received about 3 pounds of candy each since I just wanted to get rid of it. They let me know that they would be back next year. 

Romney went as a strawberry. Her cello teacher had to take this photo of her at her lesson - she got such a kick out of her silliness. 

 So that wrapped up October! Happy Halloween to all and to all a spooky night!