Halloween’s Tomorrow: How to throw a party when you’ve got zero time!

You know how life goes, one minute you’re enjoying that first pumpkin spice latte of the season and the next you’re staring at the calendar realising it is Halloween is tomorrow!! Between work, kids and trying to remember where you left your sanity it’s easy for plans to slip through the cracks but just because you didn’t spend weeks planning doesn’t mean you can’t throw a party that feels like you did.

Here’s how to pull together a fun, spooky and memorable Halloween party even when time and your energy are running low!

Pick a quick theme!

You don’t need a theme but it helps everything look a bit more intentional. Choose something you can pull together fast, like:

Classic Spooky: Ghosts, skeletons, bats and pumpkins.

Haunted House: Dim lighting, cobwebs, flickering candles.

Monster Mash: All the classic creatures like vampires, zombies, werewolves.

Witchy Vibes: Potions, black candles, spell books and cauldrons.

Retro Horror: Think old school slasher films and vintage decorations.

Glow in the Dark Party: Black lights, neon face paint, and bright drinks.

Once you’ve chosen a theme you can base your decorations, music and snacks around it without overthinking!

Raid your house for decorations!

Forget running to the shops, you can decorate with what’s already lying around. A few easy ideas:

Bedsheets = Ghosts. Drape them over furniture or hang them from the ceiling.

Black bin bags = Spooky drapes. Cut into strips and hang over doorways.

Toilet paper = Cobwebs. Stretch it out thin and stick it in corners.

Candles everywhere = Instant haunted house atmosphere.

Pumpkins or oranges = Draw faces on them if you don’t have carving tools.

String lights = Any colour will do, but orange or white look best.

Old bottles = Potion bottles. Add water with a drop of food colouring.

Easy lighting tricks!

Lighting sets the mood faster than any other decoration. Go for dim, eerie lighting using what you already have:

Replace normal bulbs with coloured ones if you’ve got them.

Cover lamps with thin scarves or tissue paper for a spooky glow, just not too close to the bulb!.

Use fairy lights and candles to keep things mysterious but visible.

Throw in a few flickering tealights for atmosphere, battery ones are safest.

Want extra drama? Stick a torch under a pumpkin or bottle for that campfire story mood.

Quick and fun snacks!

You don’t need fancy themed food, just a few clever touches make everything look festive.

Witch’s Fingers: Breadsticks dipped in green icing or melted chocolate with an almond nail.

Mummy Hot Dogs: Wrap sausages in strips of pastry and bake.

Bloody Popcorn: Drizzle melted red candy or syrup over plain popcorn.

Monster Eyes: Use mozzarella balls with an olive slice on top.

Graveyard Dip: Layer refried beans, guacamole, and salsa in a bowl. Add tortilla gravestones.

Spiderweb Pizza: Swirl sour cream or mayo in circles on top and drag with a knife to make a web shape.

Witch’s Brew Punch: Mix any bright-coloured drink like limeade or cherryade with ice and floating gummy sweets.

If you’re really in a rush just grab crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, no one’s judging! Stick a sign that says Zombie Fuel on it and you’re done.

Costumes without the stress!

If your guests are scrambling too, keep it simple with DIY costumes. A few quick fixes:

Classic ghost: A bedsheet, scissors, done.

Cat: A black outfit and eyeliner whiskers.

Vampire: Any dark clothes, red lipstick, fake blood or ketchup in a pinch.

Zombie: An old T-shirt, rip it up and add some smudged makeup.

Scarecrow: A flannel shirt, straw hat, eyeliner stitching marks.

Witch or wizard: Any black clothes and a pointy hat.

Encourage everyone to just go with what they have, it’s half the fun.

Simple games and activities!

You don’t need any massive plans but a few quick games make things more fun:

Murder mystery: Make up a quick backstory and assign everyone roles.

Apple bobbing: Classic, easy and always hilarious.

Costume contest: Give silly awards like Best DIY, Most Likely to Scare a Toddler or Least Effort Made.

Halloween trivia: Google some quick questions or make your own.

Guess the gross thing: Fill bowls with weird feeling foods like spaghetti, jelly and grapes and make guests guess what they are while blindfolded.

Photo booth: Hang a sheet and add a few props like witch hats, fake moustaches and skeleton hands.

A dance off: Just put on Thriller and see who can do the best zombie moves.

Finishing touches!

The little details make all the difference. A few extra things you can do in minutes:

Scents: Light a candle or use incense, pumpkin spice or cinnamon smells perfect for Halloween.

Entrance: Hang a sheet with "Enter if you dare" written in fake blood, red paint or lipstick.

Sound effects: YouTube has hours of ambient spooky background noise.

Party favours: Wrap sweets in tissue paper, tie with string and draw little ghost faces on them.

Throwing a last minute Halloween party doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive. The key is to work with what you’ve already got, add a few clever touches and lean into the chaos. Halloween is meant to be fun and a little silly, nobody’s expecting a Pinterest perfect setup!

Do you have any plans for Halloween?

My Halloween memories.

I seem to have gone a full circle with Halloween. Going from not celebrating it at all, to going crazy about it when my girls were younger to now where I am not really bothered about it.

When I was child Halloween was not a big thing. I lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere and there wasn't much chance to go trick or treating as our nearest neighbour was just under a mile away. Thankfully the school I went to always had a Halloween disco so there was the chance to dress up and join in the spooky fun. My first memory of dressing up was when I was about 10 years old. Costumes and pumpkins weren't easy to come by so we used black bin bags for our costumes and my dad carved us turnips! Have you ever tried to cut a turnip/swede? It's hard work, my dad was a hero and I didn't even realise it at the time!

It wasn't until I had kids myself that I got into Halloween. The first year we really did anything was when Ellie was just over a year old, I had bought the girls witchy costumes and not long after Ellie was dressed as a witch she took her first steps and started to walk. We joked that it was the magic of the witch costume. hehehe

Since that Halloween we had a lot of fun each year. When the girls were still little, I started doing party teas. I would buy Halloween themed paper plates and bowls and we'd have a picky tea. We would always have the party tea on the Saturday that X-Factor would do their Halloween week. The girls would dress up and it was something different for them.

The girls used to love carving pumpkins even though they hated scraping the insides out. There was always a lot of screeching and shouts of "mam, can you do it". We have carried on the tradition of carving pumpkins, this has been the first year that we haven't done some in about 18 years.

When the girls were at school we would meet up with friends and go trick or treating and then my friend would put a party tea on for the kids. It was always a lot of fun and the amount of sweets that the kids got were crazy. People were so generous! The kids would be eating the sweets that they got for weeks.

Most of the time Halloween would fall during the half term break from school and we would always do some Halloween crafts, we used to review a lot of the Baker Ross sets which the girls used to love and I am sure that we still have those scratch art haunted houses in one of our memory boxes.

We would also do some baking too. We would cheat mostly and just buy the baking kits from the supermarkets. The one's where you just decorate cupcakes or cookies. The girls could do most of it themselves and we ended up with some yummy treats at the end of it.

Now the girls are older we don't celebrate Halloween as much. The last time they did was before Covid, they dressed up (the photo at the top of this post) and went trick or treating. This year Becky is working and Ellie and I don't have any plans at all apart from handing out sweets to any trick or treaters which might knock at our door.

I was going to say I don't miss celebrating Halloween but actually I do, we had a lot of fun times.

What have you got planned for Halloween?

A Halloween Tag!

Halloween is almost here and I thought I would get into the mood by doing a Halloween tag that I found online. Amazingly a lot of these questions are one's which I have never answered before.

What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?

Halloween has changed a lot for me over the years, I have a blog post all about my Halloween memories tomorrow but now I am at a part of my life where I don't really celebrate it but I do enjoy handing out the sweets to any trick or treaters which come knocking a the door. I love seeing the little one's all dressed up.

What’s your ultimate Halloween candy?

Anything Reese's. Do they still do the pumpkin shaped Reese's peanut butter cup things? I am also a sucker for any type of Haribo! 

What’s your favourite Halloween movie or TV special?

I am not a fan of scary movies, I was put right off them by The Ring. That girl Samara with the hair, who comes out of the TV makes me shudder just thinking about her now. I would say now looking back on it Ghostwatch from the early 90's was amazing! They made it out to be a real documentary and it was terrifying for my brother and I. We got so far into watching it when my dad realised it was too much but let us carry on watching it because he thought it would all be revealed it was a hoax at the end. It didn't! My brother and I didn't sleep properly for weeks along with the rest of the country. It has never been shown on TV since.

Do you decorate for Halloween? If so, what’s your go-to decoration style?

I used to when the girls were younger. We would keep it fun and cute with none of the scary decorations. Now I don't bother. All I have now is a cute Halloween gonk sat on my fireplace.

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?

I do sometimes especially when I see videos on TikTok about spooky things but when it's late on a night and I am going to the toilet I tell myself that ghosts are defiantly not real! 

Have you ever visited a haunted house or done a ghost tour?

No, no and I don't want to. I used to watch Most Haunted on the TV where the crew would visit haunted houses and buildings and watching it was scary enough for me. I would not like to be in the thick of it!

What’s your go to spooky season playlist or song?

This Is Halloween off Nightmare Before Christmas. I Googled it and before writing this I did not know Marylin Manson sung it.

If you could spend Halloween in any fictional universe, where would it be?

It would have to be Harry Potter! I would love to spend some time in Hogwarts with all the professors, students and magic of course.

What's your ideal Halloween party like - scary, funny, or cosy?

Ohh! I like the sound of a cosy Halloween party. I imagine lots of sweets and treats. Hot chocolate, a roaring fire, sweet smelling candles and yummy food.

Would you rather be a vampire, witch, or werewolf for Halloween?

I've watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer enough to know that they all have their advantages and disadvantages. I think the one that comes out the best is a witch, well as long as your girlfriend doesn't get killed and you go out killing people to get revenge. hehehe

What would you answer for these questions?

Halloween costume ideas for kids which are easy to make!

Halloween is just around the corner and if you're a parent you know that coming up with a great costume idea for your child can be a daunting task. With a little creativity and some basic crafting skills you can whip up an amazing costume that's sure to make your little one the star of the night.

Here are some fun and easy DIY costume ideas that will have your kids excited for trick or treating and Halloween parties!

DIY Space Explorer

What You Need:

Silver or white coat/jumper/hoodie and trousers or leggings.

Cardboard or foil for making a space helmet.

Stickers and markers for decoration.

Plastic or paper tubes for rocket boosters (optional).

How to Make It: Dress your child in a silver or white outfit to mimic a space suit. Create a helmet by covering a bowl with tin foil or painting a cardboard box silver. Add some stickers and marker details to make it look like a real space helmet. For extra flair, you can attach plastic tubes to the back of the outfit to serve as rocket boosters.

A Classic Ghost

What You Need:

White sheet or fabric.

Scissors.

Black marker.

How to Make It: Cut eye holes out of a white sheet and let your child wear it over their clothes. Use a black marker to draw ghostly eyes and a mouth on the sheet for a classic, spooky look. Simple to make and a timeless classic!

A Magical Unicorn

What You Need:

White or pastel coloured clothing.

White felt or foam.

Glitter or sequins.

Headband.

How to Make It: Transform your child into a magical unicorn with a white or pastel coloured outfit. Create a horn using a piece of white felt or foam, rolling it into a cone shape and securing it to a headband. Add some glitter or sequins to make the horn sparkle.

A Superhero Sidekick

What You Need:

Solid-coloured top and bottoms.

Felt or fabric for cape and mask.

Fabric glue or tape.

How to Make It: Design a superhero sidekick costume by using a solid coloured top and bottoms. Cut out a cape from felt or fabric and attach it to the top. Create a matching mask from the same material. Let your child choose their favourite superhero colours or symbols to make the costume uniquely theirs!

An Under the Sea Mermaid

What You Need:

Light coloured leggings or bottoms.

Shimmery fabric or foil.

Shells or sea themed decorations.

Headband.

How to Make It: For a sparkling mermaid look, start with light coloured leggings or pants. Create a tail fin by sewing or gluing shimmery fabric or foil onto the pants. Decorate with seashells or sea-themed decorations. A headband with added shells or seaweed will complete the look perfectly.

A Dinosaur

What You Need:

Green clothing.

Felt or fabric in different colours.

Craft glue or hot glue gun.

How to Make It: Create a dinosaur costume with green clothing as the base. Cut out felt or fabric in various colours to create scales and spikes. Glue them onto the clothing, starting from the back and extending down the arms and legs. You can also make a dino tail by attaching a piece of fabric to the back of the pants.

A Kitty Cat

What You Need:

Black clothing.

Felt or fabric for ears.

Face paint or makeup.

How to Make It: Transform your child into a kitty cat with black clothing as the base. Create cat ears using felt or fabric, attaching them to a headband. Use face paint or makeup to draw on whiskers and a nose. Add a tail made from black fabric for a complete feline look.

A Pirate

What You Need:

Striped top and bottoms.

Red or black bandana.

Eye patch (can be made from black felt).

Toy sword.

How to Make It: Set sail for adventure with a pirate costume. Dress your child in a striped shirt and pants. Add a red or black bandana and an eye patch made from black felt. Finish the look with a toy sword for an authentic pirate vibe!

A Farmer

What You Need:

Overalls or denim clothing.

Felt or fabric in various colours.

Farm animal accessories.

How to Make It: For a fun farmyard look, dress your child in overalls or denim clothing. Create farm animal features like ears, tails, and snouts from felt or fabric, and attach them to the clothing. You can choose to be a cow, pig, chicken or any favourite farm animal!

Have you ever made your children home made Halloween costumes?

October half term fun in North Lincolnshire

October half term is right around the corner and you’ll want to make sure the kids are entertained without having to travel too far. Luckily North Lincolnshire has plenty to offer families looking to fill the week with fun from outdoor adventures to indoor crafts.

Here’s a rundown of some of the best things you can do in the area this half term:

Explore Normanby Hall Country Park!

Normanby Rd, Normanby, Scunthorpe DN15 9HU

You really can’t go wrong with a trip to Normanby Hall Country Park. It's a gorgeous place all year round but there’s something extra magical about it in autumn. The trees turn beautiful shades of red, orange and gold making it perfect for an autumn walk. The kids can run around in the wide open spaces or explore the playground while you enjoy the crisp air. For those who like a bit of history, the stately home itself is a great visit. Step back in time and take a look at how the other half lived or check out the farming museum. Their annual, fabulously frightful, Halloween Spooktacular event takes place on Sunday the 27th of October. Check their website for more details.

Pumpkin Picking at Uncle Henry’s!

Grayingham Grange Farm, Gainsborough DN21 4JD

October means one thing: Pumpkin Picking! If you’ve got younger kids, or even if you’re just a big fan of Halloween then head over to Uncle Henry’s near Kirton Lindsey. This place is a dream during autumn. You can wander through the pumpkin patch, find your perfect pumpkin (or two) and carve it up into a spooky masterpiece. But that’s not all, Uncle Henry’s usually has loads of extra activities on offer during half term. It’s a great place to spend a few hours and there’s even a farm shop and cafe where you can warm up with a hot chocolate after all that outdoor fun.

Get Creative at the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre!

Church Square, Scunthorpe DN15 6TA

If the weather isn’t on your side then heading indoors is probably a good idea and 20-21 Visual Arts Centre in Scunthorpe is a brilliant option. They often have half term workshops that are perfect for keeping little hands busy. From painting and drawing to crafting and building, these sessions are great for encouraging creativity plus, it’s a great way to sneak in a bit of learning without the kids realising!

The centre is also free to enter, which is a bonus if you’re looking for budget friendly activities. You can take a wander around the exhibitions and enjoy a bit of art yourself, while the kids get stuck into their crafts.

Spooky Fun at The Pink Pig Farm!

Holme Hall, Holme Ln, Scunthorpe DN16 3RE

Halloween and half-term go hand-in-hand, and The Pink Pig Farm near Scunthorpe  offers a fantastic line up of family friendly Halloween activities. From pumpkin picking to potion making the farm is transformed into a Halloween haven. The kids will love the themed activities, and there’s plenty to do both indoors and outdoors. The play barn is perfect for little ones to let off steam, and the farm shop has a great selection of seasonal treats. It’s a fun, farm-filled day out that the whole family will enjoy!

Outdoor Adventures at Waters' Edge Visitor Centre!

Maltkiln Rd, Barton-upon-Humber DN18 5JR

For those who love a bit of nature Waters' Edge Visitor Centre in Barton-upon-Humber is a fantastic spot to visit. It’s the perfect place for an autumnal walk with nature trails and wildlife spotting opportunities. The views over the Humber Estuary are lovely and if you’ve got kids who enjoy exploring, they’ll love the open spaces and adventure trails.

During half-term they often put on special events and activities for families so it’s worth checking what’s on. There’s also a cafe on site, so you can treat yourself to a warm drink and a slice of cake after your walk!

Historical Fun at North Lincolnshire Museum!

Oswald Rd, Scunthorpe DN15 7BD

I’ve always found that kids love museums and North Lincolnshire Museum in Scunthorpe is no exception. It’s packed with fascinating exhibits and during half term they will have themed activities for the little ones. 

It’s completely free to enter which is always a bonus when you’re looking for affordable ways to keep everyone entertained! You can easily spend a couple of hours here and it’s a nice balance of fun and education, perfect for those rainy autumn days when you need to be inside but still want to do something productive.

Go Ape at Normanby Hall!

Normanby Hall Country Park, Normanby, Scunthorpe DN15 9HU

For the more adventurous families out there, Go Ape at Normanby Hall is an absolute must. There’s nothing quite like swinging through the treetops, ziplining through the woods, and taking on some high wire challenges. It’s great for older kids and teens who love a bit of action. Plus the views of the autumn landscape from up high are pretty spectacular!

Do you have anything planned for October half term?

This or That Autumn Questions!

It feels like Autumn is well and truly here. The leaves are falling from the trees, the darker nights are here and there is a right chill in the air. I do love this time of year when it's chilly but not freezing, the sun is still shining now and again and when I am at home I can feel cosy snuggling under a blanket! 

Hot Chocolate OR Pumpkin Spice Latte?

This is a tough one. If I am at home I will always choose a hot chocolate but if I am out and about I will always choose a pumpkin spice latte, usually from Starbucks. They always taste better from a coffee shop.

Cosy Sweater OR Chunky Knit Cardigan?

They both make me feel cosy but I like a chunky cardigan which I can wrap around me and feel extra cosy.

Apple Picking OR Pumpkin Carving?

Apple picking! I love wrapping up warm and getting outside on a chilly day to pick apples, usually off my dad's trees. I have done my time carving pumpkins with my girls and it is so messy!

Autumn Leaves OR Frosty Mornings?

As pretty as Autumn leaves look I do like frosty mornings as long as they're not too frosty and icy and I am slip, sliding all over. That is not for me!

Harvest Flavours OR Comfort Food?

As much as I love things like butternut squash soup and roasted root vegetables I do prefer comfort food. Bangers and mash, Shepheard's Pie and stews!

Cinnamon Buns OR Apple Crumble?

Ohh! Both!! This is a hard choice, I do love both! I think I would have to go for a cinnamon bun with a nice sweet cup of tea.

Halloween Decorations OR Autumn Wreaths?

Years ago I would have said Halloween decorations but I am all about loving pretty things now and I do like Autumn wreaths, I keep thinking about buying one for our front door.

Scenic Walk in the Park OR Hike in the Countryside?

As much as I like the countryside I do like the park better, there is one in town which I love to walk around spotting squirrels. I have walked through it a few times recently and have seen the leaves falling from the trees and changing colour, so pretty!

Roast Marshmallows OR Make S’mores?

I would have said roast marshmallows as making S'mores seems so mess but I have seen people making S'mores dip in their air fryer and I need to try it!

What would you pick?

Spooky Brownies with Raspberry Drizzle - Recipe!

There's no tricks here just treats! Today I am sharing a recipe for some spooky brownies with raspberry drizzle that will cast a spell on your taste buds and enchant your Halloween celebrations. 

Whether you're hosting a haunted house party, trick or treaters are headed your way or you simply want to indulge in some fiendishly good treats for yourself this Halloween brownie recipe will be your go to for a hauntingly delightful dessert. So dust off your cauldron, grab your apron, and prepare to create a dessert that will leave everyone howling for more!

Ingredients for the brownies:

200g (7 oz) of unsalted butter

200g (7 oz) of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

200g (7 oz) of caster sugar

3 large eggs

125g (4.4 oz) of plain flour

50g (1.8 oz) of cocoa powder

A pinch of salt

Instructions for the brownies:

Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan or 350°F). Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and chopped dark chocolate together in 20-30 second intervals, stirring well after each interval until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt them together over a double boiler. Once melted, remove the bowl from heat, and let it cool for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar together until well combined. You can use an electric mixer or do this by hand until the mixture becomes slightly lighter in colour.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Stir until everything is well combined.

Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; you want a fudgy texture.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking tin, spreading it out evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes. The brownies should have a slight crust on top but still be slightly gooey in the centre.

Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper overhang, lift the brownies out of the tin and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

While they are cooling you can prepare the raspberry drizzle.

For the glaze you need:

50g of fresh or frozen raspberries.
200-300g of icing sugar.

Water.

For the decoration:
Googly fondant eyes.

Mix some of the icing sugar with water to get a runny glaze and drizzle the glaze on top of the brownies.

For the pink glaze. Heat the raspberries on the stove top over low heat until they soften and release their water. Cook them for 2 to 3 more minutes, then run them through a fine sieve and collect the raspberry juice. Using a whisk, slowly add the icing sugar into the raspberry juice until you get a thick but runny glaze. Drizzle the glaze on top of the brownies and add the googly eyes whilst the drizzle is still wet.

Once the icing is set, you can enjoy your spooky brownies or store them in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

Do these look like something you would enjoy?

Halloween treats from Lush!

Halloween bath bombs are not your average bath time treat. They come in a variety of spooky shapes and colors from pumpkins and ghosts to skulls and witches cauldrons. I think each bath bomb is a miniature work of art. 

Once a year in the run up to Halloween I always have a bit of a splurge in Lush and buy some of their spooky offerings. I love how each year they keep coming up with different things. The things I got last year are totally different to this years range.

Ghostie - Bath Bomb - £5.00

One for brave bathers. Let the Halloween ghost bath bomb put on a show for you with lemongrass, Sicilian lemon and Persian lime oils that'll definitely lift your spirits. As your warm bathwater floods with colour, listen closely for the crackling of popping candy!

Bubble Lugosi - Bubble Bar - £7.50

For mounds of skin softening bubbles you have to invite berry scented Bubble Lugosi into your bathtub! Charge this glow in the dark bubbler in the light before throwing on some Bauhaus on the stereo, lighting a candle and lying back in the bath with arms crossed across the chest. Crumble this illuminating bubble bar under running water. Then settle in as you're surrounded by bubbles, steam, and an eerie glow.

Magic Potion - Bath Bomb - £6.00

Transform your bath time with an alakazam! Watch the bright colours fizz and pop, casting a spell of warm. spicy, and fruity fragranced notes across enchanted elixir waters. Drop into your bath to release magical purple waters, bewitched with jasmine absolute, bergamot, and ylang ylang oils.

Pumpkin Crumble - Bubble Bar - £8.00

Light your candles, run a hot bath, warm your pyjamas and indulge in skin softening cocoa and shea butter bubbles. Soak in the creamy, pumpkin coloured autumnal waters while invigorating your senses with citrus top notes and spicy juniperberry oil. Crumble under running water and then slip into your perfect pumpkin spiced Halloween bubble bath, sipping your favourite seasonal beverage.

Screaming Banshee - Bath Bomb - £3.50

This wailing banshees's pairing of sweet apple powder and sea salty tears seal your fate, you're in for an otherworldly bath. Bergamot and grapefruit oils swirl around you, creating a bath time worth howling about! Drop into warm bathwater for a soak that's a real scream.

Screamo - Bath Bomb - £5.00

Wanna scream? Watch your fears fizz and fade away into cobalt blue waters, fragranced with a cheering cherry almond scent. There’s nothing to be scared of! Run your bath, drop in, and indulge in the ultimate scary treat for your bath.

I have already used the most of these bath bombs and bubble bars. I do love a soak in the bath, especially at this time of year. I think my favourite was the Pumpkin Crumble bubble bar and the Screamo bath bomb. The smells from them were amazing and the Screamo bath bomb was a bit of a surprise when it turned my bath almost black. hehehe

Do you like seasonal bath bombs?

Our carved pumpkins. #MySundaySnapshot

It's almost Halloween and we always carve our pumpkins the weekend before. It was just Ellie and I carving one as Becky was sleeping for a night shift. We learned a little trick of TikTok, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. It's a game changer and made the job a lot easier! 

Scary films that I have seen! #Blogtober22

I am taking part in Blogtober 2022 and will be writing posts with various themes/prompts throughout October. Today's prompt is: Favourite Halloween/ scary films!

I am not a fan of horror films now. I used to be but since I have got older and watched a couple of really scary films I went right off them.

If you go onto Google and ask what the scariest film of all time was it usually says The Exorcist. I watched it years ago, probably when I was a teenager and I didn't get why. I didn't think it was that scary. The same with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, they made such a big deal about it being shown on TV because it had been banned for so long before. It wasn't nice but it wasn't scary to me.

The first film I remember being scared by was the original IT film. My brother and I thought we were so clever, we rented the two videos from the local corner shop. I was about 14 years old and my brother was about 12. It was still in 2 parts back then, I am not sure if the remake is the same. My mum did ask what we were watching and we just said a film about a clown. hahaha 

Final Destination still makes me think twice before doing something careless, I'm afraid of roller coasters because of it and I will never go on a tanning bed and being in a car behind trucks carrying logs or anything similar is just asking for trouble. The Blair Witch Project was such a big thing when I was younger. The fact that nothing really happened messed with my head.

Horror films never used to scare me that much until one Sunday evening in 2002! Again I am blaming my brother for encouraging me to watch a scary film. He had bought me a DVD player for my birthday and a few DVD's that he thought I would like. I loved Coyote Ugly but the same couldn't be said for The Ring! The Ring was a 2002 remake of a Japanese horror film. After her niece's horrifying death, Rachel, a young journalist, investigates a mysterious videotape that kills its viewers within a week's time. That girl Samara with the hair who comes out of the TV makes me shudder just thinking about her now. I used to have one of those TV's in a cabinet and for months I couldn't sleep with the cabinet open in case Samara came out of it. It wasn't just me though, my brothers partner bought and watched The Ring as well and she was terrified too.

That was the film which put me off horror films so I am really choosy about what I watch now. If I do choose to watch anything that is slightly scary now I need to watch all of the trailers and read exactly what happens. Most of what I read about I don't watch but over the last few years I have watched and enjoyed scary films including: A Quiet Place, Split, Birdbox and I can happily watch episode and episode of The Walking Dead although Negan really did used to scare me when he was swing happy with Lucille. I'd rather see blood and gore than not see the things that are there to scare us like on movies like Paranormal Activity. I saw about 10 minutes of that when Becky was watching it and it really spooked me. I think it's the ghosty, spooky one's which get my mind working overdrive. I do not like them!

Do you like horror films?

My Halloween traditions! #Blogtober22

I am taking part in Blogtober 2022 and will be writing posts with various themes/prompts throughout October. Today's prompt is: My Halloween traditions!

My Halloween traditions have changed so much over the years. When I was a child we lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere and there wasn't much chance to go trick or treating as our nearest neighbour was just under a mile away. Thankfully the school I went to always had a Halloween disco so there was the chance to dress up and join in the spooky fun.

I didn't really get into Halloween until I was much older and had kids myself. I carved my first pumpkin when Ellie was little and I always remember we had bought the kids their first Halloween costumes, they were both little witches and that was the day that Ellie walked for the first time. We joked that it was the magic of the witch costume. hehehe

Since that Halloween we have always had a lot of fun each year. The girls used to love carving pumpkins even though they hated scraping the insides out. There was always a lot of screeching and shouts of "mam, can you do it". 

For a good few years we would meet up with friends from the girls primary school and go trick or treating. It was always a lot of fun and the amount of sweets that the kids got were crazy.

A lot of the time Halloween would fall during the half term holiday from school which means we had plenty of time to do some spooky crafts and baking! Fingers crossed this week we will be doing some baking with a couple of the baking kits that I have bought from the supermarket.

Now that the kids have got older I am not that involved in their Halloween plans. Hmmf. They are too old for their old mum to go trick or treating with them. Becky isn't bothered about Trick or Treating but I am still sending her out to keep an eye on Ellie.

The last time they went trick or treating was in 2019 before Covid. I don't know what happened last year, I think it was raining, really windy and Becky might have been on a night shift. This year she finishes a night shift on the morning so she should be wide awake to supervise Ellie and her friends.

Around here everyone gets involved in Halloween and we get a ton of trick or treaters knocking at the door so I will have to make sure I have plenty of sweets to give out.

With Ellie going back to school after half term on Monday which is Halloween I think we will be carving our pumpkins over the weekend and hopefully I will give making some pumpkin soup a try.

Becky is determined to get me to watch some scary films but I am hoping she forgets about the suggestion because I am not a fan of anything too scary! Eek! 

What do you do for Halloween?