There was that one year when a very terrible storm shut down a good portion of the United States near the end of October, forcing Halloween to be canceled in some areas and postponed in others.
We were incredibly fortunate to fall into the "postponed" category.
That was the year that there was a haunted fairy garden on our front porch.
It was also the year that we discovered that jack o' lanterns sometimes become perfectly preserved if left alone all winter long.
Seriously. That is a pumpkin I carved last year. We threw it into the field behind our house last November and discovered it just like that in the spring.
It had a friend.
I haven't figured out for sure if I can preserve a jack o' lantern intentionally, but I sure do plan to try.
It was also the year that I made a significant portion of Alexis' Halloween costume.
That hood started as a large piece of white fabric.
And the dress was a white communion dress in a past life.
All of that sewing and dying and assembling happened because it turns out that you can't buy a Little Red Riding Hood costume for a six-year old unless you're OK with it being slutty. Which we're not.
Happy Halloween, y'all. Even if it is already November.