Happy Freaking Halloween!!!

I LOVE Halloween. It's hands down my favorite holiday.  Who doesn't love a holiday where you can scare people and they can't get mad, your allowed to collect candy from strangers, and for one day; you can be whoever you want to be! Halloween has always been a big deal in my family; it still is. My mom still has a huge party every year and you are required to come in costume....if you don't come in costume...she gets to dress you....you don't want that happening! My dad one year made the mistake of saying "I don't care" when my mom asked him what he wanted to be.....

Sooo he was the tooth fairy!!! A big, hairy, tan, Italian man in a white spandex one piece outfit, tutu, sparkly wings and hair piece....plus "fairy dust" in his hair and beard. IT WAS AWESOME!!! My daddy has since passed away. This was the last Halloween we shared, and we have amazing memories from it.

ANYWAY....My entire family, including my hubby are very big into Halloween. This year I'm attempting to track down a Jesse from Toy Story costume for my daughter (which is presenting to be a difficult task) And I think I'm going as Violet from Willy Wonka when she turns into the blueberry :0) haha

Poor Lovey has not been able to celebrate a Halloween since he's been in the Navy. The first one he was still in Great Lakes after Basic Training, the next he was deployed and this one he is deployed. And I'm just plain sick of it!!! I know he loves this time of year as much as I do and I feel guilty he can't take part in the pumpkin picking/carving, costume choices, trick or treating and decorations. So this year, I decided, he was gonna have Halloween on the ship!!!

STEP 1:    Cake in a Jar!!!!

 I got Halloween themed funfetti cake mix (for obvious reasons) and chocolate (it's his fav)
 

Make the cake batter according to the directions on the box. The jars you need are just basic glass mason jars used for canning. You can find them at some grocery stores, or wholesale places such as BJs or Costco in bulk. Fill the jars up HALF WAY. The jars have measuring lines on them, do not go more then one line above the half way mark. One box of batter will make 2 large jars, or 1 large and 2 medium jars...(with just enough left over for little goblins to lick the bowl)

They took as long as the 9x13 baking directions said. However, if you have a temper mental oven...or just want to play it safe...Start off with the time for cupcakes and go plus 5 minutes from there,checking them. You'll need a long skewer or butter knife...a toothpick won't work. You need to make sure you check all the way to the center of the cake. When the cakes have about 5 minutes left, fill a pot with water, and put the lids in. Turn it on high. When the water is boiling, shut it off, and put the lids on a towel and pat dry. Your cakes should be out of the oven by now....as soon as the lids are cool enough to be touched, put the lids on. They're in two pieces, a flat seal and a twist top. Put them on, screw closed but not TIGHT. The heat from the cake is going to vacuum seal them. You may hear a popping noise, if not touch the top of the jar in about 5-10 minutes. If you still feel the "bubble" that makes a popping noise, they're not sealed yet. If the top is flat, TA-DA. Now you can screw them as tight as you can.

The cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the jar as it cools.
Time to pack it up!! The jars a built to withstand a lot, but I still bubble wrapped them just to be safe. Enclose a jar of icing, don't ice the cake. They are suppose to stay fresh up to 6 months!!!  Good news for a Navy girl like me, when it takes a month or more for a package to get to the ship!!

STEP 2: Get Creative!!!

 I sent two Halloween themed care packages! One was his 'trick' and one was his 'treat' :0)

This is his 'trick' box. I'm not a crafty person but I tried!! Time to get down and dirty with some old school construction paper, crayons, markers, and glue sticks ladies!!  I drew and cut out pumpkins, skulls, ghosts.  Then wrote 'Trick or Treat' and 'Boooo' on opposite flaps, with little Halloween drawings. Even if your not artsy, your man will appreciate how hard you worked, and will enjoy each part of the package. 

Inside I have everything needed for him and all his Sailor friends to run a muck on Halloween.  Bonus....Halloween falls on a Sunday this year...with a bit of luck they'll be on holiday routine and have nothing better to do then go play!! My idea was to make it so that a bunch of the guys could actually dress up for Halloween. So I included, devil horns, a pink wig, a ball & chain, pimp clock, a grass skirt, long vintage cigarette holder, fake beards, vampire teeth, hobo teeth, screeching evil clown, rat that runs around, clown nose, cat whiskers, cobwebs, caution tape, trick lighter, cheerleader pom poms, terminator chest plate; plus a bunch of stupid little Halloween games. I got some stuff from the dollar store, and the rest at the Halloween store, and I didn't spend over $5 on any single item. And of course I added a note that said, 'I WANT PICTURES!!!'

 

This is his 'treat' box. It has a bag of candy corn, a huge bag of Swedish fish (we fight over them when he's home; so me giving up a whole bag is a big deal!) and a huge 5lb bag of assorted candy. Hey, it's Halloween, that's what they're suppose to eat!! ;-)

It also of course has the cake in a jar and icing. As well as a small pumpkin with a painted face on it, 2 Happy Halloween cards (one from me one from our daughter), Lots of drawings and paintings from the little one. She always does this and I tried to get her to stay "themed" this time. I drew out witch hats and ghosts and pumpkins and had her color them. And bought a Halloween paint by number as well for her to do. Love letters from both of us. (our daughter likes to write "letters" on notebook paper, then put it in an envelope, seal it, and address the outside) It has a singing card in it too, which isn't Halloween themed but it'll embarrass him :-P haha.  I printed out lots of pictures of us as well, and some of our daughter running around the Halloween store trying on masks. Plus the necessities. I always ask him if needs anything. This time he requested deodorant, body wash, brown tees, socks, and blousing straps. So that's all in there too. (Hey it can be themed and practical at the same time!!)

Packed and ready to go!!! The little one assaulted the outside of both boxes with Halloween stickers. I got about 10 different sheets so she had an assortment to choose from.  We always decorate the outside as well as all the inside parts so that he enjoys every single minute; from receiving, to opening, to rummaging. :0)

Care Packages are a great way to busy yourself for awhile, as well as show him how much you miss him right then. Plus keep him in the loop of what he's missing at home; such as a holiday, anniversary, or even a season.  You can always think up a theme!!  I wish I would have taken pictures of the last package I sent....ehhh I'll talk about that another day. But keep your eyes open girls!!! I'm always on the hunt for little things I know he would love. You don't have to spend a lot to show him how much you love him...just be a little creative!!!

~*~ Military So's are in the ranks rarely seen *~*