Tinkering Monkey » The Lost Woodman – AMAZING Halloween costume. The next person who snots that Halloween is just an excuse for rampant American consumerism is gonna get this link shoved in their face.

Cupcakewurst – DEAR GOD, this is going straight to the top of the ooky Halloween foods list!

Halloween Party Photos 2011
After taking 2010 off, we were back with a vengeance for Halloween 2011! This year was our eighth party, and it was bigger and better than ever. More than forty guests packed into our house to show off their costumes, sample our spooky food, and have some fun. Oh, and we made a Meat Head. It was CREEPY AS.

As always, I’ve got photographs that attempt to document the insanity. (There are recipe links for the curious as well.) Our friends outdid themselves this year, and there were some seriously amazing costumes. Most of the photographs were taken by Jonathan Feldman and myself, with a few from Jamie Griego, David Edgar, and Jane Matlock as well. Thank you to the photographers, and to everybody who came along!

And if you have any photographs of guests that I don’t have, please let me know!

Update: Thanks David for the picture of Issy as Bellatrix!

Halloween
My good friend (and Catholic priest) Fr. Stephen Koeth has written a lovely post in defense of celebrating Halloween. This time of year I often find myself defending Halloween too, mostly to people who see it as some sort of crass, commercial American export. Fr. Stephen strives to point out the symbolic meaning behind some of Halloween’s trappings, and how – despite it’s occasional excesses – the holiday isn’t necessarily as shallow as some would think.

Now, to head home and start baking treats for all my friends!

I am just going nuts with the Halloween stuff lately. Brains in a Jar Cake! How cute is that?