Halloween Hues and Boo-tiful Coos: Scary Secondary to None

Wreath: Amazon

Skirt (a dress!): Zulily

Necklaces: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Tee: Fifth Sun, Kohl's

Bag: Marshalls; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Jumbo Jack-o-Lantern Necklace

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: So, Kohl's; Bag: Cat & Jack, Target 

Where it's Bat Necklace

Remember when Halloween was all about black and orange?  I'm so glad that purple and green (and sometimes pink) have since been invited to the costume party.  Because a secondary color palette packs more roar for fierce fits and dark décor.  And I made the most of that with these outfits.  I've had the candy-colored clothes and accessories for many moons except for (interestingly) the celestial tee, Where it's Bat Necklace, and pumpkin purse.      

Clothes may make the witchy woman, but spooky season's stale without a festive read.  My pick?  This creepy cute collection of cozies:          

Capitalizing on the murder mystery cult classic that is the cupcake, the aptly named Halloween Cupcake Murder introduced me to a new coven of cozy queens.  In Carlene O'Connor's eponymous and Galway-based Halloween Cupcake Murder, a cupcake holds the key to the killer of a curiosity shopkeeper.  And also, bizarrely, a cult.  Yet this was far from the most curious tale in the trio.  Because Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper seeks to find not only who offed an elfin baker in Santaland, but who's peddling contraband candy corn in this most Christmassy of locales.  Still, it may be the third confection, Carol J. Perry's A Triple Layer Halloween Murder, that takes the cake.  In this Salem-set story, the sleuth investigates the disappearance of a bakery baron via her visions -- and collaborations with her cat.  

All three novellas are made for curling up in front of the fireplace to forget life's crazy.  Even if I read them in no such place, but between and during diaper changes and feedings.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed my escapes to these crime-riddled fantasy lands and may have even found some new go-to authors.       

But my biggest Halloween headline isn't about baubles or even books.  It's about, of course, our first Halloween with Charlotte.  Here are our family costumes, which we wore to my parents' Halloween party:

Yep, we're 3 Musketeers and the Three Musketeers, starring none other than Char Bar.  As with all our Halloween costumes, the husband came up with the idea.  Although it was my (somewhat desperate) idea to go with these dubious dresses.  You may notice that I edited the husband's to look like it was sort of part of his tee.  Ah, technology, the hallowed hobgoblin of social networking.

And with that I wish you the happiest of Halloweens -- the kind with no tricks and all treats. 🎃🍫👻🍬💀🍭👺🧁