Happy Halloween-Office edition

So as much as I like this baby-to-be we have brewing here, I was a tad worried the little bug was going to cramp my Halloween style. My due date is one day after Halloween, so it makes for some tricky timing...Do I plan a maternity costume? Should I get a baby costume too, just in case? Is it a waste of time to make a costume at all? After all, I could have been in the hospital for the big day, rendering all of my hard work useless. (Yes, I might have been over thinking it a bit, but I do tend to take this kind of thing seriously...)

I hemmed and hawed over it for a while, and finally decided to give it a shot, and make a pregnant friendly costume. (and maybe I picked up a couple pseudo-costume outfits for the little one just in case). I didn't want to cut it too close though, so as the leader of the office costume party (now in our second year!) I made the call to have our party a week early, just to increase my chances of actually attending.

I wasn't sure how into the idea everyone was, after all, not everyone loves a costume as much as I do....But party ended up being a total success! We had about a dozen participants in the costume contest- which isn't bad considering there are only about 25 people on our team. And those who dressed up really went for it. Check it out:

We had Inspector Gadget, Madonna, Cruella Deville, a Native American, "Not Karen" (a sarcastic costume pun that he had to explain to me...), a peacock (with handmade feather tail!), Peter Pan, a softball player, Stock Ann (an inside office joke- thus, the runaway crowd favorite), and a gypsy. Well done everyone!

And me? I was the Very Hungry Caterpillar of course!

Yeah, I kind of look like a second grade project, but I'm ok with it. What I wasn't ok with, is how many people have never read The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Who raised these people? If you're one of these unfortunate souls unfamiliar with the genius that is Eric Carle, I suggest you fix that immediately. And not just because it'll make you appreciate my costume more...although it will (my forehead doesn't have a rash....the caterpillar's face is red! And my fruit isn't moldy...it's a take on the artist's watercolor style! details people!)

But even if everyone didn't dress up- they did all get into the spirit with the food! We had quite a spread, and I made my signature Spooky Punch. It's probably the easiest recipe I have, but it's become a staple at the office parties- I just alter it slightly to suit the theme (it's been tweaked into Shamrock Punch and Engagement Punch, depending on the occasion). I don't have photos, but I'll share the recipe and we'll call it even.

Spooky Punch:

1 two-liter of lemon-lime soda (I recommend diet)

1 container white grape juice (again if there is a low-calorie option...do it)

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (lite??)- thawed

1 container sherbet (any flavor- I like lime or orange because they're the spookiest colors!)

1 pack gummy worms

Pour it all in a giant bowl, adding the sherbet and gummy worms last so it all foams up, and the worms float on top.

Last year I went all out, and froze red colored water in a latex glove, and then added the icy hand to the mix. Worth the effort! (if you're making it for a different occasion, skip the gummies- and severed hand- and change your sherbet flavor to match the color scheme.)

And if you think I'm being too health conscious with all the diet suggestions- trust me, it's for the best. The punch is delicious, but it gets really sugary, really fast. I made the "Full-octane" version this time, and we realized a little too late we should have instituted a 1 cup limit. But those are the risks you take with spooky punch I guess...

So we may have overindulged a bit, but overall it was a fun afternoon. And of course- with any costume contest, there had to be a winner...And more importantly- a trophy for that winner! I was pretty proud of this year's creation- a version of our logo...spookified!

Apologies that this is the best photo I have...ignore the hat wearing squirrel- he's part of the costume, not the trophy (and no, I can't really explain it...)

So all in all, it worked out pretty well. Baby girl stayed put inside my giant fleece food-fest dress, and Dustin wasn't even forced into my antics. Win-win.