There are few childhood thrills that quite stack up to the days leading to Halloween — when everyone is swapping costume ideas, every classroom has an elaborate party and the merriment culminates with a night spent trick-or-treating and watching Hocus Pocus. But who says Halloween is just for the kids? It can be such a fun excuse to gather with your closest ghouls for a spook-tacular dinner party!
Mom and I hosted a spooky lunch yesterday at their house and had the best time planning the menu, decorating the table and buffet, and soaking up time with the littlest goblin and ghoul. Mom is definitely the party queen and has taught me the art of making any occasion extra special with a little planning and a few festive touches.
We kept the menu simple: Mom’s classic lasagna, salad and garlic bread. For dessert, I made a pumpkin chocolate cheesecake for the big kids and white chocolate ghosts for the little monsters.
We turned the dining room into a haunted house of sorts, adding cobwebs, spiders and skulls. We stuck with black, purple and white for the color scheme which paired perfectly with the decor and dessert. For some extra fun, Mom added the witches’ fingers to each place setting which really took me back to when I was six years old and won a costume competition at the mall for my oh-so-convincing witch.
The best part of the day? Feeding Annie pumpkin cheesecake for the first time and watching her eyes light up with each bite. Happy haunting, friends!
Katie Powell Bell 
this is very cute1