WHEN YOUR LAST NAME iS SKELLY
AND YOU HAVE A FUNNY BONE
It’s boo bucket time! I don’t even know when boo buckets became a thing? I’m not even sure if it’s boo buckets or boo baskets? But one thing I am sure of is October is one of the busiest months. Between the pumpkin patches, fall festivals, porch decorating, and if you’re like me, Christmas shopping, how does anyone find the time for the boo bucket/basket?
After Halloween last year, I decided I would make the time for it in 2023. So I ordered the girls these adorable little dog trick or treating pj’s from Gymborees on clearance. I bought these “Boo” pennants from Etsy, and a couple of pumpkin charms. I was ahead of the game.
Initially, I wanted to give them their boo buckets on October 1, so they had plenty of time to wear their cute little pj’s leading up to the trick-or-treating. But I lost steam around November last year and never quite finished getting items for their buckets. Now here we are approaching mid-October and these pajamas need to get worn. And I need to get these skeletons back on the front porch.
We have been been trading on our last name for Halloween the last few years. We have a gold skeleton that we sit out on the porch for the trick-or-treaters. But this year, I decided to change up the decor a bit, so we recently welcomed a new addition to our skelly family.
They’ve been greeting visitors the last couple of weeks. But it’s Oklahoma, and when the threat of baseballs falling from the sky comes around, you have to bring them inside to keep them safe. McCall really took to them being in the house. She loved playing with them and affectionately gave them the names Frank and Beans. The longer I waited to put them back on the porch, the more I thought I had to use these two skellys for my two little Skellys somehow.
For Valentine’s this year, I did a whole thing for them, and they absolutely loved it. I wanted something on that same scale to present their buckets. Initially I thought I’d just put the skeletons and buckets on the fireplace or in some chairs, but then I had the best idea. I would put them in their beds.
The only thing holding me back was finishing the buckets. So I decided to add some of their favorite candy to the buckets and call it good. Luckily, I had hung on to the little jack-o-lantern eggs and felt bags the girls had gotten from their grandparents last year, and they completed the buckets perfectly.
Once they left for school, I got to work. When I put the skeletons in their beds, I realized they needed to be a bit jazzier. They needed costumes. So I grabbed some old costumes/ now dress up clothes from the playroom and they looked so cute I knew I was on the right track.
I just had to use the spider decor from the porch on their walls to create drama. But their artwork looked a little too cheerful with this set up. So one thing led to another, and I began scavaging through the house for the spookiest wall decor I could find. I hung one picture on the wall and it was slightly crooked. As I went to straighten it, I thought “make it more crooked”. Then I grabbed some old books from my office and added them to the space to complete the look.
Everything decor wise was already on hand! I love that I didn’t have to go buy anything to make this happen. And the best part about this set up is I didn’t have to make their beds.
I lured them to their room by exclaiming to Michael that there was a large spider in there. For some reason, they always want to see the spiders before serving them their eviction notice. So I knew this would work. It might have worked a little too good, as Halston knew there was a big spider and then walked in and saw a huge spider. She gasped but then quickly realized. McCall was a little more stand-offish at first but quickly warmed up. Halston even wanted to keep the spider decor in the room, but McCall quickly nixed that idea.
Overall it was a screaming success. Now I just need to get the porch ready for the trick-or-treaters!