our favorite Halloween craft, every year.

Each September the kids start asking if we can pull out the Halloween decor.

Internally I groan...because I know it would run smoother if I pulled out the boxes at night (while they slept), and mentally inventoried the items in each box, decided where I'd like to place them in the house, and considered what we might add this year.

Then I realize how totally dumb and boring that sounds.

So I give in to the free-for-all....
With paper bats flying here and there.
Jack Skellington and Sally dolls being tossed like cat toys.
Shrieks of joy bursting from the kids as they rediscover treasures from yesteryear.
It's very Hallow-dramatic.

And never fail, once they spot the Little Rock Ghost Town it's all over.
"Ahhhh!  The ghost rocks!"
"Look! LOOK!"
They're suddenly engulfed in Ghost Town set-ups and story-lines. 

And in a funny twist of OCD fates,  I'm left alone with my box of decorations, to sort and scheme as I may.  Haah.  Life works in mysterious ways.
I'll chalk it up to Halloween karma.
And I'll make a mental note for next year to "pull the Ghost Town out FIRST."
Duh.

Do you guys remember this Little Rock Ghost Town I posted about a few years ago??
It is truly our favorite Halloween treat every year!
I might even like it more than the Christmas decorations.
Ahh!  Can I say that?

The kids will play with the houses and rocks for hours.
HOURS.
And each day I find the town set-up in different locations---on the kitchen table, by the fireplace, on the coffee table (which is my favorite because Lucy puts all the couch pillows on the ground so she's nice and cozy while they play).

There's a system for everything.
Not sure where she gets that....
heh heh.

And I'm not sure what's happening here.
But I'm glad she's loving it.

A few things have changed with our Ghost Town over the last three years; and some have remained the same.  The kids added a slew of new ghosts this year.  We found more rocks down by the river, sprayed them white, and drew more faces (more details here).  Lucy and Owen have characterized each ghost and given them names, based on people we know.  And they can remember the name of each stinkin rock when I ask them.   Our entire family is in there, there are cousins, random neighbors that live by my inlaws, people who live on our street here in Texas.  It's kind of hilarious.

Many of the ghost parents go to work in the Tower of Terror, which is now called "the office building". It makes me laugh when I overhear Lucy dishing out information, "this is Trevor's office...and that's for Andrew's dad" (people from our church and neighborhood)

We've also added more houses and buildings.  
Last year Owen used a shoe box to make the Candy Cantina (based on the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars).

And this year, construction exploded.  We added four new places!  

Owen requested a location for his new ROCK Star to perform.  So we made the Rockin' Raven, complete with a catwalk in the middle for dancing and performing.

Lucy made the Creepy Courthouse, with green moss on the upper deck.

And I helped Owen construct The Little House which he decorated inside and out, with paintings on the wall and rugs.

Ahhh.  I love this project!
It's the best!
Better than carving pumpkins!
I might have as much fun making these as the kids.  I just love that you can take a simple granola bar box and turn it into a cute, usable toy.  I really have fun decorating them.   And it's all about the Sharpie marker details.  It's what brings a building to life.
This is such a great project for the whole family to enjoy.

We even had our babysitter join in.  Why have I not done that before??
She's super crafty.  So we left a blue painted oatmeal container for her last weekend while Casey and I went on a date.  And she turned it into this:

So, it's been a growing year for Little Rock Ghost Town.

Especially when I consider what Clara looked like when we first built these homes...and how big she is today, playing alongside the other kids.

And though the kids keep growing older, some things never change.
Lucy three years ago:

And Lucy today:

She is still such a kid.

She loves her Taylor Swift and other tween things....but she will play princess toys or little figures with Clara whenever she asks.  

Such a sweetheart.  

Okay. You've still got a few weeks left to make your own little Ghost Town (more tutorial details here).
Start rummaging through that Recycle Bin.
I know you'll ROCK this.