The Halloween Promise

I just found your blog. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I am so sad that my daughter is now 14 and doesn't want to trick or treat with her mother anymore. *sigh*

<abbr>Giyens last blog post..Emancipation Reclamation</abbr>

What a great Halloween depiction from a child's experience. Some of my kids savor all their candy eat a little over time. Others eat it all in one sitting. One of my sons is just like this. You have captured him well!

Marelisa - Thank you. And I trick-or-treated long past 13, I’m afraid.

Matthew - Thanks, next time I’ll draw it a bit gorier to satisfy your Saw needs.

CK Lunchbox - Thank you.

Patricia - Wow, a Halloween romance! Cool. I forgot all about popcorn balls. MMMM. Thank you for the nice words.

John - That’s a cool idea. There must be SOME KID who likes Sweet tarts and pixie sticks, cause I hated them.

Barbara - thanks. Yeah, I’m with you on eating the Halloween candy. It’s a shame when you have to turn down trick-or-treaters at 6 p.m.

Megan - Cool. I have difficulty using a small wacom. Maybe I’m just inept that way.

Mom/Mum - Thank YOU!

Kool Aid - Hey, good idea. Saves you money on Easter. Though the kids might wonder why they have pumpkin and monster chocolates in their Easter Basket. You can just tell them that the Easter Bunny went goth.

vodka mom - No template, I drew it all by hand. Thank you for the nice words.

<abbr>Blogger Dads last blog post..An early Halloween treat</abbr>

Kool Aid: Take two tylenol. Enjoy.

vodkamom: There is no template. Just Dave and two scoops of awesome.

Friar: That's awesome to hear. I think Basil has tremendous potential. Not that I know anything. I have a mountain of stuff that was given a pass.

J.D.: I kid you not. My son, for the last three days: "I gotta rock." He just saw The Great Pumpkin and thinks that's the funniest thing. It's his way of complaining. "Max, you need to clean up before you go outside." "sigh... I gotta rock." Then he laughs and scampers off to pick his things up. Adorable.

Hey Writer Dad -

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays (Blame it on It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown). There's always something about dark and stormy nights that has sass appeal.

I'll be sure to pass your Halloween Promise along.

<abbr>J.D. Meiers last blog post..Be Aware of the Larger System</abbr>

@Writer Dad

Well, my Basil book is undergoing a complete overhaul.

I had an EXCELLENT phone disucssion with Karen JL, who I consulted with. She made a lot of suggestions for improvement (which I admit, made total sense) . Looking back, the way the book was, I don't think it could have gotten published. But now, the improved version will be even BETTER.

So Basil's having a make-over. You'll see the latest version shortly!

<abbr>Friars last blog post..Getting to Know More People in Your NeighborHood.</abbr>

I love it! Where did you find the template? From a k-teacher perspective- it was fantastic. really.

.... whoa.... I had no idea the comments were still going on from Thursday.... The last time I checked was around comment 55 or so... Thanks for the heads up, although it'll take a while to catch up.

<abbr>Kool Aids last blog post..the wheels are turning</abbr>

Matthew: You never liked dressing up? I used to love that when I was little. I never cared too much about the candy, but I always loved to get in costume. The best was when my mom sewed me this teenage mutant ninja turtle costume with these patches on the back shell. It was super cool/kind of dorky, and I wore it two years in a row.

Friar: As soon as we get an agent. How about yours? I'm ready to order my advance copy of Uncle Friar's Bedtime Stories.

CK Lunchbox: Eureka! That must be why we exchange so many emails. Thanks, Ron.

Patricia: It does seem like neighborhoods at large used to put more into Trick or Treating once upon a yesteryear, but maybe that's just in my neck of the woods. And do you remember when we were little, and we actually used to say "Thank You!" when people dropped candy in our bags? Sigh. I really miss the manners. Dave's pictures make up for it though.

John: Ah, the candy exchange. I'll give you my Snickers for your Kit Kat. Remember the lady who gave full Snickers instead of the snack size? She was awesome.

Barbara: Dave's the best collaborator, I don't sleep with. You should buy candy corn. Does anybody really like that stuff?

Megan: Thanks, Megan. A good team we are.

Mom/Mum: Thank you for spreading the love.

Kool Aid: I'm thinking of writing something for Halloween, exactly along those lines. Something like, "Let's get our kids drunk for Halloween!" It's still marinating. It's exhausting, but if you'd like to get an idea, you can read the comment thread from Thursday's post. If you have any questions, you're welcome to email me or leave another comment. Keep the butterflies in you hand, and have a happy Sunday.

PS: @Rita, what happened to your site? I'm confused...

<abbr>Kool Aids last blog post..the wheels are turning</abbr>

I guess I'm such an ogre when it comes to Halloween candy by controlling just how much my kids eat. We end up having Halloween candy still by Easter.

Maybe I should just let them eat so much they get sick. "Another lesson learned" my granddaddy would say...

<abbr>Kool Aids last blog post..the wheels are turning</abbr>

What teamwork! well done and what a lovely poem. Am downloading and sending to my friends. thanks for sharing this with us lucky folk.

<abbr>Mom/Mums last blog post..Pumpkined Out</abbr>

WD and BD: you two make a good team! (And BD, I have the Bamboo Fun Wacom tablet... it was only $99 and it's way awesome! Although it is very small).

Hi Writer Dad - What a great "treat" for your readers. Thank you!

I love how you and Blogger Dad collaborated and created this beautiful piece. You make a great pair.

Your post reminded me I need to buy candy for Halloween. I best find something I don't like, otherwise it will be gone before the little ones start knocking on the door. :)

<abbr>Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Who Taught You - Open Mic</abbr>

I never ate all my candy the first night. I always waited until the next day, so I could first run a "candy exchange" with all the neighbor kids so we could trade until we got what we wanted.

This is so great and a wonderful combining of energies, talents and creativity - I met my husband and had our first date on Halloween - a 32 year trick/treat orchestrated by my next door neighbor, our minister, and my parents!
I have a fondness for this holiday and what a wonderful neighborhood event it was when I was young and we got homemade caramel apples, and cookies and ghosts out of popcorn balls....and lots of hugs and joy to go around....Unicef boxes....Thank you for the great story...and pictures.

<abbr>Patricias last blog post..Factoid Friday: ANTS or Automatic Negative Thinking</abbr>

Thought these were pretty clever - you both come up with some good stuff when you get together.

<abbr>CK Lunchboxs last blog post..CLARK KENT'S INBOX October 24th</abbr>

So when's the book coming out?

The only reason I liked Halloween is for the next installment of the Saw series.

Now this is the second reason.

<abbr>Matthew Drydens last blog post..The Writer Touch</abbr>

Oktober Five: I'm with Dave, buddy, we miss you.

Bamboo: I've often dreamt of having a time machine, then going back to the early sixties and recording every A+ classic rock song ever written. The Beatles who? That would be really, really cool. Let's make a deal; whoever fashions a time machine first, takes the other with them, okay?

Glen: I cannot take the credit. It was actually Dave's poem, and drawings. All I did was a single, lousy edit. I'm the executive producer on the project.

Lance: Thanks. Story = Dave. Drawings = Dave. Half credit = Sean. Situation < Fair.

Rita: The ending, also, was Dave's idea. Flashlights, check. Happy faces, check. Good candy for the homestead, check. Rita, we're ready to go.

Evelyn: Thanks, Evelyn! It's hard to get better than perfect. What are we going to do for Thanksgiving?

Julie: It's a totally different time isn't it? I think I grew up at the tail end. It seems like there was a lot more freedom when I was super small, but by the time I was old enough to go out on my own, the reins were definitely tighter. I like being called a magician, so thank you. Dave definitely works magic, there's no doubt about it.

Hayden: That is precisely what the WeeBooks are like, just longer.

Steph: Rationing candy is illegal in thirty-six of the fifty states, and it's starting to spread. Make sure you get out and vote on the first Tuesday in November!

Vered: I'm glad it's only a tiny bit. Have a great weekend, and thanks for allowing Rita's words to spark some terrific discussion this week.

Ian: Thanks for spreading the love. Much appreciated, and Happy Halloween.

Blogger Dad: It's embarrassing how similar our comments to Ian are, but I'm not changing mine.

Orlund: Ha! Isn't that the truth.

Marelisa: It's my second favorite time as well. My sister likes it way better. She always comes up with the most amazing costumes, and still dresses up to this day, even though she has no children. One year, back in the early nineties, she dressed up as Alice, from Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland. Then she wrapped herself in chains. She was "Alice in Chains." Everyone asked who she was. I think a lot of people thought she was supposed to be a housewife.

I went trick or treating until I was 13, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Halloween is my second favorite time of the year, right after Christmas. And you captured the spirit of Halloween brilliantly, including the tummy ache after eating all of the candy, even though you knew full well your stomach would hurt if you ate it all :-)

<abbr>Marelisas last blog post..18 Ways to be Uber Creative</abbr>

Nice little story. No matter how old we get we seem to keep making promises like that.

<abbr>orlunds last blog post..Friday’s Photo: Pumpkin Head</abbr>

Lance - Thank you. Have fun this weekend. Make sure you save some candy for yourself!

Rita - Thank you. A good reminder on the flashlights. And Writer Dad and I (along with our broods) will be at your house with bags wide open!

Evelyn - Thank you!

Janine - Thank you!

Oktober 5 - Small tabs suck for drawing. However, for photo editing, they might work well for you. Check out youtube for tutorial videos which might help you choose what you want. As for my stuff, I use Photoshop which I bought years ago. I would like to check out gimp, which is free, rather than upgrade to a new Photoshop.

Julie - Thank you. That’s a wonderful story and it resonates with my own memories of Halloween as a child in the 1970’s and early 80’s. And I can only speak for myself here, yes I am very much a kid at heart. Just ask my wife who is continuously amazed at my immature antics.

Hayden - Thank you. That is like a shorter version of what our last collaborated wee-book was like. Sean’s other wee-books have utilized photos which lend better to some of the subjects than cartoons. All of them are awesome and incredibly cheap.

Steph - Rationing Halloween candy? Your parents sound like The Meanest Parents Ever!

Vered - Thank you.

Ian - Thank you and thanks for spreading the Halloween love. Happy trick-or-treating to yourself as well.

<abbr>Blogger Dads last blog post..An early Halloween treat</abbr>

WD and BD,

Fantastic work. Very fun. I've sent a copy to family and friends alike. Happy Halloween to you both!

<abbr>Ians last blog post..Comcast 50 Mbps Coming Soon</abbr>

You guys are so creative. I'm a tiny bit jealous. :)

<abbr>Vered - MomGrinds last blog post..Chocolate-Covered Strawberries</abbr>

This is really good, guys!! Very sweet...and typical of an excited kid! :) Our parents had to take our candy from us and put it in tins to ration out.

<abbr>stephs last blog post..In the Key of Friar…</abbr>

That last picture is PRICELESS.

This was so cute! Is this what the wee books are like?

<abbr>Hayden Tompkinss last blog post..How to Overcome Jealousy</abbr>

You two are TERRIFIC! Adorable story and illustations...I grinned throughout. Such memories this invoked! I wish every child could experience the kind of small-town mayhem I did: There was no parental oversight with the door-to-door thing. Kids were decorated, given a deadline and then set free----whee!!! All the parents stayed home to play it up big time at home, and the town became a sea of kids racing in all directions at once. The air was filled with glee; it sounded like a happy playground on steroids! Nearly half the goodies were homemade, too. (That dates me.) The part that was so precious is that we were allowed "freedom" to be "unsupervised," to scare/laugh ourselves silly, and to indulge in exhausting competition AND cooperation (hey! did you get this one? mrs. x three doors over on the corner has them, but they're goin' fast so ya better hurry!). Your happy story BEAUTIFULLY evoked the childhood emotions---you really must be kids at heart, yourselves! You're magicians, you are... ;)

<abbr>Julies last blog post..Been There, Done That</abbr>

@bloggerdad: I was looking at a wacom intuos3 tablet for $200. It's only 4x6, but I'd so love to have a tablet, just to do photo editing. I was just curious if you had recommendations.

Sorry the site was down--big bumber, I know--but thus is the nature of self-hosting and not paying for a static ip address. My internet provider will change my ip up, sometimes multiple times a day, so I have to go and change my dns settings each time, which take a while to propagate, hence the near-perpetual down-ness of the site.

So, you draw them in pen and then color them online--that's impressive. Do you use photoshop, gimp, other?

Very cute! A great combination of efforts.

<abbr>Janines last blog post..My First Experience Interviewing A Source.</abbr>

Well done!! The poem is cute, the pictures perfect!

<abbr>Evelyn Lims last blog post..Can You Read My Mind?</abbr>

Writer Dad and Blogger Dad,
What a terrific poem and illustrations! I loved the ending - I think it's a promise that all kids make - that lasts for 365 or so days!

For all of you trick-or-treating parents this weekend - a reminder: bring a flashlight! It not only helps the kids to see, but it alerts drivers to be more careful!

And remember - even old farts like us LOVE to hear that doorbell ring on Halloween...and we've got some GREAT candy this year!
Enjoy everyone!

Rita

<abbr>Ritas last blog post..I MET STALIN – PART II</abbr>

Hey guys, a wonderful rendition of the Halloween story! We go out this Sunday, and this is a story that will be acted out just as you've written. And we'll all love it...

<abbr>Lances last blog post..Life Balance: A Very Personal Pyramid</abbr>

Oktober Five - What happened to your site? I've tried to visit the past few days and it's been down. As to your question, no, I wish I drew with a tablet but I can't afford one yet. I do everything by pen and then scan it in and color it.

Bamboo Forest - Thank you!

Glenn - Thank you, enjoy!

<abbr>Blogger Dads last blog post..An early Halloween treat</abbr>

Haha great poem Sean and some excellent illustrations from David. Taking a look at the PDF version now :)

<abbr>Glen Allsopps last blog post..How Strong is Your Sense of Entitlement?</abbr>

Fantastic, truly fantastic. You guys got skillz. My P.I. readership would have loved it.

If I had a time machine, I'd do the following:

For a week I'd save all the best articles in all of the world wide web. Then, I'd go back in time one week and publish them one after the other.

Id' be a hero and not a damn thing anyone could do about it.

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it.

<abbr>Bamboo Forests last blog post..How Would You Resdesign the Interior of the White House?</abbr>

I can't wait to take my one year old trick-or-treating so I can eat all his candy.

So, bloggerdad, do you use a tablet to draw your cartoons?