Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year the whole town has decided to celebrate from Friday to Sunday. Last night we took the girls trick or treating at the mall and Kyle went to a school dance. Tonight is a trunk or treat and Halloween party for church and tomorrow the kids are going trick or treating in our neighborhood.

Jon has literally mapped out their trick or treating area. I'm not sure if Jon's intention is to keep them safe or to maximize candy gathering. He did tell Moira this morning that getting candy is her job tomorrow and she must trick or treat from six to nine. She didn't seem to have a problem with that. Go figure.

Here are the first of the Halloween pictures. Maggie is a vampire — "Not a Twilight vampire, but a real old-fashioned vampire." Kyle is a zombie — which is kind of what he is like in the morning before school anyway. Moira is, well Moira is Moira.

She was supposed to be salt and pepper (her idea). We had gotten everything for her costume, but she quickly changed her tune this last week. We found boxes of clothes left behind by a tenant in June when they moved out of the apartments I manage. I brought them home to find dress up clothes for the girls and Moira found her "Soul Train" outfit. The types of clothes make me wonder where and how the tenant was employed. Anyway, Moira is a "'80s or '70s person who dances. Is that right, mom?"

This image was borrowed from Orchard Farm Soaps' Etsy page.

I think I have found my new favorite soap. I love homemade soaps and am always looking for the right fragrance and moisture. Today I think I found it from a local seller. Orchard Farm Soaps are inexpensive, fragrant and leave your skin feeling oh so good. I sound like a commercial, but really, this is the real deal. The bar I bought was Calendula Lemongrass. Orchard grows the calendula themselves on their Moscow, Idaho farm.

Jon and I came upon this soap while at our tiny mall today. WSU is having their Mom's Weekend so the mall was full of local vendors. Orchard had set up a table and had displays of bar soap, lotion bars, soap balls, fragrant spray, lip balm, baby bum balm and other great items. What really solidified my, soon to be, devotion was the way I paid. I didn't have any cash on me and their credit card machine wasn't working so, through the miracle of iPhones, she sent me a Paypal request and I paid her on the spot from my account. Okay, that is pretty cool. Plus, it didn't hurt that she was super nice as well. She may be my new friend, she just doesn't know it yet.

So, what I'm getting at is: buy from her. She has an Etsy shop and everything — Orchard Farm Soaps