Halloween 'Grab Bag': What's going on here?

So this Saturday's 'Grab Bag' post. A few random things. First of all a few photos from last night's Dia de los Muertos show at ZaPow. I didn't take very many photos & they aren't the best quality, but I got some of the highlights.

Skull face painting

Mariachi band

Palm reading

Gallery shot

And finally my piece for the show, which I'm happy to report, sold that night!

We had a lovely night out. In addition to attending the show opening, we had a wonderful dinner, where we sat outside, enjoying the beautiful fall evening.

Now, here's some pictures that I took at Target about a week or so ago. I know this is probably old news to anyone who lives near a Target, since they've probably already seen all this. But some of you might not have a Target, or haven't made it out to one. And for my historical record, I wanted to go ahead and share the pictures.

Some of the Halloween finery at Target:

Love the black & off white, with these champagne colored accents.

Some of the good 'ol Orange & Black!

And actually, here is what I'm hoping to buy Nov. 1 when they have clearance. These awesome orange & purple light balls! They have such a retro 60's kind of feel, and I'm also hoping that when Christmas rolls around, they will have more, in different colors. I want some blue ones too!

I did make a run out to Target again today, and here's what I ended up with:

Starbuck's instant coffee packets in 'Pumpkin Spice'. You actually add this mix to warm milk instead of water. I had some this afternoon with some almond milk and it was ok. It was no Pumpkin Spice Latte, but it is just an instant mix. The 'Pumpkin Spice' cream cheese is something a friend let me try last year, but I'd never seen it for sale. Target had it this year so I grabbed a tub. I'll have to come up with something to do with it. I can only eat so many bagels. And the final purchase, an 'Autumn Harvest' Yankee Candle. It's the little things that make me happy.

Okay, so two other things came to my attention yesterday, and I wanted to spread the word. Two television programs airing tomorrow night that I'm really looking forward to. And some of you might be interested as well. First up, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror comes way early this year!

Image Source - Huffington Post article

Yes, tomorrow night, Oct. 7, 8PM ET, it's the 23rd installment of what is a Halloween tradition in my house. I always try to watch ToH when it airs. I'm glad that I happened upon this article because otherwise, I probably would have missed it. For awhile it didn't even run until AFTER Halloween. While most of the newer ToH shows aren't as good as say, oh, the first 10 years, I still enjoy watching them. 

Now the second thing. Last year I happened to catch this show on the Food Network called 'Halloween Wars'

It's a team challenge show. There are 5 teams, each team made up of a person who makes cakes, a person who makes candy and a person who carves pumpkins. They all have to work together to create a display that incorporates all these elements. Here is one of my favorite pieces from last year. The challenge theme was 'Vampires vs. Zombies' and team 'Bling Bats', did an amazing job on this one:

Image Source: Karen Portaleo/Highland Bakery's Flickr

That thing is mostly cake & candy folks. Amazing.

 I really enjoyed watching it last year, and was pleased to find out Halloween Wars has returned! Halloween Wars will be on the Food Network at 9PM ET. Can't wait!