A Friendly Halloween Haunted House!
By Brenda Hyde

A fun Halloween project for the whole family!

You will need:
2 containers (16 ounce) chocolate fudge frosting*

Decorations:
pretzel sticks
graham crackers
black licorice and red twists
candy corn
M&Ms
Foil wrapped Halloween Candy
rice crackers
Orange Sprinkles
Colored icing for writing or decorating
2 empty 1 qt. milk cartons, rinsed and dried
1 large tray covered with foil
*You can use a thick homemade frosting instead.

Tape each milk carton closed at top. Tape milk cartons together to make a house. Wrap with foil. Attach firmly to the covered tray with tape. Frost cartons with chocolate frosting. Frost the tray also to use as the lawn. Decorate with the assorted treats! Some ideas-

• Sprinkle orange sugar on the roof of the house.
• Rice crackers make neat "attic" windows.
• graham crackers for windows and doors-highlight with icing.
• pretzel stick window panes
• M&M "pathway stones" leading to the door.
• Candy corn "icicles" under the roof

After you have the house and pathway finished add details to the lawn area. Foil wrapped candy is great because you buy little mummies, ghosts or pumpkins and place them on the pathway and around the house. Buy from the bulk section of your grocery store to get a really good selection without having to buy a lot of one type of candy. After all the oohs and ahs have subsided and Halloween is over, let the kids pick off all the candy while they discuss what to do for next year's Haunted House Spectacular!

Thanks to Amanda at The Family Corner for the picture!

Brenda Hyde is a wife and Mom of three, a freelance writer, and editor of three family newsleters at OldFashionedLiving.com.