A Life Lesson from Monster Cupcakes

Well, Halloween season is upon us and it's time to get Halloweeny.  Probably the crafters best time of year.  Halloween crafts are so fun that it's hard not to go overboard.  One Halloween I learned a valuable lesson about going overboard that has changed me forever.  {Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but I did learn something.}

Several years ago, before I had kids I signed up to bring cupcakes for our Church's Halloween carnival cake walk.  I was so excited.  I had seen these fabulous monster cupcakes online {probably from Martha} and I knew they would be perfect.  They were funky/spooky/creepy/awesome and they were topped with tons of candy!  The kids would like them.  No - they would LOVE them.  I was sure of it.  How could they not?

I spent extra time trying to match every detail from my inspiration and ran to several stores trying to find the perfect green candy for the Quasimodo eye.  It was all going to be worth it because the kids were going to love them. 

I brought them to the carnival set them on the table with dozens of other treats {many of which were store bought - what were people thinking? BORING!} and went off to help with the carnival games.  By the end of the night I visited the cake tables to help clean up and was devastated.  Every single cake and treat was gone except for my cupcakes.  Not ONE was touched!  They were the only rejects left.  I was shocked.  I was devastated.

Fighting back tears, I offered the rejected little monsters to the missionaries who happened to walk by at that moment.  They gladly took them but let's face it - 19 year old boys will eat anything.  My husband had a theory and I think he was right.  I split up the cupcakes on to smaller plates and there was my fatal flaw.  The kids didn't care about getting 4 homemade monster cupcakes when they could have had a giant store bought cake.  They didn't care about the time and love and thought I put into them.  They just wanted cake and in as large of quantities as possible.  They aren't greedy.  No, they just like to eat themselves sick at Halloween and if a big box of sugar cookies will get them there well, that's what they want.

So the moral of the story for me is:

Don't waste your time or money, going all out on things like this.

Just buy that discounted box of cupcakes with the extra frosting, sprinkles and plastic spider rings and save yourself the trouble. 

Because less stress and more sugar is what everyone wants anyway.   

P.S.  If you want to make the monster cupcakes you use large marshmallows, small marshmallows, melted chocolate for the center of the eyes and fruit by the foot for the Quasimodo eye.  Good luck.