Happy Halloween!!!

And, Happy Samhain to my witchier readers! AND Happy Birthday to my Melodie. Last night, we finally carved our pumpkins. The kids had a blast.

Charlie took a spoonful of pumpkin guts to the face, and of course I didn't think to get a picture of that! Atley was trying to scoop his goop and accidentally flung it at him. Dan's been working alot of overtime lately, so he didn't get home in time to help and was bummed. It was almost 8, and the girls had school today. I had waited as long as I could. Oh well, he can help next year! Actually, next year we might be able to do our own pumpkins again. The last couple years, we just haven't done our own because there were so many to help with. Ari did hers all by herself, and she was the first one done. She got her pumpkin from the field trip her class went on at the beginning of the month. Her pumpkin is a witch. Atley did a really good job on his, too. His is a bat. He scooped the guts and did about half of it himself. I finished up. For the pumpkin he had, he did a really good job. It was very tough, and I think a baking pumpkin might have gotten mixed in with the lot. Melodie did most of hers herself, too. It's a spider. I helped on the legs a little, and we had a problem with the head due to bad engineering. (I always forget about the having to leave part of it not cut or the middle won't stay!) Charlie's pumpkin is a Shrek baby. It was Melodie's idea. I was quite proud of myself!

And here are all of our lighted pumpkins:

I got up early to work today, and of course our internet service was on the blink, so I didn't get any early work done. I had about an hour to finish up last night, and Dan got home so late I didn't get out to get Melodie's presents, so we had to do that after we dropped the girls off to school today. AND, I didn't get the cake baked last night because I wanted to go to bed so I could get up early, so that's in the oven right now. I still need to boil potatoes for some potato salad because the grandparents are coming over tonight for pizza and cake and ice cream. I've got to quit work around 1:00 to go to the girls' Halloween parties at school, and my grandparents will probably be waiting at home when we get home from school. The house is a mess. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm supposed to work today!?! Oh well, I'm sure we'll manage to get most stuff done. I bought Atley a pack of Thomas stickers from the dollar store this morning and told him if he cleans for me, he can have some of his trick-or-treat candy and the pack of stickers. Yes, it's bribery, and no I don't think it's wrong. If it works, use it! Anywho,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Trick or Treat

Today was trick-or-treat. Last night we also went trick-or-treating at my in-law's. We have the motherload of candy right now. The bowl overflow-eth.

First we stopped by at my dad's new place to check it out on the way to my in-law's and unfortunately found out my step-mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. :0( I've talked to my dad and my grandparents....no one told me!

Then, we went to my in-laws, trick-or-treated up a few blocks, and went back to chow some of the best pizza in the world! If you're ever in NE Ohio, Rasici's pizza in the North Hill part of Akron is the best pizza you will ever eat! Dan's Granny got to see Charlie for the first time.

Then, we had trick-or-treat today. The kids were so excited. Without further ado, here are the costumes that yes, I got finished in time! I even got them done with 2 hours to spare!

From L-R: Princess Fiona, Batman, Shrek baby, and Indian princess

Still in a funk

Sorry for the depressing diatribe from yesterday. I've been trying really hard lately to not stress about things I can't change, but I guess it all finally caught up to me. I'm still in a funk, but I feel a little better. Thanks for letting me vent that. I've added a link to support Vote No for Issue 8 in California. It's at the bottom of the page. It's compliments of the ever amusing, insightful dad over at Looky, Daddy. If you've got kids, I highly recommend you check him out if you haven't already.

Well, I have 0 Halloween costumes done right now. We are supposed to be at my in-laws at 5 tomorrow afternoon to go trick or treating, and we're stopping by my dad and step-mom's new house which is on the way at 3 to drop off some pics of the kids and an exceptionally late birthday card and hopefully fit a gas grill in the back of the truck. Yeah, I know, good luck with that. How late will I be up tonight trying to get 4 costumes done?

It's raining, it's pouring......

The old Wednesday is boring.........

I just don't like Wednesday's. It takes me so long to get into the swing of things on Wednesday's. And, it's raining. I hate rain in the morning. Rain in the morning means I have wet, whiny children to deal with, and still try to get to school on time (which we've done every day so far this week *knock on wood* so take that state BOE!) Now, we'll probably be really tardy the rest of the week. That's my luck.

I whipped up a little hat for Charlie last night! It's so cute. It's a pumpkin hat pattern from Rav (and Lion Brand or Bernat, I think), and I put it in my projects as "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Cash!" I've been dying to say that, but my MIL made a rude comment about Atley looking like Charlie Brown when he was a baby (which he completely doesn't, and pissed me off) and I hate mentioning Charlie Brown in reference to the boys...but I just couldn't resist!

Speaking of the in-law's....we're going there for their city's trick-or-treat night...which means I have to get costumes made a week early! Good Grief! (In the words of our fair leader, good ole' Chuck.) Four kids, 4 costumes, 2 weeks....can it be done? Charlie is getting a little green beanie with ogre ears, a white turtleneck, gray or brown pants, brown booties with fur, and a little felt vest. I'm also going to crochet him a little donkey to hold. I just decided that last night. No even better, I'll crochet him a baby donkey dragon to hold! He's going to be a Shrek baby from Shrek the 3rd, which we have decided he looks like in all his fatness, shown here in new pumpkin hat:



Ari is going to be Princess Fiona. I've had (most of) the fabric since last Halloween for her dress. She wanted to be Fiona last Halloween, but the mean old ladies that cut fabric at JoAnn's prevented her from being Fiona last year by pissing off the stressed out pregnant lady when she went to try to get just 1 more yard of green satin because the original old lady significantly underestimated the amount of said fabric that would be needed to make said Fiona dress! So, Ari was Hermione last year, because she had Hermione clothes. I did get the rest of the fabric a few months later, and other than that, I have not bought fabric from there until yesterday, when I got this year's batch.

Melodie is going to be an Indian girl. Thank god! She wanted to be a Pokemon, then she wanted to be the Whomping Willow. Tan felt, feathers, and ribbons are ready!

Atley had his mind set to be a blue T-Rex (because you know how prevalent blue T-Rex's are, and they're quite different from the perfectly usable green T-Rex costume I made him last year that still fits, but I digress...) until he saw the Batman mask. He is now going to be Batman. Mask bought, black felt ready for wings, yellow for the bat oval, and we're debating what version of Batman we want to do. I was thinking of Dark Knight and was going to purchase black pants and long sleeved T-shirt. Dan was thinking trad Batman, with gray fixin's. Atley wants a blue Batman. We'll have that figured out by next Tuesday when I go to the store.

Chunky Monkey is just being very stubborn. I started to work on him for a little while after I finished the hat last night......and he broke my G hook! I even bought him real safety eyes yesterday, and he still had to act up on me again. I've got aluminum hooks in F, H, I, and every other size, but not G. So, I'm stuck, and I went to Joann's and Walmart yesterday before said hook broke, so I'm torn. Do I frog (it's only been about 6 rows) and start over with a different sized hook? Do I wait until next week and pick up a new (aluminum) G hook? Do I concede to Chunky Monkey and let him win this war I've decided to declare on the primate that refuses to be? Decisions, decisions.