10/31/11 Happy Halloween!!!! (WORKING NOW...Lots of pics)

Happy Halloween all!!!!  Sorry I pushed publish too soon and didn't realize it would show up...all working now.

Lots to catch up on, but I'll just focus on the 'Fall' stuff (since it's Halloween) that's been happening the last week.

First, Fall officially disappeared this week...We had big, wet, snow that covered everything.  Good for the kiddies that it melted and tonight looks cold, but clear.

We took our annual trip to the big pumpkin patch (one of those places that has a million kiddie things to do and booths of food everywhere).  Luckily this was a week ago and the weather was beautiful!

On the hayride out to the pumpkins...










OMG...I just realized this is the same raincoat I was wearing in France when I had my LB 'Moment' of revelation (OK, it's a great brand, it has a belt, and a zip out lining, so I saved it...hey, I didn't want to be naked in the pumpkin patch!)...











...let me just say that this pic of me from the back in Normandy (at the American Cemetary) with the same coat undone because I couldn't close it sums up how far I've come...100+ pounds more here...yes, that is NOT the wind blowing my coat open...it is ALL my giant a$$...my feet hurt just looking at this pic.

DD and DS2 picking out the largest pumpkins in the patch...they thought it was a good idea...until they had to carry them to the car.

DD and BF...

OK, I will admit here that DH said (after I gave DD, her BF, and DS2 tickets to enter the corn maze with strict instructions 'not to scare the little kids'...and with my camera) that 'These things are more fun with little kids.'  (...and hey...just look at those pretty, straight teeth we paid a fortune to our Orthodontist for!)












...and then one of my sisters said to me 'It's time for grand-babies when you start dressing up your grand-pets'...I'm too young for that (an it was DH who brought home costumes for the kitties)!

DD came to spend he night this week and carve her pumpkin early as she's had a big Halloween party this weekend (and I found her some great black feather accents to glue on her 'Black Swan' costume...and in her hair). 

I made my annual pumpkin seeds...that DS2 declared his 'favorite food ever' (my invented recipe...butter, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and garlic salt)...he had eaten them all by morning.

And I baked sheets of these 'scaredy cats' (decorated mint cookies ontop of iced chocolate chip brownies....I said I hate to cook...but I LOVE to bake...it's the artist in me) and sent a batch to DS1 for all the Frat brothers (got a thank you call today) and a batch to DD for the Halloween party. 

Now here are some vignette's around the house of Fall things I've made (and a few new ones)...

Acorn trees...

I don't usually like silk flowers, but I make an exception for holidays...

An easy idea...a 'funkin' (just traced and cut a 6" plastic pot size hole) with a real mum and a few cattails...and fall garlands are everywhere...on the chandelier...

...on the mantle with some lights, and a berry garland around a candle...and a giant bowl with all the gourds DS2 grows...

And every year I try to add something new, or replace something old.  I needed a wreath for inside the glass front door...couldn't be more simple...a grapevine wreath (same size as the oustside one you can see through the door), nine 'picks' (3 ea. of 3 different ones) of berries (didn't do any cutting even), some hot glue, and 10 minutes later it's done.

And I replaced the very old plastic ghost and pumpkin lights I had on the porch railing outside with some grapevine ball covered lights (on clearance right now at Target with all their summer outdoor lights), just took the old lights off the old grapevine garland and wrapped the new lights on, and I hot glued on some silk leaves I pulled off another garland.

And here's the front porch...

Happy Halloweeny!!!!