And....it's November!

Wow!  Time is flying.  Actually, October is the start of the crazy holiday season in our house.  And it doesn't end until February.  It use to go through Valentine's Day but my son is the last one at home and he really isn't into celebrating the way his sister was.  I'm okay with that.

October - Halloween - costumes.  We have started as early as March or April on costumes.  We do them right.  The most elaborate was the year my son decided he wanted to be a Transformer.  No, not one of the Transformers like Bumble Bee or Optimus Prime.  He wanted to be a REAL transformer.  Specifically, a Mountain Dew machine transformer.  Challenge accepted.  It took months of work, my husbands phenomenal design ability, and thousands of yards of black duct tape, but in the end he was a real transforming soda machine.  When you dropped candy into the slot for money, all the pieces broke apart and he became a robot.  It was AWESOME!  I have photos somewhere but wouldn't have a clue where.  One of these days I should make a gallery of all the costumes over the years.  Some have been mighty impressive.  This year Angus decided to be a magician. Then, a mathmagician. No. I don't know what that means.  I just know he needed a top hat, a vest, and a pi tie.  The hat, I bought.  I made a witches hat for my daughter years ago and I swore I would avoid doing that again if at all possible.  I am NOT a milliner.  The tie I snagged at a yard sale for 50 cents and my son drew the pi symbol and all the numbers he could fit on the front of the tie.  All I had to make was the vest.  Easiest Halloween EVER!  Yes, that is a Dr. Who sonic screwdriver he is holding and cards stuck in his hat.  No, I don't know why. Again, all I had to make was the vest.

Ugh, I have no idea how to format my photos on this blog.  Drives me nuts.
Anyway, Angus was happy so I was happy.  His school was collecting gently used and new costumes for underprivileged children but all I had that I could part with was a ninja costume I made for him a few years back.  If there is a chance that someone can get some use  out of our costumes we hold on to them.  I made a penguin costume a few years back that gets worn every year by someone.  This year my daughter took it to college and sent photos of one of her friends in it.  I had picked up some tulle at a yard sale and I found adorable fairy wings for a buck at Walmart so I did manage to scrape together a couple of fairy costumes at the last minute.   Not a great photo but you get the idea.

We had horrible weather on Halloween but kids and their parents forged ahead.   I love Trick or Treating.  All of the little ones in their costumes are so darn cute and they are always so excited.  It's huge fun.  Last year, I found a Halloween door mat on the clearance table that screams when you step on it.  I put it out when I decorated for Fall and it just about drove me nuts.  I kept forgetting it about it and I would jump about three feet every time I stepped on it.  By the end of the month all of us were straddling the silly thing when we went in and out the door and I was ready to throw it in the trash.  But the kids that came by had more fun stepping on that mat so it was all worth it.  Next year, I will only put it out on Halloween night. 

Last time I posted, I was elbow deep in papier mache.  Sadly, I am STILL elbow deep in papier mache.  This is not a quick process.  Of course, I keep adding projects so that isn't helping any.  I finished the pumpkin and the top hat but I've started another top hat and lots of Christmas people.  Well, not people exactly.  I haven't completely decided but some will be snowmen and some may be elves and I might throw in a penguin. Not sure yet.

Here is the pumpkin.  Now, I am not a floral arranger so be kind.  I'm happy with it.

 And the top hat

Of course, it will look better once the flower arrangement is in it.
And here is the beginning of my little friends.  There are a lot more of them.  A LOT.

I have a beautiful basket of plants that some amazing friends sent my husband when his father passed and there are a couple of ivy that have really outgrown it.  I wanted to train them up a topiary but couldn't find one so I made my own with some bamboo and a top made from an upside down wooden candle cup glued to a finial.

 It turned out so well I'm going to make another one. I found a pot at a yard sale and I painted it to go with the colors in our bedroom.  I don't have the finial painted yet but the pot sure turned out cool.

I finished the afghan for the living room.  This one worked up really fast.

When we were in Massachusetts this summer we found a print of the Mad Hatter's tea party from Alice in Wonderland and it was already framed in this fabulous red frame.  I found this awesome clock at Hobby Lobby and knew it would be perfect with the print.  I made labels that I glued on each face, London, Nashville, and Auckland.  We have put batteries in and changed the clocks to the appropriate times since the photo was taken. Now, I can be late in Nashville, London, and Auckland all at the same time.  I feel quite accomplished.

In between new projects I have managed to do a bit of Fall decorating.  I love having a fireplace mantel.  We have never used the fireplace.  Not once.  But it is the most fun part of the house to decorate so I wouldn't trade it.

I love Santa. No. I really love Santa. And Christmas. You won't really understand until December. I add to my Santa collection every year and this is the first of the year.  Isn't he cute!

Whew!  This has been a long post.  I need to post much more often!  Next weekend my husband and I are flying to Pittsburgh to watch a Maori All Blacks rugby match. The next weekend is my sons birthday and my daughter is coming home from college with 6 of her closest friends, LOL!  Then it's Thanksgiving, BLACK FRIDAY!!!(I LOVE BLACK FRIDAY), and then it's December! That magical month of Christmas, Santa, elves, snowmen, and everything sparkles and twinkles and, oh, I could go on and on and on!  My to-do list is out of control as usual but it takes serious work to make all that sparkling and twinkling happen! Before all of that I have to paint the upstairs hallway and the loft area. And refinish the banisters.  And redo the closet. And get my craft room (also known as Sandie's Happy Place) all set up. And laundry, ironing, cleaning, cooking, etc., etc., etc. Until next time....

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Sandie