Saturday, October 31, 2015

Friday, October 30, 2015

Who You Gonna Call?

Ghostbusters!


I love my co-workers. Who else could I spend a solid month plotting and planning Halloween costumes with? And, who else would think to download the theme from Ghostbusters to play on a cell phone when we made our grand entrance at the office Halloween party? No one I can think of. Kort even spent countless hours crafting the ghost costume to our lone male counterpart's exact specifications, so that he would be recognizable as the Ghostbusters logo and unrecognizable as himself. It goes without saying, she did a fantastic job.

After the party at work, we hit the streets of Hooterville, reverse Trick-or-Treating at the offices of our partnering agencies. The cops were thrilled to see us coming, as were the staff members at the courthouse, the employees of City Hall, the librarians at the library, and the senior clients of the Alzheimer's daycare. Sadly, the only people who seemed to take no joy in our visit were the social workers at the Department of Human Services; but, they tend to be a sad bunch, in general.

Anyway, we were awesome, and, I have another costume to add to my collection. Heeeyyy, skeleton Ghostbusters, anyone?

Next year.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Throwback Thursday: The Politically Incorrect Halloween Edition

I come by my love of Halloween naturally; when I was growing up, my parents encouraged Trick-or-Treating, Halloween parties, and decorations.

I can distinctly recall the cardboard skeleton that my mom would hang on the front door and the Gurley pumpkin and witch candles that she displayed on the end tables in the living room (I wonder what ever happened to those candles? They sell like rare treasure on eBay...and I digress), so, it comes as no surprise that I get a little excited about my own home.

Someday, I will find you, rare vintage Gurley witch...someday, you will be mine...

And, costumes? My parents always made sure we had costumes. When they could afford to do so, they purchased ready-made costumes for us at the local Ben Franklin. The masks were rigid plastic affairs, adhered to our faces with a combination of elastic band and condensation that had formed under the masks with every breath we took.



When finances were a bit tight, mom was forced to recycle old costumes (See duplication in photos above), or, to get creative; crafting costumes from things we had around the house. Those homemade costumes were some of my favorites, and I am grateful to have had a parent who went to the trouble of creating them.

That said: Looking back, it becomes apparent that we lived in far different, possibly less culturally sensitive, world, and, costumes that were perfectly acceptable at the time seem a bit...stereotypical, now (and I'm being kind when I say that).

Exhibit A:


Ummmm.... clowns and princesses...ok...the Mexican national? Yeah...maybe not her finest work.

Exhibit B:


Blackface? Oh, dear Lord, no.

My parents also got into the Halloween spirit, and my favorite non-PC costume of all time has got to be Exhibit C:


Shotgun bride, because rednecks were funny.

Actually, rednecks are still funny, and, I say that as the descendant of a long line of Tennessee bootleggers.

Anyway, I'm glad we have these pictures to look back on, not because they serve as a lesson in tolerance, but because they remind me of a simpler time, when people didn't immediately assume malice for what entertainment could explain.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Second Verse, Same as the FIrst

Since I blogged about the indoor Halloween decorations, I guess I should blog about the outdoor decorations.

I've already showcased the skeleton crew, but, in addition to them, I do have a few other decorations on the porch.








The jury is still out on whether or not we will be haunting the porch on Halloween night; the jury, in this case, consisting of the Man-Cub and his fearless friends. If they decide that they want to spend their evening scaring the piddle out of the bladders of middle school girls, we will pull the remaining eight hundred boxes of decorations from the attic. If they choose to spend their evening begging for candy from the neighbors, however, I think we are suitably decorated for the enjoyment of the Trick-or-Treaters who visit our home.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself; I may, however, stock up on paper towels to be utilized in the event that the children are not appeased and feel the need to hurl eggs at our house.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Halloween Decorations 2015

It occurred to me that I haven't blogged about my indoor decorations yet this year. I try to do it annually because looking back at posts each year helps me remember where I put stuff; it is the easiest way for my feeble old brain to tackle the chore each year, when the fourteen Rubbermaid totes full of decorations threaten to overwhelm me.

Please indulge me.

Or, you know, click the little X in the upper right-hand corner.

Whatever works for you; we cool.
















I am really not looking forward to putting this all away....

Monday, October 26, 2015

You Don't Know Jack


We finally got our Jack-O-Lanterns carved this evening, and, while The Teenager could not tear herself away from her partying studies to join us, she did check in via Facetime. It was almost like she was there. Ok, not quite, but I appreciated the gesture.


The Man-Cub carved a pumpkin in his sister's honor, and, even though he will deny it if you ask him; he had a really good time doing it.



The finished products will join their predecessors in the Shady Rest Jack-O-Lantern Hall of Fame, otherwise known as the dusty innards of my computer, where pictures go to die (Seriously, I need to actually print a few every once in a while).



And now we are ready for Trick-or-Treaters. Also, I have enough roasted pumpkin seeds to feed a den full of hungry squirrels, you know, if the Man-Cub was inclined to share.

Spoiler: He's not.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

They Did the Mash...They Did the Monster Mash

Last night, my ASTRA co-sponsor and I chaperoned our annual Halloween Zombie Prom. We had a great turnout and actually made more money than we have on any Prom yet. Money isn't really the object of the event-well, it is, I mean, it's a fundraiser, after all, but, yeah-having that many kids there having fun was the bigger reward.

The kids went all out on their costumes and make-up this year, and it was neat to see them so excited.








After the dance, the kids split into several large groups, some went to the local diner for a late meal, some went to the local corn maze (It was being haunted by the volunteer fire department last night as it's annual fundraiser), and some went to make out in their cars (I'm guessing (safe guess!)).

I went home and fell into a coma on the couch while waiting for the Man-Cub to get back from whichever thing he had chosen to do (Note: He was flying solo, so, no making out for him).

This knocks another goal off my October list, and, as I said earlier, we raised a bit of money for our next literacy project. Couple that with the pumpkin patch earlier in the afternoon and it really was a perfect fall day.

Tonight, we are carving our pumpkins, which means roasted pumpkin seeds for snacking on and creepy Jack-O-Lanterns on the porch.

I have mentioned that I love fall, no?

Saturday, October 24, 2015

We've Got Pumpkins!

On our way home from this week's football game (We over-nighted in a town about three hours away. Oh, and we won! 31-6! And, the Cub caught a pass and ran for yardage! And, I digress!), we stopped at my favorite pumpkin patch to finally get our future Jack-O-Lanterns.

Although it is a week before Halloween, there were still plenty of pumpkins to choose from, and, I think we did a pretty good job. I also got to spend some quality time with the menfolk on a gorgeous fall day (Missed The Teenager, horribly, however).

And, I got some great pictures.

So far, it has been a great day.