The First Day

Today is day one of NaBloPoMo. Since I haven't figured out how to load Yoda into my side bar, I will keep posting him every day as my first picture! Conveniently I have something to write about today. I have some Halloweeny pics. Let's start with Girl.



She and her friends were taking on the 80's (anyone recognize that outfit?). The original idea was to go as jazzercisers. So, Monday night, we attempted to make BIG hair. For once, Girl had the WRONG hair. She was looking through my high school yearbook for 80's hair and kept asking why So-&-So's hair did this and could I give her DJ Tanner bangs (from "Full House). I told her that all of those people had layered hair - with many layers, shorter and all the way around. I taught her about the rule of big hair, though - When in doubt, apply hairspray. Her plan was to "do the do" as a practice, take a picture, download it to the computer, email it to her friend's house and to be able to use it as a guide to prepare her costume.

I didn't see her before trick-or-treating, as she went right to her friend T's house after school to get in costume, and didn't get home until 9ish - well after the costume had been worn well and loved well, so this pic is post t-or-t'ing. Ultimately, it was a Flashdance costume. She found her "clothes" at the Salvation Army store - BAD 80's sweatshirt that she took a scissors to and gave it the Flashdance flair, and a funky robe-ish sweater with tight ribbed sleeves that she cut to turn into legwarmers. UGH...just the thought makes me quiver.

The girls froze because, of course, even though it was about 40degrees at night, they didn't wear COATS!, didn't bag as much candy as they had hoped, but hell, if you don't stay out for the full 3.5hrs alotted (3:30 - 7), then you're not going to get what you wanted - and even less if it's cold out, cuz no one wants to stand outside passing out candy on a freezing cold Chicago night. However, she and her friends managed to bag a pizza dinner from T's mom! Good thinking!



LargeBoy went to a friend's right after school also. I didn't think that he'd go out, actually. When he was 11 or 12 yrs old, he and his friends had gone out trick or treating together on a block that was having a block party - 2 blocks from our house, at the time. As he and another one of his friends split to go home, LargeBoy turned right and his friend crossed the street. LargeBoy got thrown up a fence, punched in the face by a child and adult, got his candy swiped, and since then, hasn't gone out again for Halloween. He's never lost his taste for Halloween, it's the favored holiday in our house, which is good. He's always been more than happy to sit on the porch and be the Candy Man. This year, he went out with his good friend J - one of my favorites of his friends, had a great time just hanging out, and came home by 8:00. Good kid that LargeBoy. Oh, and by the way, Potato Man is LargeBoy's contribution to his "costume". He lived in our refrigerator and got kind of scary looking.



The Not-So-SmallBoy...ah, my little love. He was a Ninja-DUH! Don't you know that ALL ninjas wear sweatshirts under their body armor? It truly was cold, but that wasn't going to stop him. No way. His line last night was "Trick-or-treat for the Ninja!" He had a blast. We went out between 5 & 5:30 while the sun was still out and did our block and the next block over. Surprisingly, there were a decent number of people home. By the time we got back to our house where PC was manning the door, we were FROZEN. We opted to stay in and eat pizza while we warmed up before heading over to our old block to trick-or-treat at the houses of those we spent 10years with.

We love to go over there. Nothing special as far as candy and, usually, only half of the block participates. My previous next door neighbor, though, has a thing for Halloween. Every year, he seals off his porch and front yard while the Halloween Muse takes hold of him. Each year his creation is even bigger than the last. He always involves his two skeletons - full size, mind you. In addition, he strings up voice activated bats that fly around at the first sound they "hear". What's great about them is that he hangs them high enough, strung tree to tree, so that when it's dark out and the unsuspecting trick-or-treater (or parent) comes walking by gawking at his creation, they don't see the bats until it's too late!

We wondered what L would create this year. In the past he's done The Grateful Dead - which was pretty cool, the debates with Kerry & W (only what was really cool was that he made their names something skeletal and spooky, but so that you knew who they were), one year was the Cubs & Sox - again, in skeleton. This year, and dork me didn't take a picture, we came upon two skeletons in the front yard, decked out in the black jackets, black hats, and black shades - no, not Tommy Lee & Will Smith, no Flashy Things - these guys had keyboards & harmonicas - yes, oh yes...it was The Boo's Brothers. He even had an animated hand to make it look like one of them was actually playing the keyboard. It was very very cool. It is very apparent how much L LOVES/LIVES for Halloween!

So after visiting all the houses on that block that still had lights on and finishing our warm grown-up beverage, we headed back home. SmallBoy was perfectly content when, after counting each and every piece of candy, determined that he had 73 pieces and a coupon for the karate studio down the street (run by our neighbors). I'm actually surprised that he had that much stuff...but it's the karate coupon that was a total score!

Punkins....It's really hard to take a good pic of these guys with no flash...the light just blurrs automatically. Bummer, but you get the gist....PC's pumpkin, the one on the left, is posted in the post below, the one in the middle is the one that LargeBoy impaled with the butcher knife, and the one in the on the right is the one that Girl & Snood carved...

I hope you all had a wonderful, and warmer, Halloween, and aren't suffering too much of a candy hangover from all of the candy when, on the Required Parental Safety Inspection, you deemed unsafe (and devoured for yourself) - Guilty. I can't wait to stop by and see all of YOUR pictures!