Halloween

I am a bit remiss on posting this entry!

We ended up going over to brother Jon's Saturday to go trick or treating with them, the girls and my mom and dad (followed by adult conversation, beverages, and dinner). I can't remember the last time I went out trick or treating; I'm pretty sure it may have been when I used to take my brothers out years and years ago in Tierrasanta.

Anyway, Shannon made the girls' costumes. Sophie was an angel (complete with halo and harp) and Jacqueline was a devil (with a pitch fork that she did not like and a cute little devil's tail). No, it is not really indicative of their personalities (their mom and dad assuring everyone who asked along the route of this!)

Sophie got into the gig pretty quickly; she figured out that people were giving her something good, even though she wasn't sure what (having no concept of what candy is) or that she wouldn't be eating any of it (that task going to her mom and dad).

After the first house, she somehow dropped her candy bar and realized it; starting to fret until Uncle Mark went back and found it.

She was quite possessive of her little pail.

Jacqueline, on the other hand, was not really thrilled with what was going on. She was definitely not impressed with Grammy's witch costume

and was entirely freaked out by Grandpa (no one knows, incidentally, what, exactly, he was supposed to be!)

BTW, I DID attempt to wear something of a costume; I had a shirt I bought that said "Trick or Treat" and I found a deeply discounted long wig and a kitty mask at Kroger. However, the long wig got tangled up plus the cats were following me around trying to climb up the hair and the kitty mask mashed my eyelashes so forget that.

Mr. B said he should have brought his 10-key so that he could have been a CPA. How original!

Mrs. B

Random Thoughts for a Monday (Mostly Rambling About Halloween)

I usually write, "Random (fill in the day of the week) Thoughts" but I realized as I was typing that out that the sentence structure is not correct! Although it may sometimes feel that way, the day of the week ITSELF is not random!

Anyway, here goes:

Ah, today is the first day of Fall, and it's a beauty of a day here in North Carolina. The weather report originally said it was going to be 80 or so today but I doubt it'll get that warm. Mid-70s, perhaps? Absolutely delightful weather!

In honor of Fall, I got out my Fall decor and placed it around the house. I didn't, however, bother to get out the Halloween Tree since we won't be here on Halloween this year. We'll be celebrating at the Welk resort in Escondido. My friend Peri was wondering if they had a costume party where everyone had to come dressed up like a "character" from the old Lawrence Welk TV show. And, would a bubble machine be set up? There would have to be bubbles!

Frankly, Halloween is not my favorite "holiday"; after I turned 12 or 13 and stopped Trick Or Treating, it sort of became a drag. Although, I will admit, I have gone to a few rocking Halloween parties.

Writing about Halloween has set me to trying to remember the various costumes I've had over the years. Hmmm. I know when I was a kid, I "went" as various princesses and fairies and the like. One year, I was a Genie (as in "I Dream of Jeannie",

not the big blue thing from the Disney movie "Aladdin" (which didn't even exist then, anyway).

I think I was likely a cat once, or a mouse. One year, lacking creative skills, I wore my Girl Scout uniform and went as, guess what? That was in 6th grade when we were living in Kentucky. I think just being in that state sapped my mental abilities.

As I grew older and into high school, it became quite important to go as something "cute". Sexy wasn't allowed, but cute was. So, one year I went as a little girl. Boy, I thought I was something.

Another year, I dressed up as Ace Freely (from Kiss) and, along with three other people, we went as, well, duh, Kiss! That was fun; I still remember my mom wrapping my boots in tin foil.

One year during college, my friend Peri had a costume party. This was the year that the movie "Mommie Dearest" (a rag on Joan Crawford's maternal abilities) came out. So, I dressed up in a 40s suit, pulled my (then very long hair) up into a very severe bun, slathered on a lot of heavy make-up and smeared bright red lip stick haphazardly around my mouth. I carried a baby doll in one hand and a wire coat hanger in the other and walked around the party beating the doll with it shrieking (in my best Joan Crawford/Faye Dunaway imitation), "No more wire hangers EVER!"

Another year, my ex husband and I plus two other girlfriends of mine dressed up like punk rockers and went to a party. Us three girls spent the entire night following him around, fawning sex slave/groupie attitudes. He ate it up, until some drunk guy told him he looked "queer". That ended our attendance at that party.

The last costume that I remember was going as Julia Roberts' character from "Pretty Woman" while my ex dressed up in a business suit and went as a lawyer. That was pretty funny.

Like I said, I don't really like Halloween and it's been ages since I've dressed up. But, if I ever did again, I'd want to go as Queen Elizabeth I.

Do y'all remember any of your costumes? Which was your favorite? I bet there will be a lot of Sarah Palin costumers at parties this year, or pigs with lip stick on, or Obama, or McCain. I hope, though, that people will figure out something a bit more original!

Mrs. B