Contentment

Sometimes we have realizations that glow thru the fog in our minds. A crack of light...of understand and appreciation. I am thankful for those. It helps me to refocus, to bring back what is truly important and worth while. Then I can let go of whatever I've been carrying and breath again...



I can feel the positivity rolling in, the happiness and hope coming back...Even if the clouds are grey and its pouring rain, I can have sunshine inside...especially when I see the smile on my child's face and hear the laughter fill my house. I can see and appreciate the beauty and the joy in those drops of rain, in the feel of the wind against my cheek cause I'm alive and because I can...




I can marvel at the colors and sounds of nature. They hold wonder and promise and when I hike to the top of the hill I can give thanks for being able to do and see these things. We see so little these days, are so busy with life and trudging thru each and every day! We are missing what is most important--the miracle and joy that is this earth, that is creation. As tiny as the toadstool on the path in the forest and as vast as the great Pacific Ocean...



I want to see all of it, hear it, smell it and taste it. I want my children to feel in awe of the people and the beauty we have here...to appreciate it and treasure it always. That is what I want to leave them with...

Halloween Part 2

Closer look at the amazing gown Katy wore. It really, really, really, looks fit for a wedding! Complete with beads and sequins and everything!




Davis was absolutely adorable as Donald Duck (although given that daddy Andy was away watching the Ducks VS Cal game in California, we expected his colors to be a bit different!). He even has the stature to actually look like Donald. Friggin cute!!




This is part of the Halloween annual tradition that I love. We have a chili fest (each household contributes--mine was an amazing Veggie chili that I will post recipe for!) and we have wine...lots and lots of wine, plus music and a bonfire. This is my good bud Lisabeth and her dad who has joined us again this year. Now this man knows wine and I can't wait for Thanksgiving to sample his choices.





Just a street down from us is a guy who has outdone himself in decorations every year for about the last 3 years. If you can believe it---he built a boat, yes, a boat...complete with mast, dead pirate, wheel and deck. He put up a projection screen and had Pirates of the Caribbean playing the whole night long! It was spectacular! Lindzay, being the Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow sheriff, walked up to him...flashed her Jack tat and told him that he'd not gone thru the right channels and receive proper authorization from her to display Jack Sparrow and she'd have to confiscate his wheel!! What a goof! But really, this was amazing!!





Lastly, my Sumo Cheeseburger head son, Bryson. We came back from trick or treating and saw him dressed in this hilarious outfit! He scared Davis and Katy wasn't too keen on his outfit either. It was hilarious to watch him deflate this thing every time he tried to sit in a chair. It was a bit dicey when he got near the fire as well...I thought he was going to go up in flames on a few occasions.
So, Halloween on Essex Court in 08 was another hit...can't wait for 09!

Halloween 08

My front porch this Halloween. It was fun putting up the webbing and making it look realistic. I even added the spiders and rats!



Our sac kids. We had troopers, cats, pirates, Wall-E and I'm not really sure what Deza was! But she looks pretty scary.




Completed Wall-E. Callan lent Tici his black hoodie and with the goggles, she looked awesome.
We found out it was a bit hazardous for her to see- especially stairs and the box was so large she got blocked in when other kids crowded onto the porches, but Alex was great at making sure she didn't fall and helping her to maneuver around.



Deza's mask was a bit much for the younger kids, so she didn't wear it after the pics. Lindzay was a lady bug (the first year she wasn't something Johnny Depp related and actually dressed like a female) and looked so cute! She was going to the rave later and thought she needed to look more feminine. And my Wall-E...ready to GO GET SOME CANDY! Are we leaving yet? Are we leaving yet? Are we leaving yet?????



Deza, Tici and Lindzay in back. Katy (wearing a gown fit for a wedding and with a pricetag to match...right Andy!!), Callan doing the finger boogie to the music set up near the chili tent. Trying to get him to hold still was a bit difficult. Finally there's Alex who is looking at Callan like he's crazy! Fun, fun, fun....

Creating Wall-E

OK, my 7 yr old has had her share of awesome Halloween ideas, but this year I believe she maxed me out. She loved the movie Wall-E and has wanted to be Wall-E for Halloween since seeing it. So being the good mom, I'll indulge my beautiful baby and create a Wall-E costume. I knew I was going to need a box for the body and I figured another couple little boxes to go over her feet, some empty toilet paper rolls stuck on a hat for the eyes and voila...that'd be it!

NOT!! Believe me when I say that this costume took over 22 hours to make and would not have been done without the help of a friend who is a detail oriented fanatic (sorry Mike!) and a carpenter.

In the above picture is the goggles painted white and covered and doused with hot glue to make the black cardboard wrap around it and hold. Its not quite finished in the pic, but we glue plastic circles around the clear circles in the lens to look like the binoculars he has as eyes in the movie.

The black tracks were make of cardboard and the gears are pressed cardboard containers hot glued to a cardboard surface. 1/4 strips of cardboard were cut and hot glued around the outside to resemble the rubber track.




The box itself is painted yellow the exterior house paint (it rains here after all!) and spray painted with rust colored primer to look old. I used dryer venting for the arms and some velcro monitering belts for shoulder harnesses glued inside the box to help with the weight of it. But it is still pretty heavy.



This is the front with an opening cut into it so she can push out her candy box when she goes to each house. The tracks are bolted, yes, bolted to the sides.





Here I've finished the painting on the front. Cory did the computer LCD screen for me (thank you, thank you!!) and then Mike glued and sewed the oven mitts to the dryer venting and to the box so they wouldnt move.



The finished product is a hit with Tici. She loves it and I'm thinking all the late nights and expense were worth it to see her face light up and hear from the neighborhood kids how "cool" and "awesome" Wall-E looks. But next year, she's wearing a dress!