I love Hallowe'en

I love Hallowe'en. I mean, I really seriously love it. I can't even explain why... in a previous post I briefly talked about our yard haunt... and that's part of it. I love dressing up silly and hanging around on the front lawn scaring the neighbourhood children. It's the one day of the year that that's allowed! (I mean, seriously, people frown on it if you do that at Christmas, y'know?)

This year I'm going with a witch costume, bubbling cauldron suspended from branches over a "fire". Got some great ideas (as usual) from Martha Stewart. Seriously, I know we hear it's a "good thing" all the time, but this website is brilliant if you're looking for crafty ideas and such for ANY holiday.

Check it out yourself if you're looking for last minute ideas...Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Pirates, Monkies and gravestones, oh my!

So... Hallowe'en is kind of a big deal at my house. A few years ago now, my Dad and I decided we were going to do a serious graveyard in the front yard of his house, on a whim, I dressed up like a mad scientist and wandered around the driveway to scare the neighbourhood children as they came to get their candy... and for some reason, we got hooked.  Several years later now we have ground popping zombies, a skeleton, a coffin, a floating ghost, many many gravestones, lighting, a gate, a giant cross, sound effects a fog machine and more. Like I said - we got a little... involved. So every single year we try and decide what to add... we don't like to spend a lot of money... and we generally try to make things as simple as possible... this year I've gotten a spider that drops down from a tree in my yard and crawls back up.

I'm adding in some pics - but what do you think? Got any great, simple ideas?

Giant Tree Spider

Year of Homemade Gifts - whose brilliant idea was THIS?

So... I joined this craftalong at Craftster.org.

Okay... okay... I STARTED this craftalong at Craftster.org. It's a Year of Homemade Gifts. I (and actually quite a few other people) committed to making homemade, or at least "seriously discounted as to remain frugal" gifts from September 1, 2011 to September 1, 2012. I thought - I can DO this. NO problem. I make jam, I make pickles, I can sew and knit and crochet and paint and make cards and stuff. Hubby does woodworking - we're ALL Set.

The truth. It hasn't even been 2 whole months yet, I can't do this. I'm INSANE. WHAT. WAS. I. THINKING?

Bad Mommy

I'm having a bad day. Like a really bad, terrible, awful, no-good day. Some days it strikes me - there's no running away from home when you're the Mommy. And today - today I feel like a bad-mommy.

My kids are bad. There. I've said it. And no, I'm not trying to be facaetious. Seriously. They're bad. They don't listen, I'm not even sure they know what listening is. They're boys, so if they do something once and get in trouble, that generally means that they'll do it at least 15 more times just to see if it still makes Mommy angry.

And Mommy gets angry.