Halloween Pics!

It is raining here in Northern NJ and we had a wet Halloween. But did that stop us (me) from getting our candy? No way! We went out with umbrellas and raincoats and hoods and had a blast.

The girls were butterfly/faeries and they were just so excited (mostly Katie) to get all dressed up in pink and glitter from head to toe.

Here are some pics from today ...

Hope you all had a wonderful day - and I hope there was sunshine in other parts of the country today! We took one for the team this year - next year we get the sun!

Mostly treats

Finally I have my camera back and can post some Trick-or-Treating pictures. This just solidifies in my mind why I need a Nikon D40. I can dream ...

We went to Andy's office in the morning (he took the day off) and his co-workers got to meet the girls. Katie and Maddie were shy at first - then they realized - "people are giving us chocolate!" and perked right up. I decided at the beginning of the day that I was going to let them have candy when they wanted it - and that I wouldn't make a big deal when I did say "no" - and it worked out pretty well. They go their chocolate and when I told them "later" they knew I meant it and didn't freak out.

We went to see my mom next and her co-workers made a fuss over the girls, too. We gave them some lunch there and let them "work" for a while. They loved it!

They went down for a nice long nap when we got home. When it was time to get dressed up again, Maddie was - shall we say - NOT going for it. Katie loves to dress up - in any way. She is usually very cooperative when it comes to getting dressed and ready to go out. Maddie loves to say "no" and will just go to flop-mode when she doesn't want to do something. She was crying and screaming that she didn't want to put her vest or hat on - and after I calmed myself down and took a 5-minute time out - we went out with her not dressed up.

Of course, once she realized that CHOCOLATE was the theme of the day, she calmed down enough to let me slip the vest on her - although she still resisted that stupid hat. We took them out of the wagon and I was so proud of how they acted. They learned very quickly that you say, "trick-or-treat" and then (with a few nudges) they said "thank you" as well. Again, we let them have a few pieces then and there, and when we said "later" they were good with it.

(Got the vest on!)

We went trick-or-treating with our neighbors up the block, Dave and Lisa, and their little baby Jake. The girls LOVE Baby Jake - and he had a great time trick-or-treating, too! Jake was The Incredible Hulk! (Dave was a Nascar fan.)

When we were done, we fed the kids, put the girls in their cribs and Jake in a pack-n-play. The grown-ups had pizza and watched Poltergeist, of which we were all amazed that we forgot half of the movie. It was a great day and I think the older they get - the easier it will get. Can't wait for next year - what shall they be .... ?

It was SEW easy!

(Just sent Andy off with my camera - and I haven't downloaded pictures of yesterday yet. I'll get them up ASAP when he gets home! In the meantime ... )

I had a garage sale a few years ago and made $250. Not too shabby. I knew I wanted a sewing machine - so off to Target we went. Oh how I love Target. Except if I knew then what I know now, I would have gone to the sewing maching store here in town and got a wee-bit more advice on what to purchase for my needs. I want to quilt. Badly. But I don't have the special attachment that is needed to keep the top and bottom of my quilt together when I sew ... too complicated. I have a few quilt TOPS - but they aren't attached to anything.

I took a sewing class and learned how to work with a pattern - three years later I am finally able to use this knowledge. I decided that before I have 8 years of "I want to be a princess" (times two) ahead of me, I wanted these girls to be cowgirls. Easy right? I could get most of the costume out of their closet - get them a hat and a vest and be all done. Then I had the idea of making their vests myself. Off to Joanne's I went (I'm always off to somewhere) - found awesome cowprint fabric, some fringe, and a pattern. I could do this.

First I got my favorite tool, it's like a pizza cutter for fabric. Awesome.

Then I pinned my pattern in place. I was so proud of myself that I remembered to pin the back of the vest on the fabric fold - I caught it at the last minute!

All cut out ...

Pinned 1/4 inch for the armholes. I don't have any pictures of me actually sewing at this stage. I was concentrating too hard. (Eeew - I think I need a new ironing board cover.)

The tension in my bobbin was WAY off - this was what I cut out of the back of one of the pieces once I started sewing. I was mightily annoyed.

Here is the fringe! It totally makes the vest. My mom said just the vests alone made them look like they worked at Wal-Mart. "Cool!" I thought, "Do Moms get a discount?"

On went the fringe - love it.

I had enough fabric left over that I was able to make them trick-or-treat bags, too. Super cool.

Finished product! Katie was a trooper - she was my model and kept trying it on for me to make sure I had the measurements correct.

I am open for business. Who needs a wedding dress ... ? Anyone?

I love this day!

Happy Halloween!

This was us last year - we took a quick shot just as we were turning to go home - that's why the flash is so bright on our faces. Poor Andy looks like he only has one eye!

I'll post pics of the girls' trick-or-treating later this weekend - and the pics I took as I sewed a portion of their costume - all by myself!