Happy Halloween 2022

I'm not a spider lover, but these googly-eyed ones aren't that scary and I thought they would be good for Halloween cards for our grandsons.  The fun part of these cards is that they are almost completely made from scraps.  

McDonalds brought back their Halloween Happy Meal buckets this month and I did snag two of the three.  Rachel noted that she heard a lot of people were disappointed that they didn't have lids like the originals, just that bar across the handle representing the top of the pumpkin.  I was disappointed in that the faces, there were 3 on each pumpkin, were cock-eyed.  Sometimes less is better.  If they only had two, they could have been centered evenly on either side of the handle.  

I think you can see more clearly what I mean with this one.  Kind of odd.  But I'm sure they sold a ton.

This pumpkin was another blow up one along the main drag in Cape May (near the cat from a couple of posts ago).

And I got permission from my cousin Janis to share this picture she took of her three dogs all dressed up for Halloween in front of her beautifully decorated landscaping.  

As I was putting this post together yesterday I was thinking back to waking up 10 years ago to no power after Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey.  Although we didn't have any property damage aside from a tree down up the hill, we were without power and running water for 13 days.  Your house will retain heat for only so long once the temperatures drop and that's what happened when there was a cold snap right after the storm.  Our gas generator provided some electricity to keep a small portable heater going and I remember taking these large rocks from our yard and heating them on the heater so we could put them in our bed to warm it up.  I still have those rocks under our bed.

I doubt that we'll be getting any trick-or-treaters here and it's supposed to rain later, but I hope that everyone enjoys their Halloween!

Happy Halloween 2020!

This Scare Crow has been in the works for over 25 years.  I had all the makings for it stored in the closet in our den turned storage room and had forgotten all about until we started emptying out that closet and room.  Since it was the right time of year for it, I put it all together.  Ingredients include some old black sweats, a black ski mask, black umbrella fabric, yellow plastic funnel, dowels painted yellow for the legs, yellow rubber gloves for the feet/claws, ping pong balls for the eyes, and a wire hanger to help spread the umbrella wings.  I stuffed it with bags full of plastic bags.  Creepy or cute?  You decide.

Our little ghost and welcome sign.  We don't usually get any trick or treaters on our street - no sidewalks or street lights, and the houses are pretty far apart which keeps them away.

The card made for our oldest grandson (4-years).  I told him that the dinosaur skeletons had been mischievously smashing all the pumpkins.  He thought that was funny.  

We got to see him in his costume on Halloween Eve.  He was an Air Force Fighter Pilot with the handle of Red Horse (his creation).  He was excitedly explaining to us his gloves which turned into mittens.

He and Papa planted the annual Christmas amaryllis bulb.  Hopefully it will bloom by Christmas this year.  Last year it was almost Valentine's Day.

This is the card I made for the littlest (18-months-old).  

He was a little ducky.  And we were so glad to see him on Halloween, if only for a little bit.

We brought him lots of goodies from his older cousin, including this little ride on tractor that we had first given to the older one at about the same age.  This little guy is a daredevil though and wants to climb and stand on everything.  So he has to be well supervised when playing.

And lastly, some K-cup carriers that I put together the last minute for the ladies.  I bought a package of Pumpkin Spice Caramel coffee at The Christmas Tree Shop last week and I love it, but coffee has been causing me some internal discomfort, so I am passing what I didn't use along.

We were away overnight last night and had ice on the steps of the condo this morning and found that we had a killing frost here when we got home late this afternoon so all of the delicate flowers are done for the year.  It looked quite like Halloween with all the dead plants in the back to welcome us.  The mums don't mind the cold weather as much and will be good for a little longer, but tomorrow HWNSNBP will be emptying the planters.  I'll have some last pictures of those flowers to share soon.