Tricks for treats...

Well she did it! Scarlett put on a costume and had a blast on her first true Halloween night of trick-or-treating! Whew! It came down to the wire really. But she did it herself with little coaxing attempts from mom and dad.

In a recent post I explained how Scarlett was flat-out refusing to wear any form of costume. Sure, she told everyone we came in contact with that she was going to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween but when it came down to it she had no intention of wearing those red pants or that headband. Tantrums were thrown, fits ensued. We finally dropped the issue, switched gears and took a more subtle approach - thanks to a few helpful ideas from our Facebook friends.

In her dress-up box that Grandma made for her birthday was a Minnie Mouse costume. Thinking that could be a last minute option we laid the groundwork. I randomly wore her Minnie ears. Gregg hung the sparkly Minnie dress in her room. We made comments like, "Oh look how cute these ears look on your bunny! Maybe we will take the bunny out trick-or-treating since he loves them so much!" Scarlett gave us the stink eye, showing her disapproval. Gregg began giving her lessons on trick-or-treating by closing the doors upstairs and handing her a pail. They walked down the hallway and knocked on the doors saying, "TRICK OR TREAT!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!" and (when wooden blocks were placed in her pail) "Thank Youuuu" - she LOVED it. Playing peek-a-boo was Gregg's idea - we threw her dress over her head saying, "Where's Scarlett???" and before you know it we were just inches away from getting that dress all the way on. Each afternoon I wore the Minnie ears for a while and then left them on the floor alongside Scarlett's toys. One evening I looked over and saw her trying to put them on, then wearing them around her neck. Masking my excitement, I casually said, "Oh do you want some help, let me help you put those on" and Presto! Minnie was born. That same night Gregg asked if she wanted to wear her dress and practice trick-or-treating in the hallway again. BAM! SUCCESS! She was ready. Awesome.

We only knocked on a small block's worth of doors but Scarlett loved every minute of it. "Let's do another one!" She chanted, dragging along her heavy bucket of goodies. She really had a great time - and so did we. She even had her very first lollipop.

boo ...

I say that Halloween is one of my two favorite days of the year (the other being Christmas Eve) but I am realizing there is no good reason.

It's not the trick-or-treating, because I stopped that in 6th grade. It's not the candy, because I can get Mounds any day of the year. It's not the ritual of opening the front door to Transformers, witches and 16 year old jerks wearing hoodies and carrying pillowcases, because my doorbell is broken, my dog is a pain in the ass and I shut my lights off for the only two groups of kids who actually come here. I guess what I love is horror films and Halloween decorations. For some reason I plaster my home with ghosts and pumpkins and witches and little, spooky Halloween signs ...  I just think it's "cute".

Does this make me a Halloween grinch?? Don't get me wrong, I love to see the kids dressed up and I, of course, remember my excitement as a child. But I guess something was lost along the way to my 32 year old mentality. Still, each year, I pop in the Garfield Halloween DVD and watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. And I don't feel that I have yet overdosed on Michael Myers, Jason, Dracula or Leatherface.

So, what the hell am I saying here? I guess just that I love coconut, cartoons, serial killers and HomeGoods.

hallOweenie ...

Is it too early to put up strange-looking Halloween decor? Well, I asked myself this very question three months ago when I decorated. Ha! Just kidding - it was three weeks ago. Still too early? I totally know. I just get so antsy to light up those tea-light candles in their eighteen designated spaces. I like for this place to glow like a bad science project. You wanna see?? You wanna seeeee?? Well if not, X out of this piece --- and if so ---- look furtherrrrrrrrrrr ...

 ... looks like a big, ol' mess right??

ps. I have a slight obsession with silhouetted, dead, branchy, creepy trees - let's get that out in the open right now ...








... doesn't it look cute all lit up though?

... I truly dislike that pumpkin but sometimes you have to fill a space, kids ...

... and it makes little stars on the wall :)  that's quite a redeeming quality, for me anyway...

... yeah, I highly doubt that Michael Myers would be caught dead (hehehe) in a setting like this one but you try finding an appropriate spot for a serial killer...

... he doesn't seem TOO out-of-place in this shot... he's a good sport... hahaha

... this is a mess and I don't like it one bit ...

... that black, 'haunted house' on the left is my favorite Halloween decoration. it just looks awesome lit up. most of this shit came from Homegoods FYI...

  ... i have this wooden garland strung across the dining room/living room entry way - i thought it was a little too "crafty" for my liking but come to find out - i heart it.

... is it weird to put a welcome sign on the back of the front door? yes, clearly. but I tend to dislike 'normal' if you haven't gotten that gist by now...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... how could I leave out the "close-up" of that Theatre shelf? that friggin shelf is basically what got me started on a decorating frenzy 5 years ago that has yet to cease...

... And that's all she wrote. Or took pictures of for that matter. September through December are my favorite months of the year. When the summer weather begins to cool down I am initially sad to say goodbye to the beach season. But quickly I am anxious for crisp, bright blue days with boots and hoodies, the crackle of leaves under your Uggs, every window open in the house while you are sitting under a blanket shivering... you get the idea. I immediately reach for my autumn welcome sign for the front door ... and I set out the gingerbread candles to overwhelm my typically lemon-scented home. And on that first 60 degree day where the temp drops into the 40's at night - I grab the Halloween bin from the basement and I tear it up. Most people would wait until at least the beginning of October but 31 days just isn't long enough for me. I drag it out as long as possible ... and when Gregg least suspects it ... I text him to say "watch out when you get home because it's VERY SCAAAARRRYYY in here!!" He knows exactly what I mean. (No I don't have PMS, it's the decorations for cryin outloud. You guys are unreal).

** Don't forget to take the poll at the top of my page ... I'm curious to see the outcome ...