Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Camping Fun!

When Emma was a little girl, the town did not allow trick or treating. They offered a very lame Halloween party for kids in the neighborhood. At that time, it was an older neighborhood, very much small town, not many children. I guess that is why. So we took her to one Grandparent or the other's house for trick or treating the first couple years. Somehow, when she was maybe 2 or 3, we went camping with a group for Halloween. That was it for us! Every year afterwards we have camped for Halloween. Emma has even said that she will continue this camping tradition until the day she dies. I would say that more than half of that time, the weather has sucked. Why do we do it? What is the appeal of camping in torrential rains, windstorms, freezing temperatures, and a lovely Sunday to pack up?

When we arrive, campers are busy setting up sites, decorating, getting costumes together, reserving sites for next year, cooking, eating, and visiting. The kids are fired up! They are running all over the place, sometimes playing football in the rain. You can literally feel the electricity in the place! There is always a Friday night family/halloween movie. Saturdays events leave us exhausted by 8pm with ceramics, pumpkin carving, bake sale, bingo, costume parade and judging, trick or treating, Haunted House (which is no longer and now a haunted hayride), campsite decorating and judging, and and adult dance with costume judging.

We camp with another family and typically dress as a group. This year we did not. In years past we have been an Elvis Convention, Superheroes and Villians, and Fairies, which included the fitness fairy, snack fairy, goth fairy and more. We won the year we were all Elvis. This year My Handsome Prince and I did not dress up, much to the disappointment of our friend. We had spent the day at the hospital and the time leading up to the weekend in a different mindset. It was just not a priority. That's for another entry. Our girls were Gangsters, or as they like to say "Gangstas!"

As a side note:
I hate haunted houses. One year I went through the haunted house while we were camping and when that guy came at me with the chainsaw running, I almost knocked a kid down trying to run away! I rarely go through. I have passed that nervousness down to Audrey. One year she was working up the nerve to go through, MHP was overseas (he normally is the designated adult), and Audrey wanted me to take her through the haunted house. No complaints, I was going to swallow my fear and take my daughter into the haunted house. We waited in line, hearing screams and chainsaws, and got to the front, and Audrey panicked. She did not want to go. So we got out of line and took a walk. She was sobbing! She had worked her nerve up as much as possible and still could not do it, she disappointed herself. My heart broke to see her in this state. But then she looked at me and said she was sorry that I did not get to go into the haunted house and felt bad because she knew I wanted to go through. HA! I was relieved! She has since been in the haunted house and has decided, just like her Mom, it is not for her. But, she has conquered that fear and feels that she does not need to do it again. Good for her. We can both handle a haunted hayride, nobody ever gets too close.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

What I've been doing


Marble magnets. I knew I saved those altoid tins for a reason!













Taking photos of this beauty with my new camera.












Drinking beer with Tas. It was her birthday.
















Listening to him moan (It's a song - get your mind out of the gutter).


















Making scary meal for the Youth groups Fear Factor night.
This is entrails with sides of organs (spaghetti with some visual but unedible aids).










Finger breadsticks













Roadkill meatloaf (was wolfed down by the youth!). Note the maggots.











Dirt cake, complete with graves and worms

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Mamachelly's creative endeavors


A lovely scarf inspired by Denyse Schmidts Quilts book (which she does not even own).










The most perfect profile.














Those are my lips on his cheek.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

It's that time again

It's time for the Annual Crazy Quilted Ornament exchange. The rules are very particular and your ornament can be sent back to you if it does not meet the expectations. This is my fourth year being involved. Although, I don't have much of a choice as my neighbor, friend, and creative genious is the host. If she walked my ornament back over to me, I'd be mortified!


The golden glove was a purchased ornament I received one year and was the inspiration for the red velvet crazy quilted glove. I made two of those last year and have two more started. I loved them!

This is this years ornament in process. Not quite sure if it is going to work. This is the inspiration. The problem is I can not leave the edges raw. I'm making this out of cottons instead of fancies. I may change my mind. I usually make 2 to exchange and always start one or two more with the intention of keeping one myself. Unfortunately, rarely do I ever finish my own. The angel in the first photo with the crocheted wings and gold beaded halo was an exception. Wish me luck!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The JCPenny catalog pose


or, as Audrey would say "Don't I look smart doing this?" Which made us all just crack up! I got a new toy and we were playing last night.

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Friday, October 06, 2006

Bogged down in blog land

Yesterday, I started my morning as I usually do. Cup of coffe in hand, at the computer, checking my e-mail and the blogs. I had several things on my mind, one of which is teaching an adult arts/crafts class. Going into blogland was not the place! I visited photography blogs, sewing blogs, quilting, crafting, scrapbooking, and more! Each one is a specialized, focused place. I, on the other hand, do not focus in one area. I saw incredible works of creativity using fabric, plastic, needles, hooks, and you name it! I viewed beautiful, organized workrooms. I checked out Flickr pools that amazed me. It brought me down but yet I couldn't tear myself away! It was like watching an accident. And I came away exhausted, frustrated, and anything but inspired or full of creativity.

It's all about balance. Finding that fine point where you can be, peace amidst chaos. My Handsome Prince went to see his Orthopeadic Oncologist for his yearly exam (14 years running). After years of being clean, they have found a spot on his lung. Now we are waiting. Finding that balance. Wondering who to tell, what to say, but really there is nothing to say because we don't know. Now he is making appointments for full body scans, consultations with Cardiothoracic surgeon, and possible surgery. And we wait.

We are ok. We have found our balance. The girls are good, as they should be. We just have another issue in our lives to deal with. It is up to us to find the balance in which to deal with it. So, unlike yesterday, I am not going to get bogged down in blogland. I'm going to go into my own corner of creativity and come out with some ideas. Sometimes that wide spectrum is just too much, don't you think?