Election Day! Big-Big Day!!

I brought the kids with me to vote this morning. 

We brought them when we voted in last Presidential election 

and it was very important to me that I take them to this one as well...

It is a huge responsibility that I take very seriously--to show the

kids how the democratic process--in which we elect our leaders--works.

Crucial--extremely crucial...To me, the right to vote should

never be taken for granted.

Hopefully, we are raising them to be good citizens and to

respect this great Democracy that we are so fortunate to live in.

For them, it was a great opportunity for them to hit up the bake sale...

and get donuts!

But whatever...we voted and it feels great!

and it will for you too...

SO GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!

Spooky Halloween 2012

Ok, I am just going to say--right off the bat...It has been a crazy couple of days.

Sandy has been terrible for our friends and family up North, but our area just kind of

got side-swiped...about the worse thing that happened to us was that we had to take

all the outdoor Halloween decorations down and inside..

but we got two days off work and school....

And probably the best news of all: Halloween, for us, wasn't cancelled.

May I present: The Queen of England and a gallant knight...(who forgot his shoes.)

The big Halloween party was scheduled for Saturday night and at that point, there was no rain

and that night it was like high 50s/low 60s...perfect weather for a party.

We had about 15 kids and 15 adults from the neighborhood over...

so, I did a little decorating...

I drew a spooky village on the chalkboard that we have in our kitchen and sewed some orange ric rac on a black table cloth...I LOVE ric rac...

I tried to make as much as possible but I broke down when I saw this 

and bought the skeleton wall cling giant sticker art..

(complete with moths and spiders)

And, an excellent idea--I might add,  because there is no way I could have made it myself

plus it added very nicely to the over all look of things!

L. I turned the entrance way into a bat cave and covered the walls with lots and lots of cut out bats.

(special thank you to Mercedes and Cecilia for their many contributions!)

R. As a way to block off the stairs
(and prevent the kids from swarming the upstairs),
I turned the staircase into a crime scene, 

complete with a creepily hanging skeletor--of sorts...lots of cheese cloth!

This is a bat pinata that I made...

I wish it showed up better; this was one of the best things I made.

I got the idea here.

ok...wait!! I take that bat--I mean, BACK...these jello worms are actually the best thing I made..

I served them on a bed of crumbled brownies--(you know, for dirt!) and they were a HUGE hit.

Got the idea from here.

L. For the party, we had some crafts on hand...skeletons out of dried pasta, anyone?  

I turned the living room into a haunted laboratory. 

I filled jars with all sorts of stuff: eyeballs, snakes, bones, spiders...a brain!

ok, well, it was really a cabbage in green milky water, but it looked like a brain!

So, this was the setting.  

Saturday night, we had the fire pit going in the back yard and all the kids gathered round while some kids took turns telling and reading spooky tales.

Earlier in the evening, we took the kids on a haunted walk down thru the park, where an occasional parent would jump out from behind a tree and scare the daylights out of the kids...it was so awesome.

There were lots and lots of treats...

and there was this really, really good apple cider/bourbon punch 

with lemon and ginger that Greg made.

You know... for the adults...

So, everyone, ahem, had a great time.

The hurricane definitely put a damper on things but we consider ourselves 

very lucky that we had such a great party and a fun halloween. 

I am going to go pass out now...

A Weekend in West Virginia

We rented a cabin in the beautiful Canaan Valley of West Virginia 

with friends this weekend.  We had a great time...we drank

hot apple cider, played chess, went for a hike, had a few dance parties...

But mosty...we played in the leaves.

There were A LOT of leaves...

And we had a great time!!

I think West Virginia may be our new favorite place..

Greg's Big Day!

Greg ran the Baltimore Marathon this weekend!! 

He did an amazing, amazing job...

the kids and I cheered him on at mile 15 

on the corner of S. Linwood and O'Donnell

Streets in the Canton neighborhood of downtown 

Baltimore with--our home-made signs...

We waited and watched for him--very patiently...

Magda was a little nervous for him...

But then!! Out of the blue--we saw him running towards us!!

(that is him below with his hand waving hi to us)

Here he comes!! Doesn't he look good!!

 Really good!!

and there he goes...the kids tried to keep up with him for half a block or so...

but then we just had to bid him farewell and wish him good luck!

We cheered other runners on too, 

but we are so proud of our Dad and Husband--

he did a totally kick-ass job!  

Go Daddy Go!!

We love you!!

It begins...Halloween 2012!

Its been slow going, because of how busy we have been, but the Halloween decorations

are slowly starting to make their way up from the basement-- into their proper places in our home...

As you may know, I went a little over the top last year.  You can see so here.  

Its nice to have so much already done but I want to keep the kids on their toes

and mix it up a bit, so this is what we have new this year so far...

 Yes, that is a wreath made out of bones...part of me REALLY loves it but then I think it

may be slightly inappropriate for children under the age of 6.  I go back and forth.

I thought adding a burlap bow would help soften things up a bit!

Love the owls!!  

For the haunted house party this year, the theme is going to be a mad scientist's laboratory.

I am just starting to break out the props...will fine tune in the weeks to come.

How awesome is that bunting?!? Huge thank you to my

fab mother-in-law who not only picked up the fabric,

but helped make it to boot!

This ghost is something silly I did last year--we will see how long it lasts.

Its supposed to rain tonight, so it could be sooner rather than later...

I like the idea of it peering in the window!