Autumn decor FAIL.

this ugly garland has been up in my living room for a month now (there's another one, identical, on the opposite wall) because I'm too annoyed at how long it took me to make it, to take it down. It's hideous. I can hardly look at it.  It's going to have to go soon. I won't be able to handle it much longer.

My next project:  Simplicity 2508  (the short one)  with this:

I'll get a jacket that fits perfectly (assuming I don't totally screw it up) and cost less than $50 instead of more than $100. 

We survived halloween again. craig and I didn't really dress up this year (gasp! I know!) but the boys picked Pokemon as the theme and if you are at all familiar with that 'verse you know there are not a lot of adults.  and we didn't feel like being Team Rocket. So I hung a couple of Poke-balls from my belt loops and craig wore a lab coat and went as Professor Oak. 

the boys really had a good time; they just wanted a "serious" photo. whatever:

I had to make a chimchar costume for fletch. The hood was a bit tricky but I think I pulled it off. His tail was his favorite: (it's supposed to be made of fire)

and vanvan was Piplup. at least, for the few moments that he would wear his hood. 

next year i'm making the costumes in July, so I'm not sewing like mad at the last minute like every. single. other. year.   If you are my friend, please remind me of this oath next summer... 

some bits of Helena that we explored.  

naturally we did not go inside the buildings. that would have been tresspassing. 

we followed Dad through most of the explorations; and when we got to a spot that was gated, Dad found a path to the side that went past a gap in the fence and through a large patch of vines. 

Connor: Is it safe to go through there?

Me: Of course. Dad wouldn't take us through if it wasn't safe.

Sharon: Oh, right, HA!

Me: What?

Sharon:  Dad isn't allergic to poison oak. You should ask the Cunningham boys how safe it is to "follow Dad" someday. 

Dad just shrugged. Getting poison oak probably builds character anyway.... like that time my mom had to make a pee stop in the woods (can you tell what's coming? can you?) and wasn't paying attention to where she squatted..(yep, just what you thought).  She had to wear an apron on her front and saran wrap on her butt over the itch cream for DAYS.  Her sister and her mother (who she and I lived with at the time) were constantly cracking up over it.

I'm sure she appreciates me sharing. 

this plum tree is about 7 feet from my parent's back door, it's top leaves here level with the upper deck. This is what it looked like on Friday.

there was a constant "piff, whiffle" of leaves falling all weekend.

by sunday afternoon the tree looked like this: 

we got to see fall colors! I kept exclaiming at trees and pointing them out to the boys. Connor thought they were all very nice but fletcher was less impressed. "more yellow, mom. why do you like yellow so much?"

I made the trip north last week in two segments; thursday night and friday morning. I am happy to report that Van was amazing in the car. More than 20 hours driving total and he was fussy for maybe a total of 30 minutes. Thank heaven for small miracles. 

So we finally arrive and Mom's at work so I'm visiting with my sisters and I hear after awhile, my own voice (but slightly sweeter) coming from the living room and I pop out of the kitchen saying, "mom! you're home!" 

Does she even look at me? 

that would be a big fat NO.  Hello, I'm chopped liver, nice to meet you. 

Grandpa was determined the next day to get us all out of doors for the day so the kids didn't all congregate around a video game ("kids" referring to both his and mine. I'm not sure when I'll stop referring to my sisters as kids - it may never happen).  We explored a "ghost town", and then went down to the Helena swim hole. 

Dear Residents of Trinity County, 

I am very sorry about the swim hole. My son, being unused to nature, got over-excited and threw so many rocks into the water that it is now a small puddle. Please do not break anything while jumping off of the rope swing next summer.

Sincerely,

Me.

my oldest, after asking "what is star thistle?" decided that it was 

1. a lovely weed for picking (who IS this kid?)

2. impressive head gear. 

while I am trying to get a photo of the finished quilt and organizing my photos from the trip back home, please enjoy the "Twisted Princesses" series by a Disney artist:

sigh. I love Halloween time.  It means it's almost Christmastime....