Happy Halloween!
Oct 30th 2007
RachelGOn Writing!
Unlike Julia, I LOVE Halloween. When my kids were little, I loved to dress them up and take them trick-or-treating. I loved decorating the house and making costumes. Now, sadly all my children are grown and they won’t let me dress them up any longer. No more vampire and princess costumes to sew or faces to paint. No more pillow cases filled with candy to loot once the kids are in bed.
These days there is only Jack in his pumpkin suit and Anna in her chicken hat to dress up for me. Don’t let their sad faces fool you. It’s just model affectation. They volunteered. They LOVE it. Really.
And if animals weren’t meant to wear clothes, why do they sell them at Target? Wasn’t it another Goddess (Julia) who wrote an entire blog devoted to her love of all things Target?
What are you doing this Halloween? Are you dressing up or do you have little goblins to dress up?
41 Comments »
41 Responses to “Happy Halloween!”
Aspen on 31 Oct 2007 at 1:02 am #
No little goblins. I am still in college. I am brainstorming appropriate pranks this Halloween. I recently discovered the decapitated and repeatedly run over head under my car. It was one of those cosmetologist heads beauty school students use to practice on. I jumped and almost screamed at the discovery. In that split second before my rational brain clicked on I was seeing blood and gruessomeness. Karen Rose probably knows what I am talking about.
My dear friend Bethany( the charming prankster) is going to get hers. How? Still brainstorming. Any suggestions?
evlqn on 31 Oct 2007 at 1:30 am #
As I was driving to WalMart to get mouthpieces for my football players , I saw a body in a tree. What made this body different from others is it was in three pieces. bloody jeans below a bloody flannel shirt beside a rather gruesome head. Maybe your friend would like something of that sort??
Karen Rose on 31 Oct 2007 at 6:42 am #
Hey Aspen, welcome to my dreams
That was a really mean prank. Unless of course she was one-upping your for previous misdeeds - as it sounds may be the case!
Rachel, Jack the dog looks just darling. Anna, the cat … she looks decidedly unhappy. Dressing her up like a chicken, really. All the other cats are laughing at her. Shoulda’ dressed her up like a LION. That would have improved her position in the neighborhood cat association. I can’t imagine dressing Bella (my cat) up. She’s got claws, man.
And Julia, she’s got you. You did say how Target was the utmost shopping experience.
Kim on 31 Oct 2007 at 6:58 am #
Very cute pet costumes, Rachel! Very true, if pets didn’t adore being dressed in clothes, Target wouldn’t make them! LOL
Alas, we do nothing for Halloween. We don’t even get Trick or Treaters. Guess that means I have to eat that Sam’s Club size bag of snickers by myself.
Gannon on 31 Oct 2007 at 7:10 am #
We’ll be taking our youngest trick or treating. And I’ll try to refrain from raiding her candy stash after she’s in bed!
Ellen on 31 Oct 2007 at 7:21 am #
I’d answer you, but I have a mouth full of candy. Don’t tell Jenny Craig.
cail on 31 Oct 2007 at 7:32 am #
As I sit at work, to my left is a bag. In said bag is the following: white long sleeved dress, white belt, bobby pins, hair rubber bands, one large bag of candy.
In about 10 hours, I will transform in the bathroom of the office into Princess Leia once more, grab my giant bag of candy and head down to the NYC Halloween Parade in the Village and joing my boy and his roommates (mostly GI Joes) for an evening of fun like you couldn’t imagine. After all, the force is with me.
Lisa H on 31 Oct 2007 at 7:34 am #
Thank you for the pics of your dogs! They look so cute!
I am hosting a party for my 14 year old daughter tonight and 13 of her hysterical hormone infested girl friends.
I will be a Pirate as will be my daughter.
Son #1 11years old will be a hippie
Son #2 2 years old will be Thomas the Tank (if he’ll wear it)
Husband will be going as a tired Daddy.
I am looking forward to the festivities, this is the first year I bought halloween decorations, usually I stick to the fall decs.
My kids are going to look so cute, if I ever figure it out, I’ll post a picture on the forum.
Karen Hawkins on 31 Oct 2007 at 7:58 am #
Aspen, you go, girlfriend! If you need some wickedness ideas, post it on the BB. There are some ladies here with some EVIL imaginations. I daresay you’d be flooded with great ideas!
I’m answering the door tonight and oohing and ahhing over the little kiddies and their costumes. I looove seeing them — they’re so excited!
Rachel, your pets are adorable and though they look miffed about the whole costume thing, I can see by the looks in their little eyes that they are secretly pleased to be dressed up and displayed. So CUTE!
doglady on 31 Oct 2007 at 8:14 am #
Oh Rachel, your pets are adorable! Jack looks like my mother’s pug Priscilla. She will be answering the door at my Mom’s tonight in her fuzzy sweater and poodle skirt (Priscilla, not my Mom!) Mom’s Pomeranian will have his James Dean style leather jacket on. Like you, my mother’s kids are grown so she dresses the dogs for Halloween. I live out in the sticks so I won’t have many trick or treaters. The advantage is that I will know most of them. Frodo, my chihuahua will have his devil ears and tail on. Trust me. It is the perfect costume for the horrible little dog! I have an angel costume for my dachshund/basset Adelaide. I will be a witch. Again, type casting!! Happy Halloween everyone!
Margaret on 31 Oct 2007 at 8:58 am #
Lisa H. Just keep telling yourself that you WILL survive the invasion of the 14 year-olds. Many years ago, I had a 14 year-old daughter. I let her have a 14th birthday party for her best friend. Unfortunately, I let her invite 14 year-old boys. At the time, I didn’t know that boys of that age turn into raging hormones and are all hands & feet. In the course of that o ne evening, they (the boys) broke a glass topped coffee table merely by crossing his legs as he sat down. Another broke my typewriter by leaning back on my desk and sitting on the keys. Yet a third fell and broke his arm by trying to walk my retaining wall while blindfolded. Sigh. Yep. Those were the days. Got my first gray hair that night. Have fun.
twolilhahas on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:00 am #
I’m taking my kids to a fall festival tonight. We’re not dressing up. They’re really excited about all the fun and games!
Sherri Browning Erwin on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:40 am #
My dogs refuse to dress up. I still have one kid dressing up. She’s (14) attending a Halloween party as a mime. The son (16) will not dress up. But this morning all the high school senior boys paraded through town in kilts! It was so fun to see.
Freshechelle on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:41 am #
If Anna had opposable thumbs oh what wouldn’t she do to reassert her dominance. Things like taking your credit cards from your wallet, calling Miss Cleo for a pyschic reading, giving your bank account number to help Nigerian princes get their birthright millions. The need for there to be a hand in that picture tells us how much she loves her chicken hat.
SuzyQ on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:46 am #
I will be leaving work early to take my kids trick or treating at the mall (I get coupons from the stores - yeah!) We’ll stop for a bite to eat and then I will take them back home and go around the neighborhood. After that - I’ll just be handing out the candy with my witch hat on and watching the Ghost Hunters live show. If that gets to boring, there will be tons of other scarey shows to watch.
Happy Halloween everyone!
And Ellen - step away from the candy!!!!
RachelG on 31 Oct 2007 at 10:02 am #
No Freshechelle, Anna loves her chicken head hat. My hand in the photo is just a mild caress. I’m not holding her down. Honestly. And if you all think I torture poor Anna, she deserves it. Every day she jumps up on my desk and pushes everything off. Some days I have to lock her out of my office.
rachelg
Judy F on 31 Oct 2007 at 10:24 am #
NO little ones here for me. My cat sam would not put up with a costume. Right now he is busy taking a nap. though he is supposed to be taking car of his sick owner. Cats. LOL
Happy Halloween
PJ on 31 Oct 2007 at 10:38 am #
My dogs will do a lot of things to make me happy. Dressing in costume isn’t one of them. They will be in the house happily munching on their new chicken flavored chew bones while I’m on the front porch in my Blue M&M costume handing out treats. My nephew, his wife and their almost two year old daughter will be joining me.
~PJ
PJ on 31 Oct 2007 at 10:41 am #
Oh my, Sherri. *All* the senior boys parading through town in kilts? You have some very confident young men in your town…and probably some very appreciative young ladies!
~PJ
Freshechelle on 31 Oct 2007 at 10:53 am #
Rachel you’ve convinced me. Anna sounds like she knows her place in the house as your helper, hence her need to “clean” your desk for you. She’s probably just saving you time. Does she like to walk or lay on your keyboard while your typing?
Lismore on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:13 am #
My daughter and her friends love to dress up our dog, a shitzu And he loves it! He has to make sure everyone pets him.
Happy Halloween!
elsiehogarth on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:14 am #
Happy Halloween!
I just love Halloween! It is my favorite holiday…I love dressing up…Elivira Mistress of the Night, Vampire or Wicked Witch. Just about anything with Black and Red. I just dressed my friends dog Buddy( a white Westie) in a Count Dracula outfit to match me.
Lisa H on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:39 am #
Margaret - thanks for the advice. I am hoping we will only have GIRLS at the party. We did not invite any BOYS! I’m not ready for that yet.
I am sorry about all the damage your house sustained. As a mother of 2 sons, it doesn’t surprise me!
Happy Halloween!
Ronlyn on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:47 am #
oh too fun!!!
Halloween has been a week long event at my house. We’ve been to more Halloween parties this year than ever before, it’s crazy.
Today, while I slave away in my office (HA!) my wonderful DH is taking our boys out trick or treating. My 4 year old is Tigger, my 4 month old is Roo. I tried to talk Dh into going as Kanga, but no such luck. LOL.
Ronlyn on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:49 am #
As for pranks for Aspen….
We had one of those heads when I was in college. My roommates (2 guys) LOVED putting it in random places for me to find (and scream) about.
The best though was when I put it in the freezer for the day, then just before one of them was going to bed I tucked it under his covers at the foot of his bed. It has started to thaw by the time his toes touched it, it was hilarious.
Kay on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:53 am #
Oldest child’s best friend broke his ankle yesterday!!!! They were going as a matched set of political figures. Now they will be sitting at the front door, handing out candy—and sampling for quality control
Youngest child and I will trick-or-treat. DH has to work—someone has to be in the ER on amateur night. He gets off at 3 am, ick. BTW, we just found out he gets Christmas off next year, and we are already celebrating. He gets it off once every 5 years or so, but there have been retirements and new hires, so the rotation has changed in his favor
I will be up starting on my novel for National Novel Writing month. Talk about scary.
Julia London on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:59 am #
I think if that pug could actually leap more than a few inches off the ground, he’d claw someone some pumpkin eyes.
And yes, okay, I did say Target is the shopping mecca of the world! But I did not suggest you actually buy everything presented to you!
Alas, I wish you were here, Rachel. Somehow I think your pirate outfits would be way better than the ones the little ones in this house are going to be wearing. Poor things. They need a Rachel!
ericaleigh on 31 Oct 2007 at 12:23 pm #
Rachel your animals are sooo cute! I thought about dressing my fish up but decided it wouldn’t be the best idea. Somehow I got conned into dressing up tonight after work. My friends are dressing up and entering a contest as Hooker Barbie and Pimp Ken, they won the local Friday’s contest last night and are going on to bigger and better things tonight. There costume is REALLY awesome. My throw together at-the-last-minute-costume is a gypsy/fortune teller. Hopefully I pass muster with the friends tonight! Happy Halloween everyone!!!!!
RachelG on 31 Oct 2007 at 1:22 pm #
Julia, you should see the pug’s leather bombers jacket and or his argyle preppy sweater. Actually, Jack the Pug, is my daughter’s dog and I dog sit him most days when she’s in school. She’s been dressing him up since he was a puppy and he is resigned to his fate. She used to have a cat that she dressed up too, but poor Sammy went insane. Really, that cat was crazy and I suspect it had a lot to do the kitty outfits.
As for Anna, she’s bipolar. One minute she loves me and in the next she hates me. After she knocks everything off my desk, she stands in front of the monitor screen and won’t move. The chicken head hat might torture her a bit, but she richly deserves it.
If I had a little kid around here to dress up as a pirate, my animals would be happy.
colinfirthfan on 31 Oct 2007 at 1:37 pm #
Son 1 - 7 yrs: Optimus Prime (Transformer)
Son 2 - 4 yrs (in 2 weeks) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
I am going as me. The blonde wig was giving me a headache so I have ditched it!
Suzanne Enoch on 31 Oct 2007 at 1:39 pm #
All right, Cail! Princess Leia. *g*
My favorite dress-up was for a Sci-Fi convention. My sisters, friends and I went as the Colonial Marines and Ripley from “Aliens”. Body armor, helmet cams, everything. Even a face hugger. If I do say so myself, we looked GOOD. I, of course, was Sgt. Hicks (Michael Biehn).
Sabrina Jeffries on 31 Oct 2007 at 1:55 pm #
I’m handing out candy. That’s it.
Gosh, I’m dull.
freshechelle on 31 Oct 2007 at 3:06 pm #
Oy vey! I’m in a NJ mall now walking past a store called Trendy - pet fashion.
cail on 31 Oct 2007 at 3:20 pm #
I had a feeling you’d like that Suzanne
claudia dain on 31 Oct 2007 at 3:31 pm #
Target has pet clothes?! How did I miss that!!??
I’m not dressing anyone up for Halloween, though I do think my hulking German Shepherd would let me do him over as a Storm Trooper. He tries so hard to be everything I want him to be, particularly if it fits in with his self-image of being a burly attack dog. (Never mind that he’s afraid to go outside once it gets dark.)
Does Target have dog outfits for Big Dogs? And can I get there before Halloween officially starts at dusk? That’s the real question.
Fingering my car keys…
Ellen on 31 Oct 2007 at 5:12 pm #
Sabrina…there is a way to make handing out candy more fun….it’s called….”One for you, One for me…One for you Two for me.”
Enjoy ladies,
E
Nicole Jordan on 31 Oct 2007 at 6:32 pm #
Rachel, your pooch and kitty are so cute! But I’m like Julia about Halloween — total grinch, bah humbug. Maybe because I don’t have the creative gene to think up good costumes. Fortunately we don’t get any trick or treaters where we live now so I can relax. Scrooges Unite!!
Julia London on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:03 pm #
Halloween is over at our house since the participants were all people with early bedtimes. The pirate costumes were a bust. No one wanted a scarf on their head and though the swords were candy and gnawed on them. Nor would they cooperate going up to a door. If they would go at all, they would pick the WORST candy out of the bowl. And then they got cranky.
Yep, I;m still a scrooge. Nicole, I am going to come hang out with you!
Lori on 31 Oct 2007 at 9:43 pm #
“No more pillow cases filled with candy to loot once the kids are in bed.”
LOL - this is my favorite part of Halloween, too. Sadly, I only haveone left to raid. The oldest is far “too mature” for such antics. Now it’s all about the party. He’s so going to regret it when I’m munching on his brother’s candy for weeks to come *evilgrin*
Jami Alden on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:50 pm #
Speaking of looting candy - I told my 2.5 year old (superman) that he could have one piece of candy, but after that he had to earn his candy by doing his business on the potty. At this point I’m not above bribery to get him out of diapers.
Aspen on 01 Nov 2007 at 12:26 am #
Ronlyn that is so cool! I would never had thought of frezzing her! She is so getting iced tonight.
I have decided to write Bethany a strongly worded expulsion letter. Cruel I know but I lack Karen Rose’s imagination with the gore.
Ms. Bethany H….
It has come to our attention that you have been exhibiting some behavior that is unbeffiting a college student. Placing pink thongs in the football teams white laundry. They do throw like girls but there is no reason for them to have to dress like them too. Or the incident with the disappearing reappearing mascot. We regret to inform you that this sort of behavior is grounds for expulsion.
Sincerly
LOL I will have to tweak it and make it look professional but it should freak her out if for only a second. (Her exboyfriend is a football player. Upon breking up with her he accidently left his white jersy at her apt. By mistake or design it was washed with her pinks. Her nickname is Pinkie she has A LOT of pinks).