Halloween Decor

I love me some Halloween!

But, to be honest, this year has been brutal.

Having kids in high school, playing high school sports, in student government and planning activities, etc, etc, etc...yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah...

I've whined about it all before.

I was actually thinking about not decorating for Halloween this year but people started asking...

So, we caved in to the peer pressure and decorated.

The Halloween store can thank me later.

Pretty embarrassing that they know me by name.

Ahem...

Anywhoo...

The slave labor kids got out the decor and surprised me by putting out the yard items while I was gone.

I say surprised because this is what I found upon arriving back home...

So, after quality control stepped in and removed Frosty from the yard, this is what we ended up with.

Come meet the rest of our family...

Donna the Dead

Count Vigor

The Countess

Witch with Talking Crystal Ball

Dancing Skeleton with moves better than Michael Jackson

Heads Up Harry

Dr. Shivers

With his table full of experiments

The Butler

Becky

Whoops...not me after all...

Crystal Ball

Monster

I love this guy!

Smooches to ya!

Neil the Meal

Huge, hairy spider

**shiver**

The best decor of all...

My kitty Boo

The Graveyard

Pirate Ship

Yard pix are super hard to take at night

Blow ups, lighted animatronics and ground breakers

Heart anyone?

We got close to 200 trick or treaters this year which is a record for us!

Hope you had a safe and happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

Pre-carving activities...

Eating apple cider doughnuts and drinking apple cider.

If my kids appear to be weirdos...well...that is because they are.

After they get on a pretty good sugar high, we hand them knives.

Ok, kidding.

We only gave the knives to the older kids.

The younger ones got to gut their own pumpkins.

Even the older ones got into it this year.

Pumpkins cost 19 cents a pound this year.

I remember when they cost 8 cents a pound. sniff...sniff...

Ok, now that is just freaky.

Note to self: No knives for Josh anymore...

Here are the finished projects...

I would point out who carved each pumpkin but that would require brain power.

So, I'll pass.

Happy Halloween!

The Mario Brothers

Matthew and Levi asked to be the Mario brothers this year. 

Mario=Matthew

Luigi=Levi

Cute that even the letters on their hats would work for their first names too!

If you want to make a homemade Mario or Luigi costume, let me assure you that is actually very easy!

I used the McCalls pattern 5508 (comes in sizes 1-3 toddler or 4-6 childrens).

I used inexpensive Symphony Broadcloth from JoAnns Fabrics that was on sale for $1.50/yd.

The buttons were buy one, get one and were from JoAnns as well.

I had the blue buttons already that I used for the sides.

For the hats, I used Simplicity pattern 2526.

It is for sizes 1/2 through 4 and the hat had S, M or L options.

Levi has a larger than average  noggin so we went with the large size.

It fit him perfectly.

I used inexpensive felt for both the hat and hat lining. 

The white circle and the letters on the front of the hats are both cut from felt and were sewn on after the hat was finished.

The white stretch gloves were purchased at Walmart, 2 pairs for $1.50.

The long sleeved shirts came from Target's clearance section, $2.78 each.

The moustaches were cut out of black felt.

Brown shoes complete the look.

They look so cute and are so excited about these costumes.

One of these costumes can easily be completed in one day.

Or over the span of several days, allowing for numerous interruptions by little people.

Wish I could have got the girls to go as Princess Peach and Daisy but they refused.

Bummer.

At least I'll have my little Mario brothers.

And there is always next year...

Out of the mouth of a very cute little four year old boy babes...

I love to make Halloween costumes.

Store bought costumes are great too, but I just love to make them myself.

Because it is all about me.

Ok, the kids can be a little reason for it too, I guess.

Matthew and Levi have their little hearts set on being Mario and Luigi.

So...I've been working on their costumes.

I'm almost done.

I just have Luigi's hat left to make.

Levi has been bugging me nonstop about his hat.

"Is it done yet Mom?"

"Where is my hat?"

"Is it almost ready?"

You get the picture, right?

So, yesterday, not surprisingly, he asked me about his hat.

I told him that it wasn't ready yet.

This is our conversation...

Levi: "Is my hat done yet?"

Me:  "Not yet."

Levi:  "Well, flippin crap"

**shocked silence**

Me: "What did you just say?"

Levi: "Flippin crap"

**Corey and I look at each other and look at him**

**More shocked silence**

Me: "Why would you talk like that?"

Levi: "Because my hat isn't done"

Hmmmm...can't fault him in his logic.

At this point, Corey and I are both on the verge of laughter bad parents, I know.

I send him to the corner after I compose myself.

Flippin crap?

Where does he get this from?

We do not flip crap around our house although the smell in the boys bedroom might lead you to believe otherwise,

He must have picked that up from school.

Because I certainly don't speak that way.

Well, I'd better get back to work on that hat.

Even if I have to stay up late.

Sigh...

Flippin crap! ;)

More wedding cakes

A couple recent wedding cakes...

The first totally fun couple were getting married real "low key".

Backyard BBQ, close friends and family...

Sounds like my kind of shindig!

They just asked for "bright and fun".

This is what they got...

Butter cream frosting with homemade marshmallow fondant decor.

Fun to make too, which is always a bonus!

Some friends of ours, whom we love, love, love, had a son that recently got hitched.

They are the most awesome friends that we could ever ask for and all my kids love them dearly!

This is the cake that I did for the reception...

Best part about the cake?

As a "thank you" they took ALL the kids for an entire day so that Corey and I could run away work on the Christmas shopping.

NO ONE is ever crazy brave enough to take ALL of them but these friends did!

I can't even remember the last time that something this marvelous has happened!

I just wish they had more kids that needed wedding cakes...

Lily Pad and the person that she has wrapped around her finger

Well...she actually has us ALL wrapped around her little chubby toddler finger.

But she is the baby...

And it is supposed to be that way.

Right?

This is what crazy people look like

Just in case you were wondering who would be crazy enough have nine kids...

That would be us.

I love being a mom. That's all I've ever wanted to do.

But, being a mom to nine kids is different then being a mom to one or two.

Reality is that having nine kids can be very hard.

But you probably already guessed that, huh?

We don't expect anyone to help us out because we are the ones that wanted these kids. They are ours and we should be the ones taking care of them.

But, sometimes we would give just about anything for a break from all this.

Especially when it seems like our ship is going down...and fast.

Because sometimes the work seems like too much.

When the laundry takes on a life of it's own.

When all the dishes are dirty.

When the house is a disaster zone so much that you are either stupid or brave to walk though a room in the dark...cuz it is like a minefield.

When all the balls that I've been trying to juggle start falling.

When I have a day that I just feel so overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.

And I get depressed that I don't have enough time to fit it all in.

And I feel under pressure to "do it all" and "be it all".

Or jealous when I look at other families that have a lot of family support.

Or see other mothers that have time for hobbies.

Or when my kids screw up and I feel totally inadequate and become convinced that I'm failing at my job of motherhood.

But, somehow, we still go on.

And thankfully the negative feelings go away.

We get back on track.

We refocus on the positives in our life.

On the fun things.

On the important things.

On all the people/things that we have been blessed with.

On our relationships and how much we love each other.

We still have bad days.

And it is still hard.

Would I do it all over again?

Hell no.

Ha!  Totally kidding!

Of course I would.

I love all these kids to little freakin bits and pieces.

Plus, someday, they will all move out...

Right? ;)

Homecoming Week

More homecoming pictures and then I swear just not out loud...in front of the kids that I'll answer some questions, show some gratitude for some awards and just do some catch up in general.

In the meantime let me show you some more pictures of the first place float that the sophomores won't stop talking about.

Is that not the coolest old boat that you ever did see?

Who was the awesome person that found that?

Oh...that would be ME! Ha!

Actually, I saw that bad boy for free on CL and I immediately thought of the homecoming float.

Ok, not really, I really thought of my Halloween decorations but I decided that I would let them use it in the meantime.

But only after they made a blood oath to take care of it.

After all, it cost me a ton of money.

Oops, did I already mention that it was free?

Guess I shouldn't have admitted that.

Anywhoo...it really went well on their float.

They even had the pirate dog with the prison keys.

They built a jail out of conduit which ended up being really inexpensive.

They reused the plywood from last year's float and just repainted it.

The sails were black tablecloths that my dad got out of a storage unit auction.

Remember all the mardi gras beads that my dad bought at a garage sale?

That's what they put in the treasure chest.

The twins...aka Jack Sparrow and Will Turner.

At halftime during the Homecoming game the floats were presented to the crowd.

Remember how I said that Tim was kinda snubbed by his classmates.

Imagine our surprise when the freshman float passed and Tim was on it. (He's in the red)

The sophomore float

Juniors

Seniors had a really nice float.

You could tell that a lot of work had gone into the making of it.

The princesses and their escorts lined up.

The kids thought that it was for sure rigged for the seniors to always win.

The guy in charge told me that it is not rigged and that the sophomores almost won it all.

That would have been funny as I have never ever heard of that happening.

My boys before the Homecoming Dance.

My young men...

Love these guys!

Riot Night

Our high school, like many high schools, have a Homecoming week.

Floats made, spirit week celebrated and princesses elected.

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Since the twins are both in student government again this year, the float was partly their responsibility.

The classes all went with a Disney movie theme and the sophomores chose the trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean.

The theme was chosen last spring so the kids were able to obsess work on the float all summer long.

During homecoming week, the floats are presented at the high school and judged.

The floats are then hauled around town, followed by the Princesses in their cars.

The students follow and meet up in town square for a good old fashioned cheer contest.

This was the first year that my whole family went and we sure did have fun.


Here are the Homecoming floats-

Sophomores

Seniors

Juniors

Freshman

The twins were so excited when their good friend was elected as Homecoming Princess for the sophomores.

Joseph, who is class prez, was one of the individuals that tallied the votes and he was having a hard time keeping mum.

All the kiddos following the floats.

So...

Who won?

The sophomores!

The other classes that were sore losers lost were accusing the sophomores of having a lot of help from the 'rentals.

Funny thing was...they had very little help.

They are just a very organized, smart, resourceful group of young people.

Tim, who is a freshman, tried to get involved with the building of the freshman float. From what he said when he got home, sounded like he was snubbed. So, he came home and helped his brothers at their work party.

The freshman came in last, which is typical of their first effort. So, Tim didn't feel too bad after all.

I just had to remind myself to put the can of mama bear whoop a** away.

Cuz, I can get all weird like that when my kids are involved. :)

Happy Riot Night!

Can't wait for next year!