Autumn pleasures

October is my favorite month and Halloween is the holiday we spend the most effort and time preparing for. This year will be a smaller effort though since we are moving a few days before the big event but, Savannah will still enjoy scaring people's pants off and the haunted house and hay rides at the local apple orchard in Altamont. She's also gotten smarter about "Daddy's cut" of her Halloween candy. She told me this year, she's going to count her pieces and only let Daddy take the candy she doesn't like! She's also learned how to hold spit in her mouth like a rabid fox to make scarier Halloween sounds...

Anyway, here are the preliminary pictures of her Halloween costume BEFORE the scary parts are added. This year I added a zipper in the back but if I had to make it again, I'd make it 2 inches longer. Savannah stuffed it and adores her enormous pumpkin belly, but I think she over stuffed it, which hiked the hem up a few inches. You'll notice I made it in safety orange and there is reflective tape on the back for safety as well. This year I made her treat bag slightly larger than the one from last year so it will hold about 6 oz more of candy...what a lucky pumpkin!

Here I am!

Rar! I'm the scariest pumpkin ever!

In other news, it seems I've turned a corner this week as far as energy is concerned. I haven't crashed or needed a nap during the day, I nearly completed Savannah's costume, and I started reupholstering the dining room chairs, something I've been meaning to do for a long time. Rather than staple new fabric on, I decided to make removable, washable slipcovers in zebra stripe, because let's face it, I've got two mess makers in my house with one more on the way. Kevin nearly had a heart attack when he heard about my fabric choice. I love it! The dark brown in the zebra stripe really matches the dark stain of our Italian chairs perfectly and because they stay pushed in under the table for most the day, they really are a subdued accent. I've completed two so far and have four more to make. It's taking a long time because for once I'm doing everything the right way - top stitching and measuring each one properly.

Savannah enjoys her bagel on the new zebra print fabric.

Puff also got a new hairdo this week, thanks to Dearest, and Savannah promises not to rip out his magical hair this time... She also requested that his hair be slightly longer so now she's got a dragon with a fro.

And Savannah loves her new crayons. Here's a leaf rubbing I helped her do with leaves from around the neighborhood. I think the crayons add depth to the drawings and eventually teach kids about mixing blue and yellow to get a fabulous green instead of just reaching for a plain green crayon.