Happy 2012 to ya!

Hey hos! Happy New Year!

What up with you?

Me? I'm getting shit D-O-N-E.

It's been a pretty productive season following Hallowe'en. Here's my quick wrap up of the Fall of 2011:

• I cleaned up Hallowe'en, which took for-fucking-ever (about a week). It was a big Hallowe'en.
• I severely f'ed up my foot, which I am working on fixing.  Did you know they have little tiny blood pressure cuffs for your toes? They are so cute!!! Next time I'll take photos.
• Hired someone to replace me and am training him, slowly, but surely.
• I started my new job which is going very well. I am enjoying the anticipation of really getting the program off the ground.
• A very quiet Thanksgiving with the in-laws
• Lots and lots of crocheting for holiday gifts
• And the last three weeks have been a slew of parties for Hanukkah, Christmas, my 41st birthday and the New Year

Whew! In all of that, I have been getting a ton accomplished. The crocheting, yes, but also quite a lot of cleaning out of excess stuff.

Sometimes I feel like I don't get as much accomplished as I could because I have more than I need. For example: I have supplies for crafts from now until the next millennium. While I like having these supplies, sometimes they distract me from the things I really want to be doing. It's almost paralyzing to have so many choices! So, to focus a bit, I am slowly giving away or selling the things that seem excessive. I can still have 10 pairs of scissors if I really need them, because I use them all, but perhaps, since I've never done anything with the needlefelting kit, I could lose that. And the drop spindle. And the Big Ass Book of Crafts (which is super cute, but I've never used anything in it!).

So I've been getting rid of about 10 things a day for the last week. It's been pretty restorative. Whether it's a magazine, a marble or something much larger, it seems not only manageable but it also doesn't seem forced. If I only get to 8 in one day, that's fine. Perhaps I'll get 12 the next day.

Why am I getting rid of all of this stuff? What does simplifying do for me?
I feel freer the less stuff I have. It's true. I used to take these vacations in the Grand Canyon and I would rent a cabin that had a bed, a desk, two chairs and two lamps.  I always left my 4 days there feeling like I could live like that forever.  Of course, that's a little extreme, but if I romanticize living simply, there's obviously something to that.

Also, it gets me to a place where I am more focused on my current love, which is the little Bluestocking Farm. This has been a super cold start to winter (except this week which has been over 80 degrees F EVERY DAY!). The cold bit a bunch of my herbs, especially my chives which had previously been doing pretty well. So now I'm planning the spring garden, which will be here and ready for planting before I know it.

Anyone know of a good Southern California spring planting guide? I'd like to get this year right!

4 days til Hallowe'en!!!!! No, really this time...or is it 3?

Whatever. It's getting close and I have about a billion and 30 things to do before the big night. Adding up days is not one of them.

But, sparking from the sick pit that is my brains (braaaaaaiiiinnnnnnsssss), here is our front yard as it stood yesterday.

 

It's so pretty.  And at night, sooper spooky!  Notice the mass murder that occurred inside the house.  Lemme tell you, when the sun sets and shines in the windows, it's a total gorefest in there!

This is one of the 5 new tombstones for this year's Senior Prom themed Hallowe'en.  Poor Parker, touched down in heaven on the day before his 16th birthday.  Wonder what happened there???

People cannot pass our house without stopping to gawk.  LOVE IT!!!

I'm having a blast this year!

4 days til Hallowe'en!!!!!

Holy Hallowe'en Batman!!!  How did it suddenly get this close!!!!!

Actually, I've been out back building up a storm...

Did you know I had brick columns in my front yard?  Neither did my neighbors until last night! This is the first photo.  There will be more coming tonight and tomorrow. 

18 Days until Hallowe'en - Updates

Candlery 

I'm about 50% finished with the candles - those should be finished tomorrow night. Last year I made my candles out of toilet paper and paper towel rolls.  They were awesome but they definitely did not hold up.  This year I'm making them out of PVC pipe.  More expensive, less recycling, but at least I'm not wasting a pack of glue sticks every year. These should last for a couple of years at least, and next year I'm definitely going to be reusing them.

I got the idea from Dave Lowe and then Ghoul Friday, two of my favorite Hallowe'enie bloggers. 

Major glitch.  

I special ordered some materials at Home Depot for my cemetery columns and they called me at 8 p.m. last night to let me know that they wouldn't be able to get them in.  Aaargh!!!  I must say, this does put a crimp in my activities.

I love my Home Depot.  Pretty much every time I go in there, they are helpful and friendly and have what I need. This time, they failed me. 

Grrr, I say. Grr. 

Costumery

People keep asking me what I'm going to be this year, but I'm not telling.  It's an '80s theme, so one can start there. The Mr. and I are, as usual, going as a pair.  The year before last we were Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.  Hmmm. Who might we be???

I hope to have photos of the columns in progress and the completed candles this weekend.  Stay tuned.

20 days til Hallowe'en

Today's plan:

• Make candles
• check the paints in the garage
• Order straw bales

We have a ton of paint from when we moved in and had the house painted, but of course, I have absolutely no idea what is in each can, so this afternoon I will go out and check all the cans. Of course, it's going to be 95 degrees in the valley this afternoon which would make for awesome paint drying weather, but I can't actually paint until tomorrow. 

The sickness/obsession/fun that is Hallowe'en, as I am rushing to finish this year's props, is that I have already decided on a theme for next year.  I'm going to do a total Dia de los Muertos theme.  I live in a moderately Latino neighborhood in a heavily Latino city, so that works very, very well. Also, it'll be super easy to add to my existing props - I definitely won't have to make a ton of new ones. 

Nothing like a little planning ahead....

21 days til Hallowe'en - prop building

Aaaah!!!

I did a lot of work this weekend.  Got the framing of all of the columns built and got my new gravestones.  Unfortunately, it's going to be 20 billion degrees in Burbank this week, which is great for paint drying but not as great for me being outside actually putting paint on things.  So I'll probably be working in the garage a bit and then doing whatever I can indoors.  I have candles and signs to make, both of which can be done indoors (though it would probably be easier outdoors, but oh well).  I can also put a first coat on the gravestones and have those dry in no time flat.

The guys at Home Depot are starting to recognize me...

24 days until Hallowe'en - Photos of Hallowe'ens past

Yes, it's a lot of baked goods. Because baking is my secret power....but I'm also pretty good at tombstones!

I wish I could find the photo of the meat foot I made.  I guess I'll just have to make another one and take photos.

Books from a garage sale and a skull from Michael's.

It's a cake. It actually tasted very good. Whatever. You don't have to eat it...

Witches' fingers