a whirlwind of party tafeta, tule, felt and black whiskers

Monday we spent the day shopping. And I mean shopping, like I normally do not shop, left the house by noonish and got home after 7pm. Staying out past 7pm is not a part of our normal rhythm, we're home by 4 folks, but with my man gone, the homefires just aren't the same. We actually went to the mall. I'll tell you why another time but let me just say, ya know, there's a reason I don't go to the mall. It feels like a casino, this constant low frequency buzz, filling the ears and overwhelming the senses, no real natural light, no clocks, re-cycled air, and the message to consume consume consume was enough to have me running out as fast as I could, dragging Magdalena and Augustus with me. But no, I had business to handle so up and down the mall we trudged and then, knowing we were going to go to Target and Joann's Fabric afterward, we made a quick stop at the food court. Thank heavens for gyros. Nuff said.

Tuesday I started on the costumes. Let's see, I think I've known for I don't know, at least a month what my children were planning on being for Halloween, so why do I act like a college student cramming for exams? I started the costumes on Tuesday. Started. I posted back on October 20 that a mama made outfit was in the works. In my mind maybe, but I didn't even buy the material until Monday, so exactly what was in the works two weeks ago is beyond me. I didn't even have the Max suit worked out in my head until after 10pm on Thursday. On Thursday. Night. I think I might have time management issues, yes?



Aunti Susu came over for some serious Halloween cookie decorating on Wednesday. She is so awesome! She came over, pumpkin shaped sugar cookies ready to be decorated, frosting made, paper plates to contain sprinkles. What a wonderful auntie, truly. That gave me a moment to work while she occupied the children with lots o sugar. Of course I did take a break for a cafe con leche and a cookie, come on now, you would have also.


When the cookie fest was finished, I put the children out in the yard. Yes, I did. Listen, it was gorgeous outside, perfect late afternoon fall weather, crisp and cool, run around in weather and they had just eaten a ton of sugar and sprinkles, they needed to be outside! I had been working feverishly on Magdalena's costume all day, in between cooking and making beds and doing dishes and reading children's books, of course, and Augustus was really really ready to have a costume. He put on the basis of his Max suit, pre-embellishments, and insisted, I mean Insisted that I put the whiskers on his face. I have medical skin paper tape that is always in the kitchen drawer, but not that day, no. So directly onto his face I scotch-taped the pipe-cleaner whiskers, where they stayed until the next morning, and happy happy happy he was.