Happy With Myself?

October is Here!

Simply put, I love October! I have loved this month since I was a little girl; really almost favored it above my birthday. I love the slight nip in the air and the coloring leaves; the pumpkins you see everywhere at fruitstands, and the sudden urge to make something cinnaminy (it's a word) in the kitchen. I'm not a crafty person, but in October, the Brenda (my mother) comes out in me and I'm the most fun mom in the world. Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies are traditions in our house in October as well as roasting pumpkin seeds after carving our Jack-o-Lantern, which we will research our favorite face for two weeks before we actually carve our victim pumpkin. We also will check out a book on custumes and look into making our costumes for the big night. Last year, Corin was an Indian, Silas was Robin Hood, and Felix was a lion (I did not make Felix's costume- Crissy Sharp lent me Brody's old costume). I was Red Riding Hood, Anne of Green Gables, and on any given day in October, spooky lady with black shirt and overdone black eyeliner.

Why the love? My sister's birthday is in October, about a week before Halloween, and her birthday parties when we were children were Halloween themed, you know, black and orange balloons and chocolate cake with candy corn. There were a couple of years that we had a Halloween party in the garage with dunking for apples, costumes, and a giant stuffed man sitting on a lawn chair. I was a witch (before it became politically incorrect for Christians) for several years in a row, a costume my mother made and I remember her painting a star on one cheek and a moon on the other. My sister was always a princess with this fabulous pointed cone hat with this pink chiffony thing coming out the back. I remember one year that my sister and I were waiting at the corner of our street waiting for people to start coming to the party when a large black woman starting waving at us from a block away and calling our names. My sister and I looked at each frantically and started sprinting to our house. We breathlessly told our mother what happened and she smiled a half smile and said "really?". While we watched, the woman rounded the corner and walked the short distance to our house, calling our names. It was my grandmother, dressed as a perfect replica of Aunt Jemima. I was a little nervous of her the whole night. We were never really allowed to go to a lot of houses for trick or treating, but one year I remember going to Southern Oaks (THE neighborhood to trick or treat in, rumored to give regular-sized candy bars) and trick or treating with my Aunt Cheryl and my mom, with my cousins and sister. So fun. November 1st was always a let down for me, much the same way as December 26th is. As I got older, I still loved dressing up (I was a punk rocker chick when I was 12-1987, a ghost bride when I was 14, and a Star Trek chick when I was in college) and I dress up with my kids now, enduring much teasing from my husband. Tease away!

I had October planned for school before September and plan to study Edgar Allen Poe and Martin Luther, talk about Edvard Grieg, go to the Pumpkin Patch and Boo at the Zoo, and cook up spooky looking, fun things to eat. Monster Pizzas, finger hotdogs with real-looking fingernails, vomit dip, potion punch, and spider cupcakes are all fun things to make. Recipes to come on a later post. It's gonna be great. Let the fun begin!