Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011

So this year we all dressed up as Harry Potter characters! I had a lot of fun making the kids robes in their characters' house colors, shopping for accessories, and going through a few different Goodwill stores for Marc's and my costumes. (total score on my wig btw only $1!!)  You can see a bit about the process of making the robes here.

I'm pretty happy with the finished results!  

Austin was channeling his inner Slytherin
dressed as Draco Malfoy

Colton made the PERFECT Harry!!

Lily had a lot of fun and looked "hauntingly"
like Moaning Myrtle!

My Wizards and Witch at their
schools' Harvest Ball.

Halloween night we all got dressed up and headed out for
Trick or Treating! Marc is Remus Lupin and I was Tonks.

The kids and their loot!

The making of a Harry Potter Halloween!

This year I stayed true to my "no store bought costumes" mantra and made all 3 of my children robes for their Harry Potter character costumes.

I started off with THIS pattern that I found online.  But rather than lining the whole thing I only did the top (hood, sleeves, yoke/collar area) For the sleeves on the boys' robes I only did the area that is the cuffs, rather than the whole sleeve to save time.

As I was merrily sewing along my needle busted and got stuck in the presser foot! I had never seen this happen before, so of course I had to take a picture of it!

Lily's robe was the first one I worked on, and it was very much a "learn as I go" project for me.  The main body of the robes are polar fleece, and the lining is suiting in the appropriate house colors. Lily's is grey because she is a ghost.  You'll have to see the my next post to find out WHICH ghost!

Here is her robe all finished (I thought I took more in progress pictures, but I guess in the hurry to get them done in time to wear to our cub scout party I forgot!)

My hubby helped with the finishing touch for their costumes and whittled them all wands. (we have lathe turned wands that a friend's hubby made them a few years ago, but they have gone missing) Here's Lily's:

A few other finishing touches like hair color, ties in the right house colors, a couple of temporary tattoo scars and we were looking pretty good!  All in all I am thrilled with how the whole look came out. 

30 Days of Thankfulness-Week One Recap

I think I did pretty good! Only missed one day and repeated myself once. But at least that repetition had a bit more detail AND it just shows you how much I LOVE my children.

Day 1: So hopefully I can remember to do this every day, but I am going to at least start the whole "Thankful for Thirty Days" deal. Today, Nov. 1st, 2011, I am thankful for my amazing husband (Marc)

Day 2: I am thankful for my children and for being a mom.

Day 3: You know it's pretty cool that I am having a hard time deciding what to post today for 30 days of Thankfulness, not because I can't think of anything, but because I have so many to choose from! So, today I am thankful for all of the amazing women in my life who are smart, strong, beautiful people that both support me and inspire me to be a better woman.


Day 4: Today I am grateful for my extended family. Those related by blood and those who we have chosen to be family. I am blessed to be a part of so many amazing people's lives. Remember I am thankful to have the chance to be there for you, as you have been there for me.

Day 5: Thankful today for warm sweats, a comfy bed, and my ipad to keep me company.

Day 6: Today I am thankful for my children. Each of them has taught and continues to teach me something new and beautiful about the world, challenge something in myself, and allow me to be what I've always wanted to be: A mother.

Day 7 & 8: Ok so I missed yesterday's "thankful" post. So today I am thankful for mistakes, failures, and 2nd chances. Without them we'd never learn, grow, or change.

Here is to the next week of gratitude!