As Time Goes By

Tomorrow night I'm going to this party, in support of this crazy cool museum across the street that provides us with this, our favorite radio station. It's a 1940s theme USO style party. The timing is a little unfortunate, since I've been so busy with Halloween etc that I couldn't really devote myself to this costume.

Still, I had a number of era appropriate blouses in my closet, and I picked up this skirt at Goodwill last night. It was way too big and meant to be worn lower around the waist, but 2 quick seams up the sides (with some help from my french curve) turned it into a fairly good 40's daywear skirt. I'm excited about it. It's cute and flattering. Of course, styling is everything, so I'm off to go youtube some 40s hairstyle tutorials. Here's looking at you, kid.

Mr. Fox Takes a Walk

After last year's glaring costume failure - B refused to wear the darn thing, after hours of frustrating, teary eyed and occasionally bloody sewing on my part, he ended up just wearing this- I wanted to make him a hoodie and separate pants for this year, figuring I could coax him into the hoodie at least if not both. Turns out, not a concern. He loves this costume so much that he asked to wear on our walk through the park yesterday. The weather was unseasonably beautiful so I thought I'd post these photos instead of the flash-heavy trick-or-treating ones.I'm thinking about making him a few more creature hoodies. Maybe for Christmas. He might need a walrus, but for now he's happy "foxing around" in the leaves.

Shadow Monsters

My parent's house has been the big neighborhood haunted house for 30 years. My dad goes all out and I'm right there with him. We try to add new things here and there and this year Beckett wanted shadowy creatures like the ones in The Princess and the Frog. This is what I came up with for him.They're cardboard silhouettes spray painted black. So simple and pretty cool. Maybe more stylish than scary, but they were darn effective in the dark. I kinda wish I was a 14 year old goth girl so I could have these in my bedroom.

I still have to post the boy's costumes, and then it'll be on to more November appropriate posts. And a new header, because the old one was all kinds of tired.

... Gnashed Their Terrible Teeth and Rolled Their Terrible Eyes...

I hate pictures of myself, hence my usual faceless mystique here on mothandsparrow, but I'm so proud of our Where the Wild Things Are costumes I was hoping you all would permit me to post a few more photos. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and this year was particularly wonderful, so I think I'll drag it out for a few more days.My costume was a giant fleece hooded onesie. I traced the pattern pieces from a pair of pj pants and a hooded sweatshirt pinned together. Plus some claws, ears, tail and whiskers. Zion's Wild Thing was a big fur hood attached to a dyed, redyed and overdyed striped tee shirt. The mask is an illustration from the book blown up and tweaked a little. He also had claws, horns and big furry tail. We had plans for fur pants, but time, money and overheating concerns won out. Easily the coziest costumes we've ever worn, and they were perfectly appropriate for both Saturday night's grown up festivities and for Sunday night's trick or treating. Oh so fun. Beckett was more into it than ever and I think he was proud of his silly parents.

Let The Wild Rumpus Start

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

Works in Progress

Can you guess what costumes I'm working on for us grown ups?

Preschool Halloween Party

Today was Beckett's first ever school Halloween party. They've been doing, singing, making, playing all sorts of spooky Halloween kinds of things all month, but today they had special treats and games and of course everyone wore their costumes. Check out the little claws on B's fox sleeve. They're my favorite part and all his idea. He also wanted it to be red, "not even a little orange." It's his favorite color, after all.
Unseen forces have conspired against me this week, it's been a comedy of errors. My unhealthy relationship with Joann Fabrics has become increasingly dysfunctional and, adding injury to insult, my sewing machine dramatically threw its needle arm at me and refused to put it back on. Fortunately I'm good friends with the Halloween Fairy, and she saved the day, as she usually does this time of year. With a borrowed sewing machine and very few minutes the Fox became wearable, if nowhere near finished. The important thing is that my boy was happy, giddy even, and got to spend the morning foxing around with Spiderman, a bumble bee, a pony and seemingly countless princesses.

Now I'm off to make more costumes and finish up this little fox before Sunday. Hope you're up for it, little borrowed Singer!

My New Favorite Sign

I just saw this sign for the first time up at our local bakery. How awesome is this? I mean, it's a little strange to live in a country where such a thing even exists, where self consciousness has any bearing over giving your child the best possible nutrition, and I'm certainly not going to hunt for one of these signs before feeding my baby. But it makes me proud to be a breastfeeding mother and gives me hope that things are changing.

There are many legit reasons, medical and otherwise that women choose to formula feed, and I'm passing no judgment here. But can we please become a society that accepts, even embraces, that breasts are lovely and intimate and alluring and wonderful playthings but sometimes the girls've gotta work too?

Utter Chaos

It seriously looks like my steamer trunk threw up all over the living room right now. This whole project of getting rid of long stashed clutter feels endless. It's exhausting. I'm getting to the point where I just want to shove everything back into dark corners and closets and not think about it for another year or so. I'm past the point of no return though. Besides, look at my beautiful steamer trunk! It was my great grandmother's and she brought it with her from Norway when she immigrated to the States. Shame on me for treating it as a craft supply dungeon. Wanna see the coolest part?The original Stavanger to New York label is still attached. I get a little fluttery every time I see that.

All Clear

I finished All Clear last night. Then dreamed about it. Then spent the day daydreaming about it, reading historical accounts of the Blitz and listening to this. I highly recommend it, it's a small sort of time travel. The book left me with that lingering haunted feeling that comes after you've really been taken for a ride. And the Blitz is as scary a place to be taken to as it gets, but the remarkable human element during those bleak months is humbling, moving and damn inspiring. I'm damn inspired.