A wedding!

No, it's not mine. ;) I was recently told that my youngest brother is getting married. He wants me to come but I would like my 3 kids to come so between now and Oct. 2014 we'll see if I can afford it. We are all thrilled and the kids are excited because it's a Hallowedding. Basically a Halloween theme. Right now, his fiance is just getting ideas off the web but basically at the reception we can wear our Halloween costumes. Sounds like it's going to be lots of fun. :)

Halloween Printables

I found someone today that has an awesome Halloween Printable board on Pinterest. I thought many of you might be interested in checking it out. Great stuff on there! https://pinterest.com/holidayjunkie/halloween-printables/

Dusting off the cobwebs...

Wow...it has been a long time since I last posted on this blog...well any of them actually. There are many reasons why I haven't been here and I'm still having a hard time getting around to do things I'd like to do compared to doing the things I have to do and those outweight more than things that I want to do. Does that make sense? LOL! Well it does to me...in my head. Here on the prairies in Canada we've had a few days that have been cold...cold enough to remind me that my favourite season is fast approaching! Yay! I've been waiting all year for it. :D Time sure does fly. It's been somewhat a productive year...I'm hoping to get more done before I can sit back and relax before my next bunch of things I want to get done. It won't be long before the local farmers market packs up for another year. I don't think I'll be doing any canning or pickling this year...I've been busy re-arranging all the bedrooms upstairs. I've just got the beds to take apart so I can move them into the new rooms. My two girls will be getting the master bedroom and I'll get the smaller one. It has been interesting downsizing to be sure and very challenging. I want to continue to do it as much as I can...though the kids father has ALOT of what I call junk but he collects is building up more and more. Once the rooms are all set and reorganized where all the things need to go (a place for everything and everything in its place) which will be no later than Monday or Tuesday then I can get into my Halloween binder and start getting ready for that...plus Thanksgiving since it's before Halloween here in Canada. I don't know where we will plan on having it this year. Last year it was at the kids' aunt place so it was nice not having to do any cooking. :D

Pet safety on Halloween

A couple weeks ago I posted about safety for both kids and parents. Today I will be talking about safety for pets. Yes, that's right...pets. We adore our pets and they are an important part of the family. I call them fur-babies (in general) and I and like many others would not want to see them harmed in any way. Here are several safety tips to avoid accidents and ensure your pet's safety this Halloween:

* Keep all candy well sealed and out of reach of all pets. Make sure all wrappers are discarded and your pet is not able to dig them out of the trash. This can cause intestinal blockage. This could also result in vomiting and ingestion of chocolate can especially be toxic. Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures.

* Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur.

* Place festive decorations out of reach of pets. Stay away from small or low-hanging items, or even large items with parts that could appeal to pets. Ingestion could cause choking or result in the need for surgery.

* Designate a secure spot for your pet inside your home, since traffic to and from your house may increase dramatically on Halloween night. This helps to reduce anxiety that it may cause your pet and cause it to run away.

* Exercise caution when walking your pet outside. Frequently scan the ground for dropped candy that your pet may want to consume.

* If you dress your pet for Halloween, make sure the pet enjoys such things. Make sure the outfit is roomy, reflective and fire retardant. An item of clothing that is too tight could cut off circulation and/or choke your pet. Make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe, and doesn’t restrict her movement, vision, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Avoid costumes with small or dangling accessories that she could chew off and possibly choke on. Make sure an adult supervises pets in costume at all times.

* It’s not a bright idea to keep lit pumpkins around companion animals. Pets can knock them over, and curious kittens especially run the risk of being burned.

* Don’t leave your pet in the yard on Halloween. There have been reports of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen and even killed pets on this night.

* It is especially important to keep your feline inside for several days before and after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk from children’s pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. As a safety precaution, many shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween.

* IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

Halloween Safety

With Halloween a month away I thought I'd post some Halloween safety for both children and adults.

For children:
* Look both ways before crossing the street.
* Don't eat candy without your parents permission.
* Don't eat opened candy.
* Use face paint instead of masks if possible. Masks may cause vision and breathing restrictions.
* Carry a flashlight.
* Go to only homes that have a front light on.
* Accept treats at the door--don't go inside a stranger's house!
* Use sidewalks. If there are none then walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.

For Parents:
* All children under 10 yrs. old should be trick-or-treating with an adult.
* Try to make children's costumes a lighter colour. If not possible, use reflective tape for easier night visibility.
* Your children's costumes should fit properly and not be too long. If possible, get ones that are fire retardant.
* Plan a trick-or-treat route for your children.
* Feed your children a nutritious meal before going trick-or-treating as this can help prevent them from eating treats before being inspected.

Browsing the isles...

Yesterday I finally got the time to browse the isles in Walmart in their Halloween section without kids I might add happily! That meant I could take my time to look and not have to feel rushed or hearing the usual..."I want a drink of water" or "I need to go potty!" or hearing them whine saying they are tired and want to go home. Someone like me who doesn't get a chance to go anywhere alone without the kids is truly a blessing for me.
There they had many outdoor/indoor lights to hang whether they be in the shape of pumpkins or bats or whatever, then the large outdoor figures that you have blown up. I passed by all those without a second look. There were an array of costumes and I hope that I can get the kids what they want to be before they are all snatched up by others. There were alot of fairy and princess stuff with wings, wands, lots of nylons of different kinds. They had different trick or treat bags and containers for little ones to carry and keep their precious candy hoard but I prefer using the pillowcases. They are stronger, easily just toss them in the washer to clean and bigger. ;)
Onto the masks...not so much gore this year but creepy/scary looking. So I carefully proceeded to look through them all to find an old woman's facemask for my own costume. The one I chose was a witch. (there are a couple different ones of what they termed 'witch') It looked more of an old woman's face with a red and white checkered scarf for around the head which will be perfect to hide anything I need to around the mask and to make it look more real and not clumsily put together.
Before I had gone to the store to browse I had taken the baby sleeper and stuffed it with stuffing from old stuffed animals that were too old to pass on and were no longer used. No need to waste the stuffing and save money to boot! I sewed the mittens on as well and along the snaps on the body of the sleeper so no stuffing will peek out. It's slowly coming along and I think in a couple weeks or so I will be finished...depending on if I can find a large black dress to wear. I might have found a dress...but it's not black...it's more of a dark blue denim that I think if it comes down to it I will buy it (It's at the Salvation Army clothing store just a block from my house)

Signs of Halloween

Besides the usual display of Halloween magazines that are out and have been since the last week in August (at least here they were) there are now other tell-tale signs of Halloween. First was the dollar store getting their shelves stocked after school started. Walmart is now getting their shelves stocked. In the dollar store I found a great wooden cane for my costume! :D My only concerns are to find a large dress...everything else isn't a problem to find.
With the chill in the air I went to the Salvation Army to see what they have for sweaters for what I have a feeling will be cold this year. On one rack were some used Halloween costumes. Now there were none that I could use or have my kids use. My youngest daughter wants to be a tiger and my son a bat. All I need is to find a black sweater and he is done...just a matter of putting it together. My older daughter can't seem to make up her mind so we shall see what the stores have for costumes and maybe she will finally decide. lol! I don't blame her...so many costumes and you have to just pick one! Not fair! LOL!
Another sign of Halloween...at least in this house is my kids bugging me over and over every day once school started to decorate for Halloween...every year! lol! This year it's my older daughter who is doing the most bugging, whining and pleading. I told them I don't decorate till AT LEAST the 15th of October. But she is stubborn like me so I relented...sort of. I decided to bring up the Halloween movies last night so perhaps that might make them content for a little while...either that or it will backfire and cause them to be even more impatient and bug me all the more. LOL! We shall see. I will try to prolong it as long as I can and as close as I can till the end of the month.