Halloween Bash "Final Comments"

I've never been anything mean or naughty for Halloween. My favorite non-childhood costumes up to this point were a Pirate and a Pea Pod (to match the Jolly Green Giant). Being part the Reservoir Dolls was a lot of fun and helped fill my secret desire of wanting to be a Roller Derby Girl. I'll never forgot the day while browsing in Goodwill talking to Penny Traitor by cellphone and squealing with delight over finding the perfect clothing items to wear with my Sarah Smashmouth outfit. Now that I've actually worn the entire outfit for several hours I am much more in awe of the real Roller Derby girls who not only have to wear their outfits but actually play a bout in them. Do you think they'll kick me out if I wear my outfit to preschool skate with Grayson? I've got to find an excuse to wear it again.

We're getting ready for Random Man, Little Miss Vampire, and Batman's Wednesday appearance.

Halloween Bash "Reservoir Dolls"

Reservoir Dolls Roller Derby Team

Team Roster (left to right):
Sarah Smashmouth
Holly Hobbles
Penny Traitor
Pushy Galore
Bubble Vicious


Holly Hobbles showing off the Reservoir Dolls team shirt


Sarah Smashmouth and Pushy Galore


Our refs Seymour Cleavage & Naughty and Nice


Pushy Galore with husband Seymour Cleavage


Mascot Mr. Black with wife Sarah Smashmouth


Unfortunately, our party host Bubble Vicious was sent to the hospital that evening with a fractured ankle. She is recovering and continues to root her team on.

Halloween Bash "The Others"

le couple d'expressions français (ooh la la... the cutest couple)


the sweetest ballerina


ooh la la with the most beautiful mermaid


el duche


as his box reads "decapitator"


a little disturbing but very entertaining

Stop, Drop and Roll

Bryn: Mom do you want me to tell you what to do if you are on fire?

Me: Yes. That would be great.

Bryn: Drop, Rock 'n' Roll.

Me: Do you mean Stop, Drop and Roll?

Bryn: Yes. Stop, Drop, Rock 'n' Roll.

a love affair with animation

Only 1 week till the big day!

not so black bird

some pre-halloween thoughts...

current favorite halloween movies to watch with the kids are casper the friendly ghost, monster house or any scooby doo flick...

my mother always made potato soup on halloween. i crave it to this day. unfortunately, i don't get to make it on halloween because no one in my house likes potatoes but me...

scarier movies i can't wait to watch with my kids when they're older are gremlins, tremors, watcher in the woods, something wicked this way comes and the legend of sleepy hollow...

when a tween if we ever procrastinated putting together a costume we always seemed to end up as hobos...

i loved being a hula girl in 5th grade...

black cats are in this year. especially vintage remakes. i love seeing them everywhere. black birds next year?

Halloween Swap

I received my Halloween Swap treats in the mail this weekend! It all looks so great on my mantle. I received two packets of the cutest Halloween themed tags. I've been looking everywhere for a Halloween garland this year and immediately strung the tags on a black ribbon. Just what I had been looking for. And the vintage cat face. So cute. Finally, see the ghosts on the cover of the book? We are making those with the kids these week to hang above the mantle as well. Mesh screen, tissue paper and spray adhesive. Already using a recipe from the book for a Halloween party this week. Thanks so much Elizabeth!

Roller Derby

So a group of us finally made it to see the the Rose City Rollers Saturday night. Unknowingly we picked seats in the High Rollers section and from the moment the clock started we were 100% dedicated to our High Rollers.

General Roller Derby Rules (by sarah):

One Pivot who sets the pace for the pack.

Three Blockers who use any legal means necessary to block the Jammers.

One Jammer who starts a few seconds after the rest of the group and sprint through the pack, scoring points by passing the opposing team's players for a time period of up to two minutes.

*The fun is in the knocking and blocking plus the illegal skirt pulling, holding and pushing.

*If helps to be a Roller Derby girl if you are drop dead gorgeous, shy or super sweet.



I found this clip on YouTube under Rose City Rollers. Even though it looks like just a bunch of barely dressed girls skating in a circle this is a full contact sport with rules. In my Roller Derby dreams I would most definitely be a Blocker.

Carnival Night

Their neon yellow bands are on and these kids are excited because it's carnival night!

Upon entering the school building I was instantly transported back in time to my childhood Halloween school carnival. The second most anticipated event of the year. The Strawberry Festival boasting the "World' Largest Shortcake" was of course the first.



The carnival was not only fun but educational like the year they did silhouettes and I consciously realized for the first time that I really do have a pointy chin. Or, that 7th and 8th grade girls are drama queens. I'm not a super fan of haunted houses and I don't like to touch peeled grapes that are suppose to be eyes or wet spaghetti for something I'm assuming should have been inside the body.



They had all the games of my past like the lollipop tree, bean bag toss, spinning wheel, and most importantly the Cake Walk. The one in 40 chance that you will be so lucky to walk away with such an exquisite homemade delight that your parents could not deny you because you had won it and it was yours. The modern day cake walk still had all the fun, music and excitement but unfortunately the homemade delight no longer exists due to food handling laws. Nowadays children get to pick from an assortment of Oreos, Twinkies, doughnuts, and those awful cardboard tasting store made sugar cookies. Oh how I'll miss that decorative long table full of butter cream frosted round and 9x13 cakes.



The biggest surprise of the night was the realization that Gray has never experienced real cotton candy. He devours cotton candy ice cream but hand him a stick of pink puffy stuff and he will freak out. Two hands over his mouth and head shaking side to side. Good thing there were plenty of us to devour that yummy sweet pink stuff for him.



Tonight my adult eyes saw aging games that are pulled out year after year for who knows how many decades, countless hours given by dedicated parents, hundreds of plastic toys that break within 24hours, sweaty kids running around and Friday tired parents. Despite what my adult eyes saw tonight I remembered the carnival through my 10-year old eyes and knew that my children's memories would forever feel the same excitement and enthusiasm as I did tonight.

Thanks for the invite Fruits Family we ALL had a blast. Hoping for a yearly tradition.

The Birds

Not that it would be hard to guess but yes we are the type of family that dream up, plan, collect, decorate and document a crazy Halloween theme. One only has to see the ketchup blood coming from the skeleton's eye sockets to know that there were many great ideas provided by all during the assembly of The Birds themed front porch. Of course the kids have no idea who Alfred Hitchcock is or that there was even a movie made about very angry violent birds and they're still a little wary of the porch and the flock of black birds. What is it about those birds?


Last year Mr. Skeleton was a dead pirate amongst his treasure. Poor guy just can't get a break.


The lone red shoe.

The Birds!

A little preview of something I'm working on for the Halloween Swap. I'm all about The Birds this season.

This Is Not A Hill! This Is Not A Hill!

3 girls with a goal
26.2 miles
7724 runners
1 Mission Control/Medic
5 guest runners
22 friends and family cheering us on
1 bloody toe
2 goo shots
1 Portland Marathon completed
1 hard but really FUN day.


Sean getting one sweaty kiss.

"The Pain is Temporary, The Pride is Forever"

Kaeru

I found these pics while organizing Bryn and Gray's room. I had completely forgotten about them. Can you find my kids? I love the frogs (kaeru) on the wall. As Gray will tell you frogs in Japan say, "kero kero (KEH-RO KEH-RO)."

The two boys in the back row on the far left were my absolute favorites with their contagious enthusiasm. One day we had some time and the students would ask me how to say a word in English. Proof that boys are the same all over the world they wanted to know how to say... fox, lizard, fly, dragon, bear, bugs, and many more large animal, reptile and insect words. During lunch my favorite two boys pulled out a technical fish book all in Japanese and wanted to know every technical fish name. Fish that were the same except for some stripe that went horizontal instead of vertical. I'm pretty much an eel, shark, whale, octopus, and jellyfish kind of person. I faked it as long as I could and by the end of the book they were onto me. I still got two high-fives before I left.

B&G Room Redo

For almost 5 years I have struggled with this bedroom and about every six months I do something drastic to it. All the kids at one time or another have called it theirs. Sean always helps me move the furniture only to be instructed to move it again not long after. I was determined at the beginning of September to create a space for Bryn and Gray that would be comfortable whether they were playing or sleeping. Using most everything we already had except a new day-bed frame for Bryn we rearranged, crafted, cleaned and organized till it all came together.


Gray's side of the room. Cubbies contain: Ultraman Monsters, dinosaurs, trains and track, Pokemon, and Galactic Heros. Legos are stored under the bed.


Bryn's side of the room. The Alice in Wonderland Prints are from Emily's Etsy Shop and the flowers hanging above the prints are from my Flower Power days back in June.


The pretend play kitchen area also serves as a battleground for Ultraman, Pokemon, Littlest Pet Shop, Pirate Ships, dinosaurs and a splattering of Legos thrown in. For the walls I painted the frames of 3 bulletin boards and attached 12x12 scrapbook paper (that can be changed out on a whim) so that the kids can hang paintings and other works of art in their room.


I received the biggest compliment from Gray after I hung these lanterns, "Mom, you're making my room look really coooool."

Next month's challenge. Our spare room in the basement which is so very plain and boring. I'm hoping to spruce it up fast because it will house a new Japanese intern very soon. Budget $100.