Mischief Managed

Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to life. –Adele Brookman

I suppose it is just as well that I haven't blogged in several months because the cobwebs on the decor seem to fit nicely with the theme of the day.

I'd really like to dust off the old blog and get back to regular posting. It's been one wild and crazy adventure at Bug Cottage lately, and totally in a good way. I increased my work hours over the summer to close to full-time, which is counter-intuitive since the Not-So-Little Bugs are home more during the summer, but things all worked out. When school started, I took on some new responsibilities at work and so bumping up to full-time followed.

As time has gone by, I've been keeping a mental list of all the things that I want to blog about, but the list keeps increasing and it seems so daunting a task that I haven't had the nerve to start. I've done lots of fun sewing though, and I'm hoping to get in a few posts about that soon. In case you were curious, I did finish the Signature Quilt for the woman who turned 100 in September. The party was 11 days before her birthday so it was close, but I got it done in time.

As you can imagine, I've been spending a little more time than I used to at work. They are a really wild and crazy bunch. One of the programmers pulled the best prank ever today.

Halloween is my favorite. Dressing up is so much fun. There was a costume contest today {winners to be announced Monday} and my office mate and I decided that we were going to be Minions. We were nicknamed the AdMinions {Admin + Minions}. It was a great collaboration and I think we pulled it together nicely.

Random Bits: Vol. 3

Dream in a pragmatic way. –Aldous Huxley

The Quilt is in the Wash
It is finished. The pinwheel sampler is done. I put the last stitches in it yesterday. Finally.

I finished the binding ages ago. I was really on a roll with the quilting before Grandma Week and only had a little bit left {relatively speaking} to do in the sashing {16 sections out of 40} when Grandma Week started. I knew that lugging Grace along to my mom's to finish the quilting wasn't really an option, so I put the binding on before we left and during our sit-around-and-visit adult time after the kids had gone to bed, I did the hand stitching on it. But when we got back, I kind of procrastinated finishing the quilting because I wasn't really sure where to go once it was done.

This quilt was originally intended for snuggling under to read, or watch TV, or whatever. I'd still like it to be a snuggle quilt, but it seems like it isn't quite suited for that anymore. When the plan for the quilting became more elaborate than straight-lines ¼" on either side of every seam, I wanted to put the quilt into a quilt show or two. But I didn't get it finished in time last year. Or this year. And now I'm hoping I'll have something else even better to put in next year, and this quilt won't even be a contender.

Whether the quilt is going to be displayed or used, I knew it definitely needed a good washing. The sticking spot was whether to block it {for quilt shows} after it was washed or throw it in the dryer and make it all soft and crinkly {for cuddling}.

I finished it last night with enough time to wash it before bedtime and then throw it in the dryer and let it do its thing while I slept, but I wasn't certain what I wanted to do. After much thought, I decided this afternoon that I really want this quilt to be soft and snuggly, so I threw it in the washer in clear water {the instructions for the Blue Line Eraser that I used to remove my markings recommends that you run it through clear water before using any kind of detergent on it to avoid any discoloration} and when I pulled it out to spot treat it {it got some schmutz on it from my machine} before the actual wash, I noticed that the quilt was really not square anymore. It finished up so nice and square {gold star for me}, and wet, it was sort of curly and wrinkly. I decided that square {and a little bit stiff} was more important than soft and cuddly.

The quilt is in the wash now. When it finishes, I'm going to block it. Tomorrow, after it has had time to dry, I will photograph it and post it for your viewing pleasure {"oohhhhs" and "aahhhs" requested but not required }.

In other related news, I got my Connecting Threads catalog in the mail yesterday. It was very timely as they've just released some cute little tags that say, This took FOREVER. I thought seriously about ordering some for this quilt.

The iOSes vs. The Kitchen Appliances: Revisited
I'm still at loose ends about whether to get an iPhone, an iPad or a new oven. I thought I had it all sorted out, but the iPhone 5 was announced {effectively making even the iPhone 4S users obsolete }, our shopping trip for a new oven was a bust, and instead we found a wide-by-side-fridge-with-a-pull-out-freezer-drawer that not only has all the whistles and bells, but is so palatial you could climb right up inside it and live in there. I'm honestly not sure why we didn't bring it home with us. Oh, wait. The fridge seems to be working for now and it's an oven that we need. That's right.

In the interest of being well-informed, I did a little research on the iPhone. My current carrier now offers service for the iPhone 4S. They do not require contracts but the trade-off for that is no discounts on a new phone or phone upgrade. You have to pay for the phone up front. Their least expensive service plan is $35.00, which includes 300 talk minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data. It is as simple and straightforward as that. The cost of the iPhone {$650}, plus monthly service for a two-year period {no contract required} comes in at a hair under $1500, before tax. They are currently offering a $5 per month discount if you sign up for auto-pay, which shaves another $120 off the total cost.

I was only able to find plan pricing for iPhones on one of the two major carriers, which leads me to assume that at least one of them has prices so astronomical that they lock you into a two-year contract before they show you the bill. The other carrier had iPhones starting at $199 {with a two-year contract} and talk, text and data plans starting at $80 a month. This includes 450 talk minutes, unlimited texting and 300MB of data {which is small potatoes, people}. Over the course of two years, the cost is just over $2100. For their largest data plan {5GB}, we're talking $2800 for two years.

OK, so my happiness does not depend on having the newest toy. If it did, the day they announced the iPhone 5 would have been a dark day, indeed. But I'm saying, buying the iPhone outright is money ahead. As a matter of fact, you could buy two phones, if say, they release a new iPhone after a year, and still come out ahead.

While it would be seriously awesome to download all of the heavy, heavy books I lug to church every Sunday into a nifty new iOS {and as Pink suggested, store the heavy books in the empty, broken oven}, looking at the bigger picture, Mr. Bug and I are going shopping for ovens again. Perhaps we'll be able to find P.'s idea of the most practical multi-tasking hybrid oven, with wireless capabilities and a flat screen. Our favorite outlet center is offering an additional 10% off clearance prices this weekend, which means that we could get a $700 oven for $375. I like the sound of that, even if it doesn't surf the net. And maybe the fridge will come home with us too.

Firebolt
These people obviously have too much time on their hands.

*Note: click on the "CC" button to turn the captions on/off. It is funnier if you play it with the captions on.

Also, the taxidermied animal in the glass case at 2:24 is a liger. Her name is Shasta, and she was born in 1948 at Utah's own Hogle Zoo. At her death in 1972, the beloved animal was displayed in the cat house until they deemed that she would be more appropriately kept at the Bean Museum on BYU Campus.

Phoenix Song

Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Harry had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And Harry felt, as he had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside him, not without: It was his own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.

How long they stood there, listening, he did not know, nor why it seemed to ease their pain a little to listen to the sound of their mourning, but it felt like a long time.
–J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, page 614-615


I've finished the quilt I'm going to donate to Phoenix Quilts.

Julie, a woman who lives near the Wood Hollow fire put out the call for quilts to be donated to families who had lost their homes in that fire. She called it Operation Wood Hollow.

After a good response, she decided to expand the donation area and asked for suggestions for a new name for her organization. In the meantime, I tossed ideas around for a name for my quilt. I thought of "Out of the Ashes," and then about "Phoenix." Both of those seemed a little too dramatic and I didn't want the recipient to be reminded of something that was probably very traumatic. I Googled synonyms for phoenix, but there are none. Then I remembered that phoenix song has a healing quality {at least in Harry Potter's world} and decided that would be the name for my quilt, in the hopes that it will be part of the healing for the family who receives it. I also thought of suggesting "Operation Phoenix" as a new name for Julie's non-profit, but somebody beat me to it.

I tried a new FMQ pattern on this quilt. I kind of dragged my feet on getting started and was frustrated at first because it wasn't coming out how I pictured it in my head. In the end it turned out pretty OK and I like it quite a bit. Some parts of it look better than others, some areas have smoother, more even stitches than others, but all in all, I think it was a success.

And I used the constructive remarks the judges gave me at HMQS to improve my binding. I cut it at 2¼" rather than 2½", sewed it on to the quilt before I trimmed away the extra back and batting and I made smaller stitches to sew it to the back. I did not, however, sew the miters closed. I like them open and will only do that for quilts that are for shows. Overall, it was definite improvement on my binding, I think.

In just three short weeks, Utah has gone from more than a dozen wildfires to just one, which is now 95% contained. At last count, 849 homes have been lost in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah, so there is still a great need for donations. Julie will be delivering quilts in Idaho and Colorado shortly. I'll be putting my quilt in the mail to Julie tomorrow.

Various and Sundry Monday: Vol. 2

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. –Daniel L. Reardon

My first Various and Sundry Monday post was clear back in November. At the time, I didn't think it would become a regular feature, and I'm still of that opinion. It won't get its own tag until I do a third VSM post. But I have a lot of miscellaneous stuff I want to post about today, so here we are at Volume 2.

The Little Bugs are So Clever
Friday morning before school, Grasshopper came into the kitchen and handed me a paper.
Grasshopper: Mom, I need you to sign my math test for me so I can take it back to school. If I do, I'll get a sand dollar.
Me: Do I need to sign it because you didn't do very good on it?
Grasshopper: No, I only missed two. See? If you sign it and I bring it back then I get a sand dollar in my class.
Me: You go brush your teeth while I sign it.
Grasshopper heads for the bathroom and LadyBug passes Grasshopper on her way into the kitchen. Having heard only part of the conversation, she asks:
LadyBug: What's that?
From the living room:
Grasshopper: My Hogsmeade Permission Slip. I need mom to sign it.
LadyBug: You're only a first year. First years can't go to Hogsmeade.

Complaining Never Helps
I really would like to meet the person who thought up Daylight Savings Time, so I can smack them upside the head. I mean, sure, it is still light outside at 7:30 pm, but we were getting there on our own. And now it is no longer light at 7:30 am, which I really miss. Having it be light outside when it is time to get up helps me loathe morning a little bit less. There. I'm done complaining. The only thing to do now is embrace it.

But I have to wonder what places that are open 24 hours like Hospitals and Wal-Mart do about staffing. It is probably kind of tricky to work out. For the guy who's on shift when the clock magically changes over, he's probably all, You want me to go home an hour early? Sure, no problem. See ya! But for the guy who has to get up and come in early, he's probably all, what? I was supposed to be here an hour ago? I didn't get that memo. Sorry man. And I can't even imagine the chaos an extra hour in the fall causes. I say, pick one and stick with it.

Cozy Posies

I started a new quilt over the weekend. Don't worry. It is on the list, so I'm not breaking the No New Quilts policy. But I was going to finish Mr. Bug's T-Shirt quilt before I moved on to this one. I still have about half of the unpicking to do on his quilt, and wanted to move forward with something so I cut the fabrics for this on Friday afternoon. By Saturday night the top was in three sections and I finished it on Sunday afternoon {yes, I sew on Sunday. I'm not sure how I feel about it because Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. I love sewing and can hardly leave it if I have some free time, but it is kind of a grey area about whether or not it is OK to do. Is it work? Is it recreation? Or is it just a way to relax? The exception to that is if I'm making something someone is paying me for, which I don't do on Sunday because then that would be working. More than you needed to know about my inner conflicts on sewing on Sunday? Probably .}.

I also started working on the tag yesterday. Apparently I've decided that embroidered tags are the way to go . For indelibility, they are the best choice. But for ease and convenience, not so much. With each embroidered tag, I get more and more concise. And I increase the font size just a tiny bit each time. I've decided that I like the labels sewn right into the quilt back, so this is going into a strip of coins that will go across the back of the quilt.

I'd planned to finish the label, get the back all pieced together and baste the quilt tonight. I forgot to factor in homework with the Little Bugs, getting dinner on and catching up on laundry and could never have factored in the sudden compulsion I had to wipe down the entire kitchen floor on my hands and knees this afternoon. Still, I'm cautiously optimistic that I can finish this quilt by the weekend. Then I PROMISE the next quilt I work on will be Mr. Bug's.

A Little Thanks Goes A Long Way
I wanted to share the thank you note from Gracie's mom her for her quilt. This is one quilt I wasn't totally in love with even after it was all finished because the quilting I chose didn't wow me. The important thing though, is that Gracie loved it and so now I {and that Voice} can let it go. This really made my day.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Gracie loves her pretty new big 'Geeda!' I should have had you come with me to give it to her! She giggled forever and had to keep it with her! You are so very amazing. Gracie's Dad also can't believe all the work you put into it! He also loves it! Again, thank you so very much for all of your beautiful work!!! Love,

Gracie's Mom

Blooming Friendship
I have this friend who loves to garden. As a matter of fact, she is my gardening inspiration. When we first moved into our house and I was first learning how to garden, she was my go-to girl for anything garden related. Over the years she's given me tons of starts and we take turns helping each other out in our yards. She loves to experiment and often forces bulbs. One year for my birthday, she forced a dozen orange tulips and brought them over when they were just about to bloom. It was the middle of January and was the most cheerful thing to see those beauties every day. This year, she forced an amaryllis bulb in a little jam jar, and again brought it over just as it was about to bloom. It has been two weeks since she dropped it off and I've been looking at these cheerful flowers in my kitchen since then.

Favourite Things Friday: Reading and Books

Story is one of the most serious intruders into the heart. –Jane Yolen

I love to read. I've always loved to read. It is wonderful to let a book take you to places you've never been before, to explore new ideas, to meet new people, to live a new life. I love reading so much so that in college one of my three minors was English Lit. But when I got to the 400 level classes, I was in over my head with all the required reading. I could have made it work if I didn't also have homework for other classes, a job and, most importantly, social commitments. Everything kind of suffered, and I often went to class without having all of my reading finished. It was really stressful trying to balance, because I wanted to read, understand and enjoy everything I was supposed to be reading, but there just weren't enough hours in the day. When I quit school {three semesters short of graduating }, I took a break from reading. For five years. Mr. Bug {who is always reading} wasn't even sure I could read .

My big reading come-back was the Harry Potter series; it was my first book obsession. Which is ironic because I didn't really like Sorcerer's Stone the first time I read it . It was December of 2001 and Sorcerer's Stone had just come out in theaters. I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie because books are always better, {except in the case of The Time Traveler's Wife, which is one book I wish I could un-read}, and though I finished it, I didn't really enjoy it much. At the time, Mr. Bug had to travel frequently for work and ended up having to stay over a weekend, and so feeling sorry for himself that he wasn't home, he went to see Sorcerer's Stone without me. I put my copy of Harry Potter on the shelf and didn't give it a second thought. Late in the spring of 2002, I picked up the DVD and couldn't believe how magical Harry Potter's world was. I decided to give Sorcerer's Stone a second chance; I read it again and was completely enchanted. Goblet of Fire {book four} had just come out in paperback, so I picked that up, along with Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban {books two and three}, and my love affair with Harry Potter began. When Order of the Phoenix came out a year later, I re-read books 1—4 and Mr. Bug picked up a copy of book five for me at midnight. Two years later, I re-read books 1—5 and then I went to Wal-Mart just after midnight to get a gallon of milk and a copy of Half-Blood Prince. And two years after that, I re-read books 1—6, dressed up as Professor McGonagall, went to the release party, arriving an hour-an-a-half before midnight to enter the costume contest hoping that would help make the time pass faster because I couldn't wait to get my copy of Deathly Hallows.

{My collection of hardback 1^st edition Harry Potter books}

Somewhere between Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows {circa 2008}, I discovered that I liked hardback books. Mr. Bug is paperback all the way, and considering his appetite for reading and his dislike of the public library system, paperback is definitely the more economical way to go. But I like the way a hardback book handles the love an attention and re-readings I like to give my books. I had HP 6 and 7 in hardback but the rest of my books were in paperback {although I'd bought book 5 in hardback, I'd given it to my mom and she bought it for me in paperback when it came out}. I had first editions — which aren't too hard to come by — so I went in search of first editions for books 1—5. I found what I was looking for on eBay. The prices were reasonable, but aside from book 5 {which is in better condition than my books} their conditions were only fair. I'm wondering, now, if I could have found new copies of them still circulating somewhere in a bookstore .

And I'm not exactly sure how to fit this in, but if you're a Harry Potter fan, check out these funny posts.
Lord Voldemort's Inbox
Severus Snape's Inbox

I'm the sort of person who likes to be busy all the time; I multi-task whenever possible, and since reading excludes any other activities, I'm particular about what I read. I've developed a funny sort of habit. I like to read what is familiar to me; books I've read before and enjoyed {as suggested by the number of times I've read through the Harry Potter series; it is more than I indicated above}. That way I know I won't be wasting my time. So, it is unusual for me to read something new. But two years ago, I picked up another book obsession. No, I don't think obsession is the right word. Addiction is more accurate. Which is an interesting thing because I was so hesitant to even read these books. I'm talking, of course, about the Twilight series. I kept hearing, It's the next Harry Potter. That put me completely off, because nothing was going to replace Harry Potter for me.

In the spring of 2008, I bought Penelope on DVD and there was a trailer for the upcoming Twilight movie. I recognized the male actor as "that kid who played Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire," and was intrigued by the chemistry between him and the female lead. So, I bought Twilight, and the sequel, New Moon in paperback. And they sat on top of my chest of drawers for a few months. Mr. Bug picked them up and read them. He said he thought that I might like them. Little did he know . A few months later, Breaking Dawn {the fourth book in the series} came out, so I picked that up, as well as the third book, Eclipse {both in hard back}, and Mr. Bug read those too. Then all four books sat in a neat little collection on top of the chest of drawers for another couple of months.

When I finally got around to reading them, these books made a big impression on me. I read the first one in three days, pausing to go back and re-read favorite parts {which is unusual for me — I like to read start to finish}. Then I read the next three books in the next three days, averaging about four hours of sleep a night and stopping only to feed the Little Bugs cold cereal or ramen noodles for dinner. And I became one of those fans . Completely obsessed. So obsessed that I'm {slowly} making a Twilight quilt. And while I'm talking Stephenie Meyer books, I also have to mention, The Host. It is a really great read.

{My Stephenie Meyer collection; the New Moon special edition is autographed}

Fablehaven is another fun series, although I'm not quite as obsessed with these books. My sweet friend, Jenna, gave us the first book for Christmas a few years ago. We read it aloud to the Little Bugs and have enjoyed each new volume in the now finished series.

It is impossible to list all the books I've read and loved. Anne of Green Gables and The Wizard of Oz both certainly deserve a mention. Shakespeare and Jane Austen are among my favorite writers. And these books sit on my nightstand, mostly to look pretty. I got them for Christmas a couple of years ago; they are leather-bound hardback editions of their complete works, with gilded-edged pages. But I know what are in those books and love them. I bought a few paperback editions of my favorite of Shakespeare's works at the used book store so that I didn't have to tote that gigantic tome around with me if I wanted to read a favorite. And I've given Anna Karenina a whirl. The writing flows nicely, but I haven't gotten far enough into the story to get caught up by it, so it sits, patiently waiting for me to get back to it.

Jane Austen was quite an amazing writer. She wrote what she knew and it is still relevant today. Of all her female characters, I love Elizabeth Bennet best. She was strong, she knew her heart and she didn't let the conventions of the time dictate her path. I love it when she tells Mr. Darcy, no, because he totally deserved it. And even though things work out in the end and he is fairly dreamy, he's not my favorite of Jane Austen's male characters. I love Mr. Knightley from Emma best. He is always Emma's friend and always has her best interest at heart. And for another funny post, check out Elizabeth Bennet's Inbox

This is another favorite collection of books. Both of the Little Bugs have small bookshelves in their rooms, filled with great stories. I bought these Classic Starts, condensed versions of classic novels, at Barnes and Noble as a way to help LadyBug develop a love of reading. We started with The Prince and the Pauper, her favorite story, which was so wonderfully retold that I had to have the entire collection {although I discovered with a quick peek over at B&N that there are a few new volumes}. We've read Dracula and Frankenstein and Robin Hood and The Story of King Arthur and The Three Musketeers together, with expectations of many more great adventures together.

Today's post brought to you by:

Favourite Things Friday: Halloween

On Hallowe'en the thing you must do
Is pretend that nothing can frighten you
And if somethin' scares you and you want to run
Just let on like it's Hallowe'en fun.
–Unknown

Halloween is my favorite holiday. It marks the beginning of the holiday season and lots of nice things in store; mine and Mr. Bug's wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving and finally the Christmas season. But first we get to dress up and get a little crazy. I don't have much in the way of Halloween decor, but that's because I spend all my creative energy on the costumes. This year the Little Bugs wanted to dress up as Harry and Hermoine from the Harry Potter series. I was only too happy to oblige. I've had my Professor McGonagall costume ready and waiting since 2005. I checked out several costume spots, but wasn't super impressed with the quality or price of the Hogwarts robes, so I headed to JoAnn's during a 50% off sale. Patterns were on sale for 99₵, which was a big bonus. I put together two sets of school robes {hooray for two more October finishes!}, complete with Gryffindor crests on the chest and we were ready for a little magic.

True confession time — I've had a little bit of a procrastination relapse lately. I was doing fairly well until recently. The procrastination on the Halloween costumes, though, was the worst its been in a very long time. I ended up pulling an all-nighter to finish these costumes in time for the Little Bugs' class parties and Halloween parade at school on Wednesday of this week. It was pretty rough, but worth it (the all-nighter) to hear how excited the kids were on the morning of their parties. Before I went to bed {around 6:30 am} I put their lunches together and showered. When Mr. Bug's alarm went off at 7:30, I

appraised him of the costume and lunch status and asked if I could stay in bed. He was completely obliging. I could hear the kids when they got up. They were pretty excited when they found their costumes on the couch. Mr. Bug was pretty enthusiastic and cute about it too. It had snowed a bit overnight, so he said to the kids that it was like Christmas — snow on the ground and presents on the couch . They came in to show me how they looked before they went to school which was fun.

Oh, and when I say I had the costumes finished, I mean they were wearable, but not done. I still had the hems left but this fabric doesn't unravel so I left that until they got home from school. And I still need to fix one little goof-up on one of the sleeves in LadyBug's costume, but I'll do that before we go out trick-or-treating.

Here is a close up of the Gryffindor crest. I lifted the image from the internet {it's no secret that I'm a dirty sneak thief} and printed it onto fusible ink-jet fabric sheets, adding the perfect finishing touch. I haven't decided if I want to do a little satin stitch around the crests, or not, but I can always go back and do that later.

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Continue reading for more of one of my Favourite Things. Let my spooky playlist to put you in the mood and let's talk a stroll with the Ghosts of Halloween Past. Click on any of the pictures for a closer look.

Halloween 1999: Little Pumpkin, Queen of Hearts, and the Mad Hatter. October 31^st was Grasshopper's due date. I thought that would be a great day for a birthday, but I rented costumes from a local theater and planned on dressing up for work and then attending a party we were invited to, because, you know, first babies are always late. Because of the huge skirt, this costume did a great job of camouflaging my belly. As it turns out, that wasn't necessary because our Little Pumpkin showed up 12 days early. Mr. Bug and I still went to the party, but I was recovering from a c-section and we only stayed for about an hour.

Halloween 2000: Little Pumpkin.

Halloween 2001: Tigger.

Halloween 2004: Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. I'm not sure what happened to 2002 or 2003 , but here we are. I bought a zillion yards of Tinkerbell green satin and organdy {or is it organza? I can never remember} because I started out with a pattern that I was going to make over to work and then found a better one. I'm pretty sure I made three Tinkerbell costumes that year, one for LadyBug, one for Miss Butterfly and one for another cousin on Mr. Bug's side who doesn't have a clever Bug name. I wish I had pictures of all three girls together. Oh, and there's a really good reason that LadyBug is bald. We shaved her head. Really. We hoped that it would help her hair grow thicker and faster and it totally worked. In less than six months she had more hair than we shaved off. The only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

Halloween 2005: Spiderman and Spidergirl. I didn't really have a pattern for these costumes — only an idea and some really great fabrics. I cobbled together a couple of patterns and filled in with my own design. Sorry for the picture quality. I didn't have my good digital camera and I must not have had the costumes finished when we went to have professional pictures taken for Grasshopper's birthday. I also made my Professor McGonagall costume this year and I decided that I was only going to make costumes every other year after that.

Halloween 2006: Leonardo the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and I can't remember what Grasshopper was. But I obviously implemented the every-other-year plan for making costumes. Grasshopper was done with trick-or-treating after we did our city's Safe Halloween downtown. He didn't want to go around the neighborhood after we got home and changed out of his costume before I could get pictures. On the other hand, LadyBug was a die-hard. We covered every single house we knew in the neighborhood and she still wanted to keep going.

Halloween 2007: King Peter of Narnia. I didn't make this costume; I was going to make him a Batman costume but I ran out of time {procrastination issues } because I was working on LadyBug's costume . . .

. . . Supergirl. Again, I didn't really have a pattern. I cobbled together a couple of different patterns and filled in the rest with my own designs.

Halloween 2008: My sister loved the Supergirl costume from the year before, so the week after Halloween she ran and bought fabric on clearance for a whole family of Supers for 2008. Unfortunately, I had MAJOR procrastination issues and only got a Superman costume done for Cap'n Underpants. I still owe her three more Super costumes.

The Little Bugs really wanted to be Clone Troopers. They have names based on the color of the costumes, but I don't remember the details.

Halloween 2009: No photos and the Little Bugs did not want me to make costumes. Grasshopper was a Clone Trooper again and LadyBug was a police officer. And they were cute. Take my word for it.

I hope you enjoyed my little trip down Halloween Memory Lane.

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