Random Shannon: Halloween Fun

Okay, here's Halloween.

The Saturday before the actual holiday we attended a church dinner/trunk or treat. We were forced to dine outside since the gym had previously been reserved. That made for a chilly party, so it was lucky we had hot chili and baked taters to feed on as we eyeballed everyone's costumes. I always enjoy seeing people in disguise. And I also enjoy eating.

Cora decided to be a raccoon this year. Ryan so graciously agreed to apply her makeup. Here she is with one of her church friends...

The friend is supposed to be Katniss Everdeen (from Hunger Games)

I guess I didn't take any other pictures at the church party (shame on me!) so we'll now skip ahead to Halloween itself.

As usual, I had a tricky time deciding what to be. I thought about being something scary this year since I've never gone that route before. Of course I couldn't totally stray from my predictable self, so I settled on a get-up that was both creepy and cute. Although, based on the reactions I got, I think it was more on the creepy side.

As I was debating about my costume, I kept coming back to my prized red and white gingham dress. I wanted to make use of it somehow. I told Maria that I was considering just being a doll, and she suggested I take it a step further and be a Lalaloopsy doll. I liked that idea. The only problem was, they have buttons for eyes. And they don't have noses. I like to copy things as closely as possible when it comes to costumes, so I wasn't sure how I could make this idea work. But as Halloween got nearer and nearer, I decided just to go with it. I figured, They are popular enough that people will know what I am. Even if I have a needless nose and normal, human eyes.

I think Lalaloopsy dolls are so adorable. They are supposed to be rag dolls, which explains the buttons for eyes. They're available in all different color schemes, and each comes with cute, coordinating accoutrements.

Anyway, this was the best I could do...

I tried to make my lips look neutral so the black smile would show up better. I thought about slicing them off (along with my nose) to make the costume more accurate, but I ran out of time.
This was the one time in my life when having invisible eyebrows has come in handy.
I didn't plan for my bangs to be quite so sideswept, but they kind of froze that way in the midst of leaning and having my hair coated in blue. I had hoped for a more vibrant hue. I was kind of bummed it didn't show up very well.

I'm so annoyed that my shirt is sticking out of my dress. How maddening. I didn't want to wear a coat over my costume, so I wore a few layers underneath. I may as well have worn a turtleneck! ;)

Oliver was Batman, Jane was Draculaura (daughter of Dracula, a Monster High doll).
I tried to suggest some costume ideas for Ryan this year again, but he keeps insisting he's not fun. He's just not the costume-wearing type. I nearly never pass up the chance to dress up. What with all the wonderful dresses and fancy pants I own, I've gotta get my money's worth somehow. I wouldn't want all my thrift store purchases to go to waste.

We had some extra family join us for trick or treating in our neighborhood. Two of Ryan's sisters and their kids.

The cousinly bunch.

The white lines on her lip are supposed to be fangs. She wouldn't go for those uncomfy plastic vampire teeth, so we had to improvise. They looked better in person. =)

And here I am out on the streets...

Happy Halloween, little children! I'll be waiting for you in your worst nightmares!

To my credit, one trick-or-treater girl asked me if I was a Lalaloopsy doll. I was so happy I could have hugged her, but thought her mom might have frowned upon that and/or called the police. =)

This was the first year I let Cora go begging for candy with her friends. The one stipulation was that they stay in our neighborhood. That was a real turning point for me. One of my kids is old enough to trick-or-treat without her mommy! =/ She seemed happy about it. I suggested it to her before she even had to ask. That way I was able to avoid the heartbreak of her asking if she could go with her pals instead of me. ;)

My hair was so crispy, it didn't feel real. It was like wicker. This pic of my back is almost as creepy as the front view.

The day before Halloween I posted a Facebook plea for someone, anyone, to help fill my hair with sponge curlers. A gal from church agreed to it, bless her dear heart.

She finished putting them in at about 10pm on the night before, and I left them in until about 3pm Halloween. I was afraid the ringlets would become droopy if I took the curlers out too early.

This was just after coming in from the cold. That's why my nose is pink and my eyes are watery.

I went to all the work to dress up, so I had to make sure and take enough pictures... My great grandchildren will really appreciate all these gems.

As you can see, trick-or-treating was a success.

Jane is a great candy organizer.

I was sick of the clown cheeks and serrated smile, so I wiped those off and again grabbed the camera.

These pictures kind of weirded me out. But not nearly as much as the ones with the mouth makeup.