Success!  I finished the Dorothy costume with time to spare.  And even better, Jane loves it!  She was giddy with anticipation as we braided her hair and got ready to go to the party.  She spent quite a few minutes in front of the mirror, twirling around and admiring her shoes.  Doesn't she look cute?

The costume came together surprisingly well.  I had a few issues with the zipper.  I am not sure what the problem was, as I have successfully sewn zips many times.  It was close to 11:00 at night and my eyesight was getting a bit blurry - that might have had something to do with it.  I finally stopped caring after try number two, repeating to myself, "It is only a costume."  But overall, it looked difficult, but really was pretty easy.

But in the end, the zipper came back to haunt me.  Jane had a little mishap in the jumpie - one of her buttons got caught in the mesh side.  Her friends literally ripped her free.

I don't know if she was more upset that the dress had ripped or that people could see her back.  Not to worry - it is all fixable.  The rips are on the seams and can be easily re-sewn.  I'll just have to deal with that zipper one more time.  Wish me luck.

Jane:  Mom, I got some mail!

Me:  Great!

Jane:  Read it, please.

Me:  OK.  Oh, it's a Halloween party at N's house.

Jane:  Yay! (lots of jumping and high-pitched shrieking)  When?

Me (scanning the invitation):  Um, tomorrow?  Yeah, tomorrow. (Panic starts to set in)

Jane:  Do I wear my costume?

Me (wishing I could lie): Yes, you CAN, but you DON'T HAVE TO, wear a costume.

Jane:  Uh, you'd better get sewing.

Me:   I think you're right.

Looks like it's going to be a long night.  At least I already have this much done.  And thank goodness Kate wasn't invited!  I'd really be screwed then.

This is my all-time favorite wall in my house.  No room for discussion - I love it!

Um, this is the clean version of our desk, but as I am looking at the photo I'm thinking it could use a little more straightening.  Maybe later.

After some much needed sleep, I am starting to feel better.  A trip to the doctor's confirmed my suspicions - a sinus infection.  Thank goodness for the z-pack!

Besides sleeping, I have been knitting...

I swear that the ladies at my local yarn store must laugh when they see me coming.  They are thinking something like, "Oh, here's that lady who only buys the cashmerino aran one ball at a time."  Followed by, "At least her kids aren't with her."   I have now made five separate trips and have purchased six balls of yarn!  It hasn't been time efficient at all, but it is so satisfying to walk in and browse.  It is also helpful that the store is only a few blocks away.

Fatty's hat is complete and I have one project on the needles with three more small ones to come.  This small project knitting is so portable - I have been doing it in the carpool line, on airplanes and while watching TV.  It's easy to pick up and knit a row or two and then put down until I have a few stolen minutes.  Speaking of which, it's time to pick up Jane from school.

New York was great! So fun - everything I had anticipated and more.  I didn't take my camera along so I don't have any photos to share (Dumb of me, I know!).  I did make many little purchases and most of them are craft-related.  Here is smattering of fabrics I picked up at Purl Patchwork...

What a store!  It's itty-bitty, but because of the limited space, they only have the best.  Really, everything they have is sooooo nice.  It was hard choosing - I had to restrain myself.  There was so much more I wanted!  I am happy with my choices, though.  Looks like there will be some more of those patchwork belts in my near future.

My blog posting may be spotty this week - please bear with me.  I made some other purchases that I would like to share, but I came home to a full in-box, so to speak.  Mail, email, voice mail, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, costumes are all waiting to be tackled.  And then there's that sleep thing - I need to devote some extra hours to that, too.  I'll be back soon - hopefully tomorrow, but Wednesday at the latest.

A little peek at one of my favorite corners decorated for Halloween...

The jack-o-lantern is from my childhood and actually has a small bulb inside so it can light up the night.  I love having this - wish I could find someone to make them for J and K.

I'm off in the morning for a girls' trip to NYC.  Can't wait!  The thought of sleeping in, shopping (thank you, Susan, for the fabric store info) and good meals with good friends has me giddy.  First, though, I have laundry to put away, dinner to make, kids to bathe and, because I am a procrastinator, bills to pay and a suitcase to pack.

Have a great weekend!

One costume has been cut out (!) and apparently we are off to see the wizard this year.

J is going to be Dorothy and K is going to be Glinda, the Good Witch.  They really want me to be the Wicked Witch of the West.  I'm not dressing up this year, but if I were going to I'd choose the Wicked Witch of the East.  She had much better shoes!

I was able to check one thing off my list today:  Halloween decorations.

Mind you, I only got the outside completed.  And that spider web stuff, what a pain!  Thanks to Mailorder, I did manage to get started on the inside.

A couple of trips to the basement for a few more small things and then we'll be finished.

On to the next thing - costumes.  This one I am dreading.