Halloween in the 80s/90s

As a kid, Halloween was definitely a fun holiday. In my earlier years of life, my mother would bust out her sewing machine and make our costumes. There were the years, however, that we sported the plastic bag type costume and plastic mask. You know the ones...kind of like this kid:

This kid is sporting an 80s style Chuck Norris costume. I don't remember that being popular, but to each his own. I remember Strawberry Shortcake, Heman and Shera, Barbie, Rainbow Bright...those sort of things.

I also remember the reflector stickers that they handed out at school. You were supposed to put them on your costume so some crazy driver didn't run you over on Halloween night. 

Then, mom always dumped out our candy and inspected it. Any candy that looked like it could have possibly been open was thrown out. And apples were thrown away because there was always the threat of razor blades. I was never bothered by my loss of apples.

I also remember taking such joy in going to a relative's house and thinking I tricked them into not knowing who I was. "Ohhhhhh...who could this be hiding underneath the clown makeup? I have nooooo idea!" Yeah right. They knew it was me all along.

Then I remember the neighborhood mischief. Goody two-shoes (that's me) never participated in any trickery, but my friends did. There were the classic tricks...egging your house/car, soaping your car windows, TPing your front yard, smashing pumpkins, but the Central PA trick was corning people's mailboxes or houses. You take a giant handful of dried corn and shove it in mailboxes so when the unsuspecting postal worker or resident opens it, out came an avalanche of corn. Or, you could throw handfuls at someone's house making a terrifying noise. Yep, definitely a Central PA thing. 

And this weekend, as I greet the kids in their non-plastic costumes, I'll think about the way Halloween used to be. 

No Halloween for Me

It's Halloween weekend and sadly, I will not be participating in shenanigans this year for a few reasons. First, it's just not the same without hubs around. He and I LOVE Halloween and always dress up as a couple. Without him here, it's just not as fun. Second, I have to work all weekend, so I require my 8 hours of sleep to be functional. 


I will be receiving trick-or-treaters for the first time in MD. We were at a wedding last year, so we missed the neighborhood trick-or-treat fun. I bought 4 big bags of candy, but I was told today that my supply would probably not last me the whole night. I'm rationing it. I'm not going to be that house where you can take 2-3 pieces of candy. You get one. If I see kids reaching into my plastic pumpkin bucket grabbing an obnoxious handful, I'm not going to be happy. Although, I'm pretty sure that attitude is going to get my house egged or TPed. 


I know you're probably wondering, "What delicious candy treats will you be handing out?" I have purposely not purchased any chocolate confections because I will consume them. And they're way too many WW points. 


So, if you bring your kids to my house, they can have their choice of one of the following treats:

1. Skittles Fun Size (Original, Sour and Crazy Cores...whatever that means)
2. Starburst Original
3. Gummysavers...Sweet AND Sour
4. Nerds

I was thinking of going the non-candy route and handing out fun size packets of Goldfish crackers, but then I was really putting myself in danger of being egged. 

I bought these candies because they're all only one WW point in the event I indulge. Plus, I was sure I'd have leftovers, but I don't see that in the cards. 

Awkward Moments

I, like everyone else on the planet, hate awkward moments. Awkward silences and situations make me cringe. That's why I always hated firsts (first dates, first kisses, first days of school, first days of a new job). Of course, now I look back on them with fond memories, but in the moment I want to run away. Nile and I, however, never really had any awkward moments. Except the time I first farted in front of him by accident. That was awkward. But he married me, so I guess it worked out.

Anyway, I digress. Today I experienced one of those awkward moments I hate. Someone randomly singing in a random place. Like walking down the grocery store aisle and someone starts belting out Amazing Grace. Or someone waiting on you at a retail counter and they start singing some Rihana.

When that happens, what are you supposed to say?

"Wow, you're a great singer. You should audition for American Idol."

"Why are you working at the (grocery store, Old Navy, bank), when you should clearly be on Broadway."

Or, do you take my approach? Try to diffuse the situation by making yourself look busy doing something else. Becoming super interested in the tabloids while in the grocery store line or becoming incredibly engrossed with my cell phone. And I always avoid making eye contact. However, in instances where I can find an escape route, I briskly remove myself from the situation.

So awkward. Maybe it's just me?

WW Update

It's been a while since I've given a Weight Watchers update. Things have been going well! The plan is definitely easy to follow. It was hard to get used to at first. Measuring out portions was a pain, but now I've got it down. I definitely had my portion sizing allllll wrong. What I thought was one cup, definitely was NOT! 


I'm in about week 4 and I'm down 7 pounds. That's a little less than I wanted it to be however, I had a wedding (drinking/eating/drinking some more) and a trip to Texas (drinking/Mexican food), so I overindulged a bit. I think if I would have stuck to it on both occasions, I would have been down 4 more pounds. Sometimes, when I drink a glass of wine, it ends up as 2, then 3, then the entire bottle. Not so good for the waist. 


Anyway, I also haven't been too great at my workouts. Today I started fresh at the gym on the treadmill. I decided to go with the treadmill today because of this article:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39721749/ns/health-fitness/

It weighs which is the best machine...treadmill or the elliptical. Treadmill won. 


I also watched 2012 while I was working out. That's what happened to be on at the Cardio Theater. Not such an uplifting movie. 


My current favorite Weight Watchers friendly food is the Tomato Basil Parmesan Boca Burger:

I had never tried a meatless burger before and didn't have high hopes, but these are fantastic.  If you put them on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin, it's only 2 points for the whole thing. And for someone on WW, that's music to your ears.

Overall, I'm giving WW a two thumbs up. 

The First SU Baby

This weekend, I made my way up to Pittsburgh to attend one of my very best friends' baby shower! Amanda Joy is preggers! Here's a little shot of Pam, Amanda and I with her baby belly:

She and her hubs have decided not to find out the gender of the baby, so she did get a whole lot of yellow and green. However, when this kid decides to show his/her little face, he/she can expect lots of cute little outfits from Aunt Heather. Baby shopping is way addictive. God help my bank account when I have a baby of my own. 

Anyway, the baby is due 3 days after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28th. So we've been referring to the baby as the "Turkey". 

It's hard to imagine that a mere 6 years ago, we all drank 99 Berries out of the bottle and stayed up until 2 AM. Saturday after the shower, we took a napped, went to the movies, then grabbed a bite to eat at Eat n' Park, and headed to bed. My, how we've changed. It's hard to believe that the next time I visit, there will be a baby in the mix! 

How Much Is That Puggy in the Window....FREE!

Normally, I love my dear, sweet puppies. However, this evening, I'm thinking about opening the front door and letting Wiggles out. 

Pug Thug

Not really. He's too dumb to survive on his own.


They've been staying with my parents for the past 2 weeks, while I took care of stuff here and there. Now they're back, and I'm very happy they are. However, Wiggles is getting on my last nerve. 


He's been irritating me with the following behaviors:

1. Barking at every stink bug he can find in my house. Which right now, is more than I'd care to admit.
2. He then proceeds to kill and then eat said stink bug. 
3. No pillow in my house is safe. He's going from couch to couch removing all the throw pillows and attacking them like they're demons.
4. Whenever Peanut comes near him, he snaps and goes nuts, grabbing the nearest thing in sight with his little mouth. Usually, it's my slipper. I like to call this "Wiggle Fury". 
5. He's also coming up to where I'm sitting, and looking at me with his most pissed off pug look, and barking as loud as he can. If he was human, it would be equivalent to a teenage temper tantrum. 
6. Since Purina One has so graciously changed the formula of their food to include moist little meaty bits, he's been eating only those pieces of kibble and spitting the crunchy ones out on my floor. 

I know what you're thinking. I did this to myself. I know. I carried him around when he was a puppy. Catered to his every puppy whim. Spoiled him rotten. I regret my actions. But at least I screwed up on a dog, right? It better prepares me to raise a human. 

Halloweeeeen!

Besides Christmas, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Hubs and I usually take this as an opportunity to dress up in crazy costumes, have some drinks and fun times with our friends. We've been dressing up in costumes as a couple for most of the years we've been together. Last year, we had a wedding to attend, so we didn't get to dress up. This year, hubs is away, but I'm fully planning on getting decked out. I'm still trying to figure out what that costume will be...

Let's have a look at some of our costumes through the years...

This is our white trash costume, circa 2004. One of my faves.

 

For some reason, I can't locate a photo of us together from this year. It's 2007...the first year in our house. I'm Princess Peach...

...and he's Mario. And Seiler is Captain Morgan. And this photo pretty much sums the two of them up.

 

And here's us in 2008. A 1920's ganster and flapper couple. 

 This year, I'm flying solo. But I still have to decide what to be!