Happy Birthday Abby!

Today is my daughter's birthday.  It is a special day for her and for me, too.  Even though my memory is not what it used to be...yikes...I remember every moment of the day she was born!  It was love at first sight!  So, to celebrate, I decided to share 1 picture of her for every year of her life.  Get comfortable! (I know it's a lot of pictures, but believe it or not, I had a really hard time whittling down the list!)

Abby, on the day she was born....10 lbs. 15 oz.

                                    About 3 months old...big blue eyes and a cute little smile!

Abby's first Christmas picture.

"Swimming" in Grandma's canning kettle.

Christmas...she liked to blow out candles.

A hot summer day with her Ladybug buggy.  She never really liked to play with dolls but we didn't know that then. 

At the pool in Cape Cod, Mass. 

In Oscoda, at Grandma's and Grandpa's cottage.

All dressed up for a party!

Testing the water.  Abby is a real water bug...she loves to swim!

Helping her Dad paint the garage.  (Think I got a little carried away with the protective clothing?)

It's not a secret that Abby has a rather large head.  So does her brother and her dad.  We just figured that they needed the extra space for all those brains!!!  hehe   When we brought her home from the hospital, I was surprised to find out that none of her cute little bonnets fit...we had to buy her an X Large.  That still holds true today.  So, when she finds anything that will fit her head, she wears it..even a Christmas tree!

There's nothing better then wrapping up in a warm towel after a swim, especially if your G'ma (Grandma Diane) does an expert job of wrapping.

Abby did a little modeling and had a great time with photo shoots!

We were definitely getting the idea that she may be a performer in the future!  This was the end of an entire "Singing in the Rain" routine, done in her kiddie pool.

A local photographer asked Abby to pose for this picture which he entered in a photo contest.  He added the shadowed outline of New York City on the bottom of the picture.   Quite a coincidence since that's were she lives now! 

Modeling at the "Festival of Trees."

We all love fall, and all the activities that go with it.  Abby loves orchards, apple cider, canning, and Halloween!

Freshman year in high school??  First day of school.

Cheerleading

Abby is a musician, always has been.  Aside from dance, sports were not usually her first choice for school activities.  However, she was on teams for volleyball, golf, cheerleading, and dance/pom pom.

Abby has always loved horses, although she hasn't had one of her own.  She mainly learned how to ride and care for horses at camps.  We live in the city, definitely not a place for horses.  However, it has always been her dream to have a house with enough acreage so that she could have a horse.  I asked her the other day if she still hoped to have a horse some day and she said "yes!"

Off to Europe with her high school choir!

Voice Recital in high school.

High school graduation....I love this picture!

Paris..ooh la la

I am not sure where this picture was taken, maybe Dallas?  But, I love it for a couple of reasons....her hair wisps that always show up on humid days when her curls return, her pretty blue eyes, and the fact that she's blowing me a kiss!

I think this is Nevada ( I bet I get a call after she sees this blog to correct my errors!).  Abby really enjoys taking pictures and has become a really good photographer.

France (Chartre?)...nice pose, huh?

Yep, this is the real Abby!

Happy Birthday Abbers...I hope that you have a fantastic birthday!  It has been wonderful being your Mom, I love you more that you will ever know!   XOXOXO

Halloween Costume Collection

As I stated in my last post, I really love Halloween!  I just couldn't wait to make Halloween costumes for my kids, and believe me, I had fun every year!  We always encouraged them to choose who or what they wanted to be.  They usually came up with some pretty unique ideas.  I think we only bought one pre-made costume over the years and that was because my daughter really liked a  unicorn costume that she saw in a catalog.  It was cheaper to buy it than to make it, so we ordered it.  She was thrilled, it was really cute, and I didn't have to figure out how to  attach a horn to her head!  whew!  I have nothing against buying a costume, but after my kids chose what they wanted to be, finding that costume was always pretty hard.  Besides, as I said, I really liked to make them!  I thought I would share a few of the costumes, hope you enjoy them....

My brother-in-law with my daughter.  I think a friend loaned him this great costume, and we joined in for the fun!  The braids were especially fun to make!

When my daughter was really little, we got to choose her costume for her, yea!  Here she is as a flapper....one of my favorite costumes as a kid.  Fringe and make up....bliss!

My daughter (on the left) really liked "Curious George" and wanted to be this cute little monkey for Halloween.  My son, on the right, chose to wear the same costume when he was about 2 years old.  This costume and the pumpkin (last post) were the only two costumes that were worn by both of them.

Here's my little cow girl ...yee-ha!

Here is my daughter as "Dorothy" from the "Wizard of Oz."  I bet there have been a bunch of Dorothys over the years.  The "Ruby Red Slippers" were fun to make...she left a trail of red sequins through the neighborhood!

Again, my son was too little to choose, so I got to make a clown outfit.  I always wanted to make a clown outfit and a scarecrow outfit.  I got to make a clown, isn't he cute?  But, alas, no one ever  wanted to be a scarecrow...

My son as Santa Claus!  He was really excited about his costume, especially once I had the "padding" made!  He "Ho-Ho-Ho'd" all night long!

The evil Captain Hook...he doesn't look too evil, does he!

After our mini vacation to Holland, Michigan, my daughter wanted to be a little Dutch girl, wooden shoes and all!

My daughter wanted to be a "Genie" with all the sparkles.  Since we live in Michigan, we often have to "bundle up" on Halloween night and fit the costumes over these extra clothes to stay warm.  It can be a bit discouraging, especially with costumes that were not meant to have winter boots!  This picture was taken at school where she was able to wear the costume without all the winter "gear."

"Indiana Jones!"  We made a surprise trip to Disney World at the beginning of the school year and my son, who really loves all of the Indiana Jones movies,  got to witness the "Indiana Jones" production at Epcot.  We found the hat and the rest was pretty easy!  I was worried about the whip (a weapon!) so we taped it closed with duct tape.  There was no way that anyone could open it up!

"The Little Mermaid"  This is an example of having to "bundle up" under a costume.  I think she has a few layers under the costume plus winter boots.  Thank goodness we found some sparkly gloves!

My son the "Fisherman."  He even had a few fish hanging from his belt that you can't see.  He really enjoyed this costume.  At the time, he had only fished a couple of times, who knew that he would grow up to really enjoy the sport!

"Cleopatra" We all learned more about the history of Egypt!  When my daughter's friends asked who she was dressed up as and she told them "Cleopatra," the next question was, "Who is that?"  She was ready with a quick history lesson.

"John Quincy Adams"   Apparently, President Adams is a distant relative of our family.  For a class assignment, my son did a book report about President John Q. Adams and then decided to dress up as the president for Halloween.  When he went trick or treating, with his two friends, one dressed as a football player, and the other as a hockey player, he was asked a lot of questions at each house!

"Betsy Ross"  I think this was our "history period."  This dress belonged to my daughter's great aunt.  She loved wearing it!

I don't remember why my son decided to be a Native American...but, as you can see,  I like to add fringe whenever I can!  haha

"Mr. Money Bags" from Monopoly.  A perfect high school costume!

Here is my son, as a college student, in a costume he designed.  I received a phone call asking" I need some pink pajamas!"  My response was, " huh?"  But, as you can see, he really does look like a bottle of "Pepto Bismal."   And the Halloween costume tradition continues...

I hope that you have enjoyed this little Halloween fashion show...I know that I have enjoyed the memories!

Happy Halloween one and all!

Spooktacular Halloween Village

The weather is definitely cooler with a crispness in the air.  The trees are turning magnificent colors...red, gold, rust, orange and all the colors in between, some leaves are falling, making walking a crunchy experience, and best of all the pumpkins are ready to be harvested.   This means that Halloween is just around the corner!!!  Yippee, I just love Halloween...I always have and always will!  My family is well aware of my fondness for fall and for Halloween.  As a kid, I loved to "Trick or Treat," carve my pumpkin, and sort my "loot,"  (candy).  I don't remember eating much of it, but, boy has that changed!  So, over the years, my wicked wonderful children have given me my creepy "Halloween Village."  This collection is made by Studio 56, and is so much fun, spooky!

The village is displayed along our dining room windows, so at night its lights are reflected in the windows.  This makes the village is even scarier!

Halloween Village by Studio 56.

The Haunted Cathedral- home of the "Screeching Nun", a distant cousin of the Singing Nun.

The Haunted Cathedral...lit and unlit

The Schoolhouse- Where little goblinettes learn the three "Rs"-  Reeking, Rioting, and 

Retchmatic!

The  Schoolhouse, lit and unlit

"Dead Creek Mill"-  Where "things" are ground up...don't even ask!  Let's just say that they don't grind grain... it's not fish , but definitely brain food.   (unlit and lit)

The eerie "Windmill"- the sharply honed blades really turn. 

This fellow missed his bus a long, long, time ago...the lamp light actually lights up!

These fellows are lit...literally!  I think I need to add a bar or pub to the village so they have a place to get a re-fill!

I have added fall trees, mainly maples and birch to the scene...along with extraneous pumpkins, gourds, and fallen leaves.

Every small town needs its own water tower, especially one that can advertise its own "Annual Pumpkin Festival!"

Yikes, the tree is alive!  This is one scary tree.  It reminds of the trees from the

"Wizard of Oz." 

Also, every small haunted village needs a witch to create her potions, brews, and concoctions.  Especially if the village doesn't have a pharmacy!  I wonder if she charges a co-pay?  As you can see, the fire lights up, but what you can't see is that she stirs her pot over, and over, and over.

The "Dead End Motel" is for out of town guests, or better yet, out of this world guests.  My husband, my son, and I once stayed in a motel like this.  It was truly a nightmare...one we won't, can't forget.  (and believe me, we want to!)

Yes, there are little boys and ghouls in this town and they definitely need a haunted, old tree house to play in, especially if they need to play "Dead Man's Bluff, Haunt and Seek, or Pin the tail on the Black Cat!"

 I need to think of a name for my village....maybe Verminville, Death Valley, or maybe even 

New Yuck City!

Thank you, my two little "punkins," for my "Spooktacular" Haunted Village.  I love it and I love you!

Hope you all  have a Happy, Haunted, Hairy, and Hellacious Week!