Halloween Costumes of Days Past

One should either be a work of art,

or wear a work of art. ~Oscar Wilde

I ran across some photos that I thought might be fun to share - photos of Halloween costumes past, many moons ago. Since it is getting to be the time for trick-or-treating and Halloween parties, maybe one of these will spark an idea. All the costumes you're about to see are hand-made, which is very obvious in the earlier shots! Please click on each photo for better details.

There were four of us who used to dress as a group, in some kind of theme. The bottom photo in this group of two was actually our first attempt: we went as The Four Seasons. My ex-husband (left) was Summer, I was Winter, Chris was Autumn, Scott was Spring. It's very hard to tell, but our hats lit up. We hid battery packs inside the hats to run the lights.

The top of the two photos was the next Halloween. Our theme was The Las Vegas Strip. We each went as a hotel: Brian was The Aladdin, I was The Stardust, Chris was Caesar's Palace, and Scott was The Flamingo. I think I'm probably dating us here because I'm not sure that all these hotels exist any more! Again, it's hard to tell but not only did our hats light up, but so did our costumes. In the photo, you can perhaps see the twinkle lights in my skirt, but when we'd walk down the street, we lit up the night!

Finally, the last year we did a group theme - well, it was the pièce de résistance! We recruited friends and family to take part, and we became The Seven Deadly Sins. Scott knew a professional photographer, who took a few shots of us in all our sinful finery!

From left to right: Greed (Brian's hat said, "Money is the root of all evil," and he had play money and coins popping out everywhere); Anger (my hat said, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!" and my sash was a red dragon); Envy (aka Jan Brady from the Brady Bunch. Kim went around the entire evening saying, "Marsha! Marsha! Marsha! It's always about Marsha!"); Vanity (Claudia wore a gorgeous peacock headdress with hand-mirrors for a necklace); Sloth (Lisa dressed in pj's with a pillow behind her head, covered in candy-bar wrappers); Gluttony (that's my sister Marilyn, with food and drink all over her hat and clothes); and finally, Lust (Scott's costume speaks for itself, and you don't want to know what's in his hat!)

Here's another shot:

Once again, the hats and the costumes lit up, thanks to those hidden battery packs. With seven of us all lit up, you could see our glow coming from a mile away! We won first place at the parties we attended, although we had to duck through every door frame. Those hats made us mighty tall!

* * * * *

As I said, this was a long time ago, in a different life. My Halloween costume these days resembles a tired housewife at the end of a long day. I'm no longer covered in lights and sequins, but rather in pet fur and quilting threads! And I wouldn't have it any other way.

But it is fun to look back, and remember! Thanks for joining me on a trip down memory lane.

Until next time...

Friends and Good Health

Each friend represents a world in us,

a world possibly not born until they arrive. ~ Anäis Nin

All good things must come to an end. Isn't that what they say? My 15-week beginning quilting series is over. (sniff!)

Pictured above are my classmates and teacher (and literally, the teacher's pet: Zoey, the quilt shop dog.) Eileen (our instructor) is seated, holding the flowers we gave her on the last night of class. Standing behind her, left to right, are Carole, me, Sue and Heidi. We really bonded through this class, sharing family stories and tales of sewing woes. I think it's what women do best: talking, sharing, and providing a nurturing environment by really hearing what other women have to say. I don't believe we ever discussed anything earth-shattering during our time together. But I know that I always walked away from those weekly lessons feeling a bit more cared for and certainly more connected.

I was also usually exhausted from all we had learned about quilting in one evening!

I found an interesting article online called The Healing Power of Female Friendships, by Kathy English. Here's a small excerpt:

Actually, our girlfriends may play a far greater role in our lives than even the glam gals from Sex and the City -- today's poster girls for female friendships -- might imagine. New studies on women and stress provide strong evidence that those long gabfests with your girlfriends are vital to your health and may well help prolong your life. In June 2001, the renowned Harvard Medical School's Nurses' Health Study concluded that women's social networks play an important role in enhancing our health and quality of life. The study went so far as to conclude that not having at least one good confidante is as detrimental to a woman's health as being overweight or a heavy smoker [emphasis is mine].

Wow! I think that's a pretty powerful incentive for us to make sure we allow time for other women. We spend so much of each day working, caring for our children or grandchildren, keeping our houses clean and our partners fed, running errands, etc., etc. It's easy to put our female friendships on the back burner. After all, our friends are just as busy as we are, so who better to understand when we need to cancel a lunch get-together or a movie date?

But if we truly want to live a healthy life, we simply must make time to spend with our friends.

My oldest and dearest friends (including my sister and a cousin) are scattered around the globe: Boston, Georgia, Salt Lake, Idaho, and even Japan. The closest one is over 800 miles away. We keep in contact via emails, letters and phone calls, but I miss each one of them dearly. So having the opportunity to spend time with other women locally through classes, volunteer work or my weight support group is vital for my health, both emotionally and physically.

The same is true for you, don't you think?

I'm hoping that I'll see my quilting buddies again soon. We may take more classes together, and Carole is planning a barbecue for sometime in July. But even if our paths never cross again, my spirit has been fed by these wonderful gals. That's just what we women do for each other!

Until next time...

Healthy You Check-In

Ah, how good it feels! The hand of an old friend.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I am way behind on my quilt blocks, which are all due for this Thursday night's class. So I'm posting Monday night for my Healthy You Check-in.

In short, the week was terrible as far as eating and exercise went.

But it was wonderful as far as nurturing my heart and spirit is concerned.

My dear friend Scott visited hubby and I this weekend. It was a short trip, so we tried to pack in as much as possible. We ate dinner by the ocean Saturday night, then played a board game here at home. Hubby had a commitment Sunday morning, so Scott and I went to breakfast then the three of us attended a Pink Martini concert that afternoon, as part of the Ventura Music Festival (if you don't know their music, treat yourself and download a tune or two.) We had drinks afterward by the ocean, then dinner at a fabulous Italian bistro where a friend is the head chef. This morning Scott and I again had breakfast while hubby was flying to Chicago on business. We shopped for books and music (our favorite past-time!) then I took him to the airport. It was an enjoyable weekend filled with good food, great drinks and fun activities.

But the best part was having time to visit face-to-face with an old friend. Scott and I have been through hell and high water together and have always been there to support one another in life's adventures. He makes me laugh and helps my heart feel light.

I can’t help thinking that on this journey of good health, laughter and a joyful spirit are just as important as diet and exercise -- maybe even more so. Having a dear friend close by is good medicine! So I do see this past week as a success on an emotional level.

But Scott and I both know the value of getting in exercise every day. So we've committed to one another that we'll be more active: not for the sake of the scale, but for our hearts and minds. He'll be walking in Utah and I'll be walking in California, but we'll stay connected through it all.

After all, it's that heart-felt connection that old friends do best.


Until next time...

The Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued,

is always just beyond your grasp, but which,

if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

My African Violet is blooming again! It's been healthy and happy for a few years now, but I haven't been able to coax a flower out of it for a while. But today, there's a cheery little blossom enjoying the sunshine.

Diane, my friend and fellow Master Gardener, sent me the quote above, saying it was one of her favorites. When I asked what it meant to her, she replied, "We all have our 'to do' list of activities we need to accomplish in our pursuit of happiness. And perhaps, if we got off the treadmill, we could see that we are already... happy."

Isn't that the truth?

It sounds so corny, but I sure need to take time to enjoy the moments in my life. Not the big, 'this-is-so-fabulous!' kind of moments, but the tiny ones that added all together, equal true happiness. Like watching a bird having a great time washing itself in the birdbath the other day... or working hard to have the seams of my quilt block match up and being pleased when they do... or enjoying the feel of the sun on my face as I walked yesterday.

None of these things are life-altering, huge moments. But when I add them together, they show just how content I can feel when I become of aware of each small moment.

So maybe we all need to get off that treadmill Diane spoke of, and stop 'pursuing' happiness (even if our forefathers claimed it was an inalienable right!) Maybe we'd do better to just sit quietly and notice that happiness is already here.


Until next time...

Happy 25th!

Time is the coin of your life.

It is the only coin you have,

and only you can determine how it will be spent.

Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.

~ Carl Sandburg

I met my best friend Jeanne when we were both 15 years old. It was World History class and we found it was much more fun to giggle and share stories than listen to the teacher. We loved the same things: music and books, movies and liberal politics. But mostly, we shared a love of boys. We bonded almost immediately.

Somewhere in those early years, we took notice of the fact that good things always seemed to happen to us on the 25th day of the month. We'd have a lovely meal at a nice restaurant, and notice that it was the 25th. One of us would get good news, and we'd note that it was the 25th. Once we saw a gorgeous rainbow and instinctively knew it had to be the 25th, which it was.

Finding ways to celebrate ordinary things is fun, and can add such spontaneity to life. I always keep my eyes open on the 25th of each month for what's pleasurable to me, and for what goes right. If I'm looking for it, I can always find something positive.

Jeanne and I have carried on a tradition for over 35 years now, so I say it today to you: Happy 25th! Stay aware of something good happening today because good things always happen on the 25th!

Until next time...