Wednesday, October 20, 2021

For the first time in seven years...

I've put out most of my Halloween decorations! Last week, when I opened the dresser drawer (where I store my seasonal smalls), I saw these sweet pillows looking up at me and knew it was finally time to take a step toward healing. For you long time readers, you may recall that my father passed away on October 31, 2014--yes, my dad died on Halloween seven years ago. And although I've stitched a few orange and black pieces since then, his death on that day forever changed how I will think of Halloween. However... I know he would want me to begin enjoying all of the cute things I've made through the years again--he loved Halloween so much. So, this post is for you, dad--enjoy!!

My Pottery Barn cubby filled with much of  my Halloween stitching from the past 13 years.

Would you like some close-ups? For more detailed information on each of the Halloween finishes shown here (along with others!) you may want to click on the "Halloween" link under "Labels" in my sidebar to read the original posts about each finish. 











I also created this short video that you might enjoy, complete with not-so-spooky music. Unfortunately, the quality of it is not very good on my blog--not sure what I'm doing wrong!



As always with my Pottery Barn cubby, I leave my mom's silhouette in the center opening throughout the year. Do you think she's scared with the all Halloween things surrounding her? Not at all! My mom and dad loved Halloween and I can still picture Dad wearing a hairy gorilla mask, sitting quietly in the shadows of our front porch, not moving until an unsuspecting trick-or-treaters would climb the steps to knock on our door. He and my mom attended Halloween parties each year and would come up with the best costumes--cave man and woman, hippies, etc. I loved watching them plan and execute their costumes each October. Here they are in two of their get-ups!

Mom and Dad dressed as (not very authentic looking) "hippies" in 1967. I so wish I could read what their signs said. I do remember helping them create them as a then 12-year-old. I imagine they said things like "Peace Now," "Flower Power," etc. I was too young in the late '60s to ever be considered a hippie, but I do remember scribbling peace signs and flowers all over my school notebooks--anyone else?

Meet caveman and cavewoman also known as mom and dad! These disguises won them a "Best Costume" prize that year. I have no idea how mom attached the leafy vines to herself! Dad's "club" was simply a baseball bat with wadded up black paper stuck to it to resemble rocks :) I'm quite sure this was also from the late 1960s.

I know there are some of you who don't enjoy Halloween and won't even read or comment on today's post--and that's okay. I only enjoy the cute side of Halloween--nothing scary or gory. I mean I can't even watch a scary commercial for an upcoming movie or television show without covering my eyes and ears!  How about you--cute or scary?

I so enjoy the memories of dressing up for the big day. My "old woman" costume (complete with a white wig made of cotton balls perched on my head under an old cap) was my favorite and I dressed up like her several years. I hobbled along with a cane while wearing a long,  ragged skirt covered with patches. It's funny that today, at age 66, I wouldn't even need a costume to achieve that look! (Well, I'm not needing a cane yet and my hair isn't white due to the wonders of hair color, but you get the idea!). They say that, for many kids, Halloween is their favorite holiday. My oldest son, who is nearly 40 (gasp!), recently told me that it is still his favorite holiday. I had no idea! What is your favorite holiday? And did you have a favorite costume from back in your trick-or-treating days?

This next piece (which I finally framed after 10 years!), brings back such wonderful memories of those long ago crisp October 31st evenings  going door-to-door begging for goodies with my neighborhood friends. I lived in a small town which actually allowed trick-or-treating on two nights, and believe me, us kids took full advantage of it! With buckets filled with our "loot," my younger siblings and I would retreat into the living room, dump it all on the carpet, and begin the serious candy trading negotiations. I was the only one who liked coconut, so I was lucky enough to get all of the Mounds and Almond Joy bars!

"Trick Or Treat Lane"--finally framed!

You can read about my original finish of "Trick Or Treat Lane" by The Stitching Parlor in this post from 2011. Although I stitched this a decade ago, I still find it as charming as I did way back then. The frame was a great find for a mere 99¢ at my local Goodwill store. The rustic off-white look fits the scene perfectly. All I did was stitch some additional rows of the green grass on the bottom and sides and add a few rows of the brown floss to the tree trunk to get it to fill the frame completely. This was the first time I'd ever framed something like this and I love the effect!

I added several lines of stitches on the bottom and left side of this piece to fully fill the frame.


I want to thank you all for sharing my excitement about my grandson's move to the East Coast that I told you about in my last post. I honestly can't tell you how wonderful it is to be able to leave here after breakfast and drive to their house in time for lunch! My husband and I drove down three weeks ago to help them unpack and  settle in. The settling in process has not been a smooth one and this is a cautionary tale for anyone renting or buying a place and not being able to tour it in person first. In hindsight, they realize that they should have had a trusted friend go see the house in person for a sniff test! Although their rental house was great to look at online--a nicely sized four bedroom, 2 bath home--it had one major problem. It smelled awful!!! UGH!!! The first thing they noticed when they walked through the front door was a horrible odor. Putting it down to cooking odors, we all pitched in and thoroughly scrubbed all the kitchen cupboards, appliances, vents, etc. Unfortunately, the disgusting odor persisted; I had never smelled anything like it--a combination of wet dog, smelly feet, and body odor (if you can even imagine!). It soon became apparent, it was emanating from the carpeting in the family room, up the stairs, and in the second floor hallway. Every other room in the house has hardwood flooring, thank goodness.


In trying to remedy the problem, they had the smelly carpeting professionally cleaned... it still reeked! They used an ozone machine... it still reeked! They were out of options. When they complained to the landlord, his response was that he had never smelled anything odd. Really?!?! We finally suggested that my son and daughter-in-law offer to split the cost of the carpeting with the landlord. The man and his family will be moving back in in two years so it really behooved him to have someone else pay for half the cost of the carpeting.  And, this option was MUCH cheaper than breaking the two year lease and paying an $8,000 penalty! So, on Monday, new carpeting was installed (there was no sign of mold or mildew when the old was removed, thankfully) and voilà--the odor is miraculously gone!

It has been a stressful three weeks for the little family struggling with this issue, getting used to a new nanny for my grandson (my son and daughter-in-law both work from home, but they need someone to keep an eye on him while they work), and living with the bare bones furniture that they brought with them from San Diego. Due to all of this stress, my poor daughter-in-law came down with shingles. Sigh... I sure hope things turn around for them and they can finally settle in because, on the plus side, the neighborhood is one of the nicest I've seen--big old trees, lots of people out walking or biking, strolling babies, and exercising their pets. I wish our neighborhood was more like that! I do wish them luck and I feel optimistic that they will end up deciding they made the right decision to move east. 

Believe it or not, we are leaving again for our third (and final) wedding (in three months!) of one of our nephews on Friday. This one is in Kentucky--about a 6 1/2 hour drive. I'll be so happy when this last wedding of the year is over and I can just relax at home or go visit my grandson. I'm such a homebody and I miss having an empty calendar! I think the  past year and a half has turned me into somewhat of a hermit as I truly enjoy my time at home stitching, cooking, reading, decorating, and just plain old puttering more than ever! How about you? 

Thanks so much for stopping by today--I really love knowing that some of you still read blogs and find them interesting and entertaining as many of you mentioned in your comments or emails to me after my last post. I'm not sure if I'll be back again before November, but, if not, I hope you all enjoy these final days of October. Sending hugs and positive thoughts to my stitching friends who are dealing with sickness or sadness... I think of you often; I hope you know that. Take care now, everyone. Bye for now...

50 comments:

Mayte said...

Buenos dias, te escribo desde Spain, me ha encantado tu coleccion de Halloween, es maravillosa y verla tal cual la has puesto me ha resultado fantastica, tenias unos padres maravillosos que disfrutaban de Halloween.

Aqui en Spain en mi infancia no existia Halloween, el 31 de Octubre era recordar a nuestros muertos, poner velas por la casa, paraque las almas tubieran luz, sabes el miedo por la noche que pasabamos??

Con los años se empezó a traer la fiesta a la old Europe, y ahora las disfrutamos, aqui en Spain tambien nos disfrazamos, pero de cosas de miedo, de brujas, vampiros, momias..etc....

Me encanta leer tu blog, el traductor de google a mejorado y entiendo todo perfectamente.

Me ha parecido super interesante lo de la casa de alquiler, imaginate, yo que veo muchas series norteamericanas en Neflix ya imaginaba algo escabroso debajo de la alfombra jajajaj, me alegra que todo se solucionara, y espero que tu nuera este mejor.

Un abrazo desde Alicante, Spain y un placer conocerte

Mayte

Gabi said...

Boo Carol,
what a funny post. Enjoyed reading very. Yes, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays in the year. But it is not that popular here in Germany. I know Halloween since I was a little child, cause we had American neighbors. Other neighbors in my neighborhood (much later) made a Halloween Party for the kids. OoooH my daughter was facinated, and started Halloween parties. I think she still has 5 big boxes full of deco material.
Your stitching is as always wonderful and I am sure your Dad and Mom sit laughing on cloud nr. 7.
Have a great time and happy Halloween
Gabi

Irene said...

Adoro i tuoi ricami di Halloween, sono tutti di un tono armonioso, stanno così bene insieme!! In Italia non è di tradizione, ma mio papà era di origine germanica e quindi ha sempre festeggiato, non in costume, ma con dolci e monetine.
L'odore della moquette vecchia è terribile, per fortuna l'hanno sistemata!

butterfly said...

Great post Carol with all the Halloween stitching goodies .
Love your parents photos how cute .
So sorry about your sons house , but it will be ok now .
Carpets do hold smells , I would always change them any way.
I am sure they will be very happy there and that you are both not to far away.
Enjoy the next few weeks hugs.

Marilyn said...

Your Halloween cubby is fantastic!
Love all of those cute finishes,especially the Black Cat Inn on that orange fabric.
Great pics & memories of your Mom & Dad in their costumes.
I do like some scary, but not gory.
Mom couldn't afford costumes, so we always came up with our own, usually from a sheet.
Sometimes a ghost, sometimes an Indian with a headband of feathers made out of construction paper.
When we moved here 3 years ago, we had a terrible smoke smell, which we knew, but didn't realize how bad it was until everything was removed from the walls, after the sale. I actually gasped out loud!
We had to scrub & paint walls, but we didn't realize, like your son that the carpeting was holding the smell.
We had to have it all ripped out & replaced.
Turns out, all of the neighbors told us the former owners were chain smokers. In fact, the wife passed away a year before we moved in from lung cancer. It took us about 1 year to get the smoke smell out.
There was also about 25 burns holes in front of the couch that they covered up with the couch before showing!
I am glad you are closer to family.
Marilyn

Stasi said...

Oh Carol...I have cubby envy!!! I am so happy you brought out your Halloween pieces..they are all precious...and yes, your Dad would want you to display them...and remember him and your Mom!
My Mom used to make all our Halloween costumes; we were characters from the Wizard of Oz, Pinnochio, a train made from boxes etc. We too had two nights of Trick or Treating and would acquire quite a stash of candy! One of my favorite costumes was when my hubby and I were invited to a Halloween party and had to dress as a famous "pair". I got us a purple and tan set of set of sweat pants/shirt, cut out some huge pieces of foam in the shape of bread, painted the edges brown and we went as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.....bonus was we hugged often all night!!!
Sorry about all the troubles your son's family has had and hope the problem is now solved.
Hope you can enjoy a fun Halloween this year!

Arlene G said...

I am glad you got out your Halloween stitching. I am not a big Halloween stitcher but I love the old retro look Halloween things and the new Brenda Gervais Halloween smalls are so precious. We usually just put a mask on and visited family and friends. Living in the country we could not just walk door to door. Your parents were good sports. My parents would never have done that. Amelia and Todd plan their costumes as well. They have come up with some good ones. What a horrific experience for your son and DIL...I can see why she got shingles. This real estate market is crazy one. Hope they get settled in well.

Meg said...

Hi, Carol!

Wow! Decorating for Halloween IS a big deal for you. Kudos on taking that step. I know it was not easy. I love the vintage photos of your parents—thanks for sharing them!

All of your stitches and finishes are delightful! I love your cubby display. My favorite is the framed one second from the right on top.

Halloween is my second favorite holiday (Christmas is first). I don’t mind scary—I stitched the Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow and I love stitching witches and skeletons. It’s just stuff to me, and I don’t really get worked up over superstition. I do more Halloween stitching than anything else, and I’ve had to reign it in because I don’t have any more room on my walls and surfaces for displaying pieces. Haha. I love the colors…greens and purples and oranges with black. They pop!

Ugh on the carpet. I dare say that landlord took advantage of the kids. That wasn’t fair. But I’m also glad it’s done so they can go forward.

I love your full-coverage framing. What a clever idea to add rows of stitching to make the frame fit!

Here’s to settling in at home. (You know I understand that…lol.)

Sending big bear hugs and lots of love,
Meg

Robin in Virginia said...

Oh Carol, your Halloween stitches displayed in your cubby are fabulous. I am glad you decided to get them out. Enjoyed the pictures of your parents in costume! How fun! I am not team scary. I am happy to hear the stink has left the house by way of new carpet. Enjoy the upcoming wedding! Thinking of you!

Kath said...

Hi Carol, I'm so glad to see you set up all your lovely Halloween stitched decorations. They're all wonderful and yes, your father would would want you to start celebrating and decorating for Halloween again. I love the cubby, I may have to find one of my own.
I'm so sorry to hear of the troubles your son and daughter-in-law had to go through with the carpet. We also had carpet issues in a place we moved into, but ours was the landlord decided to dye the carpet two days before we moved in. Needless to say that for the next two years of living there, our socks constantly picked up the color of the dye. Complaints to the landlord only resulted in a choice to have the entire carpet replaced and a raise in the cost of our monthly rent or to live with it.
I love the pictures of your parents in their Hallowen outfits. What wonderful times we had as children dressing up with all my siblings. I miss those times with my own children. I wish there was a way to find the names of all the patterns in your cubby display, I'd really love to stitch some of them, ok, maybe all of them. LOL
Happy Halloween!

Unknown said...

I enjoy your posts every time. It's a wonderful notification to see in my inbox. I love your cubbies filled with Halloween goodies. Such fun eye candy!

Sandy said...

My goodness., your poor daughter-in-law. I can't help but think stress and having had Covid that all of it depleted her immune system. Those shingles are something else. I am so glad the carpet thing worked out and pray that little boy will be happy with his new nanny. That mommy won't be happy until he is happy.
I love my simple memories of Halloween. I like you like the sweeter side. Casper is about as ghosty as I go. Jack-0-lanterns, big full moons, and black cats are my decor. I do love the pictures of your parents. Mine didn't do that, but that is adorable. We were in the military as enlisted and I do remember my street with just simple items. I LOVE your PB cubby all decorated. This is my new goal! It is adorable. I love all of your stitches, but I think my favorites are the one at the top framed with the black cat and jack and the one you just framed. AHH-DORABLE.

Unknown said...

I just love your blog and always look forward to a new post. Glad your family is close by. Sorry you daughter in law had all those issues to deal with. Good days are coming their way. Love all your Halloween smalls. I am not a fan of gruesome Halloween shows or themes. I too enjoyed the special trick or treat nights in the neighborhood as a kid. Sweet memories. Miriam in West Texas.

Vicki said...

Love your Halloween cubby disply! Another blogger I read has one of those cubby shelves and I want one so much. Your newest Halloween stitch is so pretty. I love the houses. I'm not big on Halloween. My reason is that I'm not creative when it comes to costumes. I used to dread having to come up with costumes for my 4 kids back in the day. Now I can just sit back and ooh and aah over the Grands' get-ups! Nothing scary for me... I saw the movie "Halloween" back in the 70s and it scared me for life. I didn't like scary before that, but that really scared me!

So glad your family is close by. I know you are enjoying every moment you get to spend with them.

Cotton Blossom said...

Your cubby is beautiful, so Halloweeny but unscary. That's my favorite. Thanks for posting. I still enjoy reading blogs, especially with such eye candy. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad. I lost my Mom in February this year. To say I have been on a roller coaster is an understatement. Such beautiful memories and painful grief too. I've picked up a lot of stitching, crafting, quilting to try and help.

Thank you for sharing.

Heritage Hall said...

Hi Carol - I just love your spirit and the narratives of what is going on in your life. I could not help but think that because Halloween was so meaningful to your Dad, that it was a gift that he passed into a heavenly trick or treat reunion joining his other
costumed soul friends...in a way, except for missing him, it makes Halloween a sweet memory. So glad the carpet issues were resolved for your dear Family ...Their neighborhood sounds lovely. Blessings ~

Quiltsmiles said...

Safe travels Carol to Tennessee for this third wedding in as many months. Through out your whole post; I read "Her loves".... husband, Dad, Mom, Halloween, Son and daughter in law, Loss, hope, and her stitchy life. May you always stay resilient my friend.

Glad too that their first hurtle on the East coast is a relatively easy to fix one, hopefully it'll be quite a while before any more needs to be dealt with to ease their transition. Is your daughter in law also from the East or does she hail or have family on the west coast to divide her dreams?

Stay Well, and Happy Halloween, your Dad and Mom both would be honored to see that curio cube display.

DebrafromMD said...

We have the same Pottery Barn cubby, and you have inspired me to stitch more Halloween small so I can fill it during the season.

Sandra said...

Wonderful stitching for October! I loved the photos of your parents in fancy dress!
Halloween is definitely not my favourite holiday! It didn't exist in England where I grew up. My favourite holiday was Christmas when I was a child and when my own children were growing up. These days, I just adore Easter with spring flowers, bunnies and chicks and lambs in the fields!

In Europe, what you call Halloween is All Hallows Eve is the day before All Saints Day when people go to cemeteries to put candles and flowers for their departed loved ones.

So no Halloween for me!

Christel said...

C'est un bel hommage que vous rendez à votre père. Il est sans aucun doute très heureux de voir ça. Tous ces réalisations sont très belles, et je n'ai même pas peur !
Halloween est peu fêter en France, petite Lara se déguise bien sûr ainsi que ses parents pour aller glaner des friandises. Dans notre petit village il n'y a même plus d'enfants qui passent depuis 2 ans. Les déguisements de vos parents sont rigolos.
Ma fête préférée est Noël.
Tous les ans (hormis l'an passé avec la covid) nous organisons un goûter et les enfants sont heureux de voir le Père Noël (mon mari...). Ils lui apportent leurs lettres, se font prendre en photo, et n'oublient jamais leurs paquets de bonbons confectionnés par un lutin (moi.. en cachette à la maison...), et se régalent de gâteaux faits maison. J'aime voir leurs petits visages s'éclairer et les étoiles qui brillent dans leurs yeux.
J'imagine la puanteur dans la maison de votre fils. Quelle horreur ! C'est très décevant d'emménager et s'apercevoir qu'il y a un ou des problèmes. Malheureusement on ne peut pas toujours visiter les maisons avant, la distance freine beaucoup. Enfin, le problème est réglé, ils se sentent bien dedans maintenant. J'espère que BabyB apprécie sa nouvelle nounou.
Je suis casanière comme vous, j'aime le calme, mais je ne me considère pas comme ermite pour autant. Parfois les personnes me disent : " Mais tu ne t'ennuies pas chez toi, toute seule ?". Certes mon mari travaille encore mais je ne suis pas seule pour autant. J'ai 5 chats et des poules ! Il est bien évident que je leur parle mais la discussion tourne court :-) Je fais les réponses toute seule ! Pendant les vacances scolaires petite Lara vient passer quelques jours à la maison, et j'ai une amie qui habite un peu plus haut dans le village. Alors quand l'une ou l'autre a envie de discuter, de marcher, on se rejoint. Et puis j'ai la broderie, la musique, le jardin. Donc pas le temps de m'ennuyer.
Voilà plusieurs que je ne peux broder, les douleurs sont revenues avec les premiers froids.. Mais comme je dis souvent, ça n'est pas grave, ça passera.
Il faudrait bien que je m'occupe un peu de mon blog, j'ai des articles à faire....
Amitiés de France,
Christel
http://toilesetfils.blogspot.com

Vickie said...

My favorite holiday must be Christmas. :) What an ordeal with the carpeting. I wonder if it was cat urine? I am sorry for dear Olivia. :(

C Reeder PhxAz said...

Don’t enjoy the holiday at all. So skip scary completely. I like seeing what people are stitching but enjoy a fall harvest presentation more. So I love your beautiful cubby all stocked up with goodies to see and enjoy. It’s beautiful. Glad the kids are getting settled and that pesky odor is gone. Enjoy the wedding and see you in November. Did you get that loaned pattern back I sent?

Jackie's Stitches said...

Your halloween cabbie is so cute. You know, when the time is right - the time is right. 2021 was the right time for you to decorate again. xoxo

SO glad your grandson is closer and your son's family figured out and were able to fix the issue with the smell. no wonder your DIL broke out in shingles, I heard stress can trigger it.

Mary in AR said...

Love the vintage photos of your Mom and Dad. Daddy took us trick or treating until we were old enough to go with friends, but he did not dress up. My favorite costume was a cowgirl; I wore one for several years in a row.
Your Halloween stitches have always inspired me. Black cats at Halloween are to only cats I like,lol! As I've gotten older, I do not care as much for the scary and gorey; I really loved that style when I was younger, but not now.
I'm so glad that the kids were able get rid of the awful smell! And now the baby has new carpet to be on!
Love reading your blog each and every time!

Barb said...

I love all the Halloween decorations. Like you, I do the fun not the scary or nasty. It does remind me of my childhood and the wonderful home made treats we used to get from kind neighbors. Your Mom and Dad were sure a fun loving couple. You have such fun pictures of them. Your family's move sounds like a nightmare. It will be good when everything settles down and you can think of all the wonderful visits you will have with that cute little boy and his family!

Shelly said...

I'm sure your father and mom were smiling down on you and your Halloween decorating! So sorry to hear of your DIL and the shingles but glad to know the carpet hassle is behind them. I was a daydreamer in school so everything was covered in horses and flowers. To this day, when I'm on the phone, I still scribble! Happy Halloween to you all and have a safe trip to Kentucky:)

Manuela said...

Hallo Carol,
ein schöner Post und dein Vater hätte sich bestimmt sehr gefreut ihn zu lesen. Deine Halloween Finishes sind so schön. Ja, es wurde Zeit, sie herauszunehmen und zu dekorieren.
Bei uns in Deutschland ist Halloween erst in den letzten Jahren zu einem Fest geworden. Letztes Jahr haben wir wegen der Pandemie, alles dunkel gemacht. So hat auch keiner geklingelt und nach Süßem oder Saurem gefragt. Dieses Jahr werden wir es wieder so machen. Im Haus habe ich ein paar niedliche Halloween und Herbst Dekorationen stehen, mehr aber auch nicht.
Das ist ja ärgerlich mit dem Teppichboden. Aber eine gute Lösung habt ihr gefunden. Nun wünsche ich deinem Sohn und seiner Familie alles Gute und dass sie sich in ihrem neuen Heim bald zu Hause fühlen.
Viel Spaß bei der bevorstehenden Hochzeit deines Neffen.
Big Hugs, Manuela

Kay said...

Your Halloween collection is delightful, I have never stitched anything for Halloween but do appreciate seeing stitching done beautifully. I tend to always start my Christmas stitching once summer is gone and miss the bits in between.

Cathy H. said...

What a great Halloween post! Love your cubbie full of wonderful pieces! I was never a Halloween fan, except for the candy we got! I never could come up with a good costume. Such a horrible story of stinky carpet! So glad they finally figured out the problem and it was resolved! You'll enjoy them being so much closer. Happy Halloween to you!

Mary @ Neat and Tidy said...

We are the same age! The '60's sure were a crazy time; I'm glad you have good memories, and your parents must have been a lot of fun.

We don't celebrate here, but we will be having some children we know stop at the house for a bag of treats. We have fun spoiling these little ones and look forward to it each year. Don't know what we'll do when they grow up!

As always it's fun to see your stitching and decorating. Take care.

Faith... said...

Your parents were cute hippies but I really loved the "Cave Couple" picture; very cute indeed! I think that frame is perfect for that Halloween piece! Trick or treating was a fun day as we grew up and I used to love taking my kids out to go door to door. Now we don't get to many trick or treaters and I always think it is a shame what the world has come to and how sad that kids can't just be kids anymore.

Glad to hear that your son and his family are all settled in safe and sound and that they came up with a remedy for the stinky carpet that was good for everyone. Maybe the landlord lived there before they arrived and is the culprit of the odor and that is why he never smelled it? And then your poor DIL got the shingles! Oh noooo I do hope she is recovering. I always think of that crazy commercial on tv when someone mentions the shingles and it sounds awful.

I love your cubby for your stitching display and that your Mom is always on display there. Have a safe trip to KY!

Kyle said...

Love every piece in your adorable cubbie. Glad your son's family got the carpet issue solved. Totally frustrating.

MartinaM said...

I have to admit that I'm not that Halloween person, but I'm totally excited about your little works, they look so beautiful, and your dad would certainly enjoy it a lot. Thanks for the beautiful pictures of your parents, they probably had a lot of fun coming up with costumes.
We don't really celebrate Halloween here, mostly only small children are out and about with their parents, but also not in many streets.
Oh dear, that's a story with the landlord, it's good that everything is fixed now.
I wish you a wonderful time. Martina

AC said...

Stunning Pottery Barn cubby!!
love from Sweden,
Anna

Chrissie B said...

Love this blog! Love stitching Halloween and anything for fall.
What a horrible ordeal with that awful smell. Glad it’s been resolved….
Keep up the wonderful stitching and your blog. I always get excited when I see you’ve posted a new one…..

Maggie said...

Your Halloween stitching is beautiful, I'm so glad you decided to display it all again. Halloween is a relatively new thing here in the UK, It definitely wasn't something we had heard of when I was young, neither did my girls dress up or go trick or treating. It's probably been a thing for perhaps 8 or 10 years and my grandson, Oliver, loves all things Halloween.
Glad you son and his family got the smell sorted, that must have been awful for them. Hope they can now settle into their new home and enjoy it. xx

Eva H. said...

Dear Carol,
I was very happy to read about your life.We never celebrated Halloween in our country.We older people don't celebrate it.But the young people do.We have two holidays(more like intimate ones).
1st November-"All Saints Day" and 2nd,November "The memory of the deceased". Everyone goes to the cemetery,light candles,lay lots of flowers and remember the dearly departed.I light candles for my parents(their graves are far away) and lots of friends...
I'm sorry for the bad experience your son's family had.It must be really shocking.I hope everything will be ok and they will be happy there.I have a big family and I'm very happy when someone visits me every day.
Have a wonderful autumn(I don't like autumn,I love spring ☺)
Eva

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Donna G. said...

I love all of your Halloween stitching. I’m not much for witches and/or the “dark” side of Halloween. Have a safe and fun trip to Kentucky.

Georgia said...

Oh Carol, I absolutely loved reading your blog today. I could relate to so much of what you were saying. Halloween is not my favorite holiday, and I like the fact that there aren't that many cute Halloween theme patterns that tempt me to buy...I save the money for Thanksgiving, fall themed & Christmas. I do have good memories got going door to door trick or treating, something my children never had. The candy is overwhelming to me, I could eat it all! That being said both of my parent's birthdays were in the month of October. My father's October 11 & Mom's October 26 (she always wanted pumpkin pie for her birthday) like you I prefer cute to scary. As for your son and his moving experiences. My nephew who is in the Air Force, recently moved from New Mexico to That DC/Virginia area. It was a moving experience for them too. Buying a home was a challenge, and like I say the rules keep changing. You have to bid higher than the listed price. They did get moved and settled though, and are doing well expecting their third child any day now. Thank you so much for keeping your blog going, I love reading it and like I always told Arlene @ Nanaland it is like reading a letter from home.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

I love your cubby with all your spooky stItching on display. Love the photos of your parents too, i am glad that you are able to remember those happy times now.
I love Halloween stitching, I tend to the mythical side of the celebration rather than gory. I love witches and black cats! I don't enjoy horror films at all although I do enjoy a good vampire film or book.
We didn't really have Halloween when I was child, we celebrated Guy Fawkes Night on Fifth November instead. We always had fireworks in our back garden and sparkles for the kids to hold. When we did dressing up, I was usually the witch in some old black clothes from my Mum!
Glad your son is sorting his house out now, at least it was only the carpets and not something worse, like the sewers!

Leonore Winterer said...

We don't really celebrate Halloween in Germany, but I do enjoy the decorations and aesthetics, especially the cute ones! So I love your display, and hope you'll enjoy the season this year.
As for favourite holidays, I think I'm really a Christmas girl :)
Sad to hear things have been so hectic for your son and his family! Hope things will settle down for them soon, and for you as well. I agree - my social schedule is starting to be really full again, and I just want to stay at home stitch!

Janice Boucher said...

Hi Carol... I always look forward to another one of your blog posts! What a fabulous display of stitchy goodies! I love Halloween stitching and decorations. It's one of my favorite times of the year.
So happy for you to be near your son and family. I'm lucky that my grandchildren are also nearby. What a blessing.
Happy that your son's house is now clear of all the awful smells and they can finally settle in.
Janice Boucher

Barb said...

Hi Carol - what a wonderful posting you have shared with us! I always love it when I see that you have written something so special for all of us to learn what you have been doing and to see your incredible stitching. I truly can’t get over all of your Halloween 🎃 👻 stitched beauties. I would love to look in your Pottery Barn cubbies and admire all of them up close - they are very special and I love them all. I’ve stitched some Halloween pieces - a few are framed - but yours are so wonderful. I loved reading about your Mom & Dad, too. Obviously, very fun and wonderful parents!!

I truly hope your son, DIL and grandson are happy and content they have made their move east. Moving is always a huge event and challenging, but I hope that they all find it to be worth the effort and so nice to be so much closer to you and your husband and sons. I’m sure they truly appreciated all of your help getting them settled. It really seems amazing that you can be there to see them in such a short time compared to having to fly cross country. Will they be celebrating Thanksgiving at grandma’s house this year?

How were all the wedding celebrations you attended these past few months? I hope that was lots of fun for you. Now you can enjoy being at home and the upcoming holidays.

Best wishes and all the best to you and your family!

❣️ Barb R.

Jill said...

Good to hear that you have Halloween projects on display again. It's as if Pottery Barn made the cubby for your cross stitch. Your parents made Halloween fun. Moving is stressful and to add other issues especially with a baby would be awful. Sounds like it is resolved. Sometimes social commitments (even happy ones) can be tiring when travel is involved. I too enjoy staying busy at home. Perhaps we will hear from you in December. Safe travels!

Unknown said...

Awesome blog sissy. Stirred up some great memories but now I know who was taking all the Mounds and Almond Joy bars from me!!! I love coconut!! Great pics of m&d. Did we use my PB discount to get the cubby? If so, it has served you well and I'm really glad you have resumed your Halloween display!

Mary said...

I just love your cubby!!! I am so glad your decided to display them again and I"m sure your Father would be thrilled with your decision. I always feel good when I appreciate and enjoy something that my parents loved. It brings me closer to them in memories, if that even makes sense!
Your parents are a hoot!!! I love their costumes, so fun, I see where you get your creativity from!
So happy to hear that life will soon be back to normal for you and you can enjoy your day to day routine.
Any trips planned to see your grandson? I'm so glad the carpet situation worked out.
I had to laugh over your trading candy. There were 5 of us and we would put our candy ifo us in piles and trade, Almond Joy was my favorite, second to Mary Jane bars. We rarely had candy as kids, it was a huge treat so Trick or treating was a big deal. My favorite was wearing my Mom's nursing cap and her heavy navy cape, it came down to my ankles and was heavy wool...It was hot and heavy but I thought I envisioned myself as Florence Nightingale!

Lesleyanne said...

So sorry your son and daughter in law had to deal with so much moving in to their smelly house. I am so pleased it is all sorted no. I am definitely a cute Halloween person. Like you I don't even like the adverts for scary movies let alone watch one. I love your cubby and I am sure your mum and dad would too. They looked fantastic in their costumes.

Joy said...

I don't decorate a great deal for Halloween, Fall is my thing. But Im happy for you that this was the year to bring out all of your wonderful pieces!

Jutta said...

Oh, Carol, a wonderful Halloween sheldecoration, I can't get enough of these beautiful photos.
And your parents dressed up great, how funny, hihi !!!
I also like your new embroidery, thanks for this great, long post,
hugs Jutta

Jennifer said...

What a cheery cubby all filled up with Halloween projects - I hope you found some joy from putting out your things this year. I like Halloween, but was never great at coming up with costumes - my mom did make me one great flapper dress in high school and I wore it to work a Haunted house - this was before the days of everything zombie, so I was just a normal flapper - not exactly the scariest costume there! Hope that all is well with the rental house for your son and his family!