Our 2019 Halloween Costumes

This year's costumes were inspired by a picture I saw of a group of cosplayers at one of the big cons. They were dressed as Jedi, but their robes and lightsabers were in the colors of the Hogwarts houses. I didn't want to make costumes for everyone (I do not have that kind of time on my hands) and I knew we didn't have Harry Potter costumes to fit everyone or Star Wars costumes to fit everyone. But we could do half Harry Potter and half Star Wars and I'd only need to make two costumes. That seemed doable, so that's what we did.

Jeremy was Han Solo, using the costume I made a couple years ago.

Sunshine was Chewbacca. I made her costume this year.

apparently Chewbacca doesn't smile?

I was a Gryffindor Jedi, using robes I made this year.

River was Harry Potter, using the costume I made for Sunshine to be Hermione a few years ago.

Ocean was Ron Weasley, using the costume I made for River to use as Harry Potter a few years ago.

I think the mashup of Star Wars and the Wizarding World worked well.

A few more details on each costume.

We didn't change anything on Jeremy's costume that I made a few years ago. If he uses it again, I'll have to make new boot covers, but the rest of it is holding up pretty well.

I made a fur dress that Sunshine wore over a long sleeve black dress and fur leggings that snapped around her black boots. I got the idea for it here (affiliate link: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases, but there is no additional cost for you). I just cut a basic dress shape out of the fur, tried it on Sunshine, then altered it from there to fit her. I hemmed the collar to keep the fur out of her face, but didn't bother hemming the sleeve edges or the bottom. She also wore black leggings.

I altered the bag I made for her Asoka costume and turned it into Chewbacca's ammo belt. Even though River was Chewbacca last year, I had to buy a new bowcaster since his got broken sometime this past year. Like last year, I spray painted it for better realism.

I lengthened the bag strap with more webbing, then covered cubes of styrofoam in light gray duck tape and hot glued them to the strap. I hot glued a narrow strap over them, and put rivets in between each cube.

River wore the same vest and robes Sunshine had worn, with a white dress shirt and black pants. I did buy a Gryffindor tie from Target for $5, along with a pair of Harry Potter glasses (which he loves wearing, regardless of whether he's in costume). The glasses came with a surprisingly long-lasting temporary tattoo scar, that he is still carefully not washing off. We also found him a stuffed owl to use as Hedwig and I made a new wand since I don't know where his other one went.

Ocean wore River's old vest and robes, with a white dress shirt and gray pants. The robes were a little short, but that would be in character for Ron, so I didn't worry about it too much. He also wore a Gryffindor tie from Target, and we found him a stuffed rat so he could carry Scabbers around. I also made him a wand (hot glue on a chopstick, then spray painted, with some craft paint on top for texture). We sprayed his hair orange with a $2 can of orange hair spray, which lasted four uses with some still in the can.

My costume required the most work. I used my old Jedi robes to make a new set in Gryffindor colors (the house I've been sorted into). I used a red flat sheet and some yellow fabric from JoAnns. I would have liked a yellow that was a bit more orangey/gold, but I couldn't find any. I just wore a plain white t-shirt under the robes. I bought a Gryffindor patch on eBay to sew on one side of the yellow shoulder armor.

I made a black sash and found a belt at Goodwill to update the belt that goes over it. I riveted a narrower belt on top of a wider belt to keep them in place, then cut them in the back and attached some black elastic. This gives just enough stretch for me to step in and out of it, since the buckle is non-functioning. I put the small utility pouch from my old belt over the elastic to hide it as much as possible.

Under the tunic I wore black pants tucked into black boots. I also made a new lightsaber with a bigger handle. This allowed me to put a small flashlight inside to light up the blade, which I made out of red pex tubing. I sanded the printed words off the pex and gave the whole thing a light sanding. I painted the handle like I painted the last ones I made.

2018 costumes
2017 costumes
2016 costumes
2015 costumes
2014 costumes
2013 costume and here
2012 costume
2011 costumes and here
2010 costumes
2009 costume
2008 costume

Weekly Mileage #135 and the Banjo Concert

foggy morning

It was a super busy week, which I knew it would be, so I took time Saturday evening to write down everything I needed to accomplish in the coming days. I didn't get everything done, but I did get a good percentage of my list accomplished.


Monday started with me calling the pediatrician to see when they could see Ocean. They were able to squeeze him in forty minutes later, which gave us twenty minutes to get ready and out the door (we were both still in our pjs). Ocean's ear had been oozing for almost a week, he was complaining of it hurting, and the ear drops weren't helping. The doctor switched medications, and we were out the door in time for preschool.

While he was at preschool, I went for a run and a hike, then ran some errands. I spent the rest of the week finishing our costumes and accessories (pictures to come later!), working on a talk, working on ornaments for my Etsy shop, cleaning and organizing the basement, and helping River get ready for his first banjo performance.

Wednesday I finally spent some time on my bike. My bum did not appreciate the long hiatus. The last time I rode it was at the beginning of May.

Thursday Ocean had a makeup preschool day, so I squeezed in another hike.

cool spiderweb covered in mist

Friday evening was our ward Trunk or Treat, and I finished our costumes Thursday night, so I wasn't working down to the wire. I'll share more pictures soon.

Saturday Sunshine had an orienteering thing with her Scout troop. While she was at that, my YW counselors and I made and photographed the samples for our fundraiser (we never held it in the spring, so we're squeezing it in now).

Shortly after we arrived home from those activities, my dad stopped in for a weekend visit. He had some training in Maryland during the week, so he took the opportunity to visit us.

We went for a hike to enjoy the fall foliage.

The kids' music teacher had organized a banjo outreach program for the local schools and topped it off with a concert Saturday night. There's not a lot of younger banjo players and she's trying to drum up more interest. The concert was mostly attended by older people, but there were also a few high schoolers.

River and his teacher started things off playing a song, and they were followed by a local lady who was very knowledgeable about the roots of the banjo (west Africa). She's made examples of the various iterations (they were first made of gourds) and played some tunes on them. Super cool! She was followed by a guy who played mostly clawhammer tunes. Jeremy took advantage of the ten minute break to take the kiddos home since it was getting late, but my dad and I stayed for the banjo/guitar/fiddle tunes and the bluegrass band. It was a lot of fun with some great music!

River did a great job and no problem getting up in front of a room full of people to play.

Sunday I spoke in sacrament meeting. It's been a couple years since the last time I did, but I felt less nervous this time, so that's a plus. I think it went well. It had been hanging over my head for a week and a half, so it was nice to finally have it done and check it off my list.

Dad had to leave Sunday afternoon, but it was nice that he had more time to spend with us than he has had on previous visits.

Weekly Mileage
Monday- 1.45 mile trail run
Monday- 1.75 mile hike
Wednesday- 10.00 mile bike ride
Thursday- 2.15 mile hike
Saturday- 1.20 miles hiked
total- 16.65 miles

27 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
2.56 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

112.38 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
41.16 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
90.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
246.10 miles total

Weekly Mileage #132 and Wood Badge Beading

Giant $50 pumpkins outside Whole Foods means the boys think they need a picture with them.

This week I didn't go to the park for a trail run and hike. Ocean didn't have preschool and I just didn't manage to get out of bed and moving that morning. It is helpful to have preschool Monday mornings - it's definitely a good start to the day and the week.

I haven't made Halloween costumes the last couple years, but this year I decided to change that. I miss the creative process involved, and even though I don't have a ton of free time (ok, really I don't have any free time, but I'll make it work). It helps that we're reusing costumes for three of us, so I only have to make two costumes. Any ideas what we're going as this year?

I had planned to take the kids hiking Wednesday and Thursday, but it's just been too hot. Temps above 90* do not tempt me to go outside and get sweaty, especially in October. Thankfully, it finally cooled off Saturday and Sunday, but those hot summer temps have hung around way longer than they needed to this year.

Thursday night was my Wood Badge beading ceremony. I finished my ticket in May, but we didn't have time to do the ceremony until now.

Sunshine got to lead the pledge at Round Table, which wasn't her idea of fun, but I think was a good experience for her (doesn't she look cute in her uniform?). The boys did pretty well. Ocean's been going through a phase the last few weeks where he has a really hard time being quiet, but he managed to stay quiet for most of the time we were there. And he even stood pretty still while the ceremony itself was going on. Since he could not keep his mouth shut during General Conference this weekend, that is really saying something. I'm so glad we can stay home and watch conference these days: 8+ hours of conference at church would not go well.

The two guys on the ends are from my Wood Badge course, the one on the right next to Sunshine was my ticket counselor/advisor (what are they called- I'm drawing a blank here) and our senior patrol leader.

Friday we had a store party for our play group. This is an annual thing that the kiddos really enjoy. Each kiddo brings something they made or don't want anymore or whatever, and they sell it with leaves as payment. Fall is the perfect time for this as the leaves are all falling off the trees and they can just gather leaves from the ground. Sunshine made some pipe cleaner cats and something else (I don't remember what). I didn't have the time or energy to help the boys make anything, so we went to the dollar store and picked out some punch balloons for River to bring and some glow sticks for Ocean to bring. They were both a big hit, and so easy on my end :)

I've realized that it's not just my food issues that affect my anxiety levels. Lack of sleep + stressful situations = high social anxiety.  (getting up in front of people is always stressful, so while it was good to achieve my Wood Badge goal and get beaded, it was also a stressful experience for me)

But the social anxiety is different from the generalized anxiety I usually deal with (or don't, if my food is on track). The social anxiety leaves me questioning my reactions and interactions with people. 

The last few weeks have been pretty bad, but it’s been ticking up since last summer. I’ve been in a lot more socially uncomfortable (for me) situations since then, and I haven’t reacted as well as I have in the past when I’ve been in socially uncomfortable situations. It's harder to let things roll off my back and not worry about every interaction. It feels similar to how I frequently felt in junior high and high school. 

Second guessing what I said, wondering if I offended someone, could I have worded something differently, did they understand what I meant? The social anxiety had tapered off significantly through adulthood, and hasn’t been much of a problem for the last ten years or so. I’m guessing it’s related to the worsening of my narcolepsy, just as my general anxiety is related to my celiac disease and what I'm eating. 

While in theory that just means I need to watch what I eat and get enough sleep, life is rarely that simple. A gluten-free diet hasn’t solved all my food-related issues and I’ve had to eliminate other foods as well. I spent the summer eating way too much sugar and carbs and am now easing back into the low carb lifestyle. The worst is trying to get to bed on time, though. There’s always more to do than I have time for and it’s so easy to stay up late to get stuff done. But the boys don’t believe in sleeping in, so I can't make up the sleep difference in the morning. And even if I do get to bed on time, I don't always sleep well (though on average, I do sleep so much better than I used to). It's a work in progress.

General Conference was uplifting, what I heard in between Ocean's constant noise :) Of the upcoming changes, I think learning the new YW theme will be the most difficult. Memorizing things does not come easy for me these days.

I also worked some more on the two costumes I'm making. One is done, other than tweaking a couple of accessories, and the other (more labor intensive one) is mostly cut out. I miscalculated my fabric needs, so I need to buy more before I can finish cutting out all the pieces, then start sewing everything together.

I was sitting at the kitchen table between sessions on Saturday when I looked out the window and saw a bear walking past the car and the shed. I grabbed my phone, but it turned and went into the woods, so here's the best I got.

It's in the underbrush, somewhere. Maybe that roundish looking black spot in the middle of the photo? :) It was on the small side, definitely not full grown. I'm pretty sure it's the one that's been having fun with our trash cans.

The boys think the bear is still hanging around outside. Sunday I caught Ocean locking the doors so the bear wouldn't come inside. We told him bears can't open doors, but I don't know that he was convinced. We haven't had a bear come through our yard in years, but this summer we've had several visits. I'm wondering if it's not because our neighbors moved, taking their Great Dane with them. The Great Dane is larger than the bear, so I'm sure he had some sort of deterrent effect.

Weekly Mileage
total- 0 miles

20 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
2.56 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

92.35 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
41.16 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
80.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
216.07 miles total

Our 2018 Halloween Costumes

This year hasn't been any calmer than last year, if anything, it's been busier, so I knew I wasn't going to manage any elaborate costumes. I do like making them, but between Wood Badge and work, I just didn't have the time.

I opted for hooded sweatshirts for the boys again, since they're easy and can be worn throughout the year. I searched several sites to see what was available and what was affordable, and ended up with Chewbacca for River and Darth Vader for Ocean.

Ocean's hoody has a little cape that velcros on and off. Too cute!

Ocean doesn't like having the hood up and his face covered, so he doesn't actually wear the hoody like this.

I'm so tall!

Then I really lucked out and found a plastic blaster crossbow like what Chewbacca carries at Target in the costume section. I thought I'd have to make something, but all we had to do was paint it to make it look a little more authentic. Mr M actually did this while I was at Wood Badge, since he took the boys to a trunk or treat activity at his VFW post. The spray paint claimed to bond to plastic, but it flaked off in a few spots, so I had to do some touch ups.

painted crossbow blaster

I grabbed this blaster at the same time, but haven't done anything with it yet. Chewbacca's blaster was the same white and orange, but with a lot more orange.

Lightsabers are easy to find, and I went with a red one (Ocean's favorite color) that lit up and was almost small enough to fit his hands.

Sticking with the Percy Jackson theme from last year, Sunshine decided to be a Naiad (a water nymph). She made it using clothes from her closet and a little makeup, though she didn't think the makeup was worth the effort it took to clean it off.

I think she was controlling the water here :)

I had her do some twirls and she readily complied.

I recycled my Fairy Godmother costume from 8 years ago (our first year in Virginia).

Mr M didn't dress up as anything, since he was at drill during our church fall festival, which is our main costume-wearing event. We only sometimes take the kids out on Halloween, since our neighborhood is not walkable (and therefore not trick or treat-able). There's enough activities beforehand where they get candy, and driving to a neighborhood in town can be a lot of work just for some free candy.

Our 2017 Halloween Costumes

I wrote this post last year, but didn't have a picture of Sunshine or Mr M and I in our costumes, so I didn't post it. With Halloween upon us again, I decided it was time to take some pictures and get this posted.

The past few years I’ve spent September and October making elaborate costumes for the family (Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc). I love the creative process involved in designing and making the costumes, but it’s a lengthy process that I just did not have time for this year.

River has a Captain America hoody with a built-in mask, so I found a Captain America shield and called his costume done.

Ocean didn't want his hood on, but it has a see-through Spiderman mask like River's hoody.

Ever since we watched the LEGO Batman movie, Ocean goes around saying “I’m Batman, I’m awesome” (though you have to be familiar with how he talks to know that’s what he’s saying).  I thought it would be super cute to dress him up as Batman, so I tried to find a similar Batman hoody for Ocean, but I couldn’t find one that was affordable. I was able to find a Spider Man hoody, so we got that and called it good.

I was talking to Sunshine about costume options, thinking she’d want to be a super hero as well, but she immediately suggested going as a Camp Half Blood camper (from the Percy Jackson books). I could have made the shirt, but it was easier and quicker to buy one on Etsy.

She was going to carry a cheap foam sword until I found a Wonder Woman sword on clearance for a great price. The Wonder Woman sword looks a lot more like what a demigod would carry than the foam sword J Sunshine finished off the costume by stringing some wood beads that we painted like ones mentioned in the books on a leather lanyard. She also covered a dollar store foam shield in foil.

We somehow missed getting pictures of her last year, so I totally took these pictures today :)

I bought a Wonder Woman shirt for me and a Super Man shirt for Mr M. Easy and inexpensive.

I was a bit sad not to be all dressed up, but honestly, not stressing about getting all the costumes done was totally worth the decreased effort this year.