Halloween Wrap Up

Sigh.  It's somewhat of a downer now that the big day is past.  I'm kind of bummed that we didn't make it to any haunted houses (and there was one just a few short miles away, too!) and I'm really bummed that no one we know has a party / that our house isn't big enough to have one.

Being in Michigan, we just got hit with the outer bands of Sandy.  And altho it had been very breezy Saturday & Sunday, I didn't take anything down until 5:30am Monday morning when our weather radio went off about wind advisories.  So I went out & took the ghosts & life-sized figures into the garage and tossed one skeleton into the coffin and the other, with his attached shepherd's hook, went behind it. Then I laid all the taller stones down flat on the ground.  Tuesday morning I took the blowmolds from the middle of the yard into the garage.  Luckily I took a half day off work on Wednesday so I could get everything back out and even did some tweaking.

It really sucked that it was fairly decent all afternoon, but as soon as the sun went down, it started to rain just enough to be crappy.  But we still probably got around 50 kids.  I was surprised by the amount of teenagers, but everyone was in some kind of costume (except one kid who seemed embarrassed) but everyone was polite & said the magic words. 

Anyhoooo.  Next year there WILL be a fence around the cemetery.  I yelled at a total of 4 kids, ~with their parents present,~ to **STOP** and go back out to the road and not cut thru the yard. If I could not see the web of extension cords in broad daylight & looking for them, these darn kids sure as heck couldn't see them after dark, and in the rain!  I did make it sound like I was concerned about them tripping, but honestly - I didn't want the little buggers messing stuff up!
I already found orange ropelights on clearance to string along the fence so they can see it.

Saturday we got all the outside stuff taken down and Sunday I started working on the inside.  But I need another tote.  Shucks!

My sister works for a banquet hall and occasionally gets to take home wedding centerpieces. 
I kept these roses in the garage for like 2 months just for this purpose!!

Bobert & Billiam

The Union Rep and Terrance, Phillip & Ike
(bonus points for anyone who got the South Park reference)

Ded Fred & Jane (Mansfield)

Peeping Tom and Jose the un-Love-d.

Walter & Matilda

And now......
**Dull**
**Boring**
**Drab**

~YAWN~

I managed to fit 8 skeletons, a head and 2 hockey sticks into the coffin!

Next year the coffin needs to go somewhere else.  It never really filled in after 2011!

As Miss Angela was taking stuff to the back yard - the mail lady showed up with my gargoyle!
The purple witch will probably show up today.

This is my favorite piece that goes to work with me.
That giggling JOL cracks me up!

So overall, I'm glad that I wasn't affected anywhere near as badly as those on the East Coast did and really didn't have too horrible of a night.  I did hear some comments from people that made me very happy and earned some kids extra candy!

"Wow! This is the coolest house ever!!" - 2 little girls

"Dude! This is the house I was telling you about!!" - 1 teenage boy to another   :)

"I love your ghosts!" - a random little princess

"Wow - this is great!" - a mom

So I believe I ~may~ be getting a reputation as the Halloween house!