#CountdownToHalloween2024 - more new additions (oops!)

It seems like there's something in the days before Halloween that I feel the need to get on eBay and manage to win an auction (or two!)  which means that inevitably my item doesn't arrive until after Halloween...

This year is kind of different whereas my items will be arriving BEFORE Halloween! 

I found this one with 15 minutes left on the auction. 

I've got the shipping info, but it doesn't appear to be in transit yet.  Supposed to deliver between 10/25 & 10/30 but it's only coming from Minnesota. 

I had put this on my watchlist when I did the auction about and got an email from the seller offering a discount, so I took it!  I have the tracking and it's arriving Wednesday! 

Darn that the Spouse works from home and will be see them be delivered!  

 

IT'S SUMMER !!!!

 I set this to post exactly at 20:51 UTC, which is 16:51 EST, because why not post exactly on the equinox?  

That being said....

This freaking heat wave plays hell on a chubby girl!  

I hate to be sweaty. 

There was a moment of panic last night when we had a storm blow thru and our power flickered a few times.  I sure don't want to be without my A/C!  

I saw our only casualty this morning.

I planted my lilac not long after we moved into this house (22? years ago!) and one year it almost got flattened from a wet heavy snow, so the Spouse trimmed it back to a tree for me and it's been like that since.  Guess it didn't like the dumping rain and the trunk snapped just below the ground level.  It was only about 5 feet tall so it'll be an easy clean up.  

I'm glad I haven't been at any cemeteries recently so I am certain this handprint on my car came from the smaller of the grandkids and not anyone ghostly.   I don't know if I want to know what was on her hand to make dust stick so well thru multiple rains!?

Chuck got a new horse for the funeral procession thru the cemetery this year thanks to a neighbor!  

Of course the grandkids are having a good time with it until then.

I've been reading a lot of "Code Orange" posts lately on various forms of social media.  There just so happens to be an At Home store, Joann's & Michael's all close together, also close to my work. 

I was kind of disappointed, but I have to remember that it's early!

At Home looked to be in the process of stocking their shelves. 

I snagged this really cute ghosty blowmold. It's lit by 2 C7 bulbs.  I'll have to look at it after dark to see how well it lights up.  It should be good with the white plastic. 

Are the ads on FB true?  Is Joann's closing?  Of course the store I went in is usually pretty dumpy anyway, but they had a lot of flattened boxes everywhere and a lot of empty shelves. I really don't like how they mark up their prices and then give you "sales" or "coupons" to bring it back to a somewhat reasonable price.  This little guy (who I'd seen online and thought was adorable) was a lot smaller than I expected and was marked $35!!!  Everything was already 40% off so I sucked it up and paid $20 for him, only because he is so stinking cute! 

My tangent....they have a groundbreaker skeleton similar to the one Party City came out with last year - marked $500!!  and their 8 foot skeleton with LED eyes was $400!  Hard pass. 

Then the Michael's was a bust.  There might have been a few fall things out, but nothing that grabbed my attention enough to even walk down the aisle.  I did see this countdown online, tho.  

This is really neat, but I wish they had skeletons instead of witches. Or even ghosts! 

I'll have to make a run to the stores closer to my house.  They're in a nicer town and usually have better selections. 

OMG - did you see this at Tractor Supply?  

That's just entirely too hilarious!  

I personally wouldn't pay that for a giant chicken but I really want to see someone with one!  

I've seen a TSC thread on HalloweenForum and people were wondering which size skeleton would fit on the chicken's back better!

🤣🤣🤣

Chuck, what are you looking at??

Less than 200 days!!

That would have been a better title if I had been paying attention!

What's been going on?   We've been enjoying the oddly nice weather we've been having here in SE Michigan.  We even had clear skies for the eclipse last week and got to see it!  Normally for an event like that it would be cloudy. 

 

I use step-in fence posts in the cemetery for the skeletons. However the only ones I have been able to find are 4 feet tall - and 9 inches of that goes underground.  Depending on the shape of the skeleton's spine, they may stand up straight or they lean backwards since the top of the fence post barely reaches above the hipbones.   So I've been on the lookout for taller ones. 

Back in January, I was driving to Kalamazoo for a conference and I happened to notice there is a Rural King store in Michigan.  Exactly one!  

So I checked out their website and they have 63" fence posts!  IN STOCK!  

Which means 54" is above ground, so they're going to be perfect for the skeletons!  And they're only $5 each!  That box leaning against my house is taller than me (I'm 5'8") and $20 shipping was worth it, since it took less than 24 hours for them to arrive!  Even if I would have had to pick them up, it would have only been a 45 minute drive or so - and this was cheaper since I would have had to shop while I was there!  

Chuck for scale. 

I'm so excited.  My skeletons will be able to stand straight up! 

Warm & sunny in the hoop!

I'm sure this and the Pumpkin Spice Rumchatta I saw at the local Meijers was left over from last year, but I still did a double-take when I saw them!

On St Patrick's Day, we packed up and drove to Toledo to see the monster trucks.  

I did have to remove Chuck & his buddy so actual kids could use those carseats. 

Gravedigger

Zombie

Chuck was all dressed up for St Pats, even tho we didn't go anywhere. 

We spent Easter at my sister's house like usual.  

*****

Chuck also watched the eclipse, too.

Halfway to Halloween is coming soon!  

I'll have to come up with something special for Chuck to do....

until then......

We have new friends that arrived today!  Can't wait to get home to see them!

I was stoked to get these guys for the same price most people on eBay had one listed for - with cheaper shipping....and an offer from the seller to knock $10 off!  

Yes, they're for St Pat's.  Next year I'll actually decorate!

299 Days!

 

SQUEEE!

We're below 300 days!  

How were your holidaze?  Our's were nice.  We all made it thru healthy & sane(ish).  

Now what has Chuck been up to? 

It's been a minute since I've posted - have to check the calendar....

December 2/3, we went to Frankenmuth with Mom and the sisters. 

Road Trip!

I didn't take Chuck into Bronner's with me, but I found something there for him!

This is actually for a small dog, but look how perfect this is???

I like that they're attached to each other so you can't lose them. 

Playing random musical instruments in Frankenmuth

The room behind the car was their little Halloween section.  

That's why there are bones on the curtain. 

Which I really like, btw. 

The lady who owned this store was so entertained by Chuck that she asked me to send her the pics I took of him in her front garden!

Mid-December we went for a horse drawn wagon ride thru a park with lots of Christmas lights.  

I shared my apple schnapps with him!

The Spouse and I

Buddy the Elf totally needs a skeleton under his arm!

We sat by the fire. 

And drank hot chocolate

and played with the grandson!

On Christmas Eve, we went to my sister's house and played a game with dice and this huge ball of plastic wrap.  You had to wear a oven mitt on your dominant hand and try to unwrap as much as you could until the person next to you rolled doubles.   There were scratch off tickets, small bottle of booze, small toys, candy, all sort of fun stuff in there. 

On Christmas Day afternoon, we went back to Frankenmuth, but this time to have dinner at Zehnders.  It's kind of a tradition ever since Dad passed away 12 years ago.  

We went out to play in the barn.  My sister wanted a pic of her and her critters so she can use them for Christmas cards next year. 

We had some good laughs in the process!

Ghost is a former racehorse that Sis got last December.  

He's such a handsome boy!

This pretty girl is Kisses, she's "my" horse for events with the search & rescue team that Sis and I both belong to.  

Ranger was not amused.  

He's blind so he couldn't figure out what we were putting on his head!

I took this pic the next day and sent it to Sis, telling her *my* horses stood still for me!

And we finally got the skeletons put back into the garage before it got really cold. 

They're not back hanging in their corner, but at least they're inside. 

So this is the extent of the decorating I do for Christmas.  

Blowmolds. 

But since the skeletons hadn't gotten put away yet....

Why not?

I highly doubt any of my neighbors were surprised.  

 

Once Christmas is over,  the Santas & crew get put away.

But the snowmen will stay out for a few more weeks. 

On New Year's Eve, we went to a place called Canterbury Village for the kids' NYE "mitten drop".  It's kinda awesome because they do the countdown at 6:30 pm, so I was home & in my pjs by 8!

Yay! It's Jack!

OMG!  I couldn't believe they had these guys there!

They had 4 of them all dressed festively!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Another pic of Mr. Ghost. 

He wasn't quite sure what to think of the beard!

This pic popped up in my FB memories from 10 years ago!

Love it.

We went to go see the lights in Rochester - all of the stores and restaurants along main street are covered in lights.  The Spawn peeked into the window of a chiropractor's office and this skeleton was looking back at her!

One last thing.... I saw someone post of a FB H'ween page that he'd gotten a bunch of skeletons on clearance from the Walmart website.  I searched but couldn't find them until he posted the link.  I saw it really early in the morning, so I managed to order 3 (at $14 each!!!)  nd apparently they were sold out not long after!  So 3 new friends!