Halloween Events

This was our first year going door to door and Grant had so much fun running from house to house for candy. Once they grasp the concept of Trick-O-Treat they won't even let a scary costume get in the way of candy. Every year I've created Grants costumes with items found around the house. Mainly because we are on a budget but I also like individuality. 

This years costume was less than $13 dollars. 

• 3 rolls of duct tape, yellow, silver and Red
• 1 can of spray paint
• Diaper box donated by my friend
• Bumper was a cereal box
• The ladder and wheels, poster board that was used for a game at Grants birthday party. 
• The fire engine lights and hub caps, red solo cups and the blue cup I found in Dave's car. 
• Construction paper and printables from the internet for emblem and windows.  
• Grants outfit was a pair of pants and t-shirt he owned, added duct tape to pants
• Dalmatian puppy, owned
• Fire hat, Target $1 bin  

Lieutenant Coen (his dad is in the coast guard), Ninja Turtle Dylan, Skylander Mario, Fireman Grant

Below is our Halloween costume party a week prior to Halloween.  There were several handmade games, pumpkin decorating and even trick-o-treating. Again, all items we mostly owned.  We really try to recycle and up-cycle.  There are 4 doors that lead to the back yard so we had the kids line up and practice trick-o-treating at each candy station.

Up-cycled the wrecking ball from Grants birthday party.  My friend Crystal drew silly monsters  on all the boxes and we called it Monster Mash.  

Grants best buddy Dylan.  Dylan calls him "Buddy Grant"  Never just Grant, always buddy Grant 

Ring toss. Crystal made the witch hats and the rings were glow necklaces from the $1 store.

Trick-O-Treating in the back yard

Destroyed by the end of the party along with the Monster Mash.  Safe to say the kids had an excellent time.

Its in the DNA

DNA testing kit

Facebook is an interesting place to reconnect with old friends, keep up with current friends and in this case be found.   You know those great stories you hear about star crossed lovers finding each other after years or adopted siblings reconnecting after years; this is one of those stories.   I logged onto Facebook recently and had a message from a person named Christie telling me that we may be related.  Everyone who knows me knows I’m an only child so this message peaked my interest and would eventually rock my world.  I was skeptical at first and had lots of questions but by the time we had written endless emails back and forth I was 90% certain that Christie was telling the truth.  We most likely were related and she had a striking resemblance to my Aunt and her eyes were as if I was staring at my dad.  Christie had told me she was adopted when she was a baby because her parents were too young at the time and didn’t have the means to give her the life they thought she deserved.  Luckily, Christie had an amazing life full of blessings.  Her biological mother recently found her after 50 plus years and this started her search.  This led her to wondering more about her family tree and finding me, out of all places through Facebook.  Have you ever searched for someone and a gazillion people come up and the profile picture is so small you can’t tell if it’s them?  Or there are so many people with the same name it’s impossible to find the person you are looking for? That’s what happens every time I try to locate someone. So for Christie to have found me it must be fate.  You are probably still wondering who she is in relation to me.  We had our DNA tested and the results came back that we are half-sisters.  So, at the age of 44, through social media I found out that I have a sister. She was born 10 years before me and prior to my parents meeting.  I'm happy to have her in my life.  She is a very sweet and caring person. I found it interesting that she was born on the same date as our dad but different month.  She wore an opal ring which is our dads birthstone but she didn't know that and had been wearing it for 25 years. 

Dads sister on the left and my sister on the right

My sister and our dad at a younger age

First time meeting Christie

The boys hanging out while we catch up

Perry and Christie brought a birthday cake for Grant and tons of presents for all. I received a beautiful bracelet that is engraved "Embrace the Journey" and a bangle bracelet that says "Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same" I struggled with the knowledge about how I felt after 44 years about having a sister so these words capture it all for me.