It's all fun and games, til someone puts an eye out......






Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Graveyard

Ok, so that title seems a little grim.  And in most normal situations, it would be.

But here, come Halloween time, that is how you describe my house.


I love decorating for Halloween.  After Christmas, it is my favorite holiday.  And we go pretty big here.

Isn't that a Texas motto:  Everything is bigger in Texas?

We have one neighbor that builds everything, including a giant wooden coffin and a table with lifesize skeletons playing cards.

Ok, so I don't go that big.

Usually, I start with a selection of foam grave markers.


Each one is different.


They all say something creepy like RIP, or they have a skull and crossbones.  Very morbid.  But I love them.  And the best part about these grave stones is that they each cost $1 at the Dollar Tree.
You have to go early, like in August or September, as they usually run out.

Next, I hung some skeletons in the tree.



Now this picture was blurry because I couldn't get the darn thing to sit still and have his photograph taken.  He must be camera shy. 



I know they are tiny, but I figure they must have belonged to some super small elves or something.  Maybe they are oompa loompa skeletons.  Either way, they fit my design, so up they went.

In addition to the tiny skeletons, I added some black crows.


I have no idea why a black bird is so creepy, but these guys are super fierce looking.  It must have something to do with that movie "The Birds". 

As a finishing touch, I threw out (literally) some skeleton parts.  A skull here and there, and some bony hands and feet.


He kind of looks like and alien, no?

And after all that creepy stuff, I tried to add some original Halloween fanfare for my walkway.


Some dried gourds and a little pumpkin line the path.  And the giant cauldron for the Halloween candy sits behind my big lit pumpkin.


I love the old school Halloween things, as well as the gory.

But, I still have to scare a couple kids away now and then. 

So, I threw in the Grim Reaper.


He is just a cardboard cut out, but taped up in my skinny window by my door, he just looks mencacing.


Heck, he has even scared me!  When I came up to the door and went to unlock it, there he was!  The boys get a kick out of my jumping out of my skin.

We do this decorating every year.  I say "we".  You know I mean "me".

Don't get me wrong, the boys love it.

They just don't love setting it up.

Or putting it up.

Or packing it away.

But they do eat ALL their trick or treat candy.

Hey, they are growing boys.........