Halloween Weekend is Here!

While many of you were hopping around Blogland today, I had the dubious pleasure of visiting the dentist where I received my new crown. And while the installation is probably the least painful part of the root canal and crown process, for some reason my cheek and gum feel . . . well, I'm not sure how they feel exactly but I guess "damaged" might cover it. Almost burned, maybe? I wonder whether the cement they use could affect the surrounding tissues? Any idea? Oh, well, hopefully I'll wake up in the morning and it will feel fine again. In the meantime, I thought it was an awfully good excuse to have ice cream, but a search led nowhere--no ice cream to be found at Casa de Kim. Woe is me!

Are you feeling sorry for me? I'll tell you about the rest of my day, and I think you won't feel quite so sad. After the dentist, I visited Gran's quilt shop, Fabric Garden, for tea and stitching with Gran. Yes, I should have taken a photo of the table and goodies everyone brought, but as usual, I didn't think of it until the food was half eaten and the table decorations weren't quite so pretty and pristine any more.

Remember I mentioned I was yearning for more Ghastlies fabric? The shop had a couple bolts left, so I brought home some of the clover print in kind of a lavender color. I'd like to make pillow cases or pillow covers to go with the quilt I made and I might use some of this in those. I think I need more, though--some of the portrait or border prints would be nice. Maybe I deserve some since I had to suffer so greatly today and didn't even scream or cry at the dentist's office. Don't you agree?

While at stitchery, after there was no food left to eat, I turned my attention to making three more pumpkins--

I know they don't look like much yet, but I'll paint them this weekend and add the stems and mossy stuff. The six I made last week just aren't enough.

I think I can hear you out there, saying, "yeah, yeah, yeah, who cares? I want to know who WON the prizes yesterday!" Am I right? Was that YOU I heard? Okay, I'll tell you.

I do not know who won the "big" prizes of four yards of fabric. I'm writing this after midnight and Madame Samm hasn't posted the results. I'll edit this post on Saturday when she's announced the winners. (At least I THINK she'll announce them on Saturday and not make us wait until Monday when the hop resumes, but I'm not certain. Madame Samm advises we need to be patient and she'll announce the winner on Monday.)

For my little contest though, the winner of my pattern and two charm packs is Kate B, who told this story:

". . . As for a memorable Halloween experience: more than several years ago, my dad had bought and worn one of those ghastlie rubber masks, with big lips and blood drooling down the side, he loved to scare us and the neighborhood kids. Recently we were clearing out his storage unit, when he came across it. My brother and sister and son, were loading things into his truck and had just made our way back to the unit, when dad heard us, he jumped out and roared, wearing the mask. He got us all once again."

And the winner of the pattern is Quiltin' Jenny, who revealed a bit about herself:

". . . I'm a big wimp when it comes to spooky things, so my funny story will be about a spooky thing. When I was 14 I decided to get over it and go with all my friends to the haunted house. Waited in line for 2 hours, getting more and more nervous with every wail and moan that came from inside the house. The screams got to me as it was just our turn to go in. My friends went first and turned to look for me when I said, "See you at the exit!" and ran. I've never lived it down, but learned my lesson about my tolerance for creepy things. I think that's why I love the Ghastlies - they're so ghoulish but cute at the same time!"

If you enjoy scary stories, go back and read the comments from yesterday. There are some good ones! I also recommend reading October Moments from the blog Somewhere on the Masthead, which is written by a professional writer/editor. Click HERE to access those.

Kate B and Quiltin' Jenny, please email me your mailing addresses and I'll get your prizes in the mail to you.

When a few of you were asking when I'd shut up and announce the prize winners, I think I heard one little voice--or maybe two--asking how the Rabbits Prefer Speed aka Bunnies on Crack was progressing, so I thought I'd show you the latest two blocks I've finished:

Anne of the Cottons 'n Wool blog left a comment letting me know that she and Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill--the designer of Rabbits Prefer Chocolate--were sitting in Houston, waiting for quilt market to start, and had enjoyed looking at my take on the quilt. And I've got to say that even though my version probably isn't quite what Anne Sutton had in mind, she's certainly the inspiration behind what I've done with it so far.

On Sunday, I'm attending a pumpkin carving party. I've been looking at a few pumpkin carving ideas that I'll share with you tomorrow--just to get you in the mood too! In the meantime, I'll leave you with this as inspiration:

Now, what can YOU do to entertain your neighbors?