Last weekend Jon and I attended a party here in Moscow. It was a 20s-themed party called 31 Fisticuffs. It was organized by a guy, who is really good at parties and has a great imagination, for his birthday. He sold tickets, did some great marketing and rented a space. We attended in 1920s garb and  stood in the basement of a building, under a single bare bulb watching people with amazing moustaches fight one another. The losers had to have their moustaches shaved off. Almost everyone was dressed up- although many of them had a strange idea of what 1920s clothing looked like. I am pretty sure there was a slutty cowgirl there.

In any case, after the boxing and socializing, there were several bands there to perform. The music was punk rock and it was evident why some people were at the party—to dance. There were a few who were just itching for a mosh pit. Not long before we left this girl, who was dressed in the greatest linen dress and pearls, came down to where the band was playing. She stood there swaying back and forth for awhile and then, out of the blue, she began to dance—like Elaine from Seinfeld. If you don't know what I'm talking about see the Youtube video.

http://youtu.be/DY_DF2Af3LM

It wasn't the exact same dance, it was just bad and jerky and weird. The funny thing is, I wish I was her. I wish I had even an ounce of her abandon and complete disregard for what others thought of me. It was fun to watch her. I hope I run in to her again somewhere here in Moscow, and I really hope there's music.

Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year the whole town has decided to celebrate from Friday to Sunday. Last night we took the girls trick or treating at the mall and Kyle went to a school dance. Tonight is a trunk or treat and Halloween party for church and tomorrow the kids are going trick or treating in our neighborhood.

Jon has literally mapped out their trick or treating area. I'm not sure if Jon's intention is to keep them safe or to maximize candy gathering. He did tell Moira this morning that getting candy is her job tomorrow and she must trick or treat from six to nine. She didn't seem to have a problem with that. Go figure.

Here are the first of the Halloween pictures. Maggie is a vampire — "Not a Twilight vampire, but a real old-fashioned vampire." Kyle is a zombie — which is kind of what he is like in the morning before school anyway. Moira is, well Moira is Moira.

She was supposed to be salt and pepper (her idea). We had gotten everything for her costume, but she quickly changed her tune this last week. We found boxes of clothes left behind by a tenant in June when they moved out of the apartments I manage. I brought them home to find dress up clothes for the girls and Moira found her "Soul Train" outfit. The types of clothes make me wonder where and how the tenant was employed. Anyway, Moira is a "'80s or '70s person who dances. Is that right, mom?"

I started making new Halloween decorations at the beginning of September after I bought Martha Stewart's Halloween special edition magazine. I think her time in prison was beneficial to her when creating some of the great ideas in the magazine. Today I finished assembling my front windows. Jon did the cutouts—free drawn from pictures from the magazine and online. The green is from tissue paper, and we are lighting it from inside with a lamp.

I also put shadow rat cutouts all over the house. They're kind of cool. They would have been better on a set of stairs.

I've already started on some ravens on perches and some wooden bats to hang from the rafters on my back porch. Those pictures will come soon. Maggie is having a Halloween-themed birthday party on Friday so I did have a good reason to start early.

Moira is having a pirate birthday party next week and we have been working on her decorations and stuff. Her dad has gotten a little too excited about it and spent hours yesterday making pirate hats for the two of them.

So far, we have made invitations, eye patches, bandannas and gift bags. Tomorrow we make a pirate flag, a treasure map and pendants that will hang around the back porch. It is going to be so much fun. Moira makes a really cute pirate.