It's not the best photo (and clearly I should have washed the window first), but this scarecrow outfit was a relatively successful and inexpensive costume.
These were old jeans that may or may not have already had holes at the knees, but I added patches anyhow. I found bits of rope to tie around his waist, ankles and wrists. I remember we visited the fairgrounds to find some straw to glue here and there, mainly sticking out of the front of the flannel shirt, which was a charity shop find.
For me the most fun part of this costume was the birds (a blue one on his shoulder and a red one on the hat) and the hat. These were also charity shop finds. The hat was actually a straw basket thing intended to cover a plant pot (was that ever a thing here in Britain?). I just turned down the top edge and flipped it over to be a straw hat.
The costume was a success in that it was comfortable enough for him to wear all day at school and it kept him warm when he went out to trick or treat.
We're not participating in Halloween this evening. I've taken in my (uncarved) pumpkin from the front porch; it was actually purchased for making pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. We will be hiding at the back of the house, pretending we aren't home. Hopefully my observation that most kids haven't yet worked out what 'trick' means will still hold true.
On a slightly different note, I've just finished reading Better Than Before, a book by Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project author) about habits and how we form them. Each chapter begins with a quote. I found some of them rather disturbing / motivational. So I will leave you this slightly scary thought:
"All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits -- practical, emotional, and intellectual, -- systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny."
--William James, Talks to Teachers and Students
I set the alarm and went out for a run the next morning, something I've not done in ages.
Happy Halloween!
