My kids and I are going out tonight to canvas my sister’s neighborhood. They’ve finally decided on their costumes, and we still need to take pics, but here’s what they’re doing:

William: Red Dragon
Tracey: Gorilla
Delbert: Batman
Sami: Ladybug

We picked up goody bags from Target for $1 each, and I used fabric paint on the backs of each to add names so there’s a minimum amount of arguing over whose is whose.

Safety Reminders for Trick-or-Treaters
1. Wear light-colored costumes if possible.
2. If wearing dark costumes, use glow sticks, necklaces, and bracelets for visibility.
3. If it’s cold out, wear a jacket or coat, whether it covers your costume or not.
4. Always have at least one adult in your group.
5. Carry at least two flashlights and keep extra batteries with you.
6. If using a stroller, illuminate the stroller with glow sticks and use reflectors if possible.
7. Never talk to someone you don’t know!! Stay with your group.
8. If you have them, wear flashing shoes (you know, the kind that light up when you walk) for added visibility. Don’t concern yourself with “do they go with my costume.” Cars need to see you.
9. Wear comfortable shoes. Don’t wear 5″ Stilettos, even if they do look better with your costume. Your feet will thank you in the morning for wearing sneakers.
10. Don’t stay out too late. Most people don’t like kids ringing their doorbells after about 9:30.

General Courtesies
1. Say “Thank You” after receiving your goodies.
2. Don’t hit the same house more than once. If you need more sugar, go to a different neighborhood.
3. Don’t ring a doorbell or pound on a door where the porch light is out. The light is out because the residents aren’t home or don’t want to be bothered.
4. If no one answers the door when you ring the doorbell, don’t keep ringing the bell and don’t pound on the door until they answer. You might not like them when they’re angry~~especially at YOU.
5. Thank your group organizer at the end of the night. You’d be surprised at how much they’ll appreciate it!
6. Don’t push or shove smaller kids out of the way to “get there first.”
7. Wait your turn patiently. People notice the nice kids too.

Have fun, but please remember to stay safe and be courteous to others!

…or leave each other alone? Honestly, I’m tired of hearing about people tearing others down because they don’t like the way something happened. People have their reasons for doing what they do and shouldn’t feel that they owe anyone an explanation. There are those out there who tend to blow things out of proportion or misunderstand what’s going on. Please don’t tear people down when you don’t know what’s going on!

Off my soapbox…

Crochet Stuff
The swaps I’m involved in and/or coordinating are coming to a close. The Blue Squares Too mailing deadline is rapidly approaching, and I’ve heard from a couple of people that their squares will be late due to unexpected events. Thanks for letting me know, ladies! I’ll wait on sorting until I receive your squares!

The purse/tote swap effectively runs for another month, since the puffies have to be mailed by November 20 to get them to their recipients on time. I’m having a blast with the tote I’m creating for my partner, and I really hope she likes what I’ve come up with!

Still haven’t heard anything from one of the swap partners in my Stitch Marker Swap group, so I have no idea whether she’s going to follow through or not. I just hope everything’s okay with her.

The gal I was Secret Pal to received her reveal package and said everything was lovely! I sent her a “Frayed Denim” purse (Lion Brand pattern) and a pineapple shawl made from Paton’s Astra in Denim Mix. I also included a guide book for the state of Alabama and a box of “Made by” tags for her to use on her knitted and crocheted items.

I still haven’t received anything from my Secret Pal except the lovely bouquet of flowers that I posted about here. I’m feeling a bit bummed from this round of Secret Pals and will probably sit the next round out…whenever the next round happens.

A Few Problems
We’re having a few problems with swaps at Crochetville, so it looks like only the mods and admins will be running the swaps to help curb this issue. Seems some of the people running swaps don’t understand the criteria for a non-swapper and have not been real nice about it; because of the harsh words, the innocent people in the situation are getting their feelings hurt and not wanting to join in future swaps.

The other real problem I’ve noticed is people not following the rules, especially in the RAOK (Random Act of Kindness) forum. When a wish list is posted, the forum mods should be contacted with the following information: Crochetville name, real name (first and last), mailing address, and e-mail address. I’m really surprised at the number of people who don’t send that information!! It takes 30 seconds to send a PM!! Well…that has (hopefully) been solved by implenting a 48-hr rule. Contact information is expected within 48 hours of posting a wish list or the list is temporarily removed. Once the mods get the info, we re-post the wish list.

Don’t get me wrong; I love Crochetville and I think it’s a great place. But even great places have some problems. I just want to see them rectified.

I’m done with the biggest part of my Secret Pal’s reveal package! I’ve just got to find a box and pack some other things in with the big part and get it out. I really hope my friend likes what I’ve made for her!! I’ve had a wonderful time spoiling her since August.

I’m wondering how many packages my mailman is going to have for me tomorrow…with the Blue Squares Too swap coming to a close, I’m sure there are going to be more packages coming in within the next couple of weeks. I just hope for the sake of my mailman that they don’t all come at the same time!!

I’m also excited that my Winter Scarf is on its way! Thank you Cristin! I’m sure it’s lovely and I can’t wait to see it and pet it! On top of the scarf excitement, I’ve also bought some new toys lately. I bought three TOTC hooks and after receiving them, I bought three more and a case for them! To keep the sizes straight, I’ve attached a gemstone bead to remind me of the hook size. I’m using a Fossil (I forget the color) for F, Goldstone Brown for G, Hematite for H, MOP (looks like ice) for I, Jasper for J, and Carnelian (sounds like car-nee-lee-an) for K. Plus, the gemstones add a special little something that mark the hooks as “mine.” Here are the H, I, and J hooks with their markers. Click for a bigger view of the hooks and stone beads.

Over at Crochetville, I’m involved in many swaps, several of which are coming to an end.

In Hot Water is officially over, as the last wave of “dishies” was sent out Wednesday. I was in the first wave, so I received mine Wednesday and promptly took a photo and blogged it.

The Stitch Marker Swap goes until the end of October, but a couple of swap groups have already completed their swap requirements. Three of us from my group have sent ours out, and from the pictures of what others are receiving and what I received, there are a lot of talented ladies in crafts other than crochet! Good work everyone!! Oh, yeah, my stitch markers are already in use.

I’m in the process of completing my Secret Pal’s reveal package so I can send it out to her within a few days to get it to her before the end of October. I hope she likes what she sees when she opens the box!

Blue Squares Too is also coming to a close at the end of October. I’m almost afraid of the giant tidal wave of boxes that’s headed my way! Not everyone has sent their squares, and it looks like everyone is going to finish up and send their squares at the last minute. Then, the fun begins! I get to allocate squares to each participant in the random square swap then box them up and get them all to the post office. It’s a good thing I have three very helpful boys around here!!!

The last swap I’m in just started and goes till the end of November. It’s the Fall Purse/Tote Swap and I’m making a tote for Cordelia, aka CraftyCritter. I’m using a purchased canvas tote from Wal-Mart and creating a freeform masterpiece. Since Cordelia wanted long handles, I cut the handles from the tote and sewed one to the bag itself to create an outside pocket. I’ll crochet new handles that will compliment the tote. This one is a lot of fun because I get to further explore my freeform artistry.

After all these are done, I’m sitting out of swaps for a while. I’ve got a lot going on at home between homeschooling the boys and chasing the baby~~she’s crawling fairly fast now and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. I’ve also got to think about working Christmas gifts up for family members.

This year I’m making purses~~all from Lion Brand, two in Suede and one in Boucle and Chenille. I let my mom and one of my sisters pick the patterns and colors so I know the purses will be cherished.

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dishies, originally uploaded by Cat’s Cradle Creations Templates.

I’m so excited to have been in the first wave of dishcloths sent out for the In Hot Water dishcloth swap. I sent 10 in and received 10 beautiful cloths in return.

The ladies who made my new dishcloths are:
(first name/Crochetville name)

1. Sabrina/Brie
2. Jen/The Fargoan
3. Brenda/Angel Fairy
4. Faith/faithpa76
5. Stacy/ZingyZoid
6. Libi/LibiLou
7. Mickie/Amberfire3
8. Joanne/JPR54_
9. Sue/Suzee
10. Ruth/momofgmd

Thanks to all you Dishcloth Divas whose wonderful talent will be remembered every time I wash dishes!