We are winding down Halloween 2010.  Last year we rode our bikes around the neighborhood with Henrik on the trail-a-bike.  He wore his cat suit and I tied up his tail.  He thought the decorations were great but he wanted to keep his distance.  This year he announced a while ago that he wanted to trick-or-treat.  As an often slow-to-warm child, we were curious to see how the evening would play out.

We hit a few of the houses on our block as practice.  We then headed the few blocks down the hill to the uber-festive Reed College Blvd.  I have not been allowed (per my DC) to ride my bike since my car accident so Rob and I walked and Henrik removed his pig ears and donned his helmet and off we went.  His curly tail fit perfectly in the slit at the back of his seat (one of Rob’s spare race saddles).

Other than a few extra spooky houses, Henrik went right up to the front doors stated his business and thanked them for their time.  One woman guessed that he was a piglet and he beamed.

When we got home we swapped Henrik all the loot he collected for a LEGO City Small Car and for one of every flavor (8 in total) of the Yummy Earth lollipops, which were the treats we bought to give out to trick-or-treaters.  It was an easy swap and Henrik was thrilled.

I used the same pattern for this year’s pig suit as for last year’s cat suit.  Last year I improvised the hood, which was not designed to be attached, but I didn’t want it to get lost.  This year I opted for a hat with ears.  The pattern was not actually for a pig.  I made the tail by making a sleeve and inserting a metal hanger, which was bent into the perfect curl.

The ears also have hanger parts for structure and polyfill for more fluff.  The neckline of the costume did not come up very high so I sewed up a neck gaiter also.

I also made a Halloween Quilt Block Tee for Henrik.

He wore it for the first time when we went to see Nikki McClure read at Green Bean Books.  She also demonstrated how she does her papercuts.  It was really interesting.  She was so fast and the work was so detailed.  I am even more amazed with her artwork after seeing her work.  We all enjoyed seeing her original artwork at a show at land a couple days before.  If I had a spare $2500, I would have loved to have taken one home.

I am looking forward to changing to the Please page of my Nikki McClure calendar tomorrow.  It is fun to change the page each month.  The Please paper cut is so cute.  I am really excited for Nikki McClure’s new book, How to Cook the Perfect Day, which will be coming out in December.  The book cover features the Please paper cut as the calender but in a different color way.

I am ready to say goodbye to October. It has been a month since my accident and I am feeling better, but all of my activities are still very limited.  Henrik is very sad that I have not been able to ride him to school on the back of my bike since the accident.  I am really glad I was able to break down my sewing sessions enough so that I could complete his costume on time without causing me more pain.  His 5^th birthday is next week and I know that I will not be able to finish the quilt I started for him on time.  That makes me sad.

I am grateful for the healing progress I have made.  I am also grateful for all the practitioners who are helping me along my journey.