Friday, October 30, 2009

friday confessions - halloween



it's friday. the day dawned cold and frosty, but clear and eventually the sun made its way over the horizon. but despite the crisp freshness of the air and the last glories of the autumn colors glowing in the sunlight, i confess i'm in a mild depression. and it's not just because voldemort has split his soul into multiple horcruxes and the challenge of destroying them all seems so daunting.



autumn brings about mixed feelings in me. while i love it the most of all the seasons, there is a sorrow about it. the leaves on the ground are beautiful but melancholy in their decay. there is a sense of passing. i have a vague dread of the dark months ahead, made worse, no doubt, by how very dark it gets in these northern climes i inhabit. so in all, i'm left feeling mildly depressed.



i also confess....

~ that panic is about to set in because we've invited 20 3rd graders to a real Halloween party tomorrow and i have no idea what i'm going to wear. pirate? witch? morticia addams? zombie cheerleader?

~ i have a lot of cooking to do for the halloween party. since i've got harry potter on the brain, i'm wondering if i can come up with some butterbeer and cauldron cakes?

~ i love carving pumpkins. we carved the first round last night and will do more this evening in preparation for the party. i'm looking forward to it with a childlike anticipation that almost throws off my mild depression.

~ i wonder if i'll finish sabin's costume before she gets home from school?

~ i do wonder how we're going to fit everything in tomorrow...party preparations, riding lessons, costumes...before the kids arrive at 4 p.m.! eek!



i'm really grateful for all of the encouraging comments and emails from all of you after my post about moving on to something more creative as a job. it comes pretty close to lifting my mild depression. thank you so much.

i hope you have a lovely weekend!

p.s. have you checked out our halloween week over on across ø/öresund? there also will be halloween-related recipes going up on domestic sensualist (as soon as i get some pictures taken). be sure to check out both!

12 comments:

Ju said...

Firstly these pictures are beautiful and perfectly portrait the melancholic mood of Autumn.
As much as I love the months between September and Christmas, I do hate the rest of the winter as you do. I can't stand the darkness at 3pm and the wetness; since here in Uk that's all we get (the occasional snow, every couple of years only).
So, I do relate to this anxiety.
I was really looking forward to Halloween this year, we had a party organised, costumes, etc but Maia fell ill yesterday, doctor saying is swine flu, so we had to cancel the festivities; we are all gutted, specially the poor kids. At least we can watch some scary DVDs.
I do hope your party is a huge success and I'm looking forward to seeing some pcitures and reading all about next week.
Chin up and enjoy the weekend.

The pale observer said...

Gorgeous pics - love the shape of the lone leaf!

Good luck with the party - sounds like a zoo! I would be more stressed about the cooking than the costume!

I'm in a country where there is no Halloween, so it's nice to read about it as something in me misses it!!!

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Love, love your first photo. You are one brave woman - 30 children in costumes. Bathroom breaks should be fun!

kristina said...

I can very much relate to your feelings about autumn. It was always my favorite season in America. But I find the darkness in England quite difficult.

And the party is going to be completely fabulous!

K x

margie said...

when my kids were young i would take the afternoon off work on hallowe'en to decorate and stage the yard. when they came home from school it would be done.

rxBambi said...

Although I can understand your feelings towards the impending darkness, I never really saw autumn as an end. I love it, I love the crispness in the air, the getting dark early, the smell of someone (somewhere) burning leaves. It always seems to make my mood lighter, knowing the holiday season is jsut around the corner.
Anyway, hope your mood lifts. Have a great time at your party!

Lisa-Marie said...

If you manage to invent a recipe for butterbeer, may I have it please?!! Also, your party sounds like fun and, I think you should be Little Red Riding Hood!

Molly said...

Eish, it's that SADs of yours again, I'm thinking I remember it from last year?
Although I can't relate to the reality of a long Northern winter, I can sometimes imagine how disheartening it can be to be facing it.
Still, think of all the creativity you can achieve in the coming months, and how this could bring you closer to your possible New Life?
Have fun tomorrow - we're taking Frieda trick or treating for the first time.

Char said...

i'm in touch with the SAD syndrome as i believe i have a touch of it from time to time...but i just feel too silly to buy one of those uv thingies that are to help.

the party sounds like so much fun - i would love to attend.

i'm going to a pink poodle birthday party tomorrow - not sure what it encompasses but it will be fun regardless. as long as there is cake.

beth said...

I understand your feelings of what's to come....

winter... which can paralyze us in so many ways and just when we think we've got a handle on it....another foot of snow just to remind us who's boss....

thankfully we all have each other to keep pulling us up and out when we get stuck in our moods and feelings....

Unknown said...

Oh, Julie! I so know what you're talking about! I can't bear the thought of the long winter to come... but this year I'm thinking I'll make the most of being at home to read, write and craft! Go to your art journal planning notebook and see what you can do now that you haven't had time for. Then you'll have to show us in one of your creativity posts.
PS. How was the party?

Bee said...

I've also been suffering from a mild depression, but I think it has been partly due to that lingering flu! Exhaustion + darkness does tend to depress the spirits. Like B, we need to focus on Cozy and Creative.