October is a busy month

So busy that I do not have time to blog! I just couldn't resist one quick post, though. This is a really busy month in Ridgecrest. The weather is delightful and thus absolutely everything is scheduled for this month. The weekend after the Gem-O-Rama there was something called the Maturango Junction, which I didn't understand, so we didn't go, but I guess it was quite the thing (whatever it was). This past Thursday, Rocket Boy and I hired a babysitter and attended a meeting of the Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society (the folks who put on the Gem-O-Rama) and heard a young woman talk about her archaeological research in the area. Friday night was a Plotting and Planning meeting for the Ridgecrest NaNoWriMo group (more about that later). This weekend was the Desert Empire Fair, kind of like a county fair, out at the fairgrounds. On Saturday we and the babies parked ourselves at the corner of Norma and Ridgecrest Blvd to watch the Desert Empire Fair parade go by, and then that night we went to the actual fair for an hour, saw cows and pigs and goats up close, and shared a Funnel Cake -- a first for all four of us!

And of course Halloween is coming. This afternoon we attended a pumpkin-carving party at the home of one of RB's work friends. I had been a little iffy about going, since I have so much to do, but I don't like to turn down opportunities for socializing, since we have so few. It turned out to be not only pleasant company, but also extremely useful, as I got 2 pumpkins carved! They're out in our backyard now. The babies like to carry them around.

But the main thing taking my time these days is costume construction. Why on earth did I think it was a good idea to make costumes for the babies instead of buying them? I hadn't sewed anything in years and years and years -- how many years? Ten? Fifteen? Did I sew anything the entire time I lived in Colorado? And here I am making a bear costume and a mouse costume. It is October 25, or rather, it is 7 minutes into October 26, and the bear costume is ALMOST but NOT QUITE done, and the mouse costume is not even cut out. My sister told me to think of it as a term paper that I need to stay up all night to finish at the last minute. It is a lot like that, actually. Tonight RB decided to help, and he got the mouse costume all pinned to the fabric but not cut out. I might cut some of it out tomorrow afternoon, that is, if I actually finish the bear costume. The head of the bear costume is so adorable but we think it may be too small. I am going to try it on Baby B tomorrow, and if it's too small, I'll have to make another one. Or cry. Or both.

We were planning to go to Los Angeles for Halloween but now we're thinking we'll stay here, because one of our cats is very ill (in the hospital on IV fluids). The day after Halloween, November 1st, we'll go to LA for my grand-niece and grand-nephew's family birthday party. That day is also the first day of NaNoWriMo, which means that after we get home and put the babies to bed, I'll have to sit down and write 1667 words of a novel. But at least the costumes will be done.