Barataria: The Festival Season Begins

And let me tell you, it started with a bang!

Not that I broke even, but I had a lot of fun, and there's good news on the horizion for Barataria being even better next year. Seeing as this was the first year of the festival, no vendor worth their salt was actually expecting to make a lot of money, but rather, we put on a good showing, so that the attendees would be excited about it and tell all their friends. Of course, that makes for a bigger event in future years, more people coming, and bigger profits for the vendors.

Working festivals for fun and profit: All it takes is a little patience! *grin*

But I digress... The costumes of the players (pirate and faerie courts) were simply breathtaking, the events and performers were professional and fun, and all ages attended and had an absolute blast. Barataria would have been hard pressed to do better as a first year faire than they did, and that's saying a lot! I've seen established events that weren't anywhere near the quality that Barataria was in it's first year.

The tale of how Barataria, the mythical aisle of the pirate king, Captain Black, came to be moved by the faeries into the current day is well told in numerous "journal entries" by the various characters of the faire, and is a great read, even if it was not associated with such a beautifully put-together event. You can find the tale on the Barataria website.

I already have a few of the unseelie court in love with my Vita-FizZ. It was really amusing that they gave my candy yet another nickname "crushed baby Seelie in a tube". I'll tell ya, they all played their parts well, stayed in character, and were creative to boot! *smile* In the heat of the day, I was fanning people on my break, and I fanned the fire faerie, another of the unseelie, and she thanked me by saying something along the lines of "oh that's lovely, I just might not kill you" *chuckle* Simply beautifully done, really, on all counts.

To see some of what I am talking about, photos, videos, and commentary on the first year, check out Barataria Pirate and Fairy Faire on Facebook.

And Now We know

What is it we know, you may ask yourself? Well we now know exactly how long it is between when I feel good enough to blog and do a few other small things in my life, and when I tackles everything head-on again after a major surgery! *laugh*

As evidenced by my recent disappearance from the blog, I've been exceedingly active as of late. This coming weekend is Barataria Faire, Springfield's very own pirate and fairy festival. I have to finish my costume, I'm impatiently awaiting the delivery of some of my components, I'm trying to get out of sewing as much as I can manage, and since the great data loss a few months ago, I've also been completely reworking my product labels! *pant pant*

But that's not all! Oh no, of course not! I still have to make a new batch of every product I sell, adfter, that is, I say, AFTER! I find my danged recipe book! *pulls out hair*

And I have to get a whole lot more volunteers to paint on before the event so that I can make a paint example book that will be not only worthy of the event, but also worthy of my artistry. These next few days are going to be a TON of fun, let me tell ya!

Actually, they will be. I've been having a blast creating the little finishing touches for our costumes, and I'm planning a sew & show party for Wednesday. I finally found both my canera and the charger for it's battery, so the photos are coming as quickly as I can find models willing to be immortalized in my paint book. Three down, about 40 to go! LOL

And of course, everyone is welcome to attend Barataria Faire The tickets and attractions are inexpensive, and it's going to be a fabulously fun time! Bring yourself, bring the kids, and come frolic with the faeries and pirates in the first Barataria Faire ever, on the square, in Springfield, MO! *grin*

Wish me luck!

Happy Cow Appreciation Day!

On or around this day each year Chick-Fil-A has their annual Cow Appreciation Day. This is the day in which all of the chicken lovers dress like a cow so they can prove they're not chicken, and score a delicious meal, FREE!

We'll be attired meagerly this year, as I'm not sure where all of my cow-ish clothing is since the move. We haven't finished unpacking completely yet, but by golly, I'm not going to miss out on my free chicken! *chuckle*

Oh, did I mention that it's a lot of fun too? *grin*

Wii Win & FreeBee Theme!

The Springfield Freecycle(tm) group has been having semi-regular FreeBee events where you bring in your gently-used, unwanted goodies that fit the stated theme and trade them out for things that other people have brought.

This is the time of year when we all start thinking to eating right and exercising, and it is also time for a new FreeBee. I was just looking for something to do, a good theme for the FreeBee, when I was chosen to host a party for folks to try out a new "sinless" treat and an exercise game for the Wii. I knew immediately what the next FreeBee's theme was going to be!

This month's theme is health & fitness!

Come on out to the FreeBee, Saturday, January 9th, between 2pm and 4pm at the Brentwood Branch library in Springfield, MO, and join us while we play with the newest, coolest Wii game around, try the newest guilt-free mousse from Jello, and swap our gently-used, unwanted exercise and kitchen gear.

Anything that fits into those categories goes, too, so long as it is legal, and appropriate for all ages (no diet pills please, etc). That means all of those old gym clothes you never wear anymore, the hand-bike you got for your shoulder therapy, and those barbells that've been collecting dust in your garage can now all find a new home! Kitchen towels, that dish set you got for your anneversary, and the toaster you don't use since you went low-carb are also great ideas to bring. Rememb er, if it goes in the kitchen, or is related someway to fitness or exercise, you can bring it. Please keep in mind that large itels like stationary bikes and treadmills will need to stay outside, and if not re-homed during the event, the bringer will need to transport it to the chairity where we give the leftovers.

The library for this event has a rather small parking lot, so they have requested that people carpool as much as possible, or park in the nearby blood bank's parking lot if they can.

I've been really busy lately, and haven't had the time to write all about the Wii game, so I ran off with their advert and posted it here for you to learn more about the game. While I did get a copy of the game for free, I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, so my review will have to come after Saturday, when I can tell you not only what I think of it, but also what my party guests thought of it! :D

See you there!

Amazon.com Product Description of 'Your Shape' Fitness Game.

Developed in collaboration with fitness experts, Your Shape personalizes a fitness program to your body type, goals and schedule. The game comes with a motion-tracking camera in the package. Plug the camera into your Wii and you’re ready to go! The camera scans your body so your every move can be detected and guided.

Jenny McCarthy is your in-game workout buddy--she will motivate, inspire, and guide you as you work to reach your goals, while keeping things fun (and funny) along the way. Since the game detects your movements, Jenny can coach you as you work out to ensure you’re doing the exercises correctly. Fitness has never been this personalized or this much fun!

Personalized to You:
First, you take a fitness test so the game knows your current fitness level. Then, you tell the game what you’re trying to achieve (slimming your stomach, strengthening your arms, etc.). Based on that, the game designs a program specifically for you based on your fitness level, goals and schedule.

Constant Guidance to Ensure You’re Doing the Exercises Correctly
The camera projects your image onto your TV next to your in-game workout buddy, Jenny McCarthy. Jenny is in the game, motivating you and coaching you to success. The camera tracks your movements so Jenny can tell you what you’re doing right and correct any mistakes. That way you know you’re not wasting time.

Exercise Controller-Free
The camera sees you, so it works without requiring any additional hardware, leaving your hands free to focus on the exercises.

Fun and Motivational
Jenny McCarthy is your workout buddy--always by your side, entertaining and inspiring you. As you exercise, the game regularly displays how many calories you’re burning and your accuracy percentage so you can always strive to beat your high score!

More Exercises Than Any Other Game
More than 400 exercises ensure that your routine is working to meet your goals. Plus, you’ll never do the same workout twice

Compatible With Your Own Fitness Equipment
The game works without requiring any extra equipment, but if you have free weights, a balance ball, a step bench and/or a heart rate monitor, Jenny will include them in your personalized routine

Challenge Yourself
Test your fitness level with the physical challenge, a test designed as a check-in for you to see how much your fitness level has improved. Take it any time!

Play in English, Spanish, or French

Springfield Christmas Parade 2009

Join us, Saturday, December 11th, for another fabulous year at the Springfield Downtown Christmas Parade!

The festivities on the square start at 11am, rain or shine, and the parade itself starts at 1pm.

Literacy Council of the Ozarks is the charity again this year, so bring a book or three to donate to the cause, and be sure to dress extra-warm wen you come out to enjoy the festivities.

See you there!

[where: Park Central Square, Springfield Missouri 65806]

Bizarre Foods Party

Well, it's coming up, this Sunday is the Bizarre foods party!

6:30pm, Downtown Springfield

A fantastic pre-Halloween adventure.

Call 631-2986 for more information and to RSVP.

You're invited! Theme Parties Open To The Public!

Want to learn something new, or have an exciting new experience?

How about a challenge for your bravery and your tastebuds?

Then I have some parties for you!

I am hosting a series of Themed Tupperware parties, and there is one to suit nearly everyone!

Tightwad Auction Party

Frugality & Free Tupperware

10/07/09, 6:30pm, Springfield, MO

For more information & to RSVP, click here.

~~~~~~~~~

Eco-Auction Party

Saving The Planet With Free Plastic!

October 15, 2009, 6:30pm, Springfield, MO

For more information & to RSVP, click here.

~~~~~~~~~

Fear Factor Party

Hauntings & Bizarre Foods!

October 25, 2009, 6:30pm, Springfield, MO

For more information & to RSVP, click here.

~~~~~~~~~

Holiday Gatherings Auction Party

Starting the season off right with free Tupperware!

October 29, 2009, 6:30pm, Springfield, MO

For more information & to RSVP, click here.

~~~~~~~~~

Also coming soon!

Drunk & Dirty

Fund Raiser Expose'

To host your own exciting custom-theme party, contact me today!

Tupperware parties no longer have to be held in your home! You can have your party at a park, at a restaurant, in a local community center, and more!

Do You Abhore Hate?

Come one come all to protest against hate, and support your neighbors!

This Sunday, the National Socialist Movement's Springfield unit is arranging to protest the 2009 Gay Pride Fest.

The gay pride fest is a small festival for GLBT individuals, their families, and their friends to mingle freely without fear of discrimination, once a year. Loaded with costumes, friendship, acceptance, and neat crafts and products, I myself have participated as a face painter, and found it to be a safe and joyous place to take my children.

This isn't about what you think or feel about homosexuality, this is about what you think of hate and violence against innocent people and children.

"National Socialist Party" is the newest fasionable name for neo-nazis, skinheads, hammerskins, white supremacists, and other hate groups.

The man who murdered others recently at the Holocaust Museum In Washington D.C. was affiliated with groups like the one in our town.

These types of groups generally do not seem to think that the brutal and senseless murder of "lesser beings" such as GLBT individuals, Jews, Native Americans, Pagans, Mexicans, Muslims, African Americans, or anyone else different from themselves is wrong. They think of it as a purification, a cleansing; some sort of positive force that makes communities "safer" for "true Americans". They mean, of course, only people and families of direct white european descent.

In Germany, they came first for the Communists, I remained silent because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews, And I didn't protest because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.*

There will be a strong yet discreet police force in place at the Pride day festivities, so individual safety at the event itself will be secure.

Do you want to keep our streets safe for all of the peopple in our diverse community, or do you want to sit idle and wait for them to come for your family once they've run out of other groups to victimize?

The NSM in the midwest are trying to make themselves look good by not getting caught breaking any laws, and adopting a street for litter cleanup, but they're still here, meeting regularly in our public libraries and spreading the toxic cancer of their malcontent troughout our community.

Here's what they say about their plans; "The Springfield Unit will be there along with other white nationalist and members of the community to let homosexuals know that they are not welcome in our town and we will not tolerate their "celebration"."

Erase the hate, silence the violence, and let peace blossom in the streets.

That's tomorrow, June 14th, from 1-9pm on Blane Street and Commercial next to the Glo Center. The address for MapQuest to the Springfield 2009 Gay Pride Fest is 518 E. Commercial Street, or click here for a Google map. The Nazis have not revealed the time they plan to come and form their wall of hatred against our GLBT neighbors, likely to prevent precisely what we are planning, but we will be there, en masse, all day long, and form a wall of loving acceptance for all of the members of our community in order to block the anger and intimidation they intend to aim at our neigbors.

To quote their own words; "Many complain about the NSM, but few are more active" They think they can do whatever they like, and fill our connunity with hate, making our streets dangerous for our children, and that we will not do anything to protect the safety of our homes and families except for saying a few pretty words.

Let's prove them wrong!

Let's get active and show them that Springfield is capable of enough comunity solidarity to drive out their hate!

Bring love and rainbows.

For full details from a supporter of these activities, click here.

*"First they came…" is a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller about the inactivity of Germans following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

Don't Let it Happen Here.

Really, Really Free Market! Free!

There's a Really, Really Free market in Springfield, Missouri!

What is a Really, Really Free Market, you ask?

A Really, Really Free Market is sort of like a FreeBee...

Okay, it's exactly like a FreeBee.

Bring usable stuff you no longer want and take away things you do, while meeting new people in the process.

Save the planet, recycle, upcycle, reuse, share, or whatever you want to call it, it's a totally free event, with totally free stuff, and totally great people.

There will be toys, books, clothes, and more, in all sizes, and for all ages when the event begins, and more variety guaranteed as the day goes on and items begin to rotate through with the attendees, so come one come all!

This Saturday between 7am-7pm at 818-822 West College in downtown Springfield. Parking available across the street.

The community center hosting the event has asked that there be no furniture, televisions, microwaves, or computer monitors brought in due to space and storage constraints. Please bring only clean, and reusable items, as the center does not have laundry or repair facilities.

Repairable bicycles in any condition, folding tables, and functional bookshelves are welcome, and will be accepted as donations to the center for current and ongoing projects.

Be there, or be... well, bored.

Did I mention that it's Free?

2009 Free Art Days at the Creamery Art Center

Saturday, February 28, 10 AM – Noon
Saturday, April 25, 10 AM - Noon
Saturday, June 27, 10 AM - Noon
Saturday, August 22, 10 AM – Noon
* Denotes Special Holiday Free Art Days

No registration is required.
For questions, call the Arts Council 417-862-ARTS (2787).

See You on the Flip Side!

Well, we're headed to Vision Con today, and we won't be back until sometime Sunday afternoon, when we will be sleeping the sleep of the dead until about noon on Monday if not later.

Remember, entrance into the convention is FREE if you plan on only visiting the dealer's room, which is open from noon to about 4pm on Friday, then again from 8am to about 8pm on Saturday and 8am to 2pm on Sunday. Come and see me, and check out the other fantastic vendors! If you've never been before, you'll be amazed at the selection and quality available.

I hope to see you there!

Wish us luck and large profits. *grin*

Gettin' Busy

I'm almost done ordering all the things I need for the convention, and only a couple of snags remain firmly embedded in my plans.

I can't seem to find two of the containers I need for my products anywhere. It seems that my original suppliers stopped carrying them, and I'm really playing heck locating them elsewhere. I really don't want to switch container types, but that may indeed be what I end up needing to do if I cant find the proper packaging soon.

In other news, I finally located my distributor for the quality organic hemp oil I prefer to use, and though their website is down, I have been able to place an order. Unfortunately, there's not a huge demand for good (read both organic and well-filtered) hemp oil in their experience, so they don't normally carry it in their regular stock, and it may take a good week for them to get it in, which even with the fastest possible shipping, is going to run my production right down to the line.

It's not something I enjoy, but I've done it before, and we should be alright, with a little bit of luck, as it says in the song. *smile*

Money is really tight, and I've placed my hold on the convention room, but there's a new agreement with the hotel and the convention that con-goers must pay for their rooms in advance, when they check in, so I won't be able to wait until I make some money back before I pay my "rent" for the two days of the convention, yet another snafu, but one that, again, we will persevere. *sigh*

On the other hand, I will have all of my profits available when I get home, and not have to count everything there at the convention in order to get the budgeting and paperwork completed correctly. Trust me when I say that's a really happy bonus when you haven't slept in nearly 36 hours.

I have visiting to attend to, work to do, shopping to finish, and house clearing to complete before the convention, all while taking care of (and educating) the kids and trying desperately to find a way to allocate time to do my laundry at a public facility since my washing machine is busted.

Hey, at least life is finally returning to "normal", right? *chuckle*

And I managed to find the time to tell you about it, too! *grin*

Vision Con is a GO!

In case you didn't catch it in a recent post, Vision Con is a go this year! After skipping a year due to the hotel being sold, this year's convention is scheduled for a little earlier than usual, on January 23rd-25th.

Preparation is already in full swing at our house, and the place smells like a warm summer fruit basket. I sure missed that smell. *smile*

Anyone know someone with a bit of time on their hands who is willing to customize an OSCommerce website? It won't take long, I promise. *grin* I pay in barter, and my trades are awesome!

To get tickets and room information, please visit VisionCon.net.

Nightmares & happy endings

I promised that I would tell you the tale of the last convention (2007), and though it is a bit choppy, here it is in it's entirety.

The bad

When we called to schedule our room at the convention, we were told that it was under construction and we would have to be upstairs. I didn't take no for an answer and used my mother's physical disability (she was to babysit during con) to secure our customary bottom floor room anyway.

Little did I know what would ensue that fateful year...

My mother's car wouldn't start on Thursday morning, so I had to go get her & Ladybug, then take my mother back home early Friday morning and threaten her car into starting for me so that she could help us get to con.

We did not have the Vita-FizZ finished being made until Saturday afternoon, over half-way through the convention.

Mother got fed up with the loudness of the party room across from us Saturday evening and left to go back to her house, returning only when I called her to help us drive things back home.

Our electronic hotel room keys stopped working Friday night, and they all had to be reissued.

Hotel security laid hands on my person instead of simply asking to see my con badge.

We had to borrow $80 from my mother to finish getting all of the supplies ready for the event.

The Wi-Fi was so bad in the hotel that we could not get better than a 20% signal at any time. The Yahoo messenger could not log in for even the most rudimentary of webcasts, and eventually the hotel gave us a router to use for the event. Yahoo still didn't work for some strange reason. I was not pleased.

The hotel did not tell us what the time was on late checkout either of the two times we called (first time to order, second time to confirm), so we did not know when precisely the late checkout time was.

The TV in the hotel room had to be manually reprogrammed by hotel maintenance so that we could get the input channel for the DDR game we brought.

Saturday evening, an adorable but drunken participant messed with the TV remote and changed the channel on accident (ruining everyone's ability to play DDR because we weren't going to call maintenance to fix the TV a second time).

We lost power to half of the room on Saturday evening (the biggest party night of the event), and maintenance was unable to get it repaired, so they brought us an extension cord instead. We likely lost over $200 because of the lack of lighting for that 2 hours.

Another room party was selling food. Chili for $1 a bowl in one of the upstairs rooms.

The ugly - A story so great it deserves it's own post -

Housekeeping entered our room at 1:30pm on Sunday, despite my express instructions not to check or attempt to clean the room until after I had checked out, and worked around their inability to follow directions by checking me out of my room themselves.

Payment for the room must be made when checkout is completed, so they charged my bank (debit) card. I found out about all of this when I went to check out of the room myself and pay with cash, and was told that I couldn't do that, and the charges to my account ($179 charged to an account bearing less than $5 at the time) could not be reversed.

The managerial person at the front desk spoke down to me, and despite the cash I obviously had (I had my cash box with me from our dealer's table) to pay the bill with, told me that he would not reverse the charges to my bank account (not that he could not, or that the hotel computer would not let him). I was also told that since I was attempting to check out nearly 2 hours after the late checkout time (see above), I should be glad that I was not being charged the rate for another half-day! Of course I got irate and started speaking at a higher volume through my teeth, finally ending with several very stern repetitions of "you will rectify the situation" with full eye contact. He threatened to call the police and "have me removed" twice, at which point I stated that I was going to go speak with the convention chairperson about the problem, turned on my heels and stormed off. I managed to make it around the corner and out of earshot before I started bawling. I so despise conflict. How dare he speak to me in that manner, especially after all that had happened to go wrong with the hotel room itself!


The good

The car got repaired to functional before con.

The Dot Calm Cafe (our non-alcoholic room party) was really popular.

We came close to breaking even.

The cooler plan of use worked so well that we only had to use two bags of ice for the entirety of the event.

After speaking with some of the higher-ups at the convention, the hotel issue was rectified as I demanded, and I received a certificate for a free stay (both days) at the hotel for the dates of the next convention.

Later, after we were home, and everything was all over, I had a nightmare so bad that I woke up screaming. Yes, it was about the convention. I only calmed myself with the knowledge that it was all over for that year.

A hitch, and a good thing

There was no convention in 2008 because the hotel had been sold to a new owner, so my certificate was going to be useless. Fortunately, I thought quickly, and went back to the hotel and got the amount of the room credit (certificate value) put onto my debit card as a refund.

On the brightest note of all, there will be a VisionCon this year, and it's on January 23rd-25th. A LOT earlier than usual, but I'll just have to scramble!

Lucky for me, I'm a little used to last-minute prep by now, and I have friends willing to help out for a share of the leftovers and those oh-so-precious mistakes. *chuckle*

Now to find the cash I need to outlay on the product ingredients and packaging, and hope it aqll gets here in time...

Holiday Shopping & Buy Nothing Day 2008

As you well know, our family celebrates Buy Nothing Day. That is the holiday of anti-consumerism that takes place on the day after Thanksgiving, called by eager shoppers; "Black Friday" or "Blitz Day", and marketed as the biggest shopping day of the year. Businesses have taken advantage of this, and in an attempt to boost their sales on the unholy grail of shopping days, offer huge discounts in order to entice customers to come buy from their store instead of all of the others.

Of course items that usually cost $400 dropping in price to a mere $100 is terribly tempting, and this entices people so much that they awake at 3am so they can fight for parking places, jostle for a place in line, and wait in the freeing cold for hours, just so they can have a chance (yes, that's right, a chance, there's no guarantee here folks), of getting the one thing they want most. Some people even go so far as to bring a sleeping bag and camp outside of the store with friends, sleeping in shifts to be assured one of thes magical and elusive first spots in line, and thus, first dibs on spending money. This past year it was so bad that there were several injuries and even a death as customers stormed into the store in a rush to get to the gifts they most coveted.

This lunacy is brought to you by the idea that spending lots of money and getting really fancy gifts for your friends and family around the holidays is the best way to let them know you care. Of course it is also helped by the advertising industry, and people who seem to think that teaching their children the joy of giving is not an important part of the season, which leads to excessive cases of the gimmies, and creates the vicious circle of consumerism.

Some businesses are cluing into the fact that there are a lot of people refusing to buy on "Black Friday", and have created new ways to take advantage of the consumerist rush, and many internet companies have made the day after black Friday another big shopping day, in the hopes that more people can be drawn to shop at online retailers.

Amazon.com for example offered special deals and sales, with all the pricing of the unholy shopping day, but starting on Nov 27th, and going on for several days of special deals, with one deal each day. It's the same concept, but a little more innovative. I have to give them credit for thinking outside the box like that, and I'm sure that their creativity got some of those who celebrate Buy Nothing Day to indulge in a little extra shopping too.

With the bad economy, and the prevalence of gift cards as presents in recent years, other retailers have tried to get people out on December 26th as well, to spend those gift cards, and get what they really wanted from the cash they got back after returning their unwanted gifts.

This last year was extra-special!

This year, we attended our very first zombie walk!

At the Battlefield Mall at 1pm, zombies invaded Springfield, trudging through the mall and mumbling things like "consume" and "buy" instead of the typical "brains", then when they were kicked off of mall property, moved over to the dark lord WaldeMart for a bit more fun before shambling back to their dens to sleep out the cold. Little known fact, zombies really dislike cold weather.



The zombie walk was an open event, and all were welcome to join in the fun. Shredded clothes and special effect makeup were not necessary, but they did make things a lot more amusing.

Christmas Events at Chick-Fil-A

Celebrate Christmas with Chick-Fil-A. Make crafts, and happy memories, and even score a free meal!

Monday, Dec 15th ~ Decorate a stocking (all day)
Tuesday, Dec 16th ~ Christmas stories with Santa Cow (5-8pm)
Wednesday, Dec 17th ~ Free hot cocoa & candy canes (all day)
Thursday, Dec 18th ~ Make reindeer food (5-8pm)
Friday, Dec 19th ~ Dress up like Santa, Get a free meal* (all day event)
Saturday, Dec 20th ~ Breakfast with Santa Cow (8-9am or 9-10am)**
Monday, Dec 22nd ~ Decorate Christmas cookies (all day)
Tuesday, Dec 23rd ~ Design Christmas placemats (all day)

* Head to toe dressing like Santa gets a meal, dressing in something with Santa on it, or Santa-like gets you a free sandwich.

** RSVP required by Dec 18th. $5 for breakfast.

Festival of Lights Free Ice Skating

Mediacom Ice Park near Jordan Valley Park in downtown Springfield is having it's annual free ice skating again this year for the holiday season.

The schedule of remaining free skates are as follows;

Saturday, Dec 13th 9-10pm
Friday, Dec 19th 5:30-6:30pm
Thursday, Dec 25th 3:30-4:30pm
Friday, Dec 26th 5:30-6:30pm
Saturday, Dec 27th 6-7pm

Free ice skating includes rink usage only, skate rental is extra; $2.50.

Address: 635 East Trafficway, Springfield, MO. Phone number: 417-866-7444

Learning While Voting

Voting was more fun this year than it ever was before!

There were a lot of folks out voting, and for the first time in my life, I actually had to stand in a line to be able to vote.

Another first; there were actual electioneers out in front of the polling center!

So for our history-making election, I registered 6 people to vote, drove a first-time voter to the polls, and even printed pout a sample ballot for Ladybug to fill out.

There had been so many voters there that before noon they had run out of "I Voted" stickers, and had already racked up a total of nearly 2,000 voters!

We also learned some neat things while we were voting. See, we had joined in to enter a raffle, and you could get an entry for sending a (personal data obscured) copy of your voter's registration card, and another entry for a photo of you with your ballot.

What we didn't know was that it is illegal to take photos in the election room itself, so when I aimed my camera at my friend, with his empty ballot, there was quite a commotion, what with poll workers yelling at me to stop. Of course I stopped immediately, and didn't take a picture at all, deciding that if it was that big of a deal, we'd just take a photo outside the polling place and hope it worked for the entry. Then someone came up to me and held out her hand. Like hell I was going to give her my only digital camera, I had no idea what she was going to do with it. So I hugged it close and told her I hadn't taken a picture, to which she asked to see, so I politely held onto my camera, and showed her the two photos on the sides of what would have been the photo she was looking for had I actually taken it. She commented on how interesting some of my pictures were, thanked me for my time, and explained the law on photos in the ballot center.

Learn something new every day! *smile*

Hailoween

We had hail on Halloween morning, but the weather cleared up nicely for the yearly stranger-begging ritual, leaving us with warm temperatures and clear skies.

Ladybug went as Glenda the "good witch" in her younger years. She was "popular" but her poor dress didn't fare very well throughout the evening...

Z-Man ran with his pirate costume again this year, and looked dapper as usual, while his father went army (not pictured).
Littlebit went faerie in the riskiest color of all, white. No worries, she lived up to expectations and damaged it beyond salvation. *chuckle*

Faith Dressed like the pretty pink girl, which got more elaborate and fluffy as the evening wore on, due to Ladybug's dress frayed and tore.

I was a disgruntled homecoming queen, with gun, of course. *smile* All homecoming queens have to have guns, dont'cha know? Loosing all that weight made the gown fall off of course, so I had to safety-pin it to my underclothes with Faith's help in order to keep it on for the night. Almost time to retire or repurpose it.

There were all sorts of neat houses to visit, and this was one of the most popular on our route, replete with a long line, the cotton candy house! Three people were manning the cotton candy maker, and here we have a photo of Faith's hubby getting a bit of candy for himself. This was one of the only houses that all the adults begged at as well.

From house to house we walked, gathering goodies, making new friends, and singing filk songs.

Everyone really gets into the action in our favorite neighborhood, decorating their homes and themselves. I really enjoyed this house's creative and artfully carved Obama pumpkin!

Even in two-inch tall platform sneakers, Ladybug couldn't stop stepping on the gown she had been given (thanks Faith, she loved it to death!), and about half-way through the evening, the front had ripped off, and she rubber banded some of the shredded bite to her wrists and became a gypsy.
We did some reverse Trick or Treating this year, giving fair trade chocolate and informational fliers to those who shared their candy with us. For more information, or to bring next year's event to your neighborhood, visit Global Exchange. Fair trade chocolate is the best I've ever tried, seriously, buy some, you won't be sorry, and the good feeling you get from supporting ethical farmers doesn't hurt the flavor one bit. *grin*

I had never seen this sort of costume before, so I grabbed a picture, but the one that shocked me most was the little Sarah Palin. She looked very accurate, and had obviously put some planning into her costume. I didn't manage to get a photo of it, but Faith did, and will probably post it on Gather here in a couple of days. Her ID is Faith IB, so go on over and have a look at what she's already posted, and keep an eye out for the Palin costume.

Despite her initial misgivings about going candy-begging, Ladybug danced the night away in her beautiful gown, until finally, almost all of the toole was gone, and she draped a large chunk of it over her head and started saying she was a pink bride. *laugh* Way to roll with the punches!

There was a house with a haunted house, and another with a kid-friendly Halloween movie playing in their garage on infinite loop. Note the puzzle cube in the photo. It was a really creative year, that's for sure. Among the greatest costumes not captured were Mr. Perelli from the movie Sweeney Todd, a peacock, Edward Scissorhands, three great gothic lolita costumes, and a Joker in a nurse's uniform.
The house parties were great too, giving everyone the opportunity to be as silly as they'd like, and even the adults came out in their full splendor.

They didn't end up with a lot of candy this year, but we all sure did have a lot of fun together, and that's what really counts!

After we finished Trick or Treating, Littlebit went home with Faith for a little overnight care, and after hearing that the college kids next door had taken all of our parking places, we just drove over and parked near our next event, the Rocky Horror Picture Show!

RHPS is a great place to get pictures of really fun costumes, so I dragged out my camera again after the event, and grabbed a few more shots of some of the more interesting costumes.

Pinocchio was a huge surprise.

For some odd reason, I thought the aerobics instructor look was dead, but all things rise from the dead on Halloween, no matter how awful they are!

And our final photo, you would never expect to see in a million years, Eddie (meatloaf), and The Goblin King posing together for the strangest photo of the evening.

It was a really long night, but worth every minute for the fun! How was your Halloween?