I love October.  It's my favorite month of the year.  The air turns chilly, the leaves start to fall, and Halloween comes around (and my birthday).  I've always loved Halloween because it's also my birthday.  My mother was always great at making a national holiday my day too.  When I was younger my birthday party and cake always matched my costume.  When the trick-or-treaters rang the doorbell, I assumed they were there to see me on my birthday.   

I liked to help my mom get out all of our Halloween decorations and help her place them throughout the house and yard.  Our yard was a spooky wonderland that was featured in the newspaper several years in a row.  Everything from a fake coffin to a witch riding a flying bicycle could be found in our front yard. 

One year when vandals tried to ruin our decorations, my dad dressed up like a pumpkin headed dummy and sat in the front yard among the other decorations.  When the assailants returned to finish the job, my dad jumped up to grab them.  Needless to say, they never returned. 

These days, I do my own decorating.  I have almost has many Halloween items as I do Christmas.  Some things I've had for years.  My collection grows a little every year.  One of my favorite places to get Halloween stuff is Dollar Tree.  Last weekend I transformed a normal apartment into a smaller scale of what my mother used to accomplish. 

Halloween village.

Halloween village.  This haunted house music box is from the old James Cohn Department Store in Kennett, MO.  I've had it for years!

The spooky fireplace.

 

Bowl of tiny skulls from Dollar Tree.

Mantel over fireplace.



Glitter skull, black bird, and black roses from Dollar Tree. I got this Halloween tree for my birthday from Mr. and Mrs. "Neighbor" Barnett when I was 10.

I put spider webs on just about everything.