Kudos to Tracie for figuring out the Mystery Costume was .. a pair of DICE!
Wishing everyone much candy & fun — Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween 2009!!
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I am a Scholfield.
Some people may be Smiths. Whites, Browns, Blacks or Greens. But Me? I am a SCHOLFIELD.
That’s right.. SCHOLFIELD. It’s like music, wouldn’t you say? Ack! NO! NO! You are BUTCHERING IT! That’s German, Schultz.. We’re ENGLISH. Scholfield sounds just like it’s written. Except w/ a hard C and the L is silent. No, a hard C. Like SKO. No, SKOL is that nauseating chewing tobacco. That’s right. Without the L. Like I said. SCHOLFIELD. Ahhh.
I have been thinking about my maiden name a lot lately, b/c my sister – the last remaining Scholfield – just got ENGAGED! Hearty CONGRATS to Suzanne & Jon!!! As she & her fiance are already being bombarded w/ questions about the wedding, the date, the cake, the dress, the invitations, the location, and so on. I thought it might be a bit much to start asking whether she’ll be keeping her name, or taking his. But you know of course I have been wondering. Whether my parents will no longer have any real Scholfield children. Whether they will weep at night unable to sleep b/c both of us are now gone. No pressure. But they do have something they can still call their own.
Scholfield.org. It’s ours! Like the spoon collection and the heirloom doilies, it’s family. But here is the down side. Whereas my husband devotes an incredible amount of time to his family surname, his Ellingsworth.org website, and his 300-plus Ellingsworth friends on Facebook, my poor Scholfields are being overlooked. For SHAME! As much as I’d like to point fingers at my husband for his self absorption, we all know who the SCHOLFIELD is in this family. Wah-wah-wahhhhh. The time has come to dust off the old Scholfield.org site and put it to good use. I already have way too much on my plate, and I’d like to challenge myself even further. SO – Any Scholfields out there looking for a free scholfield.org email address? Let me know. My mom has one and her joy knows no bounds. Any family history to contribute? Send it my way. Gossip? Even better! (Even if it’s not about a Scholfield.)
We are after all THE SCHOLFIELDS. The proud, the few, the hut dwelling/field grazers. And did you know that here in Maine we have Scholfield HISTORY?! As in – the SKOLFIELDS of Brunswick! WOW. Isn’t it great that people who were never related to me, don’t have the same spelling of my name but DO share the same phonetic pronunciation lived close by? And did I mention? were RICH>>? WELL. That seals the deal.
I hadn’t heard about this long lost pseudo branch of the family either, until my parents came to visit this summer. My dad had done some research and discovered a SKOLFIELD HOUSE just 30 minutes north of Portland!
Hmmm. Doesn’t look much like a Victorian mansion to me either. When we walked up. none of us (including the senior in the chair) was quite sure what was going on. So we politely stood on the corner across the street, trying to look inconspicuous while scratching our heads and taking photographs. Apparently this Skolfield House is a nursing home. Which doesn’t get a whole lot of out-of-town visitors looking for tours. After consultation w/ google maps, we discovered The Skolfield-Whittier House several blocks away.
WOWZA!! That’s more like it! So even though we spell our name a wee bit differently (Scholfield v. Skolfield), it is after all pronounced the same. And since back in the day no one could really spell, we all know these folks were closely related to me. At least the ones in the second house. b/c they were rich.
Just days till Halloweeeeeeeen
Our first Halloween in the new house! HOW EXCITING. I’ve heard rumors it’s going to be fun. My children tell me I may even see some .. FREE CANDY! Could it get any better?? Why yes. B/c this year I am going as an accessory to my younger daughter’s costume. That should guarantee me candy. As long as these new neighbors aren’t giving out TOOTHBRUSHES. or pennies. SHeeesh.. So what are you going as this year? PAULA DEEN?? WOW.
I spent a couple hours yesterday assembling Maddie’s costume. Normally I’d have made her do it, but frankly it beat painting. Let’s all hear it for THE ROBOT.
If anyone is interested in making one of these at home, you will need:
2 boxes; 1 larger for body, 1 smaller for head
aluminum foil
tape (regular scotch tape works fine, you can also buy fancy aluminum foil tape at Lowe’s)
scissors & cheap knife or box cutter
assorted reflectors, reflective tape, letters/numbers, stick on doodahs
patience and sense of humor (not sold in stores)
This project will take anywhere from 45 minutes to a day to complete, depending on your level of skill & anal retentiveness. It took me 2-3 hours. Proof I am neither skilled nor severely retentive. To begin, Cut the bottoms off both boxes. Carefully cut a circle out of the top of the larger of the two boxes, large enough so your child can stick his/her head through comfortably. Next, center the smaller box on top of the larger one, open side down (remember, this is the head), and tape down well. I found strapping the tape across and sealing at the bottom helpful. Reinforce around the edges as needed. Next, cut eye holes and arm holes as desired. Then cover both boxes completely with aluminum foil for that shiny metallic effect. Remember to reinforce around all of the holes so that you don’t have any rips or tears on the Big Night. If you have $10 to spare I suggest splurging on the aforementioned metal tape b/c it makes this project a breeze. It is sold at Lowe’s or Home Depot in the paint section w/ the rest of the tape. I also picked up an empty paint can there for Maddie’s goodies – I think another $3 or $4 bucks. Once the whole thing is shiny, time to decorate. Use your imagination! I didn’t have time for that so I opted for stick on stuff I bought at Lowe’s. The reflective tape, etc. is just a couple bucks, so again no big investment. You will find it in the aisle w/ house numbers and bathroom signs. Today: finishing Georgia’s (and my) costume/s. When you’ve got as many moving boxes as we have, these things just come to you.
