Gee, THAAAAANKS 2020.

 So, this year was supposed to be the BIG year for The Dead End.  The big 20th party blowout.  I was so excited, had so many ideas, so STOKED for it that I sent out virtual invitations back at the end of January!  Then March rolled around, and the Covid pandemic hit here in the US, and now it's in full swing, which means a lot of people are paranoid about attending parties.  I get it, I understand.  People are scared.  Some people are vulnerable to the virus.  I myself am not worried about it.  Disease and death is part of life, and I won't hide in fear because of it.  I was going to have my party anyway.  If you're that worried, then just don't attend, right?  

On top of that issue, we have the Presidential election the Tuesday before my party would have been.  Now, we all know what politics does to family ties and friendships, and this election is probably the most heated and nasty topic around today, even moreso than the Covid issue, which also is also political if you ask some people.  I decided I don't want to deal with the conversations about politics at my party.  I just can't deal with that after seeing and hearing it EVERYWHERE, nonstop.  The hatred is just sickening to me, and I don't want to have any of it here at my house.  I keep my political and pandemic opinions to myself mostly, because I would rather keep my family and friends on good terms.  

So, with all that in mind, I chose to cancel my party.  It was a very hard decision for me.  But I factored in things like the fact that I just started a new job and am still in the 90 days probation period, so I won't have the PTO to take a week off, which would make it impossible to get all the work done that can't be done well in advance that week prior.  We have a ton of remodeling in the works inside our house that I'm doing myself, and I can't work and get it all done at the same time.  I have a crapload of props that need refurbishing, that can't get done before Halloween even, so the yard setup won't be on point.  Plus a host of other things that are working against me this year.  My dumb ass would try to do it all anyway if this year wasn't the year of the plague, in more ways than one, but the stress would get to me and I don't want to put my family through that, especially my husband, who is always incredibly supportive and always take most of the frustration from me.

Next year, I WILL have my party.  I WILL make it the biggest, best party to date, and it will be amazing.  I just have a lot of extra time now to get ready for it.  Silver lining and all.....

The [first] Great Garage Cleanup of 2020

My garage is now clean!!  Cabinets are organized, old useless stuff thrown out, everything is in its place and I can even fit a car in  there again!  (No cars allowed, though, this is my workspace!)  I am excited to start on projects.  First, I need to continue the revamp of my office space so that I have my inside workspace organized and cleaned, and then I will be completely project-ready.  Very exciting time for me, and I'm happy with myself for once, for finally making some headway in my goals for this year.

Now, I just need to win the lottery, or have an angel investor notice my dream of owning a campground with community ties, programs,  and small sub-business ideas within it, and I can put my ideas into motion to have ALL of my passions included into one hardworking, fulfilling, and fun business venture.  Hey, a 49-year-old girl can dream, right?

I can't remember where or when exactly the inspiration hit, but it did.  I've already decided on a costume for both myself and Tom, and the invitations are the inspiration for that.  Can't wait to get started on it all!  We may even change up the decor for the party to follow the invitation theme, who knows...  in any case, the party is a go and I am excited.

I started a new job back at the very end of September, and as a result, there was virtually no Halloween at my house this year.  Depression set in for a bit due to that, but I am back to just my usual anxiety and low energy days.  I love my job, the company and my coworkers are great and i get 3 or 4 days off a week, which is nice, especially for project frenzies.

I also started a new online store called "Baubles and Bibelots", which is currently in the construction phase again.  My Etsy store is still going, and anything on the baublesandbibelots.com site can be bought there for the time being.  I'm planning on adding more product variety to both sites in the next few months before I get too bogged down with Halloween prep.

This year, I turn 50.  I started a vlog on a new channel on my YouTube account called "Five Months to FIFTY" to chronicle the next 5 months of my life until I hit the big day.  It's mostly for me, but if ya wanna take a gander, feel free.  Warning- it is very boring!  Starting with video 1:
 https://youtu.be/MvAps20nKMI

Lots of good things to come here at the Dead End.... can't wait to get to it!!

Who dat?

Oh lord, she's back!

Hey everyone! I've missed you!  I've been on hiatus for quite a while thanks to my work schedule.  Now I don't have a work schedule for a bit, so I can catch up on things I've been neglecting and work on some new things that I have in mind.  I'm really excited about being able to concentrate on something other than my day job for at least a couple of weeks, it's been a mentally and physically draining year and a half, and I need a break before I jump back into another soul-sucking job.

I still need to get the website up to date with the last few years' parties, and I have about 2387587520 half-finished projects to get back to.  I'm also trying to flesh out my Etsy store (FunneryandSpookery), or possibly work it into this site via shopify or something.  (Any tips would be appreciated!) 


Also, I got an email from a fellow Halloween-lover, Claire, who asked me to post a link on my links page on behalf of one of the volutneers she works with, Kensie, which I will do forthwith, but in the meantime, take a gander:  https://blog.candywarehouse.com/fun-halloween-games-and-crafts/

As always, Happy Haunting!

When you have too much fun at work...

So, today at work, I was lucky enough to make a second appearance as our store mascot (and Simpy Southern mascot).  I had so much fun doing this.  Now, I know y'all that know me are thinking, "what the hell is she even saying, and who is doing this post, and WHAT happened to Deanna?"  Well, this is a different type of "people-ing" for me, because it's not ME that's out there, it's the turtle.  They aren't seeing me, or talking to me, they are interacting with a character, and I have fun being her.  She loves kids, hugs, and selfies!  I had so many hugs and pictures with so many people today, probably the most I've ever had outside of family reunions.

Also, more components for my Halloween party came yesterday, super stoked!!!

Got our pool back up and running after a very long and frustrating fight with the "green".  While it's wonderful for Halloween, not so wonderful for swimming when it's still in the 90s here in Florida!

This weekend will be the clean-up completion of the garage so I can efficiently work on projects.  Sort of cleaned it a bit last weekend.  Have to get my office moved out and get the room ready for Brandon's return!!!!

T-minus 7 weeks...

So, today I was going to work on getting my garage cleaned and organized, but it's so hot and muggy outside that I'm just not feeling it.  Instead, I'm sitting in my office (which I sort of cleaned up), surrounded by Halloween things and watching horror movies, brainstorming ideas for Halloween and the party.  The first part of my party invitations came this week, so I'm trying to find the perfect wording for them and how to put what's in my head all together.  I'm really excited about this year, it just feels like it will be the best one yet.

I've decided on making the party the weekend after Halloween this year, to give us another week to prepare and so that we aren't competing with the Florida/Georgia game again.  I've got lots of help planning the party too, so I'm thankful for that and some fresh ideas on the table.

And now, back to the creation of things....

A year of change....

This year has been an interesting year, to say the least.  Lots of changes so far this year, and more to come.  I left Walmart, went back to the Artsy Abode family, but not making jewelry full time.  I love my job and the people I work with, and it's much less stressful than the Evil Empire.  Tom is doing well at his job after leaving Walmart in October of last year as well, so we are much less stressed and happier in general.  My middle child Taylor moved back home from Maine; my baby girl Emily turned 16 and finished the year with straight A's; we FINALLY got Tom's daughter Emily here to visit with us for 2 weeks from Puerto Rico -- AND, my oldest child and only son, my Marine, is coming home in mid-October!  Super- excited about having him back with us.

Speaking of October, I'm also super-excited for Halloween and this year's party.  I've got my ideas for invitations and a costume, ordered some supplies for those and can't wait to get started on them.  I'm trying to plan out the party in a theme this year, which I normally try to steer clear of because I don't have the time, money or energy to change themes every year.  This year, however, it's a running theme in my head involving a symbol of change, and won't be too hard to incorporate into my current decor.  Sadly, I won't be using my gossamer on the walls since I repainted the entire main living areas of the house and don't want to ruin it yet.  I think with proper lighting, I can pull off a different look to change it up some.  I've given myself an extra week this year as well, since I'm sick of competing with the FLA/GA game, and we'll be hosting the party the Saturday after Halloween instead of before.  We're all really looking forward to everyone being here for the party this year, it should be a good time.  We've got some fun adult things that we're gonna set up to do at the party too, so hopefully it'll be the most fun party we've ever had and not a snore-fest.

As far as Halloween night goes, I would love to rebuild a prop or two, maybe even Helena's crypt, but I don't know if time will be on my side for that.  I'd like to at least have everyone fixed and working properly, and set up on time.

But first!  I have to clean my garage again.  It's a mess.  This weekend will be the organizing weekend for all of that, and maybe rearranging some in there for better utilization of the space.  I also have to move all my stuff from my office to other areas in preparation for Brandon's return, so I'll need to make room for that too.  I also have a ton of ideas for some things for my Etsy store (which I will be renaming soon) using some of my treasures I've been hoarding over the years out in the garage.

All-in-all, it's been a pretty terrific year mostly, and I'm looking forward to the string of holidays coming up, starting with the best one of them all.