How To Pick Out A Last-Minute DIY Halloween Costume

I've never been to a halloween costume party--like never.

October is always a busy time of the year since it kicks off three of the biggest fall holidays of the year, and it's my birthday month.

With everything that's happened since my Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) diagnosis I figured I throw my very own halloween costume party.

If you've ever seen our parties we throw for wedding showers, baby showers, or our kids birthday parties, we have a tendency to go overboard. We don't really like to buy store bought decorations, because we want everything to look different and be unique. And that goes for our costumes as well. We usually make our own costumes.

Last-Minute DIY Costume

So, I started googling and thinking of DIY costume ideas for couples weeks before the party. I wanted to be something "kind of pretty" because I never feel pretty any more. Even though I wanted to be a "pretty"halloween costume, I wasn't going for a "Mean Girls" type costume where I where lingerie, put on mouse ears, so I can look like a slut muffin.

via GIPHY

Gretchen: "What are you supposed to be?"

Karen: "I'm a mouse, duh!"

via GIPHY

Not that there is anything wrong with a "sexy halloween costume," it's just that's not me, especially when my legs like frail, pale and I have no ass or boobs any more.

OK, so back to Halloween costume decisions. I went to Spirit Halloween Store to try to get some ideas, but didn't get much. I even checked out Party City, but now we knew what was out there in case we needed to purchase something for one of our costumes.

Couple Costume or DIY Single Costume? 

AHH, decisions, decisions. Originally I wanted to go with a couple's costume, but it needed to be something new, fresh and something I could make myself. I've seen the soap and the loofa sponge, salt and pepper, etc. I wanted a unique halloween costume that would be easy to make.

I wasn't too sure how much Klay would want to dress up. I figured he wouldn't want to make up and anything too difficult. So for him, I was thinking about easy, creative and simple halloween costumes.

By this point I'd been looking for weeks. I had one idea that really stood out for me that I wanted to do, but he didn't seem like he wanted to participate, so I said "I'll just do it myself."

But now we are down to the week of my party. It's Wednesday (the party is Saturday) and we are still clueless on which costume idea we wanted to go with and if we were doing something separate or as a couple.

My blood pressure was rising because it's my party and I haven't started making a costume for it. All I wanted Klay to do is decide if he wanted to do a couple's costume or create something funny and just go as something separate. But still no decision.

Last EFFIN' Minute DIY Costume Idea

It's now Thursday and I'd purchased some items to create a costume by myself. Klay on the other hand bought a Game of Thrones Jon Snow costume with a wig and it looked hilarious. The only thing was Jon doesn't have a girlfriend or anything we could do as a pair and people probably wouldn't know who we are. Klay looked hilarious in the Game of Thrones costume so I didn't think it would matter; people would just laugh at him anyway.

Once Klay put the costume on for my mom, she cracked up and told me I need to be something that goes along with his character. Mind you, it's Thursday night--the party is Saturday--and I still haven't started on my costume. Finally it hit me. Jon Snow has a wolf that protects him, named Ghost. He's all white, so I said I could be Ghost!

Making the Costume

The next day (Friday), mom went searching for all things white and furry.

This is what the costume consisted of:

• silver leggings
• furry booties from Party City
• a furry vest from Cato's
• the furry ears I got were from Party City, they actually had plaid on the other side so I used the back as the front
• a furry white and black pillowcase and cut the other side that was sewn and I slid it on as a skirt (from Hobby Lobby).
• fuzzy white socks we already had that I cute to go over my hands.
• furry hat that we made into a tail
• teeth purchased Party City
• Plus a white cape from Target and a few other things we didn't use
• Klay purchased his cloak and "Game of Throne" wig from Spirit Halloween

Here are some photos of us figuring out what looks best (sorry for the blurry one. And doesn't it look like Klay was enjoying putting my costume on a little too much?:

Here's the finished look:

Klay just wore a black t-shirt he had already and black pants w/ flipflops underneath his cape.

ADD IN THE AWESOME WOLF MAKE UP MY MOM AND SISTER DID & WE LOOK PRETTY GOOD FOR OUR FIRST DIY HALLOWEEN COSTUME!

How To Think Of Clever And Simple Ideas For Last-Minute Costumes

The way I see it; the best ideas for halloween costumes come from the things you love. 

Think about things you love to do, you love to watch, commercials that catch your attention, something big that happened in the news/pop culture this year or puns you hear people say.

The World's Easiest Costume Could Come From A Clever Saying Or A Common Pun: 

Example: We've all heard someone say "when life gives you lemons..." But how can that be a costume? Get a plain t-shirt write the word "LIFE" on it or get one of those stickers that says "Hello My Name is: LIFE"  and walk around the party giving people lemons--you're surely guaranteed to have the most unique halloween costume there and the cheapest.

TV Shows, Movies and Commercials You Love: 

Klay and I love "Sons of Anarchy," "Breaking Bad," and "Game of Thrones." Originally we thought about being Jesse and Walt from "Breaking Bad" and wear yellow hazmat suits or Klay could be "Heisenberg" and I could be crystal meth by making a shiny blue costume. It probably would of been a quick costume, but I wanted to be "pretty-ish".

Be Something You Love To Do: 

If you love to golf, your DIY halloween costume could be a golf ball. But you're not going alone? Make the costume for a couple by having the other person dress up as a hole in one. Make it homemade by creating a number one from a cardboard box or poster board and cutting a hole in it. Your costume would  definitely be creative and easy to do yourself.

Think Simple To Get The Clever Costume Ideas:

You could be a squirrel and his nuts or Taco Bell (one person be a taco and the other be Belle from "Beauty and the Beast.") Too tough? Or don't have time? Be a bread winner. Place bread around your neck like a necklace and purchase a blue ribbon that says 1st Place. Be a spice rack. Put a bra outside of your shirt and put cooking spices in it.

Use A Commercial You Love For A Unique Costume Ideas:

Two more DIY Couple Costume Ideas could come from a TV commercial that gets your attention. I've heard many men mention "the hot model" and her talking horse from Direct TV's or make your man The Most Interesting Man in the World and you could be a a DOS XX's. Of course you could be Flo from Progressive or Jake from State Farm! Make sure to wear khakis!

Creative Pop Culture Costumes Ideas:

Tom Brady and a deflated football (I'd get an old football deflated it and some how where it as a hat...) or Tom Brady and his broken cell phone. Not a football fan? Try Hillary Clinton and her classified emails, or Caitlynn Jenner and Bruce Jenner (they actually have costumes for these at Spirit Halloween, but you could definitely DIY.

So do you have any halloween costume parties to go to this year? If so, what are you going to be?

Wishing everyone less stress when choosing a DIY halloween costume!

Why I Decided To Blog For A Living

Life Was Put On Hold

When I moved back from Alaska, my life was put on hold. I was still working for the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) from afar, but it was only for another six months or so. Then, I got pregnant and my search for a job in Dallas ceased because we needed to find a house (we were living with my parents). After two years of being a stay-at-home mom, I wanted to work again. I'd worked for UAA a few more times after I had Brody, but they were temporary jobs. Then, I started looking for work and sending out resumes, and I found out I was pregnant with Bex.

My life kept getting put on hold, which meant my dreams were put on hold. I always thought I would have a job of my dreams (doing what? I don't know...), but I thought I'd get to a happy career-place. I'm a mom now, who is 28, and I haven't worked full-time since 2012ish.

So I'm ready learn and put my knowledge to use on this blog to hopefully make a profit. Here are some reasons why...

THE KIDS

Bex is on the move now, so he is the most difficult child to put a diaper on. He just flips over and starts crawling away and if I don't catch him fast enough he just pees on the floor. He's been crawling for nearly two months and he's pulling himself up in his crib and by the couch, so now I have him getting into EVERYTHING.

If I could only figure out why babies love to get into dog bowls all the time... or a solution besides having to put them up (cause then we forget to feed our poor dogs). SIGH...

Now I'm moving my decor around because he can reach breakable things and whatnot. I'm trying to "baby proof" my house.

But he is a little chunk. He loves to eat. He tries to steal whatever we're eating. He has four teeth now and more coming. His teeth bother him more than Brody's ever did.

And we are still potty training Brody. I know it sounds bad, but with me in the hospital so many times this year, he hasn't had consistency when it comes to his "training". I've been really working with him the past month. And for the most part he does good, but today was just a bad, terrible, awful. He peed his pants three times. And no to Adam Sandler in Billy Madison "it's not cool to pee your pants!"

If you don't live in Texas we are getting some major rain down here, which scares Billie. So I'm pretty sure he's pissed in a few places around the house, plus Brody peeing in his pants, and with Bex crawling around and peeing, my house smells like piss. At least, I feel like it does. Everyone is peeing everywhere. And I'm going crazy because of it.

Mentally, I need some time away from the kids to do something and have some sort of structure and routine to our daily lives.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BESIDES CANCER CRAP

Medically I'm doing mostly OK. I've had to get several infusions because I've been low on magnesium, potassium or just need fluids in general. That means my doctor appointments are long. And I'm going mostly just once a week, but I've had to go a couple times a week depending on how my bloodwork looks. But I'm still in remission for the AML, but I could do some blog work up there due to how much time I spend up there a week.

For those of you who want to know about me medically, I'm going back on Nexavar--the oral pills that cost like $14K. The last time I was on them I got a really bad rash that just wouldn't go away.

Don't worry; the cancer didn't come back or anything, that's not why I'm going back on them. They are using the medication as maintenance. I have a bad mutation that is aggressive as hell and notorious for coming back called FLT3, and this medication targets that mutation. They want me to stay on it for a year for precautionary purposes. Doc said maybe even stay on it for two years from my transplant date which was in April depending on how I handle it. One to two years!? WTF. I hope that changes, but I'll do what the doc wants cause he knows his shit, by shit I mean leukemia.
Now tell me if this isn't crazy... Apparently, they are going to experiment with me (I'll be the first EVERRRRRRR) to try and see if we can desensitize myself from the side effects of the drug. So, for a few days I'll have to take a quarter of a pill for one day, and then start to slowly increase in the coming days.

I'm pretty nervous for that. I was actually suppose to start this weekend, but then I didn't buy a pill cutter till yesterday, and I wasn't about to try to cut pills that cost like several hundred dollars each and them break into a thousand pieces. So, I'm holding it off till next week on that.

But thinking about all this cancer stuff every week becomes exhausting and I need an outlet where I can talk about some new, regular things in my life. That doesn't mean I will stop telling my stories about how I feel about having AML and what not, I just need to talk about more things.

TURNING 28...

I recently had a birthday and turned the big 2-8! So I had a party because I thought I deserved one after all that has happened over the past year (more to come on that later). Another year older, another year to celebrate life. This also motivated in really making my job my blog--and a dream come true.

GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT BLOGGING TO MAKE MONEY

This is a really BIG DEAL for me.
I've decided to really focus on my blog and try to take it to the next level. And of course, you, my readers are big part of helping make me more successful.

I know what you're thinking, "you always say you will post more, Cass and never do."
But I'm really going to put more effort into this blog.

I'm tired of just having my weeks consist of doctor appointments and taking care of kids. I really need to do something for myself. I'm going crazy all the time at the house. And I'm not at full strength so I still need help with cleaning, cooking and the kids. I get way too tired too easy and that stresses me out. Blogging makes me happy, less anxious and I can make money from home. Plus, it's fun!

One of my favorite bloggers, Helene In Between, wrote a post the other day that spoke to me, entitled "Do You Know How To Figure Out What You're Good AT?" Go read it. It's an amazing post.

Like me, she also has a communications degree, and when she was growing up she didn't know what she wanted to "be" either. There are so many people who knew early on they dreamed of being a nurse, doctor, lawyer, accountant or engineer. I, on the other hand, had no clue what my talents were. What was I good at? What am I good at? What do I enjoy?

I knew I liked to talk. I loved to dance. I like to read. I love watching new TV shows and I adore animals. And eventually, in college, I figured out I loved to write.

And that's how Helene felt too. She never felt like she was good at any one thing until she started to blog. And she thought she had to find a niche to talk about. I was like that when I first started blogging too.

I blogged about our 17-day road trip from Alaska through Canada and down the west coast. Then, I blogged about being a first-time mom. Now, my blog seems to be more about cancer or battling acute myeloid leukemia than anything. But I know now, I don't need a niche. I'm interested in lots of different things, so I want to talk about lots of different things with my followers and make some money while I'm at it.

After six years working for various companies, Helene decided to go and blog full-time, meaning blogging is now her job--her income.

I really want to contribute monetarily to this family, so I took an "Quit Your Job to Blog" e-course designed by Helene to learn more about gaining followers, social media, seo, how to make money, etc.

And boy, oh boy, did she put some work into that course.

It's loaded with information and well worth the money. I have pages and pages of notes from her videos, plus worksheets and invaluable resources (that I never heard of until her course) to help me grow my blog, my audience and even make some money along the way.  If you're a blogger, I encourage you to take the Helene's e-course .

Don't worry guys; it's not going to change my writing in anyway. And I'll be working my butt off. Blogging is hard work; there is so much you need to do for each post so it takes a lot of time.

But I will be the same ole crazy, quirky, OMG-did-she-really-just-say-that-Cass because that's who I am. And that's how I write. I'll still tell it like it is and that's not going to ever change.

But I don't want this blog to be all about my journey battling acute myeloid leukemia. Of course if I can help someone talk by creating a cancer support group on Facebook or something, I will totally do so.

But for me, I have to talk about other topics too. The cancer stuff can be a little heavy for me at times and sometimes I just want to feel normal and forget about that part of my life.

Now, I'm asking you guys for your help.

I'd like for you to take a survey and answer a few questions for me about my blog and what keeps you coming back.

I have two surveys I'd like for you to take. They are very brief and multiple choice so it should take you no time at all, plus it would help me out greatly.

1. The first is about Demographics. I just want to gaining knowledge about My Readers/Followers. Please take this survey first.
2. The second survey is all about my posts and what you like and don't like... Please take my survey about my blog posts here.

Thanks for being so amazing you guys! And I appreciate your support as I start this venture!

2+ Weeks Hospitalized + Wishing For Better Days

There were so many times I've wanted to write and tell everyone what's been going on. I just haven't had it in me to sit and write.

Technically that's a lie; I've had some time, especially since I was hospitalized on the 9th--and it's now the 24th of September and I'm still here. Ugh.

I guess I just didn't have the energy to "go there" with my feelings and let it all out because I knew it would break me. Plus, pneumonia and computers don't really mix well. Apparently that's what I have, some kind of pneumonia. For a while no one could quite figure out what was happening--my oxygen levels were dropping into the low 70s and 80s and nurses freak with anything below 90. I couldn't get all the sinus shit out of my head.  

So I was wearing oxygen all the time, and all of my countless nurses kept telling me they were all worried and trying to figure out different meds to see if I would get any better. I was there for more than five days and nothing had really improved. My oxygen levels were worse. I couldn't breathe long enough on my own to go the bathroom, so yes, I had to use a bed-side commode like an ole lady. But I was OK with that. Didn't want to have local headlines

reading "Walking to the hospital bathroom in patient's room kills 27 year old all because she had to take a shit."

So I opted bed-side was the best. I was hooked up to too many wires and what not anyway, it would take me 10 minutes to finally get to the bathroom and by that time my oxygen sats were going down.
And then I'd have a coughing fit. 

From what I'm told about the pneumonia I had really put me in pretty rough shape, though mentally I didn't feel that way... I just kept thinking I'd be here for a few days. "Just a few days," they'd say and I'd believe them.

But after many days, lots of antibiotics and fluids running through me, doing breathing treatments (or scary smokey eyes), I wasn't improving much.

Obviously I'm still here that's why it's 12:32 am and I'm telling this white screen how I feel. Over the past few days, I started to feel better and today was the day, I knew it was a stretch but it was my first real shot to go home. It's been two weeks since I've seen my babies a few times on FaceTime. It's been too long since I've witnessed Brody's little giggle when Daddy tickles him, I've missed seeing Bex's first tooth make its grand debut, I've missed waking up and cuddling Bex back to sleep, I missed my snuggles from Brody and all of the funny things that he said since I've been in the hospital.

Over the past year I've missed too much. Bex is halfway crawling across the floor (and making pretty good time, I might add), and I am missing it. I'm here away from them, sitting, doing nothing, not being anyone to my babies. I hate it so much.

I just lost my shit earlier. Like patient cw can't get it together.  

I couldn't deal. Klay left to go take care of the boys, Mom had scheduled a concert months in advance with her friends, so it's just me up at the hospital alone. I thought I could deal. I thought I could handle it. But I went looking through photos of Bex and Bro and I lost it. I want to be home with them. I can't do this crap any more. It's time for me to go home.

My nurses then came in to deliver some even more devastating news--I probably won't leave tomorrow either. 

But, screw that,  I'm going to give it my best shot. I can't do it any more with out seeing my kids. I just can't. I just want to be home.

So many times I wake and think this is a bad dream, but I open my eyes and see hospital walls, feel my head of hair that's growing back, sit up and look at all of the machines attached to me. It's all real. All of it.

I can't shake it.

Apparently people on the floor were really worried about me and I found out why. The whole first week to me was a blur. I had a procedure done, but I don't remember it. They said I slept all of the time. Meanwhile, a man in the room next to me was experiencing the same symptoms I had. He was older than me, much older, but he died this week.

How many times have I heard of people with cancer dying of some sort of infections? One too many and too many times too close to my rooms. I don't know how these nurses and doctors do it. One day a file is there with new updates from the patient, the next there is nothing to report. And that breaks my heart.

Someone I've known since, gosh, since I can remember, passed away this week after a long fight with breast cancer and many other health issues. I'm not going to pretend like I know exactly what they were, because I don't. What I do know is that Amy was a sweet, fun girl who I knew but never really hung out with, except when her brother and my sister dated in like third grade.

And when I hear of her death, I can't help feel guilty. I feel guilty she didn't get to experience some things that I did like--motherhood.

She had a long battle, but all I heard was how strong she was through it all. Everyone said she just kept moving forward like it was part of life, like it was her job to keep going to keep fighting. It was just like an obstacle to overcome. Even though she may not of made it to the end of our lives, we got to watch the end of hers--and from everyone I've spoken to she lived life having fun doing and trying new things.

I hope I can harvest some of that power and strength and use it in times of need, like now. I'm just not finding that strength, Amy, and I hope that you can help us from up there. I need some of your strength and attitude and it seems so selfish of me to ask for it. We haven't talked in years.

It all seems so unfair how someone just a few more years older than me is already gone. How is that fair? Why does one beautiful soul leave us and I'm still here? I don't understand. And for her family who have been through so so so much, I just wish I could take an ounce of pain away from you and this struggle. It seems so unfair that I'm here and she's not.

And I feel guilty because of it.

My eyes are swollen, red and causing all kinds of blurriness as my tear drops stream down onto my arms and roll to the keyboard. I lay in this hospital bed in tears thinking about Amy, the man next door, the people who passed when I was in the hospital for transplant, people who passed away before I could meet them and I feel guilty. To my great aunt Ann, who was a beautiful soul, and showed that through her love for her family, I miss her. This life is not fair. Why am I here? Does my family all get to make it to the end of this life in one piece?

It's terrible I ask such questions when these past two months, because I've experienced some of the purist happiness I've ever experienced. I totally rocked my bald head down an aisle at my best friend's wedding and felt beautiful all the way down the aisle. I spent the whole night dancing with Brody all night because he kept asking me to dance and telling me how pretty I was. I wrapped up the last song for me and my love to take a moment alone together. We just swayed back and forth, back and forth and he didn't let go even after the music stopped. We kissed. And just from his kisses and touch l'm overpowered by it. I can see it in his eyes and I know this man truly loves me with every fiber of his being. I smile and I'm genuinely in the moment, no worries, no fears, and he sees it too "she's happy," he thinks. And his eyes light up, his smile breaks free and he's kisses me once more.

And that was an amazing night, one for the books.

And now I'm back in this negative hole and I can't come up for air. I'm reaching and grasping to hold on to that feeling to the happiness but something comes up that pulls me away from what makes me happy--my family.

This hospital is long and unexpected, I just want to be the caretaker of my family again. And what if I get sick again and wind up in the hospital for the holiday season? I missed out on all of it last year. I can't do that again. It will be Bex's first Christmas home with us. He was stuck at the hospital last year.

Tonight has been rough. My nerves are shot, I'm just a mess. I talked to the boys earlier on FaceTime and they were happy to see me. Brody heard me talking to Klay and I was crying.

Brody said, "Don't cry Mama. You have to get better so you can come home. I'm coming up there to see you. But you have to get better so you can come home and snuggle."

Well that only made my waterworks pump out faster. And then my eyes act like they have tsunamis coming out of them, just wave after wave, they come and they come and nothing stops it.

The Next Day...

After finally falling asleep at 5 am, my nurses rush in to tell me at 8 am that I'm going home! So I should pack. I was so excited my my nerves were shot from being so upset the night before my eyes, were swollen, my face still red, and I needed to put myself back together.

I called Klay and gave him the news and headed up to the hospital to be there for my latest escape from Med City.

I got my med and med list and headed home. We stopped my Michael's Craft store on the way because I saw some cute little crafts for us and the kids to do. But as soon as we pulled up, I opened the door and puked. Good times.

Klay asked if I still wanted to go in and I said yes. So we got some crafts, and then headed to mom's house to get the boys.They were happy to see me. Bex weighed so much more it seemed.

We left and stared building this foam pirate ship with halloween characters on it. Brody really loves it. Daddy did most of the work of course and I did what I could. It ended turning out great.

I don't remember if it was the first night, but every day since we got home, I've puked every morning and stayed very nauseated, sometimes making more than one appearance to the commode or trash a day. And then I had a migraine Saturday and Sunday that were plain awful. I was out of my migraine med so I had to call my DR to get a prescription. I was in bed all day, getting sick, ice packs all over my face. It was terrible. Last night was the first night I slept and had a slight headache and I didn't get sick either. No toilet visits for me, at least not for on end.

Apparently I was supposed to go home on steroids and they didn't give me any or put it on my med list. And, we had been tapering me off of Program (the anti-rejection medication) for a month or so... I was on .5 mg a day. They bumped me up in the hospital to 6 mg a day. Prograf is prone to give you headaches and especially bad headaches for people who already get headaches quite a lot. So pretty much Prograf and I were going to be off to a rocky start no matter what.

So they think that's why I've been so sick. I was on such a heavy dose of steroids and then I didn't have any over the weekend and also because my high prograf level.

EFF this SHIT.

Now it's Wednesday, Sept. 30 and I'm feeling OK. Mostly tired and hungry cause I haven't eaten for the past week. I'm down to 145 lbs with clothes on. I haven't been this tiny since high school. Now I'm gonna need a new wardrobe. I've lost like 40lbs since the cancer stuff and like 55 lbs since the pregnancy. I look awful, plus I have a lesbians' hairstyle now. Not that have anything against lesbians' and super short hair, but I really never thought I would have the look myself. Maybe it's time for a trim. I don't know. Lez be honest here, I do love having short hair and not having to dry it and fix it. That takes way too much time out of my day. Maybe I just need a new wardrobe. Nothing fits any more.

I'll try not to be so damn depressing in the next post, and I'll try to post more often.

See what I mean about the hair? I kinda like it though. No worries, no cares, screw you if you think I'm lesbian. That just means Klay might have some competition if I decide keep this look... #lesbiansbeware #cancercassisonthemove #stupidstereotypes

Ready to feel better,