(Originally published in October, 2014)
I’m the type of person who really enjoys the art of creation in many different forms.
I think that’s one of the reasons I gravitated to acting and voice over as a career. It allows me to play and be creative on a daily basis.
But in addition to my creative profession, I like playing art director and designer in my household. I get a kick out of decorating for the seasons and holidays of the year. I love to set a beautiful and festive dining room table – something inherited from my Mom – who also taught me that food presentation on the plate can make all the difference. Variations of color, and correct combination is key!
I also love taking and sharing family photos, (thank Heaven for Facebook!) though I do get a bit of grief at times for requesting family members to wear certain coordinating clothes for a family photo shoot. God forbid I ask my 10-year-old son to wear pants that actually have a zipper fly! He lives in sweat pants 24/7 these days.
I enjoy getting to look back on the photo books I’ve compiled over the years, that chronicle some of the fun things we’ve done together as a family.
Ultimately, I see the personal reward as creating lasting memories for our family, and especially for my children. My wish for them would be that when they look back, they realize how Mom was really going out of her way to try to make things special and memorable. My mom did that for me and I’m trying to pass it on to the next generation.
The Family That Plays Together…
Something that we’ve dabbled in for a few years now is dressing up in a family theme for Halloween. We had a super fun time last weekend, as the Addams Family, handing out candy at a local “trunk or treat” event. We’ll be hitting the town again on Saturday night (in full costume), going out for dinner to celebrate my husband’s upcoming birthday. It should be an entertaining evening. Adorning my family in proper costume, footwear, makeup and props makes me feel like I’m an art director on a film set!
In honor of Halloween Week, here are a few of our family creations over the years, from 2008 through 2019. If you wish, please vote for your favorite in the comments and/or suggest what we should be for next year.
Do you like to dress up, even though you’re not a kid anymore? What are some of your favorite Halloween memories? Please share pics too on my Facebook page.
