Friday, October 29, 2010

Killer Bee Cutie Pies


The Killer Bees.... Oooooo! I'm afraid!
(Steven N. and Nyssa, Halloween... 1987)
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"The music of the busy bee
Is drowsy, and it comforts me;
But, ah! 'tis quite another thing,
When that same bee concludes to sting!"
~ Andrew Downing, The Bee (1838 - 1917)
This is an excursion into the past... 23 years ago, to be precise. Steven N. is two weeks older than my daughter, Nyssa. He is the son of my friend and the woman I consider the MOST talented and loving childcare giver I know, Rhonda. Rhonda had Stevie and his older brother Charlie... two years older than Steven and Nyssa. She was unafraid of taking them out and they learned so much about sharing and became like brothers and sister. People would often think that Steven and Nyssa were twins.

This Halloween, the church had a children's party and gave out awards for the costumes in different age groups. These two were 18 months old, so I decided to sew them costumes. I simply took a paper bag and fashioned a pattern then started cutting and they evolved from there. In the back there were white wings and a stuffed white pointed cone stinger sewn in. They wore black tights and yellow turtleneck knit tops and black shoes. These easily slipped on and closed in the back at the neck. The antennae were made with your basic head band, yellow pipe cleaners and round styrofoam balls spray painted black. They looked so cute, running around the house, batting each other with the antennae. At the party, Rhonda and I decided they should enter the contest as a single entry.... The Killer Bees!

Of course, they won first place in their age group. The prize? An extra bit of candy and a ribbon, as I remember. And yes, the costume is carefully put away waiting for the day another little one might use it. Well, maybe not... but it is available to borrow!

These "bees" show off their "yellow" stripes for Carmi's theme this week and lend a Halloween touch to the place. They also bring back a lot of "Mommy" memories that are still fresh after all these years. How fast they grow... how cherished these memories are.

(end of post)
Carmi's theme ~ yellow

11 comments:

kenju said...

How darling are they!!??  Such a cute idea, SRP!!

Ginny Hartzler said...

These killer bees took aim straight at my heart!! And you are very talented making these outfits yourself!

Patricia said...

Adorable!!! I'm so impressed that you created their costumes, as well. What a gift.

Karen Sather said...

Nice adorable bumble bees, a gift from the past and a tribute to Halloween an old time favorite that has almost disappeared ......their costumes are too cute ! Thanks.

sandra said...

you get A+ for the best I have seen yet for halloween, they are adorable and you are so talented to make the costumes. sweet little killer bees from the pa st

RamblingWoods said...

Oh how sweet this photo is....Happy Halloween....Michelle

Beverly said...

Why am I not surprised to see this photo on your blog!  How cute and darling they are.  Such good memories.

kenju said...

Roxanne, I am SO sorry that all of you are getting sick together. That's really a shame - especially since you have to care for them. HOpe you will recover soon.

colleen said...

My grandson Bryce was a bee this year. I can't wait to see the pictures. This one is excellent! http://looseleafnotes.com

Carmi said...

This is too precious...and I love how you paint the scene so richly. You're so right: These memories somehow stay fresh. Pulling out old pictures and reflecting is one of my favorite things to do as a dad. It reminds me how sweet the journey has been, and of all the wonderful things that lie ahead.

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