Kitty Torture

I'm weirdly into Hallowe'en, but hopefully not in an obsessive, Martha Stewart kind of way, so I found these pumpkin carving templates to be kind of cool. My brother used to make really extraordinary jack o'lanterns back in the day - one year he made Bugs Bunny, using broomstraws as the whiskers.

But maybe the best part of the site is the Hallowe'en costumes for babies, cats and dogs (!). We have a 3-legged cat whom we once considered calling "Captain Hook" (and my husband went through a phase in which he called him "DJ Magic Three Paws" - don't ask), so the idea of dressing him up as a pirate with, say, a little wooden leg in place is a compelling one. This outfit comes closest to making my shameful dream of doing so a reality.

Maybe the only better place on the net for cat-dressing shenanigans is CatPrin. Much of the fun there is derived from the fabulous engrish it presents in the form of cat conversation: I need it for my new class! This is the uniform of the "Saint CatPrin College"! proclaimeth the section devoted to dressing your cat as a uniformed high school student.

Ahem. Anyway, this weekend looks set for pumpkin carving, chili-making (in my spanking new crockpot courtesy of Marisa and Kevin), and starting to clear out our cellar in preparation for its eventual transformation. Anyone know a good contractor in Philadelphia?