Into the Upside Down: Our Stranger Things Group Halloween Costume

It's that time of year again! The boys chose characters from the popular Netflix TV show Stranger Things for our group Halloween costume this year.

Stranger Things Group Costumes

If you're not familiar with the show, it's set in the 1980's in Hawkins, Indiana and features a group of teenage and preteen kids who battle alien/other worldly creatures with the help of their parents. The 1980s nostalgia ALONE was what initially drew Ryan and me to the show. They just finished season 3, so many of our costumes focused on what the characters wore specifically this season.

Here we are ready to battle a Demogorgon as the characters Steve Harrington (Aidyn), Eleven (me), Hopper (Ryan), and Dustin (Jaxon):

Here's a closer look at all of the costumes.

Aidyn called dibs on Steve Harrington first thing and we purchased his costume at Spirit Halloween. It is a very well made costume that includes the shirt, shorts, embroidered hat, and pin-on Steve name tag. This represents the uniform that he wore at the Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream shop for the entire Season 3:

Jaxon wanted to be Dustin Henderson. While they sell an "official" Dustin costume, I did not think that one looked particularly well made. Instead, I opted to piece this costume together from items that I purchased on eBay (hat, socks, and Roast Beef t-shirt), items we already owned (shorts), and one hand-sewn item (the vest).

You can sew your own Dustin Season 3 vest with the step-by-step tutorial that I used last year to create a Han Solo vest. The process is the same, you will just need to start with a chambray shirt instead of a black shirt. To create the "patch" I purchased 1/8 of a yard of NASA Cotton Fabric Patches on Blue and appliqued on the Spacelab patch. This was a pretty good match to the 1985 Discovery mission patch on Dustin's vest because it included a lot of the same elements (flag, space shuttle, Earth).

The two choices for me this year were either Eleven or Joyce. While Joyce would have probably been a better fit with Hopper, we thought it would be a little hard to pull off a Stranger Things group Halloween costume without an Eleven. So, I chose the "battle scene" outfit from Season 3. This costume is also one that is available for purchase, but it included a shirt and black suspenders (which I already owned from when we dressed as Minions for a trip to Disney at Halloween), and I would have still had to purchase pants for the costume. So, I also ended up piecing this one together from vintage items I purchased on eBay (shirt, high waisted pleated jeans) and items I already owned (suspenders, belt, and high top Reeboks from a previous 1980s costume).

Ryan was a natural choice for Jim Hopper. The biggest endeavor for his costume is that he has been growing his hair out and growing a beard (which has now been trimmed into a mustache) for the longest time. Hopper's look for Season 3 was that he was a fan of Magnum PI and wore a Hawaiian shirt. They do sell an official Hopper costume shirt, but we were able to pick up a Hawaiian shirt with similar colors on our 20th anniversary vacation in Hawaii this year, so we used this one instead. We added some light wash jeans, boots, and a watch to complete the look.

And you didn't think we'd forget our pups Smitty and Chance did you? Their costumes were really easy to put together! While you might naturally think that a Demogorgon (or Demodogs as they were called for a while on the show) would be right up their alley, our pups really don't like wearing costumes THAT much. So, I opted for easy Stranger Things t-shirt dog costumes for them. I purchased red t-shirts at the craft store and spent a little time with my Cricut machine designing shirts for them so they could both be the character of Billy, who was a lifeguard at Hawkins Pool.

But Wait! There's More!

We have even more Halloween magic up our sleeves this year! Bet you didn't think that was possible, did you?

Because all of the Harris Sisters are creative in their own rights, we seldom discuss our Halloween costumes with each other, so imagine our surprise when just days before Halloween, we found out that we had another set of Stranger Things costumes this year! Harris Sister Misty's daughters also dressed as Stranger Things characters so check out their awesome costumes too.

Charlotte nailed Robin, who works as the other clerk at the Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream Shop with Steve:

And Emma was also Eleven and is wearing the romper that she wore in the shopping scenes at Starcourt Mall. (And I have to say, she has got that Eleven stare down-pat.)

And isn't this one just the cutest - Baby as a teeny Eleven from Season 1 wearing Nancy's smocked pink dress, a blonde wig, and yellow and green tube socks!

The Devil's in the Details

• Many of these costumes are available at your local Halloween store, but they're also not hard to piece together yourself from your own closet or from your local thrift store.
• To get that true 1980s look for your boys, have them start growing their hair out as soon as you settle on costumes. They make wigs that you can purchase, but those are oftentimes uncomfortable to wear and they add to the expense of large group costumes. Aidyn, Jaxon, and Ryan have missed SEVERAL haircuts, and Ryan has been growing out his facial hair too so that he could have a mustache. They're all looking forward to haircuts on November 1!
• Use props for your photos to give them that extra "oomph" - Steve (Aidyn) is wielding a baseball bat that I wrapped with duct tape that I poked screws through to mimic the spiked bat he uses in Season 1, Dustin (Jaxon) is wielding a can of Farrah Fawcett hairspray that I created for him - this is just a piece of paper printed out and taped around a real can of hairspray, Hopper (Ryan) of course has a toy gun, Robin (Charlotte) is using a dry erase board with the You Rule/You Suck tally marks, Eleven and Robin (Emma and Charlotte) are eating ice cream presumably from Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream Shop, and Eleven (Baby) is proudly hugging two boxes of Eggos (Eleven's favorite breakfast food).

How Many Times Have We Worn the Same Costumes as Each Other?

Great minds apparently think alike! Whether planned or by surprise, it turns out sometimes we have worn the same costumes as each other. If this happens to you, rather than getting upset, round up everyone with the same costume or same theme and get a big group photo! In fact, we were hoping to be able to get our families together to get some big group photos, but we didn't have enough time this year.

We know if we find any Joyces, Mikes, Barbs, Lucases, Alexis, etc. on Halloween night, we're definitely going to take photos with them! (PS we're also on the lookout for a yellow convertible!)

Here's a list of some of the times the Harris Sisters have dressed alike:

• Star Wars Halloween Costumes (two Han Solos - Han Duo)
• Justice League Halloween Costumes (two Kryptos)
• Marilyn Monroe Halloween Costumes (three Marilyn Monroes - which we turned into an Andy Warhol triptych)
• Police Officer Halloween Costumes (four police officers)
• Clark Kent/Superman Christmas Card Idea (four Supermans)
• Elvis Halloween Costumes (three Elvises plus two Elvis pups)

We wish you the happiest of Halloweens from the Walkush and the Turner families!

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

I don't know about you, but once the fall season rolls around, my grocery store produce section is overflowing with all kinds of different squash and pumpkins! And every year, I think I should really be more adventurous and try out some new recipes with these different types of fall squash.

So, today I'm sharing with you a recipe that our family tried this week and we're definitely going to make again. It uses spaghetti squash and incorporates broccoli, cheese, and spices to make it into a wonderful Italian meal. And you know what else? It's low carb and gluten free too! Can't beat that!

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

2 2½- to 3-pound spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 bunches broccoli, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 Tbsp water
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsps Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 450 degrees. 
2. Halve squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the dish. Microwave uncovered on high until flesh is tender, about 10 minutes. Repeat with other squash.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli, garlic, and red pepper (if using). Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Cover and turn heat down to low. Cook until the broccoli is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer broccoli to a large bowl. 
4. Use a fork to scrape the squash from the shells into the bowl. Place the shells in an oven safe baking dish. 
5. Stir 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 4 tablespoons Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into the squash and broccoli mixture. Divide it evenly between the shells. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. 
6. Bake on lower oven rack for 10 minutes. Move to upper oven rack, turn the broiler to high, and broil until the cheese starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Make sure to watch the squash carefully while broiling.

Notes:

I used a small 8 1/2" X 11" Pyrex casserole dish to microwave the squash and turned off the turntable while microwaving. Turn the dish halfway through cooking to make sure the squash cooks evenly.

I used the same casserole dishes that I used for microwaving the squash to bake the squash in for easier cleanup!

The recipe as written makes enough for 4, with each person getting 1/2 of a stuffed squash as a serving. Add some homemade bread and a salad for a full meal.

This makes a pretty presentation served in the squash shell, but after you've mixed together the spaghetti squash, broccoli, cheese and spices, you could also add it all to a casserole dish and bake it that way too!

Chillin' Like a Villain: Disney Villains Group Halloween Costume

It's that time of year again! Long time followers of the blog know that The Harris Sisters always dress up for Halloween, and if you've missed out on our group Halloween costumes in years past, it's easy for you to catch up on all of them. So what did we choose as our sisters Halloween costumes this year?

Disney Villains

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes . . . left to right, Misty is Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty), Donna is Ursula (from The Little Mermaid), and Deanna is Cruella DeVil (from 101 Dalmatians).

These Disney movies are the ones we grew up watching when we were young, so we are certainly familiar with these characters! While they originally appeared in cartoon form decades ago (Maleficent in 1959, Ursula in 1989, and Cruella in 1961), they are all enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to recent live-action remakes.

Maleficent shows off her trademark horns, staff, and raven.

Cruella has already stolen some Dalmatians!

Ursula is casting a spell!

Maleficent got her own movie (with top billing!) in 2014 and has a sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil coming out in October 2019. Both The Little Mermaid and Cruella are scheduled to come out in 2021.

The original Mean Girls are definitely having a moment:

The Devil's in the Details

• Misty crafted a staff for Maleficent out of a dowel and curtain rod finial. And she figured out how to make your own Maleficent horns using the directions in this YouTube tutorial. She borrowed a raven from Donna's Halloween decorations to use as an accessory.
• Donna sewed her purple underskirt using this step-by-step tutorial. Note: You can create your own (adult-sized) template by tracing a hula-hoop. The black overdress was a thrift store find and because it was made of jersey material, it was easy to cut 8 octopus legs out of the skirt - no sewing needed!
• The seashell jewelry that Donna is wearing for Ursula is handmade from actual seashells that have been painted yellow (necklace) and purple (earrings) and then hot glued to jewelry findings. You'll have to do a bit of planning ahead if you know you want to make these costume pieces yourself. Just be on the lookout for the correct size and shape shells the next time you visit the beach!
• Deanna's look for Cruella was mostly achieved by shopping her own closet. A black and white wig, a large emerald ring, and a faux cigarette holder complete the look! Don't forget to add a few Dalmatians as accessories for your photoshoot. The large inflatable Dalmatian was originally a prop in a Firefighter Birthday Party game.
• You might notice that we shot these photos in a bright green forest. Why so? Well, Disney villains are notorious for being introduced by the color of green! 
• We added a fog machine to create just the right malicious atmosphere. After all, these ladies are up to no good and are either cooking up spells or plotting to steal puppies while smoking cigarettes - either way, smoke, we felt, was integral!

Here's another look at the costumes:

Make sure to check out our costume section of the blog for more tips, tricks, and ideas for this Halloween!

Happy Halloween from The Harris Sisters!

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