Fall Festival & Scarecrow Application - Brooklyn: Fill & Download for Free

In 2015 I was pretty bummed out because my church was hosting a fall festival and the adults never dress up. They have a costume contest for the kids but if an adult shows up in a costume he will stick out like a sore thumb. In fact the first fall festival my (then boyfriend, now husband) invited me to, we showed up in costumes and everybody seem to be quite baffled. I didn't want to go through that again. But I adore Halloween and I can't pass up a chance to dress up.So, about four hours before the festival I finally put my foot down and decided I DID want to wear a Halloween costume. I rummaged through my husband's Renaissance and Steampunk costumes and put together a very nice Edgar Allan Poe costume for him.Using what I had from my own costume stash, the only thing I could come up with was to be Lenore from the Raven. I thought it was a very clever outfit but I failed to realize one thing: I'm an overweight black woman. I’m pretty sure Lenore was the exact opposite of that.We went to the church's fall festival, and then to the mall’s festival, and then to a bookstore. My son was dressed as Jimi Hendrix and he was very easily recognized. Everyone loved my husband’s Poe outfit, but they looked at me and couldn't figure out who I was supposed to be. Many people still scratched their heads once I said Lenore because they don’t know who Lenore is.You can see more photos of our costumes and more about that particular Halloween over at my blog ► Our DIY Edgar Allan Poe & Lenore Halloween Costumes

It was for me.If I lived in a world where being an atheist was no big deal, then I would be confused as to why this question exists. But unfortunately…People really don’t like atheists.That came from an answer where I was discussing one of my favorite religious characters, btw. It wasn’t condescending towards anyone’s faith, at least not intentionally.I told my parents I was an atheist when I was about 15 or 16. My siblings already knew, so they weren’t shocked or upset. My mom is a lifelong Catholic, and she was pissed that I didn’t want to go to church anymore. My dad, who is an atheist himself, was angry because I wouldn’t obey my mom’s orders to attend church. If I ever had a disagreement with my mom, my dad was always on her side.Telling my parents I was an atheist was not a happy moment for me.But there’s more to coming out as an atheist than just my immediate family. The other Catholics at the local church could tell I was missing. Other Catholics were suspicious if I showed up at their fall festival. The kids my age in the youth group didn’t trust me.I know two kids there that didn’t instantly shun me once I was an open atheist. One of them turned hardcore conservative when Trump happened. The other gradually drifted away from organized religion, but they aren’t sure what they believe now.So for me, the ability to identify as an atheist is very important. It’s not a huge lifestyle change other than not spending Sundays in church anymore. But having the freedom to openly not believe in God is not a freedom I take for granted, especially when theists give me shit over my lack of belief.

Living in Georgia might be the problem, but I have a big problem with how bushes and hay are presented in movies and shows.Y’ever just hop into a bush or land in a bush from a fall? How do you think it feels? Soft? Basically, a bed or a cushion? Nope! I think movies forget that bushes have branches. Hard, pokey branches. Those branches may have thorns. The leaves could be pointy.What about hay?Buddy, that’s not hay. That’s hair. THIS is hay.Movies present hay as soft. I remember going to several fall festivals as a kid, and they had hay. I would always jump in them hoping for something soft. Heck, my church hosted one, I tried sleeping in it, and it felt like this.Maybe I’m being harsh to…plants, and I may be wrong depending on where I live, but this is false representation of the pain I go through with these pieces of…botany.Have fun stormin’ the castle! It’ll take a miracle!Edit: A lot of people have been correcting me on the difference between hay and straw. I get it. Thanks for those who have corrected me, and anyone else who plans on commenting the difference can put away their magnifying glasses. Thank you.