In my grocery store I have started to see bags of chocolate kisses wrapped in orange, brown, and gold foil. That means only one thing: Halloween is right around the corner. Must be time to find a costume for my four-year-old daughter.

So I start paying attention to all those catalogs that come in the mail. They have lots of really cute costumes ... look, a ladybug. How sweet! How much is that one? $34.98!!! Okay, lets try to find something simpler. How about a cowgirl? That's simple. Just a vest, a bandanna, and a hat. Oh, it has a skirt, too. How nice. $39.98! And so it went. I realize that if I buy from a catalog like this, or go to the stories, I'll pay a fortune for a "licensed character," or I'll pay $15 and get a piece of nylon that won't last through the night.

I suppose if I were some sort of domestic goddess, I'd pull out my 100-function sewing machine and whip up Winnie the Pooh in an afternoon. Well -- it's been a while since anyone called me any kind of goddess.