Boo!

The Halloween costume catalogs that fill my mail box are sandwiched in between Lands End Winter Wear and numerous other Christmas catalogs. I say let's focus on the costumes, as they are needed before any hand sculpted snowman.

Avatar characters are the costume of the year with a blue full length body suit that could make you look like Neytiri for only $50.99. What really gets me is the tween and teen girl costumes. It's one thing to be a witch or a princess but by the looks of things full blow hair and makeup ala Pamela Anderson is a must along with a pose that says much more that a tween girl should be saying, let alone wearing. Really, I'm not being a prude, check it out for your self. The adult costumes actually benefit from the extra added attitude, as the material used to make these costumes is as cheap as it comes. But shouldn't we let girls stay girls? Do we have to dress them up to look like something on the Jersey shore (which by the way will be another popular costume this year)? Let a kid be a kid, they grow up fast enough anyway. This is obviously an opinion based on a preference. Some women think Halloween is the perfect opportunity to let her girl get all dressed up, some don't allow their kids to trick or treat due to religious beliefs. I'll let you do some in-depth research on this one. In the meantime here are some helpful sites: CostumeSuperCenter.com., BuyCostumes.com and CostumeExpress.com.

Have fun, I'm thinking about dressing up like Carmen Miranda, even though Katy Perry has already given a whole new meaning to wearing fruit.

She Buzz words

• Jelly
• Preserves
• Calm
• Rake

Right now she could be

• Cleaning and storing her patio furniture.
• Decorating her house for fall and Halloween; placing mums on her front porch,
• perhaps a few haystacks, scarecrows, and pumpkins too.
• Packing away the summer wear that will hopefully be a hand-me-down for someone
• next year.
• Making her list of what needs to get winterized before November.
• Going to a tanning bed to prepare for an upcoming cruise.
• Crate-training her puppy.

She beauty...

Emery boards don't belong in the bottom of her purse, getting dull and lost. She needs a Tweezer- man Retractable Zip File. www.Tweezerman.com

She site...

She can get fun costume ideas and instructions at the www.Ducktapeclub.com.

She pet...

• She can get a list of area dog parks in the United States and Canada at www.DogPark.com.
• BH&G also offers free downloadable pumpkin stencils for 13 different dog breeds so she can carve a puppy image if she likes at www.bhg.com/dogvote.

She did not know...

An antiperspirant can help prevent blisters. Moisture and fric- tion is the cause of blisters.

She's not so sure...

Celebrity piñatas are available. What she stuffs them with and how hard they get hit is a whole other topic. She can see more at www.hitacelebrity.com.

She fashion...

Shoe Dazzle members receive a monthly email with shoe selections based on her personal style. All shoes are priced at $39, with no obligation and free shipping.

She saves

Instead of purchasing expensive cleaners, she can check out www.thegreenguide.com for inexpensive cleaning solution recipes that use baking soda and vinegar.

• She can check out all the electric and cable deals available in her area and comparison shop at www.whitefence.com.
• She saves on gas when commuting. She can find riding buddies at the website www.commuterlink.com or at this website www.erideshare.com.
• Smart Strip surge protectors automatically cut the power on electronics when they are turned off. Saves her a lot on her energy bill. www.amazon.com

She serves

Operation Hi Honey helps military women and men send their spouse an anniversary gift: a beau- tiful PixelPainted canvas of their favorite photo.

www.CanvasonDemand.com

She's fair minded

The Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development states that Denmark, Finland, and the Netherland are some of the happiest countries in the world. The United States did not even make their list of happy places. Europeans don't have the same "bigger-is-better" mentality as Americans. They define themselves not just by their work but by how much time they spend with family and life experiences. They spend less or purchase higher quality, and they walk, bus, or take mass transit more than Americans. Americans spend too much time alone in their cars, commuting. Could she adapt and enjoy this lifestyle better? Here's a list of the world's Top-10 happiest countries:

• Denmark
• Finland
• Netherlands
• Sweden
• Ireland
• Canada
• Switzerland
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Belgium

• Get more She Prep at www.ShePrep.com