HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Halloween Party

Last night was our 6th Annual Halloween Party and BOY was it a smash hit!  Everyone's costumes were so cool and there were lots of spooky dishes for us to eat - everyone talked and laughed, we listened to music and one of the highlights was watching the music videos that our friends' made.  Well, that and my 'bone soap' that looked more like a dog biscuit than an actual bone, but you can only do so much with a butter knife and a bar of Dove.  The party was a total smash - we had the best time!  But we all know that pictures speak louder than words...

Sam and Lindsay - Biker Couple.  Sam had that expression all night....ha!

Chris and Suzanne - Milk Man and 50's Housewife.  Suzanne are 'blog friends', it was so fun to finally meet her and hang out, love her.

Chase and Natalie - Popeye and Olive Oil.  I heard he had to adjust his costume, his muscles were too big for the shirt...

Frank and Hannah - Frankenstein and his Bride.  I don't know how Hannah does it, but her Halloween make-up is always SO cool...she looked amazing!

Tad and Tammy - Mary Queen of Scots and The Executioner.  Tammy made their costumes, aren't they great?  Tammy loves Halloween as much as I do - kindred spirit!

Brett and Amelia - Prisoners.  Doesn't Brett look great with his flowing locks?  That's his real hair, too.

Me and Cody!

My Saloon Pic

Wild Buffalo Cody and Kitten Malone.  Amelia gave me that dress and let me embellish it.  The boots I'm wearing?  At least 100 years old, another loan from Amelia.  Cody, however, owns everything he's wearing - my personal Cowboy.

Adam and Ann - Gangsters.  K, seriously!?!  This one made me laugh SO hard, they look great!!  Did you see Adam's t-shirt?  And Ann's hair and make-up?  I love it!!

Tom and Tanya - Gilligan and Ginger.  Tanya looked so pretty and Tom was a PERFECT Gilligan!

Some of the girls...

Ew.  Tad made this spooky dish of...cat poop in a litter box.  How nasty is that??  The little turds were tasty, but it took quite a bit of convincing for anyone to try it.

See?

Mingling in the kitchen...

Thanks for coming, everyone!  You make our party so much fun each year!  Ahh, I SO love Halloween.

Can I decorate for Christmas now?

Closing Night!

"Blithe Spirit" closed on Monday night!  It was SUCH a fun play - I will miss the people so much.  The show went really well!  We were sold out, they had to set up extra chairs, Cody came...it was perfect.  I so wish we could have extended the run, but alas - all good things must come to an end!  

Debra, the second wife...

This is Mo who played Madame Arcati - she is good people, I love this woman.

The girls in our tiny dressing room!  There were 5 of us that had to get ready in this teeny space every night - we became fast friends, as you can imagine.

Thanks to everyone who was able to come and see the show - even my Drama Teacher from JH came to a matinee!  I loved doing this show and I LOVE all the people I was able to meet because of it.  I am glad to have my evenings and weekends back, but I will miss this show terribly.  As they say at then end of the play, "Parting is such sweet sorrow!"

Mostly Ghostly

It's time for us to talk about 'The Ghost Line'.  You are all well aware of the Halloween obsession that consumes the ladies in my family.  However, it's not just us...my Dad (though he will likely deny it) is just as crazy about this spooky Holiday.  Years ago he rigged a pulley system on the top of his roof to the street lamp across the street.  He and my Mom fashioned some whispy ghosties to a fishing line and they would travel eerily back and forth.  Now it attaches to the neighbors roof, the street light and is a well-oiled machine!  The number of ghosts has grown (there's even a little ghosty family and the Dad is a little squirrely, just like mine) along with the fan base.  The whole neighborhood enjoys the floating ghosts that keep an eye on their street!  It's seriously SUCH a cool thing.  My Dad has a small remote that he keeps in his pocket at all times - ready to start and stop the ghost line at a moment's notice!  He's very serious about it.  So if you are up in the haunted hills of Quail Summit, watch out for ghosts!

For Me??

Awww, sweet Liz awarded me this fabulous little title.  How great is she?  As is customary, I am to award this to some fellow friendly bloggers..

Andrea: My amazing sister.  Liz awarded me this decorative square because she thinks I'm funny and creative.  However, my sister?  Well, Liz knows of her greatness, and now you all should, too.  She is so artistic and sharp - my idol.  She has an ear for music and is truly my best friend.  I love her more than words can express and she has an eye for all things radical.

Ann: Don't get me started - my dear Ann is so detailed with the things she creates.  Her house is a work of art, not to mention all the amazing crafts she designs.  We can sit and talk for hours and we always end up laughing SO hard.  She is gorgeous and sweet, I ADORE her!

Heather: Heather is like my personal Martha Stewart.  She is totally down to earth, yet so polished and creative that it baffles the mind.  It's impossible to hate her because she is the kindest person I know.  She is also my fish friend, and we are bound together by sequins.

Amelia: This lovely girl is like my fill-in sister.  We became supertight superfast and I can't go very many days without a phone call to her.  She has an eye for design, bottom line.  She could make me look like a rock star in a New York minute and has the simplest solutions for any design snag.  Did I mention she's hilarious?  Major bonus.

Tanya:  My sweet Tanya!  Sweet, indeed.  Tanya is going to be a Chef (memo to you - make friends with those who can cook).  Check out her blog and look at her delish creations!  Tanya is solid gold which makes her easy to be friends with, but the things she can do with food astounds me.  Plus, she makes the best Rice Krispie Treats this side of Colorado...

Will you come into my Parlor?

The famous first words of "The Spider and the Fly" by Mary Howitt.  I grew up with that poem and now it's a children's book!  My copy arrived yesterday and I cannot WAIT to read it with Cache!  Perfect little tale for Halloween, no?  If you haven't heard of it (tsk tsk) you MUST get it, it's fantastic.

Things have been so crazy the past week!  The show has been great - our show on Monday night was sold out!!  I love the people that I'm doing the show with, they are so much fun.  While I'm excited to get my weekends back, I will be sad when the show closes.  We only have one more weekend, so come and see!

Last week was my leetle Nephew's Birthday!  Jess put together a great Halloween party for him - costumes and all.  There was a big turn out and how brilliant are Jess and Marty's costumes?  Frederick, Inga and The Monster from Young Frankenstein (you have seen it, right?).  Don't they look great?  Marty's wig was too perfect.  It totally got me SO excited about our party and Halloween!  Happy Birthday Grammies!

Yesterday we took the boys up to Gardner Village with Sam and Lindsay and their little girls.  It was so much fun!  It was super windy and very cold, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  The husbands were troopers as Lindsay and I went in the little shops to look around - I love that place at Halloween!  Cache and Brinley were inseparable all afternoon - they're like bats from the same cave, those two.

I took SO many pictures of Cole walking around - I can't get over how cute he is when he walks!  It looks like he's stomping...such purpose in every step.

The kids were laughing so hard while they were throwing some leaves into the pond...not sure how the ducks felt about it, but whatevs.

Cole frequently bailed on the family to go out on his own, so Cody had to chase after him more than once.

This picture looks fun, right?  Calm, children having fun in the Fall Sun...not two minutes after this picture was taken, little Brinley had enough of looking at the water and simply. jumped. in.  The water went up to her waist!  She was a good sport considering that it was FREEZING outside.  We decided to call it a day and went to Cabella's so the men could look at...well...all the manly goodness that Cabella's has to offer.  Brinley got brand new (dry) clothes and the kids loved looking at the animals and feeding the fish.  Thanks Sam and Linds!  

T-minus 7 days until our Halloween Party.  What?  Cody and I don't even know what our costumes are going to be.  AHHH!  Horrifying!  We'll work on it, I swear.  Does everyone know what they are going to dress up as?   Only a short time before Halloween!!

Fash Off

 I don't know how to dress myself.  It's sad, really.  I mean, I'm not totally clueless when it comes to getting all saucy for an evening out, or wearing something basic for running errands...but lately I feel like I look sort of out of balance.  Confused.  Lost.  Blah.  I need an upgrade, I think.  An overhaul.  I feel like I need to go through my closet and take out everything and re-evaluate my personal style.  

I am a self-professed 'jeans and t-shirt' girl and I probably always will be.  It's what you do with that slate that makes it your own, yes?  A funky scarf, cool shoes, rad jewelry...I sometimes feel like I'm a year behind the trends.  Only a few months ago did I succumb to the skinny jean craze and I've only worn them like 3 times because I lack sufficient courage.  Whenever I go shopping, I constantly ask myself, "Can I pull this off?  Does it look like I'm trying to hard?"  

This has been in my mind for weeks and was made apparent yesterday when I went shopping with my sister and my Mom.  They both schooled me in the style department, what with their cool bags and shoes, and all.  I hardly held a candle to them in my Vans and weird hair.  I've had it - enough is enough.  It's time to renew!  Refresh!  Reinvent!  So tell me - what are you loving right now?  What defines your style?

Bargain Hunting

I have just been made aware of a little something called 'The World's Longest Yard Sale".  For 3 days in August, you can travel from Ohio to Alabama on Hwy. 127 and shop 654 miles of deals!  Is it wrong that I totally want to go next year?  Load up a trailer and go on a road trip?  I think it would be so fun!  Cody and I have always wanted to go down South - there's all these cool B&B's to stay at, great historic sites...and who knows?  Maybe we'll find some treasures.

Blew a Fuse

Can one blow a fuse in their head?  I may have just done that.  It's no secret that I've had way too much on my plate lately...and I don't handle that too well.  I do try, but sometimes my little pot of projects boils over.  

I keep telling myself that next week will be better - next week I won't have rehearsals every night (because my show opened last night!  Yay!), I'll have more time to work on my house (we're putting it back on the market) and plan my Halloween party.  Not to mention spending more time with the boys, laundry, meals, etc.  I've been spreading myself a bit thin lately and it's starting to catch up with me...in the form of a cold.  My whole family has been sick and I think it's finally taking it's turn with me.  Blegh.  I think I'll be ok for the show tonight, but it's no surprise that I need some rest.  And treats.  Treats always make you feel better, right?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

What am I loving?

Belly Bones and Pumpkin Picking!

How key-yute are these Halloween jammies??  My friend Whitney bought some for her boys and I simply had to find out where she got them.   They even glow in the dark, Cache had a great time with that before bed.  I may even use them for their Halloween costumes this year!  Cache wants to be a ghost - wouldn't it be so great for him to wear his little skeleton jams under his spooky white costume?  Boo!

This afternoon we walked over to our Neighbor George's yard to pick out some pumpkins.  Ah, sweet George - our old farmer friend.  He is so generous to us, we just love him.  Cache was very careful to hold on to Cole during the ride over.  We were quick to pick out some choice gourds and a couple of cornstalks.

Soon our porch will be all ready for Halloween!

Halloween Madness!

Have you returned to hear more thrilling tales of danger and adventure?  Sadly, I have none to tell.  Things have been SO crazy the past few days.  My play opens this weekend (no big deal) and our rehearsals have been running really late...we had one on Saturday that lasted 7 hours.  What?  I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed since I'm hardly home and when I am home I just feel exhausted.  I think I have almost used up all my babysitting favors and I need many more.  Cody has been so great with my hectic schedule - he has sort of taken over and it's been a huge help.  My poor house has totally been neglected and I have Halloween decorations scattered all over the place...

But I shall persevere!  It was nice being home all day yesterday (oh, how I LOVE Conference weekend) and I was able to clean up and organize, play with boys, remind them who their mother is, etc.  My house is almost decorated, but I must admit that I've had to get a bit crafty to be sure that Cole doesn't pull all my hard work apart when my back is turned. My Halloween party invitations are almost done and I'm planning on sending those out this week.  I'm getting so excited!  Little bit of panic - I still have no clue what Cody and I are going to be this year.  I better get on that...do you know what you're going to be?  Is your house all ready for Halloween?