Halloween 2014 // Black Widow and Bob Ross oh my!

For all those who know me, know I absolutely love Halloween. I can't get enough of it. Erin and I begin to decorate for Halloween on Oct 1st and the scarier the better. We pretty much buy all the Halloween decorations we can without making the house look tacky, but sometimes it looks like Halloween threw up on our front porch! We love it!

 

Every year, we host a Halloween party. This year was no exception. The guests are required to dress up and bring a treat for the party. We had so much yummy food this year. From mummy hot dogs to boiled peanuts and kitty litter cake to jello shots! I am so grateful that most of my friends love getting into the Halloween spirit as much as Erin and I do. 

 

 

   

The day before Halloween myself, my mom, and Erin begin to really deck out the inside of the house for the big bash. We dangle bats from the ceiling, set up a Freddy Krueger in the bathroom, dust the house in cob webs, and set multiple strobe lights around the house. Like I said, we go all out. We even have a fake cemetery set up in the front of the house adorned with fake grave stones. 

 

 

 

 

 As the trick-or-treaters rolled in on Halloween, they began to tell us we had the best and scariest house on the block. Mission accomplished! Erin and I were so proud. Plus we were excited to have a few dozen trick-or-treaters as opposed to our two last year. 

We had a great group show up for the party! New friends and old friends alike! My brother and sister-in-law brought the twins who were dressed as strawberries! How adorable! My parents came for a bit and showed up with the best costumes - Lucy and Desi Arnaz! I love my family! 

 

  

 

  

  

  

  

 

The night was so much fun and I truly can't wait for next year!

November 2nd, we celebrated Dia de los Muertos! For the past 12 years, Birmingham has held an amazing festival downtown. I had never been, so we decided to dress the part and join the celebration! I was so excited to paint my face and participate in the festivities. The face painting was A LOT harder than expected, but I think our skeleton faces turned out awesome. Despite the COLD COLD weather, we had an amazing time. We enjoyed tamales and tacos from the food trucks and listening to the jazz parade. If you have never attended Dia de los Muertos of Alabama, you should! It was a great experience, and I will definitely be going back next year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

Until next time!

-H

Fall Festivities // Rocky Horror, Hayrides & Pumpkins

This past weekend was full of so many fun fall activities. I don't know how we packed them all into 3 days! 

Friday night was the Rocky Horror  Masquerade Ball at the Alabama Theatre. This was my first year going, so I was a rookie. Thankfully my amazing friend Mary-Kate got us tickets (she was a judge for the costume contest) and she let me know what to expect! To say it was amazing is an understatement. There were people dressed up as everything you could imagine. From Mrs. Doubtfire to  Bob Ross and Ace Ventura to Thor. My sister, Erin, dressed up as Bob Ross. He is famous for being the painter on PBS in the 90's. "Happy Trees" and "Turn those mistakes into birds" became his catch-phrases! 

 Erin entered the costume contest, but sadly did not place in the top three. She was robbed! I thought her costume was one of the best! I dressed up as Black Widow from The Avengers. Only a few people knew who I was. Oh, well. Can't win them all! 

 

The whole Rocky Horror production was amazing. They have the movie playing in the background and the actors act the scenes out. The audience gets VERY into it. Before it starts, you have the option of buying a "prop bag" which has a bunch of stuff you can throw during the performance. For example, when Janet and Brad are at a wedding, the audience throws rice. I feel bad for the people who have to clean the theatre after Rocky Horror, but man was it fun throwing bread, rice, and toilet paper! It was truly a great night and everyone was in the Halloween spirit!

My parents were babysitting the twins this weekend while Ryan and Kristin were at a wedding, so we decided to take them out to Hayden, AL to the Great Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. This has been a tradition for years - probably because we wanted to go to a town with the same name as me! Haha! Charlie, Hardin, Ya-Ya and Rachel met up with us for the day! We ate way too much fried food (even a fried peach pie) and took a hayride to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins were quite small, but it was a fun time! If you are ever thinking of a place to take the family, the Great Pumpkin Patch is amazing. They have horses, a petting zoo, bounce castles, and inflatable slides! Kids love it. I know Charlie does. 

 

 For the girls 1st birthday, I bought them two little kitty stuffed animals. Turns out they are one of their favorites. They both carried them all weekend. We even almost lost one while walking around the pumpkin patch but Aunt Hayden came to the rescue and found it! 

 

 Saturday night was spent relaxing with the family. Those are some of my favorite days. Spent with the ones I love the most!

 Sunday was pumpkin carving day! I love how my friends embrace my crazy side when it comes to fall and everything that it includes. I love it! Pumpkin carving is one of my favorite things to do. I love scooping out the seeds and keeping them to cook later! I used to always find the most intricate pumpkin design to carve, but as I have gotten older, I am not patient enough for that! I chose to do the Cheshire cat, or my version of it! I think it turned out great! Everyone had a fun time carving pumpkins and watching Hocus Pocus for the millionth time! 

 

 

 

It is the week of Halloween, so I am looking forward to all the movies, parties, and candy this week!

Have a safe and fun Halloween! 

Until next time, 

-H