Halloween 2013: The Big Reveal.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter or Vine, you already know what my costume was and this isn't much of a surprise. But if you don't follow any of those accounts, GET READY FOR THE MOST EXCITING NEWS IN THAT I'M EVER GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU IN ALL OF 2013!!!!!

This year, I ended up wearing two costumes. The first was kind of a makeshift throw together project for my sister's Halloween party. It's definitely not my best work, but it got the job done.

PIRATE
I found the top at a thrift store and later learned that it is the top half to a Jack Sparrow costume. It worked pretty well with some raggedy, drawstring capris from my Pippi Longstocking costume and Pearl's Puss N Boots hat. We didn't have a pirate sword, so I substituted a fencing sword.

Pay no attention to the giant spot on the door where Biscuit tries to eat the mailman everyday

In case you're wondering if I have a hormone problem, yes, I do. But thankfully not enough to cause a full grown beard. To achieve this "more than a woman" look, I had to call in the big guns with black and brown eye shadow.


DISNEYLAND MATTERHORN ATTENDANT
My office goes all out when it comes to Halloween, and our department was determined to win the title of either Best Decorated Department or Best Group Costume. In order to really seal the deal on these awards, one of my coworkers came up with the crazy-brilliant idea of Disneyland rides as our theme. Sounds strange, I know, but it really came together nicely. There was a group of about 15 of us who not only showed up in costume, but also decorated our cubicles accordingly.

The ride that I chose was The Matterhorn. Seeing as how I'd never been on this ride because I hate scary/ big/ fast/ mountainy rides, this involved some research. Somehow, I ended up coming across a photo of a Disneyland employee who was wearing a uniform that looked Matterhorny (say what?) and also like something I could piece together from the thrift store. Luckily enough, I found the PERFECT skirt and vest at the same thrift store and only paid $1.41 for the two. It was like God wanted me to pick the Matterhorn. But then God was like "That was too cheap. I know you like to spend stupid amounts of money when it comes to Halloween, so here's a rad, velvet hat all the way from Salzburg that I know you're not going to be able to resist, even though it's freaking $38. Happy Halloween, you fool."

The pins were both eBay purchases.

And just in case you want the full effect...

By the way, we totally won Best Group Costume.


GORTON'S FISHERMAN
I spotted these fishing waders at the thrift store and they fit Eric just right. The costume didn't take much effort and everyone know's who the Gorton's Fisherman is, so it was a no-brainer.

NACHO LIBRE
This is the costume that I'm most proud of. We watched the Jack Black film, Nacho Libre, a few months back and Pearl loooooved it. Some of her favorite catch phrases are "Get that corn outta my face!" and "You crrrrasy." As I was brainstorming ideas for her top-secret costume, the thought of a mini Nacho grew on me more and more. I knew it was a risky move, but I felt it was a risk worth taking. Mostly because I thought it would be bad ass.

I found the leotard, tights, shoes, and cape on eBay. Eric ordered the mask through Corazon Fair Trade. I bought an old, silky negligee from the thrift store and cut out rectangles for the knee pads.

Man, I love Halloween. It's going to be a hard day when Pearl finally outgrows my obsessions.

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Super Easy Halloween Treats for the Kitcheny Challenged.

Last weekend, my sister hosted a Halloween party and I was tasked with bringing a snack. Not one to be outdone when it comes to all things Halloween, I came across the two ideas below and was instantly sold because A) there's almost no effort involved, and B) everyone loves pretzels and peanut butter. Except me. I don't really like peanut butter. But when it comes to a bunch of strangers, especially the kind who are mostly under the age of 11, who cares? Not me.

NUTTER BUTTER GHOSTS

&

WITCH FINGER PRETZELS

GHOSTS!

INGREDIENTS

Nutter Butter cookies

Wilton White chocolate Candy Melts

Mini chocolate chips

Melt your candy melts, paying VERY careful attention to the tempering instructions. One foul move and your melty heaven will turn into a smoking inferno of burnt, white chalk. Dip the Nutter Butters and top with chocolate chip eyes. I only had regular size chocolate chips and was not about to make a shopping trip for 48 dang mini chips.

FINGERS!

INGREDIENTS

Pretzel rods

Wilton Candy Melts (green)

Almond slivers

Melt your candy according to directions. Once all of the melts have a smooth runny consistency, they're ready to go. 

I transferred my melted candy into a long, narrow thermos so it would be easier to coat the sides of the pretzels. 

Dip and top with almond slivers.

Easy as heck and those pretzels are addicting.

Here are some highlights from the Halloween party:

The spread

This is Skinny Minney. 

I don't know if you can tell, but she's finally put some meat on those bones.

HEY-O!

She loves that joke.

Pumpkin Cuties with celery stem

Grape centipedes with bloody eyes

"Ugh! I feel like I have something in my eye... Will you take a look?"

Witches Brew

Just in case you wanted some nightmare fuel, behold the decorations:

Koala-skull lamp, complete with flickering bulb

And straight from the pits of hell, these baby dolls were part of a collection of creepy toys in a blacked-out closet. Guests were invited to go into the closet with only a flashlight to protect their souls. 

Happy Halloween!

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Have I Mentioned I Loooove Halloween?

As you may or may not have noticed, things have been slow in the cooking department. We actually made a totally bitchin' and blogworthy recipe last night, but wouldn't you know, the stupid camera battery was dead.

So instead, I'm going to post vague photos of our Halloween costumes and beg you to play along.

I went to the thrift store today and fell in love with everything in stock. Do you know how hard it is for me to see racks of perfectly recyclable colorful/ vintage/ creepy costumes and not buy them all?

It's very hard, okay.

I think my obsession with costumes stems from growing up in a poor-ass household. When other kids were wearing highly flammable, silky, one-piece "Barbie" costumes, I was dressed like a geisha or a housewife, all made from my own wardrobe fixins. Growing up broke makes you resourceful. It also makes you want to hoard everything in sight, making for difficult and embarrassing situations at the thrift store during Halloween time.

Where am I going with this?

Nowhere really.


So this year, my office is having a theme for Halloween. And that theme is...........

Disneyland.

Yes. That's right.

We all had to pick a Disneyland ride and not only come up with a costume for it, but also decorate our cubicles accordingly.

I'll admit that at first, this sounded like a cuckoo idea.

But being that I love dressing up, especially when I have a predetermined goal in mind, the idea soon turned into an obsession.

I'm just about done with my costume, and although it's pretty subtle in the spectrum of all things Disney, I'm very happy with it.

Here's a shot of part of the fabric. I know it doesn't show much, but I think it's pretty easy if you know the lay of the (Disney)land. Can you guess which ride I went with?

Eric's costume came together like a dream. We were at thrift store, looking for my Disney stuff, and I spotted this gem hidden amongst the coveralls and robes.

Can you tell who he's going to be? Hint: It's a pop culture character.

And last, we have Pearl. This costume is a complete surprise and she has no idea it's coming. That's partly because I love surprises and also partly because I didn't want her to turn down my awesome idea. With that said, I felt like this was a safe bet because I know she loves this movie.

Can you guess Pearl's costume? Hint: It's a movie character.

Do you have your costume lined up? Tell me what it is so I can get jealous and start thinking of ways to replicate it next year.

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Bet You Didn't Know My Wedding was So Creepy.

I know I said I'd knock out all the wedding talk in one post, but I feel like this one gets a pass since it's somewhat creepy-themed, and can therefore be classed as a "Halloween" post. See how I did that?

Here are eight interesting-and-creepy facts about (or that led up to) our wedding:

1. Eric and I had our first kiss while watching Stephen King's The Shining
2. Eric proposed the night we went to watch a special viewing of The Shining at LACMA
3. Our wedding was held at a haunted venue
4. On Friday, the 13th
5. There were 13 people in our wedding party
6. Our first dance was to Midnight, the Stars, and You. Otherwise known as, the scary-ass song from the ballroom scene in The Shining.
7. The first song at the reception was Michael Jackson's Thriller

And I saved the scariest for last...

8. I've gained five pounds since the wedding. Yes. That's right. FIVE. My always-on-the-go, planning-a-wedding days are over and apparently so is my metabolism. Thankfully, none of my clothes are fitting any differently. Which means, it's probably just going straight to my face. Lucky me.

Thank you, Sarah P., for sharing this image with me. It's like you can see into the future.

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The Big Reveal: Halloween 2012

Did YOU guess what we were going to be for Halloween?

Several of you guessed correctly what both Eric and I were going as, but nobody guessed correctly on Pearl's costume.

Here it is. The moment you've all waited for since first clicking on this blog title two seconds ago.

Eric was. . . . . . . .

MC BAT COMMANDER, FROM THE AQUABATS!

For this costume, Eric ordered the cap, goggles, and shirt through The Aquabats website. He made the belt with blood, sweat, tears, and discount material from Joann fabric and craft. The shorts, socks, and Converse are all out of his wardrobe. And lastly, you can't forget the mustache (face paint) and missing tooth (tooth black-out).

Funny story about this costume: Pearl was trick-or-treating with her mom on Halloween night. Eric wanted to make her night (because she LOVES The Aquabats) by surprising her and fooling her into believing he really was the Bat Commander. As we drove down the street and found Pearl, we were both pumped and imagining that she would always remember the time she met her favorite superhero. As Eric ran up to where she was, scripted monologue in his head, she saw him and came running over yelling, "Daddy!!" Lol.

UPDATE: When Eric made his surprise appearance, he also took with him a letter he'd designed on mock Aquabats stationary. It read something like "Don't eat too much candy! Listen to your mom and dad! And don't forget to brush your teeth! -Love, Ricky Fitness."

Even though Pearl knew better than to fall for Eric's impersonation, she TOTALLY believed the letter was real because of the "authenticity" of the stationary. Apparently, she slept with it all night. Lol.


Pearl was. . . . . . . .

PUSS IN BOOTS!

Pearl's costume came together like a dream. I lucked out by finding an old Tigger costume at the thrift store. Two days, and an additional $5 later, my seamstress decapitated poor Tigg. Since the weather ended up being 5,000 degrees outside that day, I also ended up cutting off the mittened portion of the hands and turned the legs into shorts.

The thrift store provided the floppy, sun hat (still had the original tags from Charlotte Russe) and braided belt. I added a small stitch to the hat to keep one side up and I affixed an ostriche feather (from Michael's). The "boots" were pirate-type boot covers. I used fabric glue to add red ribbon trim and attached them to the Tigger suit. Those, along with the cape and fencing foil, were all from the Halloween store. The final touch was face paint. Eric took over on that part because my attempt the night before looked a lot less "Puss in Boots" and a lot more "Oompa Loompa on crack."

(Oompa Loompa on crack, doing an impersonation of Guy Fawkes, while firing his agent.)

Pearl and her "cousin", the Ninjago (my nephew, M, from Original Thoughts of an Unoriginal Thinker) 

Pearl was entered in the 4-6 age division of the costume contest. We made sure to tell her over and over how it doesn't matter if you win a prize or not, just have fun, yadda yadda, whatever, all those other things you say when you know you're going to win. We told her all of this knowing fully well she was going to clean house. And then the unthinkable happened. SHE.DIDN'T.EVEN.PLACE. She lost to a soap bar/ loofah combo (it was creative and homemade, so I concede they deserved it), Alfalfa from The Little Rascals (again, homemade and cute so it totally deserved it too), and the first place winner was. . .
. . .
. . .
fucking Jack Sparrow.
As in, the store-bought costume that's been played out for the past nine years. I was shocked when they announced his name, especially considering that when we first arrived all the kids were like "Look! It's Puss in Boots!!" AND she was the only Puss in Boots there. AND when we went trick-or-treating afterward, everyone was oohing and ahhing over her costume.

I should totally just be proud that Pearl was cool with not winning a prize and had fun regardless. But I'm not. Clearly, we know who needs to learn the meaning of "sportsmanship."


And lastly, I was. . . . . . . . .

MARY POPPINS!

I had been wanting to try this costume for several years, but for one reason or another, never got around to it. Surprisingly, it was easy to put together. I found a long, wool skirt and a white button down shirt at the thrift store. The hat was some kind of vintage, short-fur covered derby hat from Italy that I also snagged at the thrift store. I just crushed the top down and glued on the flowers and strap. The bow tie was from the Halloween store. The bag, umbrella, blazer, gloves, and boots were out of my wardrobe. I also made sure to part my hair down the middle and pin my bangs down, ala the Pringles mascot.

Surprise of all surprises, I ended up winning third place for the adult costumes! I guess that makes me feel a little better about Pearl not winning. (Not really, she was robbed.)

Graciously accepting my prize. 

Also, my sister and her other son, L, went as the Kia Hamsters. She made their heads out of paper mache and furry fabric and glued witch nails onto furry gloves. She wore giant sweats and stuffed the hips with canteens. (Based on this picture, you'd never know she's stick thin.) L ended up winning a prize for his age division. Yay!!!  (Again, Pearl's group was rigged.)

And how could I forget Biscuit, the latest addition to The Harlem Globetrotters??

So those were our costumes this year.

What did you and your friends/ family go dressed as??

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