Spooky...

AAAAHHHHH!

This is Hannah - how GREAT is her Medusa costume? So scary, I love it!

...All Hallow's Eve!

Witches and glitches and goblins and goons,
All dance to the sound of the most hideous tunes.
And monsters that prey on the unwanted guest,
When they sneak in to partake of this frightening fest.
It's All Hallows' Eve, and the sun's fast asleep.
An the spirits are out with the creatures that creep.
And the dogs are a-barking at a terrible sight,
For this is the scariest night of all nights.
They come from all over, these beasties and things.
Some slither, some sloop, and some use their wings.
They gather together just outside of town
Where they scream and they holler and all fly around.
But be not afraid, my little ones dear,
For though it seems scary, and some of you fear,
These denizens of darkness and things of the night
Are as harmless as butterflies flittering in flight.
Now, please listen closely and none of you speak.
For though you may shiver and though you may shriek,
You'll feel a lot better in knowing the truth,
'Cause I learned about them when I was a youth.
You see, little darlings, they come once a year.
And they all have a good time and bring lots of cheer.
And they don't bother humans or make a Spook List.
'Cause they don't believe that YOU even exist.
So if you are out and you're walking around,
And you hear the most ghastly and horrible sound,
Remember the words that I told you tonight.
But run home quite quickly, in case I'm not right!
-Stephen Cord

Boo to you! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

As Promised...

Jim and Heather!

Baby Stella!

Adam and Ann!

Great costumes, everybody! Happy Halloween!

Carnival of Souls!

Halloween Party 2007! I can say with certainty - this year's party was the best so far. Our 5th Annual bash was a total smash hit! Before I dish on the evening, I must give praise to my friends. I love our friends. Everyone came in costume and brought a spooky dish to share - it is such a compliment that they go all out each year! So thank you everyone - you truly make my year. Now! Without further ado, allow me to delve right into the details...

Here is our invitation - our spooky carnival ticket! My sister and I came up with them when I went down to visit her in September. How rad are they?
Beings that I had a quasi-carnival theme, I wanted my house to have that 'circus' feel. Lots of stripes and odd touches. Here is some of my decor. The flash from the camera sort of takes away from the whole atmosphere we had going - but in order to document my genius, a flash was necessary (on my camera, anyway).

Our spooky raven kept an eye on things...

A few fotos of party central

For our treats, Cody and I made caramel apples using his family's famous caramel recipe - truly the most delicious caramel on the planet.
We also made cotton candy! You can't have a carnival without cotton candy!
We also filled metal buckets with ice and bottled sodas to refresh our frightening guests! We had a downright smorgasbord of delicious food - there was an array of cakes, monster cupcakes, caramel dip for apples, salad, shrimp platter, relish tray, chili cheese dip, tomato poppers and little smokies (a party must, in my book). Thanks to everyone for bringing the goods!

Just look at that spread...

Now - what does one wear to such an occasion? Here are the costumes!


Sadly, I wasn't able to get pictures of Jim and Heather or Adam and Ann in their costumes. Adam was a white trash dude - so hilarious! Ann came as a cat, quite the nimble little feline. Jim and Heather's costume took home one of the two prizes for 'Best Costume'! Jim wore regular clothes with a lobster bip, Heather wore an apron and oven mits, and their baby girl Stella was placed on a tray with green tissue paper and lemons for garnish...wearing a lobster costume! Oh my gosh, I died - it was the cutest thing ever. Heather promised to send me a picture, so when I get it I will post it! The 'Best Costume' prize was a huge bedazzled lollipop.

Jon and Britt as Deb and Napoleon - our other 'Best Costume' winners! Two years in a row!!

Grady and Shari - Hulk Hogan and Santa's Little Helper!

Mike and Joni - Pirates! Don't they look great? It was Mike's first year at our party...hopefully he doesn't think we're all crazy and will come again next year.

Trent and Angie - a Frog and the Wicked Witch. Yes...those are his lovely legs on display.

And finally...

How cool do we look? We were going for Lt. Dangle and Deputy Clementine Johnson from Reno 911. We've actually never seen the show, but we thought it would be funny - and it WAS!

Cody looked so awesome, he rocked that faux mustache.

After much mingling and filling our bellies with treats, we settled in to watch the music videos that we challenged our guests to make. Grady and Shari were the only ones who complied (aside from Cody and I), but their video ROCKED! It was so hilarious, they filmed a music video to "I wear my sun glasses at night" and it was quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen - we were all laughing our heads off and we gave them a huge round of applause! Naturally, they took home the prize.
Later we heard some ghost stories from Jon (he is the best storyteller) followed by some more eating and mingling until we finally called it a night around midnight. Whew! A fabulous night, I truly had the best time. And dare I say it, I'm already getting ideas for next year, so watch out! Happy Halloween!

Turnips and Tunes..Tursday?

The day before I host a party is usually filled with much chaos - lots to do, lots to do. Cody is home today (YAY!) so we ran a bunch of errands this afternoon. Before we left, we went over to chat with our neighbor, George. George is the best neighbor ever - he's a farmer and his garden is right across the street from us. We get spoiled every season with corn, watermelon, squash and the like. My own little Farmer's Market! Today he gave us a bunch of turnips and I'm going to cook them with dinner tonight. I must be honest, I don't think I have ever eaten a turnip before. I know, George was pretty shocked, too. He pulled one out of the ground, peeled it with his pocket knife and gave all of us a slice. It was so yummy! I am now a fan. Before we left he gave us a few squash, as well. Cache loves his, he'll probably be carrying it around the rest of the day.

Cody and I are getting a lot of things done today for the party tomorrow - I'm so excited! The weather has been really warm which has been great. It's usually freezing cold and sometimes snows on the night of our Halloween party, so here's hoping that it's a little toastier this year! I will be taking lots of pictures tomorrow of party central. The party is a sort of a carnival theme...hopefully I can pull that off.

So! In light of the fact that I am in party mode, I thought I would post some of my favorite Halloween party tunes!

"Thriller" - This song is a classic. That Michael Jackson was quite a genius before he went mad.
"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell
"RamaLama (Bang Bang)" by Roison Murphy
"Help Me" by Timo Maas - this song sounds so groovy, a definite spooky tune!
"House of Fun" by Madness - going along with the carnival theme

Now I'm off to get party things going...wish me luck!

Flashback Tuesday

More Halloween costumes! These are from our party last year. You can see some of the tasty treats that were on hand - it's so great when everyone brings a spooky dish! Cody and I were 17th Century ghosts. In my head, these costumes were way cooler, but when we got ready that night I wasn't super excited. I mean, they were alright, but I'm sure I'll attempt to pull this look off again - and it will rock.

We still look pretty great, I must admit.

Jon and Britt as Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth. I seriously laugh out loud when I see this picture - they looked so rad! They took home the coveted trophy for 'Best Costume' that year! They are the reigning champions...I wonder what this year will bring?

Jim and Heather as a spooky dead couple! The looked absolutely fantastic, I loved their costumes. I can't wait to see what they do this year!

Adam and Ann - Truly, so funny! They dressed up like each other! I heard that Adam wasn't too excited about the nail polish or the eye liner, but he was a good sport!...despite the look on his face.

The Beesley family - don't they look awesome?? Kudos to Trent for putting silver paint on his face. They looked fabulous!

And a quick nod to a comment I received from Mark for my 'Spooky Movie Monday' post. Lady in White is indeed a very scary movie! I honestly thought about posting it, but I opted not. It's pretty scary, there is this song that is sung throughout the film that still creeps me out! "...Have you ever seen a dream walking...well I have....Have you ever seen a dream talking...well I have..." Sing along Mark, I know you know the words!

Graham Richard Patch

Good Heavens, 3 posts today! That just might be a record. I simply HAD to post this little pic that Marty sent over this afternoon. Could you die?!?! So, so, soooo cute. Look how tiny! Again, many congratulations to Marty and Jessica!

Spooky Movie Monday

In honor of the spooky season, I thought I would post some of my favorite Halloween movies! I'm not huge into horror (ironic, no?), but a little mystery and spookiness never hurt me. Here are some classics:

Ahhh, Ichabod and Mr. Toad. My family has been watching this for as long as I can remember - definitely a Patch favorite! Yes, it's a cartoon, but I still look forward to watching it every year.

How I LOVE Clue! Truly one of my most favorite movies of all time. I can quote the entire film (and I have with Rhonda, Emily, Kate...) and I never get sick of it. "Flames....on the side of my face..."

Ok, new addition to this year's repertoire. No question, I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I have yet to find another soul who is as captivated by this film like my sister and myself. We just can't get enough! Mysterious, darkly romantic...dashing gents...what?

Classic! This movie is so funny, another Patch favorite - a definite must for Halloween viewing! And the fact that it's filmed in Black and White is the perfect touch.

And finally, this claymation treat. Even though it touches on the Christmas season (the song 'What's this?' is one of my favorites!), I find that it is the perfect segue into the Holidays!

I know, I know - how on Earth would you be able to fully enjoy the Halloween season without these suggestions? No need to thank me, I'm just here to help.

Weekend

We had a pretty quiet weekend, as weekends go. Cody was home on Saturday, so we got to spend some time together! After we put Cache down for his nap, we made some cookies and settled in to watch the BYU game. Cody opted to don my Halloween wig for the occasion. I know, ladies - how lucky am I, right? So debonair, so dangerous - what a rogue!


The BYU game did not disappoint! We won 42-7. The game started on a clear day and ended in a blizzard. It was crazy! They should have just ended the game early to prevent the players from getting sick, but they toughed it out. Today we are doing some random things to get ready for our party this weekend. Whoa...it's this Friday...I have so much to do!

Halloween Babies

Here is Cole, sporting his Halloween footie that was a gift from Rhonda. So cute!!


This was Cache's costume last year - little Ghostie! I know, so clever right? Cody and I were ghosts, so we thought it was appropriate. Cody had him say 'Trick or Treat' for the picture.

Checking out his loot - realizing that Halloween is the raddest Holiday around

Baby Patch

My new little nephew! My brother Marty and his wife Jessica's first little boy. 7 lbs, 4 oz., 19 1/2" long. Look at that dark hair!

At the moment, this little dude remains nameless, but isn't he the cutest thing ever?? He looks so much like Marty, it's hilarious.

I got to see Marty and Jess at the Hospital. Jess looks fabulous as usual - the delivery was pretty rough, but she handled it like a champion. And from what I understand, so did Marty! I am just so, so happy for them. Cache and Lucas (my sister's son) are really close in age and I foresee them spending Summers together, so I'm really excited that Cole will also have a little cousin he can play with!
Today I'm vigorously cleaning my house and soon I will post pictures of all my Halloween splendor! My party is a week from tomorrow (what the...) and we have challenged our guests to make a music video to share - a stellar prize awaits! Cody and I are filming ours this weekend - all I can tell you is that some cross-dressing is involved. If I can figure out how to post it, I will! Turns out I'm all about humiliating myself. Is everyone ready for Halloween??

The Big Reveal!

My new development? I have started a Fitness Blog! That's right, loyal fans - I have created another blog to document my fitness plan. Much praise is due to my radical sister Andrea for designing my banner and being my ultimate fitness coach. Go take a look!

www.readysteadyfit.blogspot.com

Perspective!

I have returned from my weekend away...a new woman! Yes, it is possible. First, let me say THANK YOU to all those who stopped by my Blog and left an encouraging comment. I was so overwhelmed! I will admit, a few tears of gratitude were shed and my hand was over my heart more than once. I was so touched, thank you thank you. If I had any sense at all, I would post about breakdowns more often just so I can read more lovey comments!

The drive down to Vegas with my Mom was most inspiring. Leave it to my dear ol' Mum to bring me back to reality and give me some perspective. We talked during the entire drive and it was so great to talk about all the things that get to me. Wise woman, my mother - she knew exactly what to say and I feel refreshed, balanced and ready to take on this week. Crisis abolished! All is well in the kingdom of Jolley.

On another note - last week I finished some onesies and burp cloths that my friend Kate asked me to make. Here are some pics of the finished product:

Butterflies

This design seems to be a favorite...

Kate's friend is naming her daughter Caprice, hence the "C" (she also loves zebra print, I love to accomodate!)

Burp cloths. Of course they are a bit over the top, do you know me at all?

I designed a quick little tag with my info and voila! 'Jollies' by Julia Jolley was made official. Interested in some custom baby goods? Let me know.

I also have another development on the horizon, I will reveal it this week! Is the suspense killing you yet? Mmm, yes - I knew it would be. Stay tuned!