Halloween Party 2011 The Decorations part 1

After over a year of planning, and months of working, everything finally came together this past Saturday evening for our annual Halloween party. This year's theme was Egyptian - "Death on the Nile." It was a HUGE success, and one of our best parties ever. All of our 95 guests that attended seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, as did we. All of our hard work paid off and we had one hell of a fun party.

Here are first round of the decoration pictures.

The front yard.

Entry way...

The living room.

As you enter the house, to the left is the hallway.

Next is the linen closet area.

And then you got to the bathroom - or in our case it was a version of Tut's tomb.

I'll be posting lots more soon, so be sure to check back often over the next couple of days. Also, I know a lot of you who attended the party asked if I would be posting pictures here and if you could share my blog link with your friends. Absolutely! If you have a minute and would like to leave a comment, those are always appreciated.

Teeny Sneak Peak

Ok, so I couldn't resist showing you how cool our "Sultan's" tent is starting to look. We did a test run on it last night, and I LOVE how it looks! What do you think?



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad as I'm running around too busy to breath!

Today is the day!

Well, after over a year of planning, and two months of actual work, tonight is our big shindig. I feel like a bride that has been planning her wedding or something! So many plans, so long waiting for things to all come together, and now finally here we are, and I can't believe it's TODAY! I know the evening will go by in a flash, but I am hoping to really be able to take it all in and enjoy it along with my guests. I am very excited to see everyone's reactions to our decorations this year, and I'm excited to be able to start sharing more pictures with you here too.

Right now I'm sitting at my kitchen counter enjoying a nice cup of coffee with a ton of hazelnut creamer in it, thinking about how the day will unfold, how we will possibly finish everything on our "to-do" list, and how I wish I'd been able to sleep more than 4 1/2 for each of the last two nights. Oh well, sleep will come soon, right?

Have a great day, and stay tuned for LOTS of pictures to start coming soon!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad because my regular computer is buried behind decorations right now-seriously!

Halloween House

No, this is not my house, but I sure thought it was cool. Talk about a lot of time to put something together! WOW!

And my neighbors think I'm nuts! Ha! How would it be to live next door to this?

(I thought I was having a tough time getting this song out of my head before....now it will be stuck there even longer!)

Fall is in the Air!

I've been so busy these last couple of days that I've hardly had time to stop and "smell the roses" or in this case, to stop and admire the changing season.

Thank you to Doug for sending me this picture of the beautiful changing leaves in the Seattle area. This picture was taken just up the street from where he lives. It reminded me that I need to slow down a little and take in the beauty of the world around me.

It's a Little Creepy

I'll have to admit, it's a little creepy sitting on the couch looking at the TV and having this dude stare back at me.

What a Day!

We are in the final stages of decorating for the party. Holy moly there is a lot to do, but I'm really happy with how things are looking. We've never gone to this extent before and needless to say I am tickled pink.

I probably won't have much time to write long posts this week, but I'll post some random pictures of some of what we have been up to. Of course I won't give away too many surprises before the party, only a couple of sneak peaks here and there.

I made this fellow's costume today, along with several others.


Sewing them is so much cheaper than buying them!

After a 14 hour day on my feet, I'm throwing in the towel for the night. More pictures tomorrow!

Don't Mess with this Momma!

Warning - this footage is a bit disturbing...but ends ok.

Happy Anniversary Baby - Got you on my Mind!

Happy Anniversary Hubby! 21 years, and many, many more to come. Doesn't if feel like just yesterday when we looked like this? But time has passed, and the years have flown by. We are older, hopefully wiser, and even happier than we were back then. We have grown up together, and faced all of the ups and downs that life has presented us with so far. We make a great team, and have produced a beautiful family. I am proud of our life together, and I love you...even more than I did back in 1990 when I said "I Do" to you... thank you....for everything.

Think you've got big problems? Nah...

Look at the camels first and then read the message below.

This is a picture taken from directly above these camels in the desert at sunset. It is considered to be one of the best pictures of the year. When you look closely, you can see that the camels are the little white lines in the picture. The black images you see are just the shadows! Sometimes, our "problems" seem to be as big as the shadows...but they are little. Have a great day!

~ Thanks to my "White Water Rafting Guru" Andy for sharing this with me.

54 Years!

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad! They have been married for 54 years, and are the very best parents a person could ask for!

Oops! Don't forget Queen "G"

Jill (aka GiGi) was NONE too happy about being left out of the last post.

So, to appease her....here is a picture of her grumpy little face that I just took. There, Silly, are you happy now?

Cookie anyone?

I'm thinking of making some of these little goodies for the party. I'm not sure if I'll have time or not, but it's on the list.

This coming weekend will be the last push to get the major stuff done. I'm getting little stuff done by myself between now and Saturday morning, but sometimes it does feel like I am fighting a losing battle. Oh well, that's pretty typical for this time of year for me.

Meanwhile, the pups have been great about occupying themselves. Of course a fun game of "bitey face" is always in order with Kona and Harley....

A little rough and tumble wrestling with those two, and then it's time to be mellow again.
Jack, on the other hand, just looks at me with those gorgeous, soulful brown eyes of his, and wonders when all of this Halloween nonsense will end.Soon Sweetheart, soon.

Inspirational

Check out this young man.


Makes you kind of forget about your own problems for a few minutes, doesn't he?

Emmanuel Kelly, good on ya. You are my crush of the week.

Less than 14 days to go...

We made a ton of progress on our Halloween party preparation this weekend, and I'm actually starting to believe that it might all come together as planned. We had a huge "to-do" list to work on today, and out of over 28 items that were listed to get done today, we knocked about 24 of them off the list. I have to keep myself in high gear this week to get those last items done before next weekend, and the list for those days. No running behind allowed now!

I wonder if I could get these folks to help...


Ah, probably not...they look like a bunch of dummies if you ask me.

I want to send a big shout out to our awesome "crew" that have spent so much time over these past few weeks helping out. This party simply couldn't happen without you! You are all awesome, and we appreciate you and you giving us so much of your free time.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad as I sit on our couch, completely pooped.

Adding to "Sue's Zoo"

In the past I've painted horses and cows, and a not long ago I painted the head of a camel for a scene for our Halloween party. Today we made the silhouette of a camel and again I was pleased with the result.



We got quite a bit done today- and knocked 7 items off of our "to do" list for this weekend. We worked on the party from about 8:30am until 9:30pm today...it was a long day indeed. Tomorrow will probably be even longer because we have 24, yup, 24 items on the list of things to get done by tomorrow night at this time.

And on that cheery note, I bid you all goodnight!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad as I am in bed listening to my sweet Hubby snoring next to me.

Halloween Hounds

When I got home this evening I was playing around on my bed for a couple of minutes with Jack, Kona and Harley. Pickle tried to get a picture of us wrestling, but instead she all she got were these haunted hound pics!






I hope you've had a great Friday! Mine has been spooktacular!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad as I am sitting on the couch with my feet up after a really busy day...

Guilty Dogs

Talk about "BUSTED" - poor Tank can't get away with this.

His guilty face is precious. Thank goodness these aren't my dogs!

Whoosh! And the week is half gone!

This week has been FLYING by! I seriously can't believe it's Wednesday! Monday AJ and I spent the day together and had a great time. It was really the only time we'd gotten to really talk since he'd gotten home Friday evening. We went shopping, had lunch and saw a movie ("Moneyball" with Brad Pitt - we both thoroughly enjoyed it!) It was a really nice day, but it went by way too quickly. Yesterday it was already time for him to head back to Indiana and Purdue.

Before his flight yesterday, we managed to squeeze in a quick breakfast out. Hubby couldn't join us, but the girls did, and it was fun, with the typical sibling interaction.

Although it was hard to say goodbye again, it is comforting to know that he will be home again in 6 weeks for Thanksgiving. For that, I truly am very thankful!

A Crazy Day and Lots of Progress!

Yesterday was a crazy busy day! We worked on Halloween party preparation from 9am until 5:30pm and we got a lot done! With only a couple of weeks left before the party, we are really getting down to the wire. We were able to get the pyramid in the back yard done, and the was HUGE to complete. I won't show pictures until after the party (I don't want to ruin too many surprises for my guests) but suffice to say that it came out AWESOME! A few finishing touches to "gore it up" and we will be set. Yesterday we also started working on the interior of the house. Pictures are off the wall, and "brick work" is starting to go up. It's a long, tedious process, but the effect is worth it in the end.

After work for the day was done we all went to our favorite Mexican restaurant so AJ could get his fill of chips, salsa and "real" Mexican food. He hasn't found any in Indiana to his liking and I knew he would enjoy a big dinner with friends and family. About 20 of us went and it was a great time.

This morning we are getting ready to start another full day of party prep, and I'm hoping that by the time we are done this evening, we have most of the major sets complete. Wouldn't that be nice?

The Boy is Home!

I am in heaven!

Loved This!

This bumper sticker was on the car next to mine as I left my doctor's appointment today. I loved it and had to share!

The Perfect Day - From "Going Home"

A friend of mine from my Golden Retriever Meetup Group recently lost her dog. A few days ago she sent me this link to share. On the link I found the following video - warning to animal lovers - MAJOR KLEENEX ALERT, but too touching not to share.

Dinner withFurry Friends

There are few things I enjoy more than spending a nice evening having dinner with friends. Monday evening we had a meetup at a local dog friendly restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

That's what it's all about right?

Too Funny Indeed!

I saw this picture on one of my FB friends walls, and I had to grab it. How cute is that face?
Anyone who knows me back from when my son AJ was born knows that we had small cabbage patch baby who we joked looked just like AJ as a new born.

When I saw this picture it took me right back to those days. Great times, great memories!

Fun Finds

Look at these two great finds I found today.

Do you like it with, or without the "eyes" lit?

I think he looks happier with his eyes lit.

Missing something?

"Good Morning Momma, were you looking for your sandal by chance?"

Sweet Harley

As I mentioned, I took the pups to the groomer the other day. I love how they look now, all short, clean and snazzy.

When I got then all home from the groomer I took several new pictures of them all - some turned out good, and some were just a blurry mess. I snapped this one of Harley, and I think it's my new favorite photo of her. Each of our dogs is a sweetheart, and each has such a unique personality unto themselves...I think I love this photo of Harley because for me it captures the essence of her soul. I know, I know, I probably sound kooky...but I love this picture, and I just love her to bits.
Here is another side of Harley's personality I wanted to share. She can be a total goofball. Sometimes I like to sneak off into my bedroom to make a personal phone call or two to my folks, AJ, etc., and to get a little peace and quiet. Harley always joins me, jumps onto the bed with me and snuggles up. She is a real love-bug. I snapped this picture with my cell phone as I was standing directly above her as she was rolling around on my bed, trying to get my attention. Her face in this picture just warmed my heart. They just all make my life so much better!

October Fly Boys

This first weekend in Oct in San Diego, usually means that it will be beautiful, scenic, and LOUD.....Welcome to San Diego, Blue Angels! Thanks for the fly bys - and buzzing our house. Ya scared the hell out of the dogs, but you sure did look cool!

Thanks to Pickle for taking these great pictures for my. I was too busy this weekend to do anything other than Halloween shenanigans....