Only the Good Die Young

We threw our annual Halloween bash this last weekend. As always, it was a fun opportunity to eat some food and hang out with friends. It was a packed day, so I barely got any photos before the crowds descended. Forgive me.

 The theme this year was Only the Good Die Young. People were funny and creative.

Olive from the 'gone too soon' show Pushing Daisies, and Dr. Who. Or Inspector Gadget. He answered to either.

Cleopatra and King Tut. Kristine looked FOXY with black hair (unlike me), and LG rocked that guyliner like it was going out of style. He thinks I'm kidding when I say this is a good look for him.

 Team Robsten. So sad about their breakup. Kristen is totally a Trampire.

 The Ashby's forgot to dress up. Weird.

Meghan and Mark had AWESOME costumes and makeup! I was on point all night just making sure their rotting flesh didn't fall into my candy apple dish.

Bella--post vamp transformation. She's sipping on some Type A goodness.

 Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson. I think his skin is a little too dark to pull off Michael. Ha.

2008 Britney Spears. Lancer asked if she was Tiny Tim. She should have beaten him with her umbrella.

 Just in case you don't see the genius in Carly's costume.

 The Donner Party. Or chilly hipsters.

 Sarah Palin. Very funny.

A fallen soldier and Lady Di. 

Obama and Biden. Funny stuff. I could tell Tyler was missing his spandex get-ups of yesteryear. Is a costume really a costume if you wear it to ward Council the next day?

Sesame Street--she knit those hats!

We went as Mrs. Colonel Sanders and a plump spring chicken. Only the good die young, baby! And I was about to eat that tasty poultry.

The food was tasty--as always--and the candy apple bar a delicious hit. This year I decided to save myself some hassle and use these new Caramel Bits. They're a million times better than the wrapped candies, and they produce a smooth, creamy caramel. I know this because Lancer proclaimed "This tastes a million times better this year."

The day and evening were toasty, so we were able to spend time outside in our backyard. Normally, we have to crank up the heat lamp, but this year the weather was so mild. It was a nice, mellow night.

I also served THIS corn dip. Yeah, it's a little white trash, but there's never a scrap of it left.

I also whipped up a  batch of caramel apple cider. It's so simple, and very tasty. Word on the street is that it was a raging in success all the way out in Price, Utah. I doubled the recipe, and simply let is steep on the stove all night long.

Caramel Apple Cider

1/2 gallon apple cider
1/4 to 1/3 cup caramel syrup, depending on taste
2 sticks cinnamon
10-15 whole cloves

Add all ingredients to large stockpot. Whip with a whisk to blend the caramel sauce into the cider. Simmer.

Looking forward to one more Halloween bash to round out the fall holiday season!

Money Shot!

One fateful morning, the photography Gods smiled upon me. It had been blazing hot, then cold and rainy. I looked out the window and saw that there was a lull. I packed Beezie up, and headed down to Spina Farms for some patchin' fun.

Seriously. Look at that sky. Beautiful!

 And then one right after the other, I packed in the MONEY SHOTS. Bam! Bam! Bam!

 

After the Money Shots were secured, I let her run wild like the wind.

 

I'm so nice I even let her remove her ditch the hair flair.

All of our friends were patched out, so we went alone. I jimmyrigged the camera on top of a pumpkin to make sure my likeness was captured. I was having a really great hair day.

Why, hello there! Are you taking my picture? How flattering!

 I made a real person take this one in the train.

I love these casual shots--candid, and natural as she lazed about the barn. She looks so old with her hair down and loose.

Don't these look like magazine shots? Love them!

And that is how you procure your money shot, people!

The Elusive Money Shot

We decided to finally hit up the HMB pumpkin festival. I've lived here for almost 20 years, and have never made it. Same with the Gilroy Garlic Festival. There's no excuse at this point.

The universe was telling us not to go, but we ignored the signs: my cold, B's cold, the fact that it was B's naptime, Lance's bad back, the crowds...but I needed my Halloween money shot for my cards, so I pressed on.

We were fools. We bravely made it all the way to the outskirts of town before we bailed. We stopped at this little pumpkin patch that was littered with--surprise, surprise--families with toddlers. Everyone was in the same boat.

Besides the other issues mentioned already, it was SWELTERING. We've been blessed (and cursed) with very warm weather this month. A red, sweaty face is not part of the plan.

I was optimistic. We got off to a good start.

There were a few cute shots, but none of them qualified as the Money Shot.

 But most of them turned out half baked like this piece of crap picture. Poor kid just wanted a respite from the sun.

 

Then the diaper issues started. B is constantly pulling at her diaper, and talking potty talk. Seriously--her antics in that area would make Michael Jackson antsy. And it leads to some great photos.

Money shot be damned. I  knew it was a bust, and we just hung out as a family before heading back home.

Once back home, we regrouped with a nice long nap and some delicious cottage cheese....

....and a Scooby Doo bucket hat, of course. A happy meal castoff featuring a mystery solving dog is just the ticket for recovering from an overbearing stage mom chasing a pipe dream through a pumpkin patch.