I Might be Crazy

It all started out innocently enough. People started asking if I would be having my annual Halloween party--past parties here and here--so they could save the date "just in case." I've been putting off a decision because I'm torn.

On the one hand, Mini will only be 4 weeks old and I obviously won't be able to go all out. On the other hand, Halloween is my favorite holiday, and the thought of not doing my party makes me weepy. Not really, because I'm not prone to crying--but I really want to do something, even if I have to really reign it in.

Here are the down and dirty deets if I end up hosting:

1. Potluck. Kinda ghetto. I can probably do the cider, but everything else would have to be trucked in by friends--the drinks, candy apple bar, chowders/chili, platters, spooky foods, etc.
2. Paper goods
3. Sparse decorations
4. No Village
5. A handful of co-hosts to help with all of the above

Is that too much to ask? Would the party still be worth hosting? Please be honest, and tell me what you think.

I already have the theme planned if the party is a go.

Heros

VS.

Villains

The costume possibilities are endless! Comic books, movies, history, sports, TV, literature....I already have my costume planned. You know, if I decide to move forward.

Please weigh in!

It's that Time if Year Again!!

What time you may ask. Time for this business--SPOOKY VILLAGE!! Here is what's on my list:

The Haunted Opera House:

The Witch's Brew Haus:

I'm so-so on the Mortuary:

This is the piece in the Wild Wild West Village. It's the Dry Gulch Jail:

Plain spooky home:

I took the brochure to dinner and tried to make Lance guess what I wanted. He declined. My sister Eriika was a much better sport. When she lived in Colorado, we would run to Michael's at the same time and pick over the display piece by piece.

There are all sorts of nuances with Spooky Village--there are "sub-villages" within the Larger Village. For instance--they have a Halloween carnival, pirate village, wild west village, and a cursed Egyptian village. These are in addition to the main village pieces. I only do one sub-village--the western one. The rest of my pieces are just plain ol' spooky buildings.

I'm a nut--these things are super pricey--up to $70 per piece. But I **never** pay full price. I wait until they aren't on sale, pick over the ads looking for a 40% coupon only good on full-price shwag, buy 10 papers at the Mercury News HQ in San Jose, hit 3 different stores for 3 days straight...and I have all of my pieces for almost half off.

So genius it's S C A R Y

Halloween in July

I have a quirky, weird, slightly dark streak in me. I like black comedies (Heathers) and dark TV shows (Dexter). I always have, always will. I like being spooked, unless it's 3 am, Lance is gone, and I am watching a freaky TV show by myself.

So, it should come as no surprise that I love Halloween--it's my favorite holiday. I like the fun and creepy decorations. Free candy doesn't suck, either. My favorite thing, however, is my Spooky Village. I started collecting ages ago, when I was still in college. It grows every year, and part of the Party Shed is dedicated solely to Spooky Village. It takes hours to set up, and hours to take down--usually 10 hours or more total.

But I love it...the freaky little houses, the costumed figurines, the grim and macabre village the poor souls all live in.

Once July hits, I start ducking into Michaels to see if SV has hit the shelves. It has hit, and I am now a weekly stalker.

Here are a few pics of my village from last year: