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:

Summertime..and the Grillin's Easy

Husbie and I decided we were going to maximize our time outside this year. Last summer was a bust, because we were working on the backyard. By the time it was finally done, we were ready for my Fall Harvest Party. Boo!

We have been grilling almost every night, and employing my Margarita Oasis. What a fine piece of machinery that baby is. Imagine perfect iced drinks in under a minute...

Could there be a more perfect meal? Methinks not.

We decided to branch out and try grilling up some fruit. The following recipe is truly delicious--plus, it's cheap and fast, unlike the Chef. ;)

Stuffing choco into the banana pockets:

What it looks like all cooked and ready to be horked down:

What people look like after they have eaten it (FYI...it's very happy):

Grilled Banana Splits for 12:

12 large, firm unpeeled bananas

3 bars (4 oz each) chocolate bars

Cinnamon

2 different ice-creams--we did choco and vanilla

Whipped Cream

Chocolate, caramel, fruit sauce

Chopped Nuts--we did pecans

1. Prepare grill for direct, medium-high heat.

2. Cut into each banana lengthwise, making a deep cut but not cutting all the way through. Slip choco into each pocket and sprinkle with cinnamon. Wrap in foil.

3. Layer bananas on cooking grate; cover. Cook turning once, until soft when squeezed with tongs, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Unwrap each banana and top with assorted toppings. Enjoy!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!

So...a few of us chickies headed up to SF for the ultimate overnighter...great dinner, rich desserts, a fab hotel room, strawberry daiquiris, swimming, and a night full 'o' giggles until the wee hours of the morning. The wee-wee-wee-hours of the morning.

Sarah, Kaari, Heather:

Sarah, Kaari, Hayley:

Dinner @ Delancey Street:

SF Chickies:

Heather suggested smores roasted over tealights, but I told her we should avoid hotel fires. Note: My high-school friend Stacy will remember when we set a small fire in that hotel in IA senior year. Bad news! BTW--how did I convince my mom to let me stay in a hotel with friends who start hotel fires?? I digress. She agreed, since she didn't want to put her Husbie's hotel points in jeopardy. We came up with the ultimate plan..smores dip in a crockpot! But we needed to wash them down with something frozen and fruity...enter my Margarita Oasis!

Lance questioned my ability to sneak through the lobby unnoticed with two large kitchen appliances. I dazzled him by squeezing both into a rolling suitcase. Hello! I live by Mexico...I've learned a thing or two about smuggling.

The only sour notes were:

1. Preggo Sarah ended up being sick. No fun. On a not sour note, however, was watching Heather pack the room up in like 7 seconds because she was convinced Sarah had the flu, and we would need to vacate the room and return home PRONTO!!

2. No one going in the hot-tub because they were convinced the other patrons were grody.

3. Having to leave. Wah.

Here's to planning next year ladies!!

These Are Pesky, But Also Fun

Me, in a nutshell:

1. Where is your cell phone? ....................dead
2. Your significant other?.......................hot
3. Your hair?....................................feziwig
4. Your mother? .................................Wisconsin
5. Your father?..................................genealogy
6. Your favorite thing?..........................food
7. Your dream last night?.......................vivid
8. Your favorite drink...........................Diet Coke
9. Your dream/goal?..............................writer
10. The room you're in?..........................hot
11. Your children?...............................who??
12. Your fear?...................................sickness
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years...........CA
14. Where were you last night?...................So-Cal
15. What you're not?.............................jealous
16. Muffins......................................allergic
17. One of your wish list items?.................pony
18. Where you grew up?...........................IA
19. What you read last...........................Us Weekly
20. What are you wearing?........................not much
21. Your TV?.....................................flat
22. Your pets?...................................obese
23. Your computer? ..............................chunky
24. Your life?...................................fab
25. Your mood?...................................entertained
26. Missing someone?.............................nah
27. Your car?....................................leased
28. Something you're not wearing?................shoes
29. Favorite Store?..............................Banana
30. Your summer?.................................hot
31. Like someone?................................LJ
32. Your favorite color?.........................green
33. Last time you laughed........................yesterday
34. Last time you cried?.........................please.

What I Love Most About Road-Tripping With Lance

I found out the oddest things about Lancer when I spent 4 days straight with him. We've been together 6 1/2 years, married for 5 of those, so you would think I know all there is to know, right? Wrong!

Here are a few tidbits I found out about the man I know and love:

1. He likes the *grape* flavored Gatorade. This was my last flavor pick for him.

2. He has a Safeway Club Card. In his wallet. He knew it was there. He used it. He knew *how* to use it. Hmm.

3. He will, under the right circumstances, eat a caramel apple. Nay, two caramel apples in two days!! No nuts, though.

4. He still thinks 'Relax' by Frankie Goes to Holloywood is worthy of being turned up.

5. He has hand and foot fins for when he is in the water.

This was just a smattering...I'm sure there's more. I forgot how much fun it is to just sit and talk for hours on end about the dumbest things: My most embarrassing high-school moment (green junk on tooth pointed out by boy I totally loved..ugh), his great arm-wrestling feat of 8th grade (he's freakishly strong), whether or not there are hidden swear words in EMF's 'Unbelievable' (um, totally, that's why I bought it), his BMX glory-days (he was also freakishly fast), eating Boston Baked Beans (because we can...mmm), why we should buy and travel in an 80's van with a backseat bed (obvious reasons), creating a list of the fun things we want to see and do in the next year (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, white-water rafting, kayaking, concerts to name a few) and the fact that the crap-tastic song in Music and Lyrics seemed to be based on a Wham or Duran Duran song, but was probably based on ABC's 'Poison Arrow.'

That junk is priceless.

So-Cal Baby--Day Four!!

The long journey home began. Along the way, we drove down a canyon where they were battling a blaze. It was a hot and smokey ride down the canyon...

One more stop @ the beach in Malibu along PCH:

One more "must-see" for me was Andersen's Split-Pea Soup House. It's another old CA fave, and I have always wanted to stop in for some famous green goop, which I found surprisingly tasty!

I bought two bags of the famous split-peas home with us. I was going to surprise Lancer with a big bowl in a few weeks, but I was dying to see the recipe, and it was inside the bag. So, I spilled my little secret to Lancer. It sounds surprisingly easy...I will let you know how it turns out!

So-Cal Baby--Day Three!!

We started our day out with a trip to the Quiksilver Miniature Horse Ranch. Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like. The horses are about the size of Dobbie, and are the cutest things I have ever seen. Now, instead of badgering Lance for a pony, I'm going to badger him for a lil' mini pony. This should be somewhat less annoying/more financially attainable for him.

Next stop: Ventura Beach for a little sun and boogie-boarding. Lance did all of the hard work, whilst I laid in the sun reading trashy magazines and ogling my hot-hot-hot husbie. Yum. Thanks for keeping me busy, Lance & Glamour!

Done boogie-boarding, and ready to join me on the beach for a little relaxing in the sun:

So-Cal Baby--Day Two!

Next stop was Solvang, a little Danish town. You can pretty much sell *anything* here as long as you describe it as "Olde" or "Danish," whether or not it really is. Methinks the fudge recipe is neither olde nor Danish, but I'm not one to split hairs. Fudge is fudge is fudge.

You can't stay in Solvang without eating aeblskivers from Arnie's Famous Aeblskivers. I can, of course, because I'm allergic to wheat. But the rest of you must have at the jam and puffed pancake concoction (lucky!!):

Licking my lips and rubbing my tummy in anticipation of Lancer's tasty delight:

After a day of Danish living, we headed back to the Hadsten House for a nice, long nap before dinner. Our dinner was incredible. Lance had the halibut, and I had the salmon atop a risotto cake, drowned in butter.

After dinner, we chilled in the room, and then decided to pop on down to the indoor pool and spa.

The town fireworks were cancelled, because, well, all of California happens to be on fire, and they don't want to purposely add to the troubles.

We were okay with this policy:

Because we were hanging out here all night instead!