I wasn’t going to do it this year. I told myself how much work it was and how I didn’t have the time or money to do it and I gave it a good go to convince myself it wasn’t worth it. Just one year, just skip it. But I couldn’t. I started talking to my sisters who were planning theirs and starting thinking about themes …. What sealed the deal? When Mandee’s husband, Arturo (a real introvert) told Mandee that it wasn’t Haloween without the Forsyth Halloween Party and that he was just about to start thinking about his costume …. had to do it.

So this year’s theme was: a witch’s cottage. More specifically, Witch Hazel’s Cottage (get it? …witch hazel?) Anyway, I had a budget of $50, so I had to make everything from stuff in my backyard, borrow stuff, use stuff from previous years’ Halloween parties and then I didn’t do food. I had everyone bring a treat or snack to share. The invites were cheap. I just printed them out on white cardstock I already had and then painted them with Postum water to make them old and wrinkly looking. The rest I made or had Leslie draw

I really threw the whole party together in about a week. Sunday night, 6 days before the party, I had Daniel help me clear the basement of furniture and the rest of the week I would do a little each day. And it was awesome. Soooooooo much fun. Really worth it

We only played a few games – “I’ve never” and “Adam’s Family”, those are my faves anyway. It came out during the evening that Shane has been arrested for streaking, Bobby dressed in drag, Bobby also tried to kiss Shane, I have an extra appendage, Senta would be the most fun person to go water skiing with, Arturo was baptized when he was 8 and Andrew speaks …. english? britain? british? … anyway, total blast. Loved it.

Bobby and Leslie won for the second year in a row – Best Costume, but they also won funniest too. Senta and Daniel won Scariest. And here are the pictures:

People entered from our back door.

And down the stairs …. into our basement.

This was at the bottom of the stairs and to the left. The stumps I got from a neighbor that was chopping down their tree, the pictures Leslie drew (Uncle Vexadus and Aunt Alphaba), the chandelier was made from battery-operated candles and grapevine wreaths and branches.

Then this was to the right:

I took some pictures with the lights on to catch the details. I got the bottle labels from my sister, Aria, but she said she just google imaged them. The shelving was made from boards I painted and some rope hanging from eye bolts screwed into the ceiling. That’s the beauty of doing this in the basement, you can screw things into the ceiling

I filled the bottles with highlighter fluid, food coloring and then the liquid inside glow sticks (that stuff smells, by the way).

I made the book of spells from an old accounting book I bought from 25 cents from Salvation Army. I glued in cool looking spell pages (thanks again, google image search) and then I made that broom from stuff I found outside and wrapped it with twine.

This was a new addition … dry ice. Daniel had to stay on top of that all evening. But it looked super cool. It was pretty easy to get a hold of dry ice – it was at our local grocery store and only cost about $1.50 per pound. We used 5lbs for the evening. The fire is made of sticks glued together, orange twinkly lights, yellow cellophane and red tissue paper. This is another view of the left side of the basement:

And the bookshelf.

This year’s trophies were by far my favorites. I got them at Salvation Army.

 Now for the costume contenders:

Nick & Tara Giordano – popeye and olive oil

Senta & Daniel Hill – zombies

Colleen & Mike Mero – minnie and mickey

Ruth & Andrew Gough – cardinals fans

Ben & Megan Pruett – ninjas

Tiffany & Brad Rice – black eyed peas

Bobby & Leslie Jamieson – Sonny and Cher

Sooooo, funny story. Bobby’s fake lashes were coming off right when he showed up to the party and asked if I knew how to get the fake lashes to stay put. I had some on too and had just gotten new, expensive eyelash glue at Target earlier that day. Unbeknownst to me, I had gotten professional grade eyelash glue. It was supposed to be used on eyelashes that you wnated indefinately on your eyes. The glue was waterproof and very strong. I had no idea when I was gluing those eyelashes to his eyes that they would cause so much trouble soming off. Anyway, I had a terrible time of getting my eyelashes off later that night and looked at the eyelash glue box and realized my mistake. It was painful, but I yanked them off and glue was stuck in my eyelashes and eyeball for days.

Arturo & Mandee Ordaz – hunter and deer

Erin & Shane Dangerfield – Joe Dirt and girlfriend

Ben & Erin Griswold – baby “bump” traffic signs

Daniel & me – King David & Bathsheba

Leslie accepting her award for “Best Costume” while singing “I Got You Babe”

Bobby & Shane ….. right before this picture was taken, I was focusing the camera as they posed this way and right when Bobby thought I was going to take the picture, Bobby turned toward Shane – and it totally freaked him out. It was hilarious. Too bad the camera didn’t take it at that moment.

This is really Ben’s dancing move that he did while playing “Adam’s Family”. The whole room was doing thsi pose, it was super funny.

Lovely ladies – Tiffany and Jackie

With that orange soda in his hands, Nick really looks like a sailor

The winners of scariest costume and Bobby and Leslie got funniest and best costume awards.

good times.