HALLOWEENIE!!!

Night #1 - Friday

My favorite part about Halloween is getting ready... I love the prepping and primping part.  To be Kourtney Kardashian, I put in brown contacts and used my long clip-in extensions I bought at IMATS.  For makeup I did the Kardashians' traditional smokey eye and nude lip combo.  I did winged eyeliner to make my eyes look more almond-shaped like Kourtney's.  I parted my hair down the middle and curled it with a medium-sized barrel curling iron to give it loose, Kardashian-esque waves.

I attempted to remove the red eye, but it didn't work very well...  :S

I promise my contacts didn't look quite this creeptastic in the center!!

Baby Mason!!

AW (dressed as Taylor Swift) and I started the night at a friend from law school's Halloween party.  It was our first time attending, and we absolutely loved it.  Our law school friend and his wife throw the party every year at their apartment complex's clubhouse and went to a huge amount of work to decorate the place, provide every sort of alcohol and mixer, and a table full of Halloween treats.  Everyone was dressed in costume, the music was pumping throughout the clubhouse, and more people seemed to arrive every few minutes.  It was great to see our classmates let loose outside of law school and mingle a little.  I think AW and my favorite feature of the party were the vodka-soaked gummi bears... An ingenious idea, if you ask me.  

Kourtney Kardashian, Mason, and Taylor Swift!!

A group of our friends (and the Kim to my Kourtney costume) were at a bar about twenty minutes' drive away, so we left the Halloween party to meet up with them.  That's when our night started to go downhill.

A main street was completely blocked off with no detour signs or indications as to where to go.  Soon we found ourselves in the midst of suburbia Hell where each street curved around and around, only to lead to more of the same curving streets and identical houses.  After what felt like 10 minutes we ended up on a street we recognized and were able to get to our destination.

By the time we arrived, the bar's party was in full swing and there was a decent-sized line to get inside, one in and one out.  A group of about fifteen people cut us in line because they claimed they "had a table"... Tables which they found out were sold out and so they paid individual cover just like everyone else in line.  Finally, we got out of the 30-something-degree cold and into the bar.

At first, we chatted with our friends, admired one another's costumes, and took a few photos...

Kourtney Kardashian, Mason, and Kim Kardashian

Soon we realized the atmosphere of the bar was Affliction Meatheads and (for lack of a better term) Super Sluts... Which didn't matter because we were there to see our friends, but being crammed in a crowd full of these characters was not a pleasant experience.  While lining up to the bar we were able to observe the Affliction Meathead mating ritual on full display.  It's quite interesting... It skips any sort of conversation or compliments and goes straight to groping, fondling, and whispering random sexual words into someone's ear.  After fifteen minutes or so of observing these displays we finally got our drinks, only to discover our friends were no longer beside us and were somewhere in the bar.

We attempted to navigate our way through the mess of Chippendales and girls in fuzzy go-go dancer boots to find our friends... We might as well have been in some horrible version of a video game.  Mario: Affliction Bar Version.  Watch out: stumbling girl in 6-inch platform heels... Toe Broken... Minus 15 points.  Dodging the gropes of Chester the Molester... Plus 20 points!!!  BEEP BEEP BEEPPPP!!!  ALERT... Vomiting Female Cop... Abort route!!  Affliction Meathead body checks male in your group... Minus ten points.  Affliction Meathead elbows male in your group in the face... Minus twenty-five points.  Little Red Riding Ho spills full red drink all over your Alice & Olivia blouse... Minus thirty points.  Your skin will be sticky the remainder of the night... BOOP BOOP BOOOOOOP.

Thirty minutes of this nonsense would make the Energizer bunny exhausted.  Dodging men swaying with intoxication, lifting people in various stages of passing out off your own body, getting pushed and shoved by drunk Super Sluts desperate to find their one night stand before 2 AM?!  MISERABLE.  And we still couldn't find our friends in the crowd.  Finally we found my friend's boyfriend, and another five elbows to the ribs later, found her friend... Neither of which had been able to locate my friend either.


Back at the front of the bar... Frustrated, dripping with alcohol, heels sticking to the floor, and sore from being pushed and shoved and getting stepped on... We decided it was time to give up and head the 170 blocks home.  We were confused on the way home... Were we just too sober to deal with that kind of crowd?  Was the bar just not our style?  Were we just frustrated because we weren't able to find our friends?  Were we getting too old to handle the Affliction Meathead scene?! 


It was too depressing to think the latter, although I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't true.  But old or not, we knew we didn't want to encounter another Affliction Meathead/Super Slut crowd anytime soon.  I thoroughly enjoyed the very end of my night... Finally getting to sit down, take off my heels, put on PJ's, and fall asleep to Hocus Pocus.  

Night #2 - Saturday

My preparation to become the White Swan from Black Swan would take a more time than Kourtney Kardashian, so I had to begin the process a bit earlier.  The White Swan's look is very classic ballet with accentuated eyes, pink cheeks, and rose-colored lips.  I used white and charcoal/black eye shadows and elongated eyeliner on my eyes.  I put the long extensions I bought at IMATS to give my hair more volume, then twisted it up into a ballerina bun and tucked a feather hair clip into the side.

 I had spent many hours on my White Swan costume, which I wanted to resemble the Rodarte masterpiece from the movie as much as possible.

I began with a tutu I purchased from a dance/theatrical shop.  Using a hot glue gun, I glued individual crystals (from Hobby Lobby) onto each layer of the tutu.  I found that I needed to dip the crystals in the glue rather than apply the glue to the crystals, since the hot glue gun would burn my fingers when I held the crystals to apply the glue.  Then I would use some little tongs to place the crystals onto the tutu's netting.

Once the crystals were placed randomly on the layers of the tutu, I added a grouping of large feathers on one side.  I let them dry, then added larger crystals on top.  I finished the tutu off with a pink marabou clip from Hobby Lobby.

The most time consuming part of my White Swan costume was the corset top.  The feathers along the top had to be similar sizes and required substantial amounts of hot glue to remain adhered to the fabric.  Once that had dried, I added larger crystals over the feathers and randomly-spaced smaller crystals all over the bodice.

Once I was dressed in my costume, I had AB take a photo of it in its perfect condition before she applied fake blood to the stomach area.  (In the movie, the White Swan falls into her broken mirror and slowly bleeds to death during the last dance of the ballet.)

Speaking of AB, her hair/makeup/costume was PERFECT.  She looked exactly like the Black Swan.  AW helped her adhere a black feather and fake blood to her shoulder to look like the black feathers Nina started pulling out of her skin in the movie.  And our friend JK who is a graphic artist sketched the black wings tattoo Mila Kunis's character sports in the movie on AB's back in about six minutes flat.  She looked incredible, don't you think?!

I always like meeting at home before going out somewhere.  It's nice to catch up and chat before we're in a noisy bar and dancing.  It's also a good way to make sure everyone gets to know each other before you go out when there are people who haven't met yet.  Saturday was no exception... We made fun drinks, took photos together, and laughed about our costumes.

 The Girls!!

Cindy Lou Who, Black Swan, White Swan, Pan Am Stewardess, Sailor Girl

How awesome do JM and JK look as Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch?!

Ahoy!! Sailors!!  :) 

We had so much fun at the club that night.  The music was great, our drinks were delicious, and our group of friends were absolutely great.  I really don't think we could have had a better night.  It was definitely one of the best Halloweens I've ever had.

How did you celebrate Halloween?!

Xoxo B.

Fabulous Fall Break

As usual, Fall Break came at just the perfect time.  Just when we thought we couldn't take any more projects, any more negotiations, or any more papers, a week-long break from classes came along.  My first two years of law school, Fall Break consisted of the constant pressure for me to "outline"... To review all readings and all notes from each class and then review and summarize them into concise and understandable outlines.  But this year, thanks to a few take-home exams and papers-only classes, I was able to relax a bit more.  (Okay, okay... So maybe I relaxed a little too much, but that's not the point!!)

Thanks to a Friday night class, I didn't get to my parents' house until almost 11 pm.  Of course, that didn't stop Mom and I from making some pumpkin spice hot cocoa, looking at old Halloween photos, and catching up.

Yours truly at kindergarten Halloween as Tinkerbell :)

The next morning we went to my my cousin's marching band competition.  Big C plays the trumpet... And he had no idea I was going to show up!!  We were watching the band members load their instruments when one of Big C's friends told him I was there and he came running out... So cute.

After the band competition our family went to lunch, then went to the Dutch bakery nearby to pick out some desserts for later.

I know I've blogged about the bakery before, but I didn't include any photos.  The bakery is absolutely adorable - designed in the same style as all the other Dutch buildings in the town.

Since Big C was staying with his band at the marching band competition, Little C came with us to pick out desserts and hang out that afternoon.  He loved looking at all the frosted cookies at the bakery... Decisions, decisions!!

The bakery is home to my favorite treat in the whole world... Dutch letters!!  They're a pastry with a light, flaky, slightly sweet crust filled with sweet almond filling.  And there is nothing that pairs better with a cup of hot tea.

Little C and I...

The afternoon was spent at a place called the "Harvest Barn".  It's a pumpkin patch/petting zoo/corn maze/playground/gift shop, and is the perfect place to visit on a bright, sunny October afternoon. 

It was so much fun to spend some time with Little C and Mom and enjoy the beautiful day!!  We came home, had dinner, and watched Transformers with Little C.  Mom and I did our usual... And stayed up late watching I'll Be Seeing You.  A great old movie if you haven't seen it!!

Sunday was a day of relaxation... I slept in, read Catching Fire (the 2nd Hunger Games book), and Little C practiced reading to me.  Little C and I took everyone's orders and picked up Mexican takeout for dinner.  Little C hit up the coin machines and won fake mustaches, which we proudly wore home :)  

Of course, Mom and I couldn't miss out on our Sunday night TV shows... Pan Am and Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion Part I were on!!  Then... We stayed up watching The Craigslist Killer on Lifetime.  GOOD GRIEF.  I don't think I will ever date a man again without checking under his mattress!!  

On Monday I apparently decided to remember I was a law student... I nearly had a heart attack in the kitchen when I realized I had forgotten about TWO PAPERS that were due that day!!  I never procrastinate quite this badly, and it truly scared me... I had gotten so into relaxing that I completely pushed homework out of my head.  In undergrad I could have written two papers in an hour or so, maybe less if I really had to... But in law school that can't really happen if you want to pass.  At least not for me.  So I spent all afternoon and some of the evening working on my papers.  

Tuesday was a good day.  Mom and I drove to a city near us to take my car to the dealership... It had been going over bumps or potholes like a tank with no suspension.  So what do two girls do all day without a car??  Go to the mall of course!!  We had a lot of fun shopping and looking at Christmas decorations out in the department store.  For dinner, we got chocolate malts on the way home.  I love girls' days with Mom. 

Unfortunately, there was something wrong with my car.  So Wednesday became dedicated to driving back to the city (about an hour's drive) and more waiting for the car to be fixed.  I spent the afternoon wasting time at Barnes & Noble, which is never a bad place to waste a few hours.  :)  I picked out some books for Little C to get him a bit more interested in reading and read a novel for my Child, Family, & State class.  On my way home, I stopped at a dance shop and bought a tutu for my Halloween costume.  I was exhausted that night... But probably not quite as exhausted as Miss Scarlett, who got spayed in the morning!!  I have never seen her sleep for 24 hours straight before!!  It was so relaxing for Mom and I to watch Revenge together without being on constant lookout for Scarlett to have an accident!!

On Thursday I ran to the grocery store for Mom... Some of our relatives came for lunch, we relaxed and chatted in the afternoon, and they stayed for dinner too.  After they left, I wrote a paper and did some homework... For some reason, homework feels less stressful and much more bearable when I work on it at my parents' house.  I didn't want to leave!!  :(

Friday is, of course, when my depression and anxiety kick in.  I realize I have a very limited time until classes and stress and craziness begin again and I always try to think of ways to postpone returning home.  I  spent the day with Mom, just relaxing, working on my computer a little, and packing up my things.  That night we ordered in taco pizza - our favorite! - and stayed up late watching Mr. Holland's Opus.  

My spooky Halloween nails I applied during our movie.

(Sally Hansen Salon Effects)

Saturday morning my family brought breakfast over before I left to head back home/to school.  I am so blessed... I absolutely adore my family, and I appreciate each and every moment we get to spend together.  I didn't want to leave them, but I knew leaving Sunday would make me stressed and rushed to get unpacked and start on my homework.  So home I went... Only a three hour drive.  The worst part of course is unpacking.  Ick, ick, ick.  Don't you wish you could have someone else unpack for you?!  

I always overpack, then end up with some goodies from Mom.

This time I brought back bits and pieces to my Halloween costumes as well.

Saturday night I went to two birthday parties.  First, a friend's birthday at a local bar and grill.  It was a great place to chat with friends and catch up.  Then, we ventured downtown to the lovely EA's birthday at the club, where we drank yummy drinks and danced our tushies off!!  :) 

Cookie cake!! Yum!!

Trusts & Estates buddies in crime!!  :)

I had a great Fall Break... But as always, it went by too quickly!!  Do you guys have Fall Break??  Better yet, do you NEED a Fall Break?! 

Xoxo B.

Halloween Decor

Fall is my favorite season of the year... I love the weather, I love the fashion, and I love the holidays that come with it.  Each year I wait in frustration until September's heat begins to cool off and I can begin putting up Fall/Halloween decorations.

There's nothing I love more than being able to curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket, my Scentsy warmers glowing, and pumpkins and Halloween decor all around me.  Even if I'm in the midst of law homework, I feel more relaxed and more happy with some festive decor nearby.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might remember me posting a few photos of my Halloween decor.  I love when people post photos of their holiday decor, and the "Home Decor" category on Pinterest is my absolute favorite.  I think it's so interesting to see how other people decorate their homes... And I can pick up some ideas along the way!!  :)

So here's a little look at my Halloween decor this year...

I like to use more muted, autumn colors to coordinate with the living room's colors.

Pumpkins help make the entertainment center a little more festive.

The tiara pumpkin is one of the "Funkins" we carved last year.

One of my favorite decorations... A pumpkin carriage that holds a tealight candle.

I bought this Cinderella-esque decoration at Hobby Lobby last year. 

I love using more spooky decorations and bright colors in the kitchen/dining area.

Spooky towels  :)

I bought this adorable glass nightlight on clearance at a local department store.

You can really find some bargains on decorations if you shop right after a holiday!!

The baker's rack offers lots of space for decorations. 

It's holding Halloween gifts for friends and a bowl of goodie bags we brought to the pumpkin patch. 

The little haunted house is a tealight candle holder from Yankee Candle. 

At the end of the island there's a little basket for stashing goodies!!

Even the girls get to be festive!!  :)
I store all their Halloween tees/dresses and toys with the other Halloween decor during the year. 

 
I can't take credit for these... These are Mom's!!
She used artificial pumpkins and blinged them out... SO cute. 
The great thing is, she can use them again next year!!

Do you decorate for Fall/Halloween too?!  What's your favorite way to decorate... Pumpkins, hay bales, glitter, candles, ghosts??

Xoxo B.