Halloween Party Ideas

Good Monday morning... and Happy November!

The Showcase Pic is of our Special Guest... Melaney Grubbs!!! Yes, Melaney graciously agreed to be my first Special Guest. She answered 20 grueling questions, turned them in on time and allowed me to take her picture for A Simple Life. It was a huge commitment, but she did an excellent job. Over the next day or so, I'll be sharing her interview in its entirety, and everyone can get to know Melaney better. She's a lovely person and a very sweet friend.

Also, I'll be drawing a name out of a bowl of more than 65 women for the December Special Guest. It could be you! I'll be calling the person some time this week to see if they are willing to go through the intense and rigorous questioning, and the massive amount of time it takes to be a Special Guest. Keep in mind, you will be famous for at least three or four days, so the paparazzi can and will be a problem. You'll probably want to invest in a pair of large sunglasses and wig for disguise purposes.

The Gallery Pics are a hodgepodge of Roxie and Ragan's haunted cookie house, Roxie and Josh dressed up in their Halloween finery, and Roxie and friends trick-or-treating. I have lots and lots of pictures I'll be adding as the week progresses.

NOTE - Before I forget... I have a new favorite "thing." Do I sound like Oprah? When my friend, Julie, and I were picking up drinks for the basketball tournament coming up this week, we saw a new drink in one of the warehouses. It was called Sierra Mist - Cranberry Splash. It intrigued us. I was tickled when Julie gave me a Walmart bag the next day containing a bottle of Cranberry Splash. This stuff is good. And I mean "you-don't-have-to-love-cranberries-to-love-this-drink" good. I think it would be excellent in a holiday punch recipe, too. (I may work on that. I've never really created an edible or drinkable recipe on my own.)

Try it today if you get a chance. And no... I'm not getting a case of Cranberry Splash for posting this today. Unless you know someone who might want to get rid of a case.

Monday Mayhem

Our weekend went pretty much according to plan. Sort of. Kind of. Not really at all.

Josh's Friday night plans were cancelled at the last minute, and although a little disappointed, he was okay.

Especially when we received a call from a friend offering four FREE Auburn tickets for the game Saturday morning. That perked him up! Mike picked up the tickets and they packed a bag of "dry" clothes to wear home from the game, as well as a few other necessary items. Things were looking up for Josh.

That is until he woke up Saturday morning with the beginning of hives. It wasn't a bad case, but remembering what he had gone through the 4th of July, he wasn't crazy about going out of town if he was going to end up in the ER again. He and Mike made an executive decision to stay home, watch the game (and his hives). The Benadryl he took in the morning made him extremely sleepy, so he didn't have another one in the afternoon since he wanted to try to go to the Halloween party he had been invited to attend. The hives remained the same. No worse, but no better... So off he went to his party.

In the meantime, Roxie and Ragan made a wonderful Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble for Halloween, and she enjoyed trick-or-treating with several friends for a couple of hours.

Back to Josh... He arrived home around 10:00 when the party ended. and the hives were definitely getting worse. We gave him another Benadryl, and Mike set the clock for 2:00 a.m. At 2:00 a.m. the hives were growing.

One more Benadryl and another clock check for 5:00 a.m. Hives were much, much worse on his legs and were now spreading up his body.

At the 6:00 a.m. check, it was decided he needed to go to the ER or the Doc-in-the-Box for shots. This was verified by Josh's regular doctor, so Mike and Josh headed to the doctor's office at 7:45 to be there when it opened at 8:00. Around 9:30, the shots were administered and Josh slept for a couple of hours. (They say the shots are the equivalent to five or six Red Bulls, but, of course, they have the opposite effect on Josh. Very, very relaxing.)

As of last night, Josh and the hives were under control, but we're scheduling appointments this week with doctors trying to figure out what is going on.

Austin came straight to church Sunday morning as planned. We then headed to Mom's house for our family lunch. Josh and Roxie went to Sunday night classes, while Austin took Melia out to eat. (His Sunday night class resumes next week.)

Everyone was at the house at 9:00 to watch Amazing Race. Thankfully, that is one of the few things that hasn't changed lately. We get to end the week together.

I hope your weekend went according to plan. I'd love to have one of those one day. A WHOLE weekend that went "according to plan." I can't even imagine what it would be like, can you?

Special Guest - Melaney Grubbs

I gave Melaney 30 questions. I told her she could pick and choose any 20 she wanted to answer... her choice. Melaney is the wife of Jamin Grubbs, Youth Pastor at our church. They have been married 18 years. She is also the mother of Taylor, 14, and Tori, 11. She has a sweet, sweet spirit, and she always puts "legs to her words" which means she doesn't just talk about it... she does it! I think her servant's heart is one of her greatest qualities.

Melaney is definitely worth knowing, and today we're going to get to know her a little better.

1. Name three places in the U.S. you've never been, but have always wanted to go?

Las Vegas, Montana, and California

2. Not counting the days you were saved, married, or the birth of your children, what are two of the most significant, life-altering days you can remember, and why?

June 8, 2009 - I was told by the oncologist I needed surgery to remove a malignancy.

June 23, 2009 - Jamin asked me if the oncologist had talked to me yet. I had just been brought to my room after surgery. When I answered "no" weak from anesthesia and still very groggy, Jamin got very close to my face, and with a soft, sweet voice through tears he told me the tumor was benign. There was no cancer. He put his head to my face. We wept and prayed a prayer of thanks and praise to God.

3. What was your worst dating experience?

Tim Hall, a classmate, asked me out when I was 16 years-old. I wore a pretty pink dress and heels due to my vertically challenged self. He had on a nice shirt and jeans. He took me out to eat at Quincy's. Remember those restaurants? After dinner, he had absolutely NO PLANS! He actually drove me over to another classmate's house to ask HER what WE should do. I only regret not saying, "Just take me home."

She suggested putt-putt. Remember, I was wearing a dress with heels. There we were at Funland Park in Decatur, Alabama playing putt-putt. My first date and I was wearing a dress, heels and swinging a putter. What a jerk! How stupid was I for being so sweet to just go along with HIS PLANS. I would kill a guy for doing that to my girls!

4. How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall in the mix?

I have a sister nine years older and a brother six years older. I am the BABY!

5. What is the most important lesson you want your children to know before leaving your home?

Love Jesus always, and serve God and others with gladness.

6. If you could have one physical attribute changed, what would it be?

Change my HEIGHT!!!!!

7. If you could be any age (prior or later than now), what age would you pick?

I would want to be 27. That is the year I became a Mama. I would love to start that time over again.

8. What is your favorite old hymn?

Trust And Obey and Leave It There

9. What is your family's favorite meal you prepare?

Tori's favorite meal is spaghetti. Taylor's favorite is roast, carrots and potatoes. Jamin's favorite is chicken casserole.

10. If you could remove someone's burden and take it as your own, whose burden would it be?

I would remove Taylor's epilepsy if I could.

Tune in tomorrow for a few more questions and answers. See. I told you it wasn't hard. It's the little things we learn about each other that help us become close. And remember... Everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes we just need to take the time to listen.

Halloween Party Ideas

I know it is a couple of days AFTER Halloween, but plan on checking October 2008 and 2009 of A Simple Life next October 2010 for Halloween ideas you may have forgotten.

As you all know, I'm a big Scavenger Hunt fan. Here are some ideas for a Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

Scavenger Hunt - Make a list of objects to gather. They can be themed or completely random. Make sure you have a copy of the item list, too. See below for suggestions to get you started:

AAA battery
Acorn
Apple
Black fingernail polish
Blood-red lipstick
Broom
Candy corn
Golf ball
Gourd
Head of garlic
Indian corn
Lock of black, red or gray hair
Map of USA
Miniature pumpkin
Orange sock
Pie tin
Sewing needle
Spider (real or fake)
Thread
Today's newspaper
Toothpick
Tootsie Roll
Whistle

Get the permission of your neighbors, particularly if the scavenger hunt will be on foot. Let them know the types of things everyone will be searching for and discuss what limits and rules you intend to share.

You'll need a clear set of rules for participants. What are the boundaries of the search? The timetable? Of course, make it clear that stealing or "borrowing" is not allowed under any circumstances; nor is driving unsafely or running through anyone's hedge or garden.

Halloween Games

Mummy Wrap - Divide guests up in pairs. Give each pair a roll of toilet paper. One team member will be the wrapper, the other will be the mummy. The first team to use up its roll wins. Or you can give each team two rolls of toilet paper and after the mummy is wrapped, he or she must wrap their partner.

Doughnut Race - Divide guests into teams. Hang as many doughnuts as guests from a tree limb or clothesline by string. Without using hands, each guest must catch and eat a doughnut. The first team to finish their doughnuts wins.

What Am I? - Pin or tape a Halloween-themed picture on each guest's back (without the guest seeing what it is). While others can only give yes or no answers, each guest must guess what he or she is.

Pass the Pumpkin - Have one fewer small pumpkins than players. Sit kids in a circle. Play Halloween music while they pass the pumpkins around the circle. When the music stops, the player without a pumpkin is out, but he gets to take a pumpkin with him. The rest of the players continue to play until there is a winner.

These ideas were taken from my Taste of Home Halloween Party Favorites Cookbook... which, by the way, was a gift from Melaney, our Special Guest!

Have a magnificent Monday. Tomorrow I have another great recipe donated by a new friend to the blog. It is a perfect fall/winter addition to your recipe collection, so you'll want to "copy" this one. I'll have a little more of Melaney's interview to share, too.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda