Can't forget Halloween Night

Gracie and her buds. Gracie was a cute devil for Halloween Night because we got this devil costume from her cousin Zach. So I decided to make it more girly by making a gold mini skirt with black lace, 3 sparkly gold roses on the neckline, and a gold rose set off by black lace by her horn on her head. I thought she was wickedly cute. James and Nixon were too.I planned a Halloween Party for us and two other couples but then we were wanted to invite more friends. So Angela who you see with her son Landon, graciously agreed to host the party that I planned at her house. Little did I know how well she throws parties. From mixed virgin drinks, too black cauldrons, candle tapers, and dry ice, let's just say she had all the goods and skills. Thanks Angela for a great party.
Look at this awesome table setting.Luke eating a mummy dog before trick or treating. He is just one big kid.
Kara stayed home handed out candy and did the last minute prep while we went to a couple of houses.
Gracie wanted to push the stroller instead of ride in it so we were the slow pokes.
Gracie loved getting candy out of each bowl.
Unfortunately she wanted to eat it all too. This picture is hilarious because she has a wrapped sucker in her mouth and her hand in the bag.
Our cute trick or treaters.
Kara made her tradition on Halloween, Dinner in a Pumpkin - a beef and rice recipe.
And I made Brazilian Dinner in a Squash- a chicken and cream cheese recipe. Don't worry we weren't competing. It was fun to have two totally different tastes.
Cassidy and Rich brought a real KEG (of rootbeer)- so good, and then she made Old Fashioned Donuts, Brigham Young's recipe. I could eat all of them.
I also made "Apple Pie" Caramel apples. They are to die for. They sell them in candy stores for like $7.99 each. But they were so easy to make and so addicting. You have to try them. I will make them again and take a better close up picture for you and share the recipe. Just know they are dipped in caramel, then white chocolate and rolled in brown sugar and cinnamon. So pretty, so yummy.
We ended the night by playing Murder Charades and each made up our own entries for other people to act out. All in all, it was AWESOME!!

Look what's new...

We are all celebrating here!!!Can you guess what Gracie wants for Christmas? For sitting or pushing her baby around, she loves the church one even though it is missing two wheels. If it is not this, it is a garbage can or a small chair. Love it! And guess what else is new... watch and see!
Wahoo!!

We won!!!

Thanks to...We WON!!! Gracie was so cute and punch drunk after the late night and all the candy and cupcakes... She couldn't stop smiling, which is good cause she is always so sober.

I have always wanted to win a Halloween Costume Contest. In the past, we have been eliminated because I was on the committee so it wasn't "fair" if we won. Well... you can see for yourself... Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Swee' Pea were so excited to win this year.
MORE MUSCLIER POPEYE LUKE: Luke was a perfect Popeye considering his current focus on becoming more fit and getting a ripped body. It was kind of a little tease for my now more musclier husband.

NOT AS THIN AND TALL OLIVE OYL HOLLIE: After confirming that I was indeed Olive Oyl, a lady said that I had put on a little weight. I was really taken back at first because I cannot remember that last time that I was this skinny and feeling good about myself. I can't remember what year in high school that I weighed what I weigh now. However after thinking it through and trying to figure out how to respond I knew she was referring to tall skin and bones Olive Oyl in the show.... NOT ME! Still! Would you say something like that to someone? What about the hair, should I go black permanently?

SWEE' PEA GRACIE: Gracie looked so sweet and like a little baby again. Everyone gushed over how cute she looked and just a sweet little baby. She looked too little to be walking around with a sucker in her mouth. And she did NOT get called a BOY once! How ironic, considering that in the real Popeye show, Swee'Pea is actually a boy. Ha ha ha!

COSTUMES: I made all of our outfits from clothes and stuff we already had. I only spent $3.00 on a black polo shirt for Luke at DI so I could cut it and sew stuff permanently on. And $2.0o for my black hair dye. I only temporarily sewed the additions on to mine and Gracie's clothing because it is stuff we actually wear!!
This was definitely the cheapest and most clever Halloween costumes I have done yet.

PARTY: As far as the party goes, it was way fun. I sewed a princess costume for a young women in our ward and she looked so pretty and she wore my jewelry too. We had a chili cookoff with cornbread muffins. A bunch of carnival games inside the church. Gracie walked around and grabbed candy out of people's bowls. These are our good friends the Noyes and Gracie's boyfriend Nixon dressed as a crocodile. So cute!SCARY TRUNK OR TREAT: Luke's trademark for trunk or treats is to put a black garbage bag across the inside of our trunk and get inside the car. Open up the back seat and lay there waiting with a bowl of candy sitting alone in the trunk. When someone comes to grab candy, the wood elf/Luke scares them with his voice and hands and nose and they love it. Luke's idea entirely. Again we lost the best trunk prize last year because I was in the Primary Presidency and put it on. Dang!! Luke tore up his elbows doing it really bad this year. Next year, long sleeves for sure.
I can't wait for next Halloween. We already know what we are going to be! Wahoo!

Best 5th Anniversary Ever! 10/29/09

We started the day off by Luke waking me, a very groggy Hollie, up and saying "See you around 1:00 for our Halloween party! Happy Anniversary!" I ran around that morning getting things done and then we went to Luke's school to help him get dressed for the Halloween Parties. Luke looked awesome and all the kids loved it. He scared a bunch of teachers and a lot of teachers had fun playing along with being scared by Luke for their kids' sake. It was pretty funny! Doesn't Luke make a good Joker? If they ever have need for another one since Heath Ledger is gone, spread the word that Luke is available. He would have to do something with his hair though. ;)Luke wanted to go on our Anniversary Date as Joker which I almost did let him do because it would be funny, but when it comes right down to it, I am in love with Luke not joker so I wanted to go on the date with him and not be distracted by Joker!!Gracie had enough cupcakes and candy to keep her up all night. But we went and dropped her off at our friends' house for a nap and dinner and bedtime. Then we went to our first surprise stop. Luke planned the whole thing as a surprise for me which was way exciting to find out as we went along the way no matter how many times I asked him to tell me what we were doing.

First Stop: A yummy restaurant called Black Mountain Grill. It is special to us, not because I have been there before but because Luke has been there a couple of times for his work meetings with corporate and I wasn't invited. And every time he wanted to take us and we wanted to go. One of the times he brought home leftovers and then ate it the next day without giving us a bite. And he raved about their cheesecake and another dessert which I didn't remember until Luke surprised me with it. It was the best most delicious surprise ever. A PIZZOOKIE!!! If anyone knows me, they know that I love Pizzookies, something that my friends and I would always share from the Firehouse Pizzaria in Logan, UT for birthdays and other special days. I have never found any place that makes them and never have made them myself. But Luke got the waiter to surprise us with one Hot deep dish chocolate chocolate chip cookie with melting ice cream on top. It was so heavenly. We could have just ended the date right there cause that spoiled me beyond belief, a fancy restaurant and dessert- that is too much. Sorry no picture, we ate it before I thought about it.

Second stop: The Haunted Mortuary!! The first of 3 Haunted Houses he planned for us to visit that night. I was so surprised because Luke is a pansy when it comes to haunted houses in the past. We always like to go but Luke usually hangs back and is really quiet and timid. Last year, he made me go first and be a volunteer to lay on the operating table and open the door to go forward, and he never would. This year it was so fun because I got to be the scared one being led by him going really fast and gripping my hand with a death grip. Which also means most of the "jump-out" scares were on him, but a couple are on the person in the back, me, after you walk past or under them. So scary but so fun.
Third Stop: I had to suggest a little spontaneous stop too. We stopped at the Fabulous Las Vegas sign which we have been wanting to get a picture by for a while. And...
We got remarried in a Vegas Chapel on the strip!!!!!
We didn't ACTUALLY get married again but we thought about it. We went inside and picked up a flyer with prices. It was over $100 just to get married again so we just decided to pretend to get married again. I suggest this for anyone on their anniversary if you are near Vegas. It was so fun.
The lady inside asked us if we had picked out a date yet and Luke said after looking at me... TONIGHT! With eyes sparkling. So I took him out front and this time, I asked him to marry me!!
This is me saying "DO IT!" - it's our little bit we do ever since watching Starsky and Hutch when he says "Do it" with his lips all puckered out and nodding his head in a low voice. You know it?
Thankfully Luke said, "YES!!!!!" I couldn't believe it, after 5 years he still wants to be married to me for at least 5 more. Wahoo! I was on cloud 9.
And guess who we saw in the lobby of the church office... someone I didn't know but Luke did: Don King- the boxing promoterso Luke wanted to take a picture with him but I convinced him to just take a picture of his Rolls Royce instead. We wondered who he was going to get married too. We were excited because we got re-married in the same place that Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thorton did and Judy Garland and many others. How cool is that! But not as cool as being sealed for eternity to my handsome wonderful guy in the House of the Lord, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Idaho Falls Temple back on 10/29/04. There is a lot of famous people that no matter how much money they paid could not be married there. And the blessings that come from being sealed in the temple are beyond comparison.
Then we raced over to our last two stops. The Castle Vampyre which was the scariest one to me and fun because of reading Twilight and...
The Freakling Bros. Circus of Horror which is Luke's scariest one. Try getting stuck in a mirror maze hallway with an uneven floor and people jumping out at you anytime. Talk about being scared of your own reflection. It was creepy. They didn't want me to take pictures, or so I found out after I already did. It was kinda funny and scary because this big evil clown on platform boots came walking toward me with a cleaver and shaking his head after I took his picture from a distance. He had his hand out like he wanted to take my camera away from me. I got real close to Luke and put my camera away before he got over to us. Oops!
We picked up our sleeping Gracie and put her to bed at home. Then I surprised Luke with our anniversary pumpkin I carved by lighting it and putting it in our bedroom. I put a changing/blinking led pumpkin light in it and it made the coolest light show on the ceiling. Stars and paisleys and swirls blinking and swirling over the ceiling. If you have never done this, you should. It was definitely romantic and enchanting. Like when your whole house is asleep at Christmas time and you just sit and stare at the twinkling lights on your Christmas Tree and just sit and think and marvel and wonder, the best with someone you love. And I love Luke forever.
The next morning we went on a family bike ride which was so fun. Except I think Gracie was already too tired before we began so she was falling asleep on the way home. You can see her sleepy face in the picture and this is before we went. I just really wanted to go!
What a good way to celebrate our Anniversary. Thanks for the surprises Luke! Gracie and I are yours forever. We are smiling cause of you! Love, your Girls

So here's the full story of the melted plastic pumpkin...

We had our neighbor over for dinner. (No we didn't eat him although it was a Halloween dinner.) He is good at pumpkin carving so we decided to carve pumpkins that night. The missionaries heard what we were doing and their dinner plans had canceled on them so we had them for dinner too. We had the best pork tacos ever- thanks to my friend Kara for the recipe from Cafe Rio. We are huge fans. Right before dinner, Luke was snacking on some homemade caramels that I made and told me to hide them quick before he eats them all. He eats treats if they are out so I always have to find a good hiding spot for them. I like to have treats around and just have 1/day. Luke is a "eat the whole bag of m&m's" kind of guy. So I had set them in the washroom and Luke found them again and asked me to hide them better so... instead of leaving our company I asked Luke to close his eyes and I made pretend footsteps all around the kitchen as if I had walked out of the room. Then my brilliant funny place to hide the caramels hit me... THE OVEN. The little thought popped in my brain about how bad it would be if I forgot they were in there and melted it but then I told myself that I wasn't going to be cooking for the rest of the night and I would have a treat before I went to bed so I wouldn't forget they were in there. Well then the missionaries decided that they wanted to try roasted pumpkin seeds so... I PREHEATED the oven to 400 degrees. A little while later my super-sensitive fire alarm went off and I was mad at it because I knew the pumpkin seeds boiling on the stove weren't burning. But then the awful truth hit me.... I MELTED THE PLASTIC PUMPKIN WITH THE CARAMELS INSIDE IT!!!!! AWWWW! I was so mad at myself for not listening to my little nagging brain. I opened the oven and sure enough- well you saw the picture. Then I started laughing about how stupid I was. It always happens in front of company too. So the rest of the night they teased me and we finished our pumpkins. Then John, our neighbor helped me break all the plastic off of the wire rack (I got lucky) and it just broke right off. It could have been so much worse. Very little smoke and a little bit of stink. And just a little on the bottom of the oven which I scraped off with a knife in the morning. I am such an airhead sometimes. Hopefully I never put something in the oven that shouldn't be there again. And the worst part was the 20 or so caramels that were still inside it. I wanted to cry but I laughed instead. Kind of like last week when the brand new bucket of salsa that I had just bought at Costco fell out of the trunk onto the driveway when I opened it. And like a couple of months ago when the gallon of milk fell out fo the trunk and broke and spilled everywhere. Good thing I don't cry over spilled milk!

Luke's is above and Missionaries' is below. Mine is the girly one of course celebrating out 5th anniversary. More to come on that.