Murder Mystery Dinner Party

Wayne & I are in a dinner group. There are 4 couples that are involved and we meet for dinner every other month. We take turns as to whose home we have dinner in. The host gets to decide the theme and provide the main dish. Each of the other couples brings either an appetiser, salad, or dessert. It is a fun group to be in! My turn happened to fall in October. The first date we could ALL attend was October 30. So, I decided that we needed to have a FUN theme.

We had a Murder Mystery Dinner Party.

The Good, The Bad & The Guilty

All got to dress up in their respective characters.

No one knew WHO the murderer was...we were all suspects!!Here is the beautiful table that we all spent the next 4 hours at...

don't forget that we ate almost non-stop the entire time.

Appetisers - Wyomin' Cow Pucky's

(bread with melted cheese, green chilies and seasonings)

Salad - Can't remember the name. I will edit it when I find out!

(Spinach Salad with candied pecans, and lots of goodies)

Main Dish - Goat Stew with rolls

(ok, so it really didn't have Goat in it!)

Dessert - Mean Apple Pie

Here is the whole gang

Back row : Elias Truist-Heath; Dee Adela Muerte;

Elvira-Lynn Fekshin; Wyatt Hertz

Front Row: Butch Chastity; P'Elvis Swagarin;

Helena Handcart; Chief Breaking Wind

Elias Truist-Heath (Wayne) and Dee Adela Muerte (Sandie)
Wyatt Hertz (Tracia) and Elvira-Lynn Fekshin (Brenda)

Tracia stepped in for Brenda's husband since he was unable to attend.

P'Elvis Swagarin (Don) and Butch Chastity (Kathy)
Helena Handcart (Mary Lynn) and Chief Breaking Wind (Dale)

We were all suspects to the murder of one Judge Waylon Payne.

Each of us had a motive...a good one too!

Only one actually KILLED him!

Unfortunately, I cannot reveal who the murderer is...since I will be passing this game along to my sister...however, I can say that the characters were quite SURPRISING! All of the characters were a little risque. I recommend if you ever get this particular game, you have people over with a VERY open mind!

We really had fun!

Not So Wordless Wednesday Halloween Style

Halloween Party at Church! Tiffany is a Hershey's Kiss

(thank you Lori for helping me make that costume!)

Chris is a "Chick Magnet"...boy does that fit him!

Wow...Wayne sure has changed! ha,ha. Wayne had school, so Catie came as my "date". Sad part is that most kids now a days don't know who Raggedy Ann & Andy are. (Jessica said that Andy should be spelled Andie...with a heart that dots the i) On a side note, the kids were scared of Catie! They would stare at her, some would not even take the candy from her at the "trunk or treat"
Really...does this need explanation!?!

Jessica thought she needed to be Thing 1 because she was born first...hmmm makes sense!
You do NOT want to know how much hair spray is in Jessica's hair...We also had to use 2 1/2 cans of blue hair dye to make it all blue. Do note that Ryan's eyebrows are also BLUE!

Wordless Wednesday :)

Can you believe that this little ANGEL will be 18 soon!?!

BAND AGAIN!

They did AWESOME yesterday! We performed at 1:15, then got to sit watching all the other bands until 5:15. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. My face is currently a BRIGHT pink...ok, so we sat looking into the sun for over 3 hours....where are the clouds when you need them!?!

We placed 3rd in our 4A division. Then they take the top 10 scores, irrespective of what division you are in, and have them perform in the finals. We had enough time to redress all the band and get them to the practice field. They performed again around 7:30. Here is the link to that performance...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R7win0BFJg

I am amazed at how much they improved!!! Even from the afternoon performance. We placed 7th overall....having tied for 8th in total number...they take the highest points in overall effect to determine the winner of a tie.

To be honest, it was AWESOME! Considering they were competing again top state bands in both 4A and 5A divisions. It is nice to be associated with these bands...they rocked!

We made it back to the band room around 11:15pm, and didn't get home until close to 11:45pm due to the "unloading" process".

Next week, they perform on Thursday for the football game half time...then on Saturday is the BIG day! They go to Semi-finals and hopefully on to Finals. It will be an ALL DAY EVENT again. I get to be the head Chaperone...woo hoo (not).

BAND MUSINGS

As many of you know, both Jessica and Ryan are in the Liberty High School marching band. This is Jessica's last year. When she started...the band was real BAD! Her sophomore year, we got a new instructor and things changed DRAMATICALLY! Before last year, the band NEVER placed in ANY competition! Last year, they were given the "Most Improved Band" award. Their goal was to make it to Quarter Finals. They reached that goal and went on into the Semi-Finals. They did not, however, make the Finals. They were real happy with their placement overall. They had come a LONG way.

The band has GROWN!! From 2 years ago...there were 70 members. This year we have increased to 140. The guard only had 8 members now I believe their are 16 or 17??. Anyhow, their goal this year was to SKIP Quarter Finals (in order to do that, you must be in the top 6 bands IN THE STATE). They performed in the Regional competition on Wednesday...that was the performance to decide whether they would reach that goal. We got a call Thursday night after ALL the band had performed...they placed #6. We are so proud of them!!!

Here is a link to their performance .... I wish I knew how to just put it in here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOncmU-Eg38

This afternoon they will compete in the the Douglas County Marching Invitational. Next weekend is the Semi-Final and Final competitions. Wish us luck!!

NOT SO WORDLESS WEDNESDAY---BIRTHDAY STYLE

Can you believe my baby is SWEET 16!?! He sure has grown!He has always enjoyed being around his siblings!
He also enjoys just "hanging out"!
He learned how to be a "ham" from his big sister!
Obviously, one that hasn't been forgotten.
As the years have gone by...he has GROWN taller and TALLER!

He has changed from a cute, adorable little boy...to a real "looker".

For his birthday, he will be performing in the regional competitions for band. We will have to postpone the birthday celebration until later. The competition won't end until quite late tonight. I felt it appropriate to show off how sweet he looks in his band uniform. (The hat is not the official headgear...this picture was originally taken for the ALS walk.

Normally, he wears a navy colored beret) Let's not forget to show off that tuba!

So, here is your fair warning...

Next Wednesday afternoon, he will be taking his driving test...

yep, that means...

GET OFF THE SIDEWALKS...

oops, I mean WATCH OUT,

he'll be behind the wheel of a car without me!

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER!

Can you believe that my baby is 14 years old?

Where did the time go? I remember him being just the sweetest baby ever. He was always happy. He didn't say much then...but now we can't find the "off" button.
Lately, he and Ryan have been dog sitting for our neighbor. They happen to have some "airsoft" guns. They told the boys that they were welcome to use/play with them while they were gone. The boys had a BLAST! So.....we gave in and for his birthday, we got him the gift that he asked for....an airsoft gun!
Lucky for him. It was a 2-pack. He got to try it out in the backyard.

Even though this picture almost makes him look like he has gained weight...he has not. He has shot up though. He is now about 5'10". His feet keep growing too! We are now at a whopping size 11. Over the summer he had a growth spurt where he grew 6 inches. The other day, he asked if I would get him some new black pants for church since his were too short! I swear I just bought him a new pair! I purchased new jeans before school started...they are now too short. I think he is just growing in the legs! It has been fun watching my boy grow up! He has been a pure joy to have in our family!

We LOVE you Chris!!