Happy Halloween!

It's costume time! I'd hoped to have a super fabulous, totally creative, blow your mind costume planned this year, but moving to a new place & midterm exams kinda got in the way. I have two of my best friends coming to town, so I think we'll just get all dressed up & have some fun with makeup!

My inspiration? This glam-zombie face from M.A.C.'s 2009 Halloween looks.
That's what it's really about anyway - the hair & makeup. This coming from a former cosmetics consultant, of course!
I promise to take pics & post whatever I do come up with. It should be worth a laugh, at the very least.

♥
PS...I am still having major computer issues. This is actually being typed from a creepy public lab at school...blah! I can't actually log onto Google at home, so I am unable to keep up with your blogs too well. I'm hoping to have something worked out soon, please don't forget about me!

Gore & More

{"Oh my goodness," says Miss Rosemary, "these movies are scary!"}

Yesterday I gave you my faves in the more 'suspenseful' area of scary movies. Fret not, my gore-loving friends, I've got a list for you as well!

Without further ado...

10. Pet Sematary {I loved my pets too, but let them go!}
9. Scream
8. Saw {but not Saw II, III, IV, V, VI...etc.}
7. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre {1974}
6. Night of the Living Dead {1968}
5. Drag Me to Hell
4. Friday the 13th {classic, & kinda hilarious}
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street {classic, & totally hilarious}
2. The Shining
1. Shaun of the Dead {as you can see, I'm truly not a fan of gore, which is why this is my fave}

Sleep with the lights on!
♥

My Favorite {s c a r y} Movies

{doing my best scared/suspense movie face}

Everyone likes scary movies, right? The adrenaline, nerves & giggly fear they instill inside us can become quite addicting. While I'm not a blood & gore lady, I do like some good, classic, thrills & chills. In the spirit of Halloween, here are my top 10 faves.

Check them out, turn out the lights, & get scared!

10. Mothman Prophecies {I actually got so upset watching this, I cried, ha}
9. The Exorcism of Emily Rose {Pipee not like demons}
8. Invasion of the Body Snatchers {1956}
7. Nosferatu {1922}
6. The Orphanage {El orfanato}
5. The Sixth Sense {Mischa Barton alert!}
4. Halloween {again, the original, please}
3. Rear Window
2. The Birds
1. Rosemary's Baby {wouldn't walk to a friend's car alone after this one}

♥

Oh no!

So I got a little too sure of my Macbook's abilities when it turned itself back on a few weeks back. It has since succumbed to the damage inflicted by the 52 ounces of water previously spilled upon it's sad little self. SO, no computie. Or hard drive for that matter. Plus I'm in the process of moving to a new place, so it's a bit hectic around the Van Buskirk/McChesney household.

Blah.
I will be back.

Until later, my pets!
♥

Football {food & drink}

I had planned to post weekly party ideas for you football-lovin' peeps out there. Then the Macbook had a tragic accident & it did not work out. BUT, we still have about half of the season left, so here we go!

{A round of lavosh. I keep them on hand in case people show up unannounced!}
One of my favorite party snacks is definitely lavosh. If you haven't heard of it, it's actually Armenian cracker bread that you can toast with toppings or soften to make rolled up sandwiches. It's awesome. Whenever I purchase this, the checkout dude or other customers always ask what in the hell it is.

To start, I spray the surface of the lavosh w. PAM olive oil spray.
You could use whatever, or even real oil, too.
My favorite is Thai.

• First sprinkle shredded Havarti over the surface, followed by chopped green onion & diced chicken breast (already roasted, of course).
• Place in 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. Just keep on eye on it (cheese will bubble & edges turn brown...we've all cooked pizza, right?).
• Remove & immediately top with chopped tomatoes & cilantro.
• Drizzle your favorite peanut sauce over the top, break into chunks & enjoy!

{obviously you could use a huge variety of toppings, get creative!}

As for cocktails, this was inspired by Miss Candace Rose, one of my favorite bloggers.
Beer Margaritas!

One cup white tequila...
one frozen limeade tube...
4 beers {I used High Life, obviously}.

Mix together, chill & enjoy! These are seriously unreal.
SO GOOD.
I drank about 2 pitchers too many.

Now go...eat, drink, & be merry!
♥

Fall Break {Chicago!}

I'm going out of town. So happy, so excited. I've been blessed with 2 days off, so am heading to the Windy City to visit my best friend, Chuck. I promise to post a blog while I'm there, hopefully from the warmth of a window seat at a bar in Boystown, ha!

{I hope to get some good pics, as these are usually what come out from our visits...}
On the agenda? Yummy dinners, football {Arkansas & USC, our faves} on Saturday, brunch & plenty of cocktails Sunday, & maybe a little shopping on Monday.
Stay tuned!
♥

{Winter} Wishlist

Well, now's as good a time as ever. It sleeted all last night, has been below 45 all week - in my opinion that means it's time for some wintertime wishes...

1. Flats...as any girl in the Midwest knows, each year you pretty much destroy the shoes you've worn throughout winter. Snow, salt, & mud. Ick.
2. A cute black dress. I see this one with a cute blazer, tights & super high heels.
3. A magnum of Moët. Why not? Booze = Warmth.
4. Longchamp Nylon Logo Tote...feat. the Longchamp Rider. Ponies! And the nylon is an added bonus for wintertime wetness.
5. A new "puffy" coat. I like the length & slimness of this Gap option.
6. The 2009 Chanel Fragrance Wardrobe. A little bit of everything.

What's on your winter wishlist?
♥

Cold Weather Comfort {Food)

It's cold!
No seriously, cold like winter.
I get that I live in the Midwest, but this is unseasonable. Sigh...well, we must deal with what we're dealt, right? I deal by drinking hot liquids & eating yummy hot food. Last night I made us a {g i a n t} chicken pot pie. It was delish.

{I used a springform pan, ha!}

I could use some better detail work, such a crust with an edge. Also using a pie pan may have helped, or individual mini cocottes.

It was quite good though...& I'm sure quite horrifically unhealthy. I based mine on a classic recipe, but used fresh veggies, skim milk, reduced sodium chicken broth, chicken breast meat only & so on, hoping to cut down on the really bad stuff.

And since there's two of us, we ended up with plenty of leftovers.
Stay warm!
♥

{Homecoming} Weekend

{older peeps like face decals, too}

It's a little different when you go to a smaller school. As in, the football field is in the middle of campus. The stadium has actual bleachers. And the band? One word for you: Whoa. Honestly, it was a good time {other than the S N O W that blew through & the 32 degree weather, of course}.

We woke up to super chilly, snowy weather. Yeah, it's only October. Apparently 'Old Man Winter' decided to show up early to the party. Plenty of coffee & eggs in a hole & we were ready for the game.

{there are no words}
The Mavericks (us) beat the Ichabods (I don't know who came up with that one...) 31-21.
The band "blew" us away with some Pink & Lady Gaga. This flag twirlin' dude even wore a purple wig. It was odd, to say the least.

Back to school tomorrow.
And blogging, too!
I've got lots planned, finally.....
♥

{More} Halloween Decor

I'm taking the easy route here on Steak & Cakes. Picture time until my computer is 100% up & running {ps...it turned itself back on, but the battery is def. dead}.

I love all these ideas for decor because they can be done with pumpkins, constructions paper, cheesecloth, fake birds & felt. Why spend money at a Halloween store when you can get these kids of results with such simple, affordable items?!


I love the ravens.
Totally classic Halloween.
And the are very important to my costume this year, which I will reveal later!

{all from Country Living}