The Annual Perdue Halloween Party Returns... hehehe
Since I've known Paul, he's prided himself on throwing fun filled Halloween Parties. Last year we missed it as we had a lot going on and were actually traveling, but the Annual Halloween Party has been re-instated and I think it was a hit! There were a lot of awesome costumes, from Cleopatra, to Quagmire to Sponge Bob!
This was Paul and my first Halloween as a married couple, so we decided to do something fun! We were Barney and Betty Rubble from the Flintsone's! All of our friends had wanted us to do this costume for years, and we finally gave in. And we even were about to find something that suited Chunk - He was our little Chunkasaurous!
Check out some of our fun pics! This is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are more at the gallery link below... Next time you should consider coming out!
Check out the full gallery here!
The Chunk Pumpkin!
Desi and Tristan came over tonight to help decorate for our Halloween Party tomorrow night - and have dinner with us (Paul cooked up an amazing roast!)! Anyway the decor was not going to be complete without The Chunk Pumpkin! This was my first ever attempt at carving a pumpkin and while it was harder than expected, I am very pleased with the outcome!
Our friends Natalie and Michael Webb sent us a template cause it looks just like our dog Chunk. I was so excited save the stencil for over a month in my inbox waiting for the right time to execute our work of art!
Paul started out by cutting the top (lid) and cleaning out the inside. He started to do the set-up or the stencil, and cut out the nose and first ear and then I took over the rest! You can check out the template above and see some photos of the process below. Chunk even stayed by me while I made his pumpkin portrait! I'm so excited, it turned out awesome!
Such a beautiful Chunk Pumpkin! If you've got any cool pumpkin art, I'd love to see them. And if you have recommendations for what we could do next time, I'd love to try them out!
Happy Halloween and check back soon as we'll be posting more fun pics from the fun weekend ahead!
Oktoberfest 2011, What a Blast!
Every year we go to Helen, GA for Oktoberfest, unfortunately last year we didn't make it out because we were busy planning our wedding, but this year we didn't let it slip and it was totally worth it! We had such a great time. We headed up to Helen with Kristin (Andrus), Curtis, and Natacha.
We were very excited because our VERY pregnant friend Kristin (Kneeland) was all about it and checked with her doctor far in advance as she wasn't letting her pregnancy stop her from doing anything! She's 9 months and a week pregnant and she was out having fun! She is quite the trooper, I can only hope that when I'm in her shoes, I would wear it as well! And if she had the motivation and energy to be there, there was no way we could miss out.
We had to work the Sugar Hill Fall Festival, but decided to dip out early to head up to Helen! I strategically mapped out route to avoid traffic, and we were absolutely successful. It was actually pretty nice because it was a gorgeous scenic ride and we were moving the whole time!
Once we go there, we walked a bit, mostly to get to the restrooms, and then we headed over to Margaritas' (we like to call it Paul's cause that's the place you see from the road), and they sell the big plastic cups that say Paul's on them. We actually had several other friends there to meet up with like Denise and Sean (who just had their little girl Catie)! She was adorable, and not allowed in the bars or course! They even asked, and the response they got was no one under 21! haha
Kristin's husband, Patrick, and Robin also made it out and it was very nice to see them! And we also had a couple other friends, Natalie and Micheal who we hung out with and drank with for a while!
It was such a fun time! Kristin (Andrus) and I even took some time to walk around to a few shops! Had to stop in Hansel and Gretel Fudge Shop. Kristin bought some yummy Pumpkin Pie fudge for her friend Jamin, and we got a taste. It was delicious, and they only do that flavor in October (maybe into November) so if you're up there you should check it out!
And I couldn't leave without stopping by the shop we bought our awesome dog Chunk from. They of course were selling puppies again, and had an Rat Terriers this time. I couldn't resist, I had to hold him, although he was already sold! I wasn't about to buy another dog, he was NO CHUNK!
We headed back to meet up with our group, had a couple more drinks and then headed out. It was totally a blast! I can't wait until next year!
Fall Inspiration! Herb and Flower Arrangements
The Wall Street Journal is providing some awesome fall inspiration, and this one, of many caught my eye! It sounds delicious and beautiful all at once, to have the fragrant herbs and flowers to create a beautiful home arrangement!
WSJ: Herb & Flower Arrangements - "Mint and basil are flowering, autumn is releasing its early blooms—now is the moment to combine them. New York flower expert Nicolette Owen explains the basic steps."
For details about how to make the pictured arrangement read on!
Mint and Lavender + Pom-Pom Dahlias + Grass
Step One: Start with a slightly asymmetrical base of greens. We used flowering mint. Leave some stems nice and tall so the arrangement will be taller than the pitcher. Step Two: Place your large showy blooms throughout the base of greens. We used pom pom dahlias. Play with the directions of the "face" of the flowers so they are not all looking the same way. Step Three: Finish the arrangement with a bold gesture of grass to balance the shape of the pitcher. Sprinkle little sprigs of flowering lavender throughout to add some extra fragrance.Click here to view "The Off Duty Fall 50"
I'll definitely post a pic when I get the opporunity to make my own arrangement!
Brother Kane Chips Now Available Online!
One of Paul's client's, Brother Kane, is now selling chips online! Jim Kane Sr. and Jim Kane Jr. have been long-time customers of my parent's at The UPS Store in Dacula, and have been working with Paul for design, photography, web design and more.
We were first introduced to Brother Kane peanuts, and they are AMAZING! They are some of the biggest, crunchiest and most flavorful peanuts you will find. Then they branched out even further with potato chips. And I honestly think they hit the nail on the head with these chips!
Paul and I absolutely LOVE Brother Kane Chips, but like so many others, have only been able to find them in varied vending locations and random grocery and gas stations. BUT NOW, they are online!!! We absolutely love these chips, specifically the Baby Back Ribs, Cracked Pepper, Jalapeno, and my absolute favorite Buffalo Wing Bleu Cheese!
You should definitely check them out, whether you decide to order online, or find them in your local store or vending machine, they are definitely worth it!
Super Cool New FaceBook Timeline Developer Release! Check it out!
This is a super cool new Timeline Developer Release! You have to set it up to be able to view FaceBook in a timeline format. Only those that set this up can see other's Facebook in this format.
It's really cool! You can hone in on certain dates in the timeline to see pictures, posts and comments, etc. Definitely worth checking out! Click Here to access details about set-up...
Interesting Read: Facebook Unveils New Customizable, 'Smart' Friends Lists
With Smart lists, Facebook will automatically group all your college or high school friends into "school" lists, or put all your co-workers into the "work" list. If Facebook makes a mistake or you don't want someone in that group, you can add or delete them manually.
Click here to read the full article!
A Beautiful September Day on Lake Lanier
We were out on Lake Lanier yesterday, and it was absolutely gorgeous! This month is going to be an awesome one for some relaxing days on the lake. There was barely anyone out, I don't know if it was the time of the year of the fact that UGA was playing, but it was nice with minimal crowds, it was kind of like we had the lake to ourselves!
Check out some fun on Lake Lanier... we have video this time! Fun stuff ;-)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-dZ8cvwAS4]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF2Gg_xG0-g]
We really need to plan a camping trip now that the temperatures are cooling down (especially at night)!
How Do You Like My New Do??
Leah at Tigerlily Salon did it up! Don't you agree?? You should definitely give her a call!
Trying to Decide on a New Do... Tell me what you think!
So next week I've got an appointment at Tigerlily Salon. She's a family friend and client of Paul's, and is kind of like our family hair stylist! But even though I'll probably get to the salon and tell her to work her magic, I always have to do my research for style options!
This is what I'm in the mood for this time around!
Option One: Mandy Moore style with her short hair! I've done something like this before... and did like it, but it took a lot of getting used to! What do you think about this option??
And then there is Option Two: Katie Holmes style...
Her hair always seems to look great short! And she's got a bit of a bang or no bang style that always looks good! I love this cause it's got a funky fun look to it! I naturally have wavy/curly hair, so it's always nice to have a style where I can wear it straight or with a bit of curl!
And finally, Option Three: Rachel McAdams style... she always looks good from red to blonde to brunette and seems to have a different style for each color! I will always look best brunette, and love this option!
I think if I were to do this, I would do a shorter version, cause I don't know that my hair is this long right now... but it just looks to awesome! Of course I've never been able to do bangs... always want them, but for some reason no one thinks I should have bangs! It's so sad!
Anyway, let me know which you think would suit me best! And after my appointment next week I'll post a new pic of me with my New Do!
