All Right, All Right Point And Laugh At The Consumer...

This dear readers, is NOT a Christmas tree...It's a THANKSMASS TREE!   

Now that the wax from our jack-o-lanterns has just hardened up, Its nearly time for one of my favorite Casablanca holidays!  

 (A little history)
"Thanksmass" - Is a special time of year when select members of the Casablanca gather for one last formal affair before the season end.  This event was born in 2008 when I had tried to plan a Thanksgiving dinner for my friends, 12  R.S.V.P'ed for the event but as the dinner hour of 7:00 P.M. drew closer more and more of them started backing out and blowing off the plans. So before I left home to the lake I grabbed my sisters 3 foot Christmas tree and swore to myself in all the frustration that I was NOT going to have  a Christmas Party, and I would "kill two birds with one stone". Well in the end only one guest showed up, my friend Jordan kept his word about coming to dinner (and that meant the world to me) we ate, watched something on the drive-In, and Thanksmass was born!

*  *  *

This brings us to Friday night.

Patricia and I went to walmart to buy a tree. Yes I KNOW we bought a tree before Halloween was even over... trust me we got several "I cannot believe those Idiots are buying a tree this early look"  (at one point I wanted to walk up to a guy point and Patricia and says "Shes dying, she may not even get to SEE christmas this year!") None the less we bought a 6.5 foot green fir with multi-colored lights.
Saturday Patricia, myself and friend Lydia headed out to the lake to try out the new tree and finish cleaning up the Halloween mess, or make a bigger one?!

(Patricia wanted to carve a pumpkin)

 (And with help from Lydia, and Myself we got it done!)

We had a wonderful afternoon of pumpkin carving, baking, trivial pursuit, and planning for Thanksmass on Nov. 14th!

Now its "beginning to look a lot like Thanksmass"! I promise to hold off on the Christmas music...for now...

Please bare with me this week Happy Days the musical opens this Friday! (remember im playing Ralph Malph) So all my spare time this week will be spent at the theater!

-Mick-

FINALLY The Halloween Tour!

After waiting for three and a half weeks, Iv given up on my (pain in the rump) sister to dub over the video with Halloween music.... So without futher delay~



Hope all your Haunts are happy ones!

-Mick-

I'll Be With You In 'Apple Bobbing' Time...

How could we have a Halloween party and NOT?!

Peter-


Emily-


Margaret-


Jenny-


Lee-


Patricia-


Mick-
My video was cut from this blog because of the weird background noise :(


Lee once more -

-Mick-

The Halloween Costume Ball

Well readers,
Even with the odds stacked against us the Casablanca Costume Ball was a success!  Now most of you are provably thinking "we'll every party you throw is a hit... why should this one be any different?"  and my reply would be Weather...
Thursday night it started raining  and it rained and rained and rained right up until 12:00 noon Saturday.  Not only did the pose a problem because everything is wet, BUT by Saturday morning we had nearly 30 people R.S.V.P.! All I could think was "Dear Lord, 30 people in that 900 square foot house?! ITS GONNA BUST AT THE SEAMS!   Well I left the theater at 1:00 and headed to the lake, upon arriving I found that it had stopped raining, its wasn't to terribly muddy, and the weather was improving!

*  *  *

Guests were due to arrive around 4:30 P.M. so I went ahead and put on my make up, I went as A Teenage were wolf... make up, fur,black painted nails, tail and all!

 No sooner had I gotten the stuff on a steady flow of friends came through the door, 17 in all and the party began!

It was shaping into a great time! People had brought food, and the weather continued to improve just in time for some pictures, a fire with Smores, and later a Drive-In movie.

(Friend Margaret, dresses as Mickey Jordan as the Major General from Pirates of Penzance)

 (Friend Gabby and Gypsy fortune Teller Pam)

(Friend Pam made Witch hat treats, and peanut butter eyeballs!)

Of course we hosted a costume contest with flamingo and cash prizes for 1st 2nd and 3rd place. Everyone had great costumes, here are some of the entries!

(Amanda came as the Living dead!)

(Friends kaeli & Jay came as Cave People.)

(Caitlin the "Cutest little jazz killer" to hit the Casablanca.)

(Emily as Pocahontas.)

(Olivia the Go-go dancer)

 (Courtney as Ke$ha)

(Jenny came as Pippi Longstocking!)

(Me as the Teenage werewolf!)

(Friend Lee came dressed as Friend Peter)

(And friend Peter came dressed as friend Lee)

(Cameron came as Harry Potter)

Other costumes included "Speed Racer", Richie Cunningham, and Patricia as a 'shot gun carrying Little red riding hood Because there might just be a big bad teenage wolf running around...  After a secret vote our winners!

First prize went to Jay & Kaeli as The Cave People! Second went to Cameron as Harry Potter!, and Third went to the wild haired Pippi Longstocking!   After the costume contest the backyard had dried out enough that we could proceed with the Drive-in movie attractions Young Frankenstine & Rocky Horror Picture show.

...And now a message from our sponsors~! 

 (On the roof watching the Drive-in... I MAY or may not have been howling at the FULL moon)

(Friends Olivia, Bryson, and Cameron at the Drive-In)

(Emily & Peter)

(Little Red Riding Hood & The Teenage Werewolf)

  As the antics of Gene wilder and Mel Brooks flickered across the screen a few of our party guests under took the task of starting a fire with wet wood.  

 (Lee, Peter, Emily)

After much huffing and puffing the fire finally lit (thanks to friend Jenny,Amanda, and Jay) and we were able to make Smores as originally planned.

(Group Hug!)

Not long after this photo guests started heading back into town. I think its safe to say we all had a wonderful time (I sure did) and we proved even when the elements are against you there's still a good time to be had at the Casablanca!

All in all it was a night to Dismember....Remember

-Mick-

P.S. still working on the house video tour (hopefully up before Friday!) Tune in Wednesday for some Apple bobbing fun!

The Historically Haunted Casablanca Hotel & Resort...

Historically haunted reads the weather worn sign....  However, It looks as if one of the guests might have just "checked out" for good.

 Well, if this luggage inst claimed I guess it will end up in the Lost & Found...

If you need help finding something just ask our man Harvey, (Ya know, like the 6 ft invisible rabbit in that Jimmy Stewart movie)  some think he's pretty stiff... but tell him a good joke and he'll rattle his bones!

Don't try to pull any Halloween ticks at the Drive-In, these guys are watching....

Happy Haunts, full Halloween video house tour to come soon!

-Mick-

Brewing Up Trouble In The Kitchen...

Unfortunately in my rush to get the house decorated I didn't take very many pictures of the kitchen. I did however catch a few creepy cool shots, like our jar of floating eye balls in the setting sun (they were formerly golf balls).  I love how that one green eye it staring right at you! There will be more of the kitchen to see in the virtual tour video but here are a few snap shots.

(Friend Lee hanging streamers)

Let me just say, I'm a HUGE fan thrift, and even bigger fan of the store "Dollar Tree" (everything there is $1) that's where the pumpkin hand towel and orange oven mitt came from. I'd also like to send a thank you to Anna over at Chickens in the Basement earlier this year she sent me some festive paper plates, we used 2 of the Halloween themed plates (you can see one taped inside the red pan above the stove).

(Emily knows that there's something lurking in the kitchen! )

We moved the kitchen table back to the wall, and covered it in a moth eaten table cloth of my Great Grandmothers (that has seen better days). The kitchen chairs were relocated to the Witches Den, I dug out my old movie posters the 1920's version of "The Mummy", "Curse of the Wolf Man", and "Bride of Frankenstein".

Over on the radio are the party gift bags!  I found these in a kit at one of the high end craft stores and they were going $30 for a set of 10 bags.  However I found a thriftier way to get the same desired effect!

They are supposed to look like broom sticks, we accomplished this  buy taking brown paper bags and cutting slits into the tops of the bags.

Next you fill the bag with Halloween goodies, then take a twig about 9" long (ours came from the yard) , and bunch the frayed/cut edges of the bag around the stick.

Then tie the pieces to the stick with a piece of twine (we used natural jute) and Viola!

 You have special and festive party bags for guests.... 

Tune in to see a few bizarre outside decorations next... If You Dare!

-Mick-