2010 Halloween Party Themes

At the Hasbrouck house we have an annual Halloween party. The issue is always how do we plan it this year? Do we do a theme? Do we require guests to wear costumes? We've never really had anything scary or gory since we usually have small children attending and we're just not into that. We've also never done anything specific in the past but many have come with great costumes.

To view pics from 2007 click here

Not many from 2008, click here

2009 click here

This year's going to be different. We're going to have a themed party. The problem is what kind of theme? I came up with a few ideas but could use some help. I've listed below the ideas I've come up with (with the help of a friend) and a bit of a description. Some ideas were better for decorating purposes rather than costumes and vice versa. I've included a poll on the right hand side of my blog so make sure to vote for which one you think you'd take the time to dress up for and enjoy.

Nintendo theme (dorky I know) -- Most of the guests are Nintendo-generation kids. There are many characters to dress up as and the decorating would probably be similar to Mario's world. This would be an easy one for the little kids too.

80's icons -- Not much in the way for decorating but costumes would be a blast. And those really interested in the Nintendo theme could still do a costume related to that.

50's Sock Hop -- The costumes would be fairly simple. Not only could people do the regular poodle skirts and greaser outfits but there were also great celebrates in the 50's like Elvis Presly and Marilyn Monroe. Decor could be records and a juke box with fun music and Grease playing in the background. Food would be a Sundae bar and root beer floats. Another kid friendly theme.

Hollywood Night -- Costumes would consist of movie stars. Food would include popcorn. Decor would be movie cameras, red carpet, and perhaps some Emmy awards. Semi-easy for kids.

Cartoon Characters -- Pretty self explanatory. Decor wouldn't be so easy unless I could correlate with people's costumes which means I'd have to find out what everyone is going to be. Super kid-friendly

Wiggin' Out -- Everyone at least has to wear a wig. Decor could include wigs hanging everywhere. This is probably the easiest of all. Easy for kids if they leave the wig on.

That's all I've got for now. If you have other ideas for themes please leave a comment. I'd love to hear them.

Recent Reading Revelations Pt. 1

Here are a few quotes and thoughts I've had from books I've been reading. They have really stuck out to me and have made me ponder myself, my faith, and Jesus. I hope someone can find a nugget of encouragement, reflection or wisdom in these words.

From the book: No Wonder They Call Him The Savior by Max Lucado

(Italics are my words)

Pg 28 -- We're angry at someone, but we don't know who. We're scared of something, but we don't know what. We want to fight back, but we don't know how....Yet Jesus begged on the cross, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Uncontrolled anger won't better our world, but sympathetic understanding will.

Pg 39 -- If there was anything Jesus wanted everyone to understand it was this: a person is worth something simply because he is a person. We need to be loving people...including ourselves.

Pg 41 -- You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.

When Jesus looked down at Mary from the cross, he had to say goodbye to his mother. He knows about goodbyes.

Jesus knows loneliness as he cried from the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Pg 72 -- As Jesus declared, "It is finished" he walked away with wounds. Remember, a finisher is not one with no wounds or weariness. Quite to the contrary, he, like the boxer, is scarred and bloody.

Pg 87 -- As far as we know, he [Barabbas] took his sudden freedom for what it was, an undeserved gift. Someone tossed him a life preserver and he grabbed it, no questions asked....We take our free gift and try to earn it or diagnose it or pay for it instead of simply saying "thank you" and accepting it.

Doubting Thomas...he doubted but he was so completely loyal to Jesus. God is patient with us and while most of us doubt our loyalty is what's important.

It's interesting the two men who took Jesus' body off of the cross and prepared it for burial were two members of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus. I can imagine what was going through their hearts as they carefully cleaned, dressed with spices and rags the Son of God's body for burial.

Pg 129 -- God may we never be so "educated," may we never be so "mature," may we never be so "religious" that we can see your passion without tears.

Pg 157 -- Mark (14:32) used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a "man of sorrows." We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief. We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart. The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you are called to suffer pay attention. It may be the closest you'll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one.

Pg 167 -- I don't care how bad you are. You can't be bad enough to forget it. And I don't care how good you are. You can't be good enough to overcome it. You need a Savior.

Pg 185 -- Christ died when we were still sinners. His sacrifice, then, was not dependent on our performance.

Pg 194 -- God is not stumped by an evil world. He doesn't gasp in amazement at the depth of our faith or the depth of our failures. We can't surprise God with our cruelties. He knows the condition of the world...and loves it just the same. For just when we find a place where God would never be (like on a cross), we look again and there he is, in the flesh.

Ok you're probably thinking I just copied the whole book down but this was such a great book. I'm not sure if it was the fact that Max Lucado is a great writer, perhaps it was the viewpoints he displayed in the book and the stories he told, but they helped me see the events and people surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection in a whole new way. I think I read the short, "gift" version of this book, so now I want to read the real version. I recommend you do the same.

15 months

15 months of nothin' but fun!!!!! Ok well maybe that isn't entirely true but it's 98% true. We took our baby girl in for her 15 month check up and for those dying to know the arbitrary percentiles she falls in to I have them for you. She weighs a whopping 21.4 pounds (10-25%), her length is 29 7/8 inches (25-50%) apparently they can't just round up on these things! And her head circumference is 44.5 cm (10-25%). She's jumped up a little in her head size, her dad is so proud. Now maybe all the kids won't call her pin head. Ha.

Anywhoooo, the doctor said everything was fine. I don't think he was particularly happy about her facing forward in her car seat already, but he didn't try to put up a fight with us. I actually struggle with this a little only because I feel like if it's recommended then it's probably for a good reason so why wouldn't I do the best to keep my baby safe. Well we at least have her sitting in the middle of the backseat, that's a little safer anyway. She loves her new car seat by the way.

Her tantrums have increased 20 fold and we're told it only gets worse. Maybe we were just spoiled with a good baby in the beginning (after sleeping issues were resolved of course). I do have to say that her tantrums generally, and I use that word loosely, only last about a minute at the most. Overall she's a great kid.

Eating is so so. She's gotten more picky (my genes) and usually wants what we have on our plate even if it's the same exact thing. Her appetite is also sporadic which I hear is normal especially during the teething years. I was actually a little worried that she'd have dropped weight by the time her Dr.'s appointment came around but she had not. She's really pretty good at using a fork and spoon. However, just as crawling was easier than walking at first, using her hands are still a more efficient method for her.

We did a week long vacation just recently by visiting Jon's dad and step-mom at their cabin in northern New Mexico and then jumping the AZ border into the beautiful White Mountains for a few days of real camping. We had a blast at the cabin. We hiked every morning so the 4 golden retrievers could get their exercise. Hadley liked bossing the dogs around and did NOT like the doggie kisses. They all played well together though. Hadley slept well most of the time on our trip. Naps were a little tricky but night time was business as usual. We had to share a room with her and Jon and I did not sleep well. We discovered Hadley's a talker while she sleeps (yet my genes again). She loved playing in the dirt and throwing rocks. We visited some horses at the cabin and she was curious but not overly excited.


Playing in a stream near the cabin


While camping we were planning on sleeping in a tent but that didn't work out because we grabbed the wrong one. Luckily, my parents and grandparents both brought their trailers and met us up in the White Mountains so we ended up bunking with them. That went fine. Hadley again, loved playing in the dirt and rocks. There were a million wildflowers up there from all the rain that were about thigh high for her so she'd walk around hitting them all. She was a great camper and I think she'll love the outdoors just as much as Jon and I do. I was worried she'd be one giant mosquito bite but I don't think she got a single one. The weather was great in both places and it did rain which isn't so great for exploring during camping but was still a nice change of pace from the hot temps in Tucson.


Hitting all the wildflowers

She's walking everywhere. Just this week I feel like she's improved a ton in repeating words. I was a little worried about her language development but she's getting there. She knows 'hi,' 'eye,' 'dada,' 'mama,' 'oooo' for moo, 'uff uff' for doggies, and she's repeated various phrases just once and we've never heard them again. She's so curious and adventurous. Doesn't seem to be afraid of much. Doesn't like her teeth being brushed, but LOVES reading books. She'll bring us book after book after book to read. And we'll do that about 5 times a day. I'm ok with that because she likes books more than TV right now.


Playing with dirt

God is

To be able to answer the question, "Is God relevant?" I need to have some sort of picture of who God is. This task is a bit dangerous as it is "putting God in a box," but more than that it's difficult to define such a being. It would seem easier to define what God is NOT. But alas, I will attempt to outline the character of God for myself, in ways that I have experienced him. This is in no particular order.

God is loving.

God is faithful.

God is powerful.

God is merciful.

God is all-knowing.

God is all-seeing.

God is just.

God is jealous.

God is alive.

God is sufficient.

God is personal.

I could sit here another hour or more and probably add to the list. Next I need to be able to articulate how God has shown up in my life in these ways. This is more of a daunting task as I know there are times where I have dismissed, or clearly missed, him being present in my day to day activities. To be able to do this would communicate that God is relevant. I know in my heart and mind he is, but to communicate that to someone who doesn't know God is a whole different ball game.

Is God Relevant?

In church today, Glen started a new series titled, 'Lost'. After writing my long blogs on the parable of the sower I've been thinking a lot about the Jesus my life portrays. Do people see Jesus in my actions? Do they have a glimpse of a God who freely gives grace, who faithfully loves, and who powerfully lives?

My instincts say 'no'. I realize I'm usually harder on myself about personality issues and perhaps it makes me work that much more to become a better person. I don't often have people approach me about my spiritual journey. On the other hand it's not easy for me to initiate conversations about my spiritual journey or another's journey. This kind of delves into a separate issue for me, just being outgoing and approachable, but I digress.

Glen, and a book I'm reading UnChristian, both talked about what outsiders think of Christians. They think God is distant and not personal; God is not relevant. I began to wonder after hearing this, "If someone asked me those questions what would I say?" My answer...."I have no idea how to respond." I suppose I could come up with something and I would depend on the Holy Spirit to be a part of the situation. Unfortunately, I'd have to take some time to think it through. And so I will.

Hypocrisy pt 2

Most outsiders think that Christians are hypocritical and for good reason. I often struggle with this label though. People want or expect Christians to be real, authentic and genuine, and I agree we should be. So there are times in life where I say one thing and then do another for whatever reason. This makes me a hypocrite. I've done it, I still do it, and I know I will probably do it again. To be real I'm admitting I'm a hypocrite, so does that make me less of a Christian?

I understand these expectations come from the high standards that Christians are to live up to and the standards they so often, harshly and unfairly, push on others. If Christians expect outsiders to live up to the standards of Christ this is unfair. Even Paul says in 1 Cor. 5:12, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?...God will judge those outside."

How do I reconcile being real to those outsiders watching me while still living up to the standards Christ has set up for us and as society expects us? I don't want to seem lazy in my pursuit of righteousness. I don't want to excuse my episodes of hypocrisy. I want those watching to know I don't claim perfection, I claim perseverance. I keep working towards the end result, to live up to what Christ has modeled for me. I know this is the best path.