Bethan's Birthday Bowling Bonanza (and other B words)

This week my friend, Bethan, turned 23. The same Bethan I travelled Europe with. The Bethan who got head-butted by a horse in Berlin, forced a drunken Irish man to take off his top and bench-press a keg in a nightclub in Prague, and is always my first choice for karaoke partner. Yes, that's the one.

To celebrate we went bowling. It's difficult to say which of us is the worst at bowling. Bushell seems to score quite highly. but that's only because we keep the rails up and he ricochets the balls off them. Hayleigh is particularly good at aiming her ball at small spaces where there are no pins to knock down. For my part, I repeatedly start off well, all strikes and spares, only to totally lose all control of my arms during the second half of the game, sending the bowling balls off in weird directions and eventually coming last out of everyone.

Actually, as far as the first game goes, I blame my failure purely on the garlic bread I was eating. I was too afraid to set it down when my turn came around in case one of my friends ate it or hid it somewhere weird so I took it along with me.  Unfortunately my brain couldn't grasp the idea that my right hand needed to release what it was holding (the bowling ball) whilst my left hand needed to keep a firm grip on what it was holding (the garlic bread) so I ended up throwing them both.

Naturally, as it was a celebratory occasion, we had some drinks. We each had one free drink as part of our package (along with chicken nuggets, burgers, fries, and all kind of glorious junk food) and, when I went to the bar to get my second I asked the barman, "What would be the difference between a Bells and a Jack Daniels?" (Look at me, being all frugal!)
The barman misunderstood, thinking I meant, what's the difference between these two different kinds of whiskeys. Really? I was wearing a Jack Daniels t-shirt and cowboy boots. This girl knows her whisky!
"No," I said. "I mean, the difference in price."

I did not add, "Anyone with taste-buds would know Bells is a scotch, while Jack Daniels is a Tennessee sour mash, most comparable to a bourbon."
As it turns out they were the same price (when does that ever happen?) so no prizes for guessing which I opted for.

When bowling was over (needless to say I lost both games) we went on an adventure. Or rather, we almost went on an adventure. We drove out to an old abandoned police station, sat in the cars discussing whether or not to go in, and eventually decided it was way too scary and drove away again.

But, creepy-horror-movie-type moment aside, it was a really fun evening. The only thing that could have possibly made it better is karaoke (although I don't know many places that combine bowling and karaoke). So happy birthday Bethan! Here's hoping you don't get too drunk this weekend.

New Year's Eve: A Family Affair

Happy 2015! Christmas officially feels as though it never happened. It came and went so quickly that I still have a bottle of Winter Jack out in the kitchen that I didn't even get a chance to open. My head is still spinning and there's nothing but a few leftover chocolates and a lingering feeling of exhaustion to suggest that Christmas ever happened at all.

And now suddenly it's 2015. I'm glad. 2014 was an odd year for me, almost like a stopgap, which went by in a blur of confusion and, as we went from November to December, I was happy to get the last few dregs of the year over and done with and start on a new one. I had my annual, "Next year I will sort out my life and transform myself into a wonderful, fully-functioning grown-up human being" pep talk and, after that, New Year's couldn't come quickly enough.

Cheap and Easy DIY Halloween Costumes

Halloween is one of my favourite times of year. At our house we've always made a big deal of it, decorating the house inside and out, making paper mache heads, discussing pumpkin carving over dinner and the like. Personally, I love planning out my Halloween costumes and, even on the few years at uni when I didn't celebrate, I still had a costume on standby just in case. But I'm aware that not everyone has a box full of witches hats, vampire corsets and cat ears and that, for some people, the aim is just to find something quick, simple and cheap to throw on.

So I thought I'd write up a little post filled with ideas for last minute costumes made from things you'll probably already have hanging in the wardrobe. Zero effort and zero fuss.

Zombie

The cool thing about being a zombie is that you can be a zombie anything. If there is not something in your house right now that you can use to be a zombie I would be amazed. For instance, if you have any non-Halloween fancy dress costumes, you can splatter a bit of fake blood, darken up your eyes and make a very convincing zombie Snow White/ pirate/ doctor/ lifeguard...anything. I have even seen people taking it to a whole new level and opting to go as a zombie witch, so you could even recycle last year's costume.

If you have no fancy dress costumes to work with at all, a) seriously take a look at yourself because that is totally unacceptable in my eyes and b) don't panic. What's in your wardrobe? A school uniform could work or some converse with a band t-shirt to make a zombie rock star costume. Even your PJs are an option. And, if all else fails, just be a zombie you. Make up is key.

Superhero 

Forget overpriced Batman gear. All you need is bright, contrasting colours. Take a marker pen and draw your initial on a brightly coloured t-shirt, match it with some coloured tights or leggings and, if you're not comfortable going along with the traditional 'pants on show' thing that superheroes seem to be so fond of, you could always opt for a pair of shorts or a skirt instead. Then you just need an eye mask, which you could make out of spare fabric or paper and you're set to go forth and fight crime.

Animal 

If Mean Girls has taught us anything it's that all you need to make a convincing Halloween costume is a pair of animal ears. The lingerie is, of course, optional. But going as a cat, mouse, dog, rabbit, fox or whichever animal you choose is wonderfully simple. A few years back I went as a cat for Halloween. I reused my black lace dress I'd bought to be a witch the year before, attached a tail and popped on some ears and it was one of my favourite costumes of all time.

Witch

My mother does not like Halloween. She will put up with the parties, does her best to ignore the excessive amount of skulls and giant spiders we have spread throughout the house during the month of October, and even went along with us covering her bathroom in fake blood a few years back. But she will not wear a costume. Instead, what she does each and every year is dress entirely in black, grab a cheap broomstick and throw on a witch's hat. The moral of the story being never underestimate the power of accessories.

Creepy China Doll

I love creepy china doll costumes! You can get some really beautiful ones in fancy dress shops. Personally I am in love with this one:

But if you don't want to spend out any money and you just want to throw something quick and cheap together, then the creepy china doll can still work as the perfect Halloween costume. Look in your cupboard. Any a-line dress or skirt will work and ditsy patterns, ruffles and bows are all perfect. If you have a petticoat or tutu to stick underneath then even better.
Here's an example of what you can put together in a matter of minutes. I raided my cupboard and pulled out a few things at random in less than 60 seconds. Of course, it would be great if you could add embellishments or maybe take a look in some charity shops for something will puffed sleeves, but this is proof that you can put together a doll costume in a few seconds flat without spending a penny. Again, it's all in the make up with this costume.

Barbie

If I was blonde this would be my go-to costume. Think pink! Pink dress, pink shoes, pink lipstick. Providing you can find some kind of pink attire, rock some cute shoes and look unnaturally happy all night, you can pull this off without a problem.

Regina George

I saw this idea on Pinterest and simply had to share it. Mean Girls is one of those iconic films, loved by all. Quotes such as "She doesn't even go here" and "Four for you Glen Coco, you go Glen Coco" have been legendary and, despite it's simplicity, I really think this costume would go down a storm. All you need is a purple bra, white top, black skirt, and a bad-ass attitude.  

Wally 

Stripy jumper. Glasses. Bobble hat. Go.

Homicidal Maniac

And, if all else fails, take a leaf out of Wednesday Addams' book.

So, as you can see, there's no need to panic if you find yourself stuck without a costume on All Hallow's Eve without a stitch to wear. There are plenty of costumes you can put together with things you have at the back of your wardrobe. So go have a rummage and see what treasures you can find.

Happy Halloween!