Hallowino 2012

Sorry I'm a day behind, but I hope the annual Hallowino post is worth the wait! We had such a fun party that I was too pooped to write about it.

Again, our friend Lauren hosted and did an amazing job making her house spooky and fun. She found the clear glass skulls at the ABC store...they're full of vodka, so that's a win all around.

One of her cleverest touches was this carved pumpkin "throwing up" guacamole. I laughed out loud! But more importantly, her guac is always delicious, so it wasn't just for looks.

I came as Liz Lemon, Tina Fey's character on "30 Rock." It was a $9 costume; the only thing I bought were the glasses! For accessories, I printed off the logo for her fictional sketch show, "TGS with Tracy Jordan," and made a little employee badge; I also printed out the cover of her fictional book "Dealbreakers" and taped it to the front of a book I had on my desk at work. You can't see it, but I also brought some off-brand Cheetos...true 30 Rock fans will get that one.

Lauren also got these adorable Martha Stewart labels, so chili became "spider blend."

Ashleigh brought caramel apple jello shots, made with apple pucker, goldschlager and caramel syrup. They were great, even if I still winced like a baby when I hit a bunch of goldschlager.

Lauren had these cute accessories, like the tiny little gravestone...

and these trays of words and eyes covered in "dirt" (chocolate powder).

Her pumpkins were pac-man inspired!

As always, we sampled Halloween-inspired wines. I brought the barbed wire, but my favorite was actually Lauren's...she forgot to buy a spooky wine, so she book the Martha Stewart label over a bottle of La Crema pinot noir. Delish!

The line-up: a blind replacement ref, a classy cavewoman, Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, a sock monkey and Liz Lemon.

As always, the Halloween party devolved into a dance/karaoke party where we just screamed the lyrics to Kanye West's "Mercy" and "Some Nights" and "Lights" while bouncing up and down. It was great.

To quote "30 Rock": There ain't no party like a Liz Lemon party, because a Liz Lemon party is MANDATORY.

And what Halloween would be complete without dressing up the puppy? Meet Professor Charlie, the smartest goldendoodle around.