Saturday, December 29, 2007

Murder At The McCash's

Saturday night, David and I hosted a murder mystery dinner for nine people. It was beyond incredible!! The food, the costumes, the jewelry, the wigs.... we died laughing at all of our closest friends. It was incredible to see so many dressed in costume and REALLY get into playing their part. Clues were hidden on both levels of our home, as well as on our decks, in our basement and garage, and outside. It was a complicated game witht twists, turns, wills, lies, forged checks, and love affairs. Pierre Dupree, the billionare, was found dead, strangled by a strand of Mardi Gras beads. The only question.. who dund' it?? : )

Let me introduce the cast and crew....

I will start with myself, Jessica AKA Countess Clue and host of the Marde Gras Ball! I am known for knowing a little bit about everyone! A gossip maybe, but always honest when confronted!





Meet Amber AKA "Elsie", the maid of Chateau DuPree and maid of the murdered billionaire, Pierre Dupree. She was known for being able to easedrop and dust at the same time!





Amy AKA "Melissa Dupree" and wife of the murdered billionaire. Once a former Vegas gal, Melissa is known for dressing on the risque side! This delighted her, now dead, 88 year old husband! Woo Hooo!!! Many believe she married for money only!!







Amy (Melissa Dupree), me (Countess Clue), and Amber, (the maid).



Zack AKA "Matthew Gator", a guy from the Bayou who wants to marry "Alexis Dupree."
Matthew is known for his skill at gator trapping and skinning. Though he is too poor for shoes, he thinks he has a shot with "Alexis!"







David AKA "Cayenne Pepper", the chef of the mansion and personal chef of the now dead Pierre Dupree. Mr. Pepper is skilled in making his own special sauces. He also has a "red hot" temper in AND out of the kitchen! We could hear him yelling at people from every room of the house!





"Matthew Gator" and "Chef Pepper"
(You gotta love my hubby's ever-fashionable Pampered Chef Bride apron! Ha!)



"Chef Pepper" and "Countess Clue" - David and I : )





Meet Lyndesy AKA "Alexis Dupree" and the only child of the murdered Pierre Dupree. (Later we found out we had several illegitimate children of his in our midst!) "Alexis" is known for being spoiled and dramatic. Her and "Gator" are engaged. Her murdered father was not happy that she wanted to marry a "swamp-rat!" Alexis is left with the estate now that her father is dead. Maybe that was her MO?





Dean and Lyndsey as "Alexis" and "Bourbon." "Bourbon Dupree" is the jazz musician hired by the murdered Pierre Dupree to perform every year at the Mardi Gras Ball. He thinks rich folk are 'monkeys' and hates fancy parties! He is very mysterious and seems very angry.



"Gator" and "Melissa"- Zack and Amy





Meet "J. Stevens Peek" and "Connika Gothika" AKA Craig and Carmen. "Mr. Peek" was the only attorney and will recipient of the murdered Dupree. He and the murdered billionare were best friends and very close. "Mr. Peek" had access to the family's wills and testaments. "Connika" is a neighbor and lives across the street from the mansion. She is a famous book author, whose book conincidentally tells the tale of Dupree's murder with matching similarities!



The game begins with every guest reading their background and clue information. The game took about two full hours and included eight chapters of play. It was confusing at first, to keep a straight face AND keep all of the information about each player straight!



Our group- which one is a murderer?





It's Criag-the attorney! He killed the billionare, but was so good, NO ONE GUESSED HIM AT THE END, so he got to walk away with the prize!! Sheesh... what a good liar! He had us all fooled! My guess was on "Bourbon Dupree", but I was wrong. Dead wrong! : )



The grand prize- one of ever skittles flavor, and one of every starburst flavor. Yummy!



I made my mask out of feathers from Hobby Lobby, and a clip-on earing! What do you think? Pretty gotty, hu? Ha ha ha! My dress came form the Salvation Army in Springdale.





This box kit came with booklets for each character, eight clues, a poilce report, and scripts for each person to read/directions. It also had invitations to mail, name tags, costume ideas, and a menu. It cost about $40.00 and came from Melody's Choices in the mall. I'm sure it could be found online, as well.

Playing Clue- A Typical Conversation We Have!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Fantastic Friday

Being out of school as a teacher on holiday break means that Friday really holds no magic for me. Everyday is a vacation! : )

Friday afternoon, my good friend Lyndsey and her son, Hudson, came over to visit. I gave them their Christmas gift, and Lyndsey and I scouted around the house for costumes for tomorrow night's murder mystery we are hosting. Lyndsey is such a fun girl, and one of my oldest friends. Our mothers were bridesmaids in each others weddings, as was Lyndsey and I. We were on Pom-Squad together, worked together after high school, and have always stayed close. It has been fun "growing up" together.


















Hudson and I




Friday night, our best friends, Zack, Amy, and Zayde, came over for dinner. We rented the movie Clue and played a round of Clue, the game. We also exchanged gifts. Playing Clue got us in the mood for the part-ee! At one point in the evening, the phone rang. It was Carmen, a cousin who is coming to the party also. We discussed costumes and menu plans, and Carmen scoffed that she didn't have a black wig to wear (her character is supposed to have black hair.)I laughed and said, "Who owns a wig? No one!" About that moment, I turned around in time to catch Amy wearing a curly, short wig! We died laughing! She had actually packed it so she could wear it and let me see how it looked! She is definitely ready to play her part tomorrow. It is going to be the bomb-diggity!





We ate so much junk! : )







I love Amy's surprise face! Clue is like "our" couples game, ya know!









Green was "so" in for the night! : )