Happy Halloween!

In honor of the day, I thought I would share a few images that my sweetie found and shared with me. These are some pretty amazing pumpkins!

Pretty macabre...but clever!

I love the baby pumpkin, too bad he's being eaten! Happy Halloween everyone!

Living Room Update

I thought I would update you on the living room since I promised to last week aand didnt get it done! The painting is finally done and it looks so sunny and warm in yellow:>) I got my curtains back up, these are some that I whipped up myself and thought i would replace when I painted, but the color goes so well with the walls I put them back up. They needed a little tweaking, rehemming because I hung them at a different height but I love my sunny living room now! I still don't have pictures hung or anything accesorized, and I want to make some pretty cushions for the sofa and loveseat since I don't care for the ones they came with. But it's coming along a little at a time. I will show you as I get things done. It's all a work in progress though, are we ever really finished with our rooms? I know I'm not, everything changes all the time. It keeps things interesting:>) I know I am jumping right past Thanksgiving (and don't get me wrong, I LOVE Thanksgiving!) but I am getting so ready and excited for Christmas this year! It will probably be a fairly lean one but it isnt about the presents at our house anyway. We always have such fun with baking and decorating and parties. I love foofing the place up and the glitter, well let me tell you! Have I mentioned I love glitter? Who else is ready for Christmas?

Pay it Forward Exchange

I was over at Melissas blog this week and signed on to do a "Pay it Forward" give-away. I thought it was such a great idea that I signed up! So, here is how it works.

1. You comment on this post.

2. You receive a handmade gift from ME.

3. You post this message on YOUR blog and offer THREE more handmade gifts to the first three commenters. (One to each commenter).

4. Thus, the cycle continues and everyone has fun and beautiful crafts to display in their home.

Don't you think that sounds like fun? So lets do it!

By the way, I have made a few gift cones for the Thanksgiving holiday. You can find them in my etsy shop:>)

Corners of my house

Ok, I am past the whole school lunch thing. I have had that bee in my bonnet and just had to let it out. I will probably have to remove that post for fear that someone I know sees it and I get myself in trouble;>) I know a lot of people show corners of their homes on fridays but I just wanted to show you a couple corners today. This is a garage sale chair I painted a couple years ago, one of my favorites. I got the red paint at a garage sale too for $1. It is one of my favorite paints and I am going to try to find more of it.
And this is my back entry, just a tiny little space that also contains the basement stairs. I wallpapered most of it but painted this lower area of the wall with blackboard paint. It is one of my favorite things I have done to my house. As you can see this pic is from Easter time! We all enjoy leaving notes and decorating it for special occasions. It's kind of sweet and cheery and cozy. I did it a couple years ago when Earl was hunting. He jokes that he never knows what the house will look like when he comes back:>) I hope to have some pictures of the living room by this weekend. Right now I need to go whip up some curtains before church tonight!

Happy sweetest Day!

First of all, thanks to everyone who commented on the last post. It reinforces why I blog in the first place, so many kind and loving people who lift me up with their positive outlooks! I love you all! Don't worry, no plans to quit anytime soon!
Look at the roses my sweetheart brought me for sweetest day, a dozen each of pink and white, my favorites! It is a day that he is kind of ambivalent about because it is a "Hallmark holiday", but it is a day to show me a little extra love so he goes along with it:>) What a sweetie pie! I hope you all have a sweet weekend! Autumn is in it's full glory and we better get some while its here! By the way, I have a friend who has been struggling with her (newish) blog and could use a hello. So, if you could head over to Daylily Lane and give her a little blogger love, I know it would make her day:>)

I was just over at Savvy City Farmer and she was talking about feeling like she might want to quit blogging. Yow! I am going to be my own "out there" self and say that as wonderful as blogging can be, and is, there are also a few pressures that sometimes make me wonder where this whole blog thing is going. I LOVE sharing with everyone, I admit, I am addicted to the comments you all leave. After a while it is like hearing from a dear friend as I get to know each of you a bit more through your blogs and comments. But there is also just a teeny bit of pressure. Do I post often enough? Do people really like what I write about or are they being kind? What if I get busy and can't post for a few days will they quit coming by? Silly isnt it. I cant think of very many people who didn't start their blogs just as an outlet for themselves or a way for family to keep up with their lives, but sometimes it takes a different direction. Sometimes we start letting the comments and other peoples blogs dictate what we post. Sometimes I post what I think you will be interested in and when I do, it cancels out why I began this blog, which was as a form of personal expression. The positive, frieindly comments are one of the reasons I love blogging, but sometimes they drive what I share like I am some kind of pavlovian dog. Too much of a good thing? No! I just need to make sure I am true to myself and don't feel driven to post based on what I think your expectations are. I have to admit also, that when I have professional decorators looking at my page it makes me so unsure of myself. Once again that is dumb, I have had nothing but kind and generous remarks, but I am not any kind of decorator and after being a stay at home mom most of my life, my budget has definitely defined my decor. I call it roadside decorating:>) And, please, if you are a decorator, keep coming, I love hearing from everyone of you and I just need to get my insecurities in check! Oh well, there it all is in black & white. I know some of the rest of you must be feeling the same way. Let me know, have you ever felt that this blog thing has two sides? Ever feel the pressure?
Addendum: Don't worry, I am not really considering giving up blogging, I am WAY too addicted to it. I do love having a forum for my thoughts and ideas and I DO love meeting everyone. I am just trying to keep everything in perspective:>)

I bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth! Our DSL internet service has been down for a couple days, I was going through blog withdrawal. I am so behind on my emails and visits, I haven't abandoned you I promise:>) I have also been very busy with some projects and the usual things that seem to make a week whiz past. I am working on some etsy goodies and also on putting together a give-away, just because. Church meetings, a funeral ( a relative of someone dear to us), and errands,planning a little autumn party for the 4th & 5th grade girls in my wednesday night church class, and here we are mid-week before we knew it! There is certainly nothing earth shattering to share though, so I will leave you with some pictures of a few things on my bookshelves right now.

I set my bell jar on top of a depression glass cake plate that I got at a yard sale this summer for $3! It is so pretty, I have another one just like it in pink that I paid $12 for at a yard sale and I thought I was getting a great deal then! I just filled the jar with some white pumpkins and silk flowers for a simple autumn display. You can see how dark these shelves are, maybe I can line them with something lighter? What do you think? I wouldn't have to damage the shelves or make it permanent. Any suggestions? Keep an eye out for my give-away, I'll have it ready soon:>)

For those of you who wanted to see the gigantic entertainment center we moved yesterday, here it is. I apologise for how blurry this photo is. You can see the new wall color (yay!) behind it. I still don't have everything put back together yet. I think one of the things I like about painting is it forces you to evaluate and super clean everything. All that stuff you never move can finally be dusted, vacuumed, whatever. I got rid of about half the stuff that was lurking behind those bottom cabinet doors (disney VHS movies anyone?) and still plan on sorting more out. Moving these wasnt as bad as I thought it would be! As I watched my strong, virile hubby move these I felt not a twinge anywhere, and moving them back was just as easy! (Men, ya gotta love em!) I would actually love to paint these white but I don't think Earl would go for it. He loves them the way they are so I will deal with them as best I can.This is a close up of the shleves, once again, sorry about the darkness and blurriness. It is a cold grey day here and the light is bad and apparently I can't seem to hold the camera still! Right now I have what we call the "Vicky shrine" which consists of a display of her Senior pictures that we just got back. Love them! One of the lovely ladies in our church did them and they are spectacular! I think she does an extra special good job because of her love for the church kids. I can now begin working on what I will do as far as picture placement and other accessories in this room. I was thinking I would call a friend in to help me because after you look at your own stuff for a while you can end up in a decorating rut. I need some fresh eyes so we will give it a try! I'll share what we come up with as soon as we are done. Thanks for all the encouragement and for stopping by. You all brighten my day:>)

This is it!

Yes, today is the day I FINISH painting the living room! The project that has consumed my summer ends today. Really! Today is the day we move the ginormous solid oak entertainment center and bookshleves (after I spend the morning unloading the thing!) and paint the wall behind it. That will finish up the project! YAY! Funny story behind the Entertainment center. My husband got it free from a friend at work. The guy just wanted to get rid of it. Now this is a very nice solid wood, expensive brand and I love it. And we got it FREE! SO hubby wrestles it home and he and my brother in law get it in place. These shelves are HEAVY. Earl stand back & says his friend had said they hadn't painted the room it was in for something like 16 years because the unit was so heavy to move! I immediately hated my wall color! As soon as he said it would be too hard to paint now that it was there I almost fainted. I paint a lot! He looked at me, I looked at him, I think he knew he was doomed to move that entertainment center more, much more, than every 16 years! LOL, and he was right. We are moving it, today.

My favorite tree

This is my favorite tree in our yard. It is a very old pear tree that is beautiful no matter what season it happens to be. In winter you can see the craggy, twisted old branches and beautiful bare shape of the tree, sometimes every branch lined with glistening white snow. In the spring it is covered in white blossoms and delicate spring green leaves. Summer shows the beginnings of the tiny pears and autumn is best. In autumn this tree will be covered in hundreds of beautiful pears and the leaves turn the most lovely shade of deep burgundy. It really is a sight to behold no matter the season. Unfortunately, as beautiful as it is, the pears are inedible. They are almost perfect each year as they "ripen" and tumble to the ground, but they are as hard as rocks! They simply cannot be ripened. We have tried wrapping them in newspaper and putting them in the basement, we have waited until they are the perfect shade of gold and smell enticingly sweet, but they remain hard and unyielding and grainy. I love it anyway for its beauty. I also let it remind me not to concern myself only with what I look like on the outside while letting my heart be hard and unyielding. I will never be as pretty as this tree, but I hope I bear a better kind of fruit.
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22

I want to thank Penny at Lavender Hill Studio for giving me the "you make me smile" award. Penny recieved it herself a few days ago and it is easy to see why. She is one of the nicest bloggers out there, with a beautiful blog that is a joy to visit. It is like stepping into her home for a chat:>) Thank you Penny! This award coming from you makes ME smile! The person who started this award had this to say about it:

"The thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met many wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell, and I am grateful everyday for each person that I have had the pleasure of crossing paths in life with. I wanted to create something special for the top 10 people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell and the lives they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement. Please grab your badge and wear it (with a smile!) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me. Thank you."

I will pass this along to my top ten. There will be some who have already been nominated but that's ok. I absolve them from having to pass it along again, just know that you all make me smile every time you visit and leave me a comment to let me know that you were here:>)

Amy at Bunny Rose Cottage

Tiff at Folded Gingham

Phyllis at Shabby in the City

Penny at Lavender Hill Studio

Becky at Sweet Cottage Dreams

Mary at Little Red House

Manuela at The Feathered Nest

Melissa at The Inspired Room

Polly at Counting Your Blessings

Alexandra at Silver Bell Cottage

There are so many more of you that I visit each and every day, and you truly do all inspire me and make me laugh and think and get my creativity spinning! Thanks to all of you!

Punkin' Love

By now you know how easily little things make me happy. Friday my sweetie comes home from work and as he steps in the door I see he has stopped at a roadside stand and picked me up two of the prettiest pumpkins for the front porch that I have ever seen:>) I just love these odd, warty kind of pumpkins. I keep saying "next year I am going to grow a bunch of heirloom pumpkins" and I always forget come spring. I plan to save the seed from these beauties though and supplement them with some of the green kind and the white kind and some Cinderella pumpkins too. Next year I am going to have heirloom pumpkins enough to pass out to friends and neighbors and plenty for myself! I love these things!

Sweet & Sinister Part 2

This is what I made for Carrie for the Sweet & Sinister swap. I had a little pumpkin shaped basket that just cried out to be a scarecrow in a cage for her. He is holding a staff with a little goblin gourd on top.

I used lots of black and silvery glitter and added some old lace and stars and a little gilded pumpkin on top.

The really sweet part is the old jar filled with candy corn and dark chocolate dove promises. The glittered "C" is for Carrie. I hope you like your swap items Carrie:>)

Sweet & Sinister Swap

I arrived home from work today to find a box from my Sweet & Sinister swap partner, Carrie, sitting on the front porch. It is always such a treat to get a surprise in the mail and somehow getting something from someone you have never met adds to the excitement. You have no idea what they will come up with. Well, Carrie's swap goodies were all very sweet and not at all sinister! The item you see above is a beautiful handmade journal that Carrie sells in her etsy shop. It is absolutely lovely and I can't wait to use it! It has a fall theme and she used a lovely old vintage button for a closure.

But there was more! A pretty white ceramic pumpkin, a luscious smelling cinnamon ornament that is shaped like autumn leaves and acorns, an apple scented air freshener and some cute halloween jingle bells:>)
Some yummy looking dip mixes and flavored coffees! I am having a dinner party this weekend with out of town friends and I will be trying some of these!
Some "Sweet" chocolates that I think Carrie made herself? There were more but Earl & I decided we needed to sample them immediately! I LOVE Chocolate!
And last, but not least, an adorable halloween themed bracelet made with handmade lampwick beads and silver! This is amazing! How sweet and generous! Thank you so much Carrie! Carrie doesn't have a blog yet, but I hope when she does she will send me a link. What a fun swap:>) When I hear from Carrie that she got her package I will show you what I sent her!

It's all about me!

Yes, here it is , what you have all been waiting for....(drumroll) Seven little known facts about ME! Ok, I have to warn you, they are probably laughably boring but I am what I am.

1. I love to go barefoot, and would rather go barefoot almost anywhere than to wear shoes.
I have been known to go outside in November (in snow) barefoot. I kick my shoes off once I
am in the pew at church (didn't God tell Moses to remove his sandals when He spoke to him
because he was on holy ground?) Earls dear grandfather used to lovingly call me hillbilly because I was always barefoot (and so was he, we had that in common).

2. I can pick up almost anything with my toes (I know, isn't this the most fascinating stuff!?)
Probably because of all those years of going barefoot:>)

3. I have panic attacks if I have to speak to groups larger than about 6 people. Can't breathe,
get lightheaded. Yeah, it stinks. I had to take a SPEECH CLASS to finish up my associates
degree (it took me 25 years!) that was the only thing holding me back. I signed up for class
and found out the one I chose only required one speech the whole semester (thank you Lord!)
Now I am working on a bachelors, no more speech classes required!

4. Because of #3, I can't bring myself to sing in front of people at church. I am so impressed
with Phyllis for doing that in spite of her fears! Bravo for you Phyllis!

5. I am also afraid of heights, am I just a bundle of insecurities or what? Maybe. But as long as
I don't make public speeches from a ladder people have no idea. Shhh, don't tell!

6. I look just like my great grandmother. My grandpa's mom on my mothers side of the family.
An almost uncanny resemblance to her portrait.

7. I am writing a book! Eeek, there I said it! Most of my family doesn't know this (or didn't until
now!) That's all I am going to say at the moment about it, but I am kind of excited about
the fact that I even have the guts to try it. If I sell it you will be the first (ok, maybe second)
to know:>)

There, those are my seven fascinating things that you didn't know about me. I know this meme has been going around a lot so I am not going to tag anyone. If you havent been tagged, please consider doing this on your blog too so we can all learn a little more about you!

Sweet & Sinister and some little known facts

Today is mailing day for the sweet & sinister swap at Artsy Mamas. Here are just a few little peeks at what I made for my swap partner Carrie. I dont want her to see it all but I will post pictures in a few days of the whole thing, since she lives close and should have it by then. I didnt get very good pics this morning because it is getting ready to rain here and the light is terrible. Hopefully I will get some better shots after work.
I also got my pretty fabric ribbon brooch in the mail from Phyllis Saturday. This was from her one year anniversary of blogging and I won it. I told her if I had 3 more they would make pretty tie backs for my toile curtains. Maybe I can figure out how to replicate it!
I have been tagged by Michelle E., Brenda, and Alexandra to tell seven things about myself that are not common knowledge. I find this very difficult because to me everything about me is common knowledge! LOL But I guess I will think about it from my blog friends perspective which leaves it pretty much wide open. However, it will have to wait until after work because I need to get ready and go! I will post again this afternoon sometime, have a great day! :>)