View from INSIDE my bedroom this month.

Kind of creepy to wake up in the middle of the night and see this mummy watching over me.

Spooky Porch Update

So after about a week of moping and saying he 'didn't think he felt' like decorating this year.

My husband got over it and did this today.

This is the newest addition to the family.

The kids have dubbed him Flat Stanley

He's as tall as me

don't let that impress you - I'm short

My carved and lit pumpkins

Ratty Rat

[I hate this thing]

I try to sneak a little cute in when the hubster and kids aren't looking

I generally hate spiders but don't mind them outdoors so much

especially light up ones in cool colors like purple and green

I think the weird hanging insect looking thing reminds me of summer and mosquitoes.

Here in Illinois they can feel this big some nights

The skeletor guy accidentaly gets left turned on some nights and I have the pleasure of hearing him moan while he glides back and forth on his zip line

I just call this guy rabid bat

[shudders]

we've had this ghost/pumpkin combo since our early married days

before kids and ghoulish stuff took over

light up spider webs book end each end of the porch

Flat Stanley behaving

Still to come....

Some spooky additions to the 2nd floor

Stay tuned

mwah hah hah hah hah

Transition to Halloween

I showed you a few of my fall decorations yesterday.

Well, I decided to REALLY change things up in my entry for

HALLOWEEN

Are you ready for it?

This is the

BEFORE

And here is the

AFTER

I know - life changing, right?

Just in case you missed it

Aren't you sceered?

Hey, it's a start. Front porch decorations are next

My hubby is in charge of those and sorta goes overboard.

Stay tuned!

A few Fall updates!

Front Entry

Just a few Autumn leaves and candles

The cutout pumpkin holds a candle

Dollar Store Pumpkins replace my candles

A $6 package of fall 'filler' from Walmart

$8 worth of fall foliage from Hobby Lobby

Vase is from a garage sale I posted about last week

The Leaf Garland was $5 at Hobby Lobby

Fall Vignette on the coffee table

Garage Sale Finds

Spur of the moment Garage Sale Stop rendered me a few good finds:

This decorative fleur de lis candle/elephant [LOL] stand

Mom collected elephants and I displayed these here for now

[$2.00]

I was debating over these pieces when I realized she had the entire set tagged for $8

I asked her a few questions about them when she offered the whole set to me for $5

SCORE!

Have no idea where I'll put them all though

Suggestions welcome

Oh and I think these came from Hobby Lobby??

[Anyone recognize the clearance tags?]

They each had their retail stickers still on the bottoms but a few still had clearance stickers attached. By my estimation, she paid about $60 clearance prices.

[$180 retail for all]

ALL for $5 buckaroos!

Subtle changes make a big difference

I can't stress enough how small changes affect the look of a room. With very little investment, these are the few small changes we've made in our kitchen to make it feel more like 'ours'.

BEFORE

AFTER

Command Center - Part Deaux

This wall is opposite where I showed you here:

Command Center - Part One

Just to the right as you enter the Laundry Room

Main goal was to get the backpacks off of my counter top [barely visible next to dryer]

The memo board holds a variety of coupons, playbills, favorite photos and misc. reminders

[newspaper clipping was a favorite July 4th photo of mine that made it to print!]

Love having the backpacks off the counter, but also off the floor!

[keeping with my pink accents, I added a pink hamper to Girlie Brighten up the place!

Here's the small counter that the kids piled their backpacks on before.

My plan is to put a one-stop charging station here for the family.

DTR [aka Down The Road] plans are to flip this counter to the left of the washer/dryer instead of the right side where it is currently. We have a closet door, the garage door AND the washer door all converging on the same spot, so moving the counter top there would also allow us to slide the washer/dryer down a few feet. But like I said - down the road.

For now - this works for us.

Call me subtle...

~~My husband is a contractor/carpenter~~

~~Yes! It's wonderful to have a handy guy around~~

~~and Yes! My stuff is last to get done~~

You know.....

Cobblers kids are the last to have shoes syndrome?

Umkay

so THIS

has been MY sink in the master bath for about Forever 3 weeks.

Can you see it??

S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G W-A-T-E-R

Ackckckcck!

*****

Now ~~ I tried the 'Honey, can you fix my sink?' approach, and got the standard response...

'

Yep, I'll get it done soon

'

Well, I took to using HIS sink and was envying the flowing AND draining water that he obviously took for granted!!

Funny how you crave something when you don't have it, right?

So I decided to leave him a slightly subliminal message where he couldn't miss it!

And YES, I used my manners because I'm nice that way [grins]

Well....... it only took a few days!

He took yesterday off [our anniversary] and did a whole BUNCH of 'Honey Do' list items.

~~ and NO, that wasn't his gift to me [but it sort of is]~~

~~Don't tell him I said that, kay?~~

I came home from work and discovered he had done this!

I'm tickled!!

Now you're all saying 'Man it doesn't take much to excite this girl, does it?'

Nope!

My love language is 'Acts of Service'

When my hubby gets to doing things around the house for me??

I swoon!

Seriously!!

But just so you don't think I'm COMPLETELY abnormal

I do like chocolate, diamonds and Coach purses (not necessarily in that order).

OH!!!

...and

He's taking today off too!

I heard rumblings about him cleaning out part of the garage.

~SWOON~

See? I told ya!

Command Center

My new command center

[based in Laundry-land]

I have plans for this room but they are WAY down a very long road, so for now I chose pink accessories to accent the 'stainless' washer/dryer

[behind this wall is our laundry closet]

This is the laundry closet

[currently the pool closet]

Towels, swimsuits, sunscreen, etc.

[soon to be retired for the fall]

I have plans something along this line:

we'd remove the closet and build cubbies and a bench

{hey a girl can dream, right?}

Giveaway ~~ Giveaway ~~ Giveaway

You can win one of these:

Right HERE

This is REMOTEly cool!

**Bad photo disclaimer: Broke the lens on my good camera so the quality of my point and shoot are -- well -- sorta poopy!

I'm turning on my TV!

[sort of like that vintage commercial of the mom doing something leisurely and stating "I'm cleaning my oven"]

Yes I know I'm pointing it at the microwave!

Hence the 'Remotely cool'

[did you catch my play on words there??]

Don't even have to point it at this when I press the buttons!

There's a cool computer with a touch screen

[the really bad pic is showing me choose 'Watch TV'

And then guess what happens?

The TV turns on!!!

Even if I point it at this!

Like this!

This was my hubby's birthday gift from me. He despised using FOUR different remotes. When he wants to watch a movie, now all he has to do is press 'Watch a DVD' and it changes the HDMI input, turns on the Blu Ray player and automatically switches on the surround sound system!

I think I may have heard angels choirs sing!

School begins in less than a week for the kids

We're trying to squeeze in the last bits of porch time

It's an inviting porch don't you think?

We never did get around to assembling and staining the matching rockers to the swing over there...

Maybe next summer? Until then... we have this...