Resolutions

New year...
New body
New goals
New aspirations
New adventures
New prayers to be prayed
New souls to be won
New friendships to make
New priorities
New passion
New running shoes
New lifestyle
Renewed spirit
Renewed love
Renewed hope

As I reflect on the past year, I am humbled and in awe of our Creator, His love, His provision, His grace, His providence and His mercies.

Here's to the beginning of an amazing year!

Blessed Mama

Excuse me...

Hello Blogland! Please pardon my dust...I have to get all caught up, as if you couldn't tell from the header on my page. You little Sherlock Holmes you...speaking of, it is a great movie. Highly recommended from "she who dislikes spending 2 hours of her life sitting in an uncomfortable chair surrounded by obnoxious teenagers and overpaying for a (typically terrible) movie". So, saying that I like it is saying quite a lot.
So...a more festive & current blog will follow...be patient, please.

Jenn

...Martha Frightens Me

Martha Stewart scares the heck out of me. Can I just tell you that this picture proves my point? She is holding a skull (glittered, of course) in her hands and is smiling. Why is she smiling? Knowing Martha's affinity for doing everything from scratch, where do you think she got the human skull? Just a question...think about that for a while. Martha, you can glue and glitter it, but that don't make it right!

I haven't crafted, or decorated myself (well, not myself in a literal way) in a bit, so I was trying to find something to post that would get me inspired. Here are a few fun things on the cheap...

Here are some black chandelier cutouts from the craft section used as napkin rings. Apparently the whole black & white thing is super chic for the season. I like it! These candy corn tissue paper crafts are from Martha Stewart Crafts. $14.99 for all of these!


I did something similar to this last year & I had several compliments on them. They cost me the cost of the paper. I made them curl around the glass instead of standing them up straight.

They used cheesecloth for the look of webs, but you could also make strings of glue from the hot glue gun (although that sounds a little messy and painful...hot glue guns and I don't get along very well).

I love the ghostly gourds...anyone can do this!

So pretty!

These vintage inspired invitations are from the Martha Stewart Craft line. $6.99 for 2 of each design. I LOVE these!

So, to sum it up, your decorations don't have to be pricey, or scary and Martha could turn you into a craft if you don't watch your back.

Happy decorating!

I'm a Hallowiener...

I think that "Hallowiener" is my favorite made up word ever. Here is the Websters definition...if they ever ask me for one:

Hallowiener: { hal-oh-wee-ner}

- noun

a person who loves to decorate, make crafts, and bake for activities that occur around and on October 31st

(I may have to tweak it a bit, but that is neither here nor there...)

So, I have been doing a little decorating for Halloween. Let me go ahead and insert a disclaimer. * I am not necessarily a fan of Halloween, mind you. I think a large majority of it one of 3 things: scary, weird, or scary and weird. We have a house down the street that spares no expense in scaring the tiny little pants off of children of any age that dare approach their house on the evening of the 31st. That just isn't my idea of a good time...but to each his own. Soooo, back to being a Hallowiener...I might not be a fan of Halloween, but I do love to decorate with some cute little vintage decorations and dress my brood up in cute, age appropriate and not-at-all-embarrassing costumes and let them go to the Fall Festival at our local Chick-Fil-A or church or even the neighborhood hayride (with Dad in tote).

Okay, since we are on the subject (kind of...and like that has ever mattered to me) let me also go ahead and say that I am not a fan of the 6-year-old-boy walking around wearing a "Jason" mask carrying a fake machete (nor a real one for that matter) dripping with fake blood (again, nor a real), while his female counterpart is wearing stilettos and a mini skirt. I also made the vow, long ago, when my eldest was born 29 days before Halloween, that I would NEVER, EVER, EVER make my children wear a costume that would embarrass them when I am showing pictures to their best friend or future spouse, and I have kept that vow through 3 children. There would be none of this...

(yes, that is a gorilla.)

nor this...

(and a pink poodle)

Now, please don't be offended if this is what you are planning on putting your little one in. I think they are incredibly adorable, but is it worth the torture that you will have to endure once your children are reminded that this is what they wore and YOU picked it out? Maybe it is. Maybe you are a genius and are already thinking blackmail for the latter years...hmmm...maybe I am thinking about this all wrong!

Back to decorating...


Here is my mantle all decorated for the "howlidays" (oh, please stop me...seriously!).

(the left side)

(right side)

Here are my cute little fellas waiting for a home...hmmmm...where to put them...

Here is my front door. I am not in love with the placement of the letter "M", but haven't figured out a better option yet.

Still more to come...candy corns, pumpkins and bats, oh my!

"It's the Final Countdown"...isn't that a song?

Okay ya'll. After some on-again-off-again postings, I am in full-throttle redecorating mode. I have completed the curtains and pillows in the living and dining rooms.

You likey? I do! I am in serious like with the blue. I moved the curtains up a good 18" to accentuate the tall ceilings, gave them a simple single pleat that folds to the back, and put them on drapery hooks so that we could slide them shut for those Sunday afternoon naps. I have to say, I am mighty pleased with the outcome. All of the pillows (besides the brown embroidered one below that I snatched from my bedroom) have a different front and back so I can switch them up. I also plan to embroider some monograms on several of them.

Now, let me say, I do have some more plans for this living room and this furniture. Our ginormous leather sectional is a hand-me-down from the in-laws. Let me also put the disclaimer that I LOVE it. It has been an amazing piece of furniture for a family of 5, including 3 very young, mischevious children who love ink pens. I know better than to even consider anything resembling "nice grown up furniture" at this point...but I can dream can't I. So, in the meantime, I am trying to dress up our "Big Bertha" (that's the couch's nickname since she is about 28 feet long...it is also the name of my Suburban...I tend to nickname anything "Big Bertha" that is very large...sorry if your name is "Bertha", you can blame the golf industry for that one).

Now, this is what you will find in my kitchen above the french doors (another disclaimer...the left "door" is actually stationary, so don't be too impressed) that go to our back patio. My eldest asked me why I had "EAT" in our kitchen, and I stated very simply, "To remind you of what you are supposed to do when you are in the kitchen...EAT". My children eat like birds, not vultures, but little hummingbirds. I can't imagine where they got their appetites because both T and I ...well, I'll just say that we love our food. So, back to the letters. These were $5 each at Hobby Lobby (with coupon, of course) and I just painted them "cadmium" orange. Yep, just in case you wanted to know what color the element cadmium was...it is THAT color. You just never know what you are going to learn when you visit my blog, do you?

Okie dokie. I have lots more to post in the next couple of days, but I will just leave this last little find. I am obsessed with trees & I found this canvas print for $20 at, um...let's just say my least favorite store on the planet, but a necessary evil nonetheless. Yes, it is WalMart. UGH, I hate even saying it. It is like Harry Potter saying "Valdemort". I will just call it "the store that shall not be named" from now on. I would say that it isn't anything personal, but it is. Anywho...I digress...

I have lots of fun Halloween decor to post...You'll have to peek at that next time.