Pie in the Sky

I've just put a Rhubarb Custard pie in the oven, and I'm on tenterhooks to see how it will turn out.

Been making a whole lotta pies around here lately. On Saturday night we're going to a Fall Festival at church, and one of the activities is a pie contest. I tend to be a *wee* bit on the competitive side, so I'm trying out pies right now to see which one will be my official contest entry. I have lots of frozen rhubarb that I'd like to use up, so I thought I'd make a rhubarb pie of some sort. Rhubarb is unusual, and that could work for or against my chances--it could be a good thing because there likely won't be any other rhubarb pies, but a bad thing because not everyone likes rhubarb. I'm convinced I lost last year's contest because I made a Key Lime Pie. It was an awesome pie, but I think the judges didn't choose it because they didn't like Key Lime, not because it wasn't good. My 2 Key Lime Pies were completely eaten after the judging, unlike some of the other entries. I think the winner was some sort of cheesecake or some similarly pedestrian creation *sniff*.

So 2006 is the Year of Rhubarb. I started out the pie-making on Monday, when I did a Chocolate Cream Pie to get my fingers flexed, so to speak. I hope that pie wasn't a portent of things to come, because it was horrible! The chocolate filling wasn't so bad, but the crust was terrible. Easily the worst pie crust I have ever made. It was a recipe I know I've used before so I'm not sure where I went wrong, but it was BAD. So bad in fact that I threw the whole thing away. I'm not going to waste dessert calories on substandard pie.

Yesterday I made a new batch of piecrusts using another recipe and they turned out much better. I found that my pastry cutter was leaving the shortening and butter in too large of chunks (one of the fatal flaws in Sunday's piecrusts) so I used my bare hands and I think I got a much finer consistency. Last night's pie recipe was from the good old standby, the red and white gingham BH&G cookbook. It was the only rhubarb pie recipe in the book. I used frozen rhubarb that I thawed first, and I think that was a mistake because the center of my pie is completely watery. I think the eggs in the recipe set, but the extra liquid from the thawed rhubarb threw the whole thing off. I haven't even cut into it because it's just a boggy, soggy mess.

That's why I'm hoping this current pie will be better. I used frozen rhubarb again, but only slightly thawed--just enough to get the ice crystals off. I just checked it and the center is still loose, so we have a ways to go yet. If this isn't a winner, I'm going to look for a Strawberry Rhubarb pie recipe. Oh, and to prevent 'pie thighs' I'm sending all my rejects to Quin's office. Bless their hearts, the guys there will eat anything!

For my Sweetie :)

Walk alongside me, Daddy
and hold my little hand.
I have so many things to learn
that I don't yet understand.

Teach me things to keep me safe
from dangers every day.
Show me how to do my best
at home, at school, at play.

Every child needs a gentle hand
to guide them as they grow.
So walk alongside me, Daddy -
We have a long way to go.

-unknown-

Technical difficulties

Things look a little different around here, I know. I just had to choose a new template for my blog and I decided it was time for a little change. If you visited my blog anytime in the last 24 hours you might have found either lines and lines of code or a completely blank page! I have no idea what happened. Yesterday morning everything was fine. Then later in the day DH noticed that all that showed up was lines and lines of code! Weird, and while I was posting on a few message boards looking for help, the whole thing completely disappeared and was replaced by a blank screen.

I kept hoping maybe it was a Blogger problem that would work itself out, but this morning it was still blank and most of my template was missing. I went looking and found help on the Blogger site--apparently I'm not the only one that has ever happened to! To remedy the problem I just had to choose a new template and -poof!- everything was back! Blogger says that I must have somehow deleted important parts of my code (like, ALL of it) somehow, but I maintain that it was FINE yesterday morning, when all I was doing was using the link to Rebecca's blog. I touched nothing! I deleted nothing! But whatever. The good news is that I get a shiny new template. I've been liking the white ones lately--photos seem to stand out better.

My laziness served me well in this instance, because in choosing a new template you lose any customizations you've done--and I've been too lazy to do any! Hooray for sloth. Maybe now that I have all this white space I'll be motivated to finally read the instructions I have saved somewhere on how to make a customized banner up there at the top. I'll be sure to save a copy of my template if I do. Ironically, laziness my have saved my hiney, but industry will be rewarded with sorrow if I lose everything!

Introducing...

My husband! He's jumped into the blogging world with a blog for his business, Guardian Gear Equipment & Consulting. I've put a link over in my sidebar, if you get curious. Love you, sweetie!

Yard sale of my dreams, day 2

Saturday morning, I was ready to go shopping! I packed Maren in the car and we drove over to our favorite yard sale at about 9:00 a.m. The owner had told me the day before that he hoped to get lots out first thing in the morning, and I was late by yard sale terms but when I got there they were just pulling stuff out of the garage. There wasn't much that I hadn't seen the previous afternoon but I did get three old blue glass canning jars and a Krispy Kan for $1 each. One of the jars had a broken lid but they're hard to find for that price around here. I promised to return later in the day when they had more out.

From there, Maren and I drove over to a small scrapbooking expo where my friend Beth was teaching a class. Beth and I knew each other when we lived in Savannah; our husbands worked together but we actually found each other through a scrapbooking website! She and her DH left Savannah shortly before we did and they are now stationed in Alaska. I haven't seen her in more than 2 years and it was such fun to visit with her again! We weren't able to visit long because Maren had reached her limit for being strapped in (carseat, then stroller) so she was making her displeasure known in various naughty ways. We tried to take a photo with Maren but she would not cooperate. I bought a few things from one of the vendors and then we were on our way.

The place where the expo was held was just a few blocks from the Salvation Army store where I bought this stuff a couple of weeks ago. I am rarely in that area so even though Maren was being a stinker I stopped. I shopped quickly but found a few goodies: The large blue glass canning jar to the right was $1.50. It's missing its zinc lid but someone replaced it with a homemade lid that is cross-stitched with cherries. If I can't have the original lid, that's about as good a substitute as I could hope for! I also found a little frame for a dollar (not pictured) and a .25 gray teacup to match the aqua one I found before. Still don't know the maker, but it looks so familiar. (The red tin in this photo is the Krispy Kan from earlier in the morning).

We headed home, poor little Maren's head bobbing in the carseat as she struggled to stay awake. She took a long nap and I puttered around here for a while. Finally at 3:30 (she went down for her nap at just after 12:00) I got Maren up and we headed over to the yard sale one last time. The weather was turning a little ugly and I was hoping to shop more before he packed up for the day. There was lots more out than had been there in the morning, including jewelry and linens. I spent another $10 and got a whole bunch of stuff. This sterling silver and black enamel (I don't think its onyx) necklace and earring set was .75! It's cute and the necklace is the perfect length (short!). It's marked "Mexico" and I know it's not old but it is sterling, nice and heavy and I can wear it with a lot of things.

At $3.oo, this ring was the most expensive thing I bought. It is set with a rhinestone and I think it is some type of old plastic like Bakelite. Not sure and I'm out of 409 so I can't do the 409 test but it definitely looks old.


Love these little guys! They were $1.00 for the pair. They're little pins and are made of some kind of old plastic. The little loops make me wonder if there was a chain between them and perhaps this was some type of a sweater clip? I don't know, but they're charming! Love the little sailor hats.

This neat bracelet was .50. I know it has to do with either Brownie scouts or Girl Scouts, but I'm not sure which. It's in the shape of a trefoil and has "Be Prepared" stamped into it all over the front and the back in different languages! It's really pretty neat. I think this one's going on eBay.

And the last of it. I'm not sure how much the Scottie dog towel was--maybe .50? It's missing a few stitches so I'll keep it for my use, but the pattern that makes up the dog is really cute! The little Colorado tea cup and saucer were $1.00 and they will go up in my guest room that's decorated with vintage souvenirs. The necklace is made of yellow, orange and coral-colored glass beads and it's not as heavy as the big green one I bought last week! Don't know how much it was. And the salt and pepper shakers are really pretty, but you can't tell from the photo. The part of the lid with the holes is actually made of mother of pearl and they are really neat! I have plans for those that I will post about later.

So that's all of it. I spent $24 total at that sale and I think I got some great stuff!I know he's bringing out more today but I don't shop on Sundays so that's it for me, and I'll just have to try not to think about all the goodies that are over there! I do know that next time I see a garage sale sign pointing down his street, I'm going without a second thought! And I've got to get in on this auction thing--the stories he was telling me had me licking my chops! With yard sale season largely over, I've got to find another source for junk to get my fix!

Yard sale of my dreams (literally)

On Friday afternoon I was out running errands with the Li'l Monster when I drove past a sign advertising a "BIG SALE". Normally those garage sales end up being 2 tables of overpriced cassette tapes and dirty stuffed animals, but as I drove past I could see that indeed there did look to be quite a lot of stuff out. I turned around and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I knew that I had hit a good 'un. I could tell that the people were collectors or something, because everything for sale was vintage or antique. I started talking to the man running the sale and he told me that he & his girlfriend have a little side business going to auctions. They often have to buy box lots, but they are usually very inexpensive--a couple dollars at most. He said that he had boxes and boxes and boxes of STUFF in the basement--most of it the remnants of the box lots, after they'd gone through and taken when they really wanted. He knew that many of the things he was selling could be sold on eBay, but he just didn't have the time or inclination because there was just so darn much of it. So this weekend he was just trying to get things cleaned out and make some room, and he had things definitely priced to move.

• old wooden chinese checkerboard
• vintage Kenner Star Wars toy, still sealed in box
• 1950s movie titler set (that's what you see on the right in this photo)
• vintage canister with strawberries
• 1963 metal lunchbox Thermos with space images
• very cool old wooden spindles made into a pipe stand
• Western Stoneware pottery jug
• silver baby cup

The owner was really great--he and I had a good time talking about collectibles and such. My stuff actually totaled $13.50 but he rounded it down to $10. He said they had been bringing boxes out all day as the tables emptied, and that they would be bringing lots more out on Saturday morning. I was so excited about my finds and determined to go over there first thing in the morning to beat any dealers that might get the good stuff first that I actually dreamed about yard sales all night long! I slept terribly and woke up early because I was so anxious about it. Obsess much, Heidi? Sheesh.

eyeball update

Went to Target yesterday to get a couple of bags of the squishy eyeballs to make a wreath (I ctown is reading my blog (Ha!) or Martha showed something else using the eyeballs. Last year they had them in stock almost until Halloween. I'll have to check another Target store and hope for the best. Pooh!

Here's looking at you

For Friday the 13th, another creepy Halloween craft/decoration! This is from Martha Stewart's show last year. You spray paint a twig or grapevine wreath black and then stick the eyeballs on the ends of the twigs--super simple! The eyeballs are squishy and gummy so you just poke them right onto the sticks. Target sells the eyeballs in bags with the other Halloween favors--I think they're around three or four bucks for a bag. I think they come individually wrapped because of their sticky texture. I don't know how well they'd hold up in storage because of the stickiness--you might have to remove them and do new ones next year, just buy an extra bag of eyeballs this year, I guess. I'd love to make one of these but I really don't have anywhere to put another wreath! Last year I bought 3 on clearance after Halloween (a black one to make, a black feather wreath and a small black one with little mirrors all over it) so I'm kind of maxed out in the wreath department. Thought I'd share though, in case it inspires anyone to do something similarly creepy!

Vulture Culture

Just wanted to share a picture of one of my favorite new Halloween decorations for this year. I got the feathered buzzard at Michael's crafts for about $6, which isn't bad--I've seen them in catalogs for much more. He's not very tall, but he'll do. I put floral foam in this old (thrifted) champagne bucket and the covered the top with dried Spanish moss (also from the craft store). The buzzard has two long wire prongs coming out of his feet so I poked those down into the foam, tied on a bow of black tulle that I bought on clearance after last Halloween, and there you have it! He's up on top of my china cabinet right now, peering down on passersby with a hungry look in his beady little eyes!

Today I had another LASIK consultation at a new place. They actually gave me 2 pair of soft contact lenses to start wearing. I put in the first pair at the office and wore them home and to Target and Joann's, but by the time I got home they were driving me nuts and I had to change back into my hard lenses! My vision was horrible and I kept feeling like I couldn't focus my eyes. I will have to get used to them, I suppose. I am still hoping to visit one other clinic before I make my final decision as to who gets my money, so I may hold off wearing them for a little while longer until I decide that. I can't put it off forever, though. Ugh.

Weekend thrifting

Saturday morning I got up early, determined to hit what were probably the last garage sales of the season. I may have been a week too late--I hardly saw any signs, and didn't want to drive far to reach the ones advertised in the paper. The weather was actually quite nice if a little on the windy side, but I think that for the most part, the garage sale season here is over. I was forced--forced, I tell you--to hit a couple of thrift stores to get my fix. Since Maren was home with Daddy I was able to spend a little more time looking at things than I usually do. I found a few goodies.



Green multi-strand necklace, 4.99. I love this necklace! Some of the beads are glass and some are plastic and it has really pretty clasps. It's big and chunky and definitely makes a statement. I actually started out today wearing it but it's actually quite heavy and was making my neck feel funny, so I had to take it off! Maybe I need to build up my neck muscles or something, LOL. The necklace at the right is turquoise and was 2.99. I really don't need another turquoise necklace but it was pretty and the stones look real. Figured I could restring it or add a pendant to fancy it up. The necklace on the bottom is choker length and looks like moonglow lucite. It's pretty! I'm wearing that right now instead of the heavy necklace.

A closeup of the pin. This was 1.99 and I think it's rather old. It has an old-style pin on the back which is more like a safety pin as opposed to having the little round locking catch. It looks like it was some sort of name tag because on the side there's a slot where you could slide a tag into that rectangular area. It refers to the "Rushmore Memorial," rather than today's common name of Mount Rushmore. There is a manufacturer's name on the back but I can't find much information about the company. This will probably go on eBay, but I'd like to find out a little more about it first.

Vintage rickrack, trim and buttons, 1.50. I bought this mainly for the rickrack (there's some great mini-rickrack in yellow and brown) but the other stuff was in the bag too. Love the needle paper--it opens and it's still got quite a few of the old needles inside.








This was actually from a garage sale I stopped at on Friday. I'd gone to a sale at that same house earlier this summer and bought my two Tupperware cupcake keepers for a quarter apiece. There was tons of Tupperware at that last sale but they must have sold it all the last time. I did buy 10 various Tupperware gadget-things for Maren to play with in the tub for a dime each, a clipboard for a nickle, a South Beach Diet book for a dollar, a cooking magazine for free, and this cute juice pitcher for a nickel as well. the colors are perfect for Halloween! If I can scrounge up some flowers it will make a cute vase. The little Halloween sign is mine from last year; the pitcher just looked so lonely there that I added it at the last minute.

The weather here has been ugly for the past few days. Last night the Denver Broncos played the Baltimore Ravens for Monday Night Football. My grandpa (who lives about 4 hours south of here) has season tickets and invited Quin to join him at the game. Although the weather was iffy, he and my grandma drove up yesterday morning with the hope that maybe the weather would improve enough that they could still go to the game. Well, it didn't--in fact it got worse by gametime. I think temps were in the 30s and it drizzled rain all day and all during the game. They decided not to go (smart) and instead we went to an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Maggiano's. We dressed Maren in her little Broncos cheerleader outfit and got so many smiles and nice comments--she really did look adorable! And she behaved remarkably well. After dinner we went home and got our warm jammies on and watched the game. By the end of the game Quin was having regrets about not going--even though the weather was obviously miserable, it was a good game and it probably was pretty fun, plus my grandpa's seats are Club Level and you can go inside and watch the game on huge screens while you're sipping hot chocolate and eating nachos. Ah, well. We had fun anyway and it was nice to spend time with my grandparents. We're lucky to live so close to them.

Friday night

Taken off our back deck on Tuesday evening after a rainstorm.
Busy today, I ran lots of errands. Quin had the day off so I was able to be baby-less for about 3 hours, which was nice. I mostly ran errands (Wal-Mart, bank, grocery store) but I did squeeze in a pedicure (the salon is inside WM) and a trip to the new Ulta store. They were having their grand opening this weekend and I got some fun free samples. I actually bought some Bare Escentuals make up at the other Ulta store earlier in the week. I can see now why so many people buy all their BE off of QVC--that stuff is ridiculously expensive! It's a WAY better deal off of QVC, plus you can usually buy great kits that come with brushes and stuff. Even with their expensive shipping, it's still a much better deal. I know that's what I'll be doing next time.

I went to a fun home party the same night I took this photo. It was for a new company called Uppercase Living. They sell vinyl lettering to be used in home decor. I'm no stranger to the whole vinyl lettering trend--I'm from Utah, where it has exploded in popularity in the past couple of years and where Uppercase Living is based. If you're familiar with WallWords or Wonderful Graffiti then you'll know what I'm talking about. I LOVE the way it looks on walls! It's such a cool, personalized way to decorate your house with words that are meaningful to you. I'd have it on every wall if Quin would agree to it (which he won't). I know I want to get a large quote to hang over the large opening between our front room and kitchen, something about families or home. If you know of any great quotes/scriptures/song lyrics that fit that theme, please share!

The vinyl lettering stuff is very cool, looks very professional and is SUPER easy to put up. It's great for apartment-dwellers who can't paint their walls because it is completely removeable (although you can't reuse it once removed). It can also be used on containers and windows and mirrors and just about any hard surface that you can think of. So cool! I have a little wall space in my downstairs powder room that I've been unable to fill and now I'm toying with the idea of ordering a new seasonal message to put in that spot every couple of months. The lettering is pretty affordable, so it wouldn't break the bank and it would be fun and different! Listen to me, I sound like I should be selling the stuff! Anyway, if you haven't heard of this stuff before, check out one of the links above! I think you'll love it.

Tonight is the season premiere for "Battlestar Galactica" so Quin and I are going to get our nerd on and just hang out. Depending on if the weather holds (rain is predicted) I may actually haul my behind out of bed early tomorrow morning and go yard-saling. Before too long it will be too cold to yard-sale and tomrrow Quin will be home so I can leave Maren and we don't have anything planned, two things that haven't happened on many Saturdays this summer. I love fall, but I hate the end of yard-sale season!

TP &Thrift finds

Yesterday morning I was awakened when the phone rang at 6:15 in the morning, well before my usual wake-up time. It was my father-in-law, who had been at our house the evening before. He drives trucks and had a load to drop off here in town Tuesday morning. He called to tell me that when his truck was being unloaded, three of the cases had been damaged and the receiver rejected them. The cases were filled with toilet paper and were going to just be trashed, so my FIL called to see if I wanted them. We can always use more TP, so I said yes and later that morning I packed the baby up and set out.

The truck yard was quite a ways away--it took me about 45 minutes to drive there. I loaded up the back of the Pathfinder with 3 huge boxes of toilet paper--80 rolls each--and realized that we were near a Salvation Army store that I've seen several times from the Interstate but never had the opportunity to stop at. From the outside it looked like it would be huge, but I found out that is because it's a big sorting center where they also do the training for the people who work there. The thrift store itself wasn't actually very large and was pretty disorganized. I did manage to find a few goodies however. The two candlesticks are by a pottery in Colorado Springs (about an hour from here) called Van Briggle. I vaguely remembered reading that name in a Kovel's Pottery book I checked out from the library a couple weeks ago and they were only .50 apiece. They are not very fancy, but they should sell. I'm sure I'll at least make back my dollar! The other stuff is to keep. The 4 yellow Pyrex hostess bowls, the books and the teacup were all .50 each as well. The teacup isn't marked but I just love the shape of the little handle! Plus it's the aqua color I love so much right now. The Mary Poppins is a hardcover of the movie and is just for decoration in the guest room upstairs. The other little book is a newer book made to look vintage. It's cute and clever and made me giggle. Maren hijacked that one as soon as I put it in the cart. I had a similar book (same size, same cover material, prob. same publisher) that she took some inexplicable liking to and carried it around for weeks. She loved this little book as well and insisted on holding it the whole drive home. She managed to gnaw a place out of the top already, so I'm going to have to keep this one put up lest it meet the same fate as the other book (ripped into shreds all over the living room floor.)

The necklace is kooky and kitschy and made of clear plastic or Lucite beads in yellow, orange and green. It was 1.75 and it just makes me smile! I don't have a single thing to wear with it so it may have to wait until next spring or summer when I bring out my yellow shirt and kelly green knit skirt again.

In other news, Monday morning I went in for a LASIK consultation to see if I'm a candidate for the surgery. I am, but I did hear some news I wasn't prepared for. I wear hard gas permeable contact lenses and have for about 14 years now. All contact lenses (but especially gas perms) can actually cause your cornea to warp slightly from wearing them. Because it's important for your cornea to be it's true shape when you have LASIK surgery, you have to go without contact lenses for a minimum of 2 weeks before the surgery to let your corneas relax. For me, I would have to probably be in soft lenses for a while and then glasses for that last 2 weeks. That would be fine--annoying, but fine--except for the fact that I have no glasses. The last time I had glasses that I could see through was 9 years ago, when I broke one of my contact lenses right in the middle of finals and right before Christmas break. I think I wore them for as long as it took for my new lens to come in and then shoved them in the back of a drawer. So now I find out I'm going to have to spend $200 on glasses so I can wear them for 2 weeks, and then never again? You have got to be kidding me. I don't think there's any way around it, though. Heck, what' s another $200 when it's already going to cost me something like $3000 to get the LASIK done? Drop in the bucket, I guess. I did find my old frames this morning and so maybe I can just use those and get new lenses, so it won't be quite as expensive.

I have another appointment with another LASIK place next week, and I may try to set up at least one or two more. When we got the front room painted I got 3 estimates, and that was just for walls. These are my EYES we're talking about, people! I want to be sure I'm going with somebody I feel comfortable with. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the year but if I have to wear soft contacts for 6 weeks and glasses for another 2, I need to get that started ASAP. Time is a' wasting, and I'm ready to just get it over with, already!

Making a case for pillowcases

While it's true that I was on a pillowcase-dress-making kick for a few weeks this summer, the weather has cooled and it won't be suitable for Maren to wear a sundress for about another 9 months. So why, WHY, can't I stop buying pillowcases? I have one daughter to sew for, not six, and I live in Colorado, not Florida! What is wrong with me? I just can't resist them, especially when they're hand-embroidered like those on the top row or brightly colored like that on the far left, or made of linen like the green one, or just printed with pretty sprays of roses in a rainbow of colors, like the yellows and purple? I've been buying them and stashing them in the dresser in the spare room, and when I went to put these away I discovered one more that I recently bought but didn't photograph. Really, it's getting a bit ridiculous. I've long since run out of pillows in this house that need covering. I may have to use the winter months perfecting my pillowcase-dress sewing technique, then list them on eBay next spring, because I just don't think I can go cold turkey and quit buying them!

The weather here this weekend was just beautiful--warm and sunny and decidedly un-autumn-like. I think it hit 85 on Saturday, actually. Quin's office had a family party so we went to a park and had a cookout. Maren loved being outside at the park! She LOVES going on slides--the higher, the better! She's just so fearless, a quality I hope she keeps as she grows. She climbs straight to the top of the slides all by her self--no help from mommy or daddy needed--and stands at the top of the slide with absolutely no apprehension. She launches herself down the slide, secure in the knowledge that someone will be there to catch her. It's so fun to watch her play and laugh and explore the world. Makes up for the times she ruins my carpet, that's for sure.

I love this picture of Maren and Quin. Look how far in front of him she is! He had to hustle to keep up. That's just her personality--she has an agenda; an idea in her head of what she's going to do next, and the rest of us are welcome to keep up if we want. Hard to believe she's only 18 months old and already so very independent.

Red & Aqua Swap goodies!

I recently participated in the Red & Aqua swap and had the good fortune to have Lauren M. send to me (Lauren doesn't have a blog right now, unfortunately!). Oh my goodness, did she take good care of me! I truly love everything she sent and can tell that she spent a lot of time choosing things that she thought that I, specifically, would like. Who wouldn't want a box full of goodies chosen just for YOU? Everything was even wrapped to coordinate with the theme. I stopped and made myself take a picture, even though I was dying to rip into all those little paper packets! Don't your fingers get itchy just looking at the photo?


As adorable as all the little packages were, the insides were even better! Lauren had me so pegged! LOL I absolutely adore the H that she painted and embellished for me. I have been trying to collect initials for the members of our family (H, Q, and M) to display but so far I only have two Qs and an M. I'm just thrilled to finally have an H to add! She also sent me some very cool rub-ons for scrapbooking that are very much in the flourish-y style that's so IN right now. There is the most beautiful set of cloth napkins, wrapped with a cute red polka-dot ribbon and the most darling little toadstools and velvet leaves! I positively squealed when I saw those! Lauren also included a little red book, perfect for all of the LISTS I am constantly making, yummy vintage aqua-colored rickrack, cute little tissues, pretty red and white woven ribbon, vintage cake decorations, cool polka-dot brads, sweets, and last but not least the most adorable little pale blue pitcher. I am completely in love with it! It will look sweet on my kitchen windowsill next to the aqua Lu-Ray creamer. I think it would make the cutest vase and may have to pick up a few flowers at the store today to confirm my suspicions. :)

Lauren's package was an absolute delight to receive and to open. Thank you, Lauren, for making my first swap experience so WONDERFUL!!

What I'm loving right now, Thursday

Decorating for Halloween. I haven't actually started yet--I've managed to hold off this long, which is impressive for me especially since I've been feeling the itch since about August 31st. Halloween is my favorite holiday to decorate the house for, and I'm so excited to bring up the orange and black plastic tubs from the basement and reacquaint myself with all of my lovelies. I've still got my patriotic stuff up from July (although my house is mostly done in red/white/blue so it matches) and I'm SO ready for a change. I have a few new things to add this Halloween. You've already seen the ribbon topiary, but I also treated myself to these cuties (although I got mine from a different source). I can't wait to plunk a punkin on the big one! I think maybe one of those white Boo varieties would look so very cool. I've also gotten a feathered buzzard that I need to find a place for, and I have the makings for a cool wreath that I bought last year on clearance but still need to put together. I've never made a wreath before but I can't imagine it's too difficult. We'll see.

If you're looking for a cute and easy Halloween craft, check out these adorable jack o' lanterns made out of a paperback book. This was featured in the October issue of Country Home magazine, which I just received last week. I immediately noticed the book pumpkins and was tickled to see on Teresa's blog that she actually made one! They are too darn cute, sound super easy and cost just pennies to make. Paperback books can be had at thrift stores and garage sales for less than a buck. You can even use hardback books as Teresa did and cut off the covers. Wouldn't a whole row of these little guys in varying heights be cute? Yet another reason to lament the lack of a mantel in my house.

Another cute autumn craft idea is this pumpkin topiary. Several people over at Two Peas have made them, including this cute variation using an apple basket. I don't really have a large enough porch to warrant making one of these, but I think they're just darling! I don't usually do 'fall' decorations until November, after I take down the Halloween stuff. Even though I'm rabidly excited to put it all up, by the end of October I'm sick of seeing it!

We're talking about having a Halloween party again this year--that would make it the 2nd annual Halloween bash. We did it last year and it was great fun, even though it was a TON of work. Last year we invited parents and kids, thinking that we'd get a better turnout if parents didn't have to get babysitters. I still think that was true, but it was a zoo. This year, it's adults only and if people are too lazy to get a sitter then they're lame and I don't want them at my party anyway! I need to start thinking of invitations because I need to get them out in the next 2 weeks, so people can hopefully mark their calendars and have plenty of time to find someone to watch their kids. I love party planning. I've always said I'd rather plan a party than go to one!

Clipboard in action

Here's another clipboard I made to use as a photo frame. I chose papers and ribbons to match the outfit Maren is wearing in her One-year-old portraits. Check out how messy her hair is--I didn't have a comb on me (bad mommy) and it was impossible to finger-comb. Learning experience, for sure.

Altered clipboards

For lack of anything more interesting to post, these are some altered clipboards I did for a class I was supposed to teach last night. I say supposed to teach because only one person signed up and then she called to cancel on me yesterday afternoon. Honestly, I could feel hurt that no one signed up and maybe they thought my stuff was ugly and they don't like me and I smell funny, but truly I was just RELIEVED! I needed the break.

Here are the clipboards, anyway. They're super easy to make--you use Mod Podge to stick the papers down to the clipboard. When that's dry, you paint on another coat of Mod Podge to seal the papers. After that coat is dry you add embellishments like ribbons, flowers, etc. They can be used like a photo frame or you can use them as an actual clipboard. I did one with Christmas paper with the idea that you could keep your master holiday To-Do list on the clipboard along with gift lists, receipts, recipes for goodies, etc. You can also attach a pen on a ribbon to make it even handier.

These make good teacher or coach gifts if you intend them to be used as a clipboard. You can paint the backside if you want to make it a little fancier. The designs I did here were purposely simple as I anticipated teaching it to a group, so simple is key. For my own use I'd probably use more papers, more embellishments and ribbon--the 'more is more' philosophy for sure. Thanks for looking!

The good news

The carpet cleaner guy just left. He was able to get the toilet cleaner stain out, although he was initially skeptical because there was so much and it was so blue. I don't care what kind of voodoo he had to perform up there, all I know is that I could have kissed him when I saw that it came clean! (Don't worry dear, I refrained.) So the good news is that Maren doesn't get sold to the gypsies.

Not this week, anyway.

Having kids is great because....why, again?

This afternoon while I was reading the mail, Maren went upstairs, got hold of a bottle of toilet cleaner, and squeezed about half of it onto the carpet in my bedroom. The carpet that I just had cleaned last week, to the tune of $130. I tried and I can't get it out, so I just had to call the carpet cleaner AGAIN and schedule him to come out tomorrow to (hopefully) fix it.

I think I'm going to go cry now.