Halloween Mantle

It's the second most wonderful time of the year! Pumpkins, gourds, acorns, yellows, reds, oranges, and... CANDY CORN! I am ready for fall, ya'll! Even though it was a high of 90 today in my little nook of the desert, it didn't dampen my desire to decorate my mantle. Eeek!

I took it easy last Halloween and had very "kid-friendly" decorations here and there. This year, my 10-year-old is a bit braver and my 2-year-old... is... such a nut. Nothing scares her. She actually called the skulls I pulled out from storage "pretty." Yes, that's my silly willy.

I used all of last year's decorations and threw them together with projects I've done throughout the year. I only spent $4 for this mantle display. Vases are my favorite thing to use during ANY holiday because you can fill them with practically anything. For the sake of keeping costs down, I filled one with a candle I already had, but stuck some fall leaves in there to jazz it up a bit.

I have found many of my vases at GW and enjoy finding clever fillers for them. Take a look at this fun idea:

Those are black river rocks found at the dollar store. I've seen blogs where people paint these with chalkboard paint, then write things on them with a chalk pen. I was going to do that until I found out that was going to cost me almost $10. Instead, I bought a bag of black rocks ($1) and wrote on them with white-out (FREE). Yeah, buddy!

Remember my brassy, GW lantern I fixed up here? Well, it was quite lovely in our guest bath when I was aiming for a coastal feel. Now, it is holding spot for a scary skull...

Throwing in some more of my GW finds over the year, here is my finished Halloween mantle:

The only thing I purchased was the black crow, headstone, rocks, and the gray, torn material (each only $1). Not exactly "child friendly" but my weird kiddos love it. ;) This week, I'll be working on TWO Halloween wreaths. LOVE!

Linking up with: Amaze Me Mondays, Debbie Doo's, Keeping It Simple, Made By You Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Good Life Wednesdays, Twice Owned Tuesdays, 20 Below Thursday, A Creative Princess, Freshman Friday

Happy Anniversary, Home!

Ello poppets!

Well, it's been ONE YEAR since we moved into our first home! I have to admit, there were times when I desperately missed having a landlord (because fixing an AC on your own is tough), but I'm incredibly thankful we had the opportunity to buy. This home has seen its share of birthdays, holidays, movie nights, game nights, and karaoke nights. It has watched us as we played in the front yard, teaching our oldest how to catch a football and spike a volleyball. It has provided us with a fireplace, where our toddler loves to dive off of, sit at, and color with crayons. Happy Anniversary, home. You've been so good to us! Looking forward to many more memories.

This year also saw its share of home improvements. ALL DIY (very proud to say that). Looking around the house, there is still so much we would like to do, but for the sake of satisfaction, I wanted to look back and see how far we've come.

Garage Before:

Now:

 Guest Bath Before:

Now:

Nursery Before:

"Nursery" After:

Backyard Doors Before:

Now: 

This was one of my favorite DIY projects and I loved that it only cost us around $5!!!

Entryway Before:

Now:

 Tween Bedroom Before:

Now:

 Front porch Before:

Now:

I would love to end this post with a list of things I would like to accomplish for this next year, but that would defeat the whole "I need motivation" reflection. Instead, I bid you all a wonderful Wednesday. I'm going to curl up on the couch and enjoy a movie in our home.

Ten years later...

When I was pregnant with my first child, I couldn't imagine what the age of ten would be like for her, even in my wildest dreams. What would she be like? Look like? What would be her interests? I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of being a Mom to a ten-year-old girl one day. Then again, I never imagined she would be born on a day like 9/12/01.

Like almost all of America, I saw the terrorist attacks being replayed multiple times on 9/11. Replayed on every channel, over and over, like a nightmare you couldn't wake up from.

The following day, as I lay in my hospital bed, preparing to deliver my precious, innocent, baby girl into this world, I had fear. Deep fear running through me. What kind of world was I bringing her into? If this level of hate was happening now, what kind of hate would she be witnessing growing up?

At the time, I was unaware of the magnitude of God's gifts. He blessed my daughter with an enormous gift of love and forgiveness. She forgives. Truly forgives. She forgives kids in school who bully her and make her cry. She loves everyone she meets. She wants to travel to China to tell others about Christ. The girl doesn't have an ounce of fear or anger in her body. Her two favorite things: Taylor Swift and peace symbols.

Tonight, as we were remembering those whose lives were taken on 9/11, we unfolded a newspaper that we saved on the day of her birth. As a family, we reread and relived the events that unfolded on that day. We prayed for the families who are still angry. We prayed for peace. We prayed for people to love people.

My daughter is the best thing that's ever been mine.

Although I can't raise her in a world of peace and love, I know that she is going to show the world PEACE and LOVE. Happy 10th Birthday, my little ladybug. You are something amazing! I love you!

*~*~* Dedicated to the lives that were lost on 9/11*~*~*