Homemade Halloween

Halloween was more fun than ever this year!!  For the first time, we had a very homemade Halloween!

In the weeks leading up to Halloween, we enjoyed some fall activities, including a trip across the street  to Hicklen Farm to buy our pumpkins.  (I made Cora's dress and was really pleased with how it turned out.)

I also got a little crafty when it was my turn to provide snacks after the soccer game a few days before Halloween.  We had Hershey bars left over from s'mores on our vacation, so here is what I did: (Thanks, Pinterest!)

For costumes this year, I made two out of the three.  (Seth's $6 penguin costume was a no-brainer.)

Cora had a costume parade at school, and she was a little unsure of herself, but she came around and ended up having a good time.

We also went trick-or-treating at Dave Ramsey's office (daddy's work), as always, and that was a lot of fun, too.

I'm not a fan of the ghouls and goblins, but as long as we can keep Halloween focused on candy, costumes, and creative fun, we are golden.

(This is my second post for today.  If you missed the post on our vacation, be sure to check it out!)

House Goals for 2012

On Monday I recapped how I did at achieving last year's house goals.  I said how much I loved having goals to refer to all year, and I really did.  I am excited to prioritize the things I want to do for my house this year so I can start saving and scheming.  It is going to be a "tight" year, considering we need a new vehicle that will fit three children in the back seat, and I have to pay for a c-section with a huge deductible.  Plus, I really want to save my money this year for a great camera, which I have put off for a long, long time.  But I'm praying for a few people to hire me again this year for decorating and party planning so I can accomplish a few things in my own home!

Because of the year we have ahead of us, I am going to name just two "big" projects (I define a project as big in that it will cost triple digits to accomplish), and the rest will be little things I can do throughout the year when the money "appears."

1.  Make the baby a beautiful nursery of all his own.

• Paint the walls
• Make and buy artwork
• Buy / make crib bedding

This room really needs to get finished in the next eight or so weeks, so it is priority number one!

2.  Beautify this bathroom!

• Put up bead board paneling
• Add color with paint
• Frame out or change the mirror
• Add artwork

3.  Finally do something with this empty wall in the dining room.

4.  Get Brennan new curtains.

In our old house, these curtains were the right length.  In this house, they have shrunk in the dryer and been hung higher, so now I'm committing a real decorating faux pas.  It drives me crazy every time I go in there!!

5.  Frame a map on this wall in the play room.

Jim's parents bought Brennan a world map for Christmas, and I thought it would be fun to hang it in the play room.  Unfortunately, frames of that size cost $100 - $200 (it is not a standard poster frame).  So, we need to make our own.

6.  Paint unfinished furniture.

• Cora's nightstand
• Toy bench
• Storage for half bath

7.  Fill in the living room.

There is so much to do to make this room more like a part of our home, but it is going to be expensive.  I need a new chair, drapes, and an area rug.  Still, a larger vehicle and a healthy baby seem more important!  For this year, I will settle for:

• Another side table and matching lamp for the other side of the couch
• Secretary desk brought down from the bedroom.
• A lamp on top of the desk.

8.  Get a bookshelf for the master bedroom.

Now that we've had to move all of our books out of the guest room, they are in boxes where they can't be accessed.  Some of those books are just fun, but some we really need to access for school and church, so we need a good place to store them.

9.  Make artwork for Cora's room.

10.  Paint the guest bathroom.

This room has no color, no personality, no interest, no nothin'.  It is purely functional and needs a little boost!

11.  Hang something above the bed.

The room will look so much less "naked" if there is something hanging up there.  Every single wall in this bedroom is empty!

It's hard to stop!  I look around and see light fixtures I want to change, walls that need to be painted, and empty rooms that need furniture.  But I think this list is doable and very realistic for now.

What are your goals for this year?

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I'm linking up to The Nester's 2012 Home Goals Party.

December Pinterest Projects

Before I show a few photos of this year's Christmas festivities, I have to show a few pictures of Pinterest-inspired projects I tackled right before Christmas.

For my sister and her fiance, Brennan and I made this fun button ornament:

(I have the supplies to make one of these ornaments for my own tree, but I am not so sure it is going to get done this year.)

I also displayed my Christmas cards on my cupboards with ribbons and clothespins, thanks to this site:

And on the inside of my cupboards, I made these awesome hangers for my measuring cups and spoons, so I don't have to go digging through my drawer to find just what I need.  I just used a large paint stick from Home Depot, some little hooks, my Silhouette, some leftover paint, and some double-sided foamy adhesive (I have no idea what it is really called.)  I think the whole project cost under $5.

Coming right up... Christmas in Pictures.  (It's a double post day!)

Words of the Month

So, I realized that I have known for a week and have yet to share on my blog...

We're having another BOY!

We had our ultrasound last Monday, and everything looked perfect.  (This is not a shock, except that I fell, face-forward, three days before the ultrasound and had quite the scare!)  The kids went with us and we all found out the sex together.  It was pure joy.  Brennan's eyes and mouth got super big when he found out it was a boy, and then he buried his head in Jim.  He was so excited.  I was shocked.  I had thought it was a boy all along, but I had started second-guessing myself in the last few weeks and thinking it was another girl.  Deep down, I really knew, so I don't know why I second-guessed.  I haven't been able to come up with a decent girl name to save my life, and with each child, we've had a hard time coming up with a name for the wrong sex.

In keeping with our tradition, baby boy's name will be kept a secret until he arrives in early April, but since we don't have a name yet, we're still open to suggestions.  Here are the "rules:" :-)

1.)  The name can't be in the top 100 list of baby names from 2010.
2.)  It has to have a decent meaning.
3.)  We want something unique but not weird.
4.)  I would prefer that it not start with the letter B or C.  (I'd love to use a D so I can have my kids in alphabetical order, but it isn't a requirement.  Yes, I'm sick.)

Okay, use the comment form at the end of the post for your suggestions!  I'm counting on you!

In other news, my friends Kylie, Hope, and I helped to decorate a Christmas tree for a friend who was dealing with some stuff and wasn't really in the Christmas mood.  Her six-year-old daughter really wanted the tree up, so the three of us put it up and decorated it while they were at school / work and took some mischievous pictures while we were at it.

We hung the photos all over their house in conspicuous locations for them to find when they came home (in the refrigerator, inside the lid of the trash can, amongst the nativity set...).

Many thanks to Hope for her use of the props so we could infuse a little joy into everyone's lives!  (Hope is a natural at that, as she radiates joy all the time!)

You may have thought the props looked like something I would make, and although I'd like to take credit for them, I can't.  I can, however, take credit for this ribbon shirt:

I saw a similar one on Pinterest and just had to make one for Cora.  I'm so in love with it, I'll probably make one for next year, too!  :-)  

Laughter and great baby news bring joy, and so does some adult time out.  This past Saturday we went the legendary Lampo Christmas Party, and it did not fail to disappoint.  It was nice to put on fancy jewelry and clothes (thanks, Rachel and Brooke!) and get spoiled with good food, entertainment, and gifts.

So far the words for the month are JOY and BOY.  :-)  What a good way to start December!

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

Christmas is in the air, and we have been very busy enjoying the season.  Two days after Thanksgiving we made a trip about an hour north of our house to choose and cut down our Christmas tree.  This is one of my very favorite Christmas traditions that Jim and I have kept since before Brennan was born.  Every one of our kids has gone tree chopping in utero, and baby #3 is no exception.

This year we went with our friends Jeff and Sheli and their daughter, Mia (plus baby boy, due in February or March).  It was their first time cutting down their own tree, and I think they enjoyed the hunt.

Here is our last Christmas tree photo as a family of four: (!)

In addition to being busy finding the perfect Christmas tree, we've also been super busy getting our craft on.  Brennan made this adorable reindeer painting at school:

...and I had a huge craft night for the women's ministry at our church last Friday.  A whole bunch of women gathered at my house to make wreaths, gift tags, etched glass gifts, chocolate dipped pretzels, and to order some custom monogrammed items from my friend Kellie, who brought her monogramming machine.

There was a lot of really good food...

... creative women...

... and a ton of estrogen filling my entire house!

Even people who said they hated crafts or hadn't done a craft since sixth grade friendship bracelets seemed to have a blast.

I never wanted the night to end (and it almost didn't, as the last person walked out my door at 11:45 PM!).  I loved every single minute.  I was tired, but I was thrilled that people stayed so late and seemed to have such a good time.  I have had several requests to make this an annual event, and I would be more than happy to oblige, especially if we have the you-need-to-wear-sweatpants-or-pajamas rule again.  

If you want in on next year's Christmas tree cutting event or craft night, let me know!  We'd love for you to join us!

This Saturday we are looking forward to my other favorite Christmas event: The Lampo Christmas party!  I can't wait to put on a dress and feel girly, eat good food, take pictures with my handsome husband, and get spoiled by Dave Ramsey.  It's going to be awesome!

I'd love to hear about your favorite Christmas events!