Happy Halloween!

We decided to take a new *spin* on Halloween this year and went for the theme - Sharknado. If you haven't seen the movie, search it out on a rainy day. It is so bad it's hilarious. Especially when you get to watch it with friends on your beach vacation. But I digress ... this is about Halloween and our costumes. Once we came up with the theme, we quickly decided Dylan would be a shark. I had planned to make him a costume based on this tutorial...

Read More

Annual Pumpkin Fun

Not much says fall and Halloween to me like visiting a local pumpkin patch. This year we lucked out and I won 2 tickets to Ganyard Hill Farm in Durham so we headed there a week ago for a morning of family fun. We took a hayride, enjoyed the corn maze (really more of a corn path, but it was a perfect stroll) where Dylan picked some corn to feed to the goats, plucked a bit of cotton, and of course each picked a pumpkin. Posing with our 3 pumpkins...

Read More

NC State Fair in Photos

Last Friday, we spent the day at the NC State Fair with Trent's aunt, uncle and cousins. We had a blast. Here's a glimpse of our day in photos and proof there is a lot more to the Fair than just food & rides ... ...

Read More

The Painted Yellow Dresser

Our guestroom has been in need of a dresser and I wanted something unique for it. Ideally real wood and not too costly. Our "new" yellow dresser. Hence my search on Craigslist. I looked off and on for several months before spotting what appeared to be the perfect find. I emailed and, according to the seller, was the first interested person to show up. At $15 and solid wood, it was a deal. It was also in rough shape. Before: a diamond...

Read More

Holiday Gift Idea: Mabel's Labels

A few weeks ago, Dylan's preschool had a trike-a-thon. Parents were encouraged to bring their child's trike or bike and helmet. While they were organized by class, there were obviously still a lot of bikes and helmets. Looking for an easy way to label both, I turned to our handy Sticky Labels from Mabel's Labels. I've shared in the past that I love these labels. They are cute, durable and have almost limitless uses. With the holidays quickly...

Read More

currently

Inspired by my friend, Allison, I thought I'd take a go at the "currently" post. Currently, I am ... reading travel books in preparation for a trip to the UK; Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes; rereading parts of What Was Lost: A Christian Journey through Miscarriage by Elise Erikson Barrett - such a book of comfort to me this year; and whatever picture books Dylan picks for bedtime. Tonight, it was The Axiom from his Wall-E board book boxed set...

Read More

Remembrance

In the past, I've quietly lit a candle on this night with my thoughts on friends. Tonight will be different. Tonight I will remember my friends, but also will join in the international Wave of Light in remembrance of our own two angels. At times it seems a bad dream - hard to imagine 2 losses in the last year. I'm extra grateful for what we do have, but not a day goes by where they don't cross my mind. And that is ok. I don't want to forget....

Read More

Toilet Tube Monsters

Inspired by a photo on Pinterest (and as I type this, I realize it links to a tutorial - oops), Dylan & I collected several toilet paper tubes to create monsters for Halloween. I showed him the photo and then set him loose with markers, paint, pipe cleaners and googly eyes. The faces amazed me. He drew the noses and mouths, then glued on the eyes: Ok, so these turned out more "cute" than "monster" but we love them and Dylan is very...

Read More

Do You Believe?

Yes, I'm talking Christmas in October. Last December, our elf Christopher Pop-In-Kins surprised Dylan with a gift that included a plush elf. He liked it then, but, like many toys, was eventually sidelined and ended up in a bucket of stuffed animals in Dylan's room. Until this summer. A couple of months ago while playing in his room, Dylan rediscovered his plush elf and suddenly that toy has elevated in status. The elf is carried all over the...

Read More

The Front Door

Hello, gorgeous!  Our freshly painted front door and steps lined with pumpkin mums. It's taken a year, but finally I can think that every time I see our front door. You see, the door to the foreclosure house when we first saw it was white. Simple, functional and fine. After living with a black door for the previous 9 and a half years (HOA rules in our old neighborhood said door & shutter colors must match), I was happy for any change. Then...

Read More

Disney Book: The End

The final page in our Disney photo book - heading home. I chose to use 3 photos on this page that summed it up perfectly: watching the rain fall as we waited on the Magical Express to take us to the airport (only rain during our trip!), Dylan looking out the plane window just before we pulled away from the gate, and pulling our luggage through the pickup area at RDU. Supplies: Destination: Adventure freebie kit by Shannon McN...

Read More

Blurb 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

It's never too soon to start planning for Christmas and Blurb makes it easy to give a gift anyone on your list will love - a high quality custom book. See Blurb's 2013 Gift Guide for books available for purchase as well as for tips on making your own. With Blurb's tools, it's easy to make a brag book for the grandparents, a cookbook filled with favorite family recipes for the newlyweds, an ABC book for the little ones, a planner for...

Read More