Autumn Decor- And A "Hair Raising" Surprise

I feel a bit sorry for my kids. I don't really get into Halloween decorations too much. Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween! Dressing up is a blast, getting candy is fun, and I am always ready for a good scare. But I fluctuate on decorations. Most (but not all) years I gravitate towards the Autumn Harvest theme more than the spooky stuff.

One reason is my home decor. It readily blends with Fall colors. 

I love this cream pumpkin!

My baby helped me fill this vase. She was all over the idea of sorting the different colors into piles. A four year old is great for this. 

I am drawn to lanterns. I would have them all over my house- inside and out- if it wouldn't look weird. Which it would.

I enjoy decorating with as many natural elements as possible. It is my way of bringing the outdoors into our home. I am going to ask my husband this week-end if he will cut some branches from the alder trees on our property. I have some ideas for branches.

I  bought this woven heart in 2009 while visiting Austria with my husband. We were on our way to Salzburg (the place where "The Sound of Music" was filmed) and stopped for lunch at a store/cafe. I saw this heart and decided I needed it. 

This gal (my daughter) is a regular fixture at my house, no matter what season it is or what decorations are up. She decided to do a little redecorating herself. ON HERSELF! While happily painting and cutting up papers, my baby gave herself a new haircut!

She was very happy with the result. I was less enthusiastic. We had a talk about who should and who should not cut our hair. Today we are headed to see Ronda to even out the rough edges.

Have a wonderful week-end!

Friday FUNNY

A little humor to take you into the week-end:

Watch out for those cookies! You may lose more than your waistline!

"Helpful" Model

I am currently studying focus points and modes in my photography class. After I read the lesson, I need to practice on my camera to figure out a new concept. This means I need something or someone to take pictures of:

I think I may be pushing it with my 4 year old's patience. What do you think?

Bad Parenting

I felt like watching a spooky movie last night. I am not sure having my boys watch it with me was the best idea. They seemed to enjoy themselves, but will this result in night time visitors in my bedroom? Time will tell...in the meantime it gave me the opportunity to try out my new camera and low lighting lens. The parenting may have been bad, but I think the picture turned out good. Priorities!

Underdog

This is posted as an explanation of what precipitated the need for a "cone of shame" on Paige's toy doggie. I will first let the pictures tell the story & provide details after...

Meet our underdog. He has already seen some rough treatment, but who could have done this?

The details: The cat did it (as told by Paige)

Need a good laugh?

A friend showed me this site and it's hilarious!!! Go to www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com and check out "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong." I laughed so hard! My favorites are the wedding cakes and the pirate cake. The lady who created this blog is a real wit! Enjoy.

Oh, okay, here's a preview:

"Here's a delightful reminder of simpler times - when the hair was long, the skirts were short, and first-degree murder was a "groovy" party theme":

(Note the smoking gun and perfectly-piped pool of blood. Such accuracy! Such talent!)

SHARK ATTACK!

Not many pictures were taken of the road trip. Apparently the boys spotted an impressive amount of wildlife on the way: 3 moose, 4 bear, 6 rabbits, 2 coyotes, a gaggle of swans and ducks, and 8 porcupine. But the animal that left the biggest impression was of the ocean variety. The Fathers of these sweet boys allowed them to watch the movie Jaws.

(Note: The following quotes are fictional since I was not in the car. This is my best guess.)

"Hmm, this is kinda creepy, but fascinating"

"I can't NOT look"

"No way. That shark is NOT going to eat that swimmer. IS HE?"

"Aargh! He IS eating that swimmer!"

"That was intense. I'm never going to the pool again. I think we shouldn't watch anymore"

"Hmm,well maybe just a little bit more"