Celebrating the Arts!!

Have you heard of ArtPrize? Picture over 1,200 art exhibits spread throughout Grand Rapids for nearly three weeks. Artists from all over the world, literally take over the city (indoors and outdoors) and visitors can explore and cast their public vote for the $250,000 1st place prize. The energy around this event is amazing. We walked around the city way past the girls school bedtimes enjoying all the artwork.

While we're celebrating the Arts, Emma came home with fantastic news today.

I'm proud to announce that Emma completed her chair test for band this week and placed 2nd chair. There are 15 students that play flute in her band period. Pretty impressive.

Congratulations, Emma. We're so happy for you.

I especially love seeing my flute being used again!!

By the way, it's nearly Friday! I hope you have a relaxing weekend and get a chance to do something that you love!

You know me, I'll be sneaking some Halloween crafting in between loads of laundry.

It’s Spooktacular!!

Last Saturday, I spent most of the day unpacking these crates.

Keep in mind that the above picture is only a portion of our Halloween crates. We have about another 10 crates in the garage that haven't been touched yet. Chris is the master decorator of the the outdoors, while I focus on the indoor decorations. This is a picture taken last year of our garage.
















Our Halloween is like most people's Christmas. We've also been married 18 years and have held a Halloween party every single year. Most of our decorations have been purchased as after-season sales when they are marked down 75%. Without further adieu, here are a few closet up shots of this year's living room fireplace mantle. The items on my fireplace mantle tend to be my more expensive collections - dated nut crackers, special ornaments and glass candle holders.


As I look at these pictures, I can see that I need to get something on the wall behind the mantle. I have a large spider web that I'm tempted to fill with vintage postcards and Halloween pics. Decorating for Halloween takes weeks and I love it. Heck, my house is always a work in progress this time of the year!!

A future post will show off the bedroom fireplace mantle and sunroom shelves. Stay tuned!

Happy soon-to-be October!

It's the great pumpkin!

After months of watching our pumpkin grow, the girls decided tonight was the perfect time to harvest our "great" pumpkin.

Josie insisted on wearing Emma's headband on her forehead.

I don't even ask anymore.

Although our pumpkin patch only produced one medium sized pumpkin, we have lots of squash.

Being that Chris carves at least 15 pumpkins every Halloween, looks like we'll be hitting up a few of our local farmers. Here are a few of my favorite carvings from last year.

While we're on the topic of the "Great pumpkin", one of my favorite Halloween decorations is the peanuts gang that I picked up several years ago.

I just love Halloween. It's so magical. Coming soon...my Allegan Antique Market stash and my Halloween fireplace mantles!!

Ever put a rock up your nose?

Josie came home from preschool on Monday complaining that her nose hurt and that she had a rock in it. Well I be darned, after laying her flat on the kitchen island to inspect, there really was a rock stuck up in her left nostril and it wasn't budging!!

The good news. After I got her buckled into her carseat and checked into the (overly crowded germ-filled) Urgent Care Center, the rock fell out on its own while we were waiting to get called back to the attending physician.

Let's hope this is the last of the foreign objects to find their way into Josie's nasal cavity. The cell phone pictures just don't do it justice.

I love my very spirited four-year old!
And no we never got a straight
answer on why she did it.
Be sure to scroll down and check out
the tree house updates too.

Tree house updates...

I went to the last Allegan Antique Market of the 2010 season yesterday with my mom and came home with a bunch of goodies. Stash pictures and more Halloween crafting/decorations coming soon. Pinky swear!! If you thought the Halloween tree was neat, just wait until you see my fireplace mantles.

Now, about that magnificent tree house....

With Chris back to work at his elementary schools and then being gone several nights chaperoning two different fifth grade camps, and throw in several days of really bad weather, the tree house construction has been delayed a bit. That being said, the flooring is all done!

The railings and a section of the spindles are the latest addition.

The spindles are going to take several days to install.
I definitely feel safer seeing them started.

He's even been working in the dark.

He's determined this magnificent tree house will be done
in time to decorate for Halloween. I believe him.
Go Chris GO!!

Knock Knock

Who's there?

Ben.

Ben Who?

Ben waiting for Halloween all year!

I spent all day decorating, get ready!