Early Christmas decorating at the A-frame!

We spent hours raking at the A-frame this weekend.

 Our huge maple tree exploded and I don't think I've ever seen so many leaves in one spot.  We were wet and cold but the girls were a huge help.  

 Although I wasn't able to capture it fast enough, we even had a pair of bald eagles watching us while we raked.  

After all our hard work, we rewarded ourselves with a bit of early Christmas decorating.

With the recent installation of a new furnace, we really are planning on using our cottage year-round.

It was definitely a weekend of heavy outdoor labor, but we are officially ready for snow.  Have a wonderful week.  Stay cozy!

R stands for Rain, Raking and Reindeer

It has been an absolutely beautiful fall, but much cooler weather and SNOW is in our local forecast starting Saturday night.

 We've been so busy over the last month that we haven't had a moment to get to the A-frame cottage and so we will be spending some much needed time (in between the rain and snow showers) getting all these beautiful leaves raked.   This picture was taken the first part of October.  Thanks to my the assistance of my brother in law, he and Chris were able to get the boat and docks out, but our yard is now full of leaves.   

 I see lots of cups of hot chocolate in our future on Saturday and Sunday.

PS.  Yes.  I've started collecting Christmas related things from my personal collection to bring to the A-frame.  Happy Weekend!
   

Recent estate sale finds!

Over the last six weeks, we've been so busy with marching band competitions and preparing for our Halloween party, that I haven't had time to blog or visit many estate sales.

 Never fear! I'm back to scouting sales and if you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen a few of these purchases. 

Aside from vintage ornaments,one of my hauls was a box filled with a Christmas tree candle (it has a red wooden base),  Santa napkin holder, salt/pepper shakers and Santa mug.

 The mini tinsel tree and other goodies were from a different sale that was 50% off.  SCORE!

My turkeys will be enjoying their view from my living room fireplace mantle once the rest of my Halloween is packed away.

I've already given my herd of celluloid deer a few glittered trees to prance around. So glad to be back into the swing of estate sale/crafting land!   

It's a wrap! Happy November!

How was your Halloween? Friday ended up being a bit snowy, with lots of wind. Not the greatest weather for trick or treating, but we made the most of our special night.

 We then headed to the east side of the state Saturday morning to watch Emma's marching band perform at Ford Field in the State Marching Band Competition.

We're so proud of how hard these students worked this year.

 Thanks for hanging with me the last six weeks which were focused primarily on all-things Halloween.

 I say this every year. Anyone want to come help me pack up all my Halloween chaos? I have 20+ tubs waiting to be filled!!

PS.  While shopping Sunday afternoon for groceries, I happen to notice the discounted Halloween area. I need another blowmold like a hole in the head.

Mr. Ghost has already started making friends with his other electrical friends.  Happy November!

Hoo's excited for Halloween?

This summer (like every summer), we had big plans for growing our own pumpkins in our backyard vegetable garden. Mother Nature and Mr. Groundhog had other ideas and we were left with only two pumpkins. 

Although Chris is the master pumpkin carver, I'm the glue gun painter pumpkin designer when it comes to Josie's school pumpkin contest.

This year, she decided she wanted to create an Owl for her school's pumpkin contest.

We used lots of straight pins to hold our felt feathers into place.

Mr. Owl is now happy to be visiting Josie's school library.  Happy "almost" Halloween!