27 Days of Thankful, #3

Day #3 of my 27 Days of Thankful project. Click on the link to find out what's going on here each day in November until Thanksgiving Day.

One of my brother-in-laws brought a pie on Sunday night when he came to dinner at our house.

Need I say more?

Today, I am thankful for thoughtful family members...and pie.

{What are you thankful for today?}

If you link up below with your own thankful thoughts, please be sure to include a link to this post so that your readers can find the party later today. Thanks!

*Come back tonight after 10pm (ET) for the 4th Decorating Dilemmas Party!*

This is all about bloggers encouraging and helping each other out. Basically, if you have something in or around your home that you'd like some feedback on, link it up here. Take a quick tour of your home. I bet you have something laying around that you haven't worked on because you just weren't quite sure what you wanted to do with it. Please also feel free to link up your solutions! There will be a Giveaway for participants, as usual. (I know another blogger recently started up an entire blog dedicated to the idea of offering suggestions and design solutions, but I hope y'all will stop by here too since I started the monthly party back in August.)

27 Days of Thankful, #2

{Here for Kimba's DIY party? Scroll down one post or click my link to see my Halfway Homemade Halloween post. Either way, I'm glad you're here!}

If you're just stumbling across my little 27 Days of Thankful Project, you can click on my link to find out more, or scroll back a few posts.

It's Day 2!

See this little corner of the latest pile of laundry to take up residence on my couch?Granted, a large portion of this pile is a Waverly blue comforter that is big enough to warm several Virginia counties. But today I am thankful for it all. Why?

Because it will give me an excuse tonight and (let's be honest) tomorrow night to sit and watch stuff I DVR'd. Now I won't feel so guilty when my eyes are glued to the TV set tomorrow night as I watch So You Think You Can Dance? My hands will be busy!

Here's to CLEAN laundry!

{What are you thankful for today?}

I had enough emails yesterday and today asking me to add MckLinky to these daily posts, so I will accommodate your requests. *wink*

If you have a post on Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, or if you want to share what you're thankful for today, please link up here. (Please be sure to link back to me in your post so other bloggers can see what this is all about!) Sorry, I don't have any html for the button yet, but if you'd like to insert in your post as a photo, that's fine with me.

If you just want to list what you are grateful for today in the comments section, that is fine too!

*I will close this list at midnight tonight (West Coast Time) so that we can start again tomorrow morning. I'll be posting these in the morning, from now until November 27th.*

Halfway Homemade Halloween

"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."

-J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

This year was the first Halloween my girls got to Trick or Treat, and were they ever excited. They "practiced" all last week, which involved me standing on the other side of the Dutch door in the Living room and pretending to be surprised each time Michaela Byrd yelled, "Teat peas!" (If you don't speak toddler, that translates to "Treat, please!")

When Natalie, my 3 1/2 year old, begged daily to watch Disney's Peter Pan as well as the "real people" version with Cathy Rigby, I knew we had to go with the classic Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily characters for Halloween.

The only trouble was that costumes like this:

image: disneystore.com

ran upwards of $40.00 and there was no way I was going to spend that much on something that would very likely be covered in chocolate and sticky fingerprints by night's end. It was the same with the infant/toddler-sized Indian costumes I found online.

I knew it was time to break out my Do It Yourself skills.

Here's how my little Tiger Lily turned out (Michaela Byrd):

And this is Tinkerbell:

I lucked out because we had a little Indian costume in our dress-up trunk. I got it at a yard sale last summer for something like fifty cents. The problem was that it was made for a preschooler, and Michaela Byrd is a (tiny) toddler.

I measured how far up I needed to trim the dress and just chopped right through the felt with a rotary cutter.

Then I hand cut some new fringe. I did the same for each little sleeve.

A perfect new length. Shows off her cute little boots we found at Payless. Those were the most expensive part of her costume.

Don't forget the accessories!

Her headband is made from two strips of soft white felt, sewn together at the ends. I hot glued some brightly colored feathers to the back and decorated the outside with some leftover rick-rack from the personalized Trick or Treat bags that I made last week. (Side note: if you have a preschooler who has to dress like an Indian or Pilgrim for a Thanksgiving party, this would be such a fun craft for Thanksgiving!)

My friend L came to the rescue and lent us a Tinkerbell costume that belongs to her oldest. It was too big for Natalie, so I made a little "belt" that you can see in that first photo. I used velcro for the closure, and hot glued some white flowers to it in order to make it more appealing to my persnickety preschooler.

As you can see, I had two very happy Trick or Treaters. They didn't seem to mind that I spent next to nothing on their costumes.

Our neighbors didn't seem to mind either, because they came home with their little homemade Trick or Treat bags bulging with candy. T snuck some last night (okay, I did too) and they never even noticed.

I'd call that success! J.M. Barrie would be so proud!

Visit Kimba today for more DIY inspiration, and don't forget to check out The CSI Project.

27 Days of Thankful, #1

I've struggled with Thanksgiving for awhile now.

Some of you know that when I was 16, I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer. It was not a long battle, but it was painful, and it left indelible scars on our family.

Losing a family member is always difficult, but losing someone you love during a holiday season just adds an extra element of "blech" to the whole situation. My dad passed away just a few days before Thanksgiving, and the holiday has really never been the same for me. I know where my dad is, I know I'll see him again someday, but it still hurts to know we've all missed so many happy times with him in this life.

We spent that first lonely Thanksgiving in a cheesy all-you-can-eat buffet, probably the only spot in town that was open. I remember the effort it took to smile, to swallow, to speak.

I guess that the effort is kind of the point.

Giving Thanks, Being Grateful, Offering Thanksgiving...sometimes requires an effort.

Sure, it's easy to be thankful for your life when you have great hair, cute kids, new shoes, and a husband who makes you smile every day.

It's the days when you hear bad news from the pediatrician, your car gets a flat tire, and your hair is frizzy that you find thankfulness a real stretch.

Thanksgiving Day is different for the T family these days. T and I have our own children to grow traditions with, and we often spend the holiday with his big, noisy extended family in Tennessee. It's hard to feel alone when you're surrounded by 50+ people who love you. Yet that sneaky, bitter, woe-is-me feeling has a tendency to come creeping back in.

27 Days of Thankful is going to be my way of combating that feeling this month.

I'm planning on posting something, anything (no matter how silly or small!), that I am thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving Day. I'd love it if you'd join me in the comments section.

Let's focus on the good and great things in our lives for a few weeks, even if it's just once for a few minutes in our very busy days.

Here's #1.Today, I am thankful for the Griswolds, and the crazy, silly, over the top, fabulous Halloween lights display they put on each year. It's not exactly my style, but I think it's so much fun to see out my front window each night. A great reminder that holiday decorating doesn't always have to look like it popped off the pages of Better Homes & Gardens. It can be fun too.

I am grateful for the smiles they put on my family's faces each night these past few weeks.

There. That was easy....

How about you?

{What are you thankful for today, right now?}

*If you have a post on thankfulness, feel free to link it up in the comments!

The Griswolds' Halloween

Meet the Griswolds.

Or, their house, rather. Trust me, this is tame in comparison to years past.

Their name isn't really Griswold. I just started calling them that around Halloween time the first year we moved across the street from them. Their house reminded me of something, but I just couldn't put my finger on it....

image: achristmasstoryhouse.com

I remember watching in fascination and horror that first October, as Mr. Griswold perched precariously on his roof line, stringing strands of flashing orange and green lights around each window frame. Lights covered every flat surface of the front of the home.

My mouth was agape as he determinedly staked blue, red, and yellow spot lights on the graves in the front yard, making sure to focus on the spooky skeleton draped across Dracula's headstone.

The blinking skull lights wound around the street lamp next to their driveway about sent me over the edge.

My parents weren't into Halloween, and I spent my early years in a house set so far back in the woods that no one wanted to visit on October 31st. The rest of my childhood was spent in a neighborhood of yuppie McMansions where everyone decorated their front porches with tasteful Autumn leaf wreaths, pumpkins, and the occasional "Boo!" sign on the front door.

So the Griswolds were a bit of a home decor shock to me back in 2003 when T and I moved in. Each October was marked with the sight of Mr. Griswold's busy adornment of his house, and it eventually became a tradition to watch him work and wonder how long it would take him this year.

Last year, Mr. Griswold was later than usual hauling his wares out of the garage. When I told him how much Natalie enjoyed the nightly show, he smiled and said he wasn't sure he was going to do it because his children were off at college. The next night, I grinned to see how excited my girls were when Mr. Griswold's Halloween handiwork lit the neighborhood night sky on L Avenue.

Sarah's post on making your home YOUR haven made me look out the window and think of the Griswolds. Their way of decorating their house might not be my style, but they spent years creating a fun place for their kids to enjoy Halloween and now they offer my kids a nightly show to rival a Pink Floyd concert. I don't cringe anymore when Mr. Griswold clambers up his ladder. I smile in anticipation of the shouts of excitement each night when the lights go up.

Happy Halloween!

If You Love The Office...

...You must watch this music video featuring Kelly, Erin, Ryan, and the 'Nard Dog himself-Andy. To see the first two shorts leading up to the music video, click here. If you are a fan of The Office insanity, you won't be disappointed! It made my evening.

It's Friday, Y'all

In case you weren't aware, today is Friday. It's not that different from the rest of the days of the week for me, but I'm sure it is for some of you. What happened with you this week? What are you planning (or not planning) for Halloween? Feel free to play along in the comments section.

1. Highlight of my week?
Honestly? If I'm being real, I'd have to say it was the two mornings I dropped Natalie off at preschool. It's been a rough week with my oldest, who is 3 1/2 going on 15. For reasons unknown, she is a model child for her teachers, but saves all the sass for me. Preschool gave me a brief respite from the child who often treats me as one of her subjects, and I got to spend time with her polar opposite...otherwise known as the younger sister. I know that someday that iron will is going to come in handy, but for now, today is a new day with a clean slate.

2. What am I reading?

Candace Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue. To be fair, I've only read the first two paragraphs, but it's not too bad so far. Something about a script and a move to New York City. She's got my attention!

3. Favorite thing I made this week?

A personalized Trick or Treat bag for Natalie. Now that I know what I'm doing, Michaela Byrd's is going much faster. Which leads me to....

4. Plans for the weekend:
Mimi (my mom) offered to take the girls to a Harvest Festival for a few hours this evening. Maybe T and I can get a few things done around the house and yard while they are out. Saturday is the first time the girls will ever go Trick or Treating. I'm almost as excited as they are. Our church is hosting a huge Fall Festival at the local mall in the evening with petting zoo and hayrides (outdoors), games, prizes, and tons of candy. We'll stop by there first and let the girls Trick or Treat on our street before bedtime. (They've been practicing!) Then I will tax their Trick or Treat earnings. Just kidding. Or am I?

5. Best TV of the week?
I'm going to take this opportunity to admit something really (!) embarrassing to you. Please do not laugh at me, because chances are I have read your blog and have dirt on you too. I am hooked on the CW's Vampire Diaries. It's all my friend L's fault. First, she got me hooked on Twilight, then on the Sookie Stackhouse books, and now I'm hooked on Stefan and Damon and finding out who gets the girl. She's like some sort of dealer, I tell you! I am powerless to resist.In my defense, those guys are really really good looking. If you haven't seen the show, it's like a PG-13 version of a vampire story, and Twilight would be considered a PG version. Excellent fluff, lots of twists, lots of hunky guys.

6. Favorite Links of the Week:
Kate and Kim's apron projects
"A Soldier's Wife" feature over at my sister Alison's blog
Trash to Treasure switchplates by Kimm
Julia's tour of the Practical Magic house

{Have a wonderful weekend, wonderful readers! Don't eat too much candy!}