Welcome

Back to Idaho. . .

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday!

A Quarter

I 

am a quarter 

of a Century

today!

See how I've grown:

AGE O:

Awwwwwwww!! This is little baby me after my first bath at home. 

Aren't I sweet!!! (Notice the dark hair)

AGE 5: 

   

. . .And I'm sure I was every bit angelic as this picture makes me look. 

(Whaddaya think? Danna in a few years right?)

AGE 10:

Cheezin'

AGE 15:

wish I still looked as thin as I did here. . . that is, until I dug into that cake. . .

AGE 20:

Dating my soon to be fiance, Mike. Cute couple, no?

AGE 25:

here I am 1 husband and 2 kids later 

(Carina refused to be in the shot)

Don't think of it as getting older, think of it as becoming a classic!

Happy birthday to me and all those of you who've had birthdays this year!

In a Muck!

This is the 3rd day this week that I have not changed out of my pj's.

Oh the glamourous life of a mom/homemaker.

Have a good one!

itchin'

You'd think after going a bit overboard on my Halloween decorations that I might want to take a bit of a break. 

Nope.

I'm already itching to put up all the fun and adorable Christmas stuff I've accumulated downstairs. 

And I want to make more.

Thus far I'm holding back but I don't know how much longer I can last.

Seriously, look at these adorable ideas (that I sooooo want to copy). . .

The only problem is, do I even have enough shelf space to put these, or time, or money. . .?

(found this at http://granvillehouse.blogspot.com/)

(found at http://notsoidlehands.blogspot.com)

(found at http://theidearoom.blogspot.com)

(found at http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/)

(found this at http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/)

(found this at http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/)

(found this at http://granvillehouse.blogspot.com/)

(found this at http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/)

just a couple more weeks. . .

and since I don't actually need any of this stuff, you may want to be expecting random gifts from yours truly. . .

Thankful Countdown

Love this idea. . .

wish I came up with it. . .

But instead I stole the idea from someone who's creative.

I found it on a blog called UCreate that I like to read quite often. She links you to here for a printable version of this awesome activity.

The turkey and de-lish food and the time playing with my family is always a fantastic time but how great might Thanksgiving be this year if I made an effort to DO things to show how thankful I am for the blessings in my life. 

And then I can enjoy that turkey even more.

Enter if you Dare!

So a few posts ago I told you about my random obsession with Halloween this year. I don't know what came over me but I wanted it to be super fun and to throw a huge bash and have amazingly fantastic costumes, etc.  Excited enough that I couldn't sleep once my mind got rolling. So, we built a spook alley (kid friendly) in our basement. Here are some of the ideas I came up with and, with the help of some friends (THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU), was able to put together.

The tour:

(insert scary music and noises here)

First, we descend down the creepy dark stairwell (not so dark in this photo) with a flickering candle and apprehension of what might possibly be on the other side of the door. DUN DUN DUN. . .

these pictures didn't turn out without the flash so none of them look dark but keep in mind it was dark, and creeeeeppyy. . .  :)

We round the corner and come upon who?

An evil looking mad scientist looming over his latest victim. Who could it be?

He urges you to reach under the sheet and feel what you can--oogly eye balls, sticky guts, spongy brains, bones and altogether ickyness.  Bleck!

Next, we shuffle through a dark doorway and come across Count Dracula in his cave full of creepy bats. Don't get too close, he "VANTS TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD" (said in dracula accent)

(Here's one of him in the dark with our red light--it gives you a general idea of how cool it really looked)

You must peek under some dark plastic to see our next ghastly sight. Hovering and floating and looking for someone to haunt are 5 frightning ghosts. 

(They were literally flying around with fans underneath--soo fun)

A creepy cackle takes us into our next corner. A witch with a gleam in her eye is brewing up some special potions in her cauldron. Eye of newt, unicorn hairs, bat's blood. . . Better stay away before she needs some part of you in her concoction!

picture dry ice smoke coming from the pots and swirling and smoking. . .

Sliding through another dark doorway is a passageway filled with stringy spider webs with eight-legged creatures in every nook and cranny. Be careful where you step and keep a hand on your hat!  Ew Ew Ew!

Super creepy huge spider ready to grab you as you duck under his web. Don't get stuck

(we actually had a black light in this hallway making all those stretchy, stringy webs light up. They were EVERYWHERE!  ICK!)

Around another corner and you see an ominous graveyard filled with creepy (and funny) headstones, a dead tree with sinister crows, and a full moon. Watch out!  Looks like someone's come back to life! 

(See the fog from the borrowed fog machine--totally put it all together)

Caution tape and a skeleton with creepy bugs crawling all through it makes my skin crawl. Anyone dare to crawl through the pit full of creepy crawlies! I DON'T THINK SO!

(it was actually a blow up pool filled with googly toys, balloons and weird hairy/feathery things. You couldn't tell in the dark, you just knew it felt really disgusting.)

There you Go!

Everyone who went through got a special prize! 

We sure had a good time putting it up and I'm pretty sure everyone liked to go through. 

We had a good turn out for our party and some wonderful food and good times talking and laughing. Thanks everyone who helped out and came trick-or-treating to our house. It was fun.

Now, I'm loving the relaxation of the whole darn thing being over!

Who wants to come to our house next year on Halloween?