Itsy bitsy spider...

Some of the best small town Halloween decorations are just a few miles down the road from my house in an area called the Kentlands. Lots of shops and homes with spectacular displays...makes you wonder where this law office keeps the gigantic spiders the rest of the year...

The 14th letter of the alphabet...

At last count Natalia has about a dozen things with her name embroidered, engraved or embossed on it and just as many with her beloved initial on them.  Since many of the items are now scattered about the house or lost... I decided to hang several above her bed so we always know where they are. A homemade initial on canvas and wooden letters I picked up during a panicked prenatal shopping spree years ago and a cheap buy from Michael's...a letter so small I had to tape it onto the wall.

Halloween welcome...

This year I was planning to plop just one pumpkin on the porch and call it a day. But the little gourd looked pretty lonely. So, I added a some faux pumpkins and a couple of home made signs. Then I called it quits.

 

Drive-by Inspiration

Every time I drive by this church I wonder if they have someone on staff who stays holed up in a room for hours on end thinking up clever sayings or if he/she simply jumps on Google for a few minutes...

Pictures, pictures, pictures...

For weeks I've been on an organizing rampage: recycling this, getting rid of that, moving other things to "just the right spot". I've been particularly obsessed with my home office which went neglected for years due to a crazy work schedule. Finally, my effort is paying off. The five-year-old piles of documents has shrunk to just one. Old bookcases have been repainted and relocated to my daughter's room. Now, if I could only figure out what to do with all the still pictures. So far, I've about a dozen of my favorites to pretty white frames. I also decided to do something a little different, so I took this adorable picture of Natalia, slapped it onto a white painted board and Mod Podged till each of my fingers stuck together. I'll find a place for it on the wall, then tackle the rest of the still pictures and storage boxes of Natalia's artwork. Hopefully, I'll be done with the office before 2015 rolls around.

Tricked out closet...

I wish this was my closet but it's not!  Stumbled upon on it while scouring through pictures on Houzz. It's amazing how simple ideas crammed into a narrow walk-in closet can transform it into a dream space. I'm going to steal some of these tricks and see if they work magic in my closet. Heck, even a pretty step stool would make me feel fancy picking out clothes. Looks like I need to plan a trip to HomeGoods...

Traditional Closet by New York Closet & Home Storage Designers Clos-ette Too

Spaces by New York Closet & Home Storage Designers Clos-ette Too

Transitional Closet by New York Closet & Home Storage Designers Clos-ette Too

Transitional Closet by New York Closet & Home Storage Designers Clos-ette Too

Transitional Closet by New York Closet & Home Storage Designers Clos-ette Too

I Lived...

I loved this song when I first heard it on Crossroads.  One Republic's Ryan Tedder has the kind of voice that gets stuck in your head for days on end. And if you're lucky you won't forget the words to I Lived anytime soon either.  A reminder that most of us have little to whine about in this wonderfully wacky world...and even those that do can still find a way to smile.

A dog and her shoes...

Roxy's latest snoozing spot. Can't figure out if she likes the softness of the old leather or the stench within.

Band-Aids, bumps and bruises...

My daughter's knobby knees...

a sight I'm going to miss once the temperature drops.