Thankful Thursday #4

• Forgiveness

How often have we said things we don't mean? I can't even count on both hands the number of times this week that I did or said something I wasn't proud of. But this is a fact of life. We make mistakes, we grow from them and we move on with a new understanding. Hopefully, not making that mistake again. (Spoiler: I fail) What I am truly thankful for is forgiveness. That I am forgiven for my action and words. Things are just... let go of and we start again. Those people humble me.

• Family

I have been reflecting this week on just how spoiled and blessed I have been in my life. Looking back, I have always had someone there to look out for me, to give a helping hand, or nudge me in the right direction. I often bemoan certain things in my life but truthfully, I have had a really good life so far and a large chuck of that is because of others helping me through.

• Mail

Okay - not all mail is good mail and I do get my share of bills. But just occasionally you get that handwritten letter, card or box of goodies that you weren't expecting and BAM! Any day is instantly better. I love getting things in the mail. Even a magazine or catalog is welcome. It's just fun.

• Playing Pretend

It probably isn't healthy but one of my favorite ways to cheer myself up when I'm having a down day is to browse Pinterest and create my "Dream Home". I pin anything from furniture to wall colors to shower curtains. It reminds me of when I was young. I would take the JCPenny huge Christmas book and cut out things I would one day have for my house. I even cut out what my Husband and children would look like. This is normal, right?

• Small Discoveries

Taking the advice from a fellow blogger, I made it a point to be outside more this week and it was so refreshing! The weather really was amazing. I have come across so many objects that left me in wonder. Acorns, mushrooms, wild grapes, moths, cicadas, flowers that are still fighting against the cooling temperatures... there's so much beauty out there just waiting to be discovered.


What are you thankful for this week? Please share in the comments below!

Halloween Costume Guide

Halloween is just two weeks away and that has had me thinking about costumes. I absolutely love Halloween and one of the many reason why is that it's the one night of the year I can still play dress up and "pretend" as an adult.

The way I see it, there are two ways to go about costume ideas - store-bought or homemade.

Store Bought Costumes

This can be a tricky choice. On one hand, you can find some nice costumes that won't break your budget if you research or know where to look. Just make sure you don't get suckered into a pricey but cheap disaster!

Source: Spirithalloween.com

       (1)   READ REVIEWS
I suggest reading product reviews on websites. This was you can figure out what sort of quality the material is made of, what the sizes run, ect. I have had the luck to buy costumes from a few stores that were well made. However, last year I made the mistake of just buying one as a frantic "It's the week of Halloween and I have nothing!" purchase. When I got home I was dismayed to find it made of the thinnest material possible and very itchy. But I couldn't return it due to opening the package! Reviews are your friend!

       (2)   SHOP AROUND
If you are an online shopper, it really helps to look around different sites. If you have a particular costume in mind, you can use Google to see if it's cheaper anywhere else! While you need to account for shipping times and rates, sometimes the prices can fluctuate up to $20 or more! That's saving.

Don't forget about Ebay! You can usually find costumes at a low price on there. I will admit I have been hesitant in the past because my thinking was that those were defected but they're not! I've bought two really nice costumes on Ebay - brand new - for half the price I would have spent on a costume site. But again - read reviews of the seller and check shipping rates! Research is key.

       (3)   COUPON CODES
Keep your eye out for those coupon codes! RetailMeNot.com is a life saver sometimes. Type in a site you are contemplating a purchase from and see if you can get it cheaper! These online coupons can be a percentage off 1 item or even free shipping after spending a certain amount.

       (4)   BRICK AND MORTAR STORES
If, for whatever reason, you don't want to buy a costume online I would still stress to read reviews if that store happens to have a website. Some stores offer you the option to try on costumes to make sure they fit well. (Party City is one store.) I would take them up on that offer! You want to be sure you love it before you buy it.

Homemade Costumes

Now, when I say homemade I don't mean handmade where there's sewing involved. I stink at sewing! But just because you choose not to buy a costume from a store (because, honestly, quite a few look silly!) doesn't mean you can't have fun. Below are the costumes Husband and I wore last year and they were homemade.

       (1)   GATHER IDEAS
The first think you want to do is, obviously, come up with an idea of what you want to dress as. Easy choices are characters from books, TV shows, and movies. Indiana Jones, Velma from Scooby Doo, Mary Poppins... with some effort, anything can be achieved!

       (2)   THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Maybe you don't want to be a character at all! You can get creative (and clever) by going as an idea or object. This may require a bit more craftiness as you most probably will have to make the costume rather than slapping together some clothes and accessories. Don't get too discouraged as there are still easy options. (And sometimes it's fun to try your hand at a craft.) Coolest-homemade-costumes.com has hundreds of ideas! Another lifesaver for ideas is Pinterest. You can find entire boards on this!

       (3)   GO HUNTING
Thrift stores are your friend. They should be where you start. Not only can you get clothes/pieces there cheap but the variety is amazing! Use a few different photos for inspiration or reference and take off to your nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army. You may not find an exact fit to what you want to achieve but be open-minded and again, use a couple of photos for reference. The costumes Husband and I made last year were 99% from thrift shops. (I had to buy my wig.)


No matter how you get your costume this Halloween, I hope that you enjoy the day and feel fabulous with your choice! Remember, we're all just kids on Halloween so Trick-Or-Treat!

Autumn Fashion Inspiration Board

{1} One for the Storybooks Coat | Modcloth.com

{2} Dark Purple Floral Lace Belted Skater Dress | Newlook.com 

{3} Not Rated Self Flattery Boots | Zappos.com

{4} Beauty and Bows Belt | Modcloth.com

{5} Merona Herringbone Sweater Tights | Target.com

{6} MISCHKA Flower Felt Cap | LordandTaylor.com

{7} Fall Acorn with Glass Leaves Neclace | Handmade By TinaB

Autumn is my favorite season and one reason is that I drool over the clothes! Boots, tights, coats, scarves! All of my favorite things. While I can't just go about buying everything, I can create an inspiration board and add on a few things to my wishlist. These boots are definitely going on that list! So gorgeous.

What's your favorite Autumn wear? Let me know in the comments below!

Childhood Tales - Bug Hunts

When I was a girl, there was a lady who would look after me sometimes after school. She had giant pine trees in her yard and a favorite past time of mine was, in the Autumn, to find Cicada shells clinging to those trees. Cicadas, as most know, go through the process of metamorphosis - changing from their nymph form to the one we most recognize with wings. The picture above is one that I caught not long after emerging from its exoskeleton.

I don't know why I was so fascinated by these shells. I guess I can understand how some people would be creeped out by them. But when I was a child, they were just neat. Like any child who would collect rocks or seashells.

A few days ago I happened to be at that same place that was so familiar in childhood and I was immediately drawn to look for the Cicadas. Like saying hello to an old friend. Happily, I found them! And I collected 96 shells. Wow! I haven't a clue what I will do with 96 Cicada shells but it was just so fun to go on the treasure hunt for them.

This time, however, I felt a little bit sad. There was one cicada that didn't make it and only succeeded in getting halfway out its exoskeleton. It's a neat find, to be sure. Halfway between its old life and a new one. But at the same time, heart-breaking.

Most, if not all of those 96 cicadas are somewhere living their very brief but busy lives after such a long time hidden underneath the ground. But to leave a part of themselves behind! It's a visual example of leaving childhood and becoming an adult. Aww! I almost want to keep those shells just to be able to say "Yes! You were once something else. Here you are! Don't forget!"

Ah, well. It was a fun remembrance to my own childhood and who I was, once upon a time. But such is life and so we must continue on. Always changing, growing and becoming something better than we once were. But once in a while we can look back and smile at the memories.

Downsizing Life

Source: Pinterest

Rather recently, my mother downsized her life. She went from a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home to a.... RV. And this was by choice! It got me to thinking about how she is managing the move and I have to say I am in awe and incredibly inspired. She went from so-and-so thousand square feet of space to around 200-300 square feet. And you know what? I feel she has the right idea.

After visiting her new home, I came to my own house and looked around appalled. I have built a nest of useless... stuff. Maybe 15% of what is in my house is necessary or has a personal value. The rest? It really is just... junk. Useless knick-knacks that collect dust and overwhelm space. I have way too many gadgets and gizmos in my kitchen. 3 sets of drinkware. A brownie maker, cake pop maker, and miniature cupcake maker. While I already have a 10 pc set of bakeware! 15 coffee cups. 6 mixing bowls.... I really can go on and that's just the kitchen! I can't even start on how many clothes I own, or shoes, or linens (15 blankets alone!). It's rather embarrassing that I have accumulated so much stuff. And after seeing the simplicity of my mom's new place... I feel suffocated by it.

Source: Pinterest

I hope that little by little I can rid myself of this clutter. For it just being my husband and I, with no children, there's no excuse! And this isn't a simple "grab everything and load it up for charity!" because I have a hard time of getting rid of things that were given to me. (Which? Is most everything.) I'm afraid of hurting the givers feelings. Or the things that I received from family members passed... I have an extremely hard time with feeling that I have to keep everything to preserve memory or just to honor them in some way. And this goes for anything from a set of mixing bowls to hand mirror or sewing kit.

I started this weekend with a rather small step... I filled a 30 gallon trash bag with clothes. And only stopped because I ran out of room in the bag. Ahh! I can, I think, take the baby steps of going through what is mine, personally. Clothes, shoes, makeup... I can sort through all of that without coming into the dreaded feeling of obligation to keep things. And hopefully one day in the future I will be able to take a step further and a step further until I too can look upon my house with a sense of simplicity and modesty.

(But never could I downsize my library. I need all 300+ books.)

21 Free Halloween Printables

Right. So I know I have been throwing quite a few collection crafts/food posts out lately but in my defense, I get really excited about the holidays. One of things I get especially giddy over are the free printables you can find all over the internet. There are so many talented people out there kind enough to share their hard work with you and so much of it is free! 

For holidays, I do a lot of printouts for crafts, decorating, and gifts. Below are some of my favorites this Halloween that I hope you find enjoyment from. And please leave a comment for these lovely folks who are sharing their work!

{1}

Apothecary Jar Labels

PNP Flowers Inc

{2}

Halloween Subway Art

Oopsey Daisy Blog

{3}

Cute Owl Printables

May I Propose A Postcard?

{4}

Best Costume Award

Those cute owls again from:

May I Propose A Postcard?

{5}

Tic Tac Candy Labels

Somewhat Simple

{6}

Candy Cobwebs Printable

The Idea Room

{7}

Halloween Cupcake Toppers

Stephen + Natalie

{8}

Halloween Trivia Game

The Mother Huddle

{9}

Trick Or Treat Printable

Second Chance to Dream

{10}

Vintage Jar Labels

lilluna.com

{11}

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Sugar Bee Crafts

 {12}

Halloween Treat Bag Toppers

Makoodle

{13}

Halloween Party Set

Party Box Design

{14}

Mini Smore Kit

Club Chica Circle

{15}

Chalkboard Countdown

Yellow Bliss Road

{16}

Halloween Treat Boxes

Like A Pretty Petunia

{17}

Halloween Treat Bag Toppers

The Divine Miss Mommy

{18}

Halloween Treat Printables

The Pretty Party Shoppe

{19}

30+ Cute Coloring Printouts

Day Coloring Pages

{20}

Countdown to Candy

Detail-Oriented Diva

{21}

Halloween Bingo Game

The Crafting Chicks

Did you find any of these useful? Please tell! Also, feel free to comment on any free printables you may know of that aren't on this list. The more the merrier!

Thankful Thursday #3

                                                       This week I am thankful for . . .

• Saved Tabs

On more than one occasion this week I have accidentally closed a tab that was extremely important. Wether it be a blog post I had been working on for 40 minutes or a pin that I really, really needed. (I just had to have it!)  Thanks loads to the magical feature of reopening a closed tab.

• Lip Balm

My favorite season happens to come at a price - dry, crackly lips. Thankfully, I have lip balm! I have tried many brands over the years yet often stick with Softlips which is just amazing. I was given a new balm as a gift this month and think I might have something that could possibly be a new favorite. I will be sharing more on this at the end of the month during my October Roundup.

• Snuggly Blankets

Cool weather means that I can bundle up in one of my fuzzy fleece blankets either on the sofa or porch swing and fall into a good book. Ahh, simple bliss! An extra bonus point is when they are warm, straight from the dryer. 

• Silence

There has been quiet a bit of noise in my household recently. TV shows, video games, computers... we are a plugged in family. (Unfortunately) Added to that is the zoo of animals that make an enormous amount of chatter. I have had one or two days though that were completely quiet! Not even a radio. It's great for a recharge. 

• Wind Down Time With Husband

Not what you may think! We have a nightly ritual of sharing a chat about anything we care to talk about. Just us, no distractions for at least half an hour. After which we play a puzzle game together on my Kindle or his phone. It's a simple scene that means so much.