Happy Halloween Eve...

I didn't think I was gonna decorate for Halloween, but then we bought some candies and I just couldn't resist! I had bought mini pumpkins earlier this month and incorporated them into my Fall dining room centerpiece and thought that would be festive enough. Yeah, right! Who am I kidding?


Today I came across some really cute burlap sacs that I am either going to frame or make large pillows out of, so that started the decorating base. I used the plain side for my set up. Then, I came across reusable pumpkins with built in lights and at 2 for $10, who could resist a white skull shaped pumpkin! And no icky pumpkin seeds to scoop out. Well, actually, I do like scooping them out...


On the door I used double-sided tape to put this place mat on to my front door.


Being the neurotic person that I am, I didn't like the empty space between our porch light and my pumpkin decorations, so I grabbed some tissue paper that we had and made a Martha Stewart pom pom. I even cut out a spider from some black card stock. Jay said my spider had a "cat" head...so I guess, I made a "cat spider"....spooky!



In addition to the usual candies like Reese's and Snickers, we decided to get some Rice Krispies Treats to give to our first ever Trick-o-Treaters! I had seen some really cute 8oz Coca Cola cans at Costco and was thinking, how cool would that be if we gave those out! But, sadly,I was DENIED!


No costume for me this year, so I thought I would put up a picture of my most favorite costume to date. A bubble bath! I won Best Costume with this bad boy, at TWO Halloween parties in 2008!


So, to all you party goers tonight, I wish you a very Happy & Safe Halloween!

Unwinding & Relaxing...Ok not really!

So, it's been 25 days into my new found freedom and things have been going pretty well. The first week was filled with staying up until midnight watching movies on my iPhone, waking up at 8am, taking morning walks, cooking dinner, and going out on random trips to the store. And then the second week came and half way into it I was BORED. This A type personality with B type tendencies was BORED.

And then an email came. It was for an interview. And my A type kicked into full gear and I was studying and answering interview questions like there was no tomorrow. I was in total "Ace the interview" mode. It's literally been 7 1/2 years since my last interview, so I was flipping out!

But, with the help of my hubby (who happens to conduct interviews at his job) and a fabulous legal recruiter friend (aka Jessica), I went to the interview over prepared and ready to answer any question. In a matter of one week, I knew more about myself that I ever wanted to know and about the company I was interviewing for!

So in order to quell my interview jitters, I decided to start crocheting. It was something completely unrelated, so I could digest all my interview homework and unwind by focusing on crocheting. With the fall weather creeping in, I decided to make my cute little niece a beanie. She's 7 months and barely has any hair! This child needs a hat!

This hat took me about 2 1/2 hours to complete. I used a 5mm hook and Caron Simply Soft in Violet. I used the Puff Stitch Crochet Hat pattern from The Art of Crochet by Teresa. I was completely blown away by how easy this hat was to make! It looks complicated and intimidating, but in reality, it is a breeze! Oh, and I do recommend watching her You Tube video tutorials. I believe this contributed to the success of my hat! And for the pom pom on top, I used this tutorial from Bella Dia.

The matching scarf on the bottom was actually the start of a blanket I was going to make for our living room, but after 3 stripes into it, I wanted a different look. So, it became the perfect "baby scarf" to accompany the hat!

Heart of the Matter

Two weekends ago, I had the luxury of having the whole house to myself while Jay was doing his monthly military reserves duty. I had this book in my possession for over week, but had a bunch of stuff going on, and so there it sat on my nightstand collecting dust.

On Saturday evening, I thought I would pick it up and get in a few chapters to help me fall asleep. Well, I should have known better right? Emily Giffin books DO NOT make one sleepy at all, in fact, they have the opposite effect. They suck you in and you get wrapped up in the story and the characters and then 3 hours later at 1:30am, I found myself flustered and exhausted after the emotional roller coaster I had just gotten off of! How about that for a wild and crazy Saturday night!

I love how Emily incorporates characters from her previous books. It brings a sense of cohesion with all her books. Heart of the Matter will touch the heartstrings of married couples and single moms as well. It is a very real perspective of the choices we make in our lives and the effect those choices can have on those we love. We can all get caught up in our daily lives and in the needs of others, that sometimes we may neglect those who matter the most to us. This book delves straight into those circumstances and the consequences they can have.

Recommended: Yes! Yes! Yes!