Halloween Weekend

Happy Halloween everyone!

It's time for a little weekend recap, shall we?

On Friday, we stopped by my parent's house to celebrate this little lady's third birthday.

That's my niece Bridget Grace, and I'm telling you, she's gonna be a heart breaker.  But then again, I might be biased.

Anyway, after the party, JEGs and I ran around to finish up our Halloween costumes.  This year I was bound and determined to wear a couple's costume because we never do.  So after tossing around a bunch of ideas (Snooki and The Situation, angel and devil, dead bride and groom), this is what we came up with:

We were dressed as a ring master and the world's strongest man!

I gathered my costume from H&M ( blazer), Forever 21 ( shorts), Target ( tights) and Icing (iiitty bitty top hat).  So basically I shopped at a bunch of stores I am too old for, and was that awkward adult amongst a bunch of teeny-boppers.  Creeper.

JEGs getup was actual a caveman's costume, complete with bizarre furry cuffs.  We snipped off the faux fur and added a mustache for that vintage-inspired look.

We headed out to Lancaster for a house party, and the other party-goers came out in style:

Bonnie and Andy played up the fact that Bonnie is six months pregnant by dressing up as Juno and Paulie Bleeker

Mandy and Evan were easily the most sophisticated as Posh and Becks:

..and the award for the most dead-on-ringer goes to Mike, who dressed as his doppelganger, Chris Daughtry

Mike's fiance, Lauren, also went for the music-inspired look and was a Black-Eye Pea.

We had a great time, I drank too much, and by the end of the night I was passed out on a chair.

Classy, I know.

Most of Sunday was spent recovering from said good time, until about 4:30.  Our friends Connie and Joe were hosting a haunted backyard for the neighborhood kids to walk through.  We volunteered to help out and I played a very convincing camper who was killed by a masked murder (aka, JEGs).

I'll be looking for my Emmy in the mail. 

We headed home and curled up in front of the TV with some hot chocolate and Ghost Hunters Live.  After about 45 minutes, we realize how boring Ghost Hunters Live was, and caught up on Survivor.

So how was your Halloween?  More tricks then treats?  Any good costumes?

Always & Forever,
  ME

The Man Behind the Comments

You've seen the comments before...



But who is this man who calls himself  "LB's oldest brother"?

His name is Russell, but I call him Fuss.  And today is his birthday.

So, you may not know this about me, but I have three older brothers, and Fuss is the oldest.  As a child, he was my protecter from my other brothers, as well as my chaperone so I didn't have to ride the bus to school.



the 80s-- good times.

  As a teenager, we bonded over history and Star Trek: The Next Generation (oh yeah, I'm a closet Trekkie.  Don't judge me).  He became more then my brother- he was my friend. 

Now that we are adults, he still remains my good friend and confidant.   He has given me my first sister-in-law (horray for another chick in the family!) and two beautiful neices.

Happy Birthday to my "favorite" brother.  Thank you for everything-- I hope you have a wonderful day and a great year!

You Sniff Farts,
  ME

Cuttin' Up.

A couple weeks ago I went pumpkin picking with a bunch of my friends. I snagged two smaller pumpkins for baking purposes, and a biggun' for carving

..and after a week of letting them sit on the dining room table, I finally got around to carving the big pumpkin.

At first I was going to do the normal jack-o-lantern, scary face look.  But then I thought on the off chance these gourds lasted into November, I wouldn't want some freak show faces hanging out giving thanks and eating turkey.  So I decided to go a little more practical.  Our apartment number.

Somewhere among the interweb, I read about a great way to create a stencil (because, I'll be honest-- my freehand sucks), so I decided to give it a whirl.

First I created an outline of the numbers in Photoshop and printed them out.

In order the transfer the stencil, I flipped the paper over and rubbed a regular pencil along the back

Next, I taped the template on the pumpkin and used a pencil with a good amount of pressure to trace along the outline of the number.  The numbers lightly transferred to the pumpkin, so I darkened the outline with a regular ballpoint pen.

I'll spare you the actual carving pictures.  It was mostly me complaining to JEGs how much I dislike pumpkin guts while he watched the Phillies game.  The final product was kind of awesome, however:

In order to keep the triangle in the middle of the 4, I didn't completely carve the bottom part; I just scraped a couple layers off  to give the illusion it was carved out.

Now, not only are we festive for the upcoming holidays, but our guests can find our apartment a little easier!

How about you?  Have you carved any jack-o-laterns this year?  Or maybe hosted a pumpkin carving party like I did last year?


Always & Forever,
  ME

Bed Feng Shui

Now, I don't know if you all remember, but waaay back in the day I had a major bone of contention with the wall in the boudoir that housed my dresser and our television.


It drove me bonkers. Why? Because I'm anal retentive the mirror was taller then the TV and they stood right next to each other. Nothing was centered. It was unbalanced. I couldn't hang anything on the wall because of that. It just pissed me off. ARRRGH.
So the other week, JEGs left me alone to work on car-related stuff. This means that I will

• a) organize something
• b) watch too much HGTV
• c) rearrange furniture
• d) all of the above.

Scooby Snacks to those who picked d) all of the above. But now we are going to talk about rearranging the room.
Before, the hope chest was under the window, and it was actually a pain in the ass. When I would get home from work around midnight, I had to fumble around in the dark. There was such a narrow little space for me to pass between the bed and the hope chest. I finally had enough and moved it to the foot of the bed.

Already, I am a much happier person.

At this point there is ooodles of space next to the window, so I slid the TV stand over to the corner of the room and positioned it diagonally in the corner. I was then able to shift the dresser over to center it on the wall-- oh happy day!

Along with my DIY headboard, I am so much happier with the set up now. Everything is balanced, and flows easier. I am not slamming my knee into the hope chest anymore, and it is actually easier to watch TV in bed now.

Now I just need something to fill in the huge space above the bed

Maybe if I win FreckleChick's Orqueshaw Walldecor Giveaway, I'll have something beautiful to finish off the area. Otherwise, I'm taking suggestions.

Always & Forever,

MEEEE

DIY Tufted Headboard

Ever since December, I have been thinking about making a tufted headboard to make up for our lack thereof.

this picture is circa 2009. Apparently I didn't understand the concept of steaming my bedding.

Ok, so technically we do have a headboard, but it's kinda wimpy. You can't see it above the pillows, and we have 9ft ceilings in Falconhead-- we needed a little more oomph!

I know there are a million and one tutorials on how to make a headboard, but now there will be a million and two. Why? Because this is my blog and I post what I want. So there :)

When I first set out to do this project, I had the idea to use a solid piece of MDF similar to what Dusty did . However, after getting JEGs involved, he said it would be lighter, easier to hang and cheaper to get some planks and build a frame. Since I'm all about the cheap and easy, I decided to take his idea and run with it. Twenty minutes later we were walking out of Home Depot with three boards.

Later that week, JEGs cut the wood down to size and screwed them together to create a frame

This is a JEGs victory pose. There were many more like it, however I'm showing the one he will least likely kill me for posting.

After the frame was completed, we attached some pegboard to help stabilize the frame (and it would also help the batting hold its' shape).

The only reason I'm posting this is to prove that I didn't just sit back and let JEGs do all the work

Once the pegboard was screwed in, we stretch the batting over the frame and wrapped it around the edge, stapling it ever few inches

We did the same procedure with the fabric as we did with the batting, making sure the fabric was straight and snug, and folding each corner as if we were wrapping a present

I added some buttons with a button-making kit that can be found at most fabric stores. Cover your buttons with the fabric you want to use. Instructions for how to do this will come with the button kit, and are pretty simple to follow.

Next, I took a needle and thread and poke through the back of the headboard to the front, through the pegboard. Be sure to leave some end of your thread hanging through the back. Once through to the front, string the button and poke back through the hole to the back of headboard. I used a couple of shirt buttons I had lying around to tie the thread in back and secure the button. Make sure it is tight before you tie it off to ensure you have a tufted look.

Our pegboard was very helpful in the tuft-making process (is that even a phrase?). Not only did it provide resistance for the tufting (?) but it also made it easier to line up the buttons and I didn't need to drill a hole to thread the needle through. I like to use as little power tools a possible.

When we were finished, JEGs simply measured out three nails and hung the new headboard on the wall behind the existing bed frame.

The final look is a masterpiece and I am so happy with the outcome.

Cost breakdown:

lumber: $6 (3 planks @ $2 each)

pegboard: FREE (JEGs had it laying around)

batting: $7.38

fabric: $19.98 (2 yards @ $9.99 on sale)

button kit: $3.28 (for a pack of four buttons)

Total: $36.64

My happiness: priceless.

Always & Forever,

ME

Who doesn't need a good crudite in their life?

What happens when you mix two bloggers, some wine, and an over-priced garden center?

Pictures like this:

You know, just a normal Thursday night. With Eddie Ross.

Oh yeah, you heard me. Eddie. Freakin. Ross.

A couple weeks ago, my sista-from-anotha-mista, Shannanigans, informed me he was hosting a wine and workshop at Terrain located in Glen Mills, PA- which is like a hopskipandajump from me, and literally around the corner for Shannon. I was in.

Terrain has become Urban Outfitters/ Anthropologie's pet project-- mixing fashion with life and style. Super cool and trendy? Of course.




a beautiful tablescape in the garden center

Shannon and I went gaga for this cotton garland

LOVE this place setting

I dream about these lantern on my non-exhistant patio

my camera could not do these vibrant prints any justice.

an entire section dedicated to canning. This goes out to you, Kim

 

A little over priced and snooty? Um. yeah. Don't get me started about the jack wagon of a cashier when I dare only purchase a $5 African Violet.

Anyway, back to Eddie.He was delightful. When we walked in, Eddie greeted everyone and personally poured them a glass of wine. Within minutes, Shannon and I were laughing about pumping and dumping with him.  *sigh* we were just meant to be besties.  Oh, sorry. Where was I? We sat down and he went over the different ways to incorporate pumpkins and gourdes into our holiday entertaining as centerpeices and crudite.
  After the lecture, we began the hands-on workshop of making our own centerpieces out of gorgeous fairytail pumkins (pre-gutted, thank God) and and assortment of Terrain-grown florals. Oh yeah, and all the wine we could drink. Can you say heaven? Of course heaven the workshop area was perfectly tablescaped with a burlap tablecloth, candles, and a wonderful mix of new and old china. I die    Between our glasses of wine, Shannon and I actually made centerpieces, believe it or not.
 
 
  Shannon's masterpiece  Mine. this probably would have looked better if it hadn't been for the wine. We rule. ..so does he.  

In a word, the night was awesome, I had so much fun. Now I just need a party to host so I can put my gourde-presenting skills to good use.

 

Always & Forever,

ME

Insomnia

Mental note: it's not a good idea to watch Cujo right before bed.

Always & Forever,

ME