My sea of leaves

I love fall weather. I love watching the leaves turn from green to yellow, to orange, to red, then brown before falling to the ground. And usually all my trees put on a good show. But my Mulberry tree decided that it had enough with fall this year!

Usually the last to drop it's leaves, it gave up all hope last night with the plummeting temp! I woke up this morning to a half empty tree, surrounded by a sea of green. It looks like someone photo-shopped my back yard, and painted all the dead leaves green (in one huge circle)! Or perhaps like a hail storm hit...just my mulberry tree!

Either way it looks pretty comical!

The lush, green leaves look so bizarre next to all the pre-dead leaves on the ground. Now the only question is: Do I rake them, or leave them looking weird? Haha...total pun intended!

Momma and Me

Every once in a while I need "Mom" time. Just a day spent hanging out with my Momma, doing nothing in particular. These days are sometimes hard to come by, since she works during the week, and usually has the kiddos on the weekend. So if I can find a day that's kid-free with her, I try to take it!

This last Saturday was one of those days. We decided to hit up the local antique store near them, and peruse the isles. Now this antique mall holds some significant value to us. It hadn't always been an antique mall, in fact, it used to be a bowling alley and indoor put-put golf course. As a kid, my parents would take us there on special occasions. Many a birthday party were spent within those walls!

Eventually the bowling went out, and the antiques came in...and I still love going there! Whenever Casey and I had nothing better to do on the weekend, we would hit up the antique mall (that's the actually name on the building, nothing fancy there!), and wonder around aimlessly for hours. I loved all the old furniture and decor...and Casey loved all the record albums and swords! We once even found a full size plaster version of the plant form Little Shop of Horrors (you know, the "FEED ME, Semore" Venus-fly-trap)! Oh, how I wanted to buy that, just to say I did! Alas, it was too expensive!

Mom is much like me in her interests. She loves the "worn in" look, especially if it's something unique. So whenever we go together, it's a battle of wills to not pick up everything we see, and buy it! Like the old fashion wooden game boards that would look so great in Mom's basement. The distressed cabinet that would make a beautiful hutch in my dinning room. The old fashioned Santa Clause with his hot air balloon ride. Or the gorgeous game table that both of us drooled over! Thankfully for us, the price tag is usually too steep for our budget ($500 for that table...boo!), so no harm in going wild with the purchases!

We did find one great buy, an old (slightly rusty) Christmas tree topper. It was in amongst a table top display, and Mom couldn't pass it up. It's covered with stars, and any other description I give of it will only confuse you more...so I'll try to take a picture of it the next time I'm over there!

Although I didn't buy anything this go-round, I never feel like I leave empty handed. I always walk away with a decorating idea...something that I can do on my own! So if you have nothing to do this next weekend, my recommendation is to hit up your local antique mall!

Point: Meagan...dang!

So after having my last post up for only a few hours, and having a huge laugh about it with my sister...we both figured it would be best to explain that I'm NOT really mad at her. Just poking fun at her crazy "circus" life as she calls it! And how she "lovingly" drags me into it with her.

On a related note, she explained how I should still be thanking her, not only in the future, but also now since her kids are excellent birth control excuses! Ha! Touche, Meg, touche!

And honestly, I still love those little monsters like crazy!

Birth Control is a 7 letter word...

...NEPHEWS

In true pay-back fashion, I told my sister I would be posting this! Usually I'm always in aw of the way Meagan raises my nephews. Most of the time she makes it looks so easy, even if it still seems exhausting. But watching her, and doing it myself are two different things.

So I agreed to help watch the boys a few days a week, for a couple hours each day. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, in general it has been. I've been doing this for about 2 months now, and I pretty much got the hang of it. Maddox would zonk out after 30-40 min. and sleep the rest of the time, and Cole wanted to always watch a movie (or color or play with a few toys). We really had found a good routine.

All of that changed this last week. Now I don't know if it was because of Day Light Savings, or Maddox changing his own schedule, or who knows what other influences; but something has gone seriously wrong!

The main problem seems to be that Maddox is extremely fussy. I can't get him to sleep, or for that matter, stop crying. And before you say: have you tried this. The answer is YES...I've tried everything. I'll try burping him for a good 20 min (just to see if he has a tummy bubble), but to no success. I'll walk around with him, distract him, play with him, change his diaper. You name it, I've done it. But nothing works.

At first I thought he might be hungry, but Jeff feeds him before he comes over. I really can't pin-point what's wrong. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that his schedule has changed (by one hour). He fights me, whenever I try to put him down; and he fights sleep too, even though I know he's tired. And if I'm lucky enough to get him to fall asleep, it only lasts 10 min. ARGHHHHH!

All this to say, I'm worn out. If it were just Maddox, maybe I could handle it...but Cole is just as needy...and Aunt Angie is exhausted!

So when Meagan comes to pick them up, I'm done for the day...and want nothing more than to get them OUT of my house. She always laughs at this, finding humor in my plight. And she's started to adopt a new phrase around me:

Just you wait!

Just you wait! Just you wait! Just you wait! Just you wait! Just you wait! Just you wait!

Followed by her ever confident statement of:

You'll be thanking me one day!

How I loath these phrases... and here's why: I don't have children. It's not MY responsibility to raise kids right now. There's a reason why I don't have kids...I don't WANT them right now! I want independence, and a LIFE to myself right now! "Just you wait" only reiterates the fact that I'm happy now without. And I very much doubt that I'll ever be thanking my sister for putting me through hours of "HELL" taking care of her children.

I'm sure I'll get the hang of Maddox's new routine, but for now I'm gonna have to deal with the screaming baby. Please Lord, help the screaming baby! I'm begging you!

Oh, and on a related note: Leaving your baby's dirty diaper on MY coffee table, for ME to pick up....NOT COOL! Like I said, Meg, pay back!!

DIY Home Repairs

With Casey being gone, I really thought I would get a TON of house repairs done. Usually I can light a fire under myself, and really get down to business. But for some reason, I really haven't done a whole lot. I think I might have finally pin-pointed the reason:

If you have an old house, you will totally understand. When fixing anything in an old house, it will always end up being a bigger project than you first set out to fix. For example: Since we were re-doing the front porch light, I wanted to replace the wiring from the light fixture to the switch as well. Easy enough plan, right? All we have to do is pull the new wiring through, right? WRONG!! After taking a good look at the wiring set-up, it now looks like the safest bet would be to pull down the bead board on the porch to get a good look at the ancient-wiring inside. To do that, I would have to buy new bead board (not exactly cheap), and install it. And while we looked at it, we might as well start looking at replacing all the wiring in the attic...which means we have to pull out all the insulation...and buy new insulation...all before it gets cold...way to big of a project for me!

For now, I'm just sticking with "easy cosmetic" fixes...and I'll leave the big projects to Casey when he gets home!

So a couple weeks ago, my father-in-law came over to help me remove the ugly light fixture from the front porch. The light bulbs had all burned out, and I had planned on replacing it. After taking a good look at it, I decided that I could salvage it, but that it would need a new coat of paint and some major cleaning...

This is what it looked like after we got everything taken apart. Everything was covered in grime, dirt, and dead bugs....EWWW!

So I cleaned it! And painted it! And we finally got it put back up:

Talk about a total change. It is SO bright now. Especially since the glass was cleaned off! The metallic paint also helps reflect the light better too!

Another project we got done that day was to replace my old, worn-out mail box. This thing had seriously seen better days, and the hinges were completely rusted out. There really wasn't a way to salvage it, so I went and bought a shiny new one!

Here it is all pretty and ready to go!

So the next step for the front porch is really to replace all the wiring. Which means I can't paint it until then. But I did grab a handful of paint swatches to figure out what color I want to paint the ceiling. I'm going for a smoky-blue color. Hopefully by next summer it will all be finished, but who knows what will come up next!

New Revelations in Life-Lived-Alone

I'm sure it's the same with every military wife. You really can't find any good reason why it would be okay for your husband to not be at home. Besides not having to say: shave your legs as often, there really isn't an upside to living alone.

Before I go on, let me make this fact crystal clear: I am extremely proud of my husband. And I KNOW this is where God wants us to be. This post isn't so much about feeling all woe-is-me, but more along the lines of realizing the challenges that come with military life.

So when Casey and I parted in mid-August, I wasn't exactly sure how living alone would affect me. I knew I would have to take on more responsibilities (mowing the lawn, taking care of any car problems, etc.), but all in all I figured it would be loads easier cleaning up after one person then two people.

I can now confidently say, "I was WRONG". Life has become more hectic than ever. Sure I'm only doing one persons laundry, but everything else hasn't really changed. The dogs still track in leaves EVERY day. Which means the floors still have to be vacuumed and moped. The bathroom still has to be cleaned every week. The grass still grows, and in turn, needs mowed. The light bulbs still have to be replaced. The dishes still have to be done, and before you say, well you're only doing meals for one. I might add that cooking a meal (no matter the size) still dirties the same amount of cookware. The bills still have to be paid. The bed made. The furniture vacuumed. The groceries bought. The gas tank filled. The dogs given baths...and haircuts! The trash taken out. The dogs fed. The list just goes on and on.

Now I don't say all these things to insinuate that I have an aversion to them. I really don't. I'm more than capable to handle each individual project. But I've realized recently that I don't have anyone to fall back on. I've got great friends and family to help out with the big things (like my brother-in-law checking over my car), but when it comes to the day to day responsibilities: either I do it, or it doesn't get done.

I remember the days when Casey would cook dinner, 'cause I had a really rough day. Or he would take care of dishes, since I cooked the meal. I don't have those options anymore. It's all on me.

All that said, it got me thinking about how grateful I am to work from home. And have the option to set my own schedule. Otherwise, I don't think I would be able to do everything (or for that matter...anything).

This new revelation in life has also got me thinking about all the extra activities I've taken on since Casey left. I'm now in two Bible Studies (one of which I co-lead). I watch my nephews for a few hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I joined a class at my church on Wednesday night. And I usually always have something going on during the weekend. These type of activities are crucial in my life. I'm an insufferable "home-body", and if I'm not out-'n-about these days, I sit at home all by myself...which after a while becomes very depressing.

I can't tell you how exhausted I am though, and I think it's time for me to start assessing what's really important in my life. Sometimes the best gift you can give, is none at all, and I need to start looking at all the "extra" luggage I've been dragging around. Perhaps taking a back seat in certain activities, or dropping others all together will help me clear the way for some "me" time in my life. And I desperately NEED "me" time!

I could really use your prayer in this time of change and decision making...it's bound to be difficult to give things to God and let him sort it out, but I also know how crucial it will be...and in the end, how liberating!

How to Throw a Thrifty Halloween Party

When I started planning my Halloween Bash, I knew one thing for certain: I did NOT want to spend a ton of money! I love decorating my house, but Halloween is not worth spending the BIG bucks to have it all decked-out (Christmas is a totally different story! You'll understand what I mean come December!). So I hit the web in search of cheap and easy craft decorating ideas.

The first one I came across were "monster cupcakes". Let me start off by saying I am no good at decorating cupcakes...but I still think they turned out cute (especially the eyeballs)! They didn't cost much. I had everything to make the frosting, and only had to buy the cupcake mix and muffin tins.
The next cheap way to save money: "Shopping" at my parents house! Seriously, my Mom has a ton of Halloween decor...not to mention BAGS upon BAGS of spider webbing. I draped it everywhere in my house. It was the easiest way to make the house look festive. The only thing I had to buy to complete the look was a bag off spider rings ($2 for 100)!


I even covered the table with spider webs and fake leaves provided by my MOM again!


This next idea I got from marthastewart.com They had these really cute bats flying across the front door of a home. I really liked the idea, but didn't want to decorate the outside of my house. So I printed off the template, and dragged out all my black scrap paper...and cut and cut and cut. 41 bats later, and I was finished!

The next step for me was to buy some small magnets (about $6). and hot glue one onto the back of each bat. I connected it with another magnet on the back side of my sheers, and let them "fly" around my curtains...

I also put some on the back door in my kitchen, just to tie it all together!
Another cheap way to save money...know the right people! My mother-in-law works at a scrap booking store, and her co-worker (Marilyn) has the new LARGE cricket cutter AND some Halloween cartridges! WAHOO!!! I cut out a ton! And only spent about $1.50 on paper!


This tree was one of my favorites! I've been wanting to do a Halloween tree for quite a few years. Since I had all the "cut-outs" to hang on it, all I really needed was some black spray paint. It was the easiest project ever! All I had to do was cut a limb from my yard (not a problem since I have SO many trees), strip off all the leaves, paint it, and anchor it in a box that would fit inside my pot! That's it!!!

Colton even helped me decorate it! What a good kid!

These are a few more cut-outs I made from Marilyn's cricket...Oh, and the antique bowls are real ones, thanks again to my Mom!


This was the last project I did. Again, I found this template on marthastewart.com. When you walked by the back stairs, this shadow would walk with you!! It was Colton's favorite...he was NOT happy when I took it down after Halloween! I did have to buy extra black paper for this, but it was worth it...and I'll be able to use it again next year!


All together, I think I spent about $20 on decorations this year...not a bad deal!

Halloween Bash

I had a lot of fun this Halloween. I'm usually not that into the holiday, mainly because I never have trick-or-treaters, and cause no one ever wants to dress up anymore ...boo!! But since Casey was gone this year, I really didn't want to sit at home all alone. It was his idea to have the party.

This year's Halloween was all about cheap! I "shopped" at both of our parents houses, and besides food, I think I only spent about $20. I'll do a post later on all my decorations, so for now I'll just tell you about the party.

I went as a gypsy this year. NOT a pirate...note all the jewelry! And I didn't have to buy a thing, I had everything all ready in my closet (minus the poofy shirt I borrowed from my mother-in-law). I wish I could show you everyone else's awesome costumes, but I was the ONLY one (besides the kids) who dressed up :( Oh well

So here are some pics from the rest of the night:

Colby was my dead-guy in this photo. And thanks to Lance, we have the "murder weapon" too.

Meagan and Jeff brought the boys over to trick-or-treat...Actually my whole family stopped by! Isn't Maddox the cutest little monkey in the world!

Kate, Ashley, and Me...love these girls!

Sam with cowboy Isaiah...he had some awesome boots on!
And two of my other favorite girls, Nikia and Courtney!

Courtney and Ryan...what a sweet couple! Ha!

Brent eating some of the yummy food. And if you look really far in the background you can see Erin (this was the ONLY picture I got of her, and I didn't get any of Josh...you two need to sit still when the camera is moving around!).

And last but not least Sam, Lance and Miss Hollie (with the cutest scarf in the world, I might add)!

All in all, the party was a lot of fun. I got to hang out and spend time with great friends and family, and I even had trick-or-treaters...a first for me!

Here's to Uncle Casey!!

This post is specifically for Casey...sorry to everyone else! We both love our nephews to death. They are the best little boys. To say that Colton adores Casey, is an understatement. I tell Case all the time that he's Cole's hero (with Jeff, of course). Since Casey has been gone, Colton keeps up a non-stop stream of comments about "Uncle Casey". Here are a few of my favorites:

"Uncle Casey gonna get the bad guys"...after we told Cole that Casey was in the military.

"Uncle Casey at Boot Camp" and "Uncle Casey at school"...Cole is very aware that Case is gone, but that he'll be back soon.

"I go to Boot camp when I get older"... :)

And my new favorite:

"I can't reach it! Uncle Casey get it"...when we were hanging up Halloween decorations really high! For some reason he though Casey would be able to get it down when he gets home!

Unfortunately for Maddox, he hasn't been able to spend as much time with Case...something that we will have to rectify when he gets home! But until then, here is a picture of Meagan and the boys with there new outfits that Grandmom bought them at Casey's graduation. How CUTE!!