Gothic Gala!

Wow! Two posts in one day. What is this blog coming to?! You know I love Halloween, and I've always hosted some type of party. When the girls were smaller, it was pretty kid focused, but as they've gotten older, it's transformed into more of a dinner party with friends. This year's theme was Gothic, and let me tell you, I knew precious little about Goth, so I did some research. Lots of black and white, and I threw sheets over my furniture to give the room a look of ruin. No matter the decor, we ate all evening, played cards for hours, and we all had a great time! Happy Halloween!

Bathroom Renovation

As promised, I finally have before and after pictures of our main bathroom. So far Cory has re-done the master bath, the main bath and added a 1/2 bath in the basement (it's functional, but not complete). He's done an awesome job, seeing as how he's taken both baths down to the studs and the sub floors, and even had to re-do the door and frame on the main bath. In between these two, he re-did his parents master bath as well. I personally love the medicine cabinet. He custom made it so I could have a huge mirror and cabinet that worked with the bathroom's style. The first picture is the before pic, then the working phase, followed by a few of the completed pictures. I think we're done remodeling.....for a few minutes :)

What about Halloween?

I've added a new poll to the right, so I hope you'll add your vote over there and put in your comments here. Do you celebrate Halloween, or do you avoid it like the plague? What about Fall Festival or Harvest? Do your kids dress up? Trick or Treat? Hand out candy? What about other traditions specifically acknowledged on October 31st?

I'm pretty old-school and traditional. While I don't like scary or evil costumes, I do let my girls dress up and go trick or treating in my in-laws neighborhood with my husband and father in law. I stay at the in-laws' home handing out candy (because my mother in law doesn't like doing it) and commenting to all the trick or treaters about their cute, scary, or inventive costumes. When the girls come home we indulge in home made pizza and sort through their loot.

So that's our Halloween, and I look forward to it every year!

Scaredy Cat!

Because Halloween is right around the corner, I thought I'd make a few true confessions....with a list of things I'm afraid of. And I don't mean things I hate. I mean things that scare me to death, make my heart race and my palms sweat.

1) Heights - I have a sincere fear of heights, real or perceived. Scenes from movies or television where someone is mountain climbing, skydiving, or working on top of a building...ewww! Even though I know the scenes are fake, I still can't handle them. The photo below is a vintage photo entitled, "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" and I've always hated it.

2) Confined Spaces - Whether it's being trapped under water, in a cave or simply in a small, tight space, I have extreme claustrophobia.

3) Spiders - I can handle them if they're small and not on me. But heaven help the spider that makes the mistake of crawling on, or too near me. I'll never forget the time I was working at my computer and a spider dropped down on its web, right in front of me. I almost had a coronary.

4) Parasites - Particularly the kind that are difficult to rid, like lice, or bed bugs. Eeeek!

5) Plants - Not all plants, but any kind with a thick, fleshy stem or long, dangly leaves make my skin crawl. Think varieties like aloe, or the spider plant.

Happy Birthday Mom & Mark!