Chicken Scratch

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from my little vampire!

So sweet...

...and so scary, too!
 

I hope everyone's day is filled with spooky fun and lots of candy!

Friday Fill-In

A special Halloween edition of

1. It was a dark and stormy night, and I was snuggled on the couch watching a movie.

2. The library was almost closed so I offered to take the books myself.

3. Rushing out, I left my cell phone at home.

4. Did you hear that? ...I think I heard a howl!

5. Shhhh... don't wake the baby.

6. Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to some craft time, tomorrow my plans include taking Kaleigh trick-or-treating and Sunday, I want to spend the day relaxing with my family before I start a busy week of packing!

You can play along here. :)

Another *3am and can't sleep* kinda night...

This is my 2nd or 3rd week (I can't keep track anymore) of insomnia. All the excitement of closing on our first home has my brain spinning overtime, I guess. I lie in bed at night dreaming of owning our first home... of being able to paint/decorate/remodel to my heart's content... to be able to make it OURS. I'm blog hopping countless home decor and craft blogs filing away ideas. I want to do this, I want to do that! Oh, I need this! Must remember to do that! Ooo, that's cute! Awww, I love that! So I sit up all night dreaming and planning and then I'm so tired the next day that I have to take a (long) nap. And that keeps me up all night again the following night and it's a vicious cycle! *sigh* I just need to survive two more weeks.

So since I am up I might as well share some of the ideas I've been filing away... ;)

1. I just recently discovered the blog, Funky Junk Interiors, and I am in love! Totally my style and I want my house to be like hers when I grow up! LOL She posted a dresser redo today and I. love. it. I want one just like it. I'm totally gonna be on the search now for a thrift store dresser and some fun metal numbers.

2. I want a paint sprayer for Christmas. And I'd be perfectly happy if that's all I got this year. ;) Well, that and some paint. I have a coffee table to paint, a kitchen hutch, a chest of drawers for Kaleigh, and that's just the beginning! Lots of painting, distressing, and glazing in my future!

3. My washer and dryer are regular old white appliances but I'm drooling over a pair like these! Our past two rent houses the W&D were either in the garage or a closet. But now I'm getting a cute laundry room and I need cute appliances. ;) When did I get old that instead of new clothes or shoes, I dream about a W&D??? Hubby said I can't get new ones til our current ones quit working. Does he realize what he just said??? :evil laugh:
 

4. I want this chandelier for our breakfast nook/dining area. I found it on a blog (so sorry I can't remember which) and love it. Anyone know where I can find a similar one on a smaller scale?
 

5. I want these crates for my kitchen from Lettered Cottage Home. Anyone shopping for me for Christmas... ;)

Alright, I could keep going ;) but I'll spare you the never-ending wish list of mine. I'm gonna go back to bed and try again at this sleep thing. The alarm clock will be going off before I know it! 'Night!

Fun with Fabric

I have a couple craft projects to share that I created with fabric.

First, I've been wanting a small lamp for our kitchen counter. I came across one at Hobby Lobby with the base I liked but the shade wasn't my style.

I brought it home and tore off the fabric from the shade until it was just the frame.
 

Next I took some fabric and started tearing it into 1" strips.
 

Then I wrapped the strips around the wire frame and tied in a knot at the bottom. I left a space between each strip around the entire frame and then went back in and tied strips on in between the spaces to fill in. I trimmed the ends when I was finished.

And here's my finished lamp. I love how it turned out... it was my own idea for once. ;) It's country chic and perfect for my kitchen. :)
 

Second, you may recall this wire basket I shared a few months ago that I found in a local thrift store. I finally found a use for it. Since I had my fabric out, I went ahead and made fabric balls for the basket. I tore the same strips as I used for my lamp and wrapped them around styrofoam balls, hot-gluing the ends to hold. Quick and easy and done. :)

Thanks for looking! I'll also be sharing this at Kimba's DIY Day!

Scrappy Girls Weekend

I spent this past weekend at my mom's retreat for a scrappy girls weekend. We had so much fun chatting, eating, scrappin', and having fun girl time. :)

My very sweet, super talented, and uber creative friend, Bree, came all the way from Atlanta to join us for the retreat. She made an adorable coffee cup cover a while back and I've been begging her for one ever since. She brought me one! :)
 

I made 6 more digi layouts this weekend for our Galveston vacation album.
   

   

   

I used Crystal Wilkerson's September 2009 Collection. The cross-stitches are from her June 2009 Collection and the buttons are from her August 2009 Collection. The templates are from LivEdesigns' Storyboard Album Template Pack. All are found at www.jessicasprague.com. Fonts are CK Cursive, Century Gothic, and Typewriter.

This weekend I also started working on a trick-or-treat bag for Kaleigh. She's had a little plush pumpkin she's used since her first Halloween but she's outgrown it. We need something bigger for all that candy on Halloween night. ;) I'm almost finished with it and will share when I'm done. :)

I'm watching Marley and Me right now. Such a sweet sweet movie but makes me bawl like a baby every time.

Friday Fill-In

1. The crickets sing, the birds chirp.

2. My heart goes with you wherever you are.

3. I want to get far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

4. Winning the lottery; this was a dream.

5. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. [Joshua 24:15]

6. Lewisville, Texas is where I come from.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to scrappin' with the girls, tomorrow my plans include making a trick-or-treat bag for Kaleigh and Sunday, I want to see hubby and Kaleigh when I get home!

You can play along here!

Our Anniversary Celebration

So yesterday was our actual anniversary but we celebrated it this weekend. We spent a nice romantic evening at home while Kaleigh went to hubby's brother's house to play with her cousins and spend the night. So even though we celebrated our anniversary this weekend we still made a special evening of it last night as a family. We had dinner at Olive Garden and then bought the new Transformers movie on Blu-ray and came home and watched it together. The 3 of us love Transformers... we saw it opening night at the theater and then bought the movie the day it released on DVD. ;) We can't wait for the 3rd one in 2011. :)

Anyways, hubby and I weren't going to do gifts this year since we close on our our house in a few weeks. Our first home will be gift enough! ;) But he did surprise me with a gift for our house. One of the sponsors in his Jeep club does metal work and Brendan had him make this metal sign for our yard.

 

It's huge! It's 2ft. wide and over 2ft. tall. It's very neat! I can't decide if I want to put it in the front flower bed somewhere or find a cool spot in the backyard once we get it all set up. Thanks, babe!

Here's the card I made hubby:
 

 

And his sweet card to me:
 

I have the best hubby. I'm so blessed. :)

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my awesome hubby! These past 8 years have been the best of my life. You are an amazing man, my rock, and I'm so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for 8 wonderful years and I look forward to many, many more.

*I could not ask for more...*

Love you!

Friday Fill-In

1. So are we going to eat?

2. Packing up my house is what's up ahead.

3. I love to go junkin' but I can't spend any money right now.

4. I always love a nap of some sort.

5. I walk a mile or two each morning (or at least that's my goal).

6. God is the true elixir of life!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to family movie night, tomorrow my plans include celebrating my anniversary with hubby (8 years on October 20) and Sunday, I want to watch the Cowboys game but it's a BYE week!

Play along here!

Miss Smartypants

Just a little brag on Kaleigh. :)

In 1st grade Kaleigh starts getting actual numeric grades. She just received her first 6 weeks grades and her lowest grade was a 95! She also received a 98 and four 100's. :) Also they have what they call a DRA which is a reading assessment they give to the students 3 times a year (beginning, middle, and end of year). Right now they want the 1st graders to be at a level between 3-8. Kaleigh is at a level 10! She's always loved to read and reads very well so it was no surprise. We are very proud of her great start to the year!

This week is Book Fair and they have special events all week. Yesterday hubby joined her for *Lunch with Someone Special* and today I joined her for *Munchies with Mom*. She got two new books afterwards at the Book Fair. This afternoon she already read the snow book and 1 chapter of her Hannah book. :) I hope she always keeps her love of reading.