HALLOWEEN TIMELINE

Since this is my first year blogging, I thought I would do a timeline for the major holidays. You can check out the Easter timeline here.  It really brings back memories when I put together posts like this.  Sorry, I know I have been a bit sappy lately about my kids growing up.  I think my youngest turning five really got to me.  Looks like we have officially moved out of the baby stage in our lives.  I even gave away all of our baby clothes over the weekend.  That was a big step! I have been hoarding them all for years, just in case.  I was finally ready to let go and move on.  I am so looking forward to all the adventures we will have as our children grow older, starting with trick-or-treating tonight. 

But first, here's a look back from the beginning of our Halloween adventures (with kids).

2002 (Little Ladybug - made by my mother)

2003 - Angel (made by my mother)

2004 - The frog and the princess

2005 - Cowgirl and Cowboy

2006 - Dorothy and the Lion

The skeleton joined our family in 2006 just five days before Halloween

The Bengal football player, the Bengal tiger and the Bengal Cheerleader. 

(the tiger looks a little happier this year)

A witch, a jockey and Elvis. 

Indiana Jones, a Bengal Football Player and a Police woman.  

(this was our first Halloween in our new house)

A Vampire, Hermione and Harry Potter.

This year we will have a Ninja, a Wearwolf and a Competitive Gymnast in the house. 

Are you ready for Halloween?

MONEY WELL SPENT

I shared my love for this book back in the summer.  

You can read about how I already put it to good use here.  

I have been itching to add something to the walls on either side of these french doors for some time now.

I picked up four of these simple black frames at Target recently for $10.00 each.

But, you know me, I can never leave well enough alone.

So, of course, I broke out the old trusty tube of Rub N' Buff and gave them a little makeover.  I liked the simplicity of the frames and the price was right too, but I wanted them to be a tad more elegant looking. 

Here they are now.  

 I even like the way they peek through when the doors are open.  

My husband practically forbids me from hanging things myself (bad track record). 

This wall was originally the outside wall of our house.  The office used to be a sunporch.  

Therefore, the wall is plaster over solid brick. Not the easiest surface to work with.  

I decided the super strong command strips would be the best bet.

It costs me a total of $12.00 to purchase enough command strips to hang all four prints, but it sure beats the several hundred holes I would have made in the wall while attempting to hang these puppies.  

I noticed the talented Emily A. Clark framed pages from this book too. 

I love the clean lines of her frames and they look great even without mats.  

And my friend used a few of the pages in her dining room. 

If you are looking for inexpensive, but beautiful artwork for your walls, 

I would consider purchasing this book.  It will certainly be money well spent. 

Hope you all have a great weekend! I am looking forward to continuing 

the birthday celebration for my five year old.  

WINNER

And the winner is.........

Wendy (mark.edwards@fuse.net)

Thanks so much to everyone that entered!

When we were renovating our house, I had a ton of lighting choices to make.  

When it came time to choose the outdoor lighting, I was completely burnt out 

(ha ha, get it burnt out and lighting). 

Sorry, I still haven't had my Starbucks for the day.  I'm not nearly as clever without caffeine.  

Anyway, I ended up just picking out something simple and cheap because 

I didn't really know what I wanted at the time and I was tired of making decisions.  

I am ready to change it up now and here are a few options that caught my eye from Arcadian Lighting.

You can find it HERE for $89.82.

You can find it HERE for $94.00.

You can find it HERE for $216.

You can find it HERE for $324.  

Which one do you like?  

I was not paid or compensated in any way for writing this post. 

I simply like their lighting choices and think their prices are great.  

Hope you all have a great day!  My little boy has already torn through all his presents and had the biggest smile on his little five year old face when he left for pre-school this morning.

A HANDFUL

My baby is officially a handful today, he's 5!!  

Actually, he's been a handful since he was about 2, 

but now we can really say he is one whole handful.  

He has been talking about his birthday for about six months, 

so we are making sure it is a pretty big deal around here. 

There will be donuts for breakfast, along with some present opening,

 a little party with some friends after pre-school and then his favorite for diner, pizza.  

We will stretch it out into the weekend with a family dinner and more presents, of course.  

This little boy has been a true blessing and he really completes our family.  

We are pretty tight, the two of us.  I like to think of him as my little sidekick. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby!

I will be back later this morning to announce the winner of the $50 Arcadian Lighting credit.  

Have to do some birthday celebrating first!

OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN!

I promise this post has nothing to with Britney Spears.  

I made the mistake of giving myself some bangs over the weekend.  

Hopefully my awesome hair stylist, Becky, isn't reading this.  She will not be happy.  

I suddenly had the urge to have bangs and I'm very impatient.  

Even though I go see Becky every four weeks (to cover the gray), I just couldn't wait.  

Now I'll have them live with them until they grow out.  

I do this about every other year and I always immediately regret it.  

Oh well, it's just hair, it will grow back, right?

One of these days I'll learn.

How about you, ever give yourself a little makeover?

BOO (HOO-HOO)

This weekend was kind of a bust when it came to working on projects around the house.  What I did manage to do was spend some quality time with friends and family.  The older I get and the older my kids get, I realize more and more everyday that these are the memories I want.  When I'm old and gray, will I even remember that silly shelf that's STILL waiting to be painted.  Probably not, but I will certainly remember the look on my four year old's face when we walked into Toys R Us on Saturday so he could pick out a birthday present.  And I'll also remember the sound of our three children playing outside with their friends Friday night while we sat around a fire pit with our friends.  It was a weekend  with no big plans, but  plenty of laughter and love.

The one and only thing I did manage to do around the house made me a bit weepy and sentimental.  

I pulled out some old Fall pictures of the kids and hung them on our little display frame.
The display frame started out as a mirror.  You can read about it here.  

I hung them up in chronological order and seeing how fast they have grown made me so sad. 

We have a tradition of visiting the same pumpkin patch every year and then putting our car on a ferry and riding across the Ohio River.  I look forward to this day every year and the kids do too.  

I hope we can continue this tradition even when our kids are teenagers and 

think they are way too cool for us.  

We made our annual pumpkin patch trip last weekend and when we got there, 

I pulled out my camera to snap a few pictures and there was no memory card it in!  

Fortunately, my husband got a few shots with his iphone.  Yet, another reason I need want an iphone.  

What are your favorite Fall traditions?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to Arcadian Lighting.  You can enter here. 

It is open until Tuesday, 11/25.

Sharing with these fabulous blogs:
Creating Really Awesome Free Things

GUEST POST AND A GIVEAWAY

I decided to get this weekend started a little early and let Jenn take over my blog today.  Get ready for some great inspiration and be sure to enter the giveaway from Arcadian Lighting.  All the etails are at the end of the post.

Hey there, I'm Jenn and I write for Arcadian Lighting, which is a website that specializes in top lighting ideas around the world. I think my fascination with home decor began when I got my first dollhouse and proceeded to decorate (and redecorate) it on a monthly basis - I would swap around rooms, furniture, and lighting fixtures, and today I find myself doing the same thing in my new home. I love blogs like Oak Ridge Revival - I find Andrea's posts to be inspiring, and I'm so happy to be writing here today. Thank you Andrea!

Few home decor accessories completely transform a room, but mixing up chairs and colors is a fun (and easy) way to revitalize a space. In a traditional living room or a contemporary bedroom, a renewed color palette, great light fixture, and a stylish chair can infuse a space with instant good looks. Here are eight ways of mixing up chairs and colors.

A modish dining room that features chairs in different colors is eye-catching and unique. It looks streamlined because of the matching hues in the table decor and wall art.

A chair with pattern 

  

Inset ceiling lighting fixtures highlight the floral motifs seen here, which always look great on a big comfy chair like the ones shown in this breezy sitting room, where it's the only pattern in the room so as not to be overwhelming.

Totally turquoise  

Pale turquoise retro chairs surround a table in this chic space, with a deeper-hued modern armchair behind it. The black and white accents compliment the bold color beautifully.

A pop of color  

This desk chair is whimsical in a loud neon yellow but looks less daring being the one blast of color in this vignette. Even the clear glass lamp gives centre stage to the chair.

A nod to the past   

These round old-fashioned chairs are given a new lease on life with cushions reupholstered in a dramatic mustard yellow. The diamond-print wallpaper and retro accessories complete the look.

A rainbow of hues

A family-friendly kitchenette is decked out with chairs in every color of the rainbow, with similar tones mimicked in the cushions of the built-in bench seating.

A calming effect  

Believe it or not the blue chair is the more subtle of the home accents seen here in this overtly ornate and formal sitting room. Even the light fixture is discrete.

Seeing red

Red is a pretty color of choice for a chair, like the one seen here, which is paired with a matching red patterned ottoman.

Jenn is a wonderful writer for Arcadian Lighting where you can find tons of lighting fixtures and other chic home decor ideas. Thanks for taking over today, Jenn.

Now, to get your weekend off to a great start, the giveaway details:

One lucky reader will win a $50 credit to Arcadian lighting.

To enter:
1.  Follow Oak Ridge Revival and leave me a comment letting me know;
for a second chance
2.  Follow Oak Ridge Revival on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know;
for a third chance
3.  Check out Arcadian Lighting and leave me a comment letting me know what you would buy with your $50 credit.

The giveaway is open until Tuesday, 10/25/11 at 11:59 p.m.  I will announce the winner on Wednesday, 10/26/11.  Good luck and have a  fantastic weekend!


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THREE LITTLE PUMPKINS

I know, that's pathetic.  That's about all I've got.  I absolutely love this time of year, the crisp cool days, the colorful leaves, roasting s'mores, breaking out the fleece and sweaters.  But when it comes to decorating, I've got nothing.  My kids are bugging me to hang spider webs all over the house and string orange flashing lights everywhere.  Not that I'm a Halloween hater, I just don't have it in me right now to deck the halls with ghosts and goblins.

However, I did manage to add some fall fun to the mantel. 

I bought these three little pumpkin candles at the thrift store and spray painted them gold.  

Trust me, it's a huge improvement!

I also added a little fall foliage.

I found this pumpkin tree branch at the grocery store today on clearance for $1.99.  Well, why not?

I had no idea these cute little things even existed. 

To appease the children, I plan to break out some serious Halloween crap decorations this weekend

 and let them "have at it".  I'll be sure to snap some pictures, as I'm sure it will be something to see. 

How about you guys, have you gone all out for Halloween? 

 I feel bad to be such a slacker this year. I think I've got just a little too much on my plate right now.  

At this rate, I'd better start getting out the Christmas decorations. 

THE PERFECT PAINT

I have sadly neglected this $10 shelf I found at the thrift store.  I planned on painting it over the summer and it fell to the bottom of the "to do list".  I wasn't exactly sure what color I wanted to paint it and so I never got too excited about it.  

I am still not sure what color I want to paint it, but I finally found my inspiration, 

this lovely desk Danielle painted.  I love Danielle's blog, Danielle Oakey Interiors.  

She is a very talented designer and she tackles some fabulous DIY projects.  

She's my kind of girl! 

My shelf won't be blue, but I will most certainly be using 

this amazing oil based paint by Rust-oleum. 

Look at that high gloss finish.  Love it!

I first learned about Rust-oleum Protective Enamel from 

Jenny at The Little Green Notebook.  

She painted this side table in Smoke Gray.

She just posted last week about all the new colors that are available.  

I can't wait to get to a Home Depot and get my hands on a quart of this paint.  

I'm still not sure on a color yet, but I will keep you posted.  

It's on the schedule to get painted this weekend.

I have put it off long enough. 

Anyone else had any experience using this product?  

I have painted with oil based paint plenty of times before, 

so I am aware of the mess it makes and I'm willing to deal with it.

I sure hope my project turns out like Danielle and Jenny's.  Wish me luck!