Mission: Declutter and Organize

I love to organize. Most days you wouldn't know it from the state of our home, but I blame that on the two-year-old, Hurricane Bub. I have a sickness with it, like this, but this sickness I haven't really shown you here yet.

This year was the Year of Declutter in our house. I decided last December that I would scour every. single. crevice of this house and get rid of anything we didn't need and organize everything else. It's taken all year long, but I've (almost) done it! It is the BEST feeling! My favorite transformation is our unfinished basement -- the change is amazing and I'll share it soon.

So with the new year approaching us, I figured we should share some inspiration and get organized in 2009. On January 12, I'll ask you to share the ways you organize your home (I'm going to use that cool Mr. Linky thing!! Yay!). I've seen some really cute ideas on various blogs and I know there are so many fun ideas that out there that we need to share.

Yes, it is October and I'm talking about January. Planner, much? I told you I have problems. So get ready, and think about those fun, easy or cheap ways you organize so you can inspire us!

P.S. Any respectable organizer MUST have the Dymo label maker, used above. Ahhh, you'll label everything! Your kids, your cats, your husband!!

**Edited to say I moved the date for this back a bit, so we could all get Christmas put away, the house de-garlanded and could breath for just a bit before jumping into another party.

I spent $50 to save $12! Wait...

Doesn't make sense to you? Me either. Started with the $6 pumpkins at the grocery store. Had them in my cart, and thought, wow, $12 for two pumpkins I will throw away! I should just go spend the $40 on the fake pumpkins!! That way they'll pay for themselves in, say, FOUR YEARS?? See my reasoning here? My husband doesn't always get it either, bless his heart.

So off to Hobby Lobby I go, get my Funkins, love them. Then we go to the beautiful farm this weekend, and you can't go apple and pumpkin picking without buying pumpkins. I mean, it's sacrilegious or something, isn't it? I think it was the cider, because I easily dropped $40 that day, on pumpkins and apples. Geez.

So here are the fifteen million pumpkins, and we don't even really have a porch. I think I made it work: (not sure what to do with my witch broom)

Don't you just LOVE those tombstones?? I even added glow in the dark paint to them. I thought about getting some bones from the Dollar Store and sticking them in the ground in front of a few of them...I have more around our trees:

Here is more of the decor around the house. I think I'm done now. (I think...)

I made these last year by taking cutouts from the Web and using stiff felt. Pennies each! I put them on the windows and they look great at night!

Here's another cheap sign: (Looks like "Beware of the fruit" right there...I should move that.)

I'm obsessed with these pics from Hobby Lobby for a buck each...I put them everywhere!:

Not sure I'm loving this, but I got a package of these teeny tiny pumpkins for $1.45 on clearance from Target last year. At that price, this will do:

I buy the leaf garland and pull the leaves off and use them EVERYWHERE:

More Southern Living for you lovas out there...

And I leave you with a close up of the fireplace. I love how this turned out!:

I'm putting a list together of my recent projects -- where I got them and how much they cost, for your info. Stay tuned!

P.S. What would you do with these? I painted them black, with plans to spell out Welcome on them...but the pumpkin ridges won't allow for it. Any ideas?

P.P.S. Thanks for all the great ideas ladies!! Kara inspired me with her suggestion, so I ran out and got tags tonight and did this. I think it's stinkin' cute!

I feel like I just got named Homecoming Queen! Sniff!

And I'm riding around on the back of the convertible, flowers in hand...tissue dabbing a tear...(and I was shafted on Homecoming Court THREE YEARS in a ROW so don't think I never had that image in my mind!) But I'm not bitter. I digress...

You all are the BEST and I am so happy to have so many new visitors! I am so completely honored that Kim featured me and feel so fortunate to have you all checking in. I hope you will stick around!

I've been busy eating apples (DANG we got a lot) and finishing up fall around here this weekend. I'll post more tomorrow. But I leave you with a conversation between my husband and I this evening:

He went to the book store and I called him on the way:

Me: Hey honey, when you get there, if you see any fun Christmas magazines, can you grab one for me?

Husband: What?

Me: Magazines -- if you see any Christmas ones, grab one.

Husband: Christmas?? (In his but-it's-only-October-5th-and-it-looks-like-Halloween-threw-up-in-our-house-but-it's-not-even-here-yet-and-Christmas-is-three-months-away but loving tone.)

Me: Yeah! Christmas. (In my what-are-you-crazy-I'm-done-with-fall-and-done-with-Halloween-so-what-am-I-going-to-do-for-the-next-two-months,-learn-how-to-cook? but loving tone.)

Now, to most men, saying "Hey honey, can you pick out a Christmas magazine for me?" would strike fear in their hearts. But my man came through with flying colors. When I came up for bed, there it was waiting for me. And it's a beaut. I can't WAIT to share some of the fun ideas I've already found.

And will he ever be sorry. :)



P.S. While searching for that awesome homecoming picture, I found this. And I think it's real. Which makes it even funnier. I think I'll have a problem with No. 4.

Apples, Pumpkins and Marching Band

That is what fall means to me. Apples because I can't get enough apple pie, cider, crisp, whatever, during the season. Pumpkins because of the pie (see a trend?) and, come on, they are pumpkins! And marching band because my hubby is a marching band director and for the past 16 years of my life (including when I was in the band), each fall has meant a competition every weekend.

I love all of it. Today, I schmushed all my loves for the season into one day. My Band Widow friend (our husband's work together) and I took our combined four boys (Yes, four boys!) to an orchard for an apple picking, horse riding, maze playing, pumpkin finding, hay riding, and spending-way-too-much-money day.

My Bub and I ended the day with a trip to watch the marching band, something he already enjoys (thank God!) and can't get enough of. It was a perfect, beautiful fall day and we had a blast.

In my opinion, the perfect end to a perfect day is homemade (kind of -- hey, I cut up the apples alright?) apple crisp and cider:

I'd love to hear what your favorites of the season are. Enjoy your weekend!

P.S. My Boy is on the right, on the left is one of his "older brothers." Cutie PATOOTS!

I love nap time. ;)

My most favorite thing to do is to spend time with my Bub, but boy, do I love naptime. Look at what I got done today! Yippee!

Found these at the Dollar Store:

Touched them up with some white paint:

Stuck a dowel in them and they're done! I'm getting more tomorrow, the whole lawn will be covered with them! :)

Got an extra frame? Scrapbook paper? Here you go, with a Spooooky sparkly from Hobby Lobby for $2!

I actually got more done but the Bubby is awake! Here's one more project I can't wait to show you: Remember this? Well, I'm going to try to make it work with this...

I know you are waiting with baited breath!! Stay tuned my Chickees...

More Halloween treats!

Isn't he cute? :) Here's another project I finished up last night, inspired by Joy over here. (She does amazing projects, check her out!)


I started with this loot:


I cut, glittered, taped and stickered till I got this...

This was a nice surprise -- I was going to make this:



But when I unpacked Halloween stuff, I found this (I bought it last year on clearance):



Don't you love when that happens?! I added a few little ornaments and love it!

Remember this? I finally just printed out letters and made my own stencils to make this:



This project was easy as pie -- frames, paper I loved and a tiny bit of paint. This area is done!:



(And don't doubt for one second that that big, nasty cord sticking straight out isn't driving me BATTY!!)

Bwwuuaahaaahaaaaaa!!

Oooohhhh aren't they SO spooooky???? Hee! Too stinkin' cute to be scary, I think. I love my cheesecloth ghosts...this is SUCH an easy project! I warn you though -- it is extremely messy.

I did these last year so I don't have step-by-step pictures, but the basic ingredients are glue, warm water, balloons and felt for the faces. To make them:

• Blow up a few balloons in various sizes.
• Mix equal parts water and glue (I'm not sure of the exact amount -- I can't find my directions).
• Soak the cheesecloth (cut up to the sizes you want) in the mixture, then lay them over the balloons. (By the way, the cheapest place I've found for cheesecloth is the grocery store.)
• Leave about a day until they are very hard. Then you can pop the balloons and peel them off.
• I used felt to make the faces. In the end, each ghost will end up only costing you pennies, especially since you probably have some Elmers laying around!

There are many different recipes out there but this is the easiest and it worked great! I thought it would be fun to mix some glow in the dark paint in there too. I guess they make "Stiffy" stuff that glows now.

One item I can't do without anymore, whatever the season, are my little LED tea lights. I started grabbing them up a couple years ago after Halloween and I use them in my candle holders where you can't see the candle. We have three very fat cats with very fluffy tails, so they are almost a necessity. (Don't want kitty to go POOF!!!) Plus with a little one around now, they are great to have. They even flicker! You can get them for a steal after Halloween and I just saw them at the Dollar Store the other day.

Whew, I was busy today...I know I've had a fruitful day when hubby comes home and notices everything I've done! (And loves it!!) Here's another project that was inspired by Cherry (check her out, she is SO creative!!) over here. I'm not sure how she did hers exactly but when I saw it, it got my wheels turning...

I took these items -- wooden pumpkin, sparkly scrapbook paper and leftover ribbon:



Used spray adhesive to attach the paper to the pumpkin (see his smiling face?):

Used an exacto knife to cut the excess paper off and got this:

He was a little rough around the edges so I sanded him down a bit. Hung him with the ribbon and here you go!:

I think I'm going to make about 10 more of these cutie patoots!! Love it! Total cost was about $2 for the pumpkin and $2 for the paper. (YES, $2 for a sparkly piece of paper!)

I have many more spooky projects to show you tomorrow (you'll be sceeeeeered!! Not so much.) But now I must sleep!