Happy Halloween

Welcome to our Halloween abode.

We were somewhat conservative with our outdoor decorations this year. We had grand plans but when Javier found the red light bulbs, we figured they made the house look pretty scary on their own.

This picture does not show the details well, but there is a grave yard to each side of the lions. The lions each have battery operated tea lights in their mouths. Sound and movement operated skulls and other devices ensure we scare the living daylights out of trick or treaters. Javier put strobe lights on the outer corners for some extra spookiness. I also put a large black painted branch in an urn to the right of the door. It's inhabited by a family of crows and festooned with cobwebs.

Would you like to see the interior decorations?

We have two skeletons at the entrance, keeping an eye on everyone as they enter the house.

I accidently twisted the head off this poor guy, so he also has to keep an eye (or a hand, ha ha) on his own head. He's also guarding the devil horn party favours for our guests.

We've had a recent rodent infestation. Please watch your feet.

Even the bathroom got tricked out. A little moldy looking gauze fabric, (plastic) barbed wire and a collection of glow in the dark creepy crawlies.

We decorated the attic for Lizzie's Halloween movie party.

Here's the snack table. Six different kinds of candy, three kinds of pops, a box of mandarin oranges, and two kinds of pizzas. Yeah, I know, crazy health food.

And of course, all the furniture got draped in white to make the look extra ghostly, more gauze everywhere and candles galore for ambiance.

My Happy Halloween'ers. Costumes optional.

The reflection from the flash makes the devil horns glow. Scary.

Straight hair fail

Slightly wavy hair with a tendency to frizz if I let it dry naturally was a little gift to me from my 30s. I grew up with lovely, shiny bone straight hair. Oh, the glory days years.

This week, I went to my stylist to have my roots touched up and a trim. Flipping through magazines while I was getting my hair done, I found several ads and articles celebrating this product...

Source

Finally, I could recapture the beauty and wonder of my youthful hair. Up to 95% frizz free and lasting for up to 30 days. Sold.

I went straight from the salon to the drugstore and plunked down my $15 (approx) and hurried home to make my hair silky straight. You probably know where this is going.

The product instructions state to apply product (after using the clarifying shampoo) to towel dried hair (about 80% dry, how to estimate that I have no idea how). I was also told to apply the product sparingly AND not to over-saturate. Yeah, I used to the whole bottle. I have thick hair! After waiting a 1/2 hour, I blow dried my hair straight with a round brush and then ran a straightener over every strand of hair.

And what was a left with? Not silky straight locks. More like dry, yellow frizz. With a heavy coating greasing down everything.

The WORST past was having to go to work for 2 days with disgusting hair as you need to wait 48 hours to wash or even wet your hair. Yes, I had to go to hair with greasy, yellow/orange, frizzy hair.

Too late I read the reviews about the straightening treatment. Number one complaint - brassiness for blondes, followed by a strong odor. That's when I started to freak out.

I excited rush home after work today to wash my hair and was left with brassy, orange hair and a distinct boiled turnip smell wafting around me. Then I really freaked out. But I didn't cry.

I did however head directly to the salon down the hill and begged mercy on the one stylist willing to stay past 5:00. An hour with a good toner one my head and a hundred dollars later, I'm restored to my former blonde locks. And my hair is silky to boot! Though admittedly it might have been the Bumble & Bumble Straight Shampoo & Moroccan Oil, the stylist used.

Yeah, I'm not wearing makeup so you are not going to see my face. But I assure you, my hair is VERY smooth, but it still smells a bit like turnips.

The bottom line is that using the Organix Smoothing Treatment was definitely not worth the emotional trauma I've suffered the past 48 hours.

From now on, my special treatments will all take place at the salon.

Trick or treats

Death in a family is always sad but frequently has the ability to either tear a family apart or bring it much closer. My grandmother's death definitely worked to bring us closer.

I'm so glad that I've become closer to my step-sister this past year and her two adorable little boys, my nephews! Aren't they cute?

A six year age difference and many kilometers between us has always been a barrier to my relationship with my step-sister. I've always wanted a sister, but we never grew up together. I was always the older, more glamourous (or so I thought) sister sweeping in from the big city. Our lifestyles were very different. I was finished school, then became a mom. Now we are both moms and working in the health care industry. We have so much more in common and I look forward to having a bigger role in her life.

So now that I'm an auntie, I have to start spoiling these darling little boys. Seeing these treat bags on Purl Bee was a no-brainer. You know how I love a DIY project.

The Purl Bee version.

And my version.

Not quite as nice, but serviceable. The cobwebs are stitch in glow-in-the-dark thread.

And filled them with small toys, socks & books. This is for the 3-year-old.

I fell in love with Spider-Duck & Franken-Duck.

And this is for the baby. He's just over 1. He gets a ducky devil & ghost combo.

What do you think, pretty fun?

Pumpkin picking

Medicine Hat does not, sadly, have a pumpkin patch. What it does have is the Garden Market, a store that regularly sells locally grown produce and, oddly enough, gift items from Thailand. Every year they bring in thousands of pumpkins to sell to the good little boys and girl of Medicine Hat.

Last Friday, Lizzie and I made our trek to get stocked up.

Blow up lawn ornaments are a personal pet peeve of mine (I think they are a cop out decor-wise), but somehow this one work at the store's entrance.

Neat rows of pumpkins waiting for adoption. Which one will be ours?

More bins of pumpkins. I refused to go bin diving for the perfect pumpkin. We chose only those which we could see.

Apparently local witches like to shop here too. We didn't see her inside though.

I was greeted by this sight when I opened up the back of the car. Apparently my new pumpkin family was eager to escape.

Maybe this was a bit ambitious. I just realized we have 6 pumpkins to carve.

On another note, we found a way to keep Ollie warm after being so recently shorn AND celebrate Javier's favourite sports team at the same time!

Poor Ollie.

More signs of fall

It's still very sunny around here and we've only had 1 night (last night) where the temperature fell below zero. It's been such a lovely autumn.

I decided last week that my lovely flower pots were looking ghastly. Very dried out from mainly lack of water (what? I've been busy), not cool temperatures, so I cleared them out and brought out some fall decor for the front porch.

I'm in love with my painted motel chairs. I originally wanted them both yellow, but the yellow was back ordered so I used orange from my stash. My summer pillows got their fall slipcovers. The bunnies always stay out.

$30 worth of dollar store flowers plus some Michael's pumpkins. I'm all about the glitter this year...shoes, dresses, pumpkins, skulls...

This will all remain for a few weeks until we do our epic Halloween display. This year our neighbours have a French exchange student who's not used to celebrating Halloween so we are pulling out all the stops, I think, if we have time. Stay tuned.

Handsome

But not exactly happy about his new look.

Poor Ollie. Perhaps he's disliking his wrinkly chest.

Cosmic love

Random scrappy heart appearing on the floor where I work out everyday

Love is good

Thanksgiving Monday

It's no secret that I have a very blessed life.

I have so many things that I am grateful for.

I get to spend everyday with these two.

There's a soft place to lay my sleepy head when I get home after a night shift.

The most pressing decision in my life is what colour gray to paint my bedroom.

I have cats that eat spiders crawling across my bedroom wall.

I had a delicious turkey dinner tonight and I didn't have to cook at all!

I'm very grateful for my wonderful inlaws for hosting us!

Lizzie didn't burn down my inlaws house helping

Grandma finish the pumpkin creme brulee.

Life is good.

Just 'Cause Cupcakes

I really felt like making cupcakes yesterday and giving them away.

1 dozen for us.

6 each for 2 of our neighbour families & friends.

I use this recipe. And they were very yummy. I had 2!

Fall coffee house style

I love Fall clothes. Fall too, for that matter. Except that it always leads to winter. But that's a discussion for another day.

The temperatures dipped a little today so I'm excited to wear my new J Brand cords to meet my girlfriend and her kids for coffee.

These were my one MUST have piece of clothing this year. I'm in clothing love.

Source

What am I wearing these with today?

Note all of these photos are similar to what I own, not exact. I've already tapped out my designer clothing for the next decade and assure you that I cannot really afford Fendi shoes or an Alaia sweater.

Red & Camel by oliverrain featuring black ballerina flats

I felt so stylish today. A big, big change from my usual scrubs, yoga pant, or pajama attire that I'm normally wearing when the weather cools off.

Plus, Javier says the jeans give me a cute butt.

Eating green stuff

I work with a lot of really wonderful ladies. I'm so lucky that way.

There is one particular co-worker that I'm always thrilled when we have shifts together. However, she an absolutely horrible influence on my eating habits.

Twice this month she brought sour cream & onion Pringles to work. Despite my normally solid resolve to not eat junk food, both times I dove almost head first into the cans. Obviously, it was fulfilling some subconscious desire of mine.

Once in a while I don't mind indulging, but I could let this carry me away. So I had to think of some options. Some way, some how, I need sour cream & onion chips in my life.

Luckily I remembered this recipe that Angela from Oh She Glows raved about last spring.

Voila!

Sour cream & onion kale chip glory

I think I've just found some more resolve.

Monday

Signs of Autumn along my favourite running path

That about 80 to you Fahrenheiters. Woo-hoo for our long Indian summer.

Random feather beside the running path.

Very curious until I remembered the Run for the Cure was yesterday.

Wanted to run it too, but I was sleeping off a night shift.

Epic Dinner Fail.

Slow-cooker mac & cheese. Smelled good. Bad taste. Bad texture.

Sorry Lizzie. She got grilled cheese instead.

Spaghetti squash. Bigger than my head.

Same spaghetti squash, hacked in half. Topped with homemade marinara, Garlic Gold nuggets, jalapenos & goat cheese.

nom, nom, nom.

Belly now full.

Rainy being cute. Pic actually taken 2 days ago. But she's still cute.

Shiny, bouncy new Mizuno running shoes.

Note to self: shoe guy's advice to run without socks, not good.