Happy Halloween!

Time In a Bottle

Twenty years ago today my cousin Monica was killed tragically in an auto accident. Please stop by my other blog at Myah's Days to read about my heartfelt plea against drinking and driving. I pray that I can prevent just one person from getting behind the wheel after they have been drinking. Please help me spread the word!

Decorating With Hydrangeas

I am in love with hydrangeas, when we first moved in I planted a Pee Gee species off of my front porch. Last year I planted another one to flank the other side of my porch, I think it will look really nice when it finally catches up to the other one. This one bush has given me several bouquets through the years, I like to cut them around the beginning of September when they are still a pretty lime green, sometimes I can get them at just the right time and a bit of a plum color will line the edges of the delicate petals. My neighbor Pam has given me some of her gorgeous Annabelle's and I love to make a huge bouquet with them. Hydrangeas are very easy to dry, sometimes I will hang bunches upside down but this year I just picked them put them in a vase and let them dry naturally. I thought I would share some pictures from this years "crop", I usually have plenty and give them away to visitors because although I love them, I don't want them everywhere, my son has severe allergies and I try to limit alot of dried flowers sitting around to collect dust. I cleared my buffet in the dining room the other day of all fall items and went for a more clean look, this huge bouquet of hydrangeas looks so pretty in there next to my white dishes. I like being all set up for dinner parties this time of year. I was looking at the P*ttery Barn catalog the other day and got inspired to do this. I also hung a shelf that I have had for years on an awkward wall in my kitchen. It was too long so my hubby cut a few inches off of the ends for me and now it fits perfectly, I love giving new life to an old favorite. It is the perfect place for my vase of this years hydrangeas. I usually pick my flowers when the heads are starting to get a little cripsy, they only take a few days to dry.

Our Complete Family has tagged me with this award. The rules are to tell six random things about yourself and then pass it on to six people. I have seen this one make the rounds so I am not passing it on to just a few of you, if you have not received it yet, here is your opportunity, take it and run, you ALL impress me with your creativity!
So here it goes:
1. I met my hubby while we were in elementary school, we started dating when I was 15 and he was 17, married when I was 23 and he was 25. Stayed together the whole time.
2. I am a mother of a 13 year old son who is our biological son and I have a 3 year old daughter from China who we adopted at a year old. Yes I have lost my mind on several occasions lately with a toddler and a teenager! I hear Knick Knack Paddy Whack playing in one room and Nickelback in the other!
3. I am a neat freak, I love everything in its place, although it rarely is, I try to keep it that way! I am in love with my labelmaker!
4. I started a wee little photography business 2 years ago. I have never taken a class but need to desperately! I love pictures and always have since I was a little girl.
5. I am not a very good cook, I grew up with a younger sister who is a fabulous cook, I always cleaned up the messes, she hates to clean and I love it! We were a good pair! When I know how to make something it always tastes good but if I were to use a new recipe I always screw it up! This usually involves a few trips back to the grocery store.
6. Since I was a little girl I have always sat on top of the furnace registers to get warm. I still do this on cold winter days. My sister and I used to fight over who got to sit on it first when we got home from school. I hate being cold!

More Fall Decor

I love to decorate my front porch for fall. I always put out corn stalks, a bale of straw and pumpkins. The leaves are really starting to change colors now after the hard frost this week and everything is looking so pretty. I love visting the pumpkin patches and cider mills while wearing my cozy sweaters! I love fall!!!

A Bloggy Award and I won a Giveaway!

Thank you to Shannon at Bless Our Nest for passing along this award to me, the feelings are mutual as I love her blog and her ideas. I am passing it along to Jessica.. I love catching up with her, especially now since she is nearing the end of her pregnancy and will soon be a mommy for the first time to little Harbor.

I was so excited to win the giveaway at my friend Barb's place A New Chelsea Morning. I won the new Chris Tomlin cd. It is wonderful and before I even got to listen to it my hubby had it in his car! I was amazed to find out I had won because I won her giveaway a few months ago of a Steven Curtis Chapman cd. She said I must be really lucky because she uses the random number generator, maybe I should play the lottery! Thank you Barb!

Friendship Books

Sherry's Book:

Kym's Book:

This year a few of my dearest friends have turned 40, including my dear hubby. I have a reputation for taking lots of pictures through the years. I always have my camera on my and everyone hates it when I make us pose for group shots but I have never regretted taking these pictures. I have gone through my albums several times through the years and used my pictures for many projects. Whether it be for a cd with pictures put to music, photo albums and yes, many times I have been the one in charge of doing the funeral picture boards for family members. Morbid I know, but that is life and when people want pictures, it is me they call.

So it is no surprise that I have lots of pictures with me and my friends. So I decided that when their 40th birthdays came around that I would do something with the pictures that I have taken through the years. I decided to try and make these little books and use my favorite papers, flowers ribbons and embellishments. I have so much fun making these! This past week I sent my good friend Sherry hers and I couldn't post pictures until I knew she had it in her possession. She moved to Wisconsin last year and I wish she still lived closer!

I also made an album for my dear friend Kym in January. They aren't perfect by any means but they are meant to be a keepsake of the many fond memories that we have shared through the years. Good friends are so hard to come by and who is more deserving of something special than the people that are there for you in good timses and in bad, through sickness and health, oh wait a minute, those were my wedding vows! Oops! I guess they apply to friendships as well! I hope these inspire you to do something special for your good friends as well. They are so fun to make!

(Sherry's album was made from a pre-made chip board album by Bo-Bunny, many of the papers are by Basic Grey)