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Halloween Home Tour

Happy hauntings friendly ghosts! I super love Halloween. I loved it growing up because we’d always carve pumpkins, decorate our home, listen to spooky music, watch Halloween cartoons and (my favorite) go Trick or Treating!

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I’m looking forward to Halloween this year because Sophie really understands what Trick-or-Treating is! We’ve gone to the pumpkin patch a couple times and have made quite a few home made Halloween decorations this year. I’ve been asked a few times to put my home decorations up on the blog but was hesitant, since I did not make tutorials for everything I made this year, but still wanted to share our fun and spooky house.

I’ll start with the outside of our home, as if you’re coming to Trick or Treat! You may have already read about our Halloween Street Sign out front. I added a few styrofoam tomb stones near the sign. Next year I’d like to get some lighting for the sign and tomb stone to make it a bit spookier at night. I made a rope spiderweb hanging between the columns of our porch with a friendly sparkly spider (because I’m afraid of spiders and I hate the ones that look real!) I left up the leaf garland on the columns from our fall decor to add a little color.

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As you walk up the steps I have a few potted mums surrounded by some tiny pumpkins and gourds.

halloween-postsAt the top of the stairs are these CUTE Halloween decorations that my parents made for me out of 4x4s!

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Up on the porch I hung a few friendly ghosts from clear 3m hooks. I left my Fall wreath up but will need to make a fun Halloween wreath next year. I bought a large white styrofoam pumpkin and used my Cricut to cut out Happy Haunting and some black crows in black vinyl. It worked better than I thought it would! I wanted something that I could peel off and change each year since the pumpkin was a bit pricey. The pumpkin is sitting in a culdron with leaves around it to fill in the gap. I spray painted some scrap wood with chalkboard paint and wrote a fun Trick or Treat for our little ghosts and goblins this year. I also used my Cricut to cut out a few black ravens and put them around the porch.

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Welcome inside! The entry way has light up fall leaves framing the door as well as bats flying around. I scored these cardstock bats two years ago for $1 as a garland and somehow they’ve held up for the third year!

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Our console table has a lot of spider stuff going on, which is strange, since I’m so afraid of them! I cut out the spider web bunting from a free SVG file with, once again, my Cricut. I spray painted a styrofoam pumpkin with chalkboard paint to entice Jeffrey to decorate it because ‘it’s manly’. It hasn’t happened yet. The little light up pumpkin is a ceramic pumpkin Jeffrey’s grandma made, fired, painted and handed down to him. The black crow, owl and spiderweb cloth were all found on clearance after last year’s Halloween decorations went on 90%off!

halloween-kitchenThe entry to the kitchen is decorated with more fall leaves, the other half of the bat garland and a sweet Happy Halloween sign I found at Michael’s.

halloween-garlandI decided to leave up the happy fall felt leaf garland I’d made over the entryways to our bedrooms. They were too cute and happy to put away.

halloween-mantleThe mantle is my favorite part of our home to decorate for Halloween and Christmas. I change it every year and this year’s is definitely my favorite so far. The amazing skull bunting was found 6 years ago and is my favorite Halloween decoration. The giant canvas was painted by yours truly, as a nod to Jeffrey’s favorite Halloween movie, and the Jack and Sally were cut out by my Cricut.

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I made this fun googly eyed BOO! frame as a fun craft with my friend earlier this year. The sweet skull with the bowtie was a free printable from Persia Lou that I changed up a bit by using glitter scrapbook paper rather than gold flakes.

halloween-mantle-rightJeffrey and Soph made me Sophie’s foot cast for Mother’s Day this year and I think it’s the cutest thing ever, but also looks really creepy under the spider! I love the geometric/modern look of the Witch printable from Eighteen25 and even better, it’s free! The white pumpkin is my pumpkin to decorate when Jeffrey does his. We still have a few days, right?

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I have tons of other random pumpkins throughout the house and LOTS of awesome fall candles like ‘pumpkin waffles’ and ‘carmel cider’ so it feels like fall (and I’m constantly hungry.) I’ve done a few other Halloween crafts, that are not shown because they were fails, or I just didn’t finish them…like Sophie’s Spider Handprint shirt. We’re just going to say it was a spider that got smashed by Mommy. 🙂

Have you finished with Halloween decorations yet for this year? Do you decorate inside only or outside as well?

For more Halloween posts:

Halloween Street Sign

Halloween Ghost Toddler Shirt

Pin it for later:

DIY Halloween Home Tour

 

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Simplifying Summer Meals

Simplifying summer meals is key. As summer zooms by I look back and see all the BBQs, festivals, farmer’s markets and parties that we’ve been going to and think about all the fun we’ve been having. I also see delicious tasty treats when I picture those events which hasn’t been helping me achieve my goal of 1 lb per week until Sophie’s Birthday.

To catch you up, I wrote about how I want to lose 1 lb per week until Sophie’s Birthday October 5th (because it is an attainable amount of time) before I am comfortable to start trying to have another baby. My last pregnancy was painful because of the weight I’d put on and am trying to make it easier on myself for my next pregnancy. To lose 1 lb. per week I have been following my health coach Michael’s program through Thrive Culture. He helps me implement small goals that build throughout the year to slowly help me adjust to being healthier (correct portion sizes, eating slowly, getting good sleep etc.)

simplifying summer meals
Photo by Dominik Lowyears on Unsplash

Since summer started it has been a whirlwind of fun, knowing that once August and pre-school hit, we will be back to our normal routine. As such I have been making the most out of it with fun activities which does not always result in conscious meal planning. Sitting down to figure out what meals we want, ordering it on ClickList and following through to make them after a full day of fun is exhausting. I decided to give myself a break and simplify summer meals.

Simplifying Summer Meals

To simplify our family’s summer meals I’ve chosen staples that I know the family loves and we rotate between them. I have broken my meals down into two parts: Breakfast Foods and Main Meals. We make enough food for dinner that we’re able to take the leftovers for lunch the next day (which is why I lumped both meal times into Main Meals). I wanted to choose meals that had these three criteria:

  1. Fast & Easy
  2. Something Sophie will eat (she’s picky)
  3. Mostly Healthy

Here is how I’ve broken them down, including recipes to the ones that need a recipe:

Breakfast (choose 1)

  • Oatmeal with Chia Seeds, Nuts (almonds, pecans or walnuts), honey and berries (blueberries, strawberries or blackberries). On special occasions I’ll do honey, chia seeds and peanut butter.
  • Protein Shake with fruit, (I keep a mix of frozen fruit in the freezer or use fruit that is about to go bad- strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas) chia seeds, spinach, protein powder and greek yogurt. I’ll add in local honey if it’s especially tart.
  • Eggs with veggies (whatever I have laying around like spinach, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms). I usually make sausage links on Sundays for the week so sometimes I’ll have that with my eggs as well as a side of berries or an apple.

simplifying summer mealsPhoto by Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash

Main Meals

I know these meals don’t sound ‘summery’ but we still get our share of grilled goods on the weekends when visiting friends and family. If we’re ever feeling like something specific we can just add that one thing and know that we’ll have a meal that we won’t be able to cook on autopilot and schedule that for a day we’ll have plenty of time.

simplify mealsPhoto by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

It has worked out nicely since we’ve implemented this rotation of staple meals that we’re comfortable throwing together. It makes meal planning, ordering and prep way easier when we just choose from the list. We don’t have that feeling of ‘will everyone like it’ or ‘is it really only going to take 45 min to bake or will it end up being 1.5 hrs?’

What are some summer hacks you have for simplifying the chaos during these fun months? Pool time instead of baths? Yea, we do that too. 😉 Be sure to check out my friend Michael’s program. Right now he’s running a special where he’s giving away his Nutrition & Fitness for Busy Professionals for free (including my number one helper: the power of sleep)!

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Guest Room Makeover Reveal

Disclaimer – This post is sponsored by TheRoomPlace.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Tis the holiday season and my favorite gift to receive is someone’s time. Time is our most precious commodity and in this busy world with kids, work, music lessons, boy scouts and finding time for the gym it’s hard to come by a phone call let alone quality time with someone. We’ve been living back home in Indiana for a full year now and my sister has been a huge support to my family and myself. Naturally, I wanted to do something very special to show her how much her love, care and confidence means to me by giving her my time.

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My sister had been talking about wanting to update her guest room. The room is used sparingly throughout the year for friends and family, therefore forgotten between visits.  When they moved into their house it was a little boys’ room with a cute space decal on the wall but the room was in dire need of a more mature look.

little boy's room

The first step was to find a paint color that would be light and welcoming for her guests. Down came the decal and a light grey went on the walls. Instantly the room felt fresh and much bigger, despite switching out the full size bed for a queen size bed. The guest bed was a dark espresso which felt too large and heavy for the room. Upholstering a light floral fabric added whimsy and a more contemporary feel to the space. Changing the paint color and adding some fun fabrics is the first thing I do when updating a space.

My sister, Amy, is excellent at helping other choose paint colors, the perfect mirror for the entry and that vintage chair that would be a mistake to not own. Just like most of us, when buying accent pieces for her own home, she wants to find the perfect piece, which may lead to a year of indecisiveness. Since Christmas was coming I offered to choose a few pieces that would be perfect for this makeover and give them as their gifts this year.

Two nightstands and a lamp later I was ready to put it all together, add some accessories that were pulled from throughout her home. Thankfully the room reveal happened just in time for Holiday visitors!

Guest Room Makeover Reveal

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Keeping a light pallet while having touches of personality were the guidelines I had to follow. Young House Love  just aired a podcast that covered ‘What House Guests REALLY Notice When They Visit’:  1. Basic Amenities (toilet paper, towels, shampoo) 2. Pet Hair or Smell 3. Bad Lighting (no bedside lamp, too bright/dim areas) 4. Privacy (curtains, door to close) 5. Technology (wi-fi password, outlets for charging). I used those 5 steps in the update as well. I’d wanted to keep the nightstands fairly empty to leave room for a charging phone, book and cup of water which is why the Monte Floor Lamp was the perfect solution. It’s by far my favorite part of the room with it’s thick marble slab base and woven shade.


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Thanks to the RoomPlace I was able to design a comfortable, chic space for my sister’s guests to enjoy and relax in. I’m so happy my sister loved her guest room. It was really fun working on it with her because we have such similar design style for this sort of space. What kind of special touches have you seen in guest rooms that make you feel more at home?

 

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What to Pack: Family Camping Trip

hiking on our camping tripI was lucky enough to start my camping career while I was in diapers. I then went on to be a girl scout until I was a junior in High School. Needless to say, I’ve been tent camping almost every year for the past 31 years. If you’ve ever been camping, you’ll agree with me, that the hardest part about going on a trip is packing and unpacking. It’s stressful to remember what to pack each time you go and unless you have a set camping tote, a list is the best way to make sure you don’t forget anything. I’ve just recently been on a camping trip with my toddler and thought it time to edit my list to include necessities as a family.

Hiking on Camping Trip

What Should I Pack: Family Camping List

I will add a caveat, this is list is what I think are the necessities for camping. Some people may believe an RV to be a necessity while others may think this list is extensive. I am somewhere right in the middle where I prefer there to be running water, electricity for my boom box and restrooms nearby. Also, this camping trip was at the beginning of May, yet it was freezing. Be sure to prepare according to the weather forecast during your trip.

Interested in renting? Rent an RV with RVshare.

Family Camping Trip

family camping trip
What-to-pack-family-camping-checklist-_-Indys-Child-MagazinePrint out this free Family Camping Checklist for your summer trip!

I polled the other Indy’s Child digital writers and came up with this list of our top 5 Indiana camp sites:

  1. ‘My favorite so far is Timber Lake in Huntington. Great area not far from home. Beautiful lake and Zip Lines!’ – Luis
  2. ‘McCormick’s Creek SP. It’s the oldest state park in the system, gorgeous landscape for hiking, fishing and riding, and there are accommodations for anyone’s preference: An inn, cabins, electric campgrounds and rustic camping. It is probably the most understated camping spot in Indiana.’ –Jeanine
  3. ‘Turkey Run– I love that there is electricity, a pool, free concerts and the hiking trails are amazing. You’ve got to try the Ladder Trail!’ – Shelly {okay, so that’s me.}
  4. ‘So I’ve only been twice but Shades State Park for sure.’ – Pete
  5. ‘My family loves Brown County and Turkey Run! Brown County makes it easy to camp, or stay in the spacious family cabins. I love the trails, the horseback riding, evening hayrides, the cute campground store, the outdoor pool and the water park inside the Abe Martin Lodge, and we love to climb up the high lookout tower and take in the beautiful view. Turkey Run is awesome if you love outdoor hiking. The trails and rock formations are just beautiful!’ – Trisha

 Camping Scavenger Hunt

If you have little ones, don’t forget to bring along this Nature Scavenger Hunt! Let me know what you bring along on your camping trips and where you will be camping this summer!

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Keep Calm and Make a List

The beginning of the year is supposed to be the time we set our goals and organize our life to be happier, more efficient people. Right? It’s the 19th of January and I feel as though everything I’ve scheduled in my planner this month has gone by the wayside to make room for, what seems like, nothing. I lost an entire week to a sick toddler and rather than being happy to snuggle my little girl, comforting her in my arms, I felt anxiety over everything I wasn’t accomplishing. Now you know my biggest guilt. I wish I would have seen this quote then. Keep calm and make a list.

Making a list, especially during a time when I can’t accomplish that task, helps my mind calm down. Even if my list is 50 items long and entirely too much to accomplish in the time frame I’ve given, it helps to just write them out and prioritize them. Many times those items that aren’t checked off at the end of the week are things that I realize didn’t need to be done anyway. It’s most helpful for me to take an hour on Sunday morning to make my meal plan, order our groceries from the store and write out my most important goals for the week. If I’m good, I’ll write them out in my planner, but otherwise will just make a list and stick it to the fridge.

Keep Calm and Make a List
Keep calm and make a list

If you’re having a hard time focusing on what you should be spending your time with, make a list. If you feel like you’re completely exhausted at the end of every day, make a list, there might be a way to better prioritize your goals. I keep a notebook by my bedside so I can let all my ramblings out of my head and onto paper for better sleep. I never look at that list but it is there to help me sleep at night. Let me know what helps calm you when you’re mind won’t slow down.

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