Pumpkins!

We decided to invite a few of our artist friends over last weekend for a rousing night of pumpkin carving!  Honestly, I haven't carved one in many years....probably since high school.  While that might be bad, Ben and his sister Shannon had NEVER carved pumpkins!

Remember folks, they grew up overseas.  Its quite difficult to get a pumpkin in Islamabad.

Ben was quite excited to carve his first pumpkin.  His inspiration did veer far from his daily taste...the Natty Boh Can.  He also didn't veer too far from our costumes last year...

Halloween B-More Style Circa 2009-  Yes, I am the Utz Girl.

 The creative juices started to flow...

Kelly's Sketch

I found these great white pumpkins that looked like the perfect canvas for cool skull head pumpkins, so Shannon got to work on "Los Dias De Muertos"  Skulls.

Want to see the final product?

A bit blurry, but you get the idea!  The beautiful owls were done by Caitlin and Kelly.  Ben's Natty Boh head lights up the night.  Shannon carved two awesome skulls.  And me?

A funny cat of course :)

Study in Fall Leaves

There is a beautiful tree on the end of our street that has the most vibrant leaves.  I decided to wander down to capture some of the colors of Fall.

Then I decided to have a little fun with the images:  Graphic Pop Art Interpretations

If I didn't have to work...

If I didn't have to work, I really think I could make a blog like this one: www.younghouselove.com.

Sherry and her Husband started this blog a few years ago, and it became so popular that they QUIT THEIR JOBS and they are running this blog FULL TIME!  She decorates her house (her style tastes are similar to mine I think....only more creative....), takes pictures of it and gets paid to do it.  What a dream.

She has great taste and I like looking at the crafty stuff she comes up with while working from home. I love what she has done with her home.  But I think if I wasn't teaching music all day, I think I would enjoy this line of work. 

Example:
Her Dining Room:

Simple, but stylish.  The colors look like....

My Dining Room...Remember I posted this earlier...

Hers is more polished, but I think there is a similarity.  OH and see those shelves in Sherry's dining room?  Here are the shelves I just put up in the living room (well wait, I'll be honest...I tried to put them up, but Ben had to fix them when everything came crashing down because of faulty installation, oops)

Another blog I enjoy is http://bowerpowerblog.com/
This girl has nice ideas as well.  


Hmm I guess I'll just use these gals as inspiration.  Way to make your home life your work life!

Strange Critters in the Neighborhood

Maybe its the changing weather, maybe its our proximity to the forest, but for whatever reason our house has been inundated with strange critters.  Of course, I feel the need to photograph these crazy creatures.  Stink bugs will NOT be featured in this post, but do know that I see at least 20 of them everyday. 

First off, the grasshopper.

Then came the Praying Mantis.

We also had a visit from a few mice, but no need to worry...Ella caught both of them.  She didn't kill them either!

Ella's Catch.

Cat in Action

The perks of owing a house I suppose.

October Decor

October is here!  My absolute favorite month. Fall is just the best time of year.  I love the weather, I love the leaves, I love the smells, and I love the feeling. Cider, pumpkins, festivals and German beers all come to mind.  I thought it would be nice to celebrate its arrival with some festive dining room decor...on the cheap of course.