An Early Halloween.....And Christmas...

The highlight of Halloween for Ashley and David....Pumpkin Carving!

Ashley's lip isn't that big or distorted! LOL! Anytime she draws or does anything "artistic," she sticks her tongue out to one side of her mouth. And what is really funny, Kevin and I both have also done it since childhood!

And the family tradition carries on to David...see the tongue! LOL!

David giving his pumpkin EARS....

Ashley had "difficulty" getting the top of the pumpkin off.

She cut and cut and cut...and wanted to know if we had given her a "trick pumpkin!"

Oh Me, the dear child should been "a blond!" LOL!

Finally, progress.....

Pumpkin guts were a flyin'....

...causing the pumpkins to lose their lunch.....

I know, pretty gross, huh??? LOL!

And what one does, the other has to "up it!"

(or at least copy!)



We added our frightful creations to the front porch Fall Display.

And to change gears a little, or Seasons...

Ashley and I, are headed to church tonight, to pack shoe boxes full of goodies for Operation Christmas Child. (Samaritan's Purse ~ Franklin Graham Ministry)

I look forward to putting these together every year, just imagining the little children who will receive them! :)

(Click on the picture below if you would like to learn more about this wonderful ministry...)

Items we've gathered over the last month, ready to go.

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Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! ...and enjoys plenty of treats!

Candy has no calories on Halloween, Dont'cha know??? :) ~Rhonda

Moving Memorial....

A couple of weeks ago, the Moving Vietnam Memorial Wall traveled to our little town, and was on display 24 hours/day, for 5 days.

Ashley went with her school during the opening ceremonies. So, David and I went a few days later, and then for the closing ceremony. He and I both are history buffs.

Below, David is signing the guest book....

I grew up hearing stories of one of the young men listed on the board below. His family went to our church, and a monument was erected in honor of him on our community~center grounds.

The traveling monument has been on tour for more than 20 years. It is a half size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veteran Memorial. The first one was displayed in 1984, in Tyler, Texas, and there are now two. It took three years to get the Wall to our county.

Our family was fortunate to not lose any family members that served. But, regardless of how you feel about war, or if you if didn't lose a loved one, you can't help but be affected by the names of heroes that line that black shiny wall. It is indescribable and overwhelming. ...reminded that the price of freedom is not free, and many have payed the largest price of all.

Closing Ceremonies...

The white chairs with slipcovers of black and gold stars, represent a tribute to the twenty fallen soldiers of our county.

The Closing Ceremony was very short. The Twenty-Third Psalms was read....

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in the green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leaded me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, for thou art with me: Thy rod and staff, thy comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

~What an encouraging and most appropriate passage to read and rely on.
In the "trenches" of life and when facing "our enemy," which can come in many different forms, we do have a Shepherd who watches over us, offering us solace, peace, and comfort.

"...I shall not fear, for thou art with me...."

~Rhonda

...Step Away From the Spray Can, and Noone Gets Hurt!

Here it is, approximately 9-10 weeks until Christmas,

and I am still creating Fall projects and tweaking my vignettes!

....Any excuse to spray paint! ~ I think it is becoming an obsession!

Hope you aren't growing bored with Fall as Coco seems to be! LOL!

I have just a few more projects to share.

I found the pumpkin below at the Goodwill last summer. Wanted to try my hand at a Monogrammed Pumpkin, so I spray~painted this one white, for a base.

Painted a "G" on it and created a Fall vignette on top of the TV armoire.

A couple of weeks ago, Ashley and I found the three pieces below at Goodwill. I don't know what they're called, but they certainly are versatile and add interest to a vignette.

(The brown piece was used above, on the left.)

I didn't care for the white finish, so I "washed them" with brown paint and then added them to my Fall vignette on the mantel. I know that "less is more," is the proper decor of today. But it just looked so bland and blah, so I have added to and tweaked til I finally am satisfied with it! :)

I also added "burlap" ribbon to the display above and under my pumpkin truck below. Found the brown maple leaf placemat at Wal-mart.

I think I am finally done! LOL!

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Thanks for the "Warm Welcomes" Back to Blogland! I feel so loved! :) I did miss you guys and am still making my rounds to get caught up!

I'm off to watch, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, tonight. The kids and I have looked forward to it for weeks!

Hope you are all having a great night! ~Rhonda :)

A "Martha Moment"...

Hi Guys! Remember Me??? LOL!

I've suffered a serious case of blogger withdrawal while away and missed everyone!

My computer is still down, ....been too busy to try and fix it. But I realized today, that I could post and blog from Ashley's laptop! :) ...Don't know why I didn't think of that before.

Anyhow, I have an abundance of material backlogged, so I have tons to share! Now I just have to figure out where to start, LOL........

How about with a "Martha~inspired" project!

Remember a few Christmas' ago, when Martha "glittered" inexpensive dime store birds and they looked amazing, like a million bucks??? ....okay, maybe a half a million! :)

They were super cute!

I gathered feathered birds from the dollar store and glitter in all colors, the finest that Wal-mart had to offer. (I'm limited on craft materials in our small town.) Unfortunately, my birds turned out really gaudy and cheap looking, due in large to the "school~project" quality glitter.

Wal-mart now offers a new line of Martha Stewart Glitter in many glorious colors!

I am in glitter~bling heaven!!!

~~~

My first (good) Glitter~Project....

Acorns!!!

Step 1: Glue the "tops" back on the acorns....

Step 2: Coat the acorn with Elmer's Glue, and sprinkle on a little glitter.


Now for a container....

Found a glass canister in the pantry, hot~glued a Dollar Tree Candle Holder to the bottom....

Step 3: Filled the container with a mixture of glittered and "natural" acorns....

I think Martha would be much more impressed with the acorns than my sad attempt at the Christmas birds! LOL!

(Maybe I will try the feathered friends again with the new glitter!)

It may take me several days to get caught up with everyone's blog! "Talk" to you all soon! :)

~Rhonda

Be Back Soon...

Blogger and my Computer are unfortunately "not playing well together"...

I'll be back whenever I get the problem figured out!

Miss you guys! :) ~hugs, Rhonda

Great Dames of Pink Saturday...

Last week, my friend, Cindy, at Just another Day in Paradise did a test to determine what Great Dame she most resembled.

To take the test, you can go to: http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-classic-dames-test

I decided to play along and was paired with the legendary Bette Davis.

My result for The Classic Dames Test ...
Bette Davis
You scored 31% grit, 5% wit, 48% flair, and 36% class!
You're one smart cookie, and you know it. You also know how to let everyone else in on the deal. You are in charge and keep everyone in line with your biting wit and cutting remarks. You're charming when you need to be, and the light sparkles behind your eyes. But when cornered, you can act, but quick. You're always ready with just the right come-back. You go your own way and have your own, unique way of tackling life. It's not a great idea to cross you; you can cut down the competition with one well-chosen line. Your leading mean include Errol Flynn and Paul Henreid, men who like a feisty gal.

Upon reading her biography, I learned that she could be "quite difficult," so I was not real excited at my results. LOL! However, it did make for an interesting PINK post!

In 1938, Bette Davis starred in Jezebel, which earned her the academy award that year.

During the movie she wore the beautiful PINK diamond ring below, made famous by her spoiled Southern Belle role.

Consequently she died years later of Breast Cancer, and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month....

My heart and prayers go out to those affected by this dreadful disease, and in hopes that we will soon find a cure!

Hope you are all having a wonderful PINK Saturday!

For more PINK, visit Beverly, at How Sweet the Sound!

By the way, I retook the test, and came up with Katherine Hepburn as a match!

#11, Was the easiest question for me to answer on the quiz...

If you were alone stranded on a deserted island, what would you do?

My answer: Decorate my Hut! ...of course! :)

Your result for The Classic Dames Test ...
Katharine Hepburn
You scored 24% grit, 0% wit, 57% flair, and 29% class!
You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.