One More Day 'til Halloweena!

That's what we called it when I was little. I haven't thought of that word for years and it just popped in my head the other day. What an amazing day. I don't have any bad memories about this spooky holiday. I can remember years when it rained and we couldn't go outside. I remember years that were not as exciting as others. But NEVER have I not loved Halloweena. Here are the reasons why I love "Halloweena":

1. I won't even begin to recall each costume. I don't think I could even tell you half of them because my memory is SO bad. What I do know is that this crazy special holiday never involved store bought costumes or treats made without love. My mom made this holiday (most holidays actually) over the top special. It's a gift she possesses. She would stay up all night long hemming, stitching, glue-ing, and pressing. We would wake up to these amazing feasts of fabric. Because of her vision, I was the most beautiful Cinderella there ever was or has been. Robin was the most juicy set of grapes, the truest Dorothy, and even Barbie and the Rockers back when she had more fans than Hannah Montana.
2. It was never about candy, what we would get, who's costume was more expensive, or how much candy we could eat. Well, hold on....I'm sure it was like that last one at least a little!But looking back the best part was walking around the neighborhood with friends holding treat bags and pillow cases. It was the excitement we felt when we were finally old enough to go around the block instead of just staying in our cul-de-sac. It was about carving the pumpkin setting it on the porch for all to see. It was about checking out the spooky houses and getting that funny feeling of fear in our tummys.
3. It was about crafting. It's no wonder I am a crafter. My earliest memories of crafting stem from this haunting holiday. It wasn't just about the cauldrons and witches brew though. It was about leaves and the beginning of Autumn. It was about baking yummy treats and coming home to after school snacks.
4. Remember having to check the TV Guide for your favorite shows? I remember getting this old flashback and power reading it to find out when "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was coming on. And then, I would hound/irritate my mom until the day of.

I've been trying over the past years to really pass on my love for the spook. I think that I've succeeded. The kids beg to go to the halloween section of Target. We walk around the block to see all of the tombestones and monsters decorating the neighborhood. They have been SO patiently waiting. And now...tomorrow...it all comes out and we get to have the spookiest day of the year!

We're going to Schnepf tonight. I'll post tomorrow with some super duper shots of Peter, Tink, and Brother John. I wish you all a...

"Happy Halloweena"

Hugs-Amanda

Kids Say Funny Things!

Mr. Duff and I bought a deep freezer today! Yay me. I have been struggling with freezer space since the dawn of time. I have to rearrange everytime I go to the market and it's a big fat pain. Since I've become more of a "buy when it's on sale" kind of girl, the freezer has just gotten too small. I am SO excited! So, we started straightening the garage so that the freezer would have a nice new home and ended up really cleaning the joint! We had our mini helper sweeping and laughing. It was great.

We ended up finding a car cover that had been purchased eons ago so we covered the fast car with it. We'd looked for that stupid thing so many times. I was kind of irritated that we found it actually. I was hoping to get Mr. Duff a new one for Christmas...oh well.

I know, I know...where is this crazy story going. Hang on!

So, we get ALL done and we start calling Grant to come in the house. He ran from us as usual and we all laughed. Then he said while pointing his finger to the car "daddy, fast car hiding."

We DIED laughing!

Totally off topic but completely "blogworthy" as my friend Rebekha Pailliotet would say, I found a SUPER cool site today. It's called lollychops and I will be using her printables often this holiday season. She has a rockin' printable tags, cards, and recipes.


Then, I found these gorgeous single serving pies in a jar! Check it out. Lollychops has printable gift tags for the jar lids.

...vaseline

Isn't it just creepy? The texture, the smell, the never-goes-away residue?? Ichkkk.

So, Grant and I were at a friend's house today and Grant kept going upstairs. Well, he came down and had vaseline all over his fingers. I wanted to vomit. Thankfully I was relieved from duty just in time....

Me "Hey, remember that vaseline song?"
Her "Yeah" as she breaks into Stone Temple Pilots, "flys in the vaseline we are.."
Me "Not that one..." And I started to sing.

Can you guess which one I was singing? Well pickles, who the heck knew there was more than one song about the grossest substance on the face of the planet??

Saving Money with Coupons

Lately I've been really enjoying getting back into coupons. I think it's beyond "saving money" and more like a game. I enjoy the rush I get when I save more than I spend. Here are two sites I visit regularly to save:

http://mycouponlady.com/

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

spook⋅y

spook⋅y  /ˈspuki/
Spelled Pronunciation [spoo-kee]

–adjective, spook⋅i⋅er, spook⋅i⋅est. Informal. 1. like or befitting a spook or ghost; suggestive of spooks.
2. eerie; scary.
3. (esp. of horses) nervous; skittish.

This is Grant's new favorite word. Both of my boys have inhereted my passion for all things that go bump in the night. "It's bananas" as Rachel Zoe would say. When we pull into Target now, Grant says "Mom, go see the spooky!"

In the spirit of my favorite holiday, here are a few [spoo-kee] shots.

http://domesticbliss-domesticbliss.blogspot.com/

http://www.kmckaydesigns.com/

Okay, so this one isn't spooky, but man....it's HOT! It's from the photo shoot for InStyle. I will for sure be making that mag a priority!

P.S. As a reminder, I {heart} Edward.