Ideas For Fall From Southern Living

Southern Living is my "go to" magazine.  I can't wait for the new issue to arrive in my mailbox each month.  When it arrives I patiently wait for the kids to go to bed and read it from cover to cover uninterrupted.  Sometimes my ritual is interrupted, and I can not read the magazine on the day that it arrives.  I do not like it when this happens and all is not right with the world until I have read the latest issue.

I was searching their website for ideas for Thanksgiving decorations.  As I said before, I usually do not decorate for Thanksgiving, but I thought something might inspire me this year.  As I was searching their website, I ran across this video.  You can view 100 fall photographs in less than two minutes.  I thought I would share it with you.  Thanks Southern Living!!!  You never disappoint me!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815825658?bclid=40223661001&bctid=39618197001

Another sports season comes to an end...

Little O decided to play baseball for the very first time this fall.  I will admit that I was against it at first.  It wasn't that I didn't want him to play, but Big T was playing football this fall too.  I knew that I could not be in two places at once.  However, Jim and I found a way to juggle the games and we survived...just like everyone who faces the same problem.

Little O had his last game last night. He had a wonderful experience and his coaches were great. His team may not have won a single game, but they had a great time the whole season. The highlight of the season had to be when a little man got his first hit ever and later scored! I think the whole team (and parents) celebrated an entire inning. Here are some pictures from the last game. You will notice there are more of Little M than of the baseball player. It was the only way I could make M stay in one place.

Remember Me?!

I apologize for not having a new post lately!  It seems that the children's schedules, work, and life in general has caught up with me!  We have had a very busy nest lately!  Football season has come to a close for the oldest child and we have one more week of baseball season left for child #2.  We have been working on school projects, Halloween costumes and school work in general.  I have been a busy bee grading papers and getting report cards ready to go out!  Does any of this sound familiar to any you?  I am sure I am preaching to the choir! :)

Any way......a new holiday season is upon us!  I can't decide if I will have any Thanksgiving projects to write about or if I will go straight to Christmas.  I have a feeling I will go straight to Christmas.  I am not trying to dis Thanksgiving, but I usually don't decorate for this holiday.  To be honest, by time I finally get all my Halloween decorations down it is time to start decorating for Christmas!  There I said it!  I know I should put them away the day after, but I am not that organized.  However, maybe this will be the year the decorations are packed and put back in their place before December 1st!

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Whimsical Halloween Decorations

I miss magazines!  Some of my favorite magazines are no longer in publication and it makes me sad.  A few years ago, I was reading Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and saw this front porch in an article.  We had just moved in to our old Victorian house and had the perfect porch to recreate this look.

I studied the pictures and here is my version of the porch.

I started with clear Christmas lights from Home Depot.  I used the larger, old fashioned lights and not the smaller Christmas tree light.  I bought about 20 yards of black tulle.  It takes a lot of tulle, but luckily I got it on sale for under $1  yard at JoAnn's.  I cut the tulle into 18"strips.  Then I looped the tulle around the cord skipping every other space between the lights. (I looked back at the picture and I actually randomly placed the tulle on the wire.  However, last year I skipped every other space.)

I filled in the empty spaces with orange paper lanterns that I bought from Luna Bazaar and paper that I bought from Party City.  The glittered skulls were purchased several years ago from my favorite store The Vintage Flea, but I found these wooden skulls at Michael's this year for $1.50.  You can glitter them yourself!!

I had planned to paint jack-o-lantern faces on the lanterns but that may have to wait until next year.I also found glittered skulls, bats and spiders at Target for $4 in black, green and turquoise.  Click here to visit the Target website.

Here is how the porch looks during the day.

How do you like my porch?  I like how it looks at night and the boys like it too.  Baby Mac squeals and claps every time he goes outside.  By the way,  I still have that magazine and look at it often this time of year.


Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

If you would like to know who won our last giveaway please click here!

And The Winner Is....

Jennifer from All That Glitters!  Please email me to claim your prize!  Thanks to all that entered and a big THANK YOU to Dondee Hicks from Artist Tree!  Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and you need to check out her website.  She has great a turkey door hanger and super cute snowman too!  I think I will purchase this for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I plan to have a giveaway for November and December so please check back with me. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

I'm Back!!!

The family took a little trip to Disney World this past weekend.  We are back home now and ready to start our week.  I will announce the winner of the final Artist Tree giveaway tomorrow.  I will also have another Halloween post later this week!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Columbus Day!

Halloween Birthday Party

My friend Kari and I both have children the same age.  Last year was their 6th birthday, and we decide to throw a joint Halloween birthday bash.  Their birthdays are actually during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  However, if you have children whose birthdays are during those two seasons, you know that it is nearly impossible to find a date for a birthday party.

We used Christmas light, tulle and paper lanterns to decorate the her garage.

I use stitch witchery to attach different ribbons to the orange burlap table runner.  I was inspired by an article in the September/October 2009 issue of Mississippi Magazine.

We ordered 4 different types of spooky cupcakes that both boys and girls would enjoy.  Here is an example of our creepy crawly cupcakes.  We also had werewolves, witches hats, and black cats.

Each guest took home one of these adorable cookies. 

We attached these stickers on the back of each cookie.  We purchases the stickers on Etsy.com from a store called Max and Bella. 

We served our Swamp Water punch in these festive sugar rimmed glasses with a gummy worm garnish.

The powdered donuts were used for one of our games.  I attached raffia ribbon to each donut and we hung them from the branches of a tree.  The children had a race to see who could eat his or her donut first without using their hands.  We have no idea who won!  The children were just having so much fun trying to eat the donuts.

We hung the donuts at different heights to accomodate our guests. 

 After the donut eating contest, everyone was treated to a hayride.  What would a Halloween party be without a hayride? 

 Here is just one more shot of the vampire eating a donut.  He was so darn cute, and I just could resist sharing just one more!

We had balloon relay races!

We also had an area set up for parents to take a photo of their little goblin.  Below is my little one posed for the camera.

The little poodle was too cute for words!

Afterwards, the children played Pin The Tale On The Cat.

Each table was decorated with candleabras, halloween confetti, and glittered spiders and skulls.

We even had treats for the moms and dads.  We had an adult beverage station set up in the backyard. 

  We had so much fun planning the party and I think everyone had a great time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest