Why Didn’t I Do This Earlier? Reusing Silica Gel Packets
We recently bought a mattress in a box from Amazon, but before I tell you THAT story, I have to tell you THIS story. This story is about the other thing that was in the box besides a squished up mattress. Giant silica gel packets. I’m not kidding you. These things were as big as my palm. And for the first time in my life, I thought, “Hey, Smarty Pants! Maybe you should reuse those silica gel packets.” The lightbulb burns bright around here every once in awhile. Do you reuse silica gel packets? If so, why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were friends! Friends tell friends smart…
New Way to Trick or Treat – Dock or Treating
I know it is November and we’ve moved on to other holidays, but I have to tell you about the neatest Halloween experience. We were introduced to a new way to trick or treat this year – dock or treating! I’m still giddy about it. We are fortunate to be spending time living in a lake community. These type of neighborhoods are fairly common where we live in the Northeast. Our neighbors organized a trick or treat event called ‘Dock or Treat.’ Homeowners living directly on the lake volunteered to be available to hand out candy from their docks. Some of them got really into it and even decorated their…
Happy List: #93
Hello! How was your week? How was Halloween? Our Halloween, if you follow me on Instagram, had a fun event and I’ll tell you about it next week. However, let’s focus on the now. Can you believe it is NOVEMBER!?! Yes, I know I say that every time we start a new month, but I am in no way prepared for the holiday hub-bub. This week was ALL about Halloween on the blog. I shared the pictures Handy Husband took of our mantel. Then I shared some pictures of Halloween and fall in rural New Jersey. On Instagram this week I shared some pretty great Halloween photos and on Facebook…
Halloween in a Small Rural Area
Happy Halloween! Ready for all those trick-or-treaters? Did you eat your stash of Halloween candy and have to run buy more? Twice. No? Yeah…that didn’t happen to me either. How would you like me to treat you to some pictures of autumn and Halloween in a small, rural area to get you in the mood for tonight’s festivities? “YES!” Oh good. There really was only one correct answer. I’m glad you said that! These are some pictures I took about ten days ago in a small town called Hope, New Jersey. Before you mention it, let me tell you it was still QUITE green then. We had a seemingly endless…
Halloween Mantel That Will Transition Into Thanksgiving
Last week I briefly explained that I enjoy the festivities of Halloween, but I’m not super into decorating for the holiday. However, I do a little to keep my kids happy. I do like decorating with pumpkins, mums and other items that give me all the fall feelings and a big bang for the buck by easily transitioning from Halloween into Thanksgiving. This fireplace is in our piano room and it’s hard to tell from the pictures, but it is a big one! The mantel is about 5-feet off the ground. The piano is directly to the right of the fireplace. I used black card stock – again – on my…
Happy List: #92
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad it’s Friday. I’m just a bundle of cheer today. It could be because this week I wrote about a super fun trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Or it could be because I shared all the card stock bats and mice taking up residence in my home. Who knows? Let’s roll with it and see what’s on the Happy List! ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP It’s soup season! HURRAY!!! This Zuppa Toscana Soup by This Mess Is Ours looks so warm and filling. It has Italian sausage, potatoes, bacon, cream… Did I mention bacon already? (image: This Mess Is Ours) YOU BELONG BY RACHEL PLATTEN If you…
Travel: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Are you a chocolate fan? Would it be blasphemy to say if you offered me a piece of chocolate or a gummy bear I’d probably take the gummy bear? Yes? Then I won’t say that. I’ll just tell you we visited Hershey, Pennsylvania. Do you know what’s located in Hershey, Pennsylvania? You do?!?! Was the clue in the name? Did I give it away? I did. I knew it. That’s right. Hershey is the home to The Hershey Company, which is known for its chocolate treats like Hershey Bars and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It is also home to several tourist attractions and since they all have the name “Hershey”…
Black Card Stock Halloween Decor
I’ve decided black card stock is the unsung hero of Halloween decor. Especially for those of us who would rather decorate with pumpkins than all the scary things. I cut out bat and mice shapes from a few pieces of black card stock and then randomly added them around my home in places that gave me amusement. Sounds like solid decorating advice, right? Do you remember my junky dumpster find that I turned into a 4th of July wreath and a rope mirror? Well, now that junky treasure is a fall wreath with a little black card stock bat attached. As soon as Halloween is over, the bat will be hibernating…
Happy List: #91
Hey Everyone! Does it feel like autumn in your part of the world? It finally does in mine. Temperatures have dropped and the leaves are finally starting to turn colors. (I think all the rain on the East Coast this summer slowed them down.) I’ll probably be over the cold temps way before short sleeve weather comes back though. Grass is always greener in a different season! On Monday I shared what I’m doing with the souvenir pennies my son is collecting. On Wednesday I shared a story about a broken pitcher, a headache and how I ended up on the kitchen floor thinking about empathy. My life sure sounds…
What a Broken Pitcher Taught Me About Empathy
On Sunday I was bustling around the kitchen making bread and granola. In the middle of that chaos the humans in my house wanted lunch, so I had a lot of different food projects going on at once. I pulled open the vegetable drawer in my refrigerator to get some carrots and thought it was odd that the drawer had liquid sloshing around in it. That’s never a good sign. Maybe the water in the bag of baby carrots had leaked? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like a good time to clean that drawer out. And while I was at it, I might as well clean the other vegetable…
