a little fall DIY

One of the items on my rather ambitious November to-do list is to decorate my house for fall. So the other day, armed with a dozen pumpkins and gourds in various sizes, a few cans of spray paint, and some puffy paint, I attempted to recreate one of the many things I've seen and loved on Young House Love's blog. Below, is a pumpkin that I puffy painted dots on just by following the natural lines of the pumpkin and another that I puffy painted an 'S' on.




Next, I spray painted them white. I also spray painted a couple other smaller pumpkins in a yellowy orange color and a cool black cherry color. I made a runner for my console table out of burlap and wrapped some twine around a glass vase to add to the rustic, fall feel. Here's how it turned out:

girls night with woody & buzz

While I did not get very much (er...anything) crossed off my to-do list today, I did get to do something different with the girls tonight. I spent the evening with Ava and Emerson at Toy Story 3 on Ice, which is in Baltimore for the weekend. The girls loved it and I thought the adults around me all seemed to be enjoying themselves too. I did get suckered into buying not one, but two $10 snowcones because they were served in alien souvenir cups. But the looks on their faces watching the show were priceless and totally worth it!

detour

So, I'm gearing up to start my self-imposed 30 day challenge on Monday and instead of getting a few things knocked off my list early, I seem to be adding things to my list of what I need to get done during the month of November in order to come out the other side, a less-stressed, more-organized and together me. Last week I had sent back a pair of boots to Piperlime that I had ordered for Declan and had requested them in a bigger size. They call today and tell me that my adorable boots I had picked out for him in July are no longer available in the next size up and sorry about my bad luck! Here they are:

So cute, right? Well, now I have to find him new boots! I can go with Uggs, which are nice because they slip on and don't require socks (good for running out the door). On the down side, they're don't have the personality that the 1st pair had. They are also $90, as opposed to the first pair which were only $49! My other option is a pair of Clarks Wallabees, which are super cute and closer to the original pair (minus the orange laces!) and more reasonably priced at $50. They also come in sand suede. Hmmmm......

OR

my 30 day challenge

I know, I know.... I haven't blogged in a long time. I have an excuse. Actually I have four excuses ranging in ages from 2 1/2 months to 6 years. But, it's time! I really do like to blog. I enjoy it. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I finish a post. But, alas...it is not at the top of my priority list. It hovers near the bottom with going to the gym. But all that is about to change. I feel as though I am in need of a total life makeover. I feel like I am always just a step behind. I am always late. I am always tired. My house is always a wreck. I am always searching for something. I always have a to-do list that takes up 3 pieces of paper (front and back). My bed is never made. Dinner is never thought of until 10 minutes before it is served. The laundry is never caught-up. My beauty routine in the morning rarely consists of more than brushing my teeth and putting in my contacts. I wear yoga pants but don't go to the gym. I have approximately five unfinished projects going on simultaneously in my house. I need to get it together. This is my life, it's time to figure out how to live it. I need some order, some organization, some balance. So I am challenging myself to try to get my life together in the next thirty days. Starting Monday. You can't start a new routine/life-changing regimen on a Thursday night. Everyone knows you have to start on a Monday or on the first of the month. Well, lucky for me the first of November is also a Monday. They say it only takes 21 days to form a habit. I consider myself extra stubborn, so I feel that I need an additional 9 days. So, hence my 30 day challenge. Here are a list of things I would like to accomplish during the month of November:
1. Finish transforming the sitting room attached to my master bedroom into my fabulous new dressing room
2. Decorate my house for fall/Thanksgiving
3. Plan/shop for/cook/enjoy Thanksgiving dinner
4. Clean out garage so I can once again park my car in it
5. Take everything out of the attic & organize/label/donate/etc.
6. Clean/organize my office
7. Back-up all photos onto an external hard-drive
8. Wash/dry/fold/put away all laundry in the house & then do a load every day to maintain
9. Make my bed every day
10. Go to the gym every day
11. Plan & shop for dinners a week in advance
12. Finish my Christmas shopping so the month of December can be filled with decorating, cookie baking, cheesy-Hallmark channel movies, and driving around looking for the tackiest light displays instead of last-minute, anxiety-induced trips to the mall
13. Read my book for book club plus one additional book
14. Write at least one blog entry every day
15. Read to my kids every night before bed
16. Wash my face every night before bed (hey... no judgement!)
17. Only leave the house in work-out clothes and no make-up if I'm headed to the gym
18. Fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans (even the skinny ones)
19. Give myself a reasonable weekly budget and stick to it
20. Update passports
21. Schedule doctor appointments for the next 3 months
22. Write down all school activities, appointments, etc. in my planner and iPhone and chalkboard calendar
23. Spend less time on facebook and other time-sucking websites
24. Limit my weekly Starbucks expenditures to $20 (again...no judgement!)
25. Take kids for more brisk walks outside and less trips to the Target
26. Find more free things to do with the kids (i.e. story-time, apple-picking, crafts)
27. Take Finlay's 3 month picture on November 6th instead of days (ok, a week... and a half) later
28. Take a Christmas-card worthy picture of the kids
29. Pack kids' lunches and layout their clothes the night before
30. Drink more water

So that's my list. I could have probably kept going, but I figure 30 things in 30 days is ambitious enough. I will blog daily to update you all on my progress. Wish me luck!