From Sweet to SPOOKY

Good Morning. My plan was to do this post later in the week, but I have a sick kiddo at home so I have nothing but time on my hands. Our family loves decorating  for Halloween. I always start off with some fun pumpkins and a cute Fall sign. This is my part of the decorating.

 Loving the Fairy Tale Pumpkins......

And it is still sweet. I have had this Fall sign for so many years and I still love having on my front door even though its time there was short.

This did not last for long. The kids took over and  here is what they did........

We have spiders........and a cemetery.................

Some of our cemetery visitors~

These hands are no longer with us. Someone decided to take them from our yard. BOO to them!!!!

I love this guy. His head lights up on Halloween night. And yes, there is more. My kids had so much fun.

I don't know about all of you, but these type of decorations were not around when I was growing up. We have our carved pumpkins, some creepy Halloween music and some decals for the front door and maybe a cardboard skeleton that had movable arms and legs. Am I right??????

Whats with all the creepy black widows?? Even the plastic ones give me the shivers.

The webs in this picture are the perfect affect. Happy to take them down next Tuesday. They are stuck to everything.

The new boyfriend??????

 It's all for the kids. And we only decorate outside. Creepy crawlers and ghouls are not allowed inside. We don't want any unwanted nightmares here.

And now we have the SPOOKY house!!!  I have to say , I like it.

We are carving our pumpkins this weekend. Look for them next week and some pics of the kids in their costumes.

Hoping you all have a safe and very HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

Thanks for visiting

~ Cheryl

Childhood Memories Made Fresh and New

Hi Everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your week. It has been busy here and I am currently waiting on a plumber to come fix my garbage disposal :(, but other than that, I have no complaints. The weather here is gorgeous and the leaves are actually falling. It feels a little like FALL.

One thing I love to do when decorating is to use items in places they don't "officially" belong. I feel that it makes a house more charming and creates a story. The dresser below was mine and my brothers when we were babies. It was the most hideous mustard/brown color you have ever seen. No offense Mom:)

 After we were done using it, it ended up in a closet at my parents house, where it remained the same color and stored all my moms "crafty" things.. Then, when my son was born in 2000, it emerged and became his dresser. It was time to get to work. I sanded, painted, sanded and sanded more. And voila.... this is how it  turned out. I wasn't sure about the knobs, but I think they are quite cute.

After, he was no longer a baby, we redid his room and the dresser found a new home...our entryway to our house. I added the applique on the first drawer, which I love and changes the look.

This charming lamp sits on top of it! A flea market find...of course. It's the perfect chippy blue and cream and white.

It is also  home to one of my favorite vases and a great old plate that I have sitting backwards because I LOVE the worn out  and tattered look of it.

It makes me smile when I see this piece and all the years of memories that it holds. Try and put pieces in unexpected places.... I think you will love it.

Thanks for visiting, I hope you'll come back again soon:)

~Cheryl

Fresh Finds And Appreciation

Good Morning! Sorry I have been so absent this week, but it was BIG week in our house. My son went to 6th grade camp in Sequoia National Park. It was his first time away so I had a lot of anxiety!! Good news is that we all made it through and he had a FANTASTIC time!! It is tough to have your kids away and there was absolutely NO communication!! Yikes! I also turned 41and my husband left for a 3day golf trip on my birthday!!  I know your thinking "what???? on your birthday?????", but I told him to go. And yes, he did get me my NEW CAMERA!!!! Learning to use it may take some time, but I am up for the challenge. Yippee !!My birthday ended up great with lots of celebrating with friends and my daughter, Avery:)) I will celebrate my birthday with my son and husband tonight while Avery is off to her VERY FIRST slumber party. Another big moment for our family this week. I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life! Thank you all:)
Ok... now to the FINDS~

I found these books and this blue and white gravy boat at an Estate Sale a couple of weeks ago.

This gravy boat was hidden behind a bunch of pot and pans etc. on the stove. I saw the handle peeking through and grabbed it. I love how it is so.. aged. To me, that is PERFECTION.

Vintage books are so beautiful. I love collecting them, but they have to be the "right" colors. It is fascinating to read what other inscribed in the books. That is one of my favorite things about vintage books. All of these are from the early 1900's.

The one titled Celebrated Crimes had three others like it. They are listed on our Etsy shop.

This is part of a vintage runner. Even though the colors aren't mine, I loved its charm and had to have it!

 I LOVE Estate Sales. They are a great place to find treasures at  reasonable prices and you really get a sense of the history behind the items. You feel like you know who the people were by the items in their home.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I truly appreciate all the special people in my life and I am so happy to have my son home safe and sound!

Thanks for visiting.
:) Cheryl

Happy Friday

Wishing you all a Happy Friday and Wonderful Weekend. Jealous of all you lucky people who are heading to Remnants of The Past this weekend:) Can't wait to see all your treasures. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting:)

~Cheryl

Summer Memories

As I was buying pumpkins this past weekend and getting out the BOXES of Halloween decor with my kids, I realized how LONG ago summer seemed. The kids have been in school since August 23rd, but summer seems like a million years ago. I love Fall and all the holiday fun, but I also miss my world of no homework, sports or school activities. I long for relaxation, no schedules and fun in the sun;)  Here's a peek at our SUMMER OF FUN.....................

We were so fortunate to be able to go on a cruise to the Caribbean with my husband's whole family (24 of us in total) hosted by his generous dad and step mom to celebrate their 20 year wedding anniversary! It was the trip of a life time. We sailed on Royal Caribbeans  Freedom of the Seas.

This is Cococay in the Bahamas!  Dreaming of being on one of those blue lounges chairs right now.................

The picture above is a beach in St. Thomas. The kids loved putting on their snorkel gear and snorkeling right off the shore. There were beautiful fish everywhere. The next three pics are all St. Thomas too.

Leaving St. Thomas... this was the most beautiful scene. I took this off the balcony in our room.

I am noticing  that I really like to photograph different lounge chairs...Mmm.. What does that mean???

Later in July, we headed to LaQuinta with some friends of ours and their kids. We laughed for three days:) I love the orange/red sunsets there! It was HOT, so we stayed submerged in the pool the whole time. Not such a bad place to be.

Then we were off to visit our old neighbors and some family in the Bay Area! This was taken from a ferry boat as we headed to Sausalito. It is always a fun trip and we hate it when it is time to go:( My son and his friend Zip Lined in The City!! It was something they won't forget. I won't either, I almost had a heart attack watching them!!!!!!!!

Bye to summer. The picture is in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It's good to have such great memories that keep me going until next June and  summer can begin again;)))
Cheers to memories !!!
I hope you all have a great week !! Thanks for visiting!
:) C