Gratitude Day 6

I am in awe of nature's astounding beauty. 

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Genesis 1: 14-19

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.  God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,  to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

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Monster House Costume

My youngest child never wants to buy Halloween costumes from the store. He always wants me to make his costumes. I don't even know where he got the idea that I could make his costumes. The problem is I don't really know how to sew so I'm always hard pressed on what costume to make.  I made this costume 5 years ago when he was still small.  I wish I took more pics from start to finish.  But these few pics are all I have.  

I used one big box for the house and another box for the chimney and the protruding window.  I used shipping tape to adhere the window and the roof is actually the flaps of the box taped up. I cut the the arm holes, windows, door, and the flaps of the shingles which is also the eye holes. Then I papier-mâchéd the entire box to reinforce the strength of the box.  

Paper Mâché Paste Recipe

Flour and Water

Mix 1 part flour to 2 parts water until you have a thick glue-like consistency. You want it a little runny. You can add more flour if needed. If you live in a high-humidity area add salt to prevent mold. Mix until there are no more lumps.

Allow to dry overnight and paint. I used acrylic paints.

I also bought a big car wash sponge from the dollar store and glued it inside the roof for cushion because the box was slightly heavy. I used a white styrofoam plate for the teeth, yellow paper for the windows and stretched a couple of big-sized cotton balls to form hazy smoke for the chimney. I used Elmer's glue to glue it all, nothing fancy. 

eye holes

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This project was shared at:

Happy Hour Projects Freestyle Fridays

Roca & Company

DIY Showoff

The Shabby Nest


No Minimalist Here


DELICATE Construction


the letter 4



Where Nothing Good Comes Easy

Autumn Splendor at the Dallas Arboretum

Fall is my favorite time of year! Every time I think of fall I break out in song in my head with Frank Sinatra singing along with big orchestra music "Love is a many splendored thing...love is nature's way of giving..."  and I feel like tap dancing or twirling. There's something about the cooling of the air and the vibrant colors of the red, orange, and yellow flowers and leaves that makes me feel refreshed and ready to accept hordes of people into my home for the holidays. Not really, but it helps.

We visited the Dallas Arboretum last Halloween. This was my first visit to the Arboretum even though I've had free entry tickets to this place for more than 18 years. Because my tickets didn't have an expiration date they still accepted them.  I received the tickets from Dale Groom "The Plant Bloom" whom I worked with at a local talk radio station. He'd probably be disappointed if he knew it took me 18 years to get to the Arboretum. But I digress.

In the fall the Arboretum sets up a Pumpkin Patch Village with houses made out of pumpkins. The pumpkin houses are inspired by storybooks that have a pumpkin in the story such as Cinderella and Sleepy Hollow. There are thousands of pumpkins everywhere. I never knew there were so many different types of pumpkins. It is really amazing. I would love to come back during Christmas time to see how the Arboretum displays the flowers and plants on the 66 acres of beautiful landscaping.

This is my favorite pic with the crepe myrtles. It makes me think of Lothlorien in Lord of the Rings.

Apple Gourds

See the storybook on the left?

This is Cinderella's house.

Afterwards we went to eat dinner at PF Changs. Our waiter looked similar to Orlando Bloom 

but I don't have a pic of him.

Random: These are some guys we met at the mall dressed for Halloween.