Did you know that you can make and ear of corn by stacking candy corn? Shocking!! But does it really work? And how can you use it for a fun Halloween game? Come find out... A few days ago, I was on Facebook and a shocking post came across my screen. Candy Corn stacked up in the shape of an ear of corn, with the tag line, "How old were you when you realized it's called candy corn because if you stack it up, it looks like corn?" Um. WHAT???

We were late for a birthday party, but that was nothing new. Working, renovating and taking care of the kids had me on the ropes. I was trying to do it all and semi-succeeding, but I was never on time. The party was a good thirty minutes away at a bakery. A bunch of five year olds, their parents and any tag-a-long siblings were going to make a dozen of their very own, custom created cookies. It was going to be a messy endeavor and the outfit my daughter was wearing was definitely not appropriate. Brand new and black. When I asked her to change, she was fine with the idea. Ever agreeable, she pulled out a little pink dress that we were both happy with and I said, Great. Let’s go . No.

Several years ago, I sat at the computer and wrote down some of the DIY jobs on my seemingly never-ending to-do list and called it The Project Pile . I carefully chronicled what needed to be repaired, completed or totally made over in this tiny little cottage of mine, in the hopes that by putting it out there for all the world to see, it would provide me with the motivation to find the time I needed to actually get it all done. Did it work, you ask? Well. Sort of.

Decorate your house for Halloween with a dollar store treat bag banner. Make the kids happy and still get the elegant look you like. It's like having your decor treat and eating it, too... I am not a big fan of Halloween. As a matter of fact, last year I was thrilled that everyone here was way too old for trick or treating and I no longer had to participate in this, my least favorite holiday of the year. Even better, I was finally able to decorate my way in October. I ignored Halloween altogether and dressed my home for fall instead. There were no spider webs on my front door, no cardboard cats, no vinyl cling witches and no orange. Well, very little orange.

My sister is an amazing second hand shopper. She finds the most unique and valuable items. She has an eye for it and great instincts and she often brings me home very cool thrift store treasure s. So I was not at all surprised when, last year, she presented me with this Christmas craft book that she picked up for a buck. Debbie Mumm's 12 Days Of Christmas. Fabulous.

Can you see grief? How long is an appropriate length of time to grieve after the loss of a loved one and just because you can't see someone doing it, does it mean they're done? My mom passed in January. She'd been sick for a long time and while her passing was not at all unexpected, it was still jarring. As death most often is.

Decorate your home for pennies this fall, with these ten fabulous home decor crafts.  Oh fall.  While it certainly isn't my favorite season, being the devout summer girl that I am, I do love the extra time for crafting and decorating I suddenly have, as I'm forced indoors. There's something about all those jewel tones that get my creative juices flowing. I think I do my best work in fall.  And I certainly do a lot of it. 

Grab an inexpensive plastic Adirondack chair from the local hardware store and give it an elegant makeover with black spray paint for your shaded garden or patio area. This weekend, I was having brunch at my friend Liz's house. It was a beautiful late September day at the beach so we ventured outside for a bit to her elegant patio area. Nestled into the hillside, overlooking the water, Liz created a fabulous sitting area, complete with a fire pit and four very stylish black Adirondack chairs.

Growing up, if you had told me that I'd live in a house filled with braided rugs , I would've laughed and said no way. Too old fashioned.  Ironically, as an adult, my tastes and needs have changed and I've become the queen of braided rugs. One became two, two became four and now I think I have multiples in just about every room.