My best Halloween costume attempt was the year Tripp was 10, Callie 7 and Race almost 2 (8 years ago). Callie was Angelina Ballerina complete with home made nose, whiskers, ears and tail. She swears I made her carry the book, so everyone would know who she was. I don't remember that part, but I probably did.

Race was a little red devil!!!

I even made them each a matching candy bag.

Tripp was the Headless Horseman. We made his pumpkin head out of paper mache and a beach ball. The thing he is carrying is a lantern on a stick.

I'm not so good this year.... Race is a Clone Trooper from Party City, I don't even know Callie's plans yet, and Tripp is visiting his camp friends at the University of Arkansas. It's their Homecoming this weekend, and he's there for his official "campus visit". I don't know which is scarier, my house in these pictures before I worked on it or the fact I let my high school senior (yes, this innocent, young headless horseman) go on a college trip, not only for Arkansas' party weekend but also on Halloween! BOOO!!!!

Happy Halloween, Y'all!!

This mess, believe it or not, spells

P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S!

I love the creative process. I have all the time in the world to imagine what I want to do. I am constantly sketching designs, making lists of materials, searching for the inspirational eye candy, pouring through my treasured trinket stash. Is this why the only time I actually get anything accomplished is in the wee hours of the morning?! From this point on, I am only working set work hours. Well, after today, maybe. I'll be at Race's school all day for their fall festival presentations. Have a super day before Halloween!!

Pleeeaaase don't forget me.....
The good news about my absence, I am busy, busy working my fingers to the bone. My hands are a strange shade of purple, brown, yellow from dying leathers and lace. My poor fingers are calloused and raw from beading. Though this picture is old, I have all new designs almost ready for my trunk show next week. I can't wait to show them to you, and guess what, I will be adding a second blog in November to showcase and sell them to you, my friends, just in time for Christmas wish lists.

Welcome fall.

image: Eddie Ross

My mister is in Oklahoma for the start of deer season. Have a told you he's a hunter??

I think this would be his dream bed in his second childhood.

I stumbled upon Hiccupings this morning. What a bloggy find!!!

I also found my would be dream rooms while I was there.

I am okay with this one as a grown-up.

All pictures from Hiccupings.

Pumpkins are beginning to arrive.

They are finding their places.

Fingers are burning in anticipation.

Gertie has returned for her midnight tea.

Bats have been caged,

but are trying to get out.



Spiders are creeping,



Goblins are smiling.



Heads are shrinking.



Ready for the frolicking sugar frenzy to commence!

My Holiday Trunk Show is less than a month away!

I am not ready!!
I need some major inspiration...

... this will help!

I can't wait to get out in my yard this weekend to pull all the weeds trying to take over my beds, trim the ivy, prune the topiaries and finish out my fall color. What are your plans?

I must admit I live in a very masculine house.

Yes, it is warm and cozy.

Yes, I do love its Texas, country style.

Yes, I did love my grandmother's leggy, Edwardian tufted, red upholstered chairs. They added a bit of femininity and formality amidst the deer mounts and elk.

My husband discovered much to my dismay that they are not recliners.

Here are a few of my favorites that I have invited to my poor chair's funeral.

I'm hoping some will decide to stay.

I'm back!!
I certainly did not mean to be gone so long. I apologize sincerely for my absence, but thank you so much to those of you who continued to send me sweet comments and e-mails. Especially to you Jacqueline for even writing about me! To the followers who dropped me..... I must say I don't need fickle friends anyway.

So, where have I been?
At the mum shop of course. Slaving away over ribbons and bows, hot glue and bears, trinkets and bells, red and blue, white and silver.... It's all a blur now.

Texas Homecoming Mums 101:
The tradition of Homecoming mums supposedly started in the 1920's when boys would give their special HC date a live mum corsage with ribbons in their school colors to wear to the HC Football game. Over time glittered writing began to appear on the ribbons, trinkets were added, bells, bells and more bells became the rage, and eventually in the 1980's the real mum flower was replaced by an artificial flower. The ribbons got longer, bears or school mascots made appearances in the center of the flowers, and the trinkets and decoration became a sort of scrapbook of the couples interests and activities.

Seniors are traditionally solid white and silver. Some kiddos choose to have a bit of the school colors mixed in, their favorite colors or their future college colors.

Underclassmen's mums are in the school colors.


Girl's mums are long and are pinned on or have a ribbon to hang around their necks. They can be quite heavy.

Boy's mums are shorter "Garters" worn on bands around their upper arm. Cowbells make these too heavy to stay on, so they are generally loaded and I do mean LOADED with smaller noisy bells.

These lovelies can be quite expense, well over $100, so a number of years ago our high school PTA decided to open our own "Mum Shop" run by parent volunteers to save money for the kids and raise money for the school. We rent a store front a block from the school from June through our HC date, and settle in making the mums from start to finish. A lot of the basic ribbon cutting and construction is done by the students earning them service hours through their various clubs and organizations. There are mothers who make the name loops, braids, fluffy bows,dress bears and finish (putting all the wonderful goodies on), not to mention the sales staff. I am a finisher, bear dresser and bear designer (I am very proud to say). We are able to make a much nicer product at half the price of a florist. This year we made 1,000 mums bringing in around $50,000. About $35,000 of this should go directly back to the school. Volunteers sign in their hours under their children's organizations, so the money is divided by the volunteer hours.

Do you think we are crazy??!!?? Not at all. This is my favorite volunteer job. I get to visit with other mothers and friends that I only see at this time of the year. People take time off work to volunteer, and believe me, this is one time I truly know every bit of gossip out there!! Our kids get away with nothing from August to October.

What is crazy is the entire week it took to recover and catch up on sleep. This could have something to do with the fact that I chaperoned my Senior's after party at the lake for two days, another story for another day.

(Click on the following pictures to see the details)

Tripp's Senior garter. The theme this year was "Vegas", so his has some Vegas goodies as well as a Swim Bear sporting his State Medal!!!
Callie's first mum!!!! As a freshman, hers is all blue and red. You can't see it very well, but her bear is a Softball bear with a bat and ball, and giant bow on her head.

There are "group" mum exchange parties where the couples all get together for desert and to exchange their mums with their dates. The parents are invited to take pictures. Callie and her date both had games that night, so they just exchanged at our house.

The bottom of Callie's date's garter.

The bottom of Tripp's date's garter. Check out her cowbell with the hat. We added red in with the traditional white.

Tripp's date's mum modeled by me!!!!

Callie's date's, Tripp's date's and a garter for the swim coach just to annoy him. He is from Michigan and just can't understand why we do this.

Happy Homecoming fellow Texans!!!!