Halloween-ish house

Last year, at Halloween, we were still surrounded in box after box.

(Wow!  Does time fly.  I can't believe we have been Coloradans for 1 year now.)

This year I determined to be decorated by the middle of October. 

(It helped I was hosting the neighborhood Halloween Bunco party on the 15th)

 I love my fireplace....

It is really hard to decorate though 

because it is massive

& 

because it is a 2 story room, it goes all the way up!

 One of my obsessions this season is 3D letters. 

 I made these fall letters

out of old shoe boxes and cereal boxes.

(Now I want a whole 3D alphabet wall, watch for XYZ to come first.)

 These are my take on a Pinterest find.  

It took 1/8 of a yard of stripe fabric, and some black scrap fabric.

I sewed little magnets into the the top 

so we can rip em down when we need/want the fireplace on.

And the pumpkins in the tub...

in 2009 I had a great idea to have the kids write what they were thankful for.

We then embroidered them into the stripes. (Grant and Billie did their own sewing

and I helped James do his.)

I wanted a little keepsake of their handwriting and their thankfulness.

(This will probably be the last time with THIS particular tradition. It was time consuming)

 I used up the leftover strips from the thankful pumpkins to make a runner for my end tables.

I love stripes.

 18 foot ghosts...

 Ginormo Jack o lantern...

one of my favorite decorations EVER...

Even though Bill hates storing and moving it. 

 Replaced all the picture frames with Halloween pictures past. 

I am embarrassed that I have

NOT ONE

Picture of halloween last year.  Grrrr. 

I know this is the bathroom, but this is one of my favorite views.  

Or maybe because I have a Apple Cider Warmer in here, so it always smells like fall.