Wow…this sounds shockingly creepy:
Have you ever taken a walk through your neighborhood in the evening…when people have the lights on in their houses and you can kind of see inside …then you’re so busy craning your neck to look that you trip on the sidewalk?
Uhhh, yeah, me neither.
Well, let’s take the pressure off. Today is peek day. All free, no stigma.
Also, if you’re a regular here (bless you, thank you), you’ll see something new that I don’t think I’ve ever shown you before. You may have seen it if you’re one of the four people who follow me on Instagram. Let’s just say this is my biggest reveal to date.
A picture…of, gulp, me.
This all came to pass because of Jodie Filogomo (my best friend that I’ve never met), who invited me to join a group of bloggers in a “Where Bloggers Live” series. Homes, hometowns, regions…they’re all things I find to be so interesting when I read other blogs.
(…ESPECIALLY when I read blogs where the maid hasn’t just come in to clean the house and people aren’t photographed in their Louboutin pumps leaving the house for their weekend getaway to Paris. I mean, good on them! But I just can’t relate.)
I do love to view perfect homes with their Pinteresty pictures. But this whole pressure to live clutter free in perfectly designed, decorated, and pristine spaces makes us put SO much pressure on ourselves. I say, if you want a headless horseman in your front hall, then you should have one. If you have a Herculean mail pile in your kitchen, well….I guess you’re me.
Most of the women who are participating are style and photography bloggers, some also share their lifestyles, and then there’s me…fumbling my way through whatever project is on the front burner.
Mr and I, plus our four past-voting-age kiddos, live in the metro area of Buffalo, NY.
Hey… Did I just hear you mutter, “Buffalo! Ugh, snow”?
If you’ve ever spent five minutes talking to a Buffalonian, you’ll find most of us only complain about snow when it’s still falling in May. Otherwise, we’re collectively known to profess ad nauseam:
- how much we love it here,
- that our city is a well kept secret,
- that we’re all somehow related or connected to each other or know the same people…hence the phrase “it’s a Buffalo thing,”
- about our four seasons, GardenWalk, food, our city and it’s gritty awesomeness, and how the rest of you just don’t “get us.”
Some people may call it “Fall,” but it’s Halloween season at our house, and rather than a “room by room” (which I generally share as I undertake projects in them), today’s post about our home focuses on our Falloween decorating.
I’ve talked about Halloween before…Mr is a huge fan. This time of year is always the busiest of his busy seasons, and coming home to his monsters is his “happy place”.
We used to annually raid the Halloween stores bright and early on November 1st, and have built most of his collection via half-off sales. We take very good care of these dudes because they’re hard to find…the newer ones are so much more flimsy (AND induce profanity during assembly, or so I’ve heard).
Let’s start in the back hall. I recently completed a refresh of this area (read about it here).
So…now that Halloween is here, we’ve gone from this:
to this:
This year, I also placed a few motion-detector pictures among the gallery wall picture ledges that are in the back hallway. I like that unsuspecting visitors will set them off as they walk past.
And even though the other residents of this house have outgrown curfews, I’ll know they are home when, well, the ghost noises start.
But if you come in the front door, you stop by the front porch and are greeted by Halloween versions of Kelly and Jack:
I also opened the door and sung a little Snow White tune, inviting any woodland creatures to participate in my post. I had one taker. Unlike me, she doesn’t seem to mind posing for a photo:
Once inside the door, the headless horseman welcomes you in the foyer (and offers to, ahem, relieve you of your hat).
I have to admit, I was feeling a little pressure to do something special for this post, so I went outside and cut down some branches from the yard brush, added a few hydrangea and sedum stems from the garden and popped them in the vase.
Jodie and I have been “discussing” twists on fall colors. She featured a pretty raspberry color in this week’s posts and THEN…threw down the challenge for me to introduce a new color to my fall dec.
Last year, I started seeing aqua pumpkins and accessories…. so, here you go, Jodie! The aqua in this table runner…
which pairs so nicely with the rug…also works well with the coffin in this seasonal vignette 🤣…
but is a little more muted than the colors in Wolfman’s shirt…
These items are found in the “still in progress” living room, to the left of the foyer. This room is actually haunted… by indecision (see what I did there)!!! I’ve moved the goalposts (again) to finishing this room by Thanksgiving.
To the right of the foyer is the dining room, currently occupied by my identical twin:
There’s something really impressive in this dining room picture…and it’s not more of my tree branch floral arrangements. It’s that there’s actually someone in this house who uses a broom.
And, finally, the family room.
The scariest part of this room is how often I’m told my pictures are hung too low. I know, I know….
(FYI, if this is your first visit, I made the window treatments, the overmantel, pillows, and the coffee table ottoman (which I would love to REmake after I finish the 7,000ish other projects on my list (including finding vertical pictures so the people on Hometalk will stop beating me up).
I’m pretty sure Mr. might be a little vexed that I snipped off a couple of oak leaf branches….but they’re such a beautiful golden yellow!
If you’ve taken our other Halloween tour, the giant spiders are on sabbatical this year.
I’m told this series will occur monthly on the second Friday of the month, which increases my recent posting schedule, by say, 100 percent… OY!
I almost didn’t participate when I heard the words “head shot” …but we were traveling and Mr took this picture of me next to what is SUPPOSED to be a statue of a “Nittany Lion.” No offense to the artist, but I had mistaken it for a vampire bear.
When you post pictures on line, you often assign index titles. Rather than “IMG_1104” I may call this one “Neck Skin. Who Wore it Better? Pretty sure I win…and that my roots could use a touch up.
Nevertheless…off comes my secure mask of anonymity…ready?
For more peeking, hope you’ll visit (from top left);
- Lisa at MidlifeinBloom
- Daenel at LivingOutsidetheStacks
- Bettye at FashionSchlub
- Iris at IrisOriginalsRamblings
- Em at DustandDoghair
- Julia at WhentheGirlsRule
- JODIE ar JTouchofStyle
and in the interim,
Happy Halloween, Witches!
Wow, you go all out. Your decorations all look really nice. My kids would be really pleased.
It pleases the biggest kid of all at our house, haha. But it’s the Christmas dec that our kiddos look forward to the most! Thanks for commenting!
WOW.. motion detector pictures? That would definitely creep me out!
Dear Em, How I love this post. Your personality shines through in your words, descriptions and the photos of your Falloween decor. I laughed all the way through…the pictures are hung perfectly – at eye level – and who’s to say how high or low eye level is??? Send your twin over with her broom. My house knows not what a broom is.
Love the blue pumpkins, too. We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday and saw them growing on the vine. So lovely. Not sure how they grow blue but now I have seen it with my own eyes.
Your porch is beautiful. The black and white checked pumpkin is perfect in your recently remodeled entry.
Just lovely. All of it. And YOU!!
Wait! They actually GROW blue pumpkins? That is SO cool!! I had no idea! I thought it was just something that a place like Kirklands inspired. Who knew?
I saw you had both your sweet girls with you over the weekend…did they go to the pumpkin farm with you? Love that picture of you all in your fall yellow! We had an urchin sleepover this weekend while my niece and hub went to a wedding. All I can say is I am out of shape. I can see why and how you stay so fit!
Thanks for your nice words about the post, especially for noting little details that I didn’t “describe.” I too often find myself reading posts too fast. I’m grateful that you took the time to see. (Also…you can’t fool me, I know a good cleaner when I “read” one.)
Looking forward to your soup post!
Looking forward to your soup post!
My first time over but not my last! Beautiful and stylish home, love all the decor; my favorite holiday is Christmas. December is my birthday month, so I go all out with decorating, I have several trees; i bet you do too. Love it all. Also, love the pictures were they are, it’s a great focal point and conversation piece. I would leave it.
Shugunna! Welcome…and thanks for your positive comments! All out for Christmas? You bet! And you guessed correctly, we do put up multiple trees (I’ve posted about them before if you feel like searching). I would love to see yours as well…do you post them?
Thanks also for the reinforcement on the FR pictures! VERY grateful you came to visit!
Love you home – especially the back hallway and your picture ledges. And, your pictures ARE NOT TOO LOW. Way too many people hang them too high. If you decorate that much for Halloween, I can’t wait to see the Christmas decorations. Thanks for sharing your home.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
Not gonna fib…it’s all out for Christmas!
Thank you for visiting Iris. We are definitely kindred spirits on family photos! And I GREATLY appreciate the reinforcement on the family room pics. I look forward to continuing our collab!
Your pictures are perfect – eye level. Most people hang them too high. I always wanna yell YOU DON’T LIVE IN A MUSEUM! Your decorations are so much fun. Those motion activated pictures always get me. Even when I know they’re there.
Hi, Daenel! You all have made me feel SO much better about those pictures… Maybe I can begin to not look at them with disappointment going forward! At least until some new inspiration hits.
My youngest son is NOT a fan of the motion-activated pictures! He keeps switching the buttons to the manual setting!
a) I’m so glad you joined our little band of Where Bloggers Live-ers!
b) Your home is STUN. ING.
c) I think your pictures are hung Just Right! Most people hang WAY too high! I always feel they should relate to the piece of furniture they are hanging above
d) Your Halloween decs are FABULOUS!
e) FALLOWEEN!!! I’ve never heard that and love it!
f) A fellow New Yorker! Yay!
Can’t wait to see more from you next month!
Bettye
https://fashionschlub.com
Hello, Bettye! Responding to each of your nice comments in order, 😉:
a) Thank you again for inspiring the post and series. I’m thrilled to be a part of this! Wheels are spinning…PLUS…it’s kind of motivating to have visitors.
b) What a nice thing to say.
c) I SO appreciate the reinforcement! With the TV being the heart of our family room (calling it like it is), it would seem weird to hang the pictures higher than the TV! The world did not agree.
d) We had almost quit doing all this. I felt so badly when I came to realize how much MR enjoys them. Now, it makes me really happy to put it up knowing how happy it makes him. (I hope saying this does not trigger anyone’s gag reflex).
e) Even a blind squirrel…
f) Last one to leave turns out the lights! (Actually, I love living here…and all the seasons…but you win the beach contest hands down!)
Looking forward to next month as well!
Okay, I have to confess I don’t get the blind squirrel reference….
Ha, ha…sorry:
a person who has gained some advantage by pure luck; usually used in a negative manner; commonly used in the phrase “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while”
Meaning, I had the unusual occurrence of writing something that might be considered clever.
I saved yours to read for the last Em. Because I know I’ll get a good laugh and some inspiration to boot.
First…Do you know I didn’t even recognize you when the collage got sent around? I’m like…who is that woman?? And then I realized it was you. It’s only fair you know. You see my face ALL the time!! (as for the neck…who notices that when you have such enviable hair??)
I didn’t realize you were such a Halloween nut? Maybe I haven’t been paying attention like I should have. But we were talking about you at the store At Home because Lesley was picking out a Christmas tree. And I kept saying that my friend, Em has 5. And now I can see why. I almost bought another one. Especially since we have room in our new place. Maybe I will turn into you and find it fun to change up the home decor.
Thanks for the “aqua” but you know I had to look hard for it!!
Now I know why you stick with quite a bit of black and white…it’s so everything looks good with the Halloween stuff. Could you imagine my living room with Halloween colors??
My inspiration from this today are those shelves holding all the photos. That’s brilliant. I may use that for Rob’s cross collection in the guest bedroom.
BTW….have you ever done stand up comedy?? I swear you add humor to my day all the time. Your twin…LOL!!
I’m SO glad you joined us for this series….we will have to continue it for a long time. There’s so much we can do!!
XOXO
Jodie
What?! You didn’t recognize me from the ONE photo I’ve ever shared with you, haha? SOME friend you are!
Actually, you ARE some friend. Some amazing and thoughtful friend that motivates me every day. I don’t know how you do all you do…but you surely have a way of spreading that smile, a goal you’ve noted in one of your taglines.
Thank you for inviting me into this series! For the very nice things you’ve said above, for focusing on my hair and not my neck, for surviving my looooong posts and for appreciating my weird sense of humor.
I think any holiday dec would be great with your Pinteresty living room! (MR is the Halloween nut, btw, and I am the MR nut…so I dec and he appreciates…although he sets up the monsters…I don’t want to break them. I also watch seemingly endless Halloween movies…or play on my phone while he watches.)
Being part of the series is really fun… even if I didn’t finish my post until 3:15am, then botched the scheduling and had to post it manually two hours late.
😘
The pictures flanking the fireplace are hung perfectly. If they were higher they would look down right silly!!!!
Oh, Melissa! SUCH a great thing to hear! Of 275 comments on hometalk, It seemed like one out one every five was admonishing me for not knowing what eye-level is. I’m great with helpful hints, but my eyes aren’t positioned at 7.5 feet or located on my antennae.
So…everytime I look at them, they bug me. Your comment was welcome and kind! Thank you!
I love your blog! And your home is just gorgeous! You’ve really inspired me to do more for fall and Halloween in the way of decor. I did pick up 3 pillows at WalMart for the front porch benches and thought I did good :/ As for pictures, hang them where you want them. They’re “supposed” to be at eye level, so if you’re 5’2″, they’d be at my belly button but they’re not my pictures or my house. I’m 5’11” and people always ask me why I hang them so high. You’re never going to win so just put them where you love them. Neck skin? Girl…the teddy bear (or Scooby Doo…whichever) won that one – you’ve got nothing extra there and you’re just gorgeous. Feature yourself more!
Ruth
http://www.VogueFauxReal.com
Hello, Ms Breath of Fresh Air!
How nice of you to visit, Ruth!! Those nice comments! Gee! I hope you’re going to come back, haha.
Well, welcome! I can’t wait to visit your website as well (maybe you’ll have posted those pillows.) Walmart has great home stuff. Our butterfly pillows in the “former” back hall (now, currently on the front porch) were from there, as was our last kitchen area rug.
I am SO behind this weekend… we had “little bits” visiting. Wow…did I ever forget how busy it is to have urchins in the house! I need a four-day-nap! Just wanted to say thanks!