Halloween Costume Inspiration

I haven't been to a Halloween party in years (does that make me an old lady?), but for any of you with some plans and no costume, here are some cute and creative ideas that don't look last-minute.

My sister is making Lauren Conrad's adorable deer antlers.

Loving this super cute DIY strawberry costume by Kelly.

There are all sorts of tutorials around the web on how to make Maleficent's horns (and her cheekbones!)

Or you could take it back a few years to the days of Avatar with this tutorial on how to transform into Neytiri.

How fun are these black & white film noir costumes?

Because no Halloween is complete without skeletons. 

And don't forget about them, here are 57 pet costumes for your dragons (and cats).

Another One Bites the Dust

Okay, really, this was the first one to bite the dust and it happened a couple of weeks ago. 

It was a rainy, dreary day and we were going out to dinner for our anniversary. We left around 6 to head over to the lakeshore, all the dogs were tucked in and the chickens were still running around the yard...they head into the coop for the night a little before dusk. 

When we got home, I ran inside while Kelly went out to shut the coop up for the night. He came back in to tell me that there were only a few chickens in the coop - two were on top of their outdoor cage and the rest were huddled by the garage, shivering in the rain. He went back outside and put them, one by one, back into the coop. When he came back inside, he told me that we only had 14 in the coop, but he couldn't tell what kind was missing. 

In the morning, I went outside with one of the dogs, but didn't see anything strange. Pretty soon, I looked over at Crue and he was sniffing over by the woods. I went over and followed him and, sure enough, he found the poor little hen's remains. A pile of feathers, two feet and an egg. 

It was pretty stinking sad, not only that we lost one but the fact that it was one of the black chickens. See, they are the most friendly and will let you pick them up. Whenever one of us gets home during the day, they are the first to come running over and greet you and will follow you all over the yard, so it was extra sad that it was one of them. 

After knowing what we were looking for, I was able to follow the feather trail back to the coop door. It looked like something had come up and grabbed one as they were making their way back into the coop for the night, so the rest of them scattered fast. 

Since then, we haven't lost another. We've been very diligent about taking all four dogs out around the coop every day to have their scent everywhere and scare the animal away, we've also been trying be outside at dusk to close the coop right after the hens all go back in.  

We'll see how it goes as the weather gets colder and it gets closer to winter. 

Have you lost any of your feathered friends? What happened? What kind of animal was it? How did you fix the problem? 

Etsy Love

The Carving Company

How stellar would this headless horseman look on the side of your barn? 

October Bucket List

October arrived yesterday a crisp, cool breeze and blue skies splashed with fluffy clouds. It's the perfect weather for a comfy fall sweater, cozy scarf and a warm drink in your hands. Fall is my favorite time of the year and before it, too, slips away like all the months seem too lately, I made this bucket list of some of the things I'd like to do this month.

Build a corn shock and corn swag for decorating the front yard.

Take daily walks through the woods over the crispy fall leaves with our four mutts.

Buy Halloween candy.

Indulge in a pumpkin spice latte.

Go on an outdoor horseback ride.

Visit Crane’s U-Pick Orchard and Pie Pantry (Check!)

Decorate Halloween sugar cookies.

Organize the nursery after baby shower.

Have a Jack O’ Lantern carving party with friends… and save the seeds for roasting.  

Light fall scented candles every day.

Watch my favorite Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus. 

Make homemade pumpkin spice creamer.

Crane's Orchard and a Fly By

This past Sunday we went to one of my favorite places to visit in the fall, Crane's U-Pick. Nothing feels more fall-like than walking up and down rows of apples in the crisp air trying to find that perfect apple.

Here are a few more photos, if you're interested...