The itsy, bitsy...

My husband and I have taken on a second job of delivering newspapers for some extra income. We run the route somewhere between 1a.m. and 6a.m., there is not a lot to keep us entertained at those hours in the morning, so we notice little things that you probably would not pay attention to in the middle of the day.

I have been watching this little guy (or gal) for a few nights now, he/she lives on a farm, in a tree, right above the mailbox and paper tube.

The other night the web was strung over the opening of the paper tube and when I put the paper in I messed some of it up, I actually felt bad. Spiders work hard; it is amazing what this spider will do from night to the next. When we pull into this driveway I always think of the story of Charlotte's Web, although this spider isn't spelling out words, it has usually come up with a new way to spin it's web.

We see all kinds of creatures when we are doing the route, the one below I prefer to see in a field and not jumping out in the road in front of me. We have had a few near misses, apparently at night deer think they run the show.

Falling

The weekend is all but here, I have one hour left in my work week. August has flown by, I know there is still a week left, but it seems it should only be a few days into the month. Fall is my favorite time of the year, I love decorating with pumpkins and long strands of fall colored leaves. I like to get my decorations out as soon as possible, it seems like almost as soon as I get them out it is time to switch to Christmas. I am super thrilled to have a big front porch to decorate this year, one of the things I love most about our new house is that it has very large front steps leading up to a nice sized porch. I plan to start getting everything out next weekend, I wish I could leave my fall stuff out all year, but I know that would look tacky in April.

I purchased my first fall scented candle last night, it's called Iced Carrot Cake! I am not one to spend very much on candels, I love how they make the house smell, but ultimately once their gone, their gone and so is the money I spend on them. My favorite candles are Better Homes and Gardens brand, that are carried at Wal-Mart; they get new scents when the seasons change and they are a great value.

My New Crock

I did it! I started and FINISHED a project and...in one day! I really like how this crockpot turned out. Here is the step-by-step process...

Here is the crock pot that I started with

I taped off the top, the bottom, the knob, and the cord

I used Rust-Oleum Primer in white, which I purchased at Wal-Mart.

I let the primer dry for about 3 hours outside in the sun. When I applied the primer I had the pot sitting right-side up, I quickly learned that I should have turned it upside down as to not get any primer or paint on the inside.

I used Rust-Oleum Chalk Board paint which I also purchased at Wal-Mart. I let the chalk board paint dry outside all afternoon and then inside over night.

And here is the finished product...

This is my first exposure to chalk boad paint, I was worried that the finish might not be true to a real chalk board suface, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was right on the money.

I can't wait to use this at my next party or get-together, it turned out so well, I have a feeling that I will be explaining the process to my family and friends a few times over.

Weekend Project

It is a rare occasion that I do not have plans on a Saturday, tomorrow will be one of those. I plan to stay in all day Saturday, as always there is laundry and housekeeping to catch up on, but nothing to drag me out. I am planning on trying a project that I found on Pinterest. This project is originally from Bright Green Door

I already have the crockpot, my mom and I were having a yard sale a few weeks ago and she set it out to sell, I enthusiastically grabbed it proclaiming "I have a project I need that for!" Let me pause to say that I have a slight obsession with crockpots, I have about 6, they are all different shapes and size and I use them ALL the time. I am excited about this one because it will be great to take to church potlucks and family get togethers, and I can just write what the dish is on the outside.

The temperatures have been unseasonably cool here in Northwest Arkansas this week, so I plan on making some chili tomorrow also. It would be totally fine with me if our temperatures stay this way until fall is actually here, fall is by far my favorite season!

Project Link