Friday, October 31, 2008

The Cha, Cha, Cha Factor

"Oh ~ those are just too
Cha, Cha for words..."

~Truvy in Steel Magnolias~


In my ongoing pursuit to turn every activity I do into a party...I felt it absolutely necessary to incorporate the Cha, Cha, Cha Factor into the treats to be shared with the goblins coming our way tonight.

Take a gander at the fun to be had with everyday Halloween treats.

Take a dowel...cut into thirds...

Add a bit of candy...yum...

Grab some cool wand~making fabric and ribbon from your stash...

Set the candy in the middle of some fancy~pants wand fabric~ola...

Wrap fabric 'round candy and secure with rubber band

and attach to dowel...

Now, at this point you only have some cha, cha...so to get the

complete factor going tie some silky ribbon...AND...

Some wire~y star stuff...Bling, Bling wand~love...

But of course you must add detail to the dowel...any marker will do the trick...

And...CHA, CHA, CHA! The factor is achieved and then some.

Happy Halloween my dear blog pals...I am always a bit sad to see the season pass so quickly...so I am tucking a little pumpkin in my pocket close to my heart so as to remember all of the folly that we've shared over the past few weeks...and now....bring on the cranberries and the pumpkin pie...we are ready and waiting....oh what adventures we are gonna share.....be safe and have fun tonight!

Big O' Jack~o~Lantern Smiles ~ Ramona

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Click, Click, Click ~ There's No Place Like Home


Click, click, click

There's no place like home...

There's no place like home...

Click, click, click...

~Dorothy Gale


So true! To me, a self~confessed homebody, there is no place on Earth that I would rather be than at Home Sweet Home. On that note, one of the things that I love to do at home is connect with like~minded folks that are just as passionate about their homes...be it decorating, staging, buying, selling, cleaning, entertaining, or nurturing those that live within your walls as I am....it is an amazing adventure and I love it all! Blogging is a wonderful vehicle for that ride. So when one of my favorite "like~minded" pals, Julia from Hooked on Houses,decided to host one of her wonderful Blog Party Fantasy Open Houses...for fall nonetheless...I thought: all the more reason to stay home!


So climb aboard my virtual tour broom ~ it is almost Halloween ~ so please play along ~ and lets tour...shall we?






Yeah Baby!





Welcome!





This house was built in 1991 and has brick exterior...

{no big, bad wolves huffing and puffing 'round here}





This house is wrapped half~way by a wonderful porch that

has a fantastic view of Mt. Hood in eastern Oregon...





The windows on the front of the house have fake~ola shutters ~

so they may not bang about when the east winds blow...

but they are great for hanging corn in the fall and wreaths in the winter...





And...this is what that little piece of flying Autumnal delight

looks like from a warm and cozy living room...





This home always has something good to eat...yep, I do ~ from time to time ~ cook up

more than decorating mischief within these walls...and not to

forget our fine furry friends...they find this porch a smorgasbord of snacks

because I love to decorate with food...YUM!

{the polka dot pumpkins are for the neighborhood witches}





Please come in...





The view from the dining room looking toward the foyer...





Another view...we rarely enter through this door...

we use the back door that enters into the kitchen ~ family room ~

nook ~ laundry room ~ area...





The details...





When you enter...to the left is the dining room...

next week the Halloween this~and~that will

magically change to turkeys and Pilgrims....love it!





The view from the kitchen...





The details...





There is just something about a rooster with a Halloween bonnet...






A bird with 'tude!





More details...





Boo!





Better feed her before she fades away to nothing!





Center piece...doesn't he look merry!






Tea time...





Note ~ Always keep a horse with wheels close by for a quick get~away!!!





A grand seat for a yummy squash...



More details...





Another drop~cloth pillow...I got big plans for the drop~cloths

in this ol' town of ours....step~back Home Depot paint department...




The kitchen....I am heart~ing orange lately...the color..






Breakfast...I made these while taking photos...


So here is the scoop on these bad~boys...



Simple ~ Dimple Bad Boy Cinnamon Rolls



3 loaves of frozen bread dough...

{let them thaw on a greased sheet pan}...

flatten out with hand...

brush melted butter on dough...

sprinkle a lot of cinnamon over butter..

sprinkle a hand full of brown sugar...

sprinkle some {cook and serve} butterscotch pudding mix over sugar...

grate a bit of nutmeg over the whole deal and ROLL UP...

cut into 2 ~ 3 inch pieces and place on greased pan...

repeat with the remaining loaves...

drizzle remaining butter over rolls and sprinkle with remaining pudding powder...

grate yet more nutmeg over 'em...

and let rise in a warm corner of your world...til all puffy and hug~able...

bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 ~30 minutes...gotta watch 'em...

remember they are bad boy cinnamon rolls...

so watch 'em so that they are done but not over~done...

and frost or not...they are your bad boys...not mine!

Enjoy...oh and the best part...the house smell AMAZING!

But I digress...


Back to our tour...




The family room....as stated in previous post...it is one of the smallest

rooms in the house and the whole family spends most of our time in there....it is a bit too

small for a large couch so I put an over sized love seat and extra chairs and

foot stools for comfort...





More...you guessed it...drop~cloth pillows...





Orange hydrangeas...loving orange these days...






Details...


And now lets go down the hall to the living room...







But first a quick pause to peek into the powder room...

the wall are covered in the same concoction as the dining room...

joint compound and straw tinted with universal tints...





No words...




ORANGE ~ who care if no words rhyme with it...

It is a color that is brave enough to sand alone and then some...



Details...


Down the hall...turn right....and enter the living room...




The view from the dining room towards the living room...




Living room...


Details, details...



High ho, the merri~o...sing it high, sing it low...

the wicked witch is....well you can see for yourself...








Bench...







Through the doors on either side of the living room fireplace

is the sunroom...tile floors, two sets of french doors one leads to the porch

and the other to the patio off the master bedroom...it has a fireplace and windows on

three sides...and is like an ice rink in the winter...but who cares...

it is a room for folly and then some...cha, cha, cha!

Before...and...

After...

All deck out for Halloween~ola!!!







French doors that lead to the porch...







Fireplace...







Details...







My pal Poe...




Well friends that is my tour...I hope that you felt welcome and enjoyed your visit...please come again and come again often but first fly on back over to Julia's blog~of~delight ~ Hooked on Houses and visit the other fall house party tours that are being shared..and to Julia ~ Thank you for creating such a wonderful place for like~minded folks to gather ~ YOU ROCK and then some.




Smiles ~ Ramona