Inspired by Chris and Michelle, I decided to add a few Halloween decorations to my few autumn decorations this year….   my place is small, so I’m limited in what I can do.   And I take a bit of a minimalist approach…

Here is my entry table. The picture is one I took along Wasatch Boulevard in Salt Lake a few years ago.

My mantle is adorned with a cool leaf garland I picked up at Molbak’s end of season sale last year…. at 80% off.  I love finding cool stuff on sale.   

And aren’t my new frames over on the left (Pier 1) a perfect compliment to my yoga frog?   I know he isn’t very halloween like, but I love him.

And I really love that little carved wooden owl - my parents gave that to me years ago, a gift brought home from travel abroad - I forget where. But all the markings are actually rings in the tree’s wood.   

New additions are my glittery “Boo” and the funky tree, which I picked up at Pier 1 Imports.   Michelle, I liked the mummy cat so much I went back and bought one for myself too : ) And there is room on my tree to add a couple of new things next year.

I also have some cool, tiny orange twinkle lights on a shelf on my media armoir.  Now if I could just get the energy to hang up my orange twinkle lights on my patio, I’d be set….

A request from Kristin….. 

J’Neil has been asked to the Homecoming Dance.  She is excited.  She has her lovely dress and today we ordered the shoes and bought the necklace & tiara….  She is going to look fabulous. 

However, since she’s pretty young (14), we’ve asked that the kids go as a “group” rather than it be a “date”.  The problem is, most of their friends who have not been asked (or have not asked anyone) are feeling a little silly going with the “couples”.

We need some ideas of things the group can do before the prom that would be fun, and entice more of the kids to join them.  And perhaps ideas of ways to make all the kids comfortable going to the prom.

The kids are all about 15. What fun things can the group do?
–ALSO–

I need Halloween Party ideas.

The kids are also wanting to have a Halloween Party, and I need ideas for 15 - 17 year olds.  What fun activities with a Halloween theme  will keep a group that age interested and engaged? The whole group, if they all came, would be about 6 girls and about 10 boys.

Things this group has done in the past, and had a great time with, are scavenger hunts and murder mysteries.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

OK, so I’ve been seeing these Bluefly commercials for awhile now - you know the ones…. where the woman is looking in her closet for something to wear to the dinner party downstairs and just decides to go nude.   Or the newest one where some gal wearing nothing but shoes and carrying a magazine goes through airport security, while the announcer says,…

 ”Bluefly - Always there when you have nothing to wear.”

These commercial makes no sense to me. If Bluefly is always there, why didn’t she go to bluefly.com and get some clothes???

Last night I was out doing a little shopping and stopped by Macy’s at Alderwood Mall.  Knowing my daughter, Ashley, is still trying to find something to wear to her American Idol audition on Tuesday, decided to check out the sale racks.   

I found a couple of dresses that I thought might fit and that Ashley might like and pulled out the phone camera and sent her a pic of one of them.  She called right back with a “That is SO CUTE!”  So I knew I was on the right track.

I have to just publicly thank the darling sales associate, Ayse, who actually agreed to TRY THE DRESSES ON so I could get an idea of how they looked and if they might fit.   She is a little shorter/smaller than Ashley - but it was so helpful!

I took pics and sent them to Ashley - and with Ayse’s help we determined that the black/pink/white Nine West dress would probably fit (and looked much better on).   And at 75% off, I couldn’t pass it up.

So I popped it in the mail late last night - keep your fingers crossed it arrives on Monday… and that it fits!

Have you ever had a sales associate that really went out of their way to be helpful?

I live in a small, 1 bedroom condo - less than 800 square feet.  But after living in apartments for several years I was so sick of white walls that I went color-happy.   

With the help of Benjamin Moore (and my sister), I painted the living/dining/kitchen/hall (all connected in some way) a combination of Henderson Buff (a pale yellowish green), Monroe Bisque (beige), and Plum Raisin. It sounds like a lot of color, but it looks really cool with the asian feel of my furnishings.  

My bathroom is a lovely taupe/stone color, and my bedroom is Dijon (mustard yellow).  There is nary a white wall in the place, other than inside closets.   It took me several months to complete and my right shoulder has never been the same.

While at the Benjamin Moore paint store, I noticed some really cool shimmering metallic glazes.    Mind you, I have a love of all things sparkly, opalescent, irridescent and metallic and my mind started racing with possibilities….  unchecked, I could turn my place into a tacky, gawdy nightmare    But I restrained myself and recently came up with an elegant plan.

I don’t have a headboard, and so decided to make an entire wall a lovely focal point for the room using metallic glazes.

I started by designing the general layout for the wall.   Then I started taping off the squares.  I could only do one layer at a time, because the glaze has to dry before taping/painting over the corners with another color.   I used a combination of a small roller brush, a dry sponge and a rag.  I’m still not sure which method I like best.

It took me about 2 weeks, painting a portion nearly every evening, to get this far.  I still have a few of the most sheer/pale squares to go - but this gives a good idea of how it looks.  (Click the photo to enlarge).   It’s a sublte effect, and doesn’t really show in the photos, but some of these squares really shimmer - especially when the light hits them just right.   Once all the squares are done, I’m will probably sponge over the whole thing with a sheer, shimmery gold glaze so that it catches the light even more.   

I love it.  It looks great with the beaded curtain (real, hand strung amber and gold glass beads - and shimmery gold ribbon)  that leads to my closet. 

Did I mention I like sparkly, shiny stuff?

 So what do you think?   Are you inspired to create your own shimmering (or other) wall?

Yesterday I stopped at the mailbox, excited to see what Netflix had sent me (I don’t keep track of my queue sometimes) and hoping I might even be surprised by a card, letter or a check from a client.  But no….   instead, I was greeted by an envelope bearing the dreaded words:

IMPORTANT!  JURY SUMMONS ENCLOSED - IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED

I don’t have time for jury duty!  Not that I would mind serving as a juror, mind you, but being the sole support for my household I kind of need my income….  

PLUS, they have sommoned me for the week that Brandon & Jennifer will be bringing granddaughters Emily and Marie for a visit.    (I can request a postponement, thank heavens)

So share your jury experiences with me.  Ever been summoned before?  Ever served?  Ever gotten out of serving?   Any suggestions for convincing them I really need to be excused?  Have any good jury stories?

Since I wasn’t given one at birth, I’ve decided to take on a middle name.   I wanted to choose an interesting name, with a cool meaning - and settled on one that means little; good looking.   Apparently this is becoming a bit of a trend right now (click to read the article that inspired me) , and I encourage you to do the same.  I’ll even share my middle name with you…. we can all be a little good looking… or was that little, good looking?

So just call me Allison Hussein Hays.

Oh, and by sheer coincidence this is the same middle name of Barack Obama - soon to be the next president of the United States.  Cool, huh?      Will you join me in taking on his middle name?

I manage over a dozen email addresses - and a couple of them have gotten onto junk mail lists, receiving hundreds of spam emails a day.  Thank heaven for spam arrest which stops them from getting to my inbox. 

I do have to check the filter every few days to see if legitimate mail is stuck, and when I do, I am faced with some of the must ridiculous subject lines.  Some are really stupid, others totally crack me up.  Here are a few of the more memorable ones of late:
 

• What a stupid face you have allison
• Does this look illegal?
• Bomb her womb from your huge cannon!
• Have you ever felt the kiss of a womb?
• Satisfy your woman, you pin dick!
• Help your little soldier stand taller

Noticing a theme?   What is the deal with the obsession with the “male member”?  And can any man’s penis ever live up to the expectations of these emails??? 

What memorable spam subject lines have you received?

Oh, watermelon, thou perfect summer fruit.
You beguile me so, with sweet redness
       encased in emerald orb.
Crisp and juicy, refreshing and yummy
and delightfully seedless.
A guiltless summer pleasure, full of fluid and fiber.
I will love you now…. gorging myself on your goodness.
For all too soon your glory shall fade into fall.
Why must your season of sweet ripeness be so brief?

For all my feline loving friends….   enjoy