Poe Themed Halloween Party

 Every year I am in charge of hosting and planning the Halloween Party for our Ladies Mt Carmel Society Italian Women's Club. I plan this in conjunction with my mom and my aunt and this year we chose an Edgar Allen Poe theme. Many would daunted but planning such an event annually but it really isn't that hard to do.

We placed crows into all the displays along with Halloween décor we already had that would look as if it came from an old library. Use disposable table coverings from the Dollar Tree or part supply store that go with the theme, this year we used black and white. Add in some "creepy cloth" also from the Dollar Tree or party supply store and you have a look that's chilling but yet classier than some cartoony decorations. 

You don't need to overthink the supplies you need. These crows were from the Dollar Tree, the bottles were from various other antique displays around the house, and the sticks of course were from outside.

Creating elegant-like centerpieces for such an event is just as easy. The white pumpkins were from the local farmers market, the black frames were from the Dollar Tree, and the Poe themed art work was simply printed from Pintrest. 

The same can go for your costume. This year I googled ideas for unique women's Halloween costume and decided on a silent film star. The wig was reused from a previous year as a flapper, the dress was from NYE a few years back, shoes and hose were from my closet as well, and the chalkboard was also from the Dollar Tree. 

With a little imagination and reuse of some already owned objects you can also plan an more elegant looking event and costume for Halloween without breaking the bank. What other tips do you have from events or costumes you have planned?

Witches on the Prowl!

Once again this year,  the sleepy Amish town of Volant, Pa to life for its annual Witch's Night out. All the witches came out on the prowl and again the normally dying off tourist town was bustling with life!

After feeling under dressed last year I decided to don the full array this year and go all out. Again the town did not disappoint and the event seemed to be even larger in its second year.... shops were open after hours this night... there were specialty drinks at the winery, a cackling contest and a parade! Truly a WITCH'S NIGHT OUT and a must to experience if you find yourself in the area during fall!

Welcome Coco!

The most wonderful thing happened this past weekend. It was actually somewhat of a surprise that began with a text that led to curiosity....
I received a text asking if I would be interested in taking in a small chihuahua since I had lost Eddie. After some thought, I agreed to see if Dante would get along with the potential new dog and the current owner and I sat a meet up. I had no idea that I would end up with Coco (previously Casey) when we met but it seemed the lady knew all along she was leaving the pup with me.
Coco took to me right from the beginning and got along with Dante famously.

She promptly took over her corner of the couch as well as her favorite throw.

She even moved right in on taking over Dante's bed but was kind enough to share with her new brother as well.

While she came into my life unexpectedly, I already couldn't imagine life without her. Coco moved into my heart as fast as she moved into my home. 💓

Farewell Blue Waters!

Despite the fact that I cannot swim, I absolutely love being near the water in the summer. I did get to visit the lake area several times this summer but it still didn't feel like enough and I was sad to say goodbye to the warmer months.  With the arrival of Labor Day, it seemed only fitting to visit the shores of Lake Erie one more time for the year, so I spent the day in a lazy coastal town of Fairport Harbor browsing unique boutiques and visiting their historical lighthouse.

Couldn't think of a better way to end the summer! How did you say Good Bye to summer?

It was an absolutely gorgeous day up by the water..... Clear skies and 72! My sweater was a find last spring (similar here from LL Bean), my Chinos are JCrew, and I sported some canvas Sperry's.

Two Blue Ribbons!

 I did it again! Yay me! Entered the Canfield Fair again with wreaths and won two more blue ribbons this year!

For one entry I had seen the idea of using an old bike wheel as the base of the wreath on Pinterest and absolutely loved how it looked. Earlier in the summer I had found old bikes listed on Craig's list and answered the posting to paint one to put in the flowerbed but the posting required buying two bikes. I took apart the second bike and created this blue ribbon winner.

 Despite the fact they judged the wreath hanging wrong form how it was designed, I won a blue ribbon for the design.

The second wreath I entered was based on the current farmhouse theme so popular in home decor right now. The metal animals and windmill worked into the bow were bought on Christmas clearance at Hobby Lobby. 

The fair judges again hung this on display a bit crooked from how I originally designed it though. 

This year as well my mom decided to turn her cross stitch talent into wreaths as well. I think they turned out quite well and she deserved better judgement than she got. Although for a first entry, she did also win a third place ribbon! Go Mom!

Easily Distracted by Goats!

As you can probably see, I have put on some weight.... 🙁 Others around me seem to be losing weight and I keep letting them know I think I found it but no one seems to want it back.....

Personally, I never was one to love exercise. I have tried the gyms and cardio, only to have wasted money and feel like I was about to collapse. Yoga and walking were always more my speed of things. Shopping was my cardio and the furthest I would go for joining a sports team is bocce leagues! Despite all of the exercise hype out there and influencers showing their sweaty abs, I am sure I am NOT alone on this!

So what's a gal to do!?!? Well this one decided to walk more.... I bought myself a FitBit and recruited a friend in the same position and we decided to meet up after work a few night a week at the MillCreek MetroParks Farm paths. This in itself was going to be a commitment and few nights in, I was already off focus when I discovered the actual "farm" part of this area we had chosen...

You can walk right into the barn there and pet these baby farm animals... needless to say my walking ambitions have now turned into petting these cuties several nights a week.... but honestly, who wouldn't be distracted by all this cuteness?!?!

Ride on the Chatanooga

Always on the hunt to discover some new adventure or hidden attraction, I found a posting for open hours to ride a train in the heart of Youngstown's decaying steel mills. The thought intrigued me so one Sunday morning over the holiday weekend I am headed to the East side of Youngstown to the Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum for my very own train ride. 

I am not going to lie, on arrival it looked as decayed as the rest of the steel mill areas through the outskirts of Youngstown. I seriously was sitting in my car wondering what I had just drove myself into, unsure I was even at the right location due to lack of signage. As other vehicles began to pull in for the public hours, I realized I was in fact in the right place.

The museum was opened to preserve the heritage of the steel mill industry in the area. They had many relics available for show and preservation.

Now don't get me wrong, if it weren't for these men joining together this history may be lost to the future. However, we were visiting based on the train ride.... the area outside also was dedicated to preserving the steel mill industry and its railroad system. There were many areas on display to preserve this....

The next step was to actually board this train and take the ride... which I thought would be traveling through some of the shut down mill areas. The tracks were also every narrow, surprisingly narrow compared to those you would cross on the road in current use. The engineer explained that they were called Narrow Gauge tracks and in fact were only 24" across. 

The crowd who came on this open house Sunday all boarded the train and imagine all of our surprise when we chugged along forward about 150ft and then backwards the same 150ft of track three times! While this might give you a chuckle, as it did me, I am by no means downplaying the valiant effort of these men who banned together to preserve this piece of local history. The museum has only been in effect for less than a year and I truly look forward to their expansion in the coming years with more donations and funding. Besides.... where else in the city borders of Youngstown would you be able to hop on the back of a caboose for a photo op?

Top and shorts JCrew Factory, shoes Sperry