Mmwa Ha Ha Ha, or I'm Very Good Aren't I???

IT IS OCTOBER!!!! Yay!!! The days are not cooler yet, but the leaves are changing and the nights are crisp. People are BBQ-ing, the Huskers are playing and I am a happy clam. The girls and I spent the morning putting up all our decorations and we are excited to make sugar cookies tomorrow. I spent the time Eric was gone finishing a few projects and I thought I would share because I need the feel like I can actually accomplish something (and I wouldn't say "no" to a pat on the back right now, even if it is from me!).

I was starting to work on our Christmas advent calendar when Ella asked why we didn't have a Halloween one. I thought for a moment then got to work trying to find a pattern I could use. Turns out there isn't really a big market for Halloween advent calendars. Hmmm, who would have guessed. Ha ha.

As my brother and I were talking about two days ago, we are not super great at creating new ideas, just very proficient at making things we have seen. We are not creative genius' we are the forgers who make copies for our own use. So the thought of coming up with my own from scratch scared the begeezes out of me.

I decided if I failed it wasn't like I was destroying anything, and probably it would be fun for the kids anyways. This is the end result:
What the kids woke up to this morning, a stark landscape with pockets waiting to be explored:What they will see at the end of the month after putting up an addition every day:I also made two wreaths for the door, and some VERY cheap artwork to put up behind our pictures from "costumes of years past". I need something taller to put next to it though. Any ideas? I was thinking a leg lamp, but we all know that's really more of a Christmas decoration.