Happy Halloween!

Here Comes The Big Parade!

The boys look forward to the fall parade in the little town of McConnellsburg, PA, during the Fulton County Fall Folk Festival.  It mostly consists of tractors and steam engines and almost everyone in the parade has candy to throw.  It's like heaven for my little guys!  Those handsome fellas on the red tractor are my cousin CJ and his son Oakley!  And see that steam engine in the bottom corner?  That was made by a company that used to be right on my street!

I absolutely adore the architecture on the main streets of old towns!  Oh, something else I adore is marching bands!  I don't know that the boys cared about either, because there were buckets just waiting to be filled with candy!

The yellow "car" is actually a tractor in disguise!  I thought there was something so lovely about that rusty old steam engine and I am a complete sucker for cute homemade parade floats!

October Crafternoon

I actually skipped September's crafternoon and almost passed on this month's as well.  I just haven't really been enjoying the group setting, so instead of showing up and being a grumpy jerk, I have just been staying home.  On the evening before this month's crafternoon, though, I decided I needed to go.  I missed my friends and really have to stop being such a hermit!  Donnie helped me think up my costume, Heidi's number one fan, threw together a good gift for the white elephant exchange, and brewed some iced tea to share with everyone.  I'm so darn glad I went.  It was a nice small group of gals and may have been my favorite craft to date!

Heidi, of course, is always an amazing hostess!  She made everyone little treat bags and Halloween mixes. She made the paper mache shapes ahead of time, so we just had to carve and paint them.  It's a pretty fun and easy process, using a Dremel and X-acto knife.

Once the faces were carved and the paint was dry, we glued printed eyes, noses, and mouths.  I could have made a dozen or more, but stuck to three!

That last minute costume won me a prize!  I'm certain it was the only time someone won anything for having donuts hanging from their hair and glasses.  There won't be a November crafternoon, but I will be sure to attend the December event!

Break The Silence

We all know by now that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, right?  It may have been mentioned once or twice on the blog.  I've been trying to be involved as possible at raising awareness for this important cause.  I started out the month by attending a candlelight vigil at a local hospital.  It wasn't really well publicized, but there was still a nice little turn out.  I'm hoping this event continues and grows each year! Sorry for the grainy photos, but candlelight and nighttime does not make for ideal iPhone photos.  

The hospital staff member who was responsible for organizing this event was great!  She clearly believes in the cause and spreading the word, so I believe she will be a great ally in the community!

I kept thinking about what I could to help out our agency.  Times have been really tough for us financially, with one position's funding being completely lost a few months ago and expensive renovations at our shelter this past year.  I knew the Instagram community would come through for me, so I organized an online auction.  I had so many amazing donations and am so touched by everyone's kindness and generosity.  The auction is actually open until Wednesday evening, so if you are on Instagram, head over to my shop account (@thethriftydoll) to bid on  amazing fabric, sweet vintage goodies, and amazing handmade items!  Here is just a small sampling of some of the items available-

So although there are only a few days left in October, please keep in mind that domestic violence is a problem that deserves attention every month.  It affects more people than you would probably guess and knows absolutely no boundaries of race, economic status, age, or background.  Now get on some purple, take to the streets, and break the silence about domestic violence!

Well hello there!

Long time no post!  I think everyone who knows me knows that I sometimes struggle with being a bit withdrawn and antisocial.  That's sort of been happening again lately, at least as far as the internet and social media goes.  I've actually been pretty darn good at connecting with people in real life, including reconnecting with some really important people from my past.  I definitely went through some depression again recently too.  I suppose I am still going through it, but I am doing my best to work past it.  I've been meaning to post. I know it helps loads with my moods.  I just haven't felt like doing it, though.  That's the long version of why I haven't been posting.  The short version goes like this- I've been busy!  I actually have had a lot going on, so there is no shortage of blog content, and I have a lot coming up, so expect more posts!  And because it's Monday, here's some music to start off the week.  I guess I should go with something Halloween themed, but instead, here's a song that makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy!

Boo!

1/2/3/4/5/6

It's that time of year again!

What time you ask?  Well time to pick pumpkins, of course!  I have a feeling that this will not be our only pumpkin patch trip this year, but this was our first and we went back to the same place we ended up at last year, Gray Wolf Plantation!

Candy Japan

I've made it pretty clear that I'm a sucker for subscription boxes.  They are a great way to try out products and to get happy surprises in the mail.  Candy Japan is one I've been thinking about for awhile, so I was pretty happy when I received a sample box to review.  For $25, you will get bi-monthly shipments of candy and snacks from Japan and you can expect to get between two to six items each month.  There were four different items in my box and I was pleased with the variety and the size of each item.  There was more than enough for the boys and I to sample!  Here's what I got-

These were the most popular among the three of us.  First of all, look at the adorable packaging!  The candies are cute too- little egg, tadpole, and frog gummies!  They are apple and grape flavored and the one item that we all agreed was yummy!

I don't speak or read Japanese, so I'm guessing these candies are ramune flavored.  I loved their chewy texture and slightly fruity sweet taste!  Oscar thought they were tasty too, but Benny promptly spit his into a napkin.  Two out of three ain't bad!

I wish I had gotten a better photo of the item on the left, but I ate them all pretty quickly!  They were like little crunchy pretzel sticks, but tasted just like low mein.  So yummy!  The boys disagreed, but I was okay with that!  Lastly, we tried the Calorie Mate Block.  I've seen this before, but this was the first time I've tried it.  It was chocolate flavored and really very tense and dry.  I get that it's something sort of filling to eat on the go, but I could only eat one bite.  It was just a bit too dry and chalky for me.  Oscar liked these chocolate "cookies", though, and Benny had lost interest by this point, so Oscar finished them off!

Autumn Love

Autumn is most definitely in full swing and I am loving the cool weather!  Lots of cozy cardigans, tights, and comfy boots make up my fall wardrobe.  The outfit below fits those themes absolutely perfectly!

Autumn by molldoll527 featuring Chan Luu

All The Rage Back Home

Interpol had a new album come out last month and, like all of their other albums, it's amazing.  Paul Banks could sing the names in a phone book and I would still listen and swoon over his incredible voice!  Enjoy this song and check out the rest of their newest album!

Just a reminder!

I'm actually putting together an auction over on Instagram to help raise some funds to donate to my agency this month and hopefully raise some awareness. With the recent incidents involving the NFL, domestic violence has been in the spotlight. Unfortunately, that spotlight fades and people move on to other trendy causes.  The abuse suffered by so many women and men does not fade, though.  Consider spreading the word or helping your local domestic violence agency or shelter.  Here are some great links to helpful sites and ways you can make a difference-

• NO MORE -an organization dedicated to breaking the silence about domestic violence and sexual assault.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline -This site has a wealth of information on abuse.
• The National Network to End Domestic Violence -Their whole site is great, but I've provided a link to their page on ways to take action during October.
• 20 Ways to Help Your Favorite Nonprofit Organization for Free

And finally, here is a link to my agency's Facebook page.  It's actually my project, so I hope to keep it updated with news, articles, and events.  Feel free to follow us to keep up with our happenings or find your local agency's page and keep yourself in the loop! If you'd like to donate an item/items to my Instagram auction, you can email me at mollyeallen@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Thrift Finds

It's been so long since I've posted any of my finds!  I haven't really done much thrifting lately, though, and it seems as though the shops have been a bit lacking.  I seem to rely on eBay and Instagram shops for cute finds and vintage supplies these days.  Here are some recent local finds, though-

I think these were actually flea market/antique mall finds, but still they were pretty darn cheap and look at the level of cuteness here.  I mean apples are fine and I guess they're cute, but apples with faces, you're talking serious cute factor!

Damn you sad solo shakers!!  You get me every time!  And this poor fawn's head has been glued back on. I couldn't just leave it behind, because I have to rescue all of the sad unloved items!

Will you just look at this table and chair!  There was no way I was leaving these suckers behind, despite already having a house full of furniture and maybe running a few minutes over my lunch hour to fit them into my car.  I have dreams of waking up early and having my breakfast here, before everyone else in the house wakes up, but until that happens, I've been really enjoying spending a little evening break sitting here while the boys play with their little kitchen set.