Getting back to normal...

Life has forever changed where I live.   I live about a mile from the ocean on the Jersey Shore.  Several times this week our little area has been on national news stations and spoken about because of the horrific conditions that Sandy left us with.   My little square mile town was even part of a story on the news tonight as we prepare to house several hundred evacuees left with no home in what was a former US military base in our town.

While all of this has changed my town, my friends and myself....I am trying with every ounce of myself to try to resume some sense of normalcy for my own family.  It's hard.  I have guilt that I am able to have a warm bed, clothes and my most treasured possessions and family close to me while so many cannot say that.    I have grieved for my own losses (while they are small in comparison to some others) and for the difficult and extremely stressful things we have witnessed and experienced.  But...with all that said, it is not good for anyone to continue to do so.  So, I am choosing to try my best to gain some normalcy.

By the grace of God, my business is busier than ever and for that I am so grateful.  I got tons of Christmas stocking orders throughout the storm and was taking pictures of fabric and emailing on my phone after I had cell service back after 4 long days with no outside communication.   (I sure did take it for granted before the storm).    Here are some pictures of what I have been up to...

Lots of FUN new fabrics this year and I am working on about 10-15 more this week alone.  Yikes!!!

I have also been busy with lots of other Christmas gifts including bags, superhero capes, kitchen towel sets...you name it.

You can check out all of the items currently in the shop by clicking HERE....

I have tons of fun Thanksgiving ideas to share with all of you and the holiday has really come too quickly since so many of us in this area have lost a full 2 weeks of our lives.    I am excited to have a day to enjoy family and celebrate the many things I have to be thankful for.

I will start sharing some great ideas tomorrow.  Until then!

Poshed Up

The Aftermath of Sandy....

The last two weeks have been unlike anything I have EVER experienced in my life.  I live in New Jersey in a small square mile town situated only 1 mile from the Atlantic Ocean and across the street from the river.  We were hit VERY hard by Sandy and to say my quiet little area is forever changed is an understatement.   I have seen so much in the last 2 weeks.

The bad...


Unthinkable destruction and loss around me
People losing everything they own
A shelter in my daughter's middle school to help feed, house and warm the less fortunate
A FEMA tent-city in my town in a giant parking lot
Garbage everywhere
A second round of bad weather dumping snow on top of already damaged homes, trees and garbage lined streets
Thousands without power for over 10 days
Families damaged by arguing, anger and frustration as a result of stress
Children with sorrow in their eyes after losing so much
Children with confusion in their eyes who cannot understand where Halloween went and what comes next

The good...

People giving of themselves before, during and after the storm to help neighbors and people in our town and surrounding areas
Families opening their own homes to house others, do laundry, feed or entertain those without such amenities
A shelter in my daughter's middle school to help feed, house and warm the less fortunate (yes, this one falls on the good and the bad list)
Thousands of donated clothes for those who have lost everything
Acquaintances becoming new friends after such loss and tragedy
Children making new friends and smiling like children should be doing
Utility crews from around the United States and Canada flooding into our area to help therefore necessitating the "tent-city" shelter in our town
Schools and teachers giving of their time, wallets and hearts to help the children of our school systems recover what they need to get back to school
Friends from out of town giving of themselves to help my little area

It is incredible.  This event has FOREVER changed me for the good and of course scarred all of us too.    We consider ourselves very fortunate to have only lost our garage, basement and hot water heater amongst all of the other loss.   We have each other, our home and health and we are extremely thankful for that.   

For those of you who are not local, here are some photos from just my house and street.  

Here are some pictures of my street BEFORE the storm truly hit.  

My home after the storm surge came through.   This is our basement with everything we could possibly raise up and in bins.  We consider ourselves VERY lucky.

And here is the morning and following days after.  People's belongings scattered all over the streets.

Insulation from crawl spaces and walls of lower levels removed to avoid mold.

Our town soccer fields now a garbage dump.

Our town racetrack has become a FEMA shelter with tents.

Utility trucks from all over the U.S. and Canada living in the parking lot of our race track.  Thank god for these people!

My neighbors remnant of a down tree.  Look at the size of those roots.

The neighbor down the street....her water line is to the middle of her downstair's windows.  Heartbreaking.

More garbage in the other direction.

This is our little town.   Just when we thought we had it bad, I saw this heartbreaking video.  This town of Sea Bright is about a mile from my home along the shore.  Just devastating.  The children of this town are part of our school district and most have lost EVERYTHING.

Mother Nature is unbelievable!

Be Safe and thank you to each and every person who gave to our area in a time of need and devastation.  Please keep these people, the people of all of the barrier islands of New Jersey, Staten Island, Long Island and other hard hit areas in your prayers as they try to find a new "normal" for their families and deal with rebuilding!

Poshed Up

A "Spook"tacular Celebration

We still have one full weekend to celebrate before Halloween arrives.  I love Halloween and all of the excitement surrounding and I especially love a party!     I thought I'd share a few last minute ideas for some fun and festive food and decorations in case you are either hosting or attending a party this weekend.  

Appetizers

A Yummy Mummy filled with Spinach Dip

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Mini Mummy Pizzas

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A Veggie and Dip Skeleton....crazy creative!

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And my personal favorite...a Cheese Ball Pumpkin.  

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Main Course

How about ribs (love the red pepper heart...lol) 

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with Whipped Ghost Potatoes

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Sweet Treats

Eyeballs...they look disgusting, but what kid wouldn't love them?  They are white powdered donuts, gummy savers, a chocolate chip and gel icing.

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Candy corn parfait...simply pineapples, mandarin oranges and whipped cream.

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Mummy Cupcakes...that are actually low-fat too.

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So sweet....no pun intended.

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Another cute take on chocolate covered pretzels.

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Every good gathering need some festive decorations and here are some super easy last-minute ideas that your kids can help with.

Origami Spider Webs- it sounds difficult, but it's really just folded and cut paper.

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Or maybe coffee filter webs...so cute!

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Felt bat garland...love this one!!  Felt is so cheap and easy to work with too.

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Or maybe just some spooky silhouettes....so cute strung on black string.

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And if you're still on the hunt for that perfect costume for either yourself or your kids, check out some of the great ideas I stumbled across when searching for ideas for my middle schooler.

For the adults...

Army man from Toy Story

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Rock, Paper, Scissors....so cute

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Tooth and Tooth Fairy

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For the kiddos...

LOVE!

Disgusting, but very creative.

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Raining Cats & Dogs

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For a group...so cute!

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Wherever your upcoming pre-Halloween weekend takes you, I hope it's "SPOOK"tacular!

Poshed Up