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Tomboy Tools 

Oct Tool Special

Want to throw the scariest, Halloween party ever?  Just follow these ideas for a party that will leave the children, as well as adults, with frightful memories for days to come.

First you need to set the mood.  Picture the most disturbing, haunted house you can in your mind, what do you see? 

• Dimmed lights.  Make it eerie by using lots of flickering candle flames all around. *Don't forget safety first. With young children you may want to use battery operated fake candles.  Strobe lights will also give a spine-chilling effect.
• Drape old white sheets over the furniture to make it look abandoned. You can even douse them with talcum powder to make it dusty.
• Hang lots of spider webs and spiders all around the room.
• Get some old, large, family portraits and hang them crooked on the walls.  Add some creepy eyes that follow you as you move.
• Make some ghosts out of sheets of gauze hung from fishing wire with black felt eyes.
• Make fog with a fog machine or with dry ice.
• Buy Styrofoam tombstones or make some out of cardboard for the front lawn.
• Set up a skeleton or stuff some old clothes with leaves and make a dreadful pumpkin head man.
• Make a witches lair in the kitchen with a broom stick leaning against the wall, an old spell book open on the counter, and a disgusting brew bubbling on the stove.
• And don't forget the spooky sounds from a CD or record your own spine-chilling screams and hollers.
• A/C Moore has flying bats with red glowing eyes for $4.99 that are soooo real looking I had to get one!  They actually fly around the room!

How to Transform your UN-LIVING ROOM

 Into a LIVING ROOM

I bet some of you have a room in your home that nobody uses.  A ghostly room that sits quietly off to the side, where people just look in and walk by.  Maybe it's a room that has accumulated all of your frightfully old, left over furniture.  Maybe it's those dreadful piles of boxes and clutter that you don't have anything else to do with. Or maybe it has the best furniture in the house and it's practically covered with plastic so it stays nice and clean, and neat, and your guests are afraid to go in there. These are signs of an UN-LIVING ROOM.

It's time to move out the ghosts and get rid of clutter!  My favorite saying is "You can't organize clutter!" And why would you want to.  If you haven't used it in six months, if it doesn't fit you now, if it's broken, torn, stained, missing pieces, or out-of-style it goes!  Believe me, you may be terrified at first, but once it's gone you won't worry about it again. Now, access what you have left and find a new home for it if it isn't staying in the room

Now, and only now, is it time to decorate.  And don't be nervous about using beautiful things in the room with young children.  Just be smart and make sure they are unbreakable, not poisonous, and can't be swallowed, or get creative and put them out of reach of creepy, crawly fingers.

Fall is a great time of year to make sure your home is ready for the cold winter months.  Use this checklist to make sure your home is safe and secure both inside and out.

• Get your mind in the gutters. Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts.
• Button up your overcoat. Seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors with weather-stripping and caulk.
• Get on top of roof problems. Inspect your roof for damaged or curled shingles, corroded flashing, or leaky vents.
• Walks the walks (and drives). Take steps to repair damaged sidewalks, driveways, and steps.
• Chill out. Drain and winterize outdoor faucets and irrigation systems.
• Freshen your filter. Clean or replace dirty furnace filters.
• Give your furnace a physical. Have a professional inspect your heating system.
• Gather round the hearth. Check fireplaces for soot or creosote build-up. Better yet, schedule a visit from a reputable chimney sweep.
• Keep the humidifier humming. Clean the plates or pads to ensure efficient operation.
• Head-off gas problems. If you have a gas-fired room heater, have it inspected by a pro. Also, perform any routine maintenance recommended by the maker.
• Keep the wood fires burning brightly. Wood stoves are making a comeback. To avoid a deadly situation, be sure to inspect yours before firing it up.
• Keep your family safe at home. A home safety check should be an annual ritual in every household. Test smoke and CO monitors, inspect (or install) fire extinguishers, review fire escape plans, and rid your home of old newspapers and other fire hazards.