October Decorating: Martha's Way and My Way

I love looking at all the interpretations of autumn wreaths that people hang on their doors: colorful leaves, berries, artichokes, hydrangeas, pomegranates, etc.  A couple years ago, Woman's Day Magazine featured a yummy candy corn wreath on its cover, and the always-clever folks over at Martha Stewart Living came up with a DIY grapevine wreath adorned with fake worms and snakes -- all spray-painted black. I'd like to try it myself, if I can find the time.

Martha seems to always find the time, but then she's incredibly organized. Have you ever seen Martha's Calendar in her magazine? Daily entries for October include things like:

• 10/17: "Harvest remaining pumpkins before the hard frost. Bring grills and garden furniture inside for the winter."
• 10/21: "Turn Bedford into Transylvania with spooky Halloween decorations. Take a fall foliage tour on horseback."

Lisa's Calendar:

• 10/17: Hose off faded plastic jack-o'-lanterns that were hiding under the sand toys in that recycled tote from the grocery store that's been sitting in the corner of the patio all year.  Go to Target to buy grill cleaner able to muscle its way through two-years' worth of gunk, then get distracted by the heavily discounted merchandise on the end-caps. Come home with four bottles of sunscreen, nursing pads, a Justin Bieber locker magnet and some Paul Frank monkey hi-cuts. Forgot the grill cleaner. I'm too tired anyway. Justin Bieber is glaring at me from a sea of magnets on my fridge. Nobody in my house can stand Bieber -- especially my 13-year-old daughter.
• 10/21: Transform Casa Taylor into Transylvania by using one of those fun spider web shooters under the eaves and in corners of my balcony, porch and deck. Oh, look -- we have real cobwebs and spider webs already there! I'll just shoot some of the faux webbing over the real stuff, and tell everyone it's all fake. It will be dark, anyway. Take the dogs for a "fall dumpster tour" the night before trash collection and look for treasures.

OK, so maybe I won't get around to making Martha's "Wriggling Wreath." Luckily, I have this cool skulls-and-roses wreath that's hanging on my door as we speak (pictured). I like it, the thing is up, it says "Halloween is here" and I can go about my business.

Now excuse me while I go put away the stable fans and harvest the apples and pears to make applesauce, pear butter and dried apple rings.

Photo of my door - not Martha's - by Lisa Hallett Taylor