Friday, October 30, 2009

final 2009 halloween post!

tomorrow is halloween. are you ready to make it one big special day for your kids? if not, today is your day to prepare. here are a few fun things i have envisioned:

halloween themed breakfast: on the menu is halloween shaped pancakes with orange sides- orange wedges and orange juice!






















on the table will be my child's trick-or-treat pumpkin with his new halloween jammies inside, and a special halloween treat.

for lunch, i will probably make those adorable mummy hotdogs, posted here

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

holiday entertainment will never end

the halloween festivities are nearly over. after all of the pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes, carving pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds, modeling costumes, family/friends/church parties, and trick-or-treating... whatever are you going to do with the kids besides eat all of that candy? well, here are some fun ideas to keep you busy and excited for yet another holiday.




Wednesday, October 28, 2009

have a girl? you'll like this.

my friend cassie found this great website/blog that sells baby stuff, mainly little girl things. like adorable bows, and headbands. and best of all, it is super cheap. here are some examples to get you there. the headbands are $2, the hair clips are $1.50, and the burp cloths are 2 for $5. you are welcome!
check them out here



Tuesday, October 27, 2009

pretty 4 thanksgiving

floating pumpkins just look pretty to me. i love pretty pictures that inspire table settings for thanksgiving.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

gobble gobble

i am always so ahead of myself with the holidays. i'm already dreaming of white christmases, and yummy thanksgiving dinners. do forgive me. i saw these suckers/candy? online, and unfortunately there weren't any instructions. i have way more talented friends, and i am sure they could figure out the "how-to". so darling. here are my guesses, but i'm usually wrong! :)
(chocolate covered marshmallow- body? candy corn- feathers? jelly bean- face? heart shaped sprinkle? pretzel- legs? i just don't know?!)


Friday, October 23, 2009

easy do it yourself project

i love home decor pieces like this that you look at and say "oooh... i could make that!". and wouldn't this be a great piece to add around thanksgiving time? although i have to admit that i think it would be cute all year long.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

deals you might enjoy

kohls.com is having 50% off all of their Fisher Price toys. maybe you want to pick up some christmas gifts early this year. in addition to the sale, you get $10 Kohls cash for every $50 you spend. and if you happen to have a Kohls card than you can get another 15% off by using the code PICK15OCT.


















pizza party! dominos is having a customer appreciation week and offering a $6 carry out deal for a Large One Topping Pizza with extra cheese. Add a Free 8-piece order of CinnaStix when you enter code ONLINE at checkout. another deal i noticed this week is that 5 buck pizza is having $2.99 medium pizzas on tuesdays and thursdays. wow!






















and lastly, toys-r-us has costumes for as low as $5 on their website, here. they have a lot of cute things. so whether you are a last minute planner and haven't gotten your kids' costumes, or whether you plan in advance and want to plan for next year at a discounted price, toys-r-us has some great costumes. check them out.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

cute necklaces

a friend of mine, paige, has the most darling style. i always love her fashion! it's unfortunate she lives so far away because i could really use her as a shopping buddy! :) while she was in town she wore a necklace similar to the one shown below. you can find them on etsy for $15. they remind me of the ones they sell at anthropologie, and i think they are so darling. if you're interested, i found this from "cozy rosies" on etsy. you can be cute and trendy, just like my friend paige! :)

Monday, October 19, 2009

halloween costume photo shoot

being the photo enthusiast that i am, my advice today revolves around pictures. Halloween is creeping up on us. before the busy day arrives, when your kids are jumping off the wall from sugar overload... take an afternoon and let your kids put on their Halloween costumes. take them to a park... or target's photo studio... and have a Halloween costume photo shoot. you will love to look back on their darling little costumes that you, or they, dreamed up. some examples to inspire you...

Sunday, October 18, 2009

carving pumpkins- inspirations

spooky, unique, cute... take your pick. here are some cute pumpkin carvings that i have been inspired by from over at martha stewart. love her site. another cute one i saw was carving your house number into pumpkins.




Saturday, October 17, 2009

I Scream Sand-Witches






















The name of this treat cracks me up. It is almost too cute to eat! Almost... This looks like quite a bit of work, but the end result is just too darling. If you're me, you are looking to take the short cut, and this is what is going through my mind right now- skinny cow makes circular ice cream sandwiches, and then top it with a chocolate covered ice cream cone. Ta-da! That's just me though, go ahead and do it the hard way if you have the time, the patience, and kids pulling at your legs. It's all worth seeing their little faces light up at such at fun, festive treat.

Ingredients

Makes 8 (16 circles, 8 half circles)

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 cup superfine sugar
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
  • Mini candy-coated chocolates, for hats
  • Green mint-chocolate-chip ice cream

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix 30 seconds. Mix in flour, cocoa, and salt. Mix in butter, cream, and vanilla; mix 30 seconds.
  2. Bake cookies: Using plastic lids or heavy card stock, cut out 1 circle (2 3/4 inches in diameter) and 1 half circle (4 1/2 inches long). Using the outlines as stencils, spread dough on a Silpat baking mat with an offset spatula to make 4 circles and 2 half circles. Transfer mat to a baking sheet; bake cookies until starting to set, 6 to 7 minutes.

  3. Shape cones: Remove half circles with an offset spatula while still hot. With straight sides of cookies facing up, quickly bring edges together to form cones, holding until set. Repeat three more times with remaining dough.

  4. Make sandwitches: Dip cones in melted chocolate to coat 1/4 inch of rims. Place cones on 8 whole cookies; press 1 candy onto band of each hat. Freeze until set, 10 to 20 minutes. Brush remaining 8 whole cookies on one side with melted chocolate. Freeze until set, 10 to 20 minutes. Cut ice cream using technique described above. Place on coated cookies; top with hats.

Friday, October 16, 2009

free nursing cover

go to Udder Covers and get a free nursing cover by typing in promo code 1FREE. you only have to pay shipping which is $8.95. thanks to alissa for finding this deal. mine came in the mail yesterday and they are cute. the promotion is still going on. note: some show they are on backorder... my mom ordered a backordered cover and recieved it the same day i did, so don't be discouraged if the one you like is on backorder.

halloween party games

are you throwing a Halloween party this year? or perhaps you have been asked to help plan your child's class party at school? here are some fun Halloween games that you can play at your party, and they are fun for all ages. all you need to know is included below, but lets just say you will need alot of pumpkins. if you haven't noticed yet, i am not a fan of the "scary" side of Halloween, so everything halloween to me revolves around pumpkins and other "natural" fall items. enjoy! (side note: since most of these aren't "scary" you could use most of these games around thanksgiving also)

________________________________________________________

Pumpkin Golf:

Object of Game: Hit the golf ball into a pumpkin.

Preparation:

  1. Carve out a pumpkin. Make the mouth extra large.

  2. Build a cardboard ramp about one to two feet side from the ground to the bottom of the pumpkin's mouth.

  3. You will probably need some support under the cardboard.

  4. Tape the ramp to the floor for stability.

  5. Mark a starting point a few feet from the start of the ramp. The older the kids, the farther away.

Playing the Game:

  1. Each player gets to hit a golf ball three times.

  2. Each time the ball goes into the pumpkin, the player wins a piece of candy.

Pumpkin Bowling:

Object of Game: Knock over the bowling pins. Make a strike or a spare.

Preparation:

  1. Select several small pumpkins about four to six inches in diameter. You need extras in case a few split or break.

  2. Place plastic (children's set) of bowling pins several feet away on the lawn or floor of the room.

  3. A great alternative to bowling pins are plastic liter bottles. Let the kids decorate them with Halloween objects before the game.

Playing the Game:

  1. Measure off several feet.

  2. Give each child two tries to knock down the pins.

  3. A strike is worth two pieces of candy.

  4. A spare is worth one piece of candy.

Witches Relay Race

Object of the game: Roll a small pumpkin across the room and back, only using a broom stick.

Preparation:
1. 2 small pumpkins, gourds can also be used
2. 2 straw brooms
3. 2 chairs (or any object you can place across the room, where they will have to go anround and return.)

Playing the game:
1. Divide your guests into two teams. Line them up, and play the game relay style.
2. First team to finish, wins.
3. Winners receive a treat.

Pumpkin Bocce:

Object of Game: Roll a pumpkin closest to the big pumpkin.

Preparation:

  1. Carve out a large pumpkin.

  2. Buy several miniature or round sugar pumpkins.

Playing the Game:

  1. Place the big, carved out pumpkin several feet away.

  2. Give each player a small pumpkin.

  3. Each player rolls (No tossing or throwing) their pumpkin and tries to be the closest to the big pumpkin.

  4. The player closest wins a prize or piece of candy.

  5. Play as many times as you want. (Or until you run out of prizes.

Pumpkin Ring Toss:

Object of Game: To toss a ring around a pumpkin.

Preparation:

  1. Carve out a one to three pumpkins.

  2. Buy or make three or four rings about twice as big around as the pumpkins.

  3. If you don't know what to use, try an extra piece of leftover electrical cable and tape together with duct tape. (Scouts use this as a "Reduce, re-use and re-cycle" project)

Playing the Game:

  1. Measure back several feet, depending on age group.

  2. Give the rings to the player.

  3. A piece of candy (or two) is awarded for ringing the pumpkin.

  4. You can award one piece of candy for a partial ring and two if the ring is completely around.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

growth charts

i found these darling growth charts online a while ago. i happened to find this image while i was cleaning up my hard drive. i think if i were to order something like this, i would put it onto a board so that if i ever moved i could take it with me. you can buy it here.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

home furnishing - timeless

sometimes i wish that i could start the furnishing and decorating process over. now that my house is fully furnished and decorated, my taste has changed a little bit, and i think about how i would have chosen differently. one of the main phrases i keep thinking about is "timeless". you can choose the style that happens to be trendy right now, or you can choose a piece that is "timeless"-- something that looks good now, and will still look good later. i often can tell the age of furniture by the stain of wood. when decorating my kids' rooms, i prefer white furniture. it has been used for decades, and will never "age". i can always change out the hardware to stay with the current times. when choosing an actual stain for a wood, i prefer the darker wood. of course that is certainly a trend right now, but it is also a very traditional stain, one that you would find in many antique pieces. if i were to build my home, i would want to choose a kitchen with white cabinets. again, i think it is timeless, a style that will not age my kitchen in 10 years. unfortunately, like most of you, such decisions are made with your most treasured loved one, and mine doesn't happen to like it. most likely we'll never build anyway, so i guess that issue won't arise. when choosing bedding for kids i am finding that solid quilted bedspreads are a darling, and great choice. they are extremely durable, will last through the years, and will always be "cute". when i think about flooring, i am a huge hardwood fan. tile changes so often, and i think is another factor that tells the age of a home. hardwood has been around forever, and although it is more upkeep, i think it is worth it. i am going to be more picky in the future about what i choose for my home, trying to keep things timeless.

Monday, October 12, 2009

wall shelving

i love shelves- they are an inexpensive decor piece, it adds to the charm of a room, and beautifully showcases your favorite accessories. i especially love them in a child's bedroom. here are some cute pictures of great shelves. (ps: if you are wondering where to find good shelves, ross and tjmaxx always have nice big shelves for under $15)





Friday, October 9, 2009

yummy mummy dogs

Well, are these are not the cutest little things you ever did see!

Ingredients:
6 Rhodes Texas™ Rolls, thawed but still cold
3-inch square aluminum foil
6 hot dogs
8 currants or small raisins
1 egg, beaten
1 red licorice lace
How To Make:
Roll each roll into a 15-inch snake, leaving one end a little thicker for the head. Using a knife and a toothpick, cut slashes and poke holes to decorate the body of the snake. On larger end of snake poke holes for the nose and slice a 1 1/2-inch opening for the mouth. Crinkle up the aluminum foil and place in mouth to wedge it open during baking. Cut slashes across the tail section to resemble a rattler.

Wrap snake around a frank and place on a large sprayed baking sheet. Poke deep holes for eyes and press currants into them.

Brush well with egg and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack and carefully remove foil. Poke a 3-inch piece of licorice into the throat. Clip the end to make it look like a forked tongue.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

i could change the world, one furniture piece at a time

this is my new baby right now. i found a blog BETTER AFTER that basically shows before and afters of furniture projects. this first one is by far my favorite i have seen. i LOVE it. to update, my chairs are taken apart, and i am getting ready to start refinishing the wood. i really hope this project works out and doesn't put a damper on my burst of confidence. i will take pictures along the way.
(ADVICE: in case anybody actually looks at my blog, and is thinking about attempting this, i wanted to give some advice. i spent a few trips to DI and Savers and have found that it is a waste of time, and that even if there is something cute enough their prices are too high. so don't waste your time shopping there. simply click on your local craigslist a few times a day and eventually something will come up.)
i also am a huge fan of the two tone furniture- where you refinish some of the wood and paint the rest. my sister in law jamie found a kitchen table that she loves this way. i don't dare mess up your beautiful table until i am pro at this jam. (all pictures courtesy of Better After)




Wednesday, October 7, 2009

might as well




i was thinking that there are certain things that we buy for our kids around the holidays no matter what. right now i am thinking about halloween. most parents buy a trick-or-treating bucket... most buy halloween pajamas (or "jammies" at my house). i was thinking... rather than just hand over these typical things over to the kids, why not make it a fun gift to get them pumped up for the holiday?

imagine how your child would react when they woke up Halloween morning and found a trick-or-treat bucket with some new jammies, and maybe a special treat? how exciting would that be? so go ahead, take the items you were already planning on buying and make it a special thing for the kiddies.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

be a good neighbor...

...and start spreading the holiday cheer! i have to say this is one of my favorite holiday traditions. maybe it is because i die laughing watching my hubby doorbell ditch the neighbors and try to stay unseen (he HATES it by the way). perphaps it is the way making a treat for someone brightens my day. or maybe it is the smile that comes to my face every time i see a new "BOO" sign appear in a window. whatever the reason, i love this halloween tradition. in years past, it has always been a pain to make 2 copies of a poem, and as you can imagine, a copy of a copy (and so forth) eventually becomes pretty pathetic in quality. which is why i am loving this BOO poem that i came across this year. instead of advising your neighbors to go make copies, they simply can visit a website to reprint copies for themselves. it makes the process easier, and the quality will remain. so go ahead and spread the holiday cheer in your neighborhood. there isn't anything better than bringing a smile to someone's face.