Halloween Themed Food

I am a magazine ripper. I see something I think I might someday do or use and I rip it out. A lot of those things are recipes. I usually try them. But, the fun themed ones go into a binder and rarely are brought out when I need them. When a fun event comes along I'll usually think of looking through the binder too late in the game and then just settle for cookies or a pan of brownies. Not this time! I decided I was just going to make some of those fun Halloween treats I always see and rip out.



Tuesday morning while Ethan was at school Emmett and I shopped Wal-Mart for ingredients and headed home to get baking. The first thing we made was dog bone shaped bread sticks. Ethan LOVED these. We also made some pumpkin shaped pie dough "sandwiches" with peanut butter and chocolate chips in the middle and sugar on top. These were just okay. Pie crust is pretty bland. The kids mostly just dug out the chips. And, they were super crumbly. When Ethan got home, the three of us made dirt dessert together. (Notice Emmett is wearing a freezer paper stenciled shirt of candy corn).

When the kids came on Wednesday, the boys and I kept telling them they had to eat bones and dirt today. They laughed but weren't really sure what to think about what we were saying. When I showed the the dirt dessert they kept saying, "No!" and "It isn't really dirt, it is cake or cookies."



For breakfast that day I made the kids "Ghost Toast." Just toasted bread and spread cream cheese on it and cut it with a ghost cookie cutter. The kids thought that was cool, too. I ended up putting jelly a.k.a. blood on it, too.



For lunch the kids ate Apple Bites. I quartered and cored an apple and then cut a wedge from the skin side. Then I stuck slivered almonds in to resemble teeth. The kids thought they were funny. Very few ate the almonds and the apple skin, though. So, they were just for the initial reaction.



Our main course was Personal Pan Mummy Pizzas. The kids, again, thought they looked cool, but didn't eat the olive eyes and I had to hack the faces all up for them to eat them better. Despite all that, I had a lot of fun creating this fun food for them and the menu was, for the most part, healthy food options.

Even More Stenciling

Here is yet another stencil I just made for Emmett. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Now the kids I watch are putting in requests for shirts.

More Freezer Paper Stenciling

Okay, I am hooked! I have a bunch of shirt ideas waiting for me to have the time to make, and I have a bunch a shirts to put them on. I am hoping to get my sister into it, now. I think she'd have a blast making some for her baby girl. (See their webpage). Well, I'd have a blast making some girly shirts, actually!
Ethan had been asking and asking me to make him a bear shirt. I spent most of Saturday evening making it after the kids went to bed early. I laid it on his bed, and when he woke in the morning I told him to go see the shirt I made him. He went in and came out and told me it wasn't cool. He wanted a Transformer shirt! Their wants are so fleeting. He wore it Sunday and I am pretty sure he changed his mind about the coolness of it. I told him I could make him a Transformer shirt, too.


This is the first shirt I made for myself. I've been looking for workout clipart. This shirt turned out to look distressed (and I think very cool) due to my hastiness to finish it. I first did the outline of the shoes in pink. Then, I put another stencil over it with the laces etc. and did those in white. Since the pink wasn't quite dry when I pulled that stencil off it took the pink paint off put left a little white behind. At first I was discouraged and then thought it looked kind of cool. Aaron agreed that it was pretty cool. Like I said before, I can't wait to make more!

Thanks Tabitha and Merranda for getting me started!

Freezer Paper Stencils

Okay, I FINALLY did it! This morning as I browsed Wal-Mart I found some solid colored shirts, so I figured I really no longer had an excuse to not try it. The kids helped me pick out some images that they wanted stenciled. The spider shirt, for Ethan, was the first one I tried. It is FAR from perfect, but still looks pretty cool. When I made his shirt I used wax paper, because I thought that was the same as freezer paper. Well, it is not. And, that is why the shirt is less than perfect. Oh well, the first one should look that way, right? I really wanted him to have something Halloweenish but not too Halloweenish. Now, he has something he can wear to school around that time, but he can also wear it any time.

Because of the details in the tractor, Aaron did this shirt for Emmett next. Aaron is GREAT at that kind of detail. He did that shirt start to finish and it looks perfect! That's my guy. Emmett was so excited about it that he wanted to wear it after he took his shower tonight.

I did the wolf shirt for Ethan last. It looks pretty good. I am not as patient as I should be with THIN layers ... maybe this will be Aaron's project to do for the kids, OR maybe I just need to get better at it. But, it was fun and now I think I am hooked.

My Sick Baby

This morning Emmett and I took Ethan to school. Afterward we headed over to Piggly Wiggly to stock up on the $.99 chocolate chips and candy. We stopped by Mathew's to share some candy with Aaron and when he kissed Emmett he mentioned Emmett felt a little warm. When we got home we did an activity book together and I realized just how hot he was. I came downstairs to check some stuff online and he fell asleep in my arms. This is a rare thing with a 2 1/2 year old, and I soaked it up. A snuggling little boy sleeping in my arms. Can it get much better than that?

Home Depot Project

My friend, Merranda, told us about the Home Depot projects for kids. The 1st Sat. of every month Home Depot has a little project for kids to make in the store. I really wanted to take the kids, but we had other appointments to make and projects to do. My brother stopped by to grab a stroller on his way to LaCrosse. When Ethan saw them he wanted to go along. As they started to drive away he turned on the tears and wailing. Brad stopped and said Ethan could come along. I quickly told them about the project and mentioned they could do if they had time. Well, they did. April took the boys to Home Depot to build fire trucks. Here is Ethan reluctanly letting me snap a picture with his fire truck. It is the one fire truck made of wood that I let him play with. He has some in his room as decor, but they are off limits, so it is pretty special to him.

I've Still Got It

Ethan was in another room today and I walked in to help him. When I walked in he started talking and then looked up at me. He stopped what he was saying and said, "How did you get so pretty?" He melted my heart! All day I had my hair down with a black sweatshirt on and had just taken it off to reveal my plain white t-shirt and pulled my hair back in a ponytail. I said, "maybe it's my ponytail." Being the boy his is, he said, "What's a ponytail?" Then he looked at my sock-covered feet and said, "I can't see your toes." I said, "they aren't pretty right now." "Why?", he asked. I said, "because I am not wearing flip flops very much now that it is cooler." He thought about it and insisted I should still make my toes pretty, because he likes them that way. He asked if I put pink stuff on my toes if I would wear my pink flip flops. What a little sweetie!

Bee Sting Catastrophe

Wanting to be a good mom and daycare provider, I wanted to take the kids outside before lunch. I was hungry already and Ethan really wanted to stay inside, but I thought they really needed to be outside on a nice fall day. So, I insisted. As the kids got their shoes and coats on they went out the garage. Zach, Cruz, and I were the last 3 out to discover the other 3 had dumped a wagon full of dirt and weeds on the garage floor. I told them to start cleaning it up; they tried to do so with plastic shovels and hoes. Then, they darted off to the trail to play. Zach, Cruz and I stayed behind sweeping up the mess. Cruz decided he'd have more fun in the trail and joined the other 3. Zach and I started making our way toward the front of the house to hear screaming and crying. Initially I thought they were crying over unshared toys. The first thing I heard was Ethan screaming, "I poked my eye." Then, I realized they were all crying and saying their poked their eyes. I was trying to figure out how they could all have poked their eyes. As soon as they come out of the trail one of them said they were stung by bees. Sure enough. Cruz still had some on his sweatshirt. In my attempt to get them off I was stung twice in my leg. I ripped off my pants in the front yard! Quickly we all ran to the garage and started ripping off clothes. I didn't even know what to do. I was so overwhelmed with so many kids (all but Zach) screaming and I didn't know who to help first. I called April's cell and just said, "can you come here?" while she was hearing screaming in the background. After a few minutes I realized we didn't need to be standing close to naked in the garage, that we could actually go in the house. April came and helped out, bless her heart. Cruz's mom came for a while, too. April told me that on her way over she didn't know what to think that had happened--a finger severed, a nose broke (her real thoughts).

Missy: 2 thigh stings
Ethan: 1 upper cheek/below the eye sting and 1 wrist sting
Emmett: 1 ear sting (pictured above hours after the swelling started to go down)
Brayden: 1 or 2 on his front below the shoulder and 1 or 2 on his shoulder blade
Cruz: 1 on his finger and 1 on his chin

It really sounded just awful here. Everyone but Cruz ate lunch shortly afterward. We put clothes back on and watched a little Thomas. Cruz fell asleep instantly watching the show. Brayden, Ethan and Emmett helped make Halloween sugar cookies (the bribe for Brayden to let April go back to work and him stay here). I think we'll be looking at an early bedtime today!

Just Like Grandpa

It has been said for a long time that Ethan resembles Aaron's dad, Dan, when he was boy. We have a picture to prove it. When we ask kids who it is in the picture, they say Ethan though it is Dan.

Emmett, however, clearly resembles my side of the family. Many people will tell us that he looks like my dad, Gene.

Within 24 hours this week we heard this again from people who don't know real well.

On Sun. when we were at the pumpkin patch, my parents' neighbors, Adam and Melanie, also happened to be there. From across the hay ride wagon, Adam said to me, "I never realized how much your little one looks like your dad!"

Then, on Monday morning as I was dropping Ethan off at school, one of his teachers came out and said, "I just have to be nosey." "Okay", I said, a little apprehensive of what was to follow. "Is your father-in-law Dan?" "Yes", I said. She said, "I figured it had to be! I'll just look at Ethan sometimes and the look on his face just looks just like Dan." She, too, doesn't know the family real well. Her dad and Dan were friends, I think, and Dan played music for her wedding.

It always shocks me when it is someone who doesn't know us real well who sees the resemblence. And, I thought it was funny that the two boys were pegged for their grandpa resemblences within 24 hours.