Frankenweenie Salty Bones Recipe

My children are can not wait to see Frankenweenie when it opens October 5th.    In honor of Sparky, I thought I would share this cute Halloween snack idea for Salty Bones snacks.

no compensation was received for this post. 

Decorating with Spider Rings

Today, I started putting out some of my Halloween decorations.   This year my children seem extra excited.   This year will be a little bit more fun since our little girl is older and more into holidays.
 One of my favorite things about Halloween is spider rings.  I have loved them since I was a child.   There is something just fun about them.   The other great thing about them is that they are inexpensive and you can buy them in bulk.    I love to find new ways to use them around the house.

spiders everywhere!

Just hanging around

One place that I think they make look especially festive is the light fixture above our dinning room table.    You simply snip the ring open, then stack them on the light fixture.    It takes about 100 spiders to cover my hanging light fixture, for a cost of about $3.

A few other ideas for spider rings:
  let the kids string them to make a garland.
they can be used for napkin holders
decorations for cakes or cupcakes
use gray thread or fishing line to have them hanging around a mirror

Caramel Apple Smoothie

I found this recipe on the Silk Facebook page and I can't wait to give it a try.   My family and I have been drinking more almond milk lately.  I wasn't sure how well I would like it because I am not really a milk fan.  But I really love it. 

  Carmel Apple Smoothies

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cup Silk Vanilla soy or almond

1 medium tart apple (peeled and cored)

3 tbsp caramel sauce

6 ice cubes. 

 Blend until smooth.

Wordless Wednesday - It's A Trap

I couldn't resist having a little fun with my newest Ackbar creation yesterday.   Admiral Ackbar is a character from Return of the Jedi.  His most famous quote is,"It's a Trap!"

Tuesday Train

   Life has been crazy at our house the past few days.  My son has been sick, we have Fall Festival coming up at school, getting ready for the fair, and all the other activities that make fall wonderful.

I love entering baked goods, art, and photography in our local fair.  When I was pregnant with my son, I was on bed rest.   TV became my best friend.   I remember watching some Andy Griffith Show re-run where Aunt Bea was all in a dither over her fair pies.   I got it in my head that after I had my baby, I would start entering items in the fair.   I have now been doing it for 8 years.

This year, I have gotten my two oldest children involved.  Working on their fair entries have been a great lesson for each of them.   We will see, hopefully, everyone will bring home a ribbon.  

Favorite Photo Monday

Admiral Ackbar Bowling Pin

My love of the character Admiral Ackbar is no secret to regular readers of my blog.  Admiral Ackbar is a character from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.   I thought I would share a sneak peak of my newest Ackbar creation.


Our local fair, which is coming up next week, is sponsoring a contest.  The contest is to recycle a used bowling pin into a character, person, celebrity,  represent a profession, etc.    Hopefully, the judges will recognize him and understand the character.

I used air dry clay to sculpt the head and hands.   I allowed it to dry for 24 hours before painting it.  The clothing is 2 pieces of white felt and the belt is canvas.

This was a lot of fun to create and I came up with a lot of ideas.  I wish I had more bowling pins.  I am planning to use him as a book end after the fair.

We will see.......  more to come about this project in a few weeks.

Free Stage 4/5 Toddler Welcome Kit from Beech Nut

Do you have a toddler or know someone with one?   This is a great freebie.  Get a Free Stage 4/Stage 5 Toddler Welcome Kit when you sign up for Beech-Nut’s Free monthly e-newsletter!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

I have been away from participating in the scavenger hunt for a while.   A few of the pictures are newer and some are from earlier this year.   I am hoping that next week, I will have some brand new pictures.


Cracked-  Well, my cracked photo is a stretch.   I saw this last week when we were at the flea market.    I "cracked" up when I saw them.    I am just curious what full price was.

Fallen- A fallen potato chip


Bokeh-  Not the greatest example.

Ordinary Color-

Fence-

Free Pumpkin Master pumpkin patterns

Facebook Fans get access to FREE Pumpkin Masters Patterns!   

Be sure to like their page to get patterns for your pumpkin carving.  

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Recall

If you are in the New York area,  Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with sea salt has been recalled and linked to a salmonella outbreak.    Here is a link to the original article.  http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fnew_york&id=8820407

"Saving Mr. Banks" New film coming from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Can you imagine if the great Disney film Mary Poppins had never been made? It almost did not get made!  The story behind the making of Mary Poppins will be coming to the big screen in a new Disney film, "Saving Mr. Banks", starring  Oscar winning actors Tom Hank and Emma Thompson.  The film details the account of Walt Disney’s twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to P.L. Travers’ popular novel, Mary Poppins, and the testy partnership the upbeat filmmaker develops with the uptight author during the project’s pre-production in 1961.   Mary Poppins has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, so I am particularly interested in this new project.  

  Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) will essay the role of the legendary Disney (the first time the entrepreneur has ever been depicted in a dramatic film) alongside fellow double Oscar®-winner Emma Thompson (“Howard’s End,” “Sense and Sensibility”) in the role of the prickly novelist.  Before actually signing away the book’s rights, Travers’ demands for contractual script and character control circumvent not only Disney’s vision for the film adaptation, but also those of the creative team of screenwriter Don DaGradi and sibling composers Richard and Robert Sherman, whose original score and song (Chim-Chim-Cher-ee) would go on to win Oscars® at the 1965 ceremonies (the film won five awards of its thirteen nominations).

 

            When Travers travels from London to Hollywood in 1961 to finally discuss Disney’s desire to bring her beloved character to the motion picture screen (a quest he began in the 1940s as a promise to his two daughters), Disney meets a prim, uncompromising sexagenarian not only suspect of the impresario’s concept for the film, but a woman struggling with her own past.  During her stay in California, Travers’ reflects back on her childhood in 1906 Australia, a trying time for her family which not only molded her aspirations to write, but one that also inspired the characters in her 1934 book. 

 

            None more so than the one person whom she loved and admired more than any other—her caring father, Travers Goff, a tormented banker who, before his untimely death that same year, instills the youngster with both affection and enlightenment (and would be the muse for the story’s patriarch, Mr. Banks, the sole character that the famous nanny comes to aide).  While reluctant to grant Disney the film rights, Travers comes to realize that the acclaimed Hollywood storyteller has his own motives for wanting to make the film—which, like the author, hints at the relationship he shared with his own father in the early 20th Century Midwest.

 

            Colin Farrell (“Minority Report,” “Total Recall”) co-stars as Travers’ doting dad, Goff, along with British actress Ruth Wilson (the forthcoming films “The Lone Ranger” and “Anna Karenina”) as his long-suffering wife, Margaret; Oscar® and Emmy® nominee Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under,” “Hilary and Jackie,” “The Rookie”) as Margaret’s sister, Aunt Ellie (who inspired the title character of Travers’ novel); and a screen newcomer—11-year-old Aussie native Annie Buckley as the young, blossoming writer, nicknamed “Ginty” in the flashback sequences.

 “Saving Mr. Banks” will film entirely in the Los Angeles area, with key locations to include Disneyland in Anaheim and the Disney Studios in Burbank.  Filming will conclude around Thanksgiving, 2012, with no specific 2013 release date yet set.

 

Counting Candy Corns

I taught Montessori preschool for over 10 years. I am so happy to have the opportunity to work with my younger children at home.  

I started getting out a few Fall/Halloween themed activities this past week.  This is one of our lessons that we have been practicing this week.

I apologize for the weird glare on this picture.   This is a hand transferring lesson that also doubles as a math activity.

I handmade the candy corns using gluten free playdough.   I absolutely love it as material for making counter.    Once hardened it is extremely durable.

I hand shaped the candy corns, then microwaved them for about 20 seconds at a time.  I continued doing this in 20 second intervals until they were hard.    I allowed them time to cool down.   Then I quickly painted them with acrylic paint and sealed them.  

I placed a set of number cards with this activity.   My daughter drew a card and counted that number of candy corns into the pumpkin.  

Free Armoatherapy Body Lotion at Bath and Body Works

Get a Free Aromatherapy Body Lotion at Bath & Body Works stores only September 21–23, 2012. $3.50 value. Limit 1 per customer. They will email you a Bath & Body works coupon, so print it out or show it on your phone.

No purchase necessary. While supplies last. Not valid online or at Bath & Body Works Outlet stores.

1,000 Free International Delights Tumblers starting today!

Starting today, on the International Delight Facebook page, they will be giving away 1,000 tumblers. Be sure to like their page.   They will be giving away 1,000 tumblers  everyday between 9/21- 10/1/2012

Wordless Wednesday-I found Waldo

                                 It is a terrible picture, but I am pretty sure that I found Waldo.

Peanut Butter and Banana Cookie Recipe

One of my favorite flavor combinations is peanut butter and banana.   I was so excited when I found this recipe, that I could not wait to try them.  These cookies are quick and easy and a big hit with the kids!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 small ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup firmly packed light  brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter or creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl.  In a medium mixing bowl, beat together banana, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy, using an electric mixer.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Gradually beat in flour mixture until a dough forms.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake cookies for about 10 minutes.

Favorite Photo Monday

    A few pictures from our trip to the beach    In some ways, I kind of hate that school has started back.

Pumpkin Facials

It is almost officially Fall! That meas that pumpkin flavored everything is here, including facials.    Some times mommys need a spa day.  But it is not always easy to get there.   This is a great at home facial with pumpkin as the main ingredient.  It is easy and you can whip it up with just a few ingredients.   Pumpkins are loaded with Vitamin A and enzymes that will nourish and brighten your complexion. 

For making your own pumpkin facial, you can use either fresh or canned pumpkin.

1. Grind up 12 almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder until texture is more fine than rough, but not powdery.

2. Add 1/4 cup honey and 1/8 tsp. olive oil and blend well.

3. Mix in 8 oz. of canned pumpkin puree, stirring enough to combine all ingredients.

After cleansing face and neck, smooth the facial over the skin, working away from the eyes. Leave on for 5 minutes and then rinse in the shower or with a warm water splash.


Read more: How to Make a Pumpkin Facial Mask

Flea Market finds- Boots, 1/2 price

Well, this week's excursion to the flea market was kind of a bust.   I didn't really find anything that interested me for my various collections or  anything I needed for my son's dresser project.

But, I did see these and it just made me laugh.    I am curious to know what full price was.

Talk like a Pirate and get ye free Krispy Kreme dought ARRRRRR!!

The great holiday of Talk Like a Pirate is coming up on Wednesday, September 19th.   Krispy Kreme is getting in on the fun. 

 Any buccaneer who dares to enter a participating Krispy Kreme location talking like a pirate gets one free Original Glazed doughnut.

To the lad or lass wearing full pirate attire goes a bounty of one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts.

To claim their loot on September 19, guests must:  Talk like a pirate or wear an eye patch to a participating Krispy Kreme shop for one free Original Glazed doughnut.

· Come to a participating Krispy Kreme location in full pirate costume for one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts. No weapons allowed.

Hotel Transylvania

My kids are really excited about this new movie from Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation.  It opens nationwide in 3D on Friday, September 28th.    Check out the trailer and  movie website.  http://www.welcometohotelt.com/site/ 



The story synopsis:
Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free from meddling from the human world. But here's a little known fact about Dracula: he is not only the Prince of Darkness; he is also a dad. Over-protective of his teenage daughter, Mavis, Dracula fabricates tales of elaborate dangers to dissuade her adventurous spirit. As a haven for Mavis, he opens the Hotel Transylvania, where his daughter and some of the world's most famous monsters – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more – can kick back in safety and peace. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis. 
 

DIY- Super Hero Dresser

With all of the recent super hero movies, my 8 yr old son has become a huge fan.    I decided that we would  decoupage his dresser with old comic books.  

The dresser was very plain and an unfinished piece.  It was actually left behind at my husband's work.  It was in perfect condition and I am happy it was left behind.  

Now, I am the worst with taking before and after pictures.   I was half way through the project before I decided to take any pictures.   But you can see here, the original look and the new decoupaged look.





I purchased 12 comic books with various different super heros at the flea market.   I tried to get a mix of old and newer comics, so I would have a contrast of graphics.

I covered  the drawer fronts, sides, and top of the dresser.  For this project, I used 1 bottle of Mod Poge.   I did not use to whole bottle for my project, so I do have some left for another project.




 My plan is also to take out all of the drawers and paint the front black.  I think that it will really make the drawers pop out more.  It will also give a comic book panel look.


My next step is to covert these kid's meal toys into drawer pulls.   I need 12 total, 2 for each drawer.  I am still searching for a few more to use.  I had picked these up at the flea market.   My plan is to drill holes into them and using screws and washers to create new drawer pulls.  

It is still a work in progress and I can't wait to get these finished.  I will post an update on how I am making the drawer pulls and the finished project.





This project has been rather inexpensive for me to create. Here is the breakdown.

Dresser-  FREE
Mod Poge-   reg. $7.99  (I used a Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon)   price after coupon w/tax  $5.87
Comic Books-     $6  I was able to get comic books 2 for $1.
Toys-  so far, I have spent $2 on the dresser pulls.   I figure, I will spend about $6 total on these once I find everything I need.

Monster High Custom doll- Eye Ball Guy

I have gotten into making custom Monster High dolls for my daughter.  It have been a fun way for me to express my creativity.   We mainly have been making some of the background characters.   I recently started working on making her the Eyeball Guy.     He isn't finished yet, but I am pleased with the way he is coming along.   

I have been using glow in the dark paint for the iris. It creates a great effect at night.