Breakfast/Snack Idea

My teenager made an interesting snack after school today.   She recently had a friend tell her that they liked peanut butter on their waffles.  She thought it sounded good, and decided to try it.  She also added some syrup to sweeten it up.  I asked for a bite, to try it myself and it wa surprisingly good.  

An added bonus was she used Omega 3 peanut butter, so she got some added nutrients as well.    If you would like to have some protein to start the day, why not give peanut butter waffles a  try.  

Last Minute Coupons

Today is September 30th, so make sure to print your end of the month coupons before they are gone.  Coupons are changed and reset on the 1st of the month, and you favorites might no longer be available.   

Veggie Skeleton

I just saw this on Craft Gossip,  and thought it was the most adorable veggie dish I have ever seen.  Imagine how excited your kids will be about eatting their veggies if they were served  in the form of a  veggie skeleton.  I think I might even get my picky kids to eat more veggies too.  If you would like to see how to make one of your own, be sure to check out the blog Feeding Frenzy.

I've Been Featured..

I LOVE it when one of my crafts or recipes are featured on another blog.  Recently I made a Featured Page to clean up the look of my main page, so when I am featured I will share a short post.  This week I was featured on not one but TWO blogs, for two different projects.  

Earlier this week, my Easy Football Pops   were featured on the blog A Home with K, Terrific Under $10 Party.   I really like her site because all the crafts and recipes are frugal and  can be made for less than $10. 

Today on Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hypo     my Vampire Pumpkin was featured on her Fantastic Feature list.

Please be sure to  check out these really incrediable blogs and their weekly linky parties. 

Melted Witch Treats

Looking for a cute Halloweent treat for a party or classroom?  How about some melted witches from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  They are easy to make, but so original.  She even shares how she made  individual  Melted Witch   treat bags  I am filing this one in my idea box. 

Mummy Pumpkin

Tonight I finished the first of my themed pumpkins.  Mummy Pumpkin is super simple, and very inexpensive to make.  I got all of the items, except for the paint at the Dollar Tree. 

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

I started with one of the mini pumpkins in the Halloween section.  I bought these a week or two ago where there were plenty in stock.  When I was there in Sunday, they were all gone.  Hopefully if you do this craft, you will find some in stock at your store. 

Updated (the pumpkins are now available online at DollarTree.com.  They are available in orange and white, and in smaller quantities. 

Using white craft paint I painted the entire pumpkin white.  

To get the best coverage, I had to paint more than on coat. 

I found this bag of google eyes in the craft aisle.  For this craft I used 2 of the largest eyes.  I used several of the smaller eyes on another project.  

Once the pumpkin was paint was dry,  I  glued on two of the google eyes.  I used regular Elmers glue since I can not seem to find my glue gun at the moment.  

I thought it would be cute to add a mouth on my mummy. It really is a matter of preference.   I like cuter mummies over scary mummies.  Again since I do not have my glue gun,  I used  Elmers glue.  It was not sticking well, so I used two pieces of tape to hold it in place.  The tape will not show once you wrap your mummy. 

I found rolled gauze in the health and beauty aisle.  One package  is more than enough for the mummy.  

I wrapped the gauze around the pumpkin several times covering all but the eyes.  Since I like a cute mummy, I left my gauze plain white and soft.  If you would like a scarier mummy, the gauze can easily be "dirtied" with a bit  of paint.   The gauze can also be hardened with fabric stiffener if desired. 
To keep things neat and simple,  I just taped the end of the gauze on the bottom of the pumpkin.

I will be adding tutorials for mummy's friends shortly. 

More New Coupons Available

I have just been notified that there are some new coupons on Coupons.com again today. If you see one you like it is best to print them quickly, because they might not be available later. 

Did you know that the premiere of the second season of Extreme Couponing is this Wednesday on TLC.   I have a love/hate relationship with this show.  While it can be so interesting  to see how much these over the top couponers can get for free or very little money, it makes it much harder for the regular couponer in the real world.  I know that this show is unrealistic and that they are running up the totals buying high quantities  of the same product.   I coupon because I need to save money with 3 growing teens/preteens who tend to go through food quickly.  Since this show started, many grocery stores have changed their policies making it much harder for the average couponer to maximize their savings.  My coupon savings have been cut in half due store coupon policy changes.  Even though, it might not be as easy to to save 50%  plus on our grocery bills,  all coupon savings do add up.    I will not be giving up on using coupons, and I hope you do not either. 

Flower Pumpkin Centerpiece

While going through my email today this one from Better Homes and Gardens caught my eye.  I never would have thought about gluing mums on a pumpkin, but they do make for a pretty centerpiece.   You can see this craft and several others at bhg.com.

Halloween Whoopie Pies

Do you like Whoopie Pies?  I do!!  I love these colorful, homemade versions from Sugar Swings.   She gives a step by step tutorial on how to make your own custom sweet treats that are just so much fun.   Make sure to check them out on SugarSwings.blogspot.com.

140 FREE Labels- 1 Day Only

I just heard that Vistaprint is offering 140 free custom mailing labels today only, just pay shipping.  I have used Vistaprint before, and have been very  happy with their products.   You can use these labels on your upcoming Christmas cards or even as tags for your childs toys and books. You could even customize them with your teacher's name and turn them into a teacher gift.    There are over 7000 styles to choose from.   To order,  you can click this link here, and it will take you to the free labels.  Standard shipping is around $3.50, and arrives quickly.   What kind of labels are you going to order? 

Busy Creating ...

I am working on several projects day and have paint bottles and craft supplies all over the kitchen table.  I will be posting some fun Halloween crafts shortly. 

Its a Great Day for Apple Picking

Yesterday it was a pretty nice fall day.  Kara and I decided to go to one of our local U-pick farms to enjoy an afternoon of apple picking.   We really did not want to get a massive amount of apples, but we love the entire picking our own experience.

One of the first things I have the kids do is stand near the apple sign.  Kara has been coming to this farm since she was 2.  I am trying to locate the earliest picture of her by this sign, so I can compare them,  but I have not found it yet.

I did come across this one which was taken about 5 years ago.  It looks like she has grown almost a foot since this picture was taken. I think she is about 5 here. 

This picture  was taken this year. She can now reach pretty high up on the trees. 

We also  always stop at the pumpkin patch to take pictures.   We dont buy our pumpkins there,  because then we have to lug them all the way back to the car. It easier to take pics in the patch,  and then buy them at the grocery store were we have a cart.

Some pumpkin flashback pics... She is about 3  or 4 in these pictures. 

One of our absolute favorite fall treats at the apple farm, are the freshly made cinnamon doughnuts and homemade apple cider..  YUM!!!!!

In this doughnut flashback picture,  I see that she brought a friend to the apple farm.  Her purple poodle from Clifford helped us pick apples that year.  I had forgotten all about that.  She hasn't watch Clifford for years, and I am not sure where her poodle is,  but she still loves dougnuts and stuffed animals.

Kara loved the horse in the petting farm.  The feeling was mutual and the horse kept coming back to Kara to be loved some more.

While on the hayride we had so much fun playing around with the camera taking pictures of ourselves.

 Every time we would hit a bump we would get pictures of our legs. Funny pictures like this will remind us of the fun we had. 

I hope to get to the store this weekend to pick up a few ingredients I need for a delicious caramel recipe.. Keep posted!

You Must See Dolphin Tale

Yesterday after school,  I went with my daughters girl scout troop to see the new moive Dolphin Tale.  It is a true story about a dolphin who loses its tail, but who  overcomes its injury to inspire others with a caring team from the Clearwater Animal Hosptial.     Winter, the actual dolphin, is the star of this movie, which makes it that much more intriguing.   I teared up several times, but they were HAPPY tears.   At the end of the movie, they showed real footage of Winter's recovery and of all the people who she has helped.  We went with ten 10 year old girls and there were many time in the movie when they laughed out loud and cheered on Winter. 

There are also websites where you can learn more about Winter and her story.       You can see the trialers to the movie, view pictures and more through the studios website here.

Winter also has her very own website at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where you can see her on her very on webcam here at seewinter.com.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Its time for Hungry Halloween

I was so excited to open my box from Beth at Hungry Happenings.  Not only did I receive an awesome book, she also sent me some great Halloween goodies.  I was very excited about the pink and green candy eyeballs, because I have seen so many cute treats that need candy eyeballs. Hopefully you will see some posts with them soon.   I also received some fun cookie cutters, witch candy molds,  pot holders, teat bags and spray icing.   She has so many fun recipes and ideas in her Hungry Halloween book.   If you are even thinking about making a Halloween themed treat, you must check out her book.  There are a few recipes that I definitely want to make for my family this season.  I know my kids will love the Cheesy Franken Heads, Dreamy Dracula, and Mummy Pizza.  I was very impressed with the vampire chips that have vampire faces on them.  The directions are pretty simple so anyone can impress their friends with this  really cool treat.  There are also some great recipes that are definitely EWWW worthy, if you are looking for the shock factor at our party.  Recipes like Feet Loaf, Bloody Hand Burgers and One Eyed Jack.   Hungry Halloween is available for sale through Amazon.  I put up a link to her book, since I love it so much, but if you buy it from Beths page Hungry Happenings, she will earn the commision on her very own book.    

Thanks Beth for a wonderful giveaway!!

Sunday Paper Coupons

It's almost time for the Sunday paper to arrive again. For couponers, the inserts are the best part of the paper. The Sunday Coupon Preview is a great site to see what coupons will be in the paper BEFORE they actually come out. This is a great way to know if you want to buy extra papers or plan your list ahead of time.

This week there will be a Smart Source, a Red Plum and for some a special CVS insert. To see the full list, you can do so at the site Sunday Coupon Preview.

My Canvas People Update

It was like Christmas when I got two packages in the mail today.   I not only got my giveaway winnings from Hungry Happenings,  I received my photo canvas from The Canvas People.  I used one of my favorite Halloween photos for this order and I love how it turned out.  It arrived just in time for me to put out for Halloween.  WOOHOO!       I did the offer for the FREE 8 x 10, just pay shipping deal, and decided to upgrade to the 11 x 14 for a small fee.   It did take a few extra days for the larger size, but the time it to arrive from the time I ordered was very reasonable.    I will definitely order  through Canvas People again, and I think I know what I will be giving to the grandparents for Christmas this year. 

The offer for a FREE 8 x 10 or $50 off any size canvas is still going on.  If you would like to order a photo canvas of your favorite photos,  here is a link to this offer.  There is also a special deal going on where if you buy 2, the second canvas is 50% off plus 50% off shipping. (this offer is no longer valid)

Angry Bird CostumeTutorial by Twin Dragonfly Designs

If you have followed my blog for awhile, you know that I LOVE me some Angry Birds.  I have posted about Angry Bird snacks, Angry Bird Cake Pops , Angry Bird Marshmellow Pops , Angry Bird decorations  and even  a homemade Angry Bird game.   When I saw the Angry Bird Costumes on Twin Dragonfly Designs I knew I wanted to post about it.  She does such a wonderful job on her picture heavy tutorial.   If you are considering an Angry Bird costume this Halloween, you can find the how-to on all of your favorite angry characters on the Twin Dragonfly Designs blog here.

Cute Costume Idea

Have you seen the newest issue of Family Fun?  I got mine in my mailbox yesterday, but have not had the chance to look at it yet.  I did notice the very orginal paper doll costume on the front cover.   This costumed would not be that difficult and is definitely less expensive than many store bought costumes.  You can see how to make a paper doll costume here at FamilyFun.com

Monster Mash Popcorn

I just saw the coolest Halloween treat that would be so much fun for a party, classroom, or just to eat for FUN.  In Katrina's Kitchen shares this recipe for this Monster Mash Popcorn, complete with candy monster eyeballs.  It looks to be full yummy deliciousness with the candy corn, cereal, popcorn and melted chocolate.   I think I want to go make a batch right now.

Must Print High Value Coupons

Wow, they are some really good high value coupons available on Coupons.com today. I would print them soon if you are interested, because they will not last long. 

Make sure to check out these awesome coupons for  $5 off Schick Intuition,
$5 off Schick Hydro, $5 off Schick Quattro for men, $4 off Hawaiian Tropic
and $4 off Playtex Gentle Glide, and many more!

Plants Vs Zombie Cupcakes

My son LOVES the game Plants VS Zombies on the computer.  I have to admit, I have played it a time or two myself and it can be addicting.    I think these themed cupcakes from Cute Food for Kids    are almost too cute to eat. When I saw them on CraftGossip, I had to check it out.   I then  showed them to my kids and they  immediately asked me to make them some time.   Hmm.. I will have to add it to the list of things I want to try. 

Halloween at Hungry Happenings

Hungry Happenings  has become of my favorite blogs to go to for party food ideas.  She has so many great themed food  ideas of all kinds, that would  be perfect for any party theme.   This morning she gave me another reason to love her blog.  I was chosen as the winner of an  autographed  copy of  her Hungry Happenings Halloween Cookbook.  YEA!!  After a difficult week last week, this was very welcome news.    Beth has been  an event planner, store owner and teacher before becoming  a blogger, and  now her readers are the recipients of all her experience.  If you are thinking of having a Halloween get together, class party or costume themed party you MUST check out some of her recipes.    Here are links to some of my favorites.    I love the Vampire Pizza.  Don't you just want to take a bite?  LOL!

How about a  witch hat cheeseball.   I love how she made it look so realistic.

I also adore these black cat truffle pops .   I know my kids would eat them up.   

If you really like her recipes make sure to check out her cookbook on Amazon.  I would post the link here, but I feel  if you want to buy it, you should use her link instead of mine.   By using the link on her page she earns the commission for the book she actually wrote.