German Cheese Spatzle - Feature of the Day

I grew up in an area of Ohio that was very German. I also have friends who still live in Ohio, who very happily went to Oktoberfest celebrations this past weekend.  When I saw this authentic German dish from Jutta of Hungry Little Girl, I knew it was  the perfect time to feature it.  Jutta is originally from Germany, and has many other authentic German recipes on her site as well as this one.  The see how to make this delicious looking German Spatzle, and her other recipes be sure to check out Hungry Little Girl here.  Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share Jutta! 

This Week's Party Theme - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

With the release of the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 this weekend, I thought it would be a great time to revisit one of our favorite parties, and add some new ideas from Cloudy 2.    We went to go see it in the theater today, and LOVED it. The time flew by, and there are enough puns and jokes that most adults will find funny as well the kids.   Almost all of our favorite characters from Swallow Falls are back, and so are many more new characters that will soon by family favorites. 

Dare to Share #78

It's Friday night, so you know what that means! 
It's time to Dare to Share! 

How did your week go? We had a bit of craziness going on, which I will explain more about in a bit. It was also a busy week on the blog as well. Did you have a chance to see all the Scarecrow Party posts? 

Why We Love our BISSELL Vacuum

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BISSELL Homecare, Inc..  All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was asked if I could write a post for BISSELL pet vacuums, it was super easy to say yes.  Not only do I already own a BISSELL pet vacuum that I love, I also have a house full of pets and kids.  Put pets and kids together, and you are going to have chaos and  messes.  That is especially true at our house. 

Scarecrow Party Treats and Party Roundup

I have a just a few more Scarecrow treats to share with you during Scarecrow Party week.   How about making a bowl of Scarecrow Crunch. It is a fun mix of family favorites, and all have reasons to be part of the mix. 

Maple Nut Candy- Feature of the Day

I am a few hours late for eating lunch, and because of that I am noticing pictures of food more than normal. Does that ever happen to you too? I did see  an interesting recipe from Ashley of With a Sparklex posted on this week's Dare to Share party.   Her husband heard of this candy at work, so they decided they needed to try to make it at home.  Ashley shares with us this delicious recipe, using many favorite ingredients.  You can see how to make her Maple Nutty Candy recipe by checking out With a Sparklex here.  Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share Ashley! 

What's the New Party Theme?

You may be wondering why I did not announce a new party theme this week.. I had plans to, but my schedule outside of the blog was just a bit too busy this week.  I still have one more Scarecrow post to share, and I think you will really enjoy it.  The theme that I had planned  will work very well for October too, so I decided to postpone it for a week or two. I have do have a special theme planned for next week, and having a few days to plan ahead will help me keep on schedule next week..  

I also have a few fun projects in the works, so I hope to catch up on those this week too,so I can share them with you.  

Are you wondering what the new theme will be?  I don't want to announce it just yet, but I will give you a sneak peek... 

Does this picture look familiar?   Next week's party theme should be a yummy good time! 

Indian Corn Candle Holder - Feature of the Day

I had to find out more when I saw this Indian Corn Tea Light Holder made from a wine glass by Crystal of Make It Easy Crafts.  She shows us a great tutorial on  how she made this very festive, and very unusual fall craft.  You can see how to make it on Make It Easy Crafts here.   Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share Crystal!

Scarecrow and Crow Pumpkins

Scarecrow and Crow

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you might know that each year I try to add more pumpkins to my Pumpkin Gang.   Since we are having Scarecrow Party week, I thought it would be fun to add a scarecrow and a crow.   

Scarecrow Party Ideas

Make a Scarecrow Face Snack 

In this post we are going to talk Scarecrow themed food, activities, and games.   First up, the FOOD.

Scarecrow Face-  Have the kids put together their own scarecrow face made out of their favorite veggies, such as carrot sticks, tomatoes, colored peppers, mushrooms, and olives.  I would have used black olives in the scarecrow face that is pictured, but I did not want to open an entire can for only two.   I used an English Muffin, but you could  also easily use biscuits, tortillas or anything round.  I made a spread of cream cheese and Miracle Whip that I normally use on Veggie Pizza, and then added the veggies face, and cheese hat.

Some other  fun  foods you can serve are: 

Scarecrow Dip (from the Betty Crocker website) 

corn on the cob 

carrot and celery sticks 

apple slices and caramel dip

anything pumpkin 

popcorn or popcorn balls 

Scarecrow party mix (will be posted soon)

Scarecrow Veggie Pizza (from the Taste of Home website)  

Sweets and Treats 

Scarecrow Marshmallow pops (will be posted soon)

Scarecrow Cake  (from the Betty Crocker website) 

Scarecrow Cookies  (from the Pillsbury website) 

Sugar Cookie Scarecrow  (from the Taste of Home website)  

Game and Activities 

Scarecrow Party Bags 

Scarecrow Party Bags can be used as an activity, and a bag to bring home their special treats.  Lay out paper scraps, buttons, goggle eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms and other craft items and have the kids design their own scarecrow. 

Make a Scarecrow Race- Have the kids divide into two teams. They then work together as fast as they can to

put together a sscarecrow. 

Scarecrow and Crow- this game is similar to Shark and Fish.  Have one person be the Scarecrow and the rest can be crows. The Scarecrow chases the crows and tries to tag them.  Once the kids are tagged they can either stay frozen in place, or also turn into a scarecrow.  

Find the pumpkin- Hide a mini pumpkin or pumpkins, and have the kids try to find them.  My daughter did this in preschool, and then she got to keep the pumpkin she found. 

Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin- Make a large pumpkin face out of poster board and have the kids try to pin on triangle noses. 

Decor

Use classic fall colors such as yellow, orange, red and brown.  Many paper products, streamers, balloons and fall decor can be found at the dollar store. 

If the party is outside, use some hay bales to give the party a farm field feel.  

Pumpkins, crows, dried corn stalks, and scarecrows can be found at the dollar store, craft stores such as Michaels, and JoAnns, and garden stores. 

Favors 

Bandanas 

Straw hats

pumpkins 

Halloween coloring sheets/books 

fall themed pencils 

mini bags of candy corn 

There are still a couple of Scarecrow party posts to come.  I will be sharing Scarecrow and Crow pumpkins, Marshmallow pops, cookies, and party mix.  Stay tuned! 

Dare to Share #77

It's Friday night, which means it is that time again.. 
It's time to Dare to Share! 

Last weekend I shared a round up post with Apple Candy Monsters and all of the apple recipes I shared during Apple Party Week.

Football Printable-Feature of the Day

Are you excited that football season is here?  I have to admit, during the August games, I have a hard time being excited. I am still in summer mode.  When September rolls around though, I love a good football game.  Go Bucks! (I went to Ohio State)   Kim from Kim's Kandy Kreations shared a great football printable on her blog at last week's Dare to Share party. She also shared how to make delicious looking cake push pops. Yum! If you would like to print the football printable or see how to make push pops, but sure to stop by Kim's Kandy Kreations here. Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share  Kim!

Making Your Own Halloween Costumes

Fall is one of our favorite times of the year.  One reason for that is because we always make Halloween a fun family event.   If you have had the chance to read my About Me page, you saw that I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was growing up.  When I was in college, I majored in  textiles and clothing.  For that major we had to take merchandising, history of clothing,  sewing, and costume design.   The costume design classes were definitely my favorite.  In a way, I am using my degree each year, because for the last several years my kids have wanted me to make their costumes.  

It just so happens, that my kids take after their mama when it comes to their creative side.  Did they ever request something simple?...  Nope!   Kara  requested things like a hatching chicken,

 a fox, 

 a raccoon, (not the best costume to be wearing in the rain) 

Cream the bunny from Sonic the Hedgehog

and Domo! 

She seemed to like making people guess who she was supposed to be each year. 

Kyle had his own unusual requests, like the year he wanted to be a fly, (I have no idea why) 

a praying mantis, (again no idea why) 

and one of his favorites, a flying Chameleon.  

We won first place in the neighborhood costume contest that year.  When he was announced the winner, they had no idea exactly what he was.. I can understand why, there is no such thing as a flying chameleon. (that I know of) He was also wearing vampire fangs. (again, no idea why)   With only six weeks until Halloween, we have begun to think about this year's costume.  Kyle doesn't think he will go out trick or treating, so he has not requested one. Originally Kara thought she might be  a hedgehog, but lately has been thinking she might be a squirrel instead. We have ideas on how to make it,  but we have not even begun to start on it though.    Do you like to make your own Halloween costumes?  I would love to hear about them.  

Here are  links to the costumes that I have shared on the blog. 

How to Make A Fox Costume, Part 1

How to Make a Fox Costume, Part 2

How to Make a Fox Costume, part 3

Flying Chameleon Costume 

Homemade Bird Costume (designed by Kara, not pictured) 

Raccoon Costume Pictures 

 

Plastic Bottle Mini Purse-Feature of the Day

I have to say, when I saw the text on  Wesens-Art's picture, I was like "what??" I don't think I have ever seen a plastic bottle turned into a purse before. When I went to her blog to find out more,  I have to say I am pretty impressed.   It is a very  creative idea, and not super difficult to make.  If you would like to see how she  made her mini purse, you can check it out by going to Wesens-Art here.  Thank you so much for linking up to Dare to Share!

Pringles Can Scarecrow

I am excited to bring you today's craft.  I had a vision of a Pringles Can Scarecrow in my head for awhile.  Then when I made it, it turned out even better than I had imagined it.   

Homemade Meatballs-Feature of the Day

Spaghetti with Homemade Meatballs

It is no surprise that I was drawn to Liza's meatballs from Views from the Ville when I am hungry. Don't they want to make you dig right in?!  I wish I was eating a big plate of them right now,   I don't know about your but now that  school is back in session, I am always looking for meal ideas for the family.   Liza got this idea from the cookbook 101 Stovetop Suppers from Gooseberry Patch, and she is currently giving a copy away. If you would like to see this delicious recipe, and enter to win you can find Views from the Ville here.   Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share  Liza! 

My Crazy Day, and This Week's Party Theme

I had planned on having a quiet day at home today, with time to work on my blog.  You can not say my life is ever boring, because that is not what happened at all. 

The day started out pretty normal. I was up  by 6 a.m. to get my son ready for school.  Once he was out the door, and off to school,  I  would normally get his sister up, so she can get ready too. Today though, she had an orthodontist appointment early in the  morning, so I was able to get 30 more minutes of sleep.  We debated about her going to school for a little bit before her appointment, but she would have had to leave during first hour so we decide to wait.  This was her first appointment since she got her braces on, and we did not know what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised that she got right in, and was done before the estimated time.  I got her to school about 15 minutes before I thought I would..   I get home a little  before 9:30

Apple Candy Monsters and the Apple Party Week Round Up

This is my last official  post for Apple Party week. (though I have one more apple recipe, that  I am going to be sharing  very soon)   I thought I would  revisit a post that I shared last year, because it would be a great activity for an Apple Themed Party.....Apple Candy Monsters.  Just give each guest an apple and selection of candy and see all the fun creations they make. 

My kids had so much fun coming up with monster creations using candy we already had, and  a few things we picked up at the dollar store.  

You can definitely tell who made which apple.  LOL!  Kara turned hers into angel, and Kyle made his with horns, candy corn teeth, and a toothpick piercing.  

This year we tried to see what an apple monster would look like with  mini marshmallows as teeth.  I realized after we cut him that the shape of the apple made his face angle down.  He was kind of difficult to photograph that way.   We propped him up with another marshmallow, and all is good.   The green apple reminds me a little bit of Kermit the Frog. 

Here is a Round Up of all the Apple Party posts in case you missed them...  

Apple Themed Cookies and Pops

Caramel Apple Pops and Candy Apple Pies

Cheesy Apple Quesadillas

Cheesy Apple Quesadillas

Cheesy Apple Quesadillas is quick and easy  to make and  is good to serve for lunch, parties or just a snack.  It can also be made with chicken or without.  Today we chose to have the vegetarian version.   We used flour tortillas, red pepper jelly, apples and sharp cheddar cheese. 

Check Out My Job Chart

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links 

I just found out about a website that I think sounds very interesting.  It it is called My Job Chart.  It is an online site where kids can earn points when they do their daily work or chores.   It is a great way for them to learn about money because they can decide whether they want to save, share or spend their points.  If they want to save for a special reward, Amazon is working with My Job Chart so you and your child can chose the reward, and link it to their account..  I don't know how many times we have tried to something like this on our own, only to have the chart misplaced or forgotten about.  Another great thing about My Job Chart,  it is FREE to use!   Want to give it a try wth your kids? You can sign up here

Dare To Share #76

It's Friday night, which means it is time to Dare to Share!