Indian Corn Treats

Now that Halloween is over, it is going to be full speed ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I went to Kohl's today, and the entire store was decorated for Christmas! I am so not ready for that.  Instead I would like to concentrate on Thanksgiving first.  A few months ago  I bought a book of treats from Kohls, and in it I found this recipe for Indian Corn Treats.  I knew I wanted to give them a try. 

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Halloween Round Up - Last Minute Ideas

I am doing something a little bit different today. Instead of just one Feature of the Day, I am featuring ideas from past parties that can be done LAST MINUTE!  If you are as behind as I am, you may be using some of these..  Now I need to get back to finishing Kara's costume! 

Spooky Lights by Wesens-Art

Pink Bat French Tip Nails by Spud Nails

Blacklight Decorarting by Patriotic Pam

Skull Caramel Apples by Kims Kandy Kreations

Free Halloween Printables by The Pin Junkie

Kid Made Halloween Garland by Hill House Homestead

Kara's Halloween Cupcakes which you can find here.

Easy Cupcakes which you can find here.

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Bouncing Spider Halloween Craft - Feature of the Day

We are in the final stretch for Halloween.  I love that you can make the Easy Bouncing Spider Craft  by Holly of the Kids Activities Blog  in just a matter of minutes. It would be a fun activity or craft to make at a class Halloween party, or even as a decoration for your little trick or treaters.  All the supplies you need for this spider, you probably already have at home.  If you would like to make your own bouncy spider, be sure to check out this craft and many others like ghost bowling on the Kids Activities Blog here.  Thank you so much for linking your great ideas on Dare to Share Holly!

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You Say It's Your Birthday and a Guest Post

Yesterday was my birthday!  Having a birthday right before Halloween can be a lot of fun, but it can also be extremely busy.  This week happens to be the last week of the grading period as well as Halloween.  So in addition to getting ready for Thursday, we are catching up on all the last minute homework that needs to be done by Thursday night.  This year has been more hectic than most. I have never been this far behind right before Halloween.  Kara and I still have to MAKE her costume..  Yes I said make, not finish.  Luckily she is going easy on me this year, but we still have to put it all  together.   I know Kyle has a lot of English homework that he has to finish this week.  He is one of those that has to be watched while he does it, or he just pushes it to the side.. *sigh*  He is getting better, but it still takes up a lot of time.    I just bought our candy for trick or treat night yesterday.  I did save $10.50 in coupons on the candy so that is a plus.. Buying it last minute also means that it will not disappear before we need it.  

My girls made me a cake last night.. While it was not pretty, (it fell apart when they took it out of the pans)  it tasted great. I am proud  that they made it completely on their own. I also love that they only used 15 candles on the cake. We had a good time pretending that I was 15, until my wise cracking son brought up the fact that it was missing a lot of candles.. Sometimes it is not a good thing that your kids know your real age.  

I do have a new Halloween post to share.  I am  guest posting on Your Modern Family today where I am a contributor.  Stop over and see the new treat boxes that i came up with this year. They are quick and simple and  are great for Halloween and Harvest parties. 

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The Orkin Ecologist, and My #BugOut Moment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Orkin Ecologist for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever had a #BugOut moment?  When I first thought about it, I could not remember one.  Then while reading The Orkin Ecologist world’s scariest bugs page and the Top 10 Bug Phobias page, I realized that I have had one.  You see I used to have Phobia number 9.  For many years I had Scoleciphobia. Don't know what Scoleciphobia is?  Growing up, I did not know it had a name.  You see, Scoleciphobia is the fear of worms.  I was not afraid of snakes, but a harmless earthworm could make me run away screaming.   That fear was all my brother's fault!!  When we were kids he thought it would be fun to put a bucket of worms in my room.  He was only about five at the time. He also took a crayon an drew a giant arrow on my wall pointing to the giant bucket  worms.  Ew!  I did finally outgrow my fear of worms, once I became a parent.  When I would walk future zookeeper to the bus stop she would panic when she would see worms in the street on a rainy day.  She did not want to see them  be run over, and killed by a passing vehicle..  I can't count the number of times, we tried to save as many as possible from being squished by the bus.  

Another bug that I am not really afraid of, but have to avoid are stinging insects like yellow jackets, wasps, and bees.  Two times in my life I have stepped on nest, being stung multiple times.  Both times I had some pretty bad side effects.  It seems I am allergic.   The bug in the picture is from the Orkin Ecologist world’s scariest bugs page. It is a Giant Japanese Hornet.  I am grateful that they are mostly found in Asia and not where I live,  because they kill about 40 people per year.  

The Orkin Ecologist has more that just scary bugs on it's site. It is a great educational resource  for bug lovers, scientists, and future zookeepers.    I know my kids are always asking questions about bugs that they find, and this would be a good place to find the answers. The Orkin Ecologist is also on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheOrkinEcologist), and Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/orkin/) where you can follow Orkin,  and find more fun articles and ideas all about bugs.  

Now that you know  about my secret phobia of a harmless earthworm, I would love to hear what you are afraid of too.  What is your  #BugOut moment?

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Easy Halloween Cupcakes

First up, a spider cupcake.  Frost your cupcakes in the color of your choice. I did not realized how much I missed on the edge until I took this picture. (it's okay, these were just for the family anyway) 

The legs are cherry flavored black licorice, and the eyes are red hots attached with a bit of black gel.  These spiders are definitely more yummy, than scary. 

This spooky display is super easy (and inexpensive!) as well.  The Halloween cloth and the bag of spiders were from the dollar store.  I just threw it over my cake plate and added the spiders.. 

We happen to love cats around here, and don't think black cats are scary at all.  We used to have one that was super sweet.  To make a black cat cupcake, we just added candy eyes, a red hot nose, candy corn ears, and black licorice whiskers.

Sit out the cupcakes and watch them disappear! 

   

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Glitter Pumpkins - Feature of the Day

We are in the home stretch!  Can you believe that Halloween is just a few days away?  Are you ready yet? We are not!! Still working on some costumes and last minute crafts here.  One thing that I love about the Glitter Pumpkins shared  by Amber of  Cheerios and Laundry is that they can stay around a few extra weeks into the Thanksgiving season.  A craft with a dual purpose. She made these pretty pumpkins  with her kids, and it looks like they had a lot of fun. To see how she made her glitter pumpkins, be sure to check out Cheerios and Laundry here.

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The New Smokehouse Brisket, Not Your Ordinary Fast Food

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arby's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Arby's has recently added a new sandwich to the menu, the Smokehouse Brisket.  My family eats at Arbys often, so I had the chance to try one on our most recent visit. This is not your ordinary fast  food sandwich. The meat is smoked low and slow  for at least 13 hours. I could tell that it was slow roasted, because it had such  a rich smokey taste. The brisket was sliced thicker than the meat on their regular roast beef sandwiches.   The  smoked Gouda cheese, crispy onions, BBQ sauce, and mayo really complimented the brisket.  The large, toasted bakery style bun, seemed the perfect choice to hold everything  all together.   This sandwich is a good size too.  I was too full to finish it all, so I was able to bring the remainder home to eat at another time.  More than once I told my daugther who was with me, that the Smokehouse Brisket was not like any other sandwich I had eaten before.

Do you want to know more about this delicious sandwich?  Check out this YouTube  video,  so you can see for yourself how Arby's puts it all together.

Are you ready to run to Arby's to try it yet?  If you are unsure where an Arby's is in your area you can  Find an Arby's near you by clicking the link.   I would love to hear why you are excited to try the new Smokehouse Brisket sandwich.  Leave and comment, and let me know.

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Dare to Share #82

It's Friday night, and you know what they means.. 

It's time to Dare to Share! 

What have you been up to this week?  

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Crafting with Kara Halloween Cupcakes

It's been a little while since we have had a Crafting with Kara.  She has many ideas she plans on doing, but with all her activities and school, she has not had the chance. I guess she takes after her mother on that one.  This week I made some cupcakes, but then did not have a lot of time to decorate them.  I asked Kara if she would like to decorate them for Halloween.  She said she would love to.  Here are her designs.. 

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Small Wall Review and Giveaway

Disclosure: I was sent product for this review and giveaway.  All opinions are 100$ mine. 

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out a product called Small Wall.  Haven't heard of  Small Wall yet?  They are an awesome product to use when you are planning to paint a room, and are unsure what color to paint.  Small Wall gives you the chance to test out your paint color on the walls of your room, without actually painting them.    I was sent the packs that came with two 12" x 12" squares. 

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Halloween Dominos (Printable) - Feature of the Day

Do your kids like to play games?  Kim from Kim's Kandy Kreations shared a fun  domino game for kids this week,  that is both  free and printable.   It would make a great game for a class party, or just for fun at home.  If you would like to print some of your own dominos, go to Kim's Kandy Kreations here.  Thanks so much Kim for linking up this great game on Dare to Share!

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Paper Decorations for Glass - Feature of the Day

I think today's Feature of the Day by Wesen's-Art is so cool!  I have never seen anything like it.  All you need is some paper and scissors, and you can make any bottle or jar a work of art. I am already thinking of ways you can use this idea to decorate for any holiday or party.   Be sure to see how she made these beautiful decorated bottles here.  Thank you so much for linking up this original idea on Dare to Share!

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Skeleton Decor - Feature of the Day

Halloween is coming up fast! It's hard to believe it is only 10 days away.. Where did October go?  Leigh and Jeanette, the mother/daughter crafting team from  Crafty In Crosby is busy getting ready for the big day.  They are having a Halloween bash later this month, and shared how they made their Sally Skeleton display and their Zombie Attack Windows  on this week's Dare to Share Party. You might be surprised what they used to put Sally Skeleton together.   If you love Halloween like they do, you will want to go over to Crafting in Crosby and see of their great Halloween ideas  here.   Thanks so much for linking up on Dare to Share.! 

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Empower Tween Girls with the Fortune Girls

I recently heard of a movement  for tween girls ages 6-12 called the  Fortune Girls .  It is a multimedia brand that has a mission to empower young girls.  They want girls to know, and believe that they can do anything.  That is is okay to DREAM BIG. The Fortune Girls are multicultural characters from all over the world.   Because there is so much diversity with the characters, there is bound to be a character that any young girl will be able to relate to. 

One thing that I loved about the Fortune Girls is that it was started by a young girl name Madison.  She began drawing really young, and it has since  become her true passion. 

On the Fortune Girls website, girls can play games, and meet all of the characters, who live and learn together at the Dream View Academy.

A few days ago they began a Kickstarter Campaign to find backers in their project to produce an animated webisodes of the Fortune Girls.  They hope that the webisodes will be a platform to discuss issues that young girls face like bullying, and self esteem problems.  Since young girls can relate with the  Fortune Girls, they will be able to bring that message, and make girls feel good about themselves at the same time.    You can read more about this campaign  here.   You can also learn more about the Fortune Girls  and follow along on their Facebook page. 

While I was asked to share about the Fortune Girls, I was not compensated in any way to do so.  I have a tween girl, so I see how hard it can be at times.  I believe in their mission, which is why I want to help them spread the word.  

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Dare to Share #81

It's Friday night, and you know what time it is.. 
It's time to Dare to Share! 
What have you been up to this week? 

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Candy Pumpkin Favors on JOYful Home and Life Today

Have you seen the 3 dimensional Wilton Candy molds and wonder how to use them?   Today you can see how on my Special Events Contributor post on JOYful Home and Life.   While they are not that hard to use, there is definitely some technique involved into getting a perfect pumpkin.  Stop by and see what to do, and what not to do if you try to make your own. 

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Candy Corn Banner - Feature of the Day

There are several reasons why I chose the Candy Corn Banner by The Pin Junkie as today's Dare to Share Feature of the Day.  Not only is it super cute, it is great for parties AND it is extremely frugal.  You will be surprised with how quick and easy it would be to make one of your own.  If you would like to see how to make a Candy Corn Banner for Halloween, you can see how on Pin Junkie here.  Thanks so much for linking up the great project on Dare to Share! 

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Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge - Feature of the Day

I am looking at the Dare to Share party while hungry again. :)  I think  you will understand why I am featuring today's Dare to Share Feature of the Day.   How about some Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge by Winnie of Something  Sweet.  The pictures on her blog, definitely make this fudge look mouth watering, and the flavors of chocolate and pumpkin sound very intriguing    Her blog is in Hebrew, but you can easily read how she made this fudge, but clicking on the translate button on the top left of the page.  Ready for the recipe?  You can see it here.  Thank you for linking up to Dare to Share  Winnie! 

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Monster Pumpkin

A new member joined the Pumpkin Gang today..  Meet Monster Pumpkin! 

If you make a monster pumpkin, you can paint it whatever color you prefer.. I chose to paint mine violet purple.  It took a couple of coats to make sure that the pumpkin was totally covered. 

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

One reason why I went with violet purple is because I found these eye picks on sale  at Michaels recently.  They were less than .50 each.  

I trimmed the stem since they were very long compared to my dollar store pumpkin.  It was easy to push them into the pumpkin.  

The Pumpkin Gang

Updated:  The Dollar Tree craft foam pumpkins I used in this craft are now available on DollarTree.com. They come in orange and white, and in smaller quantities. 

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