Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Jenn: Crazy
Posted by
Cara 
This has been an eventful week at my house... to put it mildly.
On Halloween, a car crashed through my neighbors fence and into my pool - yep, they parked in my pool. Luckily, no one was hurt. My pool? It was a total loss. It's 10 weeks old. My kids went in it a few times, hubby and I have merely dipped a toe - we have not yet been in our pool. Looks like we will never get a chance. The pool will need to be dug out and replaced. So this Spring I will live through construction nightmare #2. It was horrible the first time around... not happy about a do over.
The day after the car incident, my right eye blew up like a thanksgiving day balloon. Swollen completely shut, I looked like a sick version of the elephant man. I was a Halloween nightmare. A trip to the doctor, a heavy duty antibiotic and a few days of rest and it is almost back to normal. Some kind of bizarre infection in my eyelid - go figure.
Today I ventured up to Target to look for a very coveted Christmas gift that I have been chasing since September. After 10 weeks of saying out of stock, this morning the web site read available at select stores - and one of our local stores happened to have it. Or not, as it turns out because after throwing on any old thing and venturing out looking like a "return from the dead" type creature, I was told it was in the store - but unreachable. There were 426 boxes that needed to be sorted to find my item. Target will not hold nor call you when item is placed on the shelf. It is every crazy mom for herself. So did I not only venture out in public looking horrible - I ran into two moms I know who were dressed and made up and looking fabulous. I hate that! This is the part of Christmas I do not like. Don't promote a toy and then not make it available. Don't make my daughter want something her mom can't find. If you advertise it - or feature it is commercials than make sure it's in the stores dammit. I really don't want to be that crazy mom anymore. I really have to work on not leaving the house looking scary.
My hope is that next week is better - it has to be right?
Cara's two cents: It's gotta be right? Ugh. I did tell you had a weird feeling about Halloween this year...maybe I am a witch after all. And I looked in Target in BS this afternoon and did not see THE doll. I will keep looking...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Cara: Happy Halloween!!!
Jack O' Lanterns hanging on my porch
I am happy though it's here. But I know since Christmas has made it's appearance in full force in the stores...Jingle Bells are not too far off now.
I like Halloween. We have always done it up like it's a holiday around here. Mike's not happy to have school today. He thinks he should have a day off. Apparently a school friend is allowed to stay home today. No dice here. What the heck is he gonna do here all day? No thanks off to school you go.
In a moment of crankiness, I had told my buddies I thought I would not have the usual after trick or treating "gathering" ( we don't say the P-word) this year. I needed a break. And for various other reasons I thought I would give it a rest this year. But then I started to feel bad and I knew by this afternoon I would not be happy. So I changed my mind. I am glad though that I did.
I feel a little off today since I don't have a jammed packed day of running to school for parties, coming up with amazing projects for the class or even making goodies to send to school. I am not the class mom this year (PTA President I thought maybe was enough to bite off this year, ya think??). I am not even sure what if anything they are doing in 4th grade this year. Apparently 4th grade may be too old for a Halloween party?? (for the record I think that's dumb)
So I feel like I should be doing something or like I am forgetting something. I am glad though I did save some of the good tricks in my bag like the witch fingers in the paper bag or the making of slime for the last few years of elementary school. At least I got to do them with the classes for my last hurrah. I am feeling like this year may be the last hurrah for a lot of things. Makes me a little sad.
But I will set up for my after trick or treating pals like I always do. I will make my Pumpkin Pull Apart cake as always (though my heart is not totally into that this year). We will trick or treat and eat candy til our teeth hurt. The sun is coming up now...looks like it will be a sunny (but chilly) Halloween.
I plan to enjoy every part of the day. I will go visit my favorite new baby who is having her first Halloween. Make my cupcakes, hand out candy and just have fun. Hope you do too.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Cara: Halloweened Out!
I am officially up to my eyeballs in jack-o-lanterns, costumes, candy and fun. I am good. For now anyway.
Halloween being on a weekend...seemed to make it last forever. My house is very quiet this morning...everyone sleeping off their sugar rush I think.
Today for me though is time to un-Halloween the house. Pumpkins, leaves and such will stay. Jack-o-lanterns, light up skulls and witches are getting the boot. Here's a few Halloween/Autumn "recipes" to end it. Now onward.
Gobble Gobble!
Next frost all the cupcakes together with orange frosting just as you would the top of a cake. It's a little tricky in the beginning but they get the idea and start sticking together. Tint a little frosting green and frost the "stem" green.
Next score the top with the tip of a knife to make the lines from top to bottom that a pumpkin has. Then with the knife outline eyes, nose and a mouth. Using black tinted frosting in a zip-loc bag as a pastry bag with the tip cut off...outline and fill in the eyes, nose and mouth...there ya go!
Halloween being on a weekend...seemed to make it last forever. My house is very quiet this morning...everyone sleeping off their sugar rush I think.
Today for me though is time to un-Halloween the house. Pumpkins, leaves and such will stay. Jack-o-lanterns, light up skulls and witches are getting the boot. Here's a few Halloween/Autumn "recipes" to end it. Now onward.
Gobble Gobble!
Jack-0-Lantern Pull Apart "Cake"
Make mini cupcakes (makes at least 24+) as directed on cake mix package. I suppose you can make them from scratch but if you have as much going on as I do on Halloween I wouldn't.
When cool arrange them on a large platter in the shape of a pumpkin with a few sticking up as a stem. No need to make it perfectly round (what pumpkin is??_
Next score the top with the tip of a knife to make the lines from top to bottom that a pumpkin has. Then with the knife outline eyes, nose and a mouth. Using black tinted frosting in a zip-loc bag as a pastry bag with the tip cut off...outline and fill in the eyes, nose and mouth...there ya go!
Caramel Apple Cider
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups apple cider
1 cup water
Mix cream and brown sugar in pan and bring just to a low boil on the stove. Add the apple cider and water.
Heat until hot; just before boiling
Serve warm and if you want topped with whipped cream
(I didn't at that point I think my teeth would have fallen out...I did double the recipe and put it in a carafe to keep hot for my after trick-or-treat guests)
Serves about 4 (maybe a little more in small cups)
Serves about 4 (maybe a little more in small cups)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Cara: October=Costumes
It's that time again. Costumes. I don't have to buy the big ones costumes anymore, unless they are going to a party.
Back in the day (circa late 1970's) costumes were really no big deal. Depending on how old you are, you may remember the lovely plastic costume in a box (Raggedy Ann and Laura Ingalls respectively) which by the way I found pictures of on Ebay by searching for vintage costumes. Now I am vintage. Nice.
Back in the day (circa late 1970's) costumes were really no big deal. Depending on how old you are, you may remember the lovely plastic costume in a box (Raggedy Ann and Laura Ingalls respectively) which by the way I found pictures of on Ebay by searching for vintage costumes. Now I am vintage. Nice.
Geez, moms in the 70's had it easy. Go to store buy a plastic character in a box. Done. I think they cost maybe $10. We loved them. I remember being Raggedy Ann. I think I was Cinderella once too. And not this one that's for sure.
No, this ensemble costs $50, not counting "glass" slippers and updo. When I was Cindy I had the attractive plastic mask as pictured above. When we wore them our faces sweat underneath, even with the little slit in the mouth to breathe. There were plastic (kids today are not even allowed near plastic bags for fear of asphyxiation... we wore plastic on our face affixed with a rubber band which could also cause choking...just sayin'). So we had to lift them up and wear them like a sun visor to breathe or trick or treat for that matter. The eye holes were too small you would kill yourself if you decided to run with it on and never mind being run over by a car since you had no peripheral vision. No one cared. We sure didn't. We didn't even care if the Cinderella "dress" was just a plastic (again) table cloth like thing with arms and neck cut out, with a picture of Cindy's gown on the front, that we wore over our regular clothes. No glass slippers. No updo. No worries. We stood on neighbors stoops and got our pictures taken with our friends from the block in their equally as "cool" costumes.
We parents of today do not get off that easy. If I was to add up what I spent on costumes from Diva's 2nd Halloween when she could walk and I bought her and my godson Tinkerbell and Captain Hook costumes from Disney. I bought every accessory for both of them...no plastic anything there, to Junior's Knight costume in 1st grade with armour, swords the works, to current day Mike as the WWE Wrestler du jour...I would probably faint.
We get caught up in it though. We want them to be what they want and to look good. I think even the cheapest costume can't be less than $20 and multiply that by how many kids in your house...it adds up. I am sure our parents bought us what we wanted too. But after numerous trips to the Party Store for silly string, glow in the dark "stuff" and additional costume "accoutrements"...one could get Halloween-ed out way before the 31st.
Not to mention the kids I play with are having a party so we need costumes too. Had I gone for the couples costume I really liked we would have been talking upwards of $300. That's nuts. So we are going homemade this year. I could tell you what we are going to be but, well then...you know what I would have to do.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Halloween thoughts continued....picture update!
Game is all set up and and ready for school for tomorrow....
So, the 2nd grade teacher has moved the Halloween Party up a day to tomorrow. I volunteered to do the game. Thankfully I had planned on setting it all up today so I will be ready for tomorrow. I am really working on going with the flow with the new easy going teacher, it’s not easy for me to be so carefree but it’s a work in progress people.
Anyway Sam’s 2nd grade teacher (Sam's in 11th now) asked me if I remembered the game I did in her class 9 years ago when I was her class mom. (Of course.) Would I mind giving it to her so she can do it in her class this year? (Of course.) So I decided to volunteer to do it for Mike’s class too. I am not class mom remember so I am just volunteering my services. I am happy to do it though, since it was a big hit with the 2nd grade set nine years ago, I am sure it will be a hit again. Plus my friend, Cowgirl is the class mom for that other class so we are going to prepare the games for both classes today. I will post pictures of the process later on this afternoon.
Maybe you have done it or heard about it before but in case you didn’t I thought I would share it with you. I hope it’s a hit for this class. This is my last hoorah…they really frown upon goofy games up at the High School.
So, the 2nd grade teacher has moved the Halloween Party up a day to tomorrow. I volunteered to do the game. Thankfully I had planned on setting it all up today so I will be ready for tomorrow. I am really working on going with the flow with the new easy going teacher, it’s not easy for me to be so carefree but it’s a work in progress people.
Anyway Sam’s 2nd grade teacher (Sam's in 11th now) asked me if I remembered the game I did in her class 9 years ago when I was her class mom. (Of course.) Would I mind giving it to her so she can do it in her class this year? (Of course.) So I decided to volunteer to do it for Mike’s class too. I am not class mom remember so I am just volunteering my services. I am happy to do it though, since it was a big hit with the 2nd grade set nine years ago, I am sure it will be a hit again. Plus my friend, Cowgirl is the class mom for that other class so we are going to prepare the games for both classes today. I will post pictures of the process later on this afternoon.
Maybe you have done it or heard about it before but in case you didn’t I thought I would share it with you. I hope it’s a hit for this class. This is my last hoorah…they really frown upon goofy games up at the High School.
Dr. Gross’s Lab
You will need 6 paper bags that are made so that you can't see through them. You may need to line the bags with plastic, or use plastic bags or small plastic bowls, since you need to place food (some wet) in the bags. On the front of each bag make a picture to “describe” what is in each bag (see below). Have the kids line up to take turns trying to discover what is in each bag. Talk it up a little…tell them it’s specimens from Dr. Gross’s Lab etc…Let them read the front then reach in to feel what’s inside (no peeking). After each kid is done give them the list (make enough copies) and have them fill in what he or she thought was in bag. The person who gets the most right or the closest to the right answer can receive a prize. (but everyone gets a prize in the end!!) Also consider moving the yuckiest item to last in case kids want to clean their hands:
Bag 1 - Ghoul’s Eyeballs (peeled grapes)
Bag 2 – Witches Fingers (dried out baby carrots)
Bag 3 - Bat’s Tongue (canned apricot halves with skin)
Bag 4 – Skeleton Teeth (unpopped popcorn)
Bag 5 – Monster Brains (cooked; oiled spaghetti)
Bag 6 – Mummy Skin (dried orange peel or slightly oiled tortillas)
This is the list to give the kids to fill out afterwards...you can include clip art next to the creepy names on yours:
You will need 6 paper bags that are made so that you can't see through them. You may need to line the bags with plastic, or use plastic bags or small plastic bowls, since you need to place food (some wet) in the bags. On the front of each bag make a picture to “describe” what is in each bag (see below). Have the kids line up to take turns trying to discover what is in each bag. Talk it up a little…tell them it’s specimens from Dr. Gross’s Lab etc…Let them read the front then reach in to feel what’s inside (no peeking). After each kid is done give them the list (make enough copies) and have them fill in what he or she thought was in bag. The person who gets the most right or the closest to the right answer can receive a prize. (but everyone gets a prize in the end!!) Also consider moving the yuckiest item to last in case kids want to clean their hands:
Bag 1 - Ghoul’s Eyeballs (peeled grapes)
Bag 2 – Witches Fingers (dried out baby carrots)
Bag 3 - Bat’s Tongue (canned apricot halves with skin)
Bag 4 – Skeleton Teeth (unpopped popcorn)
Bag 5 – Monster Brains (cooked; oiled spaghetti)
Bag 6 – Mummy Skin (dried orange peel or slightly oiled tortillas)
This is the list to give the kids to fill out afterwards...you can include clip art next to the creepy names on yours:
Dr. Gross’s Lab
Name____________________
I think the:
Ghoul’s Eyeballs really were: ___________
Witches Fingers really were: ___________
Name____________________
I think the:
Ghoul’s Eyeballs really were: ___________
Witches Fingers really were: ___________
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Jenn: BOO
We've been Boo'd. Some years we get Boo'd and some years we get hit by the Phantom Ghost.
When we moved into our first house 6 years ago, it was the first time we had ever heard of this holiday tradition. Having only been in the house 6 months or so, one night a few weeks before Halloween we heard a loud banging on the front door. We opened the door to find a bag of candy and a "ghost" telling us we'd been hit by the Phantom. The instructions were that we must strike 3 more houses in 24 hours with a copy of the letter and picture of the phantom Ghost plus a bag of treats. My kids were thrilled. They had never heard of this game and how much fun. We made our copies, hung our ghost on door so we didn't get "hit" again by the phantom and drove around the neighborhood ghosting other families. It was like ring and run only you left a treat behind. It was thrilling - the idea of not getting caught, of doing something for someone - my kids loved it and so did I. We drove around the neighborhood looking for ghosts on doors so we knew who had been struck by the Phantom.
Yesterday the kids and I were talking about this holiday tradition and decided we would go out last night and do some booing of our own. As we were leaving the house, we were Boo'd. It seems another Mom had decided to do some Booing of her own too - great minds think alike! Everyone was excited - even the big kids as we decided who we would "hit" and who might have already been "hit."
This game has caught the attention of Hallmark who now carries a kit with window clings and all. I printed mine from www.organizedchristmas.com and www.beenbood.com or you can hand draw a ghost like the one we got ... my kids decided this was the best one of all.
It is a fun and harmless way to bring some Halloween fun to your neighborhood - if you've never been boo'd, it's time to try it.
Cara's two cents: Gotcha! Boooooooooooooooo!!!
When we moved into our first house 6 years ago, it was the first time we had ever heard of this holiday tradition. Having only been in the house 6 months or so, one night a few weeks before Halloween we heard a loud banging on the front door. We opened the door to find a bag of candy and a "ghost" telling us we'd been hit by the Phantom. The instructions were that we must strike 3 more houses in 24 hours with a copy of the letter and picture of the phantom Ghost plus a bag of treats. My kids were thrilled. They had never heard of this game and how much fun. We made our copies, hung our ghost on door so we didn't get "hit" again by the phantom and drove around the neighborhood ghosting other families. It was like ring and run only you left a treat behind. It was thrilling - the idea of not getting caught, of doing something for someone - my kids loved it and so did I. We drove around the neighborhood looking for ghosts on doors so we knew who had been struck by the Phantom.
Yesterday the kids and I were talking about this holiday tradition and decided we would go out last night and do some booing of our own. As we were leaving the house, we were Boo'd. It seems another Mom had decided to do some Booing of her own too - great minds think alike! Everyone was excited - even the big kids as we decided who we would "hit" and who might have already been "hit."
This game has caught the attention of Hallmark who now carries a kit with window clings and all. I printed mine from www.organizedchristmas.com and www.beenbood.com or you can hand draw a ghost like the one we got ... my kids decided this was the best one of all.
It is a fun and harmless way to bring some Halloween fun to your neighborhood - if you've never been boo'd, it's time to try it.
Cara's two cents: Gotcha! Boooooooooooooooo!!!
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