the best time of the year...

I love Halloween.. I mean LOVE IT!! it is so much fun! I have thoroughly enjoyed all the excellent crafty time and projects with the kids.

This is also my favorite of all our seasonal book bins that I bring down each year. Although I still have not secured a copy of Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin, or The Spider and the Fly (I'd love an audio of that one too!) I loved every rendition of The Little old Lady who wasn't afraid of anything, and a new favorite around here "Big Pumpkin" which is a new telling of the gigantice turnip story I first heard from my Story time idle Karen Robertson. (She is so awesome, and I try and lift her ideas whenever possible).
Here I am in my crafting lair... Miss H snapped this picture while I was applying the 24 eyelets that make the lacing up the back of her Queen Susan dress. See that crop-o-dile.. let me just say.. AWESOME!

I really enjoyed the process this year of making the costumes, I did not make the boys, just two great dresses for ladies.. but the ensemble..

Priceless!

We also made some great crafts from my friend Brooke's blog.. elleandkate

Ping pong balls and little LED tea lights from the dollar store, and presto.. instant eyeball fun. The boys are using them as nightlights.. so fun!

Well I hope you are all off for some great adventures. I know these Kings and Queens of Narnia can't wait!!

DIY Halloween..

Of course it's a contest.. I did not turn in any entries at the fair, and if you read this post here you know that that has lessened my bragging rights considerably around here. I mean these kids are started to hog the creative spotlight so to speak.. (I know I couldn't be prouder!) 

Cool Whip Ghost on a mini cupcake

Well I am entering a little contest over at elleandkate, and while you all know that I am super SUPER competitive.. I am really hoping to win because Miss H and Rachel LOVE LOVE LOVE their elleandkate jewelry, which they wear to church and school all the time, and I as their mother would love to let Cubby or Little Daddy pick some out to give them for Christmas, it is after all never too early to teach your son that women love jewelry right? 

Anyway, here is a little selection of my Halloween fun so far, and a tutorial on my super favorite one. 

Mummy

Mummy Dogs with spider sauce

Zombie Meat Loaf

Zombie Loaf.. hot n fresh

October Hair Accoutrement

Eek there's a bat in your hair!! 

And a spider!!

SNACK-o-Lantern

We have been trying to limit the number of prepackaged items we use. One place that gets very tricky for us is packing the kids lunches. At the beginning of the year I made a few vinyl lined zippered pouches for snacks that have been working quite well. With the halloween challenge I took it to the next level!!!

I LOVE IT!! you can tell it's a mummy and a ghost right? I had wanted to make a pumpkin and some candy corn, but I of course don't have alot of scraps on hand. I had this great idea for a spider with ribbon for the legs, but we didn't have any black, so then I thought about using thin white ribbon to weave a web, and attatching a spider ring to it, but I went with this instead, because I have really been loving the mummies lately, and last year I made Miss H the cutest little hairbow that was a tiny ghost wearing a pink hairbow, but she lost it.. 

Anyways..  Seriously... I LOVE THEM!! 

Better than ZipLoc!

For each snack pouch you need this stuff here... 

1 6 inch zipper

1 fat quarter of fabric. or so.. 

1 piece of iron on vinyl about 6 inches by 12 inches....

felt and ribbon to embellish... 

some 1 inch strips of white fabric to mummify the mummy ( or chesse cloth would work too) 

Instructions: 

1. Iron Vinyl to lining fabric following the directions on the insert. Trust me.. read the directions, I have to read them everytime right after I try to wing it and screw it up so just read the directions... 

2. Cut your shapes.. 2 outsides and 2 linings (Vinyl) for the mummy I just traced a saucer, for the ghost I just eyeballed it, you probably can tell that. Stack it all up so it matches nicely with the right sides of the lining facing in and the right sides of the outside facing out make a small snip on the top somewhere, and also on the bottom this will allow you to keep everything lined up just right. 

3. Embellish your outside pieces to your taste and stitch the embellishments down. Remember you want to be able to toss this ziploc in the washer machine so don't skimp on the lockstitch. 

4. INSERT ZIPPER.. don't panic it is just like making a sandwich.. 

Place the embellished side of your snack pouch face up, place zipper face down place vinyl lining piece so the vinyl side is touching the zipper (inside the sandwich) Pin zipper into place and stitch using zipper foot. 

Repeat on opposite side carefully making the zipper sandwich again. 

5. Unzip zipper and lay snack pouch so that the right sides of the vinyl are facing each other, and the outsides of the snack pouch are facing each other. Stitch around the outside leaving a gap in the bottom of the vinyl side so you can turn it. Go ahead and verify again before stitching that you left the zipper unzipped or you will be really frustrated. 

6. Turn the item right side out and tuck the lining inside the pouch. Stitch the opening closed. 

7. Pack with snacks and enjoy!! 


Seriously, I want to eat popcorn and candycorn out of there right now.. I mean cucumbers and carrots with dip. 

The Breaking Point

Yep.. they're not as sturdy as you'd think! 

I wasn't there. (I know I'm a terrible mother, don't add to my already overflowing guilt!) All reports indicate he was exceptionally brave, and because I don't have a cell phone, The Mr. will second Cubby's exceptional bravery when they reduced the fracture of his radius and ulna. Apparently, he did not stick the dismount from the parallel bars. 

He has not been terribly excited about having a splint, and the swelling has been pretty bad, but there have been some highlights. 

The first night when I went in there to situate him in the bed, he said, Do you think I could have a little prize, because I was really brave in there." When I asked what he would want for a little prize, he said, a glow in the dark dollar store sword, some art supplies, and some pirate books. 

C and H both got to stay home from school one day! and Cubby has been home two school days. It has been so nice to have them all home together. 

He is really cuddly when he can't bounce all around.

Listening to his one thousand and one ideas for how to decorate his splint. 

He did say at one point, "I don't think I can get dressed" when I asked him what he thought he would do for the next six weeks he said "Six Weeks! I guess I better go work on that" 

(He did manage to get it figured out by the third day)

A package and a card have arrived for him, both items prompted a fist pump (of the good arm) and a Yes! I knew it, it's because I broke my arm!! Also, all these handmade cards came home with Miss H from kindergarten. 

Watching him try and figure out how to do everything one handed, and have to ask for help from his sisters (yes even Lil Bit) and brother has been great. I love watching him navigate this new territory. 

and the very best... his insistence on an "orderly line" if the field hockey girls wanted to sign his "cool cast" 

He's doing pretty well and doesn't complain about the arm... so I'm giving him some extra ice-cream for calcium and sayingmy thanks about it not being his dominant hand. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

We went to the Dixie Classic Fair.. Again.. and again.. and again.. 

I love the fair, it's true, I'm always talking bad about it, like it's uncool, but secretly, I LOVE the fair. (Of course, when I say fair I do not mean the Midway area where all the teenagers are congregating and looking for mischief) I mean the petting zoo and the exhibits and all the little 4-H kids with their show animals. I love looking for the gigantic pumpkin and cheering on Little Swifty at the pig races (here's a tip number 4 is a RUNT and comes in last everytime)

I admit ashamedly, my mouth waters when I think of fair faire. No not the dreaded krispy Kreme cheeseburger dripping with grease and laying sandwiched between two YES TWO doughnuts. I mean actual hand-dipped made fresh before your eyes corndogs, and roasted corn stuck with a sturdy stick and floating in a vat of melted butter, I mean the perfect, oversized granny smith apples freshly (as in no plastic packaging) perfectly coated with caramel and roasted almonds (or pecans because we are in the south afterall!) 

I do love the rides, at least I did as a kid, now of course my parental goggles make them all look rickety and dangerous, I was thinking that probably next year the kids will be wanting to participate in the "wristband" days, and there will be no end to my worries.  Good-bye kiddieland bumper cars hello deathtrap zipper. (which I say ironically because I probably have 8,397 zipper rides under my belt. 

By far my favorite part of the fair is the "education" building where they display the handicrafts and fine arts of entrants from all over the county.  The first time The Mr. and I went took the kids in there, Miss H said, "Look at all these things that people can make with their gifts". Well each year now we have let the kids enter items they have crafted, and see if they would win any ribbons. This was Little Daddy's first year and check this out!! 

Here's the returner's  with their winnings. 

I know.. they're amazing!

She's TWO!!

I can't even believe it, I mean I can because she's been acting two for quite some time now, but,  TWO?!!!

We love this littlest Riley and all her crazy hair. She has thus far been the most challenging, and has an advanced sense of sass and naughtiness, but I'm hopeful that we will be able to steer all that "spirit" in a positive direction, or at the minimum, a direction that will not drive me batty.

She is quite the conversationalist, tells a great knock-knock joke (here's a hint... whoever is at the door, she doesn't know) She can run and jump and loves calling attention to her lastest mastered feat. "See my stretches, See my splits, see my artwork I make it for Mimi and Colin.. TOP IT! don't touch it! it mine!!!)  She can identify all the letters of the alphabet, shapes, colors, and most numbers, although S, 2 and 5 still give her pause.  She can dress herself, and  after months of using the potty is very close to not needing diapers at night. (Which will be AWESOME!!)

Her favorite song at this point, "Good Morning God" followed closely by Holy Holy Holy. Her favorite activity is probably riding her tricycle, which she will pedal only when you are not looking. Lil Bit, loves scissors, which makes me very nervous for the next 6 months, because she loves scissors the way Miss H loved Sharpies.

She makes me giggle, she makes me cry, she makes a big pit of frustration in my belly, and then melts it away.
She still does not accept the fact that I am not only her mother but also C H and A's. Just today she shouted at Little Daddy to "Get off my Momma!! You have you DADDY!!"
She pulls hair
Today she threw a tantrum so intensly that she wet her pants.
She refuses to take a nap or be still when she is remotely sleepy and instead falls asleep about 12 minutes before we have to get the other kids from school.

I love her.

She'll make me a better mom yet.
If she doesn't kill me first.

She's probably going to be a star.