Owl smores treat

How cute is that OWL!!?

An easy fun fall treat for any age!

All you need is:

• graham crackers
• marshmallows
• chocolate chips
• yellow candy melts
• candy corn

Go to the Living Locurto for instructions !

Turkey sandwiches-literally!

Are ya looking for a fun Thanksgiving snack or lunch box surprise? These sandwiches are sure darling. I am sure your kiddos will gobble them right up. I got the idea and photo from Family Fun.

Ingredients

• Cocktail pumpernickel bread
• Vegetable cream cheese
• DECORATIONS:
• Peas (eyes)
• Red pepper

• Pepperoni
• Cheese
• Cashew
• Slivered almond
• Parsley

Instructions from Family Fun

1. For each sandwich, spread vegetable cream cheese between 2 slices of cocktail pumpernickel bread.

2. For the head, use a small drinking glass or round cookie cutter to cut a circle from another slice of bread, then stick it to the top of the sandwich with a dab of cream cheese.

3. Likewise, add facial features such as pea eyes, a red pepper or pepperoni snood (above the beak), and a pepper, cheese, or cashew beak. Finally, wedge pepper, slivered-almond, or parsley-sprig feathers between the bread slices.

Free Thanksgiving printable coloring pages

I am going to use free Thanksgiving coloring pages to keep the kids entertained while I cook Thanksgiving dinner (or for the car ride to my brother's house)

Go here to print the free Thanksgiving coloring pages

Thankful tree craft-Make as a family!

You can make this darling and simple Thanksgiving tree memo sheet to help your family remember what they are thankful for this season. I bet you have this stuff on hand at home and can make it ASAP! All you need is: scrapbooking paper, wooden clothespins, buttons, and ribbon. Plus, you cut out your own simple leaves and ask each family member to write what they are thankful for. Then clip the leaves to the bottom of the board and put on the fridge for the holiday season. Go to the Amazing Mom site to make a thankful tree craft!

Project Materials:

• Scrapbooking paper, I bet you have it on hand
• Buttons, from your stash
• 4 clothespins, on hand or $1 at the Dollar Store
  
• Wooden letters that spell "thankful", $1 (I got a package of wooden alphabet letters at the dollar store awhile back-Or just write them)
• Ribbon, from your stash or the dollar store
• Leafs (just cut your own and save $$)
  
• Thanksgiving Tree Template

Total: $1-ish and up

Thanksgiving craft and game ideas!!

Are you searching for Thanksgiving crafts for your classroom, Sunday school, home school kids, family fun night, or preschool? Well, you gotta check out this site. There are some neat NEW ideas out there. Enjoy browsing the amazing moms site ! They also have Thanksgiving game ideas too.

Fruit gobbler!

I have butternut squash from the garden that would be perfect for this gobbler. I plan on making this to taking it to Thanksgiving dinner. I think a school Thanksgiving class party would get a kick out of it too. It looks fairly easy to assemble -- and delicious to take apart!

Ingredients

• Bosc pear (head)
• Melon (body)
• Cheese (beak and tail feathers)
• Red pepper (snood, feet and side feathers)

• Raisins (eyes)
• Grapes (tail feathers)
• Bamboo skewers
• Toothpicks

Instructions from Familyfun.com Click for the link

1. Stabilize the melon body by cutting a shallow slice off the rind to form a flat base. Using a section of bamboo skewer, attach a Bosc pear head to the melon, as shown.

2. Cut a cheese triangle beak and red pepper snood. Attach both, along with raisin eyes, to the head with sections of toothpick.

3. Cut red pepper feet and set them in place. For tail feathers, skewer cheese cubes and red grapes, then insert the skewers as shown. Pin pepper side feathers in place with toothpicks.

Thanksgiving organization to a "T"!

Ok, I guess I should start thinking about Thanksgiving and not Christmas gifts all the time (I shop all year for Christmas). Here's a great FREE Thanksgiving holiday planning book. It's from Oceanspray.com!

You can print your own Thanksgiving holiday planning book. You check off items from a list of planning pages, menus, recipes and tips. Click the "create book" button at the bottom of the page, and the site will generate a .PDF file containing all the information you requested. Whew that is easy!

They have a nifty November calendar to plan a month in advance for Thanksgiving check it out HERE!Are you cooking this year? I am guest this year and I am excited to bake pies and a side dish. I like doing everything about every other year or so. It's a lot of work but fun work.

Applique tie onesies for about $3!

I saw these at a local craft boutique for $8.00! I wanted to make one for my baby. Plus, I enjoy the minimal sewing projects. This would be a great baby shower gift. I guess I know what my baby is getting for Christmas from his Mommy!

Go here to make an Applique onesies

UPDATE: You can buy organic cotton onesies at Walmart for about $2 ea, use a scrap of fabric you have at home, and heat and bond it on for a grand total of $3ish!!

Help I don't know how to make pie crusts!

Hallelujah! Crisco® Pie Hotline is coming to my pie making rescue this year (and maybe yours too). I never have made my own flaky pie crusts. I have used frozen ones, made my own graham cracker crusts, or bought store bought Oreo ones.

If you “knead” a little help (like me) in the kitchen this year then call the pie baking experts at the Crisco® Pie Hotline (1-877-FOR PIE TIPS).

A live pie expert will help you troubleshoot and give tips for cutting prep time. They are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET year round. They also have step-by-step instructions, visual demonstrations and award-winning hints and tricks are only one click away at www.crisco.com. Whew, I can go to the site on the weekends!

For the holiday season, the Crisco Pie Hotline has extended hours from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET from November 15-24 and December 13-23.

If you have a wonderful Thanksgiving pie, Christmas, or pumpkin recipe that you would like to share with me PLEASE by all means do so!!! I am very interested. Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail. Thanks, blog friends!

A CLEANING list when your kids have been sick

I call myself a mild germ freak. I know it and I am proud of it. I came across this mom's survival guide to SANITIZING & DISINFECTING YOUR HOME AFTER AN ILLNESS. I couldn't help but pass it along. I know, I know, illnesses happen but there are some ways to keep them from lingering and spreading....CLEAN, DISINFECT, AND SANITIZE!

Thanks to everyday food storage for this mom's survival guide information.

Here's a checklist for sanitize your home, toys, etc. when your family has been sick.

Laundry:
Clothes
Bedding
Bathroom Towels
Kitchen Towels

Places to Sanitize & Disinfect:
General-
Doorknobs
Stair Railings
Remotes
Computer Keyboard & Mouse
Children’s Toys
Phone Receiver
Cell Phones
Bedside Tables
Light switches

Bathroom-
Counters
Sink & Faucet
Toilet
Shower/Tub
Floor
Door knobs
Light switches
Cabinet hardware

Kitchen-
Counters
Sink & Faucet
Microwave
Fridge handles
Floor
Door knobs
Light switches
Cabinet hardware

Car- especially if you are carpooling clean these areas!!
Steering Wheel
Gear Shift
Door Handles
Children’s Car Seats

CLEANING TIPS: CLEANING
Important Definitions CHECKLIST:
Wiping a surface with soap and water or a cleaning product may remove dirt, but it
doesn’t kill germs that can cause illness.

Clean - Remove visible debris by washing or scrubbing with soap (detergents) and
water.

Sanitize - Reduce the number of bacteria. Sanitize food-related utensils and surfaces,
including cutting boards.

Disinfect - Destroy even more potentially harmful bacteria and other microbes. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates sanitizers and disinfectants and
they have a statement to this effect on their labels.

Kitchen and Bathroom Counters:
To clean and disinfect counters, tabletops and high chairs, use Clorox® Clean-
Up® Cleaner with Bleach. For hard, nonporous countertop surfaces, use Clorox®
Disinfecting Wipes for one-step cleaning and disinfecting.

Toys:
Disinfect washable colorfast toys with a solution of 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-
Bleach per gallon of water. Soak for 5 minutes, rinse and air dry.

Sponges & Dish Rags:
Sanitize sponges and dishcloths daily in the sink using 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-
Bleach to a gallon of water. Let soak 5 minutes. Rinse and dry.

Drains:
To deodorize drains, flush with water. Pour 1 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach into the drain, then flush with hot water.

Laundry-Whites:
Use Clorox® Regular-Bleach for white and bleachable items only. Always add the bleach and detergent to the wash water before you add the clothes or use your
washer’s bleach dispenser.

Laundry-Colors:
For colors, there are color-safe bleaches that are available in liquid or powder
forms. Use these products, like Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, to help
remove stains/soils and brighten colors.

Laundry-Towels:
Always launder towels first before using them. Never use fabric softeners, as they
will decrease the towel’s ability to absorb water. Machine wash after use in warm
water with like colors and rotate to extend the life of your towels. Wash white
towels in hot water with 3/4 cups of Clorox® Regular-Bleach per regular load. Or,
try Clorox® UltimateCare® Premium Bleach, the bleach you can pour directly onto
whites.

Check out the complete Mom's survival guide to the flu by clicking here !

Free portrait collage at Walmart ending Nov 2nd!

It was raining on Halloween in N. Utah so I didn't get the best pictures this year of the kids. So I am going to go to Walmart for this free offer ending November 2nd! No purchase necessary. Print the coupon and get a a FREE Halloween Collage at the Picture me portrait Studio!

Go HERE to print the coupon today!

Carving creative Jack O Lanterns

Are you carving pumpkins soon? Want to stand out for the trick or treaters? We have used free pumpkin carving templates in the past. Here's our Smokey Bear carving from last year. We enjoying using our home grown pumpkins.

A scary pumpkin template!

Snow White and Winnie the Pooh

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Here's some FREE pumpkin carving templates links for you this year go:

HERE

Better Home and Gardens has more than three dozen free printable stencils found here. If you sign up for their email newsletter you can get celebrity pumpkin carving stencils including Obama, Jon Stewart, Sarah Palin & McCain, Joe Biden, David Letterman, Rachael Ray, and OPRAH!!
Here's a great list of free pumpkin carving patterns and links on The Freebie blogger

When your kids ARE sick-Soup recipes for them!

Here are some yummy soups when your family is sick.
They come from www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

MINESTRONE SOUP
This a fabulous vegetable filled soup that is great when you’re sick!

3 medium carrots (3/4 c. dehydrated carrots)
3 stalks celery (3/4 c. dehydrated celery)
2 medium onions (1/2 c. dehydrated onion)
1 large potato
¼ pound green beans (1 can green beans)
2 medium zucchini
½ pound cabbage
1 medium clove garlic
3 ½ cups beef broth
1 ½ cups water
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 can (1 pound) garbanzo beans

Pare carrots; chop coarsely. Chop celery coarsely. Chop onions. Pare potato; cut into ¾ inch cubes. Trim zucchini; cut into ½ inch cubes. Coarsely shred cabbage. Mince garlic. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours. When 1 ½ hours is left. Rinse and drain cannelloni beans, add beans to soup. Replace lid and allow to cook. Remove bay leaf and serve with shredded parmesan (optional).

Chicken Noodle Soup
A classic chicken noodle soup recipe.

2 tsp. chicken bouillon
6 cups chicken soup stock
2 C. chopped carrots (1/2 c. dehydrated carrots)
2 C. chopped celery (1/2 c. dehydrated celery)
3/4 C. chopped onion (1/4 c. dehydrated onion)
2 Cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 C. milk (1 1/2 T. dry milk powder + 1/2 c. water)
2 C. Cooked Chicken
4 C. uncooked noodles
salt/pepper to taste

Boil chicken in water. Pull out and pull chicken in to chunks (I refrigerate first and add this in later..it’s easier to pull when it isn’t hot). Add veggies,cream of chicken soup, milk and noodles to stock. Cook until veggies are tender. Serve with wheat bread.

CHICKEN GINGER STEW:
The ginger, chicken, and garlic feel so good on a soar throat!

2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. garlic finely minced
¼ C. onion, finely minced
1 T. ginger root, peeled and minced
1 to 3 lbs. raw chicken (w/ or w/out bones)
1 T. salt, dash pepper
3 C. water
2 C. zucchini
2 C. spinach leaves (fresh works best)
Heat oil in large saucepan. Sauté garlic, onion and ginger until onion is transparent. Add chicken pieces and stir well, until chicken is partly cooked. Season with salt and pepper, add water. Cover and simmer over medium heat until chicken is tender. Uncover pot and add zucchini. Cook until tender (chicken comes easily off bones). Turn off heat and add spinach leaves. Serve hot.

SPLIT PEA SOUP
I realize most don’t like this soup...but like meatloaf I think it’s just a matter of having a good recipe.

1 pkg (16 oz.) dried green peas
1 ham bone
7 C water
1 medium onion, chopped (1/4 c. dehydrated onion)
2 medium carrots, chopped (1/2 c. dehydrated carrots)
a couple of stocks of celery and leaves
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, minced

Rinse peas under cold water in colander, removing any debris or blemished peas. Place peas, pork bone and water in soup pot. Add onion, carrots, salt, thyme, bay leaf and pepper. Reduce
heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour 15 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir frequently near end of cooking to keep soup from scorching. Remove pork bone. Take off as much meat from the bone as you can.

Check out the complete Mom's survival guide to the flu by clicking here !

I need a quick and free date night with my hubby!

I know all you married/dating/committed ladies on a budget would fist bump me (in person if you could) when I show you this coupon and date idea. Ha ha. Go ahead and print this coupon and take your hubby out for a drink and a chat. I sometimes need to just talk to him uninterrupted and why not enjoy a free Taco Bell orange n creme fruitista freeze too?

Use this Taco Bell coupon Free Orange N Creme Fruitista Freeze!

The coupon offer expires on 11/25 but once you print the coupon it expires in about a week. So print and use it when you need to have a chat with a loved one! Limit one per computer.

Utah also got this coupon recently: Taco Bell, Limeade Sparkler Regular Size FREE (11-25-10) RP-10/17
no purchase necessary!

100% free Walgreens 8x10 collage-expired now

Walgreens.com is offering 1 FREE 8x10 Collage Print! Type in the Coupon Code 8X10TREAT at end during checkout and don't forget to choose FREE in-store pick up!

**I made a collage with my daughter tonight. She will take it to show and teach at school and show off her favorite things. EX: Pictures from her life: The dance recital, softball photo, with her sisters, baby brother, swimming, hunting with her Dad, her cat, reading, in the garden, etc. She was so excited to make it with me on a pink background.** It was titled Her favorite things 2010

**THE CODE EXPIRED SATURDAY, October 23rd!**

What do you do with your favorite outgrown baby clothes?

Make a clothes line! I am sure sad my baby boy is growing out of his small infant clothes. I don't know if I am ready to give them away or sell them all right now....sniff sniff. Wouldn't this be cute in a LAUNDRY ROOM!? I could pick my favorite infant clothes to display. Yes, I do spend a good deal of time in my laundry room. I might as well look at cute outgrown baby clothes!

Go here for the details on making a Clothesline

A dryer hose pumpkin-CLEVER!

Go from this dryer hose:

To this easy pumpkin craft!

Find out all the details @ House of Hepworths

"Pumpkin cookies" made with oreos!

If you are having a Halloween party you could add this to the pumpkin treat to your list.

Oreo "pumpkin" cookies!

These would look good wrapped up individually for your children's school teachers or Sunday school teachers.

Go on over to Oopsey Daisey for the recipe.

Cheap Halloween porch pumpkin idea

If you have dead tree branches, black spray paint, a pot, and a pumpkin from your garden you can make this for FREE!! If not it's low cost project. It's simple and a bit spooky! I'd add some ribbon on the pot if it was me!

Thanks, The V Spot

My b-day at Lagoon amusement park in Utah

For my birthday this year I didn't want gifts...I wanted to get out of this house and go somewhere FUN as a family! I didn't get a true vacation this year since I had the baby and a hurt ankle. I love adventures with my kids and finally I felt up to it (physically too). So off we went to Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah. It was a blast! The weather was perfect in the high 80's. It was decorated for Halloween and they call it Frightmares. It can be pricey but I did my best to find the best deal and still have fun.

Here's how I saved money and had a blast!DISCOUNT TICKETS: Our elementary school had coupons for Frightmare tickets for $31.50 for adults and everyone over 4 yrs. 3 yrs and under were the toddler price of twenty something.

FOOD: Lagoon allows you to bring food and coolers into the park. We packed our lunch, dinner, treats, and drinks. We left our cooler and box of non refrigerated items in a pavilion on site and no one touched it. Utah is pretty trustworthy in that way.

AMUSEMENT PARK FOOD TIPS: 1) I froze some water bottles and used them as ice in our cooler. Then we pulled them out and let them thaw for ice cold drinks. We refilled them at the water fountains. 2) Next time I'll bring a small crockpot with sloppy joe meat and use their outlets in the covered pavilions to heat while we go on rides-Some one else did that and it was genius to me!

WATER RIDES: Not this year based on my family ages and a baby.....but maybe when we get season passes one year. I don't see how you could do it all during the summer months. In September, Lagoon's water park isn't open and the entrance fee is adjusted for that, I think. I was ok with that since my kids are still young and we took the baby. We couldn't and wouldn't do it all this fall. But, I happily sent my husband and kids on rattlesnake rapids while the baby and I stayed back and were dry! I hate walking in wet shoes at an amusement park (now I am sounding old!)

Late September for Lagoon: Hardly any lines, we took the baby and took turns riding with the girls.

What can my kids ride? I checked their website for height guidelines ahead of time so I knew what my 3 1/2 year old and 5 year old could ride. It cut down on tears and time figuring it out. It worked out great to know in advance.

GAMES: We didn't play any! They didn't even ask. We were hard core--for the rides of course.

SOUVENIRS: We didn't buy any! They didn't even ask.SHOWS: I vote watch 'em if their good! We took a break and watched the dancing monster show and it was hilarious!

Nothing beats watching chainsaw guys dancing to I'm too sexy and You better work by Ru Paul! I was bustin' up laughing!

My 5 and 7 1/2 year old went on this double looped roller coaster! What a thrill.

All in all I love amusement parks, making memories as a family, and being frugal. It was one of my favorite adult b-days ever!

Halloween ideas and my costume last year!

Aren't these cupcakes cute?

I hope you'll check out the Halloween ideas from the past by clicking here!
I have lots of ideas for decorating indoors, outdoors, and for treats!

Happy Halloween!
Here's my husband and I last year as biker babes with tattoo sleeves (purchased at Smiths grocery store!)