Thinking about Christmas

I can't believe that it is almost time to think about Christmas! The weather has been getting cooler, I've even had to bring out the winter coats. But it was last weekend that I saw the first true sign of Christmas approaching... no it wasn't all of the retail stores selling their Christmas wares, it was..... the local Fire Station setting up their Christmas Tree lot!!!

So now that we have started thinking about Christmas, I want to remind everyone to try not to get caught up in the retail Christmas but to think about the true Reason For The Season!

Halloween Happenings

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloweeen. Although my children are too old to participate in trick-or-treating, I still enjoy our Halloween traditions. The kids, my husband and I watched a scary movie on television (Shutter Island) last night with an interruption here and there to answer the door for trick-or-treaters. We received an assortment of little ghosts, gobblins and little witches with some teenagers hoping for a candy windfall as well :)

This is a photo of my son dressed as a girl, my daughter-in-law dressed as a man and my sweet little grandbaby dressed as a strawberry!

All Around Bloomers - Featured Friday

Today's Featured Friday is about Bloomin' Bloomers newest creation, All Around Ruffle Bloomers! These bloomers have three very fluffy layers of ruffles that go all around the bloomer. They are perfect for gift giving (think Christmas!), photos, special occassions and for everyday play.

To see all of the All Around Bloomers available, please visit Bloomin' Bloomers online at http://www.bloominbloomers.net/.

Lavender All Around Bloomer

Pink All Around Bloomer

Hot Pink All Around Bloomer

Lime Green All Around Bloomer



Make Your Own Crayons Tutorial



 

One of my favorite activities to do with my children when they were younger was to make our own shaped crayons. It is a great way to recycle their old, stubby crayons.

All you need is a metal form - like an old muffin tin, preferably a disposable one or recycled one you could throw away after the project - and a low temperature oven.

 

Prepare the Crayons

1. Remove the paper wrappers from the crayon pieces. (To make this easier, put the crayons in a bowl of cool water. After about 20 minutes, the wrappers will loosen. Lift the crayons from the bowl and remove)

Melt the Crayons

1. Preheat the oven to 300F
2. Spray the muffin tin with a light coat of cooking spray.
3. Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and then place the crayon pieces in the molds. You may have to break some of the crayons to fit. Fill the molds nearly to the top, leaving as little space between the crayons as you can.
4. Bake the crayons for 5 to 8 minutes, or just until they are melted enough to blend the colors and hold them together. If you cook them until liquefied, they could meld into one dark color. Be sure the room is well ventilated whenever crayons are being melted. Overheating wax crayons during the melting process may release irritating fumes.
5. Remove the molds from the oven. This should be done by an adult with pot holders. Put them on a heat-resistant surface and let them cool for 30 to 60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of the mold.
6. Remove the crayons from the molds. They should pop out easily. If not, tap them gently on the counter.

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

My family and I are going to the pumpkin patch this weekend. We look forward to this event every Fall and no matter how old my children are, they enjoy the hayride and picking out their very own pumpkins!

This year, I thought it would be fun to introduce some new ideas for decorating/carving our pumpkins. I have included some photos of inspiration.

These bats would be fun on the table at a Halloween party.

Easy to do and very spooky!

I think my son would want to make this one.

I LOVE the mice and I know my cats would love them after Halloween!

Easy to make and would be a great way to use my ribbon scraps.

I want to make this for my Thanksgiving table.

Now this is just disgusting!



Halloween cookie treats for a good cause

My children and I are getting ready to bake lots of treats for a Halloween Bake Sale. The bake sale will be held on Halloween morning at the National Institutes of Health metro stop. All of the proceeds are going to benefit one of my co-workers whose baby boy was just diagnosed with Leukemia.

Some of the treats we are going to make are:

GINGERBREAD SKELETON

Using a standard gingerbread man cookie cutter and favorite gingerbread cookie recipe, instead of decorating in the gingerbread man fashion, instead decorate as below in gingerbread man or animal skeletons.

EYEBALL TREATS

These Halloween treats, prepared and eaten on the same fork, begin with a doughnut hole dunked in white chocolate.

Ingredients:

2 (11-ounce) bags white chocolate chips
12 doughnut holes
Semisweet chocolate chips
Tube of red decorator frosting
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions:

To coat a dozen doughnut holes, melt the white chocolate chips with the oil over low heat (and keep the chocolate warm while you work).

With a fork, spear each doughnut hole and submerge it in the melted chocolate to coat it, then gently tap off any excess.

Stick a semisweet chocolate chip with its point cut off onto each doughnut hole, cut end first.

Place the forks (handle side down) in a mug and allow the chocolate coating to harden.

Use a tube of red decorator frosting to add squiggly veins radiating out from the pupils.

It's been a long time..

Hello World, I'm sorry that I have been away for so long but I wanted to let you know that I am back and plan to become a blogging fool!

My goal for blogging is to blog on a daily theme:

1. Monday Musings (family life, thoughts, current events)


2. Tasty Tuesday (new recipes to share, I have been in a cooking rut lately and want to try some new recipes. I will share them with you here)


3. Wordless Wednesday (photos to tell a story)


4. Tutorial Thursday (sewing and crafting tutorials)


5. Featured Friday (showcasing new products at Bloomin' Bloomers