Our pumpkins....

Addison's pumpkin.

Chad's pumpkin. It looked really cool with a red light inside it.

My pumpkin, of course.

Eli's pumpkin.

Samuel's pumpkin.

Creepy Crawly Bugs

This recipe is from the 2008 Taste of Home Halloween Party Favorites magazine. I'm going to make these for the meeting i'm hosting Wednesday night.

You will need:

1 tube refrigerated breadsticks
8 smoked sausage links or hot dogs
1/2 to 3/4 cup potato sticks
Ketchup and/or prepared mustard

1. Separate dough into strips. Unroll and cut eight strips in half widthwise; set remaining strips aside. Cut sausages in half widthwise. Wrap one piece of dough around each sausage, leaving the rounded end showing. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Place reserved breadsticks on baking sheet.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove bugs to a serving plate and cool 2 minutes.

3. Insert potato sticks into baked dough to resemble legs and antennae. Decorate with ketchup and/or mustard. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 servings

I'll share pictures after I make them Wednesday.

8 days until Halloween......

WOW, can you believe it? We are so close to Halloween. Is everything ready? Are the costumes done and tried on?

We have made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and got lots of big pumpkins and lots of pie pumpkins as well. We rode the hayride, fought our way through the corn maze and emerged in a pie pumpkin field where we picked our own pumpkin. We were able to pet a calf and a goat in the petting zoo and the kids bounced in the bounce house. Then we climbed to the top of a hay bale pile and took pictures.

The costumes have been purchased but not yet tried on. I must get that done this weekend so I have time to make adjustments if need be. Samuel is going to be a vampire, complete with face paint and spray painted black hair. Addison is going to be a cute little witch and Eli is going to be a green dinosaur. I'm going to be a witch, as usual.

I had many crafts that I wanted to complete BEFORE Halloween but I haven't had a chance to start anything. Maybe this weekend I can take some time just for this and then i'll have some pictures to show you.

More later!

Welcome Fall!

Yesterday late afternoon was the official beginning of fall. The weather was gorgeous with temps in the 50's most of the day and edging up to the 60's by late afternoon/evening. By bedtime it was back in the 50's with another very crisp morning today. I so totally love this weather. I could live in sweatshirts and jeans year round and be happy.

Leaves are starting to fall, which is sad because it is just getting cool enough for them to begin changing color. I want pretty leaves! Halloween will be here before we know it.

I plan to start decorating this weekend, on top of the birthday party hoopla and such. Pictures soon!

Fall decorations....

Here are a few pics of the fall decor around my house. I'm beginning my Halloween decorating so those will be up in the next week or so.

Craft Idea: Coffee Filter Vampire Bats

I can't wait to have these cuties hanging from my ceiling. Find complete instructions here.

Craft Idea: Egg Cup Treat Holders

What a great idea! These seem so simple and fun, i'm going to start saving my egg cartons. You can find complete instructions here.