Holidays
Halloween Rice Krispie Treats
Green cat with a “K” on it….wonder who that one is for? We also found a purple cat with a “B” on it too! 🙂
While Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa were here visiting we made some delicious rice krispie treats. I made regular rice krispie treats and cut them out with Halloween (pumpkin, ghost, and cat) cookie cutters then the kids and Grandmas decorated them. It was a lot of fun making these tasty treats together.
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treat
Someone ate a Black Cat…….Karlie!
Brina enjoying one of the rice krispie treats after she finished helping decorate!
Colorful pumpkin!
Spooky green rice krispie ghost!
Decorating rice krispie treats with Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa. The decorating team was MUCH faster than the cookie cutter, ha! 🙂
A plate full of decorated rice krispie treats!
Another tray full of pumpkins, ghosts, and cats…….
After the girls got a chance to taste test one cookie we sent some of the treats home with the Grandmas, 1 went into each of the girls lunches for the next day, and the rest we brought to Community Group to share with friends. This was a fun and easy Halloween activity for everyone to do.
Family Activities: 3 Big Pumpkins with 6 Different Faces!
One side of the pumpkins had a Mr. Potato Head type face on it! Karlie’s “serious” pumpkin, Grandma Penny & Great Grandma Willa’s “silly” pumpkin, and Brina’s “puppy dog” pumpkin! This side of the pumpkin took a lot less time to do. It was super easy and if you don’t want to mess with carving or cleaning out a pumpkin this is a great alternative. The girls loved picking out the pieces for their pumpkins and designing a face.We were super excited to have Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa come visit us for a few days in October. During their visit we were able to squeeze in a lot of fun activities. One of the activities was carving pumpkins! The girls had a blast hanging out with both Grandmas and have a lot of great memories of their time with us. Thankful that they were able to come visit us. 🙂
The other side of the pumpkins had the carved version on it which was perfect for the evening. Karlie’s “scary” pumpkin, Grandma Penny & Great Grandma Willa’s “cat” pumpkin, and Brina’s “happy” pumpkin sitting on the front porch.
The PROCESS……
Scooping out the pumpkin seeds
Gross……slimy pumpkin hands!
Karlie designed her own “scary” pumpkin face complete with eyelashes! She drew her face on a piece of paper and Jake helped her transfer it to her pumpkin. So proud of her scary pumpkin!
Brina wanted a “happy” pumpkin!
Trying to get Skip-A-Doo to pose with them in front of the pumpkins…..ha! Skipper wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but I have to give them credit for trying to get her to cooperate for the picture!
The girls had a lot of fun doing the pumpkins with Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa. They thought it was neat having a “2 sided” pumpkin with different faces on each side. The jack-o-lantern that they carved was their night pumpkin and the silly faces were their day pumpkins. We used the pumpkins seeds to make 3 Seasoned Pumpkin Seed recipes. Did you carve or decorate pumpkins? I would love to see your pumpkins, feel free to post a link to your pictures in the comment section below!
Leaves + Pumpkins + Ghosts = Oh My….It’s Halloween
Karlie and Brina raked up a bunch of leaves to “stuff” the pumpkin!
What a difference a year makes…..so much has happened over the past few months it is hard to believe it is Halloween again! I like to think that I have learned all the lessons I need to know by now but I find myself still trying to balance this thing called life. At times I am torn between having fun with my family and getting things done on my never-ending and always-growing “to do” list (does anyone else struggle with this or is it just me?!).
Sometimes the best way to get things done is to have fun doing it with your family. For example, you can make raking leaves a game by seeing who can stuff their “leaf pumpkin” the fullest or fastest! You get to have fun with the family plus you get a few extra leaves off the yard all at the same time.
Last year it was much warmer for Halloween so the kids spent almost all their free time outside playing. Only a few days ago we were wearing shorts and it was 80 degrees outside, but with the storm up north the wind has picked up, leaves are raining down on the yard, and there is an extra chill in the air.
Two little pumpkins for my sweet “pumpkins”!
They got these cute little pumpkins from a fall activity we did with a group of friends at a local farm. Since these pumpkins were too small to carve we made delicious Pumpkin Dip and a small batch of Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds!
The girls made these easy “Banana Ghosts” to take in their school lunches!
It was cute hearing them giggle as they put together their little ghosts. We took 1 banana, cut it in half, the girls put a dab of peanut butter (or soy butter) on it, adding raisins for the eyes, stuck a straw in the bottom and put them into bags for their school lunch. The straw was a fun addition because the ghost would “move” (in slow circles) when they held it up which added to the excitement. Sometimes it’s the simple things that you already have in your kitchen that bring the widest smiles!
Family Activities: Fall Festivals
Jake on the spinning teacup with the girls! The last time I went on this ride it made me so sick and dizzy I thought I was going to throw up in one of the girls pumpkins full of Halloween candy!
One of the fun activities our family enjoys participating in every Fall is the local festivals! The girls love getting a chance to go for a ride on carnival rides, hayrides, bouncy castles, check out ambulances, firetrucks, helicopters, pet farm animals and more (for free)! They always have a blast at this event!
Here are a few pictures from one of our favorite fall festivals that we try to go to every year at a local church in our area. Although you do get a bag of candy the highlight is the fun activities (not candy). If you are looking for a safe place to trick or treat for Halloween check to see if any of your local churches do a “Trunk or Treat” event.
Off they go on another ride!
Going UP……..
Jake and the girls flying by me on a chair swing!
Brina flying down the slide!
Karlie zooming down the giant slide!
All of us went on the Thomas the Train ride together!
Checking out the inside of the ambulance!
They had a lot more activities going on that I didn’t get pictures of like face painting, hair glitter, carnival games and more! Do you have fall festivals in your area that your family always looks forward to attending? What type of activities do they have at the festival?
Recipe: Halloween Brownie Trifle
In celebration of the Autumn season I brought this Halloween Brownie Trifle for Community Group last week. My original inspiration came from a recipe called Black Velvet Halloween Trifle from Blue Bonnets and Brownies. I decided to make my own version based off the items that I had in our pantry. Her bottom layer was a Black Velvet cake made from scratch, however, I used a box brownie mix because I was doing it on a Sunday afternoon before our get together that night.
The Halloween Brownie Trifle was a huge hit with our group so I decided to share it with you. This dessert would be great for a Fall or Halloween get together with family and friends. The best part is it’s easy and delicious!
Halloween Brownie Trifle:
- 1 box Brownie Mix
- 2 (3.4 oz) boxes Butterscotch Pudding
- 1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
- 1 1/2 cups Candy Corn
- Red & Yellow Food Coloring
- Make the brownies according to the directions on the box and cool completely.
- While the brownies are baking mix together the butterscotch pudding according to the directions on the box. Stir in 1 teaspoon of yellow food color and 1/2 teaspoon of red food color. Cover and put into the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
- Once brownies have cooled cut them up into 1 inch squares and layer them into the bottom of a bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of candy corn over the layers of brownies.
- Pour the cold butterscotch pudding over the brownies.
- Spread the cool whip over the butterscotch pudding.
- Decorate the top of the Halloween Brownie Trifle with remaining candy corn.
Layers of the Halloween Brownie Trifle
Recipe: Candy Corn Cookie Pizza
Our family enjoys candy corn, cookies, and pizza so this dessert is a great combination. If you are looking for a festive Fall dessert recipe this one is always a hit with our family.
Candy Corn Cookie Pizza
- 18 oz Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
- 1 cup Candy Corn
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Vanilla Frosting
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-inch pizza pan. Roll the cookie dough into a 1/4 inch thickness.* Bake cookie dough for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust turns golden. Allow to cool completely. Gently remove crust from pan and place on a serving platter. Spread the peanut butter over the crust. Sprinkle candy corn, chocolate chips and raisins evenly over the top of the peanut butter. Put the vanilla frosting in a microwavable bowl and microwave 10 seconds or until thin. Drizzle frosting over the cookie pizza. Cut into wedges and serve.*You can also use rolled refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Here are the directions: Cut cookie dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on the greased pizza pan and press down with floured hands. (the rest of the recipe above is the same).
Happy July 4th!
Fireworks display taken from our family trip to Disney!
Wishing you a very Happy July 4th!
Hope your day is full of fun with family and friends!
In celebration of Independence Day the girls drew a United States Flag on the sidewalk!
The Blessings of Motherhood!
Mother’s Day cards – can you guess who gave me which card?!
There are so many joys and rewards to being a Mom. As I reflect on the recent Mother’s Day I am once again reminded of the many blessings I have in my life. It took my husband and I several years before we had children so when I look back it on those days it reminds me of the precious gifts we have been given as well as the big responsibility of raising our girls.
Cards from Karlie and Brina with for Mother’s Day with pressed flowers
Not every day is easy nor does parenting always go perfectly for me. Somehow raising children has a way of “highlighting” the areas in my life that I need to work on. Several times over the past few months I have noticed more and more how my kids reflect my attitude, actions, and words. I have had to apologize to my kids for overreacting, saying something hurtful, or just being in a grumpy mood. Thankfully through all the successes as well as the failures my girls still love me and want to spend time with me.
Mother’s Day cards from Karlie & Brina
More than a week before Mother’s Day the girls announced that they were going to our neighbors garage sale to “shop” for a Mother’s Day gift so off they went with their little purses and money to the neighbors house. The girls and their cousin came back with bags in their hands and smiles on their faces. They were very excited to find treasures for Mother’s Day and they picked out some pretty cool stuff too. Brina got me a “Mom” necklace, pens, and lipstick and holder. Karlie got me a candle holder with candles, a mirror, and a “Mom” bracelet. The best part is that they picked it all out themselves and they put so much thought into their gifts.
Adorable note from my sweet Karlie
I was spoiled because both girls gave me 3 Mother’s Day cards too. Just reading their sweet cards brought tears to my eyes. They have grown up so much…..its hard to believe that only a few years ago they were tiny preemie babies and now they are shopping, writing their own cards, and so much more. God has richly blessed me with Brina and Karlie. I love them dearly and pray that I have wisdom from above to be the best Mom I can be for my girls.
Note and picture from my beautiful Brina
Jake is so good to me everyday but he always surprises me around Holidays. He made all the meals the entire weekend (it was a wonderful break). Jake is an amazing cook so I was really spoiled over Mother’s Day weekend. His cards always bring tears to my eyes. This year I got a brand new…..office chair from my man for Mother’s Day. Even though I don’t ever remember mentioning anything about my office chair he noticed that it was getting near its end. It has been nice having a comfy chair to work in this week! Thank you Handsome for your thoughtfulness, kindness, and love.
Mother’s Day drawing and note from my beautiful Karlie
The best part of the weekend was spending extra time with my family. It was the first weekend in a long time that it was just us hanging out together. We went on adventures, played games, read books, worked around the house, spent some time with friends, laughed, and just enjoyed our time as a family. I am thankful for the many memories and our moments together are a truly amazing gift.
Cute note in the card from my sweet Brina
Song: “A Mother’s Prayer” by Celine Dion
In celebration of Mother’s Day this week I picked out a song about Mother’s. This song is about the prayer of a Mother for her children as they grow up. I am thankful for my Mom and everything that she has done in my life. She is still an encouragement in my life.
Being a Mom is one of the most rewarding yet challenging roles I have in my life. The girls are an amazing blessing, however, I find that they tend to stretch my character a little bit too. It is my prayer that I will be the best Mom I can be for my children and that they will not only see past my faults and failures but more importantly that they will learn to rely on Jesus (who never fails) for their strength and portion every day.
Easter Celebrations
It has been a super busy 2012 with all the traveling and activities. I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, but I have been a little behind with my blog updates. Easter week we spent part of our time in Charleston since it was the girls Spring Break and the other part in Greenville. Here are a few highlights from our 2012 Easter Celebrations:
Easter Eggs being dropped by a Hot Air Balloon at Rock Springs. It was fascinating to watch all the eggs falling from the Hot Air Balloon.
We were in Charleston the week of Easter so we went to an Easter story time at the small “village” library in Mount Pleasant. It was a cute little library and the people were super sweet. The girls loved listening to the librarian read Easter stories!
Our neighbors brought over these super cute Easter goodies for the girls when we got back from Charleston. It was a little toy and candy combination which was a huge hit with the girls. It had a bunny rabbit on a bicycle carrying an egg full of jellybeans. Thankful for our neighbors, it was a thoughtful gift. The expressions on Karlie and Brina’s faces in this picture crack me up!
Easter basket goodies! Some fun socks, games, candy, and goodies to celebrate the Holiday.
Trail of Easter Eggs from their bedroom door through the kitchen all the way to the table. The girls were so excited to discover them that morning. You know your kids are getting older when they “ask permission” before picking up and opening the trail of Easter eggs.
Neat craft the girls did in Sunday School. They took a bowl added some dirt, used a twisty tie and sticks to make a cross, a rock, and half an Easter egg. They planted grass seeds in the dirt too. It was a wonderful Easter craft for the kids! Both girls could explain the significance of the cross, tomb (egg), and the rock. The girls loved this activity and I give whoever came up with this idea a double thumbs up!
Karlie on focused on hunting Easter eggs
Brina found a blue egg hidden in the grass
The extra special “car” eggs had a surprise in them…..loose change!
We had fun coloring eggs together as a family on Easter Sunday, here’s one carton full of eggs we did. Thankful for a time to relax and enjoy some time with the family while celebrating the Easter Holiday.
