Halloween Candy Buy Back Programs
Hope everyone had an amazing Holiday. Halloween is a great time to create memories with your family. The Fall Festivals, pumpkin carving, hayrides, dressing up and candy…..sometimes too much candy. Every wonder if you’ll be able to eat, share, or giveaway all the candy before the next Halloween hits!
Dentists all over the country are participating in a Halloween Candy Buy Back Program. They buy the kids Halloween candy then donate it to the groups that send it to those in Military Service.
- Example: Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry in our area (1334 South Hwy 14, Simpsonville, SC 29681 / Phone: 864-297-5585) is Buying Back Halloween Candy and giving the kids $1 per pound ($5 max per child) and a Treat bag. All the candy will be donated to our Troops Overseas.
If it is something you interested in participating in you can read more about on the FAQ page and search for locations near you!
Photo by Rochelle
CONGRATULATIONS to Our Toys R Us Gift Card Winner!
The name has been drawn for the giveaway!
CONGRATULATIONS to
Abby S
for winning a
Toys R Us Gift Card!
Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!
An email has been sent to you with more information*
Enjoy your next shopping trip to Toys R Us!
Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced later this morning)!
*Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced. Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize. The actual gift card may or may not be identical to the one pictured above.
Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points
You can receive another 10 free points from Pampers with a new Gifts to Grow code!
This code is different from the previous codes I have given.
- Use Code: FBHA012PR46DY12
(Expires 11/06/12 at midnight CST)
You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts! For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!
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!
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of October 31 – November 6, 2012
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. It is a great time to stock up on some Save A Lot deals. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meat and Seafood
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – $1.79 lb
Sugardale Jumbo Hot Dogs (48 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Beef Stew Meat – $2.99 lb
Boneless Beef Chuck Roast – $2.49 lb
Chicken Drums or Thighs – $0.99 lb
Ground Beef – $1.99 lb
Pork Sirloin Roast – $1.69 lb
*Pick 5 for $19.99 promotion on going! Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts or types of meats, vegetables and more.
Fridge and Freezer
Home Churned Butter Quarters (16 oz) – $1.99
Redi-Serve Chicken Patties (35 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Pizzas (26 – 28 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Onion Rings (2 pounds) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Corn Dogs (25.6 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Redi-Serve Chicken Strips (36 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Shrimp Poppers (24 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Seasoned Potato Wedges (2.5 pounds) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Banquet Frozen Dinners – $0.99
Produce
Green Cabbage – $0.25 lb
Sweet Potatoes – $0.25 lb
Apples, Assorted Varieties – $0.99 lb
Russet Potatoes (8 pounds) – $1.99
Carrots (1 pound) – $0.39
Celery – $0.49 each
Grocery
Domino Granulated Sugar (4 pounds) – $2.29
Use $0.75/2 coupon from insert 9/16 Red Plum (Expires 11/30/12)
Use $0.50/2 coupon from October magazines -Food Network, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Parents, Family Fun, Cooking Light, Fitness, Better Homes & Gardens (Expires 11/30/12)
Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 9/16 Red Plum (Expires 11/30/12)
As low as $1.91 each after couponGreen Giant Canned Vegetables – $0.59
Kaskey’s Broth – $0.50
Kaskey’s Condensed Cream Soups – $0.50
Colburn Farms Evaporated Milk (12 oz) – $0.69
Colburn Farms Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz) – $1.19
Ginger Evans Sweet Chocolate Chips (11.5 oz) – $1.79
Ginger Evans Light Brown Sugar (32 oz) – $1.49
Ginger Evans Powdered Sugar (32 oz) – $1.49
Grissom’s Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls (12 oz) – $0.99
Tipton Grove Jelly or Whole Cranberry Sauce (14 oz) – $0.89
Crystal 2.0 Purified Drinking Water (24 count – 16.9 oz bottles) – $2.69
Duke’s Mayonnaise (32 oz) – $2.99
Crisco Vegetable or Canola Oil (48 oz) – $2.79
Folger’s Classic Roast Coffee (32 oz) – $7.99
Stuffing on the Side (6 oz) – $0.79
Save A Lot Soft Drinks (2 liters) – $0.69
Sunny Delight (48 oz) – $0.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends. For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list. Please make sure to check with your local Save A Lot store, the ads do vary per region.
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: Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins (4 Ingredients)
As the Fall leaves continue to rain down in our yard we are enjoying some delicious treats! These Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins are super easy to make, only contain four ingredients, and taste awesome. The last time I made these for a group of friends only 2 came home with us and the girls begged to take them in their school lunches. You will not have to add any water, eggs or oil to this recipe and the muffin will still turn out with a moist.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins:
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
- 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
- 4 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 24 muffin tins. Mix together yellow cake mix and canned pumpkin until blended (the batter will be thicker than your typically cake mix). Scoop evenly into muffin tins (I use an ice cream scoop) and set aside. In another bowl blend softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Drop a small spoonful of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar over the top of each muffin prior to serving.
The last time I made these I did about half with the cream cheese and half without cream cheese. Both were a big hit with the group, but the ones with the cream cheese went faster. 🙂
Pumpkin & Yellow Cake Mix Muffins topped with Cream Cheese & a touch of Powdered Sugar
Fresh out-of-the-oven Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Pumpkin Cheesecake & regular Pumpkin Muffins sprinkled with Powdered Sugar and ready to be eaten
Song: “Come Rest” by Lindsay McCaul
When is the last time we have come to Jesus to rest? Many times I find myself at His feet begging for forgiveness or help in whatever mess I managed to get myself into that day. Life is busy and exhausting sometimes what we need the most is time set aside when we can come rest in His love and goodness.
Busy, busy me, full of self-sufficiency
I have tried so fervently to earn Your love
But any joy that I once found is wearing off, is winding down
And I can hear You in the madness calling outWhen You say come, rest -should I be working so hard
When You say love, rest -did You want hands or my heart
‘Cause I have done my best and still I miss the mark
But I remember You said its done
So I come
Come to the water’s edge
I rest in Your promises
That all You ever wanted was me here
And if there’s nothing left that I can do
To earn the love I need from You
Then all that’s left to want is to be near
So I come…when You say come…
