Boo!

I just had to share this very simple project I did this Fall. I had my niece Jasmin over one day and we went to town making these adorable mason jar jack-o-lanterns. I can't wait to light them in our window on Halloween!

What you need:

Glass jars
orange tissue paper
mod podge
black construction paper
paint brush

First, cut 1 inch strips of orange tissue paper the length that will cover from the top of the jar to the just under the bottom. Then dilute the mod podge - 1 part water to 3 parts mod podge. Brush the mixture onto the jar and place the strips of tissue paper over it. Cover the entire jar this way. Then cut out your jack-o-laterns face with the black construction paper and attach to jar. Last you will want to brush a coat of the mod podge mixture over the entire jar. Let dry over night, then put a lit tea light in it and enjoy!

Thomas James - 3 months old

Thomas,

You are a delight. You are precious. You are funny. You are happy. You are my world.

You have really started to develop a personality in the last month. You laugh and smile at things - especially at your older sister, she can make you smile really big. You are very ticklish, I discovered this by accident one night when drying your armpits after a bath. I was shocked when the little belly laugh sound filled the room. I laughed out loud with you. Now you still laugh a lot when I am getting you dressed - I think your 'spot' is your neck and upper back.

You have eyes for people. You like to have someone to look at and get sad when you are left without a familiar face or someone to talk to.

You are growing like a weed. I am not sure what you weigh these days but I am sure you have surpassed doubling in size from the time you were born.  I had to pull out clothes that are 6 months in size already, yikes!

You love to watch your mobile in your crib and get really sad when it stops 'singing' to you.

You kick your feet like crazy. This creates a bit of a mess at bath time these days. Those feet sure do make that water splash out of your baby bath.

You found your voice! And it can be loud. But it is adorable. Your little squeels fill our home and I love it.

You were dedicated to the Lord on September 25th. It was a special day. Pastor Thomas spoke great words over your life, annointed your little feet, hands and ears with oil, and prayed over your life. Your daddy and I look forward to teaching you about the Lord that we believe and trust in. There are big things ahead in your life!

Thank you for being such a swet little man in my life.

I love you buddy,

Mommy

Trick - O - Treat!

So I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of Halloween. It just has never been one that I look forward to or want to really get into. I don't like scary costumes and spooky things and the way the world portrays the holiday is just evil. But, there are aspects of the holiday that I enjoy - like carving pumpkins, corn mazes and pumpkin patches, the kick off of Fall, and picking out cute outfits for my kiddos to wear.

The other thing I admit is that I play BUNCO....and I love it, a lot. Us girls get together once a month, laugh a lot and have a great time! This month was my turn to host and I got a little carried away....but doing a halloween themed treat station was just way too much fun!

I used a black and orange color scheme - very classic Halloween colors. I gave it a retro feel using the polkadots thourghout and striped paper straws (which I love by the way - the paper straws come in a variety of colors and just add this little touch of fun to every beverage). 

Chocolate cake balls dipped in orange flavored melts - SO good.

Mini Cheesecakes - I used the no-bake cheese cake mix you can buy at the grocery store. It is a very easy recipe to whip up and is so fun in the mini version! Plus, who doesn't love a personal sized cheese cake in a polkadot cup!?!

A close up view of my paper straws. I made straw flags to go on each one. Such an easy extra touch to make drinks so festive!

I also had candy kabobs. I used skewers to put different Halloween candy on. I just love the way they added a little fun decor to the spread of treats.

Mini Caramel Apples! Um, yumm!! i used a melon baller to make the Granny Smith apples mini sized. I then dipped them in melted butterscotch chips. They turned out so good! A great thing to experiment with too! Maybe next time I will try them with peanut butter coating. 



Thanks for checking it out! Happy Fall!!