Two Down...One to Go!

Well, I have two of my blogs finished. I FINALLY found some creativity in there somewhere. This is the only one left...so keep watching. Maybe tomorrow. We will see!

Thankful Jar

I just posted a great thankful jar idea over at MOMMY GURU. I have seen the idea a few different places & love it!

FYI

If you are in need of some new fall/Thanksgiving decor, or just want to get a headstart on Halloween for next year...head to Joann's. All of their fall...including Thanksgiving is 70% off. Mine still had a ton of stuff, but I wouldn't wait!

Our Halloween Costumes

Ok...so I managed to get our costumes done just in time for Halloween. We were lawn gnomes.





First off...I want to tell you how hard it was to keep a straight face for this picture. We had to take the picture a few times & ended up kicking my brother out of the room. This was the best face we could get. Hubby however...could do the straight face all day long.

Ok...now back to the costumes....I covered adult party hats with red felt with E6000. That strong of glue was maybe a bit overdone, but I wanted to be sure that it was secure. For the beard, I just bought some fur type stuff & free handed a beard shape. I glued the beard to the inside of the hat. I used the scraps of fur for the eyebrows...once again secured by E6000.

I found hubby's pants & my shirt and skirt at a thrift store. it was difficult to find a skirt that was LONG enough! The suspenders are belts from the dollar store that I sewed into suspenders. My apron is just a giant piece of felt that I cut into the shape of a long apron. I think I spent about $15.00 total for both costumes.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Last week, I was on a quest to find Kaden a Hawaiian shirt for red ribbon week. I'm not sure who came up with the BRILLIANT idea of Hawaiian Day in October especially considering that it has been snowing for the last few days. Now, the only place I could think of to get little big man a Hawaiian shirt in OCTOBER was a thrift store. I found myself driving out to our new DI {twist my arm}. I haven't been out there to check it out since they moved. We managed to find a decent Hawaiian shirt.

Since we were already there I just HAD to wander around. I came across this super cute antique kids desk that we (Kaden & I) both fell in love with. Problem #1: No price tag & Problem #2: I honestly have NO WHERE to keep this adorable little desk. I asked a worker who was right there about the price, but he didn't know. I almost walked away. I SHOULD HAVE WALKED AWAY. I had no intention of pressing the matter any more. Plus, it was destined to be out of my price range...which is next to nothing. Then, the nice worker went to get someone who could price this desk. I was in SHOCK when he priced it at $5.00. How could I walk away from that? So, the boys now know one of their Christmas presents & we have a LARGE task of making room for this desk in their bedroom.



Do I regret it...NO! Hubby even took it surprisingly well. I was prepared for a battle. I really wouldn't have blamed him. The boys share a room & it is beyond full with toys & other kiddo stuff. What better motivation to get rid of stuff? Now, I just need to decide how I am going to refinish it. Any suggestions? What type of sealant would you recommend?

Let them EAT cake....

While I am attempting to finish our costumes...I thought I would post some of the cakes that I have made over the last few years. I have wonderful memories of the cakes that my mom made for me growing up & I want my boys to have those too. I really love to bake & create. I am amazed at what you can turn a cake into.

A few years back...I made my first birthday cake. Kaden had a pirate birthday party & we made a pirate ship. I was stressed & excited, but when it was all said & done...I was so proud. From that moment on....I WAS HOOKED.





The next year...I moved onto a homemade frosting, but I still stick with a boxed cake. Here is Preston's train cake. It was fun & pretty easy, but a bit time consuming! He really loved it! Here is the whole cake:



And now some close ups:







Next came little bigger man's horse cake. It was the EASIEST cake. A little cutting & some frosting...TADA!!!!



I made another pirate cake for "talk like a pirate day".



This is my first (& only..so far) attempt at fondant. I even made marshmallow fondant.



This year Preston had a dinosaur party.



And Kaden went with Monkeys. I actually had a SUPER cute monkey cake picked out, but Kaden really wanted these cupcakes. I think that he made a great choice!



The final cake is this one. Simple & delicious!!! **Notice the cake plate...yup I made that. A charger plate, a candle stick, & some E6000.

Halloween!!!

I really don't sew. I have an antique sewing machine that my mom was sweet enough to "loan" me, but the tension is all off & it doesn't have the instruction manual. Hubby & I are going to attempt to fix the tension & "create" our own Halloween costumes. Now, there isn't a TON of sewing to do on these & what there is is basic. I am excited to tackle this, but considering I have less than a week...I am down to the wire. Wish me luck & I will post when they are finished!