Not-So-Spooky Halloween Food

Halloween is less than a week away. Are you throwing a fabulous Halloween party and you need some food ideas? Maybe you are going to a fabulous Halloween party and you want to blow everyone away with your amazingly festive food. Either way, I AM HERE FOR YOU!

There are some seriously spooky and GROSS Halloween eats out there. I could barely handle half of them. You get the toned down- cheesy and cute Halloween food. I also picked the food that looked easy and practical. Some of the food options were visually awesome but made no sense... like the one below.

This is an awesome skeleton but it would take me an hour to cut up my veggies that small. And it looks like it would only serve one person. Who has the time to make each person their own vegetable skeleton?

The funny apple and marshmallow chompers below are more my speed. They are silly, fun and look very easy to make!

Another easy, practical and cute food arrangement! 

Mummy bread bowl! How silly! I am not quite sure where you buy mummy-shaped bread. That could be a problem but you are clever people. I know you'll make it work. Maybe get a roll for the head and cover the seam with melted string cheese.

This one makes me laugh. Dracula has got himself some hair.

Cookie, frosting, and Hershey's kiss witch hats. Things do not get much easier than this. You get one million extra points if you can keep a few extra boxes of Samoas in your freezer until Thanksgiving and then use them as the cookies. I am now in Samoa withdrawal so please, people... I beg you... INVITE ME TO YOUR SAMOA-INFESTED PARTY!

The world's easiest and spookiest English muffin pizza! A muffin, two black olives, a little tomato sauce and some string cheese and... tada!!! You've got another funny mummy! PS I will be helping myself to more than your Samoa hats if this guy is present on your food table. 

Now, go get to cookin'!!! And don't forget- if you have any boxes of Samoas hiding out in your freezer I will be RSVPing a big, huge YES to your Halloween party!

Are you looking for a little more Halloween talk?

I've got you covered. Here are some great home-made costumes. Here are some of my past costumes. Here are some pumpkin carving ideas. And here are some Halloween decoration ideas.

The Would You Rather question of the day:

WYR... That the only dessert you are allowed to eat for the rest of your life be the Girl Scout cookie, Samoas

or... any dessert you can buy at Dunkin Donuts (not the Dunkin' Donuts/ Baskin Robins combo store).

image sources: skeleton veggies, apple teeth, carrot pumpkin face, mummy, dracula cupcake, witch hats, English mummy

The Nursery Chronicles: Step 3: Wire display

Here we are, back in chronicle land. The Nursery Chronicles is where we be! It is a paradise of yellow, grey, and green. 

Let's get to steppin'

Step 3: Get some more furniture. Start the decorating: Wire display for pictures.

It is time to talk furniture which, to me, obviously means it is time to talk Ikea.

Here are a couple Ikea secrets for you. There are secret cut-throughs in the Ikea showroom and in the Ikea marketplace. Bring me with you and I will get you through the crowds and to the checkout in no time at all. Another little Ikea secret is the hidden gem that Ikea calls the "as-is" section. PS...neither of these things are actually secrets. Everyone knows about them.

The "as-is" section is always the first area I check in Ikea. On one of my weekly Ikea trips while pregnant, I had some luck in the "as-is" section. I bought a little table to go between the daybed and the wall. It was a random space that needed something just the right size. If you know me it should not surprise you to find out that I made a very detailed list of all of the possible items at Ikea, Target, and anywhere else that had random pieces of furniture that might fit. I categorized the possible item by type. Then I pasted a link to the item, wrote the dimensions and how much it cost. Lucky you... I found the list and did a little "print screen" of the first page (out of about 6 pages). Craziness

So, after I spent all of that time making crazy lady lists about potential items to fill the space I found something that was the perfect size in the Ikea as-is section. And it was only $20. I scooped that right up! And did a couple laps with it raised above my head singing the Lion King song about how proud I was to have it. Thankfully, the last part did not really happen. But I was a little bit crazy- I saw it, broke out the tape measure, realized it was perfect and practically ran to the check out. I didn't want to have to cart it around the store the whole time because I knew it would put a damper on my efficiency. And I didn't want to risk someone else seeing it and raising the roof with it. So, I bought it, loaded it into the car and back to Ikea I went.

Here is what I bought.

This is the random space I wanted it to fill.

And here that space is for you... all filled up!

OK- let's readdress the pregnant weekly Ikea trips. I was working hard on Cora's sweet pad. That required a bit more time in Ikea than you would think. I'm not the only Ikea-obsessed pregnant lady though... next time you are at Ikea look around. I guarantee 7 out of 10 people that you see you have got the baby belly going on.

I googled "pregnant Ikea" and this photo of 90210's Jennie Garth popped up of her and her very pregnant belly wheeling her haul away from Ikea.

Onto the fun part. It is finally time to start decorating the nursery! 

I love a good wire display. To me, decorating is all about spacing. I think about what colors and sizes I want in a space. Then, I pick items that help balance things out. And what this space needed for balance was a little wire and some squirrel pictures.

Here is how it went down:

1. I bought two packs of the Dignitet curtain wire from Ikea ($12.99 each) and one package of the Riktig curtain hooks ($2.99).

2. Scott and I installed them. It was frustrating. You have to make sure to get the wire really, really tight or it will sag. We had to do this twice on each row twice. It still isn't super tight but we were happy enough with it.

3. Fabric stash! The fun part!!! I broke out all of my fabric and found 7 different kinds that would work in the room. A number of them had already been purchased specifically for this room.

4. I did a little trial and error and decided what size I wanted my wire hanging items to be. Then, I cut 14 pieces of cardboard to that size.

5. I cut 14 pieces of fabric to a size that was just big enough to wrap each piece of cardboard like a present.

6. I ironed all of the fabric. 

7. I wrapped each piece of cardboard to make sure it fit.

8. I hotglued the fabric to the cardboard.

9. I hung all of the pieces up. I spent forever arranging them into the perfect order.

10. Then I gathered random pictures that I already had, some from online, and some I photocopied from my favorite children's books. I clipped the photos onto the fabric and...

Waaaaaahhhh Laaaaahhh! Consider step 3 complete!

Here are all of the after nursery photos. 

I change out the pictures that are clipped on every once in a while. I try to put in pictures of things Cora loves.... mainly ducks!

There were a lot of steps to get this nursery where it is today. Don't you worry- I am going to go through every little step in some future blog posts for you.

Here they are:

Step 1: Get rid of the old furniture and try out some more baby-centric duds for the room. Crib, bookshelf, and daybed.

Step 2: Convince my husband to do more painting than anyone would ever want to do in their whole life. Start the painting spree by painting over the headboard on the wall. Get a dresser/ changing table and refinish it.

Step 3: Get some more furniture. Start the decorating: Wire display for pictures.

Step 4: More decorating: Put up the book slings. Floating shelves.

Step 5: Decorations, Part 3: Hang art above the crib and all around the room

Step 6: Refinish side table and get a few more pieces of furniture

Step 7: Paint the chalkboard and mirror and hang them.

Step 8: Put up the curtains. Line the inside of the dresser with some of my extra fabric

Step 9: Paint the mailbox. Finishing touches.



And one more Ikea secret (for the Charlotte store, at least). Park near the exit. Parking is always atrocious near the entrance. This way you can just slip over to the entrance in no time and then be close to your car when you're done. Also, the exit puts you closer to the as-is section which is where I run to first anyway.
 


Time for the Would You Rather question of the day!

WYR... win an all expenses paid trip to the Galapogos Islands for 1 week (and you are still paid your normal salary while you're gone)
or
never have to do yard work ever again... it just magically happens.



image sources: dignitet, riktig

Halloweens Of Years Passed

Costumes, costumes, costumes.

I love home-made costumes. A few weeks ago I showed you some random home-made costumes that I particularly enjoyed. And now, I am going to show you some random costumes from my past.

I was Pippi Longstockings, a lifeguard (normal thing to be when it is 30 degrees out), one of the 3 blind mice, Santa Claus, and who knows what else. 

Lucky for you, I am pretty good at taking photos of my awesome Halloween costumes. Also, lucky for you... my mom takes photos like she is the paparazzi.

Look at those cute chubby cheeks that my sister (Oscar the Grouch) has! My costume is pretty awesome (Mom and Dad, it doesn't like you threw it on me at the last second at all)!

I inherited Kelly's costume from the previous year and Kelly turned into Strawberry Shortcake. FYI Cora inherited these costumes too! My mom held onto them for 30 years. Unfortunately, when you put on the mask it feels like about 30 cats are scratching your face simultaneously. It is the most jagged thing I have ever seen.

Also, if my dad was looking at the camera you would see one amazing mustache!

I am guessing you have no idea who we are supposed to be . I will give you some clues below. 

HAVE MERCY!
CUT IT OUT!

Angela (aka Angus is pictured at the end of this post looking a bit more normal) is supposed to be Uncle Joey from Full House. Mark (in the middle) is Danny Tanner (please take note of the cleaning gloves). I am on the end and I complete the trio as Uncle Jesse.
Danny has DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle in his brief case. I am holding onto Nicky and Alex.

The reason we decided to dress as the Full House boys is that we found those infamous stonewashed jeans at a Goodwill. They are about a size 55 waist and are amazingly too long for me (I am almost 6 feet tall!). We saw one pair and were dumbfounded. Then we came across a second and knew it was destiny. We knew we had to buy them and we would figure out the rest of the costume later.

I am sure Scott would like it to be known that it was his idea to be a Smurf. I decided to copy him at the last minute because I had not thought of a costume yet. He wasn't thrilled to share his silly idea with me but that is part of the deal when you get married... if you are going to be a Smurf and your wife wants to be one too you let her. (I will have to add this to my list of life lessons).

So, here we are... just a couple of 6 foot tall Smurfs.

A Smurfette close-up for you.

And a close-up of, what can only be described as a "cool player Smurf."

You might need to prepare yourselves for the next photos. Sit down. Grab a glass of wine. Turn on the WWF.

This is what you have all been waiting for. You may not have known it but, trust me, it is.

Not so much me. I am just Jem from Jem and The Holligrams. No one has been siting around waiting to see that costume.

RIC FLAIR! That is why you all are here. Scott is dressed as the most ridiculous person in the history of people. And, if at all possible, Scott looks 1,000 times more ridiculous than Ric Flair ever looked.

In case you don't know him... here is Ric Flair. His skin is a sweet, fake-tanned hue of orange. His hair is blonde as blonde can be and borders on mulleted. His outfits are insane. 

the most ridiculous photo I have ever seen from here

If you know anything about Ric Flair you should know that Scott is saying, "Wooooooooooooo" here.

How did Scott come across one of Ric Flair's original robes with beautiful gold fabric sewn all over it? Is that what you are asking? 

This will probably surprise you. But that is a home-made Ric robe. I took a stroll to my favorite costume finding shop, Goodwill, and I came across a plain, blue robe. I bought it along with the ugliest gold pillowcase I have ever seen. And I made the glorious WWF costume that Scott is wearing proudly here. Face paint was purchased. A blonde, princess wig was bought. A championship belt was hunted down and purchased. Gym shorts were hiked up and turned into whatever you want to call what is happening there.

And that is how an amazing Ric Flair costume was born.

On a much less exciting note... Just for comparison's sake, here is what Jem looks like from Jem and the Holligrams.

Truly Outrageous image from here

You can't quite tell because I am hiding behind Ric Flair but I had the microphone. I had the fanny pack-looking tassle situation happening at Jem's waist. I even had the star earrings. The earrings are key- that is what Jem uses to turn herself into a rock star!

Please feel free to copy any of these costumes. In fact, I highly encourage it. However, if you copy the Ric Flair costume you MUST send photos. The photos will then be promptly posted on this blog!

Just a week left until Halloween... you better go get your Goodwill on!

And now... The Would You Rather question of the day:

WYR... have to wear full scuba gear to your son or daughter's wedding (and you have no explanation why)

or wear clown shoes and a red, rubber nose to work every day for 1 year?

Art In The Closet

Yes, that's the way we roll around here. Art goes everywhere... even in the closet. Especially when it is hiding my jewels (READ: my dollar store beads).

I used to have my necklaces hanging on hooks in the closet (FYI I LOVE HOOKS) but it was not doing anything to class the place up. So, I hid them! Clearly, that is the next step... hang your necklaces behind a piece of art. 

 I don't wear necklaces very often so this is a good solution for me. They are accessible but out of the way. Another plus to having them hidden is that Cora won't get ahold of them and tangle them into craziness.

I wanted something in this spot because it seemed too blank. I know that putting art in your closet is not the normal thing to do. But you can see the wall that I hung the art on very well from the master bathroom. And the blank spot was calling my name. 

Please excuse the half-doneness of the bathroom. It is a work in progress.

I figured out where I wanted the paintings to go and put them up.

I don't love these paintings. I will probably redo them soon. I will be sure to give you a little blog update when I do!

Then, I put a few extra nails behind them and up my bling bling went.

I have also considered putting canvas on a hinge to hide a flat screen TV. Art can hide all sorts of things- like ugly security system boxes or outlets. 

And now for today's Would You Rather question!

WYR... have to wear sunglasses all the time except for when you are sleeping
or 
have to wear one (just one) huge pirate earring in your ear all the time (pictured below)?

happiest pirate ever image from here

PS this was another Scott WYR.

Spooky Houses That You Already Know, Part 2

A few weeks ago, I kicked off the Halloween season with some spooky houses and I promised you there would be more to come. Today, I am here to tell you that my promise has been kept.

Let's take a look at a couple of houses that rank pretty high on the spooky scale.

Edward Scissorhands

My buddy, Johnny Depp, played a very spooky looking, scissor-handed dude in Tim Burton's 90s classic. He lived in a castle that would be appropriately scored on the spooky scale.

creepy castle image from here

He spent a lot of his time in suburbia where the houses were spooky in their own way. And pretty awesome in their own way too!

pink houses for you and me image from here

He spooked up the houses by trimming the shrubs like this

(source)

He fancied up all the ladies hair and he gave the pets some new dos.

(source)

(source)

And that concludes the spookiness that is Johnny D and his scissory hands.

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is another one of Tim Burton's classics from the 90s. I could write an entire post about Tim Burton's spooky houses. But I won't get crazy- I'll just keep it to just these two.


In the movie, the owners of this beautiful farmhouse pass away. Then, Winona Ryder and her 'rents move in.

(source)

They modernize the heck out of the house. 

modern-fest image from here

The original owners go all ghost on Winona and her family and try to spook them out. They even bring Beetlejuice in to help them. Winona eventually decides that ghosts are da bomb and performs a little Harry Belafonte, "Day-O" number.

sweet dance moves, Winona image from here

And there you have one spooked up house.



Another spooky house bites the dust. Well, not really. But we are two spooky house posts down and one more to go.


And now for all you WYR lovers out there...
Would You Rather Question of the day:

WYR... spend one night in a sleeping bag basically hanging from a cliff in Yosemite (like the guys pictured below) 
or 
spend one night on a surfboard in an alligator-infested canal in Florida.

crazy people image from here

My clever mama helped me come up with this one. I like it.

Birthday Numero Uno! Part 1

I am 2 months late on this but let's talk birthdays!

Hard-to-believe-disclaimer: There are actually no photos of Cora in this post. This is part  1. I promise you will get some Cora photos in the other parts. Now, grandparents, relax and enjoy some creepy clown footage.

We decided to have a low-key birthday celebration for Cora. Actually, we decided to have 2 low-key birthday celebrations for Cora. We had one with family and one with friends.


I had my mind set that I was going to keep it simple. No creepy clowns who make the kids cry (like my parents had at my 3rd birthday party).

That's me sitting on my mom's lap sucking my thumb and holding my security blanket. The  "creepy clown" is hanging out to the far left of the photo. Rat-tail, billowing sleeves, a gold vest, and an Olympic medal (?) around his neck... everyone knows that's what clowns wear.

At least he has a huge leopard printed tie and face paint.
Can you tell by the backs of our heads that we are not impressed with Mr. "Clown"? Louise (in the middle)... I like that rat-tail you're working with. Just wait until the clown turns around so you can see that you're twins!

No above ground pool or Slip 'n' Slide would be present at Cora's celebration.

No chocolate pizza (sorry Mali)!

Here I am blowing out the candles on my chocolate pizza birthday cake (my mom's specialty).


No Twizzler straws

source

No gumdrop trees

source

There wouldn't even be any bad perms at this birthday extravaganza.

Christina (Stewey)- are you always going to be the bad hair culprit?

No bizarre eyeglasses. No jingle bell PJs that go down to your ankles in August.

There are her beautiful glasses hard at work again!

No sleeping bags covering the house for this birthday party.

I've ruined all the fun? Is that what I hear you say... no slip 'n' slide, no perms, no creepy clowns. 

Well, what did we have? A BIRTHDAY BANNER!!!!

Here I am with the birthday banner that my mom put up every year. Going along with that tradition I made Cora her own banner.

Next week I am going to show you the birthday banners (yes, TWO of them) that I made for Cora. I am going to show you her cake face photo. I'll let you in on the secret recipe we used for her cake. I will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Cora's first birthday.
Until that time, stay busy by answering my WYR of the day.

Would You Rather Question:
WYR... add an extra 15 minutes to your day every single day
or
never have to wait in line anywhere ever again and never have to deal with customer service phone calls or emails?