Lazy Halloween Post

We have been lazy bloggers lately, it's true. In my defense I am buried right now, so blogging is at the bottom of the list. We listed our home for sale, and as many of you know, it is an intense, time consuming thing, trying to sell a home. I haven't done any Halloween crafts, honestly, sadly, I don't even feel like it is Halloween. That is really sad since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

I thought I would share some of our favorite projects from last year, because really that is all I have time to do!

Halloween Pedestals

Milk Jug Skeleton

Halloween Dinner Ideas

Do you have any Halloween crafts or ideas that are cute and SIMPLE, since I have no time?

S more's Simplified

It's August already, this summer has flown by! It doesn't help that it was in the 60's until the second week of June. I know a lot of people are complaining about the heat, but I love it! I am a summer girl and August makes me sad, it means summer is almost gone. Who doesn't love the grand summer tradition of S more's? We try to make some every chance we get. Saturday night we had a summer night of fun. Swimming, a BBQ, S more's, and an outdoor movie, it was grand. When I married my husband I learned a new way to make S more's. It is fun and a lot easier for the kids. I still love traditional S more's, but I have really taken a liking to the simplified version.

We started up the coals and waited for them to get just right...

Gathered the S more's supplies, yes you saw it right those are fudge striped cookies....
These babies are the way to simplify your S more's. The cookies act like the gram cracker and the chocolate is already there. Easier for the kids to manage, they don't have to worry about holding the chocolate on the cracker.

Once your mallows are perfect....
You slap them in between 2 cookies and you are good to go! Delicious!
What do you think? Have you ever tried S more's this way?

A few of my favorite things....

I am in a great mood today, the sun is FINALLY shining and it is warm enough to play outside! While I am waiting for my son to wake up from his nap so we can play outside, I thought I would share a few of my favorite things. I am so funny, the smallest things put my in the best mood!

First up is my BYO lunch bag. I got this for my birthday a month ago and I absolutely LOVE IT! I was a little worried about it not being able to hold enough, but I was wrong. Don't let it's looks fool you, this little baby can hold a ton! I love that it folds up flat and is machine washable. Most of all I love that it is cute and I don't have to carry my lunch around in grocery bags anymore.

This next little gem still amazes me, someone is truly a genius. It is the spill proof bubble container from Little Kids. My neighbor and I were outside the other day blowing bubbles with our kids and she had one of these. I was amazed at how it didn't spill and how nice the wand was. No sticky bubble messes here. For Easter my son received a giant bottle of bubbles, but it was such a mess, now I just pour it into my spill proof container, no mess! I ran to Target to pick one of these up, well worth my $2.
I think I have said it before, but nutrition is one area that I am not necessarily a penny pincher. I mean sure, I shop the sales, and on occasion will clip coupons, but I find that the food that usually has coupons, isn't the most nutritious. I am tired of all the added sugar and other things out there, so I try my best to find things with only a couple of ingredients and no added sugar. I came across these Dole fruit cups and I think they are a wonderful snack for my son. All natural fruit juice, no added sugars, and they are diced into the perfect size for a one year old. I can toss them in my diaper bag and they work well on the go. So far I have tried the peaches and pears and they are great!
These are a few of my favorite things, what are some of yours?

Thanksgiving Dessert Idea...Weekend Website

I love all the fun ideas I find over at Make and Takes, it is definitely one of my favorite blogs. Marie posted these muffin tin mini pies, how cute and easy are these!! I think they would be a super fun dessert for the kids table, and the perfect portion to avoid gaining those holiday pounds. I also am in love with the pumpkin potted plants that craftzilla guest posted. What a lovely idea, they would make such a fun gift for your Thanksgiving host. There are oodles of fun ideas, so be sure to stop by and browse through them. Happy Weekend!!

Fun Way To Use Thanksgiving Leftovers: Weekend Website

I just love "ooing and aahhing" over Diamonds for Dessert, Susan has such a creative talent for baking, and I am super jealous! I came across these beauties and thought they would be so fun for Thanksgiving leftovers. Especially if you are already making rolls for the big day, why not make a pan of these too! I have a list of treats that I am planning to make some day, she has some really fun pirate ideas that I think would be so fun for a boy's birthday party. I am sure you will love looking through all the amazing creations this weekend, enjoy! Happy weekend!

Easy Halloween Dinner Ideas

In our home it is a tradition every year to have a Halloween dinner. A few years ago, while waiting in line at the grocery store, I was glancing through the Halloween issue of the Pillsbury magazine. I was hooked and had to buy it, and decided to start out with some of the easy creations.

Scary Tacos are easy and fun! Just make taco meat, cut slices of cheese to look like teeth, slit the back of green olives to attach the eyes, cut slices of Roma tomatoes for tongues, and you are all set for a spooky meal!

Bread stick ghosts are a cinch to make. Buy the Pillsbury crescent roll dough, sprinkle on some mozzarella cheese, and then use sliced olives for eyes and mouths. Bake according to the dough's directions.

Creepy olive bugs are quick and fun. Use a toothpick to hold the olives together and poke in some Rosemary for the legs.

Last, but not least, one of my FAVORITE treats, a pumpkin cheese ball.

I got the recipe for this delicious cheese ball out of a Taste of Home Halloween magazine. I have used it for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, it works well for all the fall holidays and it is so yummy! The recipe actually came from Suzanne Cleveland of Georgia. It doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all, it just looks like one.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 carton (8 ounces) spreadable chive & onion cream cheese

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 TSP paprika

½ TSP cayenne pepper

1 leafy celery rib for a stem

Assorted crackers and sliced apples

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the sharp cheddar cheese, paprika, and cayenne. Shape into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

With a knife, add vertical lines to the cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin; insert celery rib for a stem. Serve with crackers and apples.

Check out some of the other funny scary recipes from Pillsbury HERE and Taste of Home HERE.