boo!!!! {don't be scared!}

Introducing Sully & Boo {from Monsters Inc.}

The pictures of both kids were taken on Friday before the school party.
The pictures of Conner alone were taken a little earlier in the week before I shortened the horns and added the claws on the hands and feet.

Her outfit is just a large tee & pants from Old Navy.  I knew she wouldn't put up with the whole expanded Boo costume (when she is being smuggled around the factory) so we just went with the Boo pajamas, put her hair in pigtails & called her Boo.  It's her favorite word to say right now!

Conner's costume was a little more work.  I took turquoise fuzzy fleece and appliqued purple fuzzy fleece spots all over it.  I used the wrong side of the fabric for the contrast tummy panel.  It was a "simple" monster pattern that I adapted for our purposes (added the horns, changed the tail shape, added extra scales on the back).

His gray felt scales went down the hood, down the back seam, and tail.  I also added some claws on the feet and hands (which you can see better in the last picture).  The pattern didn't call for it, but I added elastic straps to go under his feet as well.

The sweetest Monster I know...

Happy Halloween to everyone!

indian corn

I have a couple beaded Indian corns in my fall box (craft project from when I taught), and Conner wanted to try making his own.  We grabbed some beads, pipe cleaners, and corn husks from the uncle's farm.  When I taught I used raffia instead of corn husks and they turn out just as cute!

Thread the beads on the pipe cleaner.  Make sure to twist a little extra around the first one so they don't all slide off.

Take a few pieces of corn husk and twist them on top.  Then enjoy being a scarecrow or making silly faces at your mom!

sorting apples

We got busy with some Sculpey clay and made ourselves a bunch of mini-apples.  The red and yellow clay blocks were a lot harder than the green.  Not having had a lot of experience with Sculpey, I was a little disappointed!  It made it much more difficult to make the apples - that's why there's less yellow and red ones.  I mixed together red, yellow and green bits until I got a brown I liked for the stem.

We baked them.  I love the swirl one!!!

Then we sorted, counted, arranged, improved our math skills and played!

{Thanks Roots & Wings for the idea.}

tool quilt

I realized I never showed off my mom's handiwork!  She made this fun quilt for Conner using a kit she bought while on vacation.  Each square is a different tool.  She even embroidered his name on the toolbox square.

Isn't it fun and bright and colorful?

Just a little close-up of the borders.

Thanks again, Mom!  You know Conner loves it!!!  He rotates between the tool quilt and the rock star quilt, sometimes even uses both at the same time.

caramel apple cupcakes

Have you ever had Caramel Apple Hershey's Kisses?  Have you ever tried Duncan Hines Caramel Cake?  They're the special ingredients for my latest experiment!
Grab some of your own and make something delicious...

There are so many reasons I'm not a food blogger.  Here's one.
If I was a fancy baker or food blogger, I would know you should put your batter in first before you put something in your cupcake.  Even if unwrapping the kisses and putting them in their spots keeps the kids occupied while you mix the batter.

I would know not to cut the tip quite so large, and that way I would make skinnier, more realistic looking trees that didn't fall over two seconds after I took the picture. (got the tree idea from here)
I did find a great Caramel Buttercream Icing though - and was pretty happy with how it turned out!

Even if I still have a lot to learn, I do know that the kitchen smelled wonderful, the cupcakes tasted delicious, and the kids and I had fun baking together!
What are you making this fall for a special treat?

go team!!!!

Conner is on a soccer team this fall.  It means one or two nights a week at a practice and a Saturday morning game.  It gives the little siblings and parents lots of time to chat on the sidelines!
Abby made a new friend - and they played together happily for a while.

I was using my husband's camera which I'm not used to yet.  Sorry it's a little out of focus.

Her little friend E was just the right size for the GO TEAM soccer dress.  She's concentrating so hard in this picture - too cute!

Nevermind that the game was behind her, she was still cheering for her big brother - I'm sure.

Here's mom's picture taken at home.  What a doll.

Thanks A for sharing your adorable daughter!  Thanks E for modeling!

tags

MaryAnne had some fun questions to answer... here's what I came up with.

1. What does your child/children want to be for Halloween?  - right now we're discussing Sully, Batman (NOT my favorite choice), and the Beast (from Beauty & the Beast).  I'm hoping we can narrow it down soon - I'm personally rallying for Sully.  Then Abby can be Boo :)
2. What’s your favorite color?
   Blue!!!! turquoise, cobalt, bright blues, pastel blues - love them all.  Even the funky bright blue you get on your dashboard panel when you put on your brights in the car.
3. What’s your favorite website?
   I think I agree with MaryAnne on this one - Google reader.  It's definitely the most visited. :)
4. Has your child/children started their Christmas list yet?
   Not really, but I'm sure relatives will start asking soon.  Especially since my son sees things when we're out and about, and I often tell him "put it on your wish list".  It shouldn't be hard to make a real wish list instead of just the hypothetical/ stop asking me in the store list!
5. What do you worry most about (that is, if you are a worrier like myself)?
   I just want my family and friends to be healthy and happy.  Lately that's been a little hard to come by for some of them, so I just want things to turn around for them!
6. What is the one food you could not give up (and yes, chocolate is a food group)?
   Chocolate.  And probably cheese.  And bread.  Basically any carbs that are bad for me.
7. What is something that you do not like doing on a daily basis, but you do anyway?
   cleaning. dishes. turning off my sewing machine.
8. What meal do you cook most for dinner?
   Sadly, lately it seems anything that can be cooked in 20 minutes or less.  Mac & cheese, hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets.... our evening schedules are busier than I want them to be right now (can't wait for soccer to be done!)
9. Do you have a tattoo? No - and no plans or wishes to get one!!
10. Who is your favorite children’s author?
    so many great choices!  I would most love to meet Tomie dePaola.  I most love reading Laura Ingalls Wilder.  But even those two choices seem so limiting...  Eric Carle. Eve Bunting. Patricia Polacco. Sharon Creech. Kevin Henkes. ok. I'll stop now.
11. What is your favorite fragrance, ie, perfume, body splash, lotion?
    Lily of the Valley or Honeysuckle.  I rarely use them, but enjoy sweet flower smells.
12. What is your favorite nice place to eat out without kids?
    Barones - our favorite pizza restaurant!  We love some of the chains too though - Chili's, Red Robin.
13. What is your favorite childhood memory? summer vacations with the family - we took so many special trips around the United States.  My favorite vacations are probably to Lake Michigan & the family cottage in South Haven.
14. If you could travel anywhere instantly, for a single afternoon, where would you go?  probably to see my brother, or someplace in the Appalachian mountains.  Although - I've always wanted to go to Hawaii......
15. What’s something quirky or funny that you remember doing as a child?  I'm sure if I thought long enough I could come up with a long list of funny things I did - and I'm sure my brother would be happy to help.  I know I loved goofing around with my cousins.  As far as quirky - I used to eat my candy (like M&Ms, skittles, valentine's hearts) in rainbow order.

Do any of these questions trigger funny stories - or great answers?  Share in the comments or link to your blog post full of answers!