Halloween Costumes 2011

So last year I sewed Halloween costumes for the kids and blogged about it.

This year I sewed costumes for them again. Jr. was Luke Skywalker, Nichole was Princess Leia, and Jr. Jr. was an Ewok (most probably Wicket).

I sewed the Jedi robe, Princess Leia dress, and Wicket hood. Nichole's wig is made from yarn. I got the idea from the October 2010 issue of FamilyFun Magazine.

Since I spent all my time making costumes for the kids, I didn't spend much time thinking how to dress up myself. I do like dressing up. So yesterday, I thought about my ruthlessness way back when and how I hadn't gotten rid of the Mrs. Claus coat. I thought if I put that coat on and carried a pizza sheet (let's call it a cookie sheet) to put candy on to hand out, it would work for a costume. When I told Jeremy that, he said he could dress up as an elf. So we had theme costumes, too.

And do you like our pumpkin Jeremy carved, er... I mean sculpted?

Happy Halloween.

Dia de los Muertos

Besides Halloween, Day of the Dead is coming up. We had some friends over to celebrate and they brought activities for the kids to do. One was paper masks for the kids to color and cut out. Aren't they cute? In a creepy skeletony sort of way?

National Oatmeal Day 2011

Need a reason to celebrate today? It's National Oatmeal Day. Mmmm, breakfast. And I think most oatmeal containers have a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies on the back. We would be making oatmeal cookies today if our shortening wasn't so old. But it is and we can't make it to the store today to get more.
Other ideas. Oatmeal is supposed to be good for your skin. As a scrub for your face or your hands.
What are some creative uses for oatmeal you can think of? Or how do you like to flavor your bowl of oatmeal in the morning? This morning I added sugar and coconut. Often I'll do brown sugar. Sometimes I'll put in cinnamon or raisins. There are so many possibilities (or you can get the already flavored packets of oatmeal).

Buckle Down and Get to Work?

I had very good intentions to buckle down and get to work. I even wore my "buckle down and get to work clothes." Unfortunately my body said, "No, you're going to have a cold instead." Jr. Jr. got a cold, too, and had vaccinations which made him uncomfortable and clingy. So even when I felt like doing things, it was hard. Oh well. That's life, isn't it?
Jeremy was sweet and asked if he could get something for me. I asked for tea. My adorable husband. This is what he brought me.

I thanked him and clarified that I would like some herbal tea, which he made for me while I ate the bread. I'm glad that even when I'm sick, I still have my sense of humor.

Joy Is...

listening to your kids laugh as they look at The Balloon Gal's Blog.

Like Mother Like Son

The things you catch your kids doing.

I wonder where they learn half these things.

Our New Pet

Meet our new pet. She's a venus fly trap and we were able to feed her three flies and a ladybug within the first four days of having her. She is awesome. Everyone has had a chance to see her traps clap shut on bugs (except maybe Jr. Jr.) and we're having fun.