Pretzel Hugs

These are so easy and so good!!!!

You can use any Holiday M and M's...

This recipe is from Becky Higgins.  I love it,  and have to share this with you!

Pretzel Hugs

1 bag pretzel squares

1 bag M and M's

1 package Hershey "hugs"

preheat oven to 200 degrees

Place pretzels on baking sheet (you can get a lot on one because they do not spread out).

Place a "hug" on each pretzel and bake for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and quickly place 2  M&M's on each "hug", pressing into melted chocolate.

Allow to cool before serving, I place in refrigerator to cool off.

Halloween Treat Bags

Today we made Halloween Treat Bags for my daughter's class.

I saw this idea at marthastewart.com

We changed it a little(cheaper and easier!)
We used small orange paper bags, stamped a pumpkin face (from Stampin' up) and green pipe cleaners, and we filled them with treats!

Sabrina made the stems by wrapping the pipe cleaner around a pencil!

12 Months of Frames

This is one of my favorite things...

I have 12 frames (the 12 months) and I change the photo every month!

I have done this since my daughter was born (8 years ago...without fail!)

I put the new photo on top of last year's photos....


This is the NEW "October" photo, it will be placed over 2007's October photo.

I now have 12 photos of every year (my favorites) and go back and scrapbook them

in an album. It is so much fun to go back and visit all my favorite photos again!

(these frames were bought through "Exposures" in 2000, they still carry something very similar)

Pumpkin Patch Time

October 2008
October 2007
October 2005
October 2004

Apple Cupcakes

Apple Cupcake Recipe:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 medium apples (peeled and chopped)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

in large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and dry ingredients.  

Mix in chopped apples and walnuts.

Heat oven to 350 degrees

line muffin tins with cupcake wrappers and fill liners 3/4 full

bake 25-30 minutes

this recipe makes approx. 15 cupcakes

(note these are great as muffins or add yummy cream cheese icing)

cream cheese icing:

1 stick unsalted butter softened

8 oz cream cheese softened 

1 box powder sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tsp milk

mix well with electric mixer , add more powder sugar if not stiff enough to frost

to make cute apples (these could be for the teacher, or I called them "Poisoned Apples" for Halloween!)

frost cupcakes, I used a pastry bag

roll in red sugar crystals

stem is Tootsie Roll (rolled and cut into thirds)

green fruit slice cut into little pieces for the stem

enjoy!!!!

Mystical Full Moon Party

This was a great party!

There are plenty of photos to get some good ideas to host your own "Full Moon Party"

This is a great party for just your family or many, many friends....read on
These are "Lucky Charm Balls"

I wrapped Styrofoam balls with white crepe paper and put little lucky charms and buttons I found at Michael's Crafts....we unwrapped them at the end of the night




The Full Moon!

This is actually the "Harvest Moon" and I printed out the dates of the next full moons from the "Old Farmers Almanac" www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon/full


Click on photo to read the carefully planned menu!

Poisoned Apple Cupcakes recipe will be published in next blog.....yummy!



Note the Dry Ice!

That was a huge hit with my husband...

you can find this at your grocery store year round!

we lit the candles to celebrate the full moon

red candle=love

blue candle=job/school

white candle=health

green candle=money

light these once a month and do not blow them out...(this can't hurt...we all need good health, love, luck and money!)



this was so much fun...we made a magic potion mixture

I ordered herbs on a web site (www.wejees.com)

we mixed :

rosebuds and hearts for love

eucalyptus and band aids for health

chamomile and dollar sign glitter for money

and star anise and dice glitter for luck

Root Beer bottles with "Love Potion Number 9" labels


Lucky Spell Barbie...was a great visitor

Don't forget the music:

Moondance(Van Morrison)

Blue Moon

Eclipse (Pink Floyd)

Into the Mystic(Van Morrison)

Moonshadow(Cat Stevens)

Walking on the Moon(The Police)

Angel Devil Party

This party was great and so much fun to plan!

I surprised my family with the Angel/Devil theme...

I used two plastic tablecloths, one white, one red and divided the table in half with the tablecloths.  I used white tulle and an angel wings and halo as decorations in the background and on the other side red tulle and a pitchfork.
My little Devil!
This is the devil side!

This side has red plates and napkins, red candles, red hot candies, red and black licorice and for the menu:

Wicked wings

Cauldron Dip

Deviled eggs

Witches brew (has dry ice in plastic cauldron)

Wicked Beer

And of Course Devils food cake (easy....cut off devil horns from a devil headband and stuck in cake as horns)
Now for the angel side:

the decoration was pillow stuffing, white plates and napkins,white candles  and marshmallows and for the food:

Angel food hair pasta

Garlic bread Halos (used the Pillsbury breadsticks and made them round like Halos)

And of course Angel food Cake with Whip Cream!!!!

I bought cheap angel wings and devil horns and let my daughter and husband choose what they wanted to be.... 

Don't forget the music...

Our playlist:

Angel/Madonna

Fallen Angel/Poison

Friend of the Devil/Grateful Dead

Centerfold/J.Giles Band

The Devil Went Down to Georgia/Charlie Daniels Band

Devil with the Blue Dress on/ Mitch Ryder