All vamped up

So the little white dress didn't quite work out. I couldn't get the halter snug enough to keep the girls contained, so I went with my next option...

I had three separate people stop me and want my picture. I have (hopefully) better pictures on my camera (this was from my phone). Quite frankly I'm a bit worn out to even walk to the basement and download the pictures. With the time change and all, the bars stayed open an hour later. Oy.

Hope all the little ghouls and goblins had fun last night.

...

Taking wagers

Halloween is tomorrow. I need a costume. Tomorrow.

What do you think my odds are given a sewing machine and a white sheet so I can turn this:
Into this:

Any wagers?

...

UPDATE: Apparently sheets are very, very thin. So unless I want to display the good through something the weight of a tissue, I'd better start thinking of Plan B.

Slow going

Costumes must be done by tomorrow, as the class parties are Friday.

Next year, I'll just buy them.

Yea... Right...

The morning after

The kids had a great Halloween - they only went trick or treating for about an hour, but that was plenty of time.

This morning they wanted to count their loot - - 347 pieces of candy. That doesn't count the few they consumed last night, but still. That is a lot of candy.

Last night after trick or treating, one of the neighbors projected a movie on the side of their house. They kids bundled up with jackets and sleeping bags and watched Speed Racer. The parents sat by a cozy fire and had a few cocktails. That's how we roll here in Minnesota - you've got to enjoy every last moment of Fall.

Hopefully again next year they'll let me help make their costumes. The quickest was the Hannah M shirt. Indy's jacket was a hoot, and the cheerlearder was easier than it looked.

My cheerleader, Hannah Montana, and Indiana Jones.

Good times, I tell you.

...

Product Review and Halloween Roundup

Product Review: "Kids Are Americans Too"

Awhile back, I was given the opportunity to review, "Kids Are Americans Too" by none other than Bill O'Reilly (and Charles Flowers).

For the most part, I don't pay much attention to "News" TV - Mr. O'Reilly included. Why? Like so many bad cartoon characters, his voice grates on my nerves. From what I can surmise, though, we have slightly different political leanings.

I will say that this book brings up several interesting questions, and encourages discussion between kids and their parents. By kids I mean the pre-teen and teen variety. This is not somthing I'd give my seven year old. Like anything you read, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Will I give this to my kids to read? If they're interested.

Will I foster discussion about what they're reading in the book? Absolutely.

Will I help them find other materials with a different political leaning? You betcha.

Find more reviews on this and other products at Parent Bloggers!

Now, on to something else...

Halloween!

A Pirate, Darth Vadar, and ...

Sleeping Super Girl.

Super Girl headed out with the rest of the kids, but after the Candy Dump, was ready to just relax in front of some cartoons. Poor thing lasted about three minutes before she fell asleep.

What's for Dinner Wednesday... a day late...

Seeing as yesterday was Halloween! and we had several important things to do, the kids had PB&J's for dinner. Today I would like to share one of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken.

Now, before you say, I can buy that at the store "fresh" off the rotesserie - let me tell you, you can do better. And it's really easy.

First off - Crock Pot.

With a 'larger' oval one, you can do two chickens.

With the 'smaller' upright one, one chicken.

Secondly - seasoning. After rinsing the bird and patting dry, I season it with a Chicken/Poultry rub on the inside and out.

Foil. Make a couple loose foil balls and place them in the bottom of the Crock Pot. Put the bird breast up in the Crock Pot on top of the foil. The foil holds the bird up and allows the drippings to collect in the bottom. By doing this, the skin will get nice and crispy while the meat stays tender.

Cook it on low for eight hours, or high for four. Please don't open the lid and check on it too often. Just keep it covered and let the Crock Pot do it's job

This is one of my favorite ways to do chicken - mainly because it's easy! Nothing better to the smell of dinner almost done when you walk in the door.

Finally...

November 1st is the first day of NaBloPoMo or "Blog Every Day the Month of November". Give me a shout out if you're participating or add me as a friend - I'd love to hear from you!

Today, as everyday, I'm thankful for my family.

Hump Day

The big girl's at school, the boy's at preschool, and the baby naps... It's a beautiful thing.

You know you're getting old when...
There's a teenager at Magic Kingdom with "FCUK" written across her shirt. Your six year old trys to "sound it out." You nearly flip out. Instead of grabbing the kid by the back of the neck and asking her to tell your six year old what it means, you tell your kid "nothing." I'm thirty-two going on sixty. Young whippersnappers.

Hard Core Halloween
Managed to get one picture of two of the kids. The toddler wouldn't cooperate and put her "Dora" wig back on. I didn't make her, instead, I took a picture of the two older ones all strung out on sugar right before bed. Mother of the Year is MINE! Fortunatly, I have pictures from three weeks ago when we bought the costumes and they tried them on. And - Last night we carved pumpkins. Not two or three days before - last night. I finished at 5:30. I was trying to set them up on the porch at 5:50 and the trick-or-treaters were starting to arrive. The kids were struggling to get their costumes on. I didn't have the treats ready. In true old-fart fashion - I gave away mini-bags of popcorn. Don't these kids get enough candy? I learned that if you decided to go all "Martha" and stack the little pumpkins like a snowman, make sure the candles are small. Otherwise they'll eventually catch on fire. Even though they looked pretty cool and smoky and all, pumpkins stink when they burn. I did salvage the innards of the six pumpkins we carved. Stored the guts in a gallon ziploc bag overnight (in the fridge) and am roasting all four cups now.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Butter
Salt
Oven to 350. Clean seeds from the stringy stuff, wash well. Coat seeds with melted butter. Salt. Place on cookie-sheet and cook. Stir every 10 or 15 minutes. Or 20. Salt with every stir. Should take about 50 - 60 minutes for nicely roasted seeds. Try to let them cool before eating. Warning - high in fiber.

Labels
I'm making up labels as I go. Right now, I don't feel like going through all the old stuff and labeling it. I'll save that for a day when I have nothing else to do. Yea. Nothing to do...

Happy Hump Day!