Halloween Fun!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween Night.  Our neighborhood was crawling with cutie pies and spooky creatures last week.  It was fun to get out meet a few more neighbors, run into some sweet friends, and watch the excitement in each of our kids as they went from house to house visiting and hoping for some sweet treats. 

 We have a fun tradition on Halloween.  After the bags are full and we have had our fair share of trick or treating, we head home to dump out all the fun goodies.  After Michael and I look over everything, we let the kids loose.  They have 15-20 minutes to indulge in any treats they want.  I know most of you are thinking, "Seriously! you let your kids eat pure sugar for 20 minutes!"  but hear me out!   I will say for the 3 years we have done this the most candy eaten has been 5 packages.. Honestly, that's not even a full sized candy bar.  Last year, William chose A Piece of Gum... yes for 20 minutes and out of all that sugar, he chose one piece of gum... Anyways, afterwards, the boys choose their 5 favorite pieces of candy to eat later, and the rest of it gets sent to work with Michael. He sets it on the counter for customers and co-workers. He usually brings the basket home a week later empty.  That's right no more candy to loom over, and non thrown out... it is a win-win situation!  What do you do with all that candy?

Here are our sweet boys ready for Trick or Treating!

 The ZooKeeper

 Anakin Skywalker!  (Great job on the costume mom!!)

Superman!

 Ready, Set, EAT!!!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!! What did you do?

Happy Halloween!!

 Hope you have a "Super" Halloween!!!

Last Minute , Budget Friendly, Halloween Costumes

Well, as I have mentioned before I am all about simplicity...especially when it comes to Halloween costumes! I love love love to make costumes every year and until this year we have succeeded with that. I know with fall comes busier schedules and not a lot of time. Here are a few costumes you can throw together in about the same amount of time as going to buy those super expensive costumes at the store, but these are budget friendly, so simple, and so cute!!

Puppy Dogs  To be a puppy dog, I took solid shirts and glued patches of fuzzy fabric all over, For the ears, I stitched two "beagle" ears out of the same fabric onto a solid toboggan (the boys still wear these all the time), the Collar is just a ribbon tied around his neck.  An eyeliner eye patch, nose, and whiskers... and you have a cute and cuddly costume, that your kid will actually wear. This can also be done on a sweatshirt or hoodie if you live in a cooler climate.

Pirates: To Make a Pirate costume. We stuck with the basics. We did purchase two eye patches and a few pirate hats for the boys, but they didn't last the night (waste of money). Some old pants, cut to look ragged at the bottom, and an old white shirt with the collar and bottom hem cut out and sleeves ragged. a few yards of red and white striped fabric, was more than enough for "do-rags", belts and a wrap for me. We made guns and knives from a box . What's a pirate without a weapon? Eyeliner beards and a few temporary tattoos.... AArrrgggg!!!

Baseball Theme: I am a fan of homemade costumes, this was probably one of the easiest and cutest costumes so far...  We were everything baseball. Pic your local ball team for easy finds on shirts and hats.
The Fan: completed with a team t-shirt, and red hair.
The Coach: Team shirt, whistle, and clipboard 
The Player: team shirt, ball cap, black eye, and glove 
The Ball: A white shirt, in this case a onesie, with laces drawn on with a red fabric marker.

Sorry for the sideways pic... but isn't this the cutest ball you have ever seen? Complete with bald head! So Kissable!!

This year the boys are using their super hero dress up clothes, but Michael and I will be
Super Mom: Made with a beauty sash, with iron on letters "Super Mom" a mask of fabric and eye holes to match. Be creative with your powers. I will be using an oven mitt as a shield, and a pair of tongs and whisk as my weapons of choice. I may stick a cleaning rag in my back pocket to clean up the messes too. And of course I will be wearing pearls. :) he he.
Super Dad: Super Dad will be sporting a super man shirt and a fabric mask with the word "Dad" on the side in Iron on letters. Complete the look with a utility belt of grilling tools, wipes, and band aids. 


 I do hope this has given you a few good ideas, or at least inspired you to keep it simple, make your costumes comfy and enjoy the time with family and friends.