Then and Now...

I have to thank Nicole again for letting me steal the idea/pictures behind this post.  I'm constantly in awe of how much our lives have changed because of our adoption experience.  This past weekend reaffirmed those feelings all over again.

Our family has two special princesses. 

It's a small world...

Guess where we've been these last few days???

We've been in Disney World.  I it kept on the down-low because I didn't want our outdoor Halloween creatures to mysteriously vanish in our absence.  We're back home and it was a glorious mini-trip. 

Not only did we get to experience all the magic of Disney World at Halloween, we were able to meet up with four other adoptive families from Josie's orphanage (JiAn/Jizhou District SWI in Jiangxi, China).

Although we didn't travel to China together, we've all been in contact throughout the last few years and feel like we know each other forever.

I have to give Nicole a big thank you for arranging such a wonderful reunion.  Every detail (right down to the t-shirts) was super.  Our family looks forward to doing this again in the future. 

We also got an opportunity to meet up with the Brown Family (love ya Shanna) and finally connect in person. 

Josie's convinced that Chloe is her new best friend.

And Emma can't wait to have Halley come visit us sometime in MI.

Now that we're back from Magic Kingdom, the pressure is on BIG TIME to get the final touches done for our Halloween party.   Only 5 days until the big event!!

A $1 Deal & Halloween Black Cat Projects

My friend Shanna shared a great Halloween $1 deal. Available at Party City near the Halloween decorations are several different DVDs for $1. I picked up the Halloween Ghoul Log. It's hysterical. It's a Halloween version of the yule log. I'm not sure which TV this will be running on during the party, but it's great background noise.

Ready to make your own black cat to hang in a window or on the front door to greet your trick-or-treaters for Halloween?

Josie and I decided to make this black cat by tracing two different sized bowls onto construction paper. One larger bowl for the body and a smaller bowl for the head. We then cut out two triangle shapes for ears and a long tail. We added pipe cleaners for whiskers and green/yellow eyes.

Josie had so much fun tracing circles, that several different colors of construction paper were used in the making of this project. I see a pink pig in our future…hee hee.

If you’re looking for other Halloween black cat craft activities, FamilyFun Magazine has several different ideas:

Black Cat Halloween Mask


Jet Black Cat


Black Cat Pattern


Martha Stewart has several options too:

Black Cat Garland Template


Black Cat Treat Boxes


Spitting Cat Template

Even our cat, penny, is getting into the Halloween spirit.

Happy Halloween! 1 week until the BIG party!!

Halloween Treats & Alien Makeovers

If you have any little witches and goblins that deserve their own special treats, I've got some suggestions for yummy Halloween goodies.

I bought clear treat bags from my local grocery store (near the birthday party supplies) and filled them with various candy.  You could use card stock or stickers to print off your personalized labels.   Here's a list of candies that could go along with the labels, but feel free to substitute as needed.

Red Hot Candies - Dracula Drops
Candy Corn - Dragon Teeth
m & m's - Monster Munchies
Whoppers, Chocolate covered raisins or Junior Mints - Bat Droppings
Thin Black Licorice - Rat Tails
Sweet Tarts - Frankenstein Fruits

Here are a few links to find labels online that you can print off.

Microsoft Halloween Label

Martha Stewart Label

My cousin (thanks Reina) sent me this yummy recipe for a Halloween Party mix.

Halloween Party Mix
1 pkg (11 oz) mini pretzels
1 pkg (10 oz) Mini Nutter Butters (peanut butter sandwich cookies)
1 c dry roasted peanuts
1 c sugar
1/2 butter or margarine
1/2 c light corn syrup
2T vanilla
1t baking soda
1 pkg (10 oz) M&M's
1 pkg (18 oz) candy corn

In a large bowl combine pretzels, Nutter Butters, and peanuts. In a large saucepan combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over med. heat, boil for 5 min. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam). Pour over pretzel mixture and stir till coated. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan. Bake at 250 for 45 min, stirring every 15 min. Let cool but break apart while still warm. Toss with M&M's and candy corn. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes 16 cups.

Ghost Cookies
I made these ghost cookies over the weekend (it was a good excuse to buy Nutter Butter cookies).  It's super easy.  Melt white chocolate chip cookies and dip Nutter Butter cookies into the melted chocolate.  Place mini chocolate chips as the eyes. 

Payday Mix (I've posted this before, but it's super easy and tastes great)
Please note that if you have a peanut allergy, this treat isn’t for you. Mix one bag of candy corn with half a jar of peanuts. It tastes exactly like a payday candy bar. It’s yummy, addictive and Josie can't get enough of this stuff.

And because I can't help but show off yet ANOTHER Halloween creature, our alien got a make-over with a new costume this year.   Even Josie agrees the alien looks rather fashionable.

The alien is actually a child mannequin (my grandparents used to own a woman and children's clothing store) and we begged inherited the mannequin when the store was sold many many years ago. 

We've used tinfoil and duct tape for the alien's uniform, but Oriental Trading came out with a cheap children's alien costume this year and we felt it was time to give our alien an updated look.  We've got big plans that include miniature ufos and glow-in-the-dark effects for our alien friend.  Stay tuned for more.

Happy Halloween!  Less than 2 weeks until the BIG party!!

Whhhhoooooooo loves Halloween?

I know...enough already. Come on people!! We've got a party deadline approaching and we're just getting warmed up. This past weekend was filled with ladders, extension cords and crates of decorations to unpack. To all my online friends who can't attend, think of this as your virtual tour.

This is my Charlie Brown collection.  The lights are a bit bright, but I just love my plastic figurines.  Target sold these a few years ago and they still bring a smile to my face every time I unpack them.  I especially like Lucy's green witch mask.

Chris got out the extension ladder to hang this witch and his cloud creations above our 10 foot Halloween tree. The GIANT spider is a new addition to this year's display.

Our ghost bride and groom are now soaring above our fireplace mantle.  Fishing line and ceiling hooks are a necessary staple during the Halloween season. 

Mrs. Spider is now take up residence on our living room ceiling.

Because one Dracula isn't enough, we have another one at the front door.  This one will be greeting folks with goodies bags and instructions on where the carnival games are positioned throughout the house. 

This witch was the floor model two years ago at Costco.  She's got a black cat that rides in a bag on her broomstick.  Witchy-poo is positioned outside on the porch next to the front door.  I especially love her striped stockings.

Our illuminated ghost has been with us for seventeen years.  He's tame, but still my favorite. 



And because I can't help but throw in a few pictures of the girls, these were taken on Sunday after church. 

Josie was a moving target during the photo shoot (sitting still and being QUIET during church, or airplane rides or doctor's office visits, still isn't her strength) but letting her run around our back yard produces all kinds of smiles.

Have a wonderful week and stay healthy.