Bucket List Update!

Here's a picture of Oscar's Halloween lunch (apple smiles, witch fingers, ghost and moon cheese, cream cheese and jelly on whole wheat jack-o-lantern, grapes and candy corn) and a quick update on our bucket list. We've gotten a lot of things done, a lot of them are linked to the related blog posts.  There are a few that don't have their own post, and I'll throw some pictures down below of those. We're not going to make it to the Scottish games this year - boo - but we've had lots of other fun, so I don't feel too bad about it. With our road trip to Ohio coming up in less than a week we won't have a lot of time for crossing things off the list, so I'm glad they are mostly done.  I'm thinking about taking some crafting supplies (though Robyn probably has plenty) to Ohio and making handprint turkeys while we are there if time allows.

Fall Bucket List

• Go for walks and gather pecans - I checked for pecans on the way to vote - no luck, waited too long!
• Go to a pumpkin patch
• Go on picnics
• Try a pumpkin spice latte
• Make Halloween costumes
• Take kiddos trick-or-treating (what sort of bag does Luke Skywalker carry?)
• Send a fun and delicious Halloween snack for Oscar's class (bonus points for healthy)
• Make caramel apple nachos
• Have a bonfire and make s'mores
• Carve pumpkins
• Drink apple cider (gallons of it)
• Go on a date
• Make leaf art
• Make handprint/footprint art
• Wear scarves
• Make pumpkin cookies with maple frosting
• Take family pictures
• Go to a football game with Oscar
• Go on a nature walk
• Scottish Games!
• Road trip to Ohio 
• Plant trees 
• Make Christmas presents
• Cook something in our dutch oven

Despite carrying the camera and phone around with me all evening, the only pictures of our bonfire/s'mores/dutch oven cooking that I got were these of Alice and Oscar riding in a wagon.

Here's one with actual fire!

And then on Thursday Jeremy was working around here, so he had to cash his check in Waynesboro instead of Mobile. Conveniently, I was just getting done at work in Waynesboro, so he picked me up and we had a mini-date at the ice cream place. We felt adventurous and tried a deep fried Twinkie.

Halloween treats

Alice helped me fix up some cookies for Oscar's class. 

They were fun and delicious, but no bonus points for healthy. 

I wrapped them up in bags, with twine, and spider rings.

And sent them off in an ice cream bucket in hopes that they wouldn't crumble on the way to school. The bucket came home empty, so I'm guessing that means they were good!

Trick-or-Treat

On Halloween night we headed to a few places to trick-or-treat and trunk-or-treat. I got a few more pictures of the kiddos, plus a few of us.

I asked Oscar if I could take a picture with his light saber hanging from this belt, and I think he wasn't sure what to do with his hands.

One of Alice with her hood up. I think this one shows her belt a bit better.

Oscar wanted to pose with Alice.. I wish I could get good pictures right away - by the time they are both holding still they've given up on smiling because they're tired of getting their picture taken.

Jeremy used things he already had and then borrowed a mask from Lane. I'm always glad when he gets some use out of that cloak. Cloak making takes a LOT of fabric.

And I actually had time for my "costume" this year! Pinspiration.

And I had some time to throw on some shimmer, lashes and bold blue eyeliner. Oh how I love to play dress up!!

Halloween decor

A quick post to share our Halloween decor before it has to come down. All of these are things we put out every year. I made the garlands back in 2009 and posted about them here. Everything else has just been collected here and there throughout the years. Signs and lanterns from the dollar tree, hat from Jeremy's wizard costume, owl lamp from walmart YEARS ago. I love having Halloween decorations up, and I'm always sad when they have to be packed away.

This post is the decor for my GABI Autumn (Photo) Bucket List, one of our October challenges.

Halloween - pumpkin carving

We spent last night working on some pumpkin carving! It's one of our favorite Halloween traditions, and it's fun to see the kids get into it.  Oscar was not grossed out by slimy innards this year.

And surprisingly, neither was Alice. It seems like most kids are put off by it at first, but she just dug right in!

She was also very focused on mapping out her pumpkin design.. She would pause every now and then to take it in and declare it "pretty!"

Jeremy helped with the actual carving part

While I helped Oscar with his

And then, as is tradition, we turned off all the lights so that we could sit and enjoy our work while sipping apple cider. Left to right- Alice, Oscar, Jeremy, Missy

Luke and Leia

Last Wednesday I pulled an all-nighter to get these costumes finished up in time for treat street at the high school.  Oscar was thrilled with his costume, and Alice kept her Leia hat on for the whole thing, so I'd call it a success!

My fierce children

A heart-melting daddy-daughter moment. 

I actually did get around to making them trick-or-treat bags... unfortunately is was the last 30 minutes before we had to leave! eek! The boot covers could use some work, but I ran out of time. They may get fixed at some point.... they may not. I'm thinking about doing a post on costume details, as that would have been nice to find when I was researching.

Done, done, and done.

We had some more fall fun during the week.  On Tuesday I baked the pumpkin cookies with maple frosting so that night we could have cider and cookies after dinner.

Alice loved them

And so did Oscar.  Apparently this is the face that Oscar makes when he really likes something.  He looked at it like it was completely disgusting and then asked "How did you MAKE these?!?!"

We also made a ghosty footprint family.

Oscar helped paint my foot.

Ghosty family! Flat baby feet make way better ghosts..

Alice wanted to show me that the fingers were dirty (they have blood on them). 

Fall Bucket List update, still so much to do!!:

• Go for walks and gather pecans
• Go to a pumpkin patch
• Go on picnics
• Try a pumpkin spice latte
• Make Halloween costumes
• Take kiddos trick-or-treating (what sort of bag does Luke Skywalker carry?)
• Send a fun and delicious Halloween snack for Oscar's class (bonus points for healthy)
• Make caramel apple nachos
• Have a bonfire and make s'mores
• Carve pumpkins
• Drink apple cider (gallons of it)
• Go on a date
• Make leaf art
• Make handprint/footprint art
• Wear scarves
• Make pumpkin cookies with maple frosting
• Take family pictures
• Go to a football game with Oscar
• Go on a nature walk
• Scottish Games!
• Road trip to Ohio 
• Plant trees 
• Make Christmas presents
• Cook something in our dutch oven

This post is the drink for my GABI Autumn (Photo) Bucket List, one of our October challenges.

To the pumpkin patch!

This past weekend, Oscar pulled the pumpkin patch out of our adventure jar. (Which was pretty perfect since it was the only weekend we'd be able to go before halloween) We headed out on Saturday morning to Mitchell Farms in Collins, Mississippi. There was already quite a crowd when we arrived, so we bought our wristbands and looked around for fun.

They had TONS of photo props, which I'm always a big fan of.  Oscar took this picture of me and Jeremy.

They had a "Magic Carpet Slide" where you sit on a carpet square to ride down.  Oscar, Jeremy and Alice all went down. Then we checked out the chickens and bunny. Alice seemed to enjoy the chickens.

And more photo props.

There was also a giant tunnel slide, which we all went down. 

And the corn pool.

Where both of the kids had so much fun we had to drag them out.

We went on a covered wagon tour of the farm and they dropped us off at the entrance of the giant maze. This year it is shaped like Cinderella's pumpkin carriage. It didn't take too long to make it out, and we headed over to another maze they had made out of giant hay bales.

After Oscar steered us out of the hay maze we checked out the little train. It was the only thing we found that required more money besides the entry fee.

I convinced Jeremy to take Alice on the train as well. 

And our last activity was picking out our pumpkins (which were also included in the price of admission). By this time we were all sweaty, tired and hungry so we stopped for drinks and a jar of local honey before heading to the car.  We had a fantastic time at the pumpkin patch and plan to return next year with a packed picnic (and maybe something to lug all the pumpkins in). We would recommend it to anyone in the area, there was so much to do!

Afterwards we took Oscar out for chinese food (his pick - yay for me!!) to celebrate his very first A+ report card. On our way home we also stopped for a pumpkin spice latte and the fall festival at the church. Oscar bounced in the bounce house and Alice won a couple cupcakes in the cake walk and then we headed home where we watched The Nightmare before Christmas and (FINALLY) put up the Halloween decorations.  It was an EPIC Saturday. I don't think there would have been any way to squeeze more fun into that day.

Fall Bucket List Update

• Go for walks and gather pecans
• Go to a pumpkin patch
• Go on picnics
• Try a pumpkin spice latte
• Make Halloween costumes
• Take kiddos trick-or-treating (what sort of bag does Luke Skywalker carry?)
• Send a fun and delicious Halloween snack for Oscar's class (bonus points for healthy)
• Make caramel apple nachos
• Have a bonfire and make s'mores
• Carve pumpkins
• Drink apple cider (gallons of it)
• Go on a date
• Make leaf art
• Make handprint/footprint art
• Wear scarves
• Make pumpkin cookies with maple frosting
• Take family pictures
• Go to a football game with Oscar
• Go on a nature walk
• Scottish Games!
• Road trip to Ohio  
• Plant trees 
• Make Christmas presents
• Cook something in our dutch oven

This post is the activity for my GABI Autumn (Photo) Bucket List, one of our October challenges.

halloween crafting

$2 wreath! i found this idea on pinterest. i used a wreath i already had, $1 black streamers, and a $1 crow from dollar tree. it went quickly (got it done while alice was napping) and was so easy. i think it will be nice on the door to greet our guests for the halloween party!

halloween party

i've been busy busy trying to get things in order for our halloween party that's coming up.  robyn made us some awesome, batty save the date cards, so we wanted to do a bat in the invitation as well. i did a pop-up bat with a couple other raised things.

i also used some fun halloweeny fonts on the envelopes.

i'm so looking forward to the beginning of november. partly because family is visiting and partly because that means i survived october.  with soccer, work (and lots of home and hospital visits), a party coming up, and 3 costumes i still need to make, i'm feeling stressed!! i think i'm going to have a few late nights!