Spooky Ghost Candy Jars

I originally wrote this post for the girls over at Eighteen25 for the September Spooktacular but thought it would be fun to share these spooky Ghost Candy Jars here too. I can't believe the month of October is almost over - ahhh, now that's spooky! :)

Supplies:

• white wool balls
• straws or sticks
• cheesecloth
• black sewing pins
• jars and lids with a hole punched in the center (I spray painted mine black)
• glue gun
• candy

These are so super easy and really accessible for kids too, mine had a blast helping me! What you do is use a big blob of hot glue to affix a wool ball to the end of a straw or stick and let that set up. 

Cut a few layers of the cheesecloth into about a seven or eight inch square and then center the wool ball and fold the cloth over the top. The cheesecloth will naturally stick to the wool ball so you don't need to add any additional glue or adhesive. 

Use two small black sewing pins for the eyes and to secure the cloth a bit. If the pins are long you might need to use some wire cutters to trim the sharp points at the back. 

Once the little ghost is done fill your jars with candy and stick the ghost into the hole in the lid so that it hovers over the jar!

If you have any extra wool balls and cheesecloth make a few ghosts without the straws and using a needle and thread sew up through the back of the ball to the top to create a loop for hanging or a garland.

I hung a bunch from the chandelier above our table and they are so tiny and perfect as a very subtle Halloween surprise, the kids went crazy for these!

I really love decorating - here's a few more from our Halloween House last year…still need to get our decorations up for this year!

Hope you guys have a wonderful day today! xoxo

gold spray painted pumpkin buckets :: yay or nay?

A few weeks ago I asked Chris to spray paint some of those plastic pumpkin buckets after seeing really pretty gilded ones in a Crewcuts window display. He kindly obliged like he always does but then after bringing them in he deemed them a fail since the pain ran a bit. I looked at them for a few days and then decided to fill one with a bouquet of flowers for our piano, but I am still having trouble deciding if they should make the cut to put away for use again next year or to indeed agree that they weren't quite at cool as I thought they might be...what do you guys think?

I sure had fun dreaming about the idea. Concepting a project is often just as much fun for me as the actual completion. It just fills such a deep part of my soul to create something out of nothing and during these busy days with young kids even the dream of making something with my hands can be enough to keep me going for days until the time arrives. So what about you, is there anything you've been dying to try but haven't quite found the right moment yet? Either way I hope you find something to do this weekend that fills your soul, happy friday!

our halloween house

I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water these days, the past month kind of snuck up and smacked me upside the head a little bit. It's just been a whirlwind around here and when I get kind of overwhelmed I oddly must decorate something..ha ha! Can you relate at all? So all the tiny spare moment I have had lately have been spent adding some Halloween fun to the corners of our home. I love the fall it is one of my most favorite times of year I just wish it wasn't so darn busy!

This week I am gearing up for Chris to be away - he heads out of town tomorrow so I am pacing myself for how full the week will be with my four kids, alone :). I also stepped out in faith on a big dream of mine (I promise to share more on that soon) and have a ton of work to do to give this little baby new life. I am in a season of wanting to say yes to pursuing those things I feel tugging at my heart and saying no to the things that are not in line with what God is really asking of me and although this probably sounds super vague and weird I am making note of it here because it is a new exciting adventure and I want to mark it somehow!

So here's to biting off another week - lots of hope and beauty around. Ten on Ten is Thursday which always makes me smile...thinking about doing a prompt this month just for fun! So what about you hows the fall treating you so far? Any new adventures you're hoping to jump into? Go do it friends we only live once right!! xoxo

*Adorable glow in the dark trick or treat bags were a gift from Personal Creations we can't wait to use them in a few weeks!! The Halloween banner is from Land of Nod and more about that cute Home Sweet Home laser cut from Furrow and Feather coming soon!!

Happy Halloween

This year we had two Jedi Knights, a Cowboy and a sweet little Strawberry Shortcake! We opted to not host our annual party though and I was feeling a bit bummed about it but we still managed to have some fun trick or treating and celebrating at Church too!

Josie got a hold of an empty bag and said "I gotta get some candy in here"...and then on the way home she took off her hat and said "I'm takin off my shortcake now Mom"...oh my gosh I love this, I am such a blessed woman!

Hope you guys had a fun night I am off to raid the kids candy loot next!

Zeb's first trip to the pumpkin patch

I sure love looking at these photos but lets face it four kids in the pouring down rain only lasted for so long. I think the final scene included something like this: Chris and I standing in the downpour and mud cleaning off an entire wheelbarrow full of pumpkins with baby wipes while the younger two screamed, someone spilled their hot chocolate all over the van floor, I then started cleaning the van with the wipes, there was mud everywhere...oh you know. I might have cried a teensy bit too once we were locked and loaded. I looked at Chris like a crazy lady and we both sighed and agreed that these wonderful traditions always sound so much better in our head. But I am so glad we braved it this year for our new little guys first time...and I have a feeling the kids had nothing but a blast so I guess in the end it was all worth it! Gotta love the pumpkin patch, did you brave it this year? :)

pumpkin spice ice cream (vegan/gluten free)

 I confess I am a sucker for anything pumpkin flavored. The second good old Starbucks announces the pumpkin spice latte is back on the menu I am in line with baited breath waiting for that first yummy sip of fall. I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin donuts, you get the picture.

One of my very favorite ways to enjoy pumpkin is in ice cream form. I remember the first time I tried it years and years ago with graham crackers and whip cream on top it was love at first bite and I look forward to seeing it pop up in our grocery store when the season is right.

But as of late I have moved to a plant based animal free diet and sadly vegan pumpkin ice cream is not as readily available as the milk based version so I decided it was high time I tried my hand at making it at home. Honestly I didn't know what to expect I have made coconut milk ice cream before but mainly vanilla nothing to fancy. For this recipe I experimented a bit with a base recipe I like and added some spices and pumpkin puree and a little bit of rum too to round it out. What I got was honestly the yummiest, creamiest pumpkin ice cream, seriously so good - the kids went crazy for it!

 Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups of organic plain soy or almond milk
• 1/3 + 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• 3 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 teaspoons of bourbon or rum (optional)

In a large pot place the coconut milk, nut milk, sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt and gently warm over low heat with a whisk until all of the sugar melts. Remove from heat and whisk in the xanthan gum and oil.

Pour the contents of the pot into a blender or food processor and add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and rum if you are using it. Blend on high until everything is smooth and Incorporated.

Pour the cream mixture through a fine sieve to make it as smooth as possible and then place it into a container and freeze for at least two to three hours. Process mixture through an ice cream maker according to the manufactures directions and enjoy!

I served mine with a little bit of honey maple cream that we picked up recently at the fair but I could see sprinkling on some graham crackers or ginger cookies too. Either way this is a super delicious, seasonal treat that I think you will love!

I originally wrote this post for the super sweet girls over at Eighteen25 and their month long Spooktacular September event! There are some really fun projects going on over there so I highly recommend taking a peek to get the creative juices flowing for all those October festivities coming up!!