Boo Cupcakes

Last week I had offered to send in cupcakes for the 1st grade Halloween party. Just like everything else it seemed like a good idea a week ago but as Halloween began to creep up panic started to set in. Normally I like to make icing from scratch and I tend to shoot for elaborate cupcake designs, and basically make my life harder.

However, I am getting a little wiser in my old age and I began a search for an easy but impressive looking cupcake. I found this idea on the Betty Crocker website.

Jackpot! Easy to make and so adorable.

photo 1To make boo cupcakes you need a box of cake mix, a bag of marshmallows, two cans of vanilla icing, orange and black food coloring.

Bake the cupcakes as you normally would.

To make the base color one whole can of icing orange. You could use a spatula to ice the cupcake. I used a number 18 Wilton decorating tip to create the base. Either way will work.

Then spoon about 1/3 of the icing into a cup and melt in the microwave for 20 seconds. When the icing is  melted use a toothpick to dip the marshmallow into the melted icing and place on top of the cupcake.

After take a small amount of icing and color it black. Use a number 3 Wilton tip to pipe the eyes and the mouth. You could also use the gel colors that they sell in the baking aisle to create the same effect. Wait for the icing to harden before you put the finishing touches on the ghost.

photo 3

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Family, Food & Snacks, Holidays, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We’ve Been Boo-zed!

Finally it’s our turn…. We’ve Been Boo-zed!

photo 1

Why should the kids have all the fun?

Halloween has begun to take on a life of it’s own. There are now elaborate decorations and lights for houses. It has become a season that begins early in October and lasts all month.

The most popular tradition in my neighborhood is ghosting.

Kids of all ages… roaming through the neighborhood…  after dark.

Sneaking around, dressed all in black, ringing doorbells and running away. And in most cases their parents are the getaway drivers.

This may sound disturbing to you, but do not fear for we are not training them for a life of crime. The goal is to leave a bag of candy on the doorstep without getting caught.

photo 2

I am not sure how widespread the ghosting craze is, but it has been a Halloween standard at my house for years. My girls love to go ghosting! All year long they wait in anticipation for Halloween season so they can ding dong ditch… Oh wait I mean ghost.

photo 3

I am not a huge fan of this tradition. It is definitely something I like to delegate for my husband. I am way too nervous especially with the kids all in black running through the streets at night- it’s a little dangerous for me.

But now we have a Halloween tradition I can get behind! Instead of a bag a candy our thoughtful ghosters left a bottle of wine!

Fabulous twist on this Halloween tradition! Click here to print out the We’ve Been Boo-zed poem.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Family Fun, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Delivery Man: Finding out what family means to you

What does family mean to you?

When you say family it means different things to different people. Family to me  means my children, husband, sisters, parents, grandmother, in-laws, step-father, cousins, aunts, uncles, step sister and brothers. All those people in my life who help me get through the day-to-day who I couldn’t live without. Those special people who you call your family who you can count on in good times and  bad.

Funny as I sit here writing this post I am reminded of what family means to me and how quickly my family responds to the call for help. Last night a portion of the ceiling in my living room fell down. Luckily no one was hurt but it did leave quite a mess and a huge hole in my ceiling. Within  half an hour I had a crew at my house happily cleaning up dusty chunks of plaster and helping us figure out how to fix this mess. As I sat surrounded by dust and crumbling ceiling I looked around and watched as everyone was pitching in and trying to make it better and I realized how incredibly lucky I am to have such a great family.

Of course family are also those same people who can sometimes make you so mad you want to beat them over the head with a stick or pull there hair out. However, those moments eventually pass and the best times can be had with your family. Even when family aggravates you to the point of insanity you know when it comes down to it they love you more than anyone else.

Having two sisters I can attest that no one irritates us as much as sisters irritate each other. That being said we would kill anyone who dared say anything bad about the other. We would throw ourselves in front of a bus if need be to protect or defend the other, then we would pull their hair out.

So you might ask why are we discussing family today and what does it have to do with Disney’s new movie Delivery Man coming out November 22nd?

image005

In the movie funny man Vince Vaughn portrays an affable underachiever who is trying to find his purpose in life when he discovers he has fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Can you imagine 533 children?? If I even mention having a fourth child my husband runs for cover! In the movie Vince Vaughn’s character must decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity.

image006

Guaranteed to be both a funny and heartwarming look at family. I am a huge Vince Vaughn and can’t wait to see him in this role that I will be able to bring the whole family to.

I am so excited to be one of 533 bloggers who are the first to share the Delivery Man trailer.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Disney, Family, Family Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Monsters University

Before they were incorporated they were in college.

MUN_Mike_Sulley_Books_TeaserMech_1s_w5.0

The long-awaited prequel to Monsters Inc hits theaters today.

Monsters Inc. was so beloved Monsters University has pretty big scary shoes to fill. Rather than go the sequel route Monsters University is a prequel to the first movie. Monsters U takes you back to the college days of Mike Wazowsky and James Sullivan long before they were buds and saved Monstropolis. I always love a prequel it’s fun to see how all the pieces fit together.

In addition to the collegial Wazowzky & Sullivan we also get to glimpse the early years of evil Scarer Randall Boggs when he was a young nerdy college student. Roz, a fan favorite from the first film makes a cameo and is sure to let the duo know she is watching them always watching.

In Monsters University Mike and Sully are not fast friends. In fact they are more like enemies. Wazowsky is a conscientious student who has worked hard to get to Monsters University and is determined to be the top scarer in the elite scare program. On the other hand Sully sees little value in studying and instead just wants to have a good time and  trade in on his famous family name. As the pairs animosity grows it gets of control and they end up getting thrown out of the scarer program. Now they must work together with a bunch of monster misfits to get back in the good graces of scary college dean Hardscabble.

Monsters University is very reminiscent of other college films you have seen like “Old School” & “Revenge of the Nerds” It is full of college pranks, fraternities, sororities, and a rag-tag team of misfits who need to work together to overcome adversity.

MU_Bleachers_Online_1s_w2_0-1_thumb

We all give this film a big thumbs up it is such a great film for all ages. Amelia was a little scared of Dean Hardscrabble but loved it nonetheless.

photo

Although, nothing can be as good as the original this movie comes pretty close.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Posted in Disney, Entertainment, Family Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Last Minute Teacher Gifts

Amazon Gift Card

If your like me the end of the school year, although a joyous occasion, seems to sneak up on me. June seems to fly by and suddenly it’s the night before last day of school and I am totally unprepared and have no teacher gifts.

There is usually a harried dash to CVS to buy gift cards. It can be frustrating and annoying because by the time I get to the gift card rack the pickings are slim and it’s difficult to find one I like in the denomination I am looking for. Normally I end up getting a Visa or Amex gift card but then resent the service fee they charge.

But those days are over! I have found the perfect teacher gift that can be bought at the last minute. Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for this one it was my sister-in-law’s idea.

Amazon Gift Cards with a free greeting card is the absolute perfect gift with loads of options. There are various styles available to choose from, I chose the Thank You style for the teachers. You can also choose almost any denomination you would like.  You can even personalize the card with your own message. How great is that? What’s even better is no service charge and free overnight shipping.

Amazon Card 3

This might be the greatest idea ever! I just wish I had thought of it. I happily ordered gift cards for all the teachers, helpers, and special area teachers today. The gift cards will be here tomorrow in plenty of time for the last day of school.

Amazon Card 2

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Family, Life, Motherhood, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment