Halloween Costumewatch 2012: Evil Jester (part 2)

Finally, Jammy consented to have his photo taken! I've been bugging him for weeks to try it on and pose in it, but he resisted until this morning's school Halloween parade.  Better late than never!

Halloween Costumewatch 2012: The Nerd

The days when I could influence The Pea on her choice of Halloween costume are long gone.  All I can do is veto anything inappropriate, cross my fingers, hope for best, and indulge my mama-bear instincts by costuming her American Girl dolls.

What's for lunch this week?

California rolls, strawberries, cucumbers, olives, ghost donut

A few days ago one of the school lunch moms came up to me and said, "Your boys always have the nicest lunches!  Everyone loves looking at them, and your boys eat up every last bit!".  Wow, you'd think I had won the lunch Oscars or something.  I've been feeling good about making well-balanced, visually appealing,  low-cost lunches, but having someone actually notice (other than myself, of course) really put a smile on my face and inspired me to keep going.  I'm such a sucker for a compliment!

Halloween Costumewatch 2012: Evil Jester (part 1)

Now that 3Po and Jammy have passed the superhero/ Star Wars stage, all they want to be for Halloween is something scary and gruesome.  Skeleton.  Grim Reaper.  Zombie Rock Star.  Swamp Creature.  And this year, Evil Jester.  Who would even think up of such a costume? But as soon as they saw it, they wanted it.

Halloween Costumewatch 2012: Red Riding Hood's Granny

Last Halloween I received a set of werewolf gloves and headpiece to review, and although we all loved the costume, none of us ended up wearing it for Halloween.  This year I decided to use it so I wouldn't have to buy or sew anything.  At first I thought of wearing it with jeans and a red plaid shirt -- the classic werewolf getup -- but it was just too Meh.  Besides, I like to dress up as female characters.  I don't know where the inspiration came to dress up as the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, but I'm glad it came, because I can already tell that this is going to be one of my best Halloween costumes ever.

Halloween Costumewatch 2012: The Mad Hatter

When you hear the phrase Decision 2012, what do you think of?  Forget politics, it's all about what to wear on Halloween night!  October 31 is just 1 week away, so all this week I'll be featuring each person in our family and what they'll be wearing when we go trick-or-treating.

31 Days of Pink: Week 3

Once again, I'm accompanying my pink clothing from last week with a memory of someone I know who has been affected by breast cancer -- because instead of blathering on about the pink stuff I wore last week, I'd rather talk (and you'd probably rather read) about the people I wear pink for.

What's for lunch this week?

Bagel with ham and cheese, cherry tomatoes, assorted flavor graham bunnies

I've been feeling pretty inspired about making lunch these days.  I know I'll be posting photos of what I'm making, so I've definitely been putting more thought into the visual presentation -- the mix of colors (you know what they say, eat your colors!), shapes, even textures. I'm not saying I'm ever going to come close to the beautiful bento boxes I'm constantly pinning on Pinterest, but I can safely say that sliced bread is NOT the norm around here.  I even got around to cutting out a jack-o-lantern face on a slice of Colby Jack to celebrate Halloween!

How to make a Doll's Halloween Treat Bag from Duct Tape

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on how to make a Halloween treat bag from duct tape.  It was so easy and so much fun that I decided to make a matching bag for The Pea's American Girl dolls.  This miniature version looks just like its full-sized counterpart, and it's even easier to make.  Here's how:

How to make a Halloween candy corn tutu for your American Girl doll

Last weekend we attended the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, and we spent a pleasant day gawking at the beautifully carved pumpkins, collecting free samples of granola bars and bread,  pigging out on pumpkin ice cream, and wandering through the arts and crafts booths.  One of the booths happened to sells little girls' tutus of all kinds.  I miss The Pea being young enough to wear a tutu!

The tutus on display were adorable -- and when I looked closely, I realized how easy they were to make.  Since I can't make one for The Pea anymore, I decided to make one for her American Girl doll.  Yes, I'm destined to become the crazy old lady who plays with dolls.  If you're like me, keep reading to find out how to make the tutu....