Caramel Apple Treats

While caramel apples are not a new treat, there are some  fun ways to make them even yummier.

 Kara unwrapped the caramel, while I got together our toppings.  I opened a few of our Halloween candy bags,  I pulled some of our favorite cereals out of the pantry.

We washed and dried our apples and placed them on a butter sprayed piece of parchment paper.

The toppings we ended up selecting were Count Chocula, Reeses Puffs, M &Ms, Skittles, Nerd and cut up Snickers.  I got out the Reeses Peanut Butter topping but we ended up not using it.

I dipped the apples, and then gave them to Kara to add the toppings.

They might not be pretty and perfect, but they sure are colorful!

Karas'sSkittle and Nerd apple

Our Count Chocula apple

Another colorful apple with M&Ms and Nerds

I had a little bit of caramel left over so I drizzzled it over some banana and made some caramel banana bites.  Delicious!

We can't wait to eat them, but they are in the fridge chilling.  It's bedtime, so I think they might have to wait until tomorrow.

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Countdown to Halloween-Pumpkin Pretzels

Today's feature of the day are these quick and easy pumpkin pretzels by Phaedra's Adventures

Don't they look so festive!  These pretzels would be great to take to school parties or a for your little trick or treaters to snack on when they want a sweet snack.  You can see the direction on how Phaedra made them HERE.

You can see the other wonderful crafts from Dare to Share HERE.

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Countdown to Halloween-Scarecrow

Today's Halloween is how Sweeping Mama and her family made a scarecrow for their front porch.

During the day he is just a sweet, happy fellow..

but at night.. he is SUPER COOL!  I never thought about using a plug in pumpkin as part of a scarecrow.  That is such a great idea.  Read more about Mr. Scarecrow and meet Hiliary Sweeping Mama here.

Please stop by this week's Dare to Share to other great ideas and link up your own.  You can find the party HERE

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Must Read Ebook for a More Disiplined Life

As many of you know from past posts, I was diagnosed about a year or two ago with adult ADD.  I found out this information after two of my children were also diagnosed. Throw in my thyroid issues, and I am lucky I remember anything. There are times when things in my life are a bit chaotic. (okay I will say it, my life is chaotic pretty much all the time.)  I will never claim to have a super clean house with everything organized.  My house is far from it,  especially with 3  children who seem to have gotten the unorganized gene from me.    I was very excited to learn that Crystal Paine, a writer/blogger who I have followed for several years, is coming out with a new  Ebook, that might give my chaotic, unorganized life some order.  

Click to Order Here

You may know Crystal from the blog MoneySavingMom.com.   I have followed her blog for several years, and she always gives such great advice on how to be more frugal.  I am sure I have saved hundreds of dollars by reading her site. I respect her opinion, and I know she lives what she teaches.   If she is able to help me be more disciplined and in charge of my own life instead of it being in charge of me, I am all for it!    If this sounds like you too,  now is the time to buy this Ebook.   It will be on special sale for only .99  until Oct 26th.  After that day, it will go up to its full price of $6.99.   By buying now, you will not only save $6, but will hopefully  have enough time to learn something by the holidays.

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Halloween Treat Boxes

It is almost time again  for class Halloween parties.  I thought it would the be the perfect time to add to my treat box collection..  

Do you remember these?  I came up made my Bunny Treat Boxes  for  Easter 2011, and they quickly become one of my popular posts and most pinned ideas. 

Then last Thanksgiving, I added my Turkey Treat Boxes, and they too were well received

To make Frankenstein, I cut a green rectangle from cardstock to fit the top of the dollar store treat box.  (They come in packages of 10 or 12 so they are .10 or less each.)   Glue on whatever eyes you would prefer. I thought he would look good with the small eyes. You can find a large bag of google eyes in various sizes in the craft aisle at the Dollar Tree.  

I glued on hair and bolts with  more cardstock.  (you could easily substitute craft foam)  I then drew on the mouth with a black fine tip sharpie. 

I cut a black circle out of cardstock for the spider body.  I than added the larger size eyes. It just seemed more fitting to me.  To make the spider legs, I used two pipe cleaners and folded them in half twice.  Folding it that way makes 4 equal size legs with each pipe cleaner.  

I glued on the pipe cleaner legs using a hot glue gun. I tried to make sure they were evenly placed, and then allowed them to cool before trying to bend the legs.  

I cut strips of white card stock to make the mummy. 

The first step was to glue the eyes onto the lid of the box.  I then glued on the strips of paper so some of it overlapped.   I did not cut to size quite yet.  Each of the strips hung over the sides of the box. I allowed the glue to cool, then trimmed around the box so that paper was even.  

I filled them with candy, and then had them pose for pictures.   These Halloween treat boxes are the perfect size to bring to those class parties, or really  to hand out at Halloween parties of any kind. 

If you are not able to find these mini storage boxes at the dollar store but still want to make this craft, I found the same boxes online at Amazon (these are affiliate links) 

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Countdown to Halloween- Pumpkin Princess Costume

As we enter the home stretch to Halloween, I am going to step up the number of Halloween ideas in the countdown.  One way I am going to do that is to feature Halloween  crafts that  are linked to Dare to Share each day until October 31.  The last couple of years I have featured  daily holiday ornaments, crafts, recipes and gift ideas between Nov 1 and December 31.   I plan on doing that again this year, so if you have holiday projects be sure to link them up in coming weeks.  

Today's Featured Craft

This sweet, adorable pumpkin princess costume by Pinkie for Pink.  My girls are past the princess stage,  but it doesn't mean I don't secretly wish they were still wanting to wear costumes like this one.  You did a great job Nichole!  Enjoy the princess loving stage for as long as possible.

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Guest Posting at Pamela's Heavenly Treats

I am having a busy month, this month.  Today I am guest posting for my friend Pamela on Pamela's Heavenly Treats.  I am sharing a recipe for this wonderful dessert...

Caramel Apple Crisp Pie 

It is a perfect dessert for the season, and my kids request it every year.. So please stop by and take a look.

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Our Fun and Frugal Weekend

I know I have mentioned before that you can really save  money by signing up for rewards cards.  I have also frequently talked about how much money you can save by using coupons.  Coupons are not just for groceries, but for many types of services, retail stores  and restaurants. This weekend I got to spend special time with Kara, and save a lot of money at the same time.

Our first stop during the weekend was the Outback.  I had a coupon for $5 off two entrees, or $2.50 off one.   Kara was asked if she wanted the children's menu, and she said yes.  When we go  to Outback, I like to order the $9.99 steak special with a  Blue Cheese Chopped Salad that only costs $1 more.  (if you order it as a side dish is closer to $3)   I was able use the $2.50 off one entree coupon, so our entire meal was only $16.72 before tip.  After tip, I had spent $20.72, not too bad for dinner at Outback.   This was my biggest expense of the weekend, and Kara really loved have a special dinner with mom.

source

We then went to our local theater to watch Hotel Transylvania.  This was when it really came in handy to be part of our theater  rewards program.  A few months ago I had earned two free movie tickets just by going to a few matinees this past summer.  Since this movie has been out for a few weeks, I was able to use one of the tickets.   They used the ticket for my adult ticket price which was $9.50.  I got in totally free!  Since the other free ticket has a really long expiration date, I decided to hold on to it for a while more.   Kara got in for the $6.50 child's price.   $6.50 for two of us to get into a new movie?!  Awesome! Since we had just eaten dinner, we didn't feel like we needed any snacks so we saved a lot of money there too.  

On Saturday I had to run errands, and go grocery shopping.  Kara wanted to come along.  We stopped for a late lunch at McDonalds and used our winning Monopoly pieces for  2 free medium fries.  I dont know the exact cost but I know we saved around $3.  The rest of lunch only cost $4.24  for two McDoubles and 2 cokes, or $2.12 each for lunch. In the long run it saved us more, because I tend to buy less when I do not go to the store hungry. 

Today was the best deal of all.  Our local theater is taking part in a Free Children's Movie festival each weekend this month.  This weekend's movie was The Lorax.  Kids under 12 got in free,  and 13 and older cost only $1.   I also used a free medium popcorn,  and a free medium pop reward coupon.  What would have cost us $19 (2 matinee tickets $5, medium popcorn $5 and medium pop $4) only cost a total of $1. 

Kara had the opportunity to go out to eat two times and got to see two movies.  I spent a grand total of $32.46 on all 4 things combined,  and saved $33 ($24 in coupons and $9 by going to the free festival) What really made it worth while was when Kara told me after today's movie that she had a wonderful weekend.

It really does pay to use your rewards and coupons!   

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#A Crafter's Dream Christmas Giveaway

 
. The time is finally here! I'm so excited to bring you A Crafter's Dream Christmas Giveaway! This giveaway is hosted by My Merry Messy Life, Earning-My-Cape and Tutus & Tea Parties and has a Christmas, crafting, and supporting small business theme! Each blogger is offering her/his own giveaway worth $25 or more going on now through Sunday, November 4, 2012.


Christmas is just around the corner, and the time to start crafting our gifts for friends and family is now! Christmas is just a two short months away, and will be here before we know it. Some of the blogs in the giveaway group will be giving away some awesome crafting supplies if you love to craft. Sometimes we want to give a handmade gift, but just don't have the time or know-how to make them ourselves. This is a great opportunity to support small businesses and shops who offer handmade items! Some of the blogs in our giveaway group will be highlighting such small businesses and offering giveaway items for them, as well. Even if you don't win the giveaway, we hope that you will keep these small businesses in mind when shopping for that perfect gift for your special someone.

 I am teaming up with Jessica from the Etsy shop Moxie and Mischief.   Jessica is giving away one of each of the  headbands from her Fall into Winter collection in the size(s) of the winner's  choice.  They would make a wonderful gift for the girl  in your in life.  

My daughter Kara loves hair accessories,  and was thrilled when her crimson red headband (from the collection)  arrived. Since you are able to customize your size, anyone could wear these headbands  from infant to adult.

In addition to winning the headbands in Moxie and Michief's Fall into Winter collection, I am giving the  winner  a $20 gift card to either Michaels OR JoAnn Crafts.  The winner will have the opportunity to select the store of their choice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

      Now you can hop from blog to blog entering as many giveaways as you want

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Dare to Share #30

Wow, another week has flown by, and I have so much to share.

This has been an exciting week for my owl pumpkin.  It has been featured in the Mad in Crafts newsletter, on the blogs of Krafty Kat and Earning my Cape and on the Facebook page of Living Life Intentionally.  I haven't been able to check all of my linky parties in the last couple of days, so there might even been one or two that I missed.

This week I also shared my Candy Corn Candy Bowls

I also had the debut of Vampire Bat and Mr. Spider on a guest post for Bacon Time. You can see how I made them here.


Another big announcement is our #A Crafters Dream Christmas Giveway is set to start on Sunday.  We have 50, yes 5-0 blogs participating in this massive giveaway.   I have paired up with Moxie and Mischief for the giveaway.  Our winner will receive one of each of the headbands in her Fall into Winter collection and a $20 craft store gift card.

Kara loves her Crinsom Red Headband from the collection.  She was so thrilled she happily modeled it for me.  

Now onto the party...  I don't really have any rules.. I would LOVE for you to be a follower, so you know when the next Dare to Share is up, but it is not mandatory.  I would also love it you would share about the party on your blog so more people know about the party. (the button is on my buttons page)  You can link up as many links as you would like.    Please visit other linkers if you can.

Link up and HAVE FUN!

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Countdown to Halloween- Dollar Store Candy Jars

Here is another oldie, but goodie. Last year I decorated candy jars from the Dollar Store.  After I painted cute Halloween themed pictures on them I filled them with such things as gummy worms and chocolate eyeballs.  

On the back side of the jars, I wrote out the word BOO! It was a fun, quick and easy to craft to make.  You can see the full tutorial for my dollar store candy jars HERE.

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Guest Posting at Bacon Time

I am guest posting on Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo today where I am sharing two new members of the Pumpkin Gang.  I would love for you to stop by and take a look!

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Countdown to Halloween-Creepy Eyeballs

We are now in the final weeks before Halloween.. Where is the time going.. I REALLY need to get moving on Kara's costume.  Today I am featuring Creepy Eyeballs from Phaedra's Adventures.  They are made out of items that kids love to eat and would be perfect for a Halloween party. Be sure to go over to her blog to see how she made them.

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Countdown to Halloween- Candy Bowls

The other day I came across a couple of bags of old candy corn that somehow got missed last year.  Since it was old, I knew I would want to use it in a craft.  I then saw a few plastic bowls I picked up at the dollar store recently, which gave me an idea.   Why not decorate a candy bowl with the candy.

All you need for this craft is your glue gun and some varnish to coat the candy when you are done.

Since hot glue hardens quickly, you need to have the candy easily accessible.

Working row by row, I glued on each piece and lined them up as best as I could.  Once the glue cooled, I gave it a quick coat of varnish.  I might give it a second coat, I haven't decided.

I tried a couple of different ways to display my candy bowl.  I really like it on the candlestick I got at the thrift store.

I tried it on a small glass candlestick as well, but it didn't seem to pop as much.

I think I like it just by itself as well.  

Now if I would only stop eating the M & Ms!

I will be linking this Halloween craft up on these wonderful linky parties HERE

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Dare to Share #29

Wow, another week flew by.   I have a long list of things to do before Halloween.

I have the fur for Kara's costume, but have yet to get started.

I have been busy making crafts like my owl pumpkin, and mummy wreath. I have several other crafts and recipes planned.

I hope to finally get my house decorated for Halloween this weekend.  I have been planning on it for awhile, it just has not happened.yet.  I have been kind of tired this week, but I don't think it is health related.  Living in the midwest, we have major temp changes this time of year.   It also gets dark so much earlier.  I don't know about you, but during times like this the weather really affects me. If I do get it done, look for some pictures!

Well that is what has been going on with me this week.  What have you been up to?  I would love to see what you have to share this week on Dare to Share.

I don't have a lot of rules.  Pretty much anything goes.  I would love for you to become a follower, but it is not required.  I would also love it you would place my button somewhere on your blog so more people know about the party.






<center> </p> <p> <a href="http://pamspartyplanning.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Kristisma3/button2.png " style="border: none;"/></a></center> </p> <p>

Now link up and HAVE FUN! 

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