Halloween!

So, we did a lot of crafting for Halloween! The kids costumes were bought or borrowed, and mine was super easy, but Kirk's Captain Hook costume really took some work!

 Here is the coat we got at Goodwill!

 Me, getting down to work!

 1 finished sleeve - Red satin and gold braid!

 Finished coat!!

 Look at our spiffy family :) We went to a trick or treat street downtown - super fun!

Then! Halloween Morning! We made pancakes, and we made them fun!

PUMPKIN!

(to  be honest, no actual pumpkin was used. That would be delicious though!)

yum!

There were lots of mini halloween crafts too, but too many pics in this post already. oy!

Building memories and traditions for our kids, and for us - one of the things mamas do.

Pumpkin Decorating

No respectable Craft OR mommy blog would be complete without a Pumpkin Decorating post. Ours is in the toddler realm...

 Pumpkins + Sharpies = wonderful pumpkins the kids can do and that will last

 River's completed pumpkin - not enough marker, I think.

 My pumpkin - not quite done yet - sparkles are COMING

 Danger has a much smaller project - but he enjoyed it :)

Stars were more his speed :)

We are still waiting on Dad's pumpkin - but I'm sure it will be fabulous :)

Finding creative ways to celebrate the holidays - one of the things mamas do.

Thankful Tree

I really wanted to do a fall craft with my kids, get them into the spirit of the Harvest season, AND utilize a big empty space in our living room. I am nothing if not ambitious! So, I decided to make a fall tree and use our handprints as leaves. THEN, i decided to put things we are thankful for on the leaves. Thus, the thankful tree was born...

Here is the beginning of Thankful Tree. Just brown construction paper pieced together. The black marker really made it look so much more like bark and not an indecipherable brown blob. 

A few handprints going up. Those were a bit of work. This really ended up being a me craft, rather than Mommy-and-me. But the kids loved watching it come together. 

Here is our finished tree! I love the way it came out and everyone who sees it really seems to like it. The kids are memorizing some of the leaves and point them out "Grammy!" "our bikes!" "our great home!" It's so neat. I want to make a new one every year, and maybe save a few of the handprints to watch them get big. :)

Helping my kids appreciate the blessings we have in life - one of the things mamas do.

Harvest

Fall is my FAVORITE time of year. I have to stop myself from begging my husband to let me put up fall decorations in July. Mid-September is our roughly agreed upon date, and this year was no exception.

 WELCOME!

 Backyard awning

 

Dining Room Table. This is my favorite! Last year I used this pumpkin with gems all over it, but the kids had a heyday  taking all of those off and decorating my house with them. SO, ribbon and brads this time, and it looks amazing. Loving it as our centerpiece.

Or maybe this is my favorite. Our hanging baskets outside came out really awesome, and with amazing fall craft sales, it was super affordable.

So, there are (just a few) of my fall decorations. Making my house pretty and festive - one of the things mamas do.