phantom feet

My very clever cousin did this adorable craft with her kids to give to their daddy for Halloween. I think it is absolutely adorable! All you have to do is get a black paper or canvas and STAMP your families feet with white paint. Turn it upside down and paint on eyes and a mouth to look like a ghost. You can put each family members name under each one and the year if you want. SO SIMPLE and SO fun for the whole family to do together. It also gives you a great Halloween decoration for years to come!!!

SEINE zeit zum feiern!!!

For those of you not fluent in German, cause let's face it who is???   I mean my mom is 100% full blooded german and barely SPEAKS any... but you don't have to be German to cook like one or to throw a killer Oktoberfest party. That being SAID, SINCE I happen to be 1/2 German I have SOME fabulous authentic recipies and party ideas for you. SO instead of the SAME old halloween party... why not treat your friends and family to a bit of Bavaria with an authentic Oktoberfest celebration! It's time to party! (that's what that says up there!) :D

SO technically Oktoberfest is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Bavaria Germany, running from late SEPTEMBER to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810.

Here are SOME ideas...

• Obviously beer is a big part of the traditional festivities but for the non drinkers and or for a family friendly party go for good old root beer, or apple beer. They even SELL these in kegs which is kind of fun.
• Decorate with traditional colors... Bavarian colors or blue and white, or Germanys flag colors are red, yellow and black!
• Play German music in the background to SETthe mood... you can find music online.
• The chicken dance polka is a must! Make everyone at the party participate... it will make everyone laugh!
• Put out bowls of pretzles for guests to munch on before dinner.
• There is no such thing as a Brautwurst-less Oktoberfest party SO be SURE to include those in your menu. The Johnsonville ones you can buy at the regular grocery store are pretty darn close to the real thing, (my grandma will eat them, which says a lot)

Here are two of my entire families favorite recipies from my Oma (including our non German in-laws, and the little kids)
Kartoffelsalat- (Potato Salad)

• 5-6 pounds of small waxy red potatoes. Boiled whole and skins removed and chopped into bite size pieces Make sure the are not over cooked, but not raw either.
• 1 pound of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled. SAVE the grease...
• 1/2 a red onion, diced small
• 2 large dill pickles, diced small
• 5-6 hard boiled eggs, diced

While the potatoes are boiling make the sauce...

• 2 C good mayonaise
• 1 C water
• 1 T salt
• 1-11/2 T apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 t black pepper 
•  1/3 C white sugar
• 2 T of bacon grease... I know what you are thinking but do it... it is the SECRET that makes this the best.

Mix all SAUCE ingredients together in a large bowl. STIR in bacon, onion and pickle. Once the pototoes are cooked, drain and as soon as you can handle them, peel them. chop into bite size pieces and add to the sauce. You want the potatoes to go into the sauce warm cause they will SUCK the SAUCE in as they cool. Gently fold in eggs. This is best when made a day in advance. just before SERVING taste it and if it needs more tang... add SOME pickle juice... (the other SECRET). SERVE at room temperature. SERVES about 8.

Rotkohl (braised Red cabbage)

• 1 head red cabbage sliced very thin
• 4-5 apples (i use both red and green) grated
• 1/4 red onion diced or grated
• 1 T salt
• 1 C sugar
• 1/4-1/2 C bacon grease... once again just do it... its not as bad for you as it may seem :D
• 11/2 T apple cider vinegar

Put bacon grease in a large pot and warm. Add cabbage and coat in grease by tossing. Add the rest of the ingredients and enough water to  cover everything. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours or until cabbage is very tender. Add more salt, vinegar or sugar if needed. Once again this tastes better if made the day before. heat and serve warm.

• Though not traditional, root beer floats would make a cute and easy dessert. You could SERVE them in those big glass mugs with the handle. Or for the purist who wants to STICK with authentic... apple STREUSEL or plum cake will do!
• We play a game my Oma played a lot as a child in Germany (whether it is technically German or not I'm not sure) where you get a bunch of small prizes or treats, a large pot, a blindfold and a wooden spoon. One prize at a time gets placed on the ground somewhere with the pot upside down over it. Each person gets a turn being blindfolded and spun in circles then crawls around on their hands and knees banging the ground with the wooden spoon trying to find the pot. We yell heiß (pronounced hi ss) or hot, and Kälte or cold to guide them. When they hit the pot with the spoon, they get the prize that is under the pot. You could also do re lay races or other games and just put some sort of German spin on them.

I hope you consider an Oktoberfest party for your next get together... We always have a STUPENDOUS time! (even without the beer!!!)

Try a different kind of pumpkin face this year....

There are many adorable ideas out there for putting a face on a pumpkin but how about putting a pumpkin on YOUR face???.. Try this in your next bath or use this for a fun date night or girls night out!


Pumpkin Face Mask

2 T canned pumpkin NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING (make SURE the only ingredient is pumpkin)
(high in Vitamin A (skin healing), C (anti-oxidant) and Zinc, it will SOOTHE, moisturizes and act as a carrier, assisting the other mask ingredients to absorb deeper into the SKIN and intensifying the results)


1 t milk (or cream if your SKIN is dry)
(contain enzymes that digest SKIN cells and beta hydroxy acids that naturally help exfoliate dead SKIN, and refine the layer underneath. It makes the SKIN become SMOOTH, SHINY and not SCALY. In addition, milk also contains vitamins A and D that makes your SKIN SOFT but STRONG.)

1 t honey
(helps absorb and retain moisture SO it keeps SKIN hydrated and fresh and prevents drying. Its natural antioxidants and anti-microbial properties help to protect the SKIN from the damage of the SUN'S rays, SUPPORTS the SKIN'S ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted SKIN, leaving it feeling SILKY SOFT and SUPPLE. Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the SKIN, making it an ideal cleansing agent. It is known that ancient beauties regularly applied a mixture of milk and honey to the face to keep the SKIN young-looking, radiant, and SMOOTH.)


1 t brown SUGAR
(exfoliates and is alpha-hydroxy rich to give you glowing SKIN.It will promote the growth of a healthier; more uniformly colored and textured SKIN. SUGAR SCRUBS have been SHOWN to STIMULATE and circulate lymph fluids, and can quickly help heal blemishes, absorb the dirt and oil from pores, and balance the natural oils in the SKIN.)


1 t PURE cranberry juice (NOT COCKTAIL)
(high in antioxidants critically important to the utilization of essential fatty acids to maintain balanced, nourished SKIN. Cranberries help to rejuvenate the SKIN and are rich in antocianos and caroteinoids, vitamin a which are the pigments responsible for its color and antioxidant properties. They are also rich in vitamin c , helping with collagen production, and delaying cellular oxidation. Cranberries will also help to delay aging SKIN.)


1 t lemon juice
(a great acne treatment and is good for the removal of blackheads, freckles and wrinkles.)


Mix all ingredients and apply to face. Leave on for 10-30 minutes and rinse.

Pumpkin Body SCRUB


1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup brown SUGAR

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Mix and use as a full body SCRUB in tub or SHOWER!

SCARY SUCCESS

I love hosting a Halloween party every year for our friends and their children. But a party is only as good as it's entertainment! Here are SOME fun ideas you can quickly throw together for a Halloween get together with all your ghouls and goblins! SOME of these are more SELF explanatory than others..

Classic ideas:
Decorate homemade caramel apples or cookies with a variety of candies
Hide and SEEK in the dark
Halloween Charades or Pictionary
Bobbing for Apples
Murder in the Dark
Halloween SCATAGORIES

SEEKING SKELETONS:
for a few bucks buy one of those large door hanging SKELETONS. I found a glow in the dark one. Take all the bones apart and hide them all over the house. Turn off all the lights and using flashlights have all the kids find all the missing bones and put the SKELETON back together!

Mummy Wrap Race
Team up into pairs and race who can wrap their partner up like a mummy using toilet paper the fastest using the entire roll!

Halloween Trivia Quiz
You can accomplish this a number of ways- Either individually using a testing STYLE with pens and paper or Jeopardy STYLE with groups to SUGGEST a few.

SAVING STARTS SMALL

IT's SEPTEMBER people! Which for a lot of us means back to SCHOOL and back to routine. The SUMMER was filled with lazy mornings of SLEEPING-in, wet n' wild activities and late bedtimes. But like all good things, it came to an end. I dragged my feet and clung onto the last STRINGS of the SEASON, denying that it was really over. But even I had to come to except it. So I guess it's back to business. Part of our regular routine includes daily chores. My husband and I are big Dave Ramsey fans and went through his finacial peace university. Changed our lives! If you don't know who Dave Ramsey is- he's worth the google SEARCH. He is a very knowledgeable and funny guy. He knows what he's talking about! He has a program for parents in teaching their kids at any age the value of money. Our children have chores to do around the house which are required of them by just being a member of the family, but there are also extra things they can to do earn some money. We don't pay our kids allowance. As Dave would say we "pay them commission".
Which leads me to this fun craft! My kids needed a money jar to STORE their earnings. We used mason jars decorated with different colored rubber bands so my kids can SEE their STASH of cash growing. This is a fun and easy activity to do with your kids. Plus it recycles that giant wad of rubber bands taking over your desk drawer! I used a dremel to cut a slot in the top for dropping coins. If you don't have a dremel you can punch a slot with a hammer and chisel or screw driver or you can try drilling a long hole with a power drill. These jars end up so cute you could do this for more than just money jars! Maybe for gifts, cute storage, party favor holders, decor- let your creativity guide you!