Costume Parade!

  

Henry has been set on his costume for weeks and weeks-- a golden knight.  I used Simplicity pattern 5520 and a cape that Grandma J had made a while back.  It was really fun to make and even more gratifying when he asked if he could sleep in it.  There is something so endearing about the three-year old stage.  Their imaginations are endless, their perception of the world is eye opening and their love is unconditional (that's not to say he isn't challenging at times), but I just want to bottle this stage up and keep it in my pocket.

Lucy has had a few ideas for costumes.  She wanted to be Spider Girl up until a couple of days ago when her heart's desire settled on being a TV.  We didn't quite have the supplies she wanted, but we tried our best.  (What's on TV?  A baseball game!)

     

Sadly, the TV was a bit too cumbersome to wear to school.  Luckily, Grandma J had bought some princess dresses a few years ago and Lucy was happy to trade in for something a little more feminine.  She wore the TV to our church Halloween party and the Cinderella dress to Boo at the Zoo and to her school dress-up day.   And she wore the Belle dress (my favorite) to a friend's Halloween party and trick or treating.   

Happy Haunting, everyone!

Preschool Party Time

Some moms from my church and I do a little preschool co-op.  Each week, we rotate homes, hosting this sweet set of toddlers for a little learning and lots of play.  This last week was my turn and we had a Halloween party.  There was more treat eating and crafting fun than you could stand in a morning!

We made some marshmallow ghosts:

Turned rocks into jack-o-lanterns:

Decorate pumpkin shaped cookies (and ate them, of course!):

There were candy corns to count and Halloween stories to read.  At the end, everyone got to take one of these yummy, spooky, guys home:

Gingerbread Skeleton Men

Gingerbread Cookies:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (at room temp.)

1 egg (beaten)

Cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.  Add egg and molasses.  Beat well.  Gradually add the dry ingredients until dough is thoroughly combined and comes together in a ball.  Divide the dough in half.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours or over night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a floured rolling pin, roll out one ball of dough at a time on a lightly floured surface to 1/4" thick.  Cut out gingerbread men shapes with a cookie cutter.  Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet, spaced 1" apart.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Rest for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack.  Once cookies are cooled, decorate with Royal Icing.

Royal Icing:

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat egg white and lemon juice until well combined.  Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth and combined.  Use a piping bag or pour into a ziplock baggy.  Seal baggy and cut a very small hole in one corner.  Pipe bones onto cookie.   *Tip* Use Royal Icing immediately because it hardens quickly.  Let Royal Icing set for an hour before storing.  Enjoy!