Halloween 2009

Sadly, Pinkie woke up on Friday morning with a fever of 102.2 and a barking cough so we headed to the pediatrician's office instead of to the school Halloween parade where she was diagnosed with croup. After seeing the precious Halloween bat candy bars Laura at the Horton Family made for her Alise to take to school to her friends, we had decided to do the same thing for Pinkie's friends--thank goodness Daddy was around to drop them off at school for us! So at least they made the school Halloween festivities!

Saturday was a yucky rainy day and Pinkie was still sick so after rolling Miss Priss' hair for Sunday's State Cheer Competitions the girls dressed in their costumes for a few quick pics (in the drizzling rain!), then Miss Priss headed over to a friend's to hang out and hope that they rain would stop so they could trick-or-treat. It stopped just long enough for us to take Pinkie to a couple of the houses on our cul-de-sac (the pediatrician said we could as long as she didn't touch anyone!) and Miss Priss and her friend got to go to a few houses as well. We only had a few visitors at our house. Now I have a ton of left over candy staring me in the face--not good!

Scarlett O'Hara (Miss Priss wore the same costume when she was 4! We decided to save the peacock for next year when it will hopefully not be raining!)

The Cat in the Hat (her curlers are under the hat!)

On Sunday we drove to New Haven for the Sate Cheer Competition and the girls won first! Regionals, here we come!!!

My Little Witchie-Poo!

We are counting down the days until Halloween here at the PG&S household! Are you?!

Hot Sauce

Many of you know that I am a Louisiana girl and us Louisiana girls, we like our food seasoned, and by seasoned I do mean ON FIRE.

Well, ON FIRE can be kind of hard to come by here in Connecticut. It is even hard to find some of my favorites in my local grocery store so that when I get an envie (Cajun for "a hankering") I can cook up some of my favorites at home!

And if you have read my blog before then you may now that often times I have had to resort to buying some of my favorite Southern Delicacies at the Dollar Store because for some reason this is the only place they can be found up here in the "Nath East." I am not completely comfortable buying food at the Dollar Store; my brother and I use to roll our eyes at our mother every time she brought home some kind of foofy-sheshe vinegar or dip from TJ Maxx. I mean, who does that?! Well apparently, I do! Truth be told, I have bought Moon Pies at the Dollar Store, Tony's (Cajun Seasoning) at the Dollar Store, Rice Dressing Mix, etc, etc. Desperate times, desperate measures, you catch my drift...

I trust you then understand that my quest for food from my home land is never ending.So, imagine my sheer and utter delight when I saw this at the Dollar Store the other day...

I think the seas parted and angels sang when my eyes landed on this bag settin' there on the shelf. WOW, I didn't even know such a product existed. And to be honest with you, I am not even sure I have ever had a Fun-yun or OnYum or whatever in the hell it is, but the package has Louisiana Hot Sauce on it for crying out loud and since I think I may be the only person from Louisiana to ever set foot in this particular Dollar Store, I had to buy it. I mean if I didn't then who would and wouldn't that be kind of like the ultimate act of betrayal to the place of my upbringing? And since I am pretty sure that I am the only person that is crazy enough/homesick enough to buy such a thing, it kind of made me sad to imagine the fate of this bag if I left it behind, and so, after much deliberation (possibly a whole 45 seconds), I threw the bag of On-Yums in my cart.

You still with me? Great because THEN I turned the corner and saw this--

Holy Ka-mooly! Can you tell how big that bottle of hot sauce is?!

Wait...

Does this help?

This bottle of hot sauce is 32 fluid ounces!!! The traditional size bottle of Tabasco that you see in restaurants is a mere 5 fluid ounces. This bad boy weighs like 14 lbs--I kid you not!

And the really sad thing? It will probably last the PG&S household three weeks!!!

P.S. The OnYums? To.Die.For.

Fun Fall Craft

Twice a month I attend MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) at a local church. This faith based group has been a part of my life as long as I have been a mother. I cannot tell you how much the relationships I have forged with other mothers has meant to me over the years. This year, I am in charge of the crafts for my MOPS group. Most meetings include a yummy breakfast, an informative speaker, and a fun craft. You know how much I love all things crafty, so this job is the perfect way for me to be involved and give back at the same time.

Last Tuesday, we made pumpkin picture holders and the ladies loved them so much that I thought I would share them with you--they are so fun and easy to make!

First, grab some of these adorable Styrofoam pumpkins from Walmart. They have a great selection--all sorts of colors,some plain, some sparkly and they only cost a dollar!


Here is another shot to show you some of the other kinds of pumpkins they have (I also bought some to place in the antique dough bowl on my kitchen island).


Next, simply go outside into your yard and gather an assortment of sticks. Pull the stem out of you pumpkin, push the stick of your choice into the hole that is left behind then simply hot glue mini wooden clothespins onto the stick (you should be able to find the mini clothespins in the craft section of your Walmart).


And voila, instant picture holder!

Use them to showcase pictures of your children in their costumes from Halloween's past! (This picture shows Miss Priss as a purple princess when she was 3.5--doesn't she look like Pinkie?!)

Or you can use them to display other fun fall photos.

You could even use your pumpkin as a recipe card holder--how cute would it look showcasing a copy of your grandmother's handwritten pumpkin pie recipe?!

Another fun idea--when you are outside collecting sticks, pick up some leaves. Use a sharpie to write your family members names on the leaves, clip them onto your pumpkins and use them as place cards on your dining room table at Thanksgiving. Your kids will love doing this with you!

Christmas Cards

I know, I know, many of you think that it is just too early to think about Christmas cards but I am here to tell you that no it's not! Momma Henley posted about this exact same thing last week and she and I are on the exact same page here--we both believe that it is never too early to order your Christmas cards! I love having this over and done with when the craziness of the holidays hits and boy does it seem to hit me (upside the head!) earlier and earlier each year. When my cards are ordered, I have one less thing to worry about come December. I can even take my time addressing them and sometimes I am even able to stick them in the mailbox the day after Thanksgiving!

Below is the card I chose:



I ordered it from Shutterfly and if you order by October 28 you will get free shipping when you spend over $30 and when you order 50 cards you get 25 more free! See, it pays to be an early bird!

The hardiest part about ordering Christmas cards is picking one! Shutterfly has cards designed by Whitney English and Stacy Claire Boyd, among many others! There are so many cute cards out there. Tiny Prints, Snap Fish, Fine Stationery, and Etsy also have great options.

This is the picture I chose for our card:


It is so hard getting a good picture when there is more than one person in the shot. I took almost 100 pictures of the girls and I am telling you this was the only possibility. Good thing you only need one!

P.S. I was at the post office yesterday and the Christmas stamps are already out so hop to it!

Pink M&Ms

Normally, during the month of October--breast cancer awareness month--these bags of pink M&Ms are in all the stores and I buy gobs of them to put away (they freeze great!) for parties here at the PG&S household, but this year I cannot find them anywhere! Has anybody seen them? If you have, please let me know where!

I've Been Tagged...

by two of my favorite bloggers, Henley on the Horn & Biscuits Are Never Boring!

1. Where is your cell phone? pocketbook

2. Your hair? dark brown

3. Your mother? amazing

4. Your father? smart

5. Your favorite food? fattening

6. Your dream last night? good

7. Your favorite drink? Diet Coke

8. Your dream/goal? patience

9. What room are you in? Kitchen

10. Your hobby? crafting

11. Your fear? death

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren’t? thin

15. Muffins? lemon poppyseed

16. Wish list item? see #14 or #8

17. Where did you grow up? Baton Rouge

18. Last thing you did? had my MOPS group over for coffee

19. What are you wearing? pink tee & navy pants

20. Your TV? off

21. Your pets? Boudreaux

22. Friends? The Best

23. Your life? Incredible

24. Your mood? happy

25. Missing someone? yes

26. Vehicle? Yukon XL

27. Something you’re not wearing? watch

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? pink

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? Sunday (happy tears, watching MP perform & WIN!)

32. Your best friend? too far away

33. One place that I go to over and over? Walmart

34. One person who emails me regularly? Catherine

35. Favorite place to eat? Acme Oyster House

I tag Loving Blakely, 40 Pink Piggies, Hoots Mom, The Horton Family, Pink Cashmere Cardigan, & Weasel's Journey.