Anybody Got 50 Cents?

Once upon a time... I tried to win THIS cutie pie.

And now how can I resist playing the crane game once again?!  :)

Happy Halloween!

We don't really "do" Halloween as far as the Trick-or-Treating goes (hello, food allergies!)... but I just love dressing the girls up and taking them to see friends and family.  Yesterday we took a trip to my hometown to visit an old folks home for their Halloween Party and also to see my sister's family and my parents.  

Please say "Hello!" to Peter Pan....

And Tinker Bell!

We look forward to Peter Pan and Tink "reappearing" next week to 

visit my in-laws, neighbors and friends!!

Over the past couple of weeks I have been using my spare time to sew the girls' Halloween Costumes.  I was a little bit under the gun because I promised to take the girls to a Party on the 25th.  That reduced my sewing time by almost a week!  BUT, I rallied those nap times and finally finished the costumes.  I'm pleased with how they turned out!  Of course, I am not going to spoil the surprise just yet!  But instead, I will share some pictures of a very impromptu photo shoot I tried to do with the girls this afternoon.  I was by myself and the wind was biting our noses (sure got chilly out there!)... but I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day.  Unfortunately, with only myself to try to pose the kiddos AND take pictures, I didn't get many "good" shots.. but I definitely got "real" ones!  Maybe I can try again one of these days when Cory is home!

 

 

 

 

Egg-Free Ice Cream!

 My husband and I try to make our daughter's life as normal as possible when it comes to food.  

Normal in a healthy way.  

Since she can't have eggs or peanuts, and we limit her store-bought processed and sugary foods... we are often changing and adapting recipes we find to make things she can eat.  I have to give my husband total credit for this one... he rocked out the ice cream recipe!  I don't know if you can find this same recipe on the internet somewhere.  I haven't looked.  But in case you can't... here is how Cory made it. 

And let me assure you, it is oh-so-delicious!

We have a Cuisinart ice cream maker... 

but  imagine it works with any kind!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Whole Milk (preferably raw or organic)

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/8 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Mix-a-Mix-a-Mix-a!

Add to your ice cream maker 

(make sure the bowl thing for the ice cream maker was in the freezer, as per the Cuisinart directions!)

Let it do it's magic for half an hour and Voila!

Yummy Egg-Free, Refined Sugar-Free ice cream!

The texture isn't quite as "creamy"... but it's still SO good!

And if you're like us, you may enjoy adding some chocolate chips!

We get Enjoy Life for the allergy free benefits... 

but you gotta watch for them to go on sale or they can be pricey!

Enjoy!!

We Love to Paint!

Eloise and I enjoyed painting some pumpkins last evening!

El was so excited when I mentioned that I was going to get her "smock"... 

she also asked for a Beret!

We have a Max and Ruby book where they paint pictures of rainbows for their grandma... they, of course, wear smocks and berets.  How could I say no?  And luckily, I actually had one for her to wear!!

 

I even painted a pumpkin JUST for her... 

I wish I could've gotten her expression on camera when she saw it!

It was priceless!

She just LOVES Peter Pan!

 

Do you prefer to carve or paint?

I love the look of a carved pumpkin lit up at night... but I sure don't enjoy the mess!

Painting is a much better option for us at this point!

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

I would love to see pictures of any pumpkin creations you or your littles may have done!

Fall Fest Time!

I almost forgot to post about our little Fall Festival trip at the end of September! 

 I have put together several collages to share our day with you!

 

Petting zoo!

Isn't that itty bitty pig SO cute!?

Me and El posing in the pumpkin mural!  

(My eyes are open in the left pic.. I was looking down/over at El)

My dad brought my camper, Murray (yes, he has a name!) for us to hang out in if we needed some privacy for nursing and what-not.  Eloise enjoyed "driving!"

A wagon ride was enjoyed by me and El while Dinah and Daddy watched!  First time in the 10+ years of coming to the festival that I rode the wagon!  It was fun and Eloise was a chatterbox!

And of course, more of the petting zoo.  One of the goats did it's business and Eloise was being dramatic over the smell!  That's my girl... always dramatic!

It was a beautiful day for a festival and I am thankful that I could share it with those I love!

 (It's hard to get a still picture of Dinah these days... always on the go go go!!)

Eloise (and her crazy hair!) sent a letter to Peter Pan (at Walt Disney World Productions)... we are hoping for a reply, though I'm not sure Peter qualifies for a reply as some of the more popular characters do!  We'll see!  It will be a nice surprise, since I didn't tell Eloise one way or the other if Peter would "write back".  (Notice her Peter Pan toys on the floor there - a little obsessed she is!)