A Happy Song: October

Showing posts with label October. Show all posts

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Three Non-Spooky Halloween Book Picks

My son is obsessed with Halloween. It is his very favorite holiday. He loves spooky books, but those aren't always my speed or his sister's speed. Luckily, we have managed to find a few favorites that everyone can appreciate. Here are my top three non-spooky Halloween book picks:

1. Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara

The ghosts that live in this haunted house are easily tamed by the little witch that moves in. She makes quick work and uses these happy little ghosts for her own purposes. Ghosts make great drapes by the way. The illustrations really set this cute, simple story line apart. The dramatic orange, black and white drawings are wonderful. It is a great read-aloud and both of my kids (2 1/2 and 4 1/2) have requested it over and over again.

2. H is for Haunted House by Tanya Lee Stone

A sweet alphabet book with a simple rhyme and cute illustrations. I love how it uses potentially scary elements (neighbors dressed as scary things), but manages to make them light and fun. The costumes, trick-or-treating and the school party are all happy. This is a nice compromise for my kids. Buddy has preferred Y is for Yowl (another alphabet book, but decidedly scarier). Jellybean and I enjoy this one a bit more (I like reading it aloud a lot more) and Buddy still loves the alphabet element.

3. The Skeleton in the Closet by Alice Schertle

This is probably our all-time favorite non-spooky Halloween book. We read it all year round. The story is done beautifully in rhyme and makes a perfect read-aloud. The little boy in the story hears a knock at the door and discovers a skeleton has come to visit. He worries that the skeleton has sinister intentions, but then discovers that he is just in need of some clothes. My kids love the moment when the skeleton is fully revealed: completely non-threatening and even a bit silly looking. The author does a great job of building the tension and then releasing it so that my kids are all giggles by the end. I have read this enough times that I have the entire book memorized, yet I still want to pull it out and read it again. The bad news is that this title is out of print. The good news is that there are used copies for sale out there. Definitely snatch one up (or a few for gifts). You won't be sorry.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Sweet Halloween Treat: Ghosts in the Graveyard

Wow, two recipe posts in two days! My sister-in-law made the cutest Halloween treat for our Sunday family get-together, so I had to share. We were celebrating my nephew's birthday and it was so fun to have a sweet treat. She got the idea courtesy of Kraft and mustered her creativity. I do believe that the substitution of Milano cookies was pure genius. Didn't she do a great job?

Buddy checking it out.

My mother took one look at the dessert and called me over to take photos for the blog. (Thanks, Mom!) It is such a fun idea for a seasonal dessert. Plus, it's easy and delicious.
I'm pretty sure my nephew was happy about it, too:

He was hamming it up during the birthday song.

Here's the link to the Kraft Ghosts in the Graveyard recipe.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Owl Hat- Halloween Costume Part 1

Well, it's October 2nd, so that means that it's time to get serious about the Halloween costume. I actually started Jellybean's costume at the beginning of last month, but have found excuse after excuse to put it off. It's funny how when you have a project that needs to get done, suddenly you have all kinds of inspiration for other projects that aren't nearly as pressing. Well, I can't put the costume off any more. It's time to buckle down and get it done.
Jellybean wants to be an owl. More specifically, a princess owl. Yesterday, I started on the mask portion of the costume.

I started with a paper plate and some felt. I sketched out an acceptable owl mask shape, cut it out and then started on the eye decorations.

Some feathers, the felt and some hot glue took it the rest of the way. Jellybean helped me pick out the feathers. Just so you know, Buddy doesn't agree with the choice of pink feathers. I measured Jellybean's head and attached a felt covered elastic band to the mask. When it was finished, she was really excited to put it on.