Pumpkin Carving Time

Karis has an easy job! Mr. Potato Head pumpkin pieces. Great present from Granna. Thank you!

Jayci picked a "scary" pattern off bhg.com. She was so excited to carve it herself. No, I did it actually, but she pressed a push pin through the lines of the pattern and thought it was awesome.

Of course, Cade was delighted to get all the gunk out of the middle of the pumpkin but even more excited to roast the seeds.

Finished product. They are totally rotten now but it was a really fun afternoon! (Try this tip to keep your pumpkins fresh. I didn't try it in time.)

Super Shopping Trip!

Last week I began my quest to stock my freezer full of meals. I don't do this all the time but I needed some relief with dinner prep. Hopefully this will help!

I planned 12 recipes:

Baked Ziti

Lazy Lasagna

Mexican Meat Filling

Sweet & Sour Kielbasa

Curry Chicken

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken

Hungarian Goulash

Baked Salmon

BBQ Meatloaf

Marinated Pork Chops

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Cups

Chicken Pot Pies

(Don't worry. I'm digging up the links and recipes for you too.)

BUT - as I'm guessing it is for you, shopping is not my favorite thing when I have my littles in tow. This particular week I would have 2 of the 3 so I knew it was going to be a challenge. However, with a little fore-thought and a couple of clipboards (my secret weapon), we managed. OH, and these awesome printables from TipJunkie. There are 2 Bingo cards and an "I Spy" game. What an awesome invention!!!

This was Karis's.

Cade loved it!! He kept asking if we had put these things in our basket. I don't think he truly got the idea but then again, I wasn't making it a competition.

They were totally occupied for the entire trip. It was unbelievable!! I'm sure it will never happen again . . . . so I'm just going to relish it for now.

More to come . . .