Thursday, September 30, 2010

Family Activity - Pumpkin Patch Here We Come!

This is my
ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR!
I love EVERYTHING to do with Fall,
and a trip to the PUMPKIN PATCH is a great way
to get the season started!
Load up the FAM and head out to your favorite patch.
My parents found a great one in Ogden that we
go to as a WHOLE FAMILY.
We make sure to take lots of pictures . . . especially
in the premade halloween scene with cut outs for your heads.
LOVE 'EM!
It never fails . . . we ALWAYS lose someone in the
Corn Maze, but it all eventually works out and it gives us some
more great stories to add to our memory album.
Top off the night with
some of the
World's Easiest Cookies!
Here's the Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 Box Spice Cake Mix
1 Can Pumpkin
Chocolate Chips
(We use a whole bag of milk chocolate chips.)
and
1 Egg
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes
or until cookies are no longer doughy in the middle.
This is the PERFECT shelf-stable recipe,
especially if you're BRAVE ENOUGH to try your powdered eggs!
Have a Great Night!
(Whew . . . I got all 3 posts done!)

SpOoKy FuN - Idea #2

I'm a serious fan of
Scavenger Hunts, especially
SpOoKy Halloween hunts!
My mom always did greatest scavenger hunts for us
when we were growing up.
She's just the neatest lady . . . EVER!
Here's the Scavenger Hunt I came up with
hopefully it will be as fun as hers!
It comes with an instruction card.
Here are a couple fun things you can do with this game:
You can divide into 2 teams and race each other.
The first one back with all of the items . . . WINS!
You can do a clue a day to count down to the
12 Days to Halloween.
Each day when the kids come home from school
give them a new item to find.
It can be hidden in the house or in the yard.
For Younger Children:
I hide the clues in my house and yard.
For Teens and Adults:
The possibilities are endless!
This is a waaaaay fun game for couples!!!!!
Here's the Instruction Card:
You can have players find the items you've hidden,
or you can just let them be creative and see what they
come up with.
Everyone will vote on the best match to the card
to see which team wins!
(I love this way!)
Card #1
Card #2
Card #3
Card #4
Card #5
Card #6
Card #7
Card #8
Card #9
Card #10
Card #11
Card #12
Card #13
Card #14
Card #15
Card #16
Card #17
Card #18
Card #19
Bonus Card:
For this card, you can make a dinner in a pumpkin
and have it waiting in the oven!
Here's the PDF:
Just print, cut and laminate!
I hope you have a much fun on your
Scavenger Hunt
as I always do on mine!

SpOoKy FuN . . . Idea #1!

SpOoKy Spiders
Yay . . . it's time!
Here's what you'll need
to make this project:
Black Spray Paint
Glass Votive Holders
(You can get these from the D.I.)
Pipe Cleaners
Wiggly Eyes
(I got mine from Walmart . . . they already have the adhesive.)
Black Felt
Fancy Glasses
(I also got these from the D.I.)
Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun
Scissors
Battery Operated Votive Candles
(Much safer than the real macoy . . . I have 4 boys who love fire!)
Bling
(Already has adhesive as well!)
and
Ribbon
Sounds like a lot of stuff . . . but the supplies are SUPER CHEAP!
Start by spray painting your small glass votive holder.
I did two light coats.
While the paint dries, you can work on the other parts
of the project.
Cut two pipe cleaners in half which will give
you 4 pieces.  You will only need 3 of them for each spider.
Cut a circle out of the felt.
(A gold dollar was the perfect size for my votives.)
Turn your fancy glass upside down and place the felt
circle on the bottom of the glass.
Add the pipe cleaners,
and grab your DRY PAINTED votives and add the eyes.
Now you'll want to add the hot glue.
This is how much I added.
Place the spider on the legs.
Lift up the spider and flatten the felt while the glue is still hot.
Put the spider back onto the base of the glass and bend the legs.
The edge of the glass makes the bend the same on all of the legs.
Add some "Bling" to the bottom of the glass.
Fill the Spider with candy.
(Another high quality photo . . . ggrrrrr, I miss my camera!)
 Put a battery operated candle
under the glass.
Tie some ribbon and your ready to decorate your table.
Name Tags can be tied with the ribbon for a personalized touch!
Here's the finished product!
(I have to wait until tonight to take this picture so that you can
get the full effect with the candles.)
I can't wait for ToNiGhT!!!!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Preparedness Project - SpOoKy FuN Halloween Decorations!

Aaahhhhhh . . .
my camera still isn't back from the shop!
I have my old camera, but the battery is dead . . . of course!
(What kind of preparedness girl has a dead battery?!?)
In my defense . . . I was planning on using my
REPAIRED camera to take the photos.
Lesson Learned:
ALWAYS
HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN!
So, it looks like you'll be getting 3 ideas tomorrow
instead of just one!
They are sooooo
FUN, FAST, 
and
EASY!
I can't wait to show you!
Idea #1:
SpOoKy SPiDeR Table Settings
Idea #2:
Halloween Scavenger Hunt
(Way FUN!)
Idea #3:
A Fabulous Family Activity
I'm soooo excited for tomorrow . . . I'm sure I won't be
able sleep, my brain just kicked into
Halloween Over-Drive!
Now that's ScArY!!!!!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Ark Prep 101 - Inventory!

Conference time is the PERFECT time to do an
INVENTORY UP-DATE!
I'm sure you've been looking forward to this one with
great anticipation and excitement!
In Fact . . . it's probably keeping you up at night just thinking
about how much FUN the whole process is going to be.
(OK, so maybe that's just me!)
I LOVE INVENTORY DAY . . . JUST HANGING OUT IN
"MY SMITH'S!"
(Seriously, that's what I call my food storage room . . . Smith just happens to be my last name, so it works for me!)
Taking stock of what you have stored can be a long process
for some, while others can be done in 10 minutes.
I hope you spend the whole day taking inventory!
(Unless you're Food Storage is UBER ORGANIZED.  The 10 minute plan has me a little concerned about how much food you have stored.)
The Macey's case lots sale is happening NOW,
and some of the others stores have already had their sales,
so NOW is the PERFECT TIME!
I did a post a while back that included different inventory sheets
and ideas for keeping track of what you have stored.
Here's that Link:
This is a great opportunity to share your testimony
about the importance of being obedient to the counsel given by
Prophets and Apostles,
BY EXAMPLE as well as BY WORD
by making sure you include them in the process.
Do a quick check of your Emergency Supplies while you're at it.
72 Hour Kits
Check to make sure you can still recognize
the food you have stored.
72 Hour Kit Conference Picnics
are a great way to keep your food
from going bad.
Just DON'T FORGET to add
the new food at the same time!
Shelters
Do you have a tent?  Does it still have all the poles?
Do a quick check to make sure all the parts and pieces
are still there and that your shelter plan still works.
If you don't have a tent,
Make sure you have either some tarps, or heavy plastic
and some rope.
One last thing . . . Make sure you know
where everything is!
Heat
Blankets, Sleeping Bags, Fire.
(DO YOU HAVE MATCHES to start the fire?)
How will you stay warm if the power goes out this winter?
Just a little something to think about!
Water
Water is soooo important to have on hand.
It's needed for cooking, cleaning, and drinking.
Now is the time to fill those EMPTY barrels
you've had in your garage
FOREVER!
Add a few cases of bottled water and don't throw away
your laundry soap containers. 
They're a perfect way to store water
for cleaning and sanitation.
If you've had your water barrels filled for a while,
now is the time to add new water.
Light
Time to check the batteries in the flashlights,
assuming you HAVE flashlights and batteries.
Candles and Lanterns are also great options.
Make sure you have the fuel for your lanterns
Ways to Cook WITHOUT Power
Solar Ovens, Dutch Ovens, Camp Stoves and Butane Stoves
are great options for cooking.
Are you ready?
Do you have a way to cook or prepare meals?
Do you have the fuel to use with the equiptment you have?
If your answer was "NO!" Now is the time to add this part of
preparedness into your planning and budget.
Challenge:
Prepare a meal this conference weekend
WITHOUT POWER!
It's a great time to practice!
Warm Clothing
The key to staying warm is LAYERING!
Make sure you have warm winter coats, gloves, boots,
scarves, hats, wool socks, and lots of layers.
Most importantly . . . make sure you are
storing the right sizes!
Fuel
Storing fuel can be a little bit more difficult, but if
you can store at least a little, you will be in better shape
than if you have stored nothing at all.
The price of fuel just seems to keep rising, so get what
you can store and make sure that it is stored properly.
One more thing . . .
NEVER LET YOUR CAR GO PAST HALF-FULL!
Long lines of cars waiting at gas stations
before or after emergencies are definately something
I want to avoid!
Make sure you have posted your
Grab 'n Go List as well as your
Emergency Evacuation Information!
Last but not least . . .
Make sure you are caught up on your
Vital Records Binder!
Looks like it's time to GO TO WORK!
Check back later today
oops . . . I mean tomorrow
for a
SpOoKy FuN
Halloween Decoration!