Gingerbread Haunted House

Happy Halloween! As a #ThrowbackThursday kind of post, I thought I would share with you the Haunted Gingerbread House we made last year. So what if it's not really made out of gingerbread? I will say, it turned out much better than the one I attempted to make at Valentine's Day from scratch. If you follow me on Instagram you've probably already seen it. But for those who haven't:

What are your Halloween plans? (It's supposed to thunderstorm here, so we may have to stay in. Booooo!)

Homemade Hippie

Mariah wasn't sure if she was going to go out Trick or Treating this year, but since her best friend is going, she decided to tag along. They decided they wanted to be hippies this year, but when we got to the costume store the hippie outfits were over $60. No Thank You! I decided we could make one for much cheaper. We hit up Goodwill for some skinny jeans, got a white shirt from Wal-Mart, clearance tie dye, and a scrap of white fabric all totaling less than $20.

Mariah did her own tie dye job.

I sewed the scrap fabric onto the skinny jeans to make bell bottoms and a headband. Then the hippie outfit was complete. Maybe it's me, but I think creating your own costume is so much more fun than store bought ones anyway!

Darn sun, but it's the only shot I got when we went Trick or Treating at the local church this year.

Do you like to make your own costumes, or do you prefer store bought? (We store bought Allison's this year!)

NuNaturals Review & Pumpkin Mousse + Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bread Recipes!

A while back I had the opportunity to review some wonderful NuNaturals Stevia products. Since then, they have been my go to sweetener for my food and beverages. My body does not tolerate high doses of refined sugar products, so I was thrilled to find by body tolerated NuNaturals Stevia perfectly well. 

What I love about NuNaturals:

100% Natural. They do not contain Calories, Carbs, Aspartame, Saccharine, Sucralose, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, or artificial colors and sweeteners.

They do not raise blood sugar levels, so they are safe for diabetics

Dissolves Instantly

Non Bitter Tasting

Easy to Use

NuNaturals has given me the opportunity to review a few more of their products, and today I want to introduce you to some of their new product line. 

 

First, I was excited to see a Cherry Vanilla Stevia Liquid. I am already a fan of the vanilla liquid stevia, so I couldn’t wait to try the cherry vanilla flavor. Since I stopped drinking sweetened tea, every now and again I love to add a little flavored stevia liquid to liven things up. Just a few drops was all that was needed to get a nice hit of the cherry vanilla flavor, and it was yummy! I also tried just the plain cherry, which was good, but I preferred the cherry vanilla more. 

I have also been using the liquid stevia in my water bottles that I take to the gym. It’s a nice change from drinking boring water all the time. And it helps me increase my daily water intake!

NuNaturals has another new product, which is the NuGrains Oat Fiber. 

NuGrain Oat Fiber is naturally produced from food-grade oat hulls through a proprietary process. This is a chemical-free process, turning organic hulls into various organic fibers. Oat fiber has many uses in baked goods, adding to smoothies, porridge, and other recipes where you want to boost the fiber content of the foods you eat.

*Substitute 3 tablespoons of NuGrains Oat Fiber for every 8 servings per recipe. For example, if you recipe yields 24 cookies and serving size is 3 cookies, then substitue 3 tablespoons for flour in your recipe.

I recently made some Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Break with the NuGrains Oat Fiber, and it was scrumptious!

Ingredients:

2 Eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup NuNaturals PreSweet Tagatose
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup NuGrain Oat Fiber
3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
7 medium strawberries, finely chopped

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a bread pan. 
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Whisk until combined. 
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until incorporated. 
Using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, mix in oats until all evenly incorporated. 
Fold in the strawberries. 
Pour batter into prepared pan 
Bake for 25- 30 minutes, until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

I also whipped up these yummy Pumpkin Mousse Cups in the spirit of Halloween:

Ingredients:

1 box (3.4 oz) sugar free vanilla Instant pudding and pie filling

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2/3 cup evaporated, fat free milk

1 packet NuStevia White Stevia Powder

1 1/2 cup sugar free, thawed, fat free frozen whipped topping

Directions:

Combine pudding mix and pie spice in a medium bowl. With whisk, add evaporated milk. Mix until well blended. Add pumpkin. Mix well. Gently fold whipped topping into pudding mixture. Spoon into serving dishes. Top with additional whipped topping, if desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate. Makes 6 servings.

Right now NuNaturals is offering a 15% Discount on your ENTIRE ORDER when you use code BLG1213 at checkout. The discount is good until 12/31/2013!

If you would like to learn more about NuNaturals, you can find them on their Website.

*Disclosure- I received the above mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

Fun Fair Cookies

I am not a mom who greets her kids with cookies after school. I am lazy when it comes to cookie baking, and about the only time I do it is when there is a function we are hosting or attending. Each year the school fun fair asks for cookie donations for the cookie walk. Last year my kids and husband begged me to make my yummy soft batch chocolate chip cookies because they wanted to win them for themselves (You know, because they never get them at home haha!). So, I slaved away in the kitchen all day long, packaged them up in boring ziploc bags so no one else would pick them before we had a chance to win them, and sent them in. The night of the fun fair, around and around my kids went trying to win a pack of cookies. After many attempts, Allison FINALLY won! Woo Hoo! She walks over to the cookie table and what does that stinker do? Bypasses MY cookies that she begged for and picked a different, pretty packaged bag of cookies. Yes, my cookies were still up there. She deliberately chose not to take them. Pft! But guess who had the last laugh? I did. I giggled and giggled when she pulled her prized cookies out of the bag, only to find the bottoms completely black from being burnt! Then I giggled some more when I watched some other lady eating my cookies later and telling her husband how good they were. Lesson learned. Stick with what you know is good kid!

This year I didn't take any family requests. I decided to make Jack Skellington sugar cookies, which are also very delicious! Some of you have already seen these on Instagram, but for those who haven't:

These were gone before my family had a chance to win any, but I did keep a few for us to enjoy at home.

I also made a few special cookies, one of them dedicated to a dear blogging friend. I find it's much easier not to kill him off like his cat. Instead, I made some sweet revenge cookies. (I did not send these in to the school. Something told me they probably wouldn't appreciate a batch of voodoo doll cookies.)

Pat Hatt, here's lookin' at you kid!

There were a few fabulous scarecrows in the competition too, and Allison didn't win, but that's ok because the one that did put in a lot of effort into hers.

If my child wasn't in the running, Uncle Si Scarecrow would have gotten my vote though:

Do you bake cookies for your family "just because"? What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Paper Scarecrow Girls

Every year the elementary school does a fall fun fair. A few weeks before, they let the kids make paper scarecrows, then at the fun fair, the visitors vote on their favorites. Last year was our first year participating. We decided not to stick with a traditional scarecrow. We wanted something that was going to stand out from the rest. So, Allison decided she was going to make a Wonder Woman scarecrow. We used a lot of felt, tulle and yarn, then our superhero scarecrow was complete.

My husband was asking for a slap to the head when he said "You are not going to win this. Nobody is going to vote for Wonder Woman. That's not even a scarecrow." Whatever. I think she turned out well, and we had fun, so that's all that mattered. When we got to the fair, I was completely giddy when my husband had to eat his words. Our vote envelope was stuffed with votes! I honestly think Allison would have won the contest had it not been for her friend bringing in her entire family. It's a huge one! They adopt a child from China every year. Their van's back window is covered in those stick people! Then her entire dance troop came in and tossed their votes in too. Allison thought it was a little unfair, but we used it as a lesson that not everything in life is fair. As long as she knows she did hard, honest work, she was already a winner!

This year she decided on a Notre Dame cheerleader. She tried to convince me to help her make a Michigan cheerleader (because, according to her, there are more Michigan fans at her school) and I almost washed her mouth out with soap. There will be NO Michigan cheerleaders in this house haha! To make her look more like a scarecrow this year, her hair was made out of straw. Her outfit was once again made out of felt, with a glitter gold belt, finished off with some blue and gold pom poms.

Voting is tonight. Wish us luck! :)

What does your ideal scarecrow look like?

World Vision Gift Catalog Review & Giveaway

I have always tried to instill good values in my children, and teach them life lessons that will serve them well. One thing we have been consistent on is teaching them to be charitable. Our family is very fortunate to not have to want for anything. We have food, clothing and shelter, and means to purchase a few extras from time to time. Unfortunately, we know there are millions of people in the world who don’t even have access to the basic necessities, and they end up struggling just to get by from day to day. While we encourage our children to give year round, we are coming upon the season where charity is thought about and given more freely than any other time of the year. Each year, not only do we buy for our loved ones, we make it a point to buy gifts for those less fortunate than us. When we wake up on Christmas morning, we always give a little thought to the people who received our gifts, and hope they are enjoying them as much as we enjoyed giving them. Usually the gifts are distributed to residents of our community, but how cool would it be to help those in need on a more global scale? World Vision is helping people do just that!

What is World Vision?

A Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. Through their gift catalog, World Vision helps those in need better the lives of children, adults, and communities in the U.S. and around the world in all different areas of need, by providing means to clean water, food, education, help for sexual exploitation, and job training. In operation since 1996, the 2013 season marks the 18th annual gift catalog.

The gift catalog offers more than 100 meaningful gifts, like live animals, clean water, clothing, medicine, education, and more. Last year more than 350,000 live animals were distributed to those in need. Goats are usually the most popular gift choice, and more than 67,000 of them were gifted last year alone! Imagine gifting a goat to a family, who in turn will use it for milk, cheese, and eggs. It really is a gift that keeps giving!

Not all of the gifts offered on World Vision are donation only. You can purchase tangible, hand made, Maximum Impact items to gift to your loved ones this holiday that will still help benefit those in need. You’ll find beautiful, handcrafted items like these earring and bracelet set:

  Cinnamon Box Set

 

or even this cute plush goat!

Gertie the Goat Plush is super adorable, soft and cuddly. Measuring in at 3” x 5”, I think she would make the perfect baby gift! Though, my 9 year old has claimed my Gertie Goat for herself! Gertie’s  donation is $25 or more, and at your request, will come with a certificate explaining the impact of your donation.

 

Through these World Vision donations, over 800,000 people in the U.S. and around the world were helped through the gift catalog last year. World Vision provides assistance to more than 100 countries, providing hope around the world.

Tuesday, December 3rd is Giving Tuesday. If you are planning a charitable donation on that day, please consider World Vision, and provide a mosquito net, fish pond, or education to someone in need. You don’t have to spend a lot to make a huge difference. You will find more than 30 gifts for under $35 that would make a huge impact on those that will benefit from your donation, and your donation is tax deductible!

If you would like to learn more about the gift catalog, visit World Vision on their Website, where you can make a direct donation. Or, if you prefer, you can request a print copy mailed directly to you by calling toll free at (888) 511-6511.

WIN IT!

One lucky Theresa’s Mixed Nuts reader is going to win a Gertie the Goat plush toy from World Vision. The giveaway is open to residents of the US, 18+ (No PO Boxes will be accepted), and will run through 11/8. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email, or a new winner will be selected. Please enter on the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure- I received the above mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

Jack Skellington Halloween Tree

I bought this tree a few years back with the intentions of finding some really cool ornaments for it. After browsing online and at our local stores, I came to to conclusion that the Halloween ornaments that are currently sold suck! I really wanted some cool Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments, and the ones that I found were awesome, but they were just too big for my little tree.

So, I decided to make my own. I bought some small white bulbs from the Christmas section at Michael's, grabbed a black sharpie marker, and thus, Jack Skellington bulbs were born.

Add a few purple and black mini bulbs, and now I am happy with my spooky tree.

 

Do you like the Nightmare Before Christmas? Did you make any Halloween crafts this year?

Woodland Vandals

As we were pulling into our driveway last year, we noticed one of our Halloween tombstones was broken clean in half. Our first instinct was to blame the kids or one of their friends from the neighborhood. Of course, no one would fess up, so we pulled up our security video. To our surprise, we saw a squirrel running through our little graveyard, and bam! He karate chops the tombstone with force that would impress even the strongest of black belts.

Woodland creatures are furry and cute, but don't let them fool you. They are the biggest vandals out there! We've had our fair share of destruction from them over the years, so maybe the mean streak in me was a little delighted that for once, they decided to pick on our neighbors. They are on vacation and asked my husband to keep an eye on the house. I think they are going to be a little ticked when they come home to find a little vandal has done a number on one of their wooden columns on their porch.

Look at that evil little woodpecker, pecking a hole bigger than it's head right through the column. Despite our best efforts, this is one little vandal that is determined not to be run off.

Have you ever had any property damage from woodland creatures?

Fairy Tale High Dolls Review

Like most children, as my daughter gets older, her taste in toys change. She is going to be 10 soon, so she is at an age where traditional dolls are on the way out, but she doesn’t want to give up doll play completely. She still believes in fairy tales, princesses and happy endings, so the toys she looks for in that genre need to be age appropriate where she can still believe in the magic of fairy tales, but through role play, can express herself as a growing girl. S-K Victory has just launched a new line of dolls called Fairy Tale High, that let her do just that.

About Fairy Tale High Dolls

Enter the magical world of Fairy Tale High®, a place where magic happens and beloved fairy tale characters come together for the first time ever in a modern-day high school setting. Toting the latest accessories and sporting designer fashions and hip hairstyles, teenage fairy tale dolls are brought to life as they might have been before they became fairy tale princesses. Fairy Tale High features a collection of beautifully designed fashion dolls, along with a series of webisodes and eBooks found for free at www.fairytalehigh.com, that showcase each character’s  teenage story, revealing the qualities that will eventually make them princesses and the not-so-perfect flaws that trip them up along the way. As students in a performing arts high school, these hip and trendy teenage characters develop their talents and learn new ones as they study music, dance, art, and acting while dealing with romances, jealousies and personal challenges along the way. With guest appearances by classic heroines and villains like Victoria, the Wicked Witch of the West; Pinocchio, who cannot tell a truth; and many others, Fairy Tale High is for the princess-loving girl who is looking for one she can relate to.

Dolls in the line include:

Belle, Little Mermaid, Alice, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Tinkerbell.

My daughter recently received 3 Fairy Tale High Dolls for review.

 

I honestly wasn’t sure if these dolls were going to appeal to her as they didn’t fit the traditional princess look she normally likes. However, when she first laid eyes on them she loudly exclaimed, “These dolls are AWESOME!” 

 
Teen Tink is the most eccentric looking of the 3. With her bright green streaked hair and flashy neon outfit, she’s definitely a fun one! Her accessories include a cute butterfly hair bow and a set of detachable wings. 

 

 

Teen Beauty is super cute with her fashionable outfit and accessories that include bracelets and a tiara! Her hot pink hair streaks add just a touch of rebel to the doll, which really appealed to my daughter.

Teen Rapunzel was by far my daughter’s favorite. With her long, flowing hair, my daughter spent a lot of time playing with her locks alone! While Rapunzel didn’t come with any extra jewelry or attachments like the other two, she was still the most played with doll. 

The dolls have seen a lot of play over the past few weeks. They have so far stood the test of my daughter’s rough play with them. She has flung them around, tossed them across the room, and dropped them a few times. What do you expect when Teen Tink is the only one with wings and insists on giving her best friends rides while she is learning to fly and navigate the skies all at the same time?

The dolls are definitely durable, and I like that the creases in the joints are all bendable. It makes posing the dolls much easier, especially for little hands. I do want to point out that these dolls are a tad bit bigger than other dolls similar to these, so they did not fit in her doll cars or other clothes she currently owns. 

Adding to the fun, little girls can log on to www.fairytalehigh.com and watch exciting webisodes, as well as read each doll’s e-book story! 

The new Fairy Tale High dolls are by far Allison’s new favorite toy, and the other 4 dolls have shot straight to the top of her holiday wish list for this year. Overall, I am very pleased with them, and I would definitely recommend them for any little girl who loves doll play.

Fairy Tale High Dolls have a retail price of $17.99, and can be purchased at Toys R Us, Walmart, and online retailers. 
 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Celebrate Halloween with JOLLY TIME!

If your family celebrates Halloween, you have probably been in planning mode these past few weeks. What costumes to wear, where you’ll take the kids Trick or Treating, or you may even be throwing a party. The Halloween party is the highlight of all the parties I throw each year. I spend weeks organizing the games, prizes, and most importantly, the food! For me, popcorn has always been a staple in our Halloween festivities, and I make sure I serve JOLLY TIME Popcorn to all my ghost and goblin guests! It’s definitely a healthier alternative to all the candy the kids will be receiving, and JOLLY TIME is a guilt-free, gluten-free, high fiber snack. It is also GMO-free, and is the only popcorn that has been endorsed by Weight Watchers.

In honor of October being National Popcorn Month, today I will be sharing a few of my favorite party popcorn treat recipes with you. While my versions may not be endorsed by Weight Watchers, the children that come to my party will vouch that these are some tasty popcorn treats!

Sweet & Salty Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:

6 cups popped JOLLY TIME Butter Light popcorn

2 cups salted peanuts

2 cups milk chocolate coated candies (such as M&M’s)

1 12oz package mini marshmallows

1 cup butter, cubed

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the popcorn, peanuts, and candies.

In a large saucepan, combine marshmallows and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Add to popcorn mixture. Mix well.

When cooled enough to handle, shape into 2 inch popcorn balls. Let stand until firm. Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Monster Mix

 

Ingredients:

6 cups popped JOLLY TIME Butter Light popcorn

1 bag vanilla flavored candy melts

2 cups mini marshmallows

candy mix ins, such as orange and black sprinkles, orange and black mini chips, gummy worms, ect.

Directions

Spread popped corn onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

Melt candy melts according to package directions. Pour melted candy over popcorn.

Immediately mix in marshmallows and your candy mix ins of choice.

Store in an air tight container until ready to serve.

JOLLY TIME also offers some other fantastic Halloween recipes right on their website. You'll find a variety of recipes, but I think these Caramel Corn Apples look divine!

When my girls come home after a long night of candy hunting, I always smile at how excited they get when they find popcorn in their bags. JOLLY TIME’s 100 calorie mini bags make a perfect alternative to passing out candy to the Trick or Treaters!

 Not only is JOLLY TIME the perfect holiday treat, it’s also a great snack for us big kids too! One of my new favorite varities of their popcorn is the JOLLY TIME Butter made with the Smart Balance blend of oils. It really is Oh, YUM!

You can purchase JOLLY TIME at most major retailers near you.

*Disclosure- I received samples of the above mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are my own, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.