Halloween Dinner

Every year on Halloween we invite a few families over for a Spooky Dinner.  The kids love to help think of creepy food ideas.

Here was our menu this year. 

The Drinks

Witches Brew - Root Beer in a Witches Cauldron with dry ice

Truth Serum - Water in a glass bottle

Apple Spider - Apple Cider

Main Dishes

Mummies - croissant wrapped hot dogs

Boiled Squid - hot dogs

Vampire Delight - Chili Cheese Tortilla Casserole

Jack-o-Lantern Pizza - Pizza

Sides

Bones - Bread sticks

Goblin Teeth - Corn

Pickled Caterpillars - Baby Pickles

Bat Eyes - Cream Cheese Stuffed Olives

Mummy Fingers - Cocktail Wieners

Spider Eggs - Deviled Eggs

Plasma - Jello

Sweets

Rotten Fruit - Fresh Fruit with Fruit Dip

Mud Pie - Chocolate Pie with Oreo Dirt and Gummy Worms

Petrified Butterflies - Pretzels

Night Crawlers - Gummy Worms

Decomposing Eels - Black Licorice

Spider Webs - Cupcakes with Chocolate Webs

Witches Warts - M&M (if you turn them upside down it makes W&Ws)

Poison Apples - Carmel Apples

Witches Teeth - - Candy Corn

Click on the images below to use as labels (for personal use only, please).

Back to Brenham

In June my parents took Jared and Sara to tour the Blue Bell ice cream factory in Brenham, which is about an hour drive from Katy. The company motto is "we eat all we can and sell the rest" - it's true, they even have a deep-freeze in the employee break room filled with ice cream. When Jared got home he said he wants to work for Blue Bell when he grows up so he can eat all the ice cream he wants. It sounded like alot of fun and I was sorry I missed out, so we planned a trip back to Brenham. when our family was here the week of Emma's blessing.

Random-ings

Our first armadillo sighting (well....non-roadkill, that is). Shane caught it at work and put it in a bucket so the kids could see it.

This was the BIGGEST spider I have ever seen. It even freaked Shane and Jared out....and that's saying alot. It was about the size of the palm of my hand! (you can't tell that from the picture though) Along the Bayou in George Bush Park.

The kids love watermelon, especially ones with silly faces.

Mom, remember these??? Last Christmas my mom gave the kids sock banks filled with silver dollars. Jared put his and Sara's banks on Emma's feet. She hated it.

April Fools Dinner 2011

Jared loves April Fools Day and never lets me forget to make an April Fools Dinner. This year we had "fish sticks" (wafer cookies covered in peanut butter and rolled in Corn Flakes) with "ketchup" (seedless strawberry jam), "red punch" (Jello), and "peas and carrots" (starburst candies).

Christmas Vacation

Mom, Dad, Elizabeth and Robert spent Christmas vacation with us this year. One night Shane took us out for dinner at Benihana's (so he could order sushi and try and convince the rest of us to try it). We had a great time watching our chef cook the food.

Serenity's our Benihana chef in trainning. She has a collection of Benihana hats she keeps with her kitchen at home and likes to play "Benihana". Here she is pretending to throw shrimp tails into the top of her hat.

Pink's Hot Dogs & Sprinkles Cupcakes

Going to Pink's in LA has been on our "Places to go" list for a few years now and we finally made the trip when my parents were visiting last week. I ordered the Mushroom Swiss Dog, Jared got the Bacon Burrito Dog (two hot dogs, bacon, chili, cheese and onions wrapped in a tortilla) - it was huge and one of the few times Jared didn't finish a meal. Serenity got a hamburger.

After Pink's, we went to Sprinkles cupcakes in Beverly Hills for desert. Yummmmm.

Grandma going down the crazy slide with no sides.

Sushi Girl

Shane loves Sushi and he has been wanting me to try it, so last week he took us to a Sushi place. We tried some "mild" sushi (mild meaning the meat was cooked). One of our rolls had eel and shrimp. Jared knew it was eel and wouldn't try it, but we didn't tell Serenity what it was. She tried it and she loved it. She calls herself the "Sushi girl" now. You really have to click on the picture and take a good look at the eel! Oh...and by the way, I did try the sushi... eel and all. It wasn't bad.
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Here is Serenity eating her eel!

Jared liked to eat his sushi by taking off the eel then scrapping all the rice off the seaweed, then eating the piece of shrimp and the rice dipped in the soy sauce mixed with Wasabi. (Wasabi is the very hot green stuff that you are supposed to mix into the soy sauce.)
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Here is Jared after he accidentally ate a big chunk of the wasabi. This is his, "it's hot....I need water" face.

Green Breakfast

Jared insisted on having green milk with his breakfast (homemade green pancakes) on St. Patrick's Day.

Here he is with his green milk mustache.

You may have to click on the image to get a good look.

Johnny Rockets

We had such a great time with Charley & Jenelle this week!

Pics from dinner at Johnny Rockets. The kids LOVE going to Johnny Rockets for the shakes and the nickle jukeboxes. Their favorite request is "Lollipop".

Jenelle & Charley


Jessica & Serenity


Serenity & Jared

Crab Boil

Wednesday we had a Brunson Family dinner at Gwen's house- a "crab-boil". That was a first for me; it was a little different, but fun.



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All of Gwen's grand-kids LOVE jumping on the trampoline, especially Serenity.

. Parker, Serenity, Cole and Rylie


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Mercaydes, Serenity and Payton

Hollywood & the Disney Soda Fountain Shop

Monday I drove Christy (Shane's sister) and some of her friends to the Long Beach Cruise terminal. I had Jenelle, Charley and Serenity with me too. We decided to do a little sight-seeing in Hollywod on our way back to Fontana. We went to the Disney Soda Fountain Shop for lunch and shakes. Then we walked through the hand and footprints at the Chinese Mann theatre. It was really crowded, even being a Monday, so we didn't end up staying too long.

Charley & Serenity sipping shakes.

Serenity

Serenity & Jessica

Jenelle & Charley waiting to get in to the fountain shop.

Serenity with Winnie the Pooh's star

Happy Birthday

Saxon

July 22nd