Girls & Their Turkey Cupcakes - 11-1-08

Friends:

On Saturday after Halloween, Eliana’s cousins, Camrynn, Ashlynn and Jasmynn, and our friends’ daughter, Marie, came to spend the night. We had a super slumber party. Above, L-R Eliana, Marie, Jasmynn and Ashlynn sit proudly with their turkey cupcakes.

The cupcakes are made with Nutter Butter cookies, chocolate chips, candy corn, icing, and a small piece of Twizzler. Here is a closeup of the Turkey Cupcake.

Close-up of Turkey Cupcake - 11-1-08

Here is a close-up of the cupcake from behind.

Close-up of Back of Turkey Cupcake - 11-1-08

Afterwards, the girls made princess crowns decorated with gems, stickers, and a chenille stick. Here is Eliana and Marie putting the final touches on Eliana’s crown.

Eliana & Marie working on princess crown - 11-1-08

After making crowns, the girls went on to bead pretty necklaces.

Eliana & girls beading necklaces - 11-1-08

It was a fun night for all the girls. In the morning, I cook a hot breakfast of hashbrowns and chorizo and egg burritos. Then the girls went to work and helped clean my house – sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathrooms. Thank you girls! I love y’all!

I love being a mom and an aunt!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Eliana's Spookover Door Sign - October 18, 2008

Friends:

Saturday was a blast! The night of my 8 year old daughter, Eliana’s Spookover, finally arrived! Eliana was ready for some swashbuckling fun. Argh, matey!

Pirate Eliana - October 18, 2008

We worked all day cleaning, decorating, and cooking. I set up my spooky backdrop and decorated the table full of frightening food – bloody pigs in a blanket, petrifying pizza party pinwheels, Jack-O-Jam cookies, popcorn chicken parts, witches brew and more. Check out the table. I love the mummies marrying under the Tree of Terror.

The Spooktacular Table - October 18, 2008

This is what the Witches Brew (lime sherbet ice cream in 7Up) looked like…

Witches Brew - October 18, 2008

All the girls had their own cups with their names on them. The girls came in costume. They are so adorable!

The Spookover Girls - October 18, 2008

No one had the same costume on – we had Hannah Montana, a princess bride, a mermaid, Sharpei from High School Musical, a pirate, a hip hop dancer, an angel, and an aquamarine princess. 8 crazy cuties ready to party! Here’s a parent-to-parent tip: I had all the parents/guardians fill out an emergency card with all their contact numbers on it – just in case…

We began with The Ghoulish Guessing Game. They each had a Halloween monster pinned to their back and they had to ask 10 yes-or-no questions. The first to guess their monster won. Next, we had a costume contest. My mom, Josie; my husband, Antonio; and I were judges. We judged the girls on three categories: creativity, originality, and attitude. Each category was worth 10 points with a total possible score of 90. The judges had score cards that were totaled at the end. The girls strutted down the “runway” and then had to talk about who they were. The pirate won with 79 points with the hip hop dancer and princess bride tied for second place. The girls loved winning prizes.

The Pirate and the Princess Bride - October 18, 2008

After that we moved on to “Pin the Hat on the Witch.” I made a witch with different colored hats with double stick tape on the back. The girls were blindfolded with a sleeping mask and spun around 6 times. They pinned their hats to the witch. I took pictures of each hat after they were placed so we could remove the hat and judge in the end whose hat was closest. It was funny to see where the hats were placed!

Pin the Hat on the Witch - October 18, 2008

After that, we moved on to The Creepy Clothes Race, a relay game. The girls were divided into teams of two, with four girls on each team. They were given a bag of clothes that contained a hat, a cape, a shirt, shorts, gloves, and a scarf. Each player raced to the opposite side, dressing in the creepy clothes and then raced back, undressing, stuffing the clothing in the bag, and handing it off to the next player. I played “Ghostbusters” as they raced. It was laugh-out-loud zany fun!

Creepy Clothes Race - October 18, 2008

Our last game was “Keepin’ It Under Wraps,” a wrapping mummy with tissue paper game. Again, the girls were divided into two teams of four girls. The smallest girls on each team were the mummies. The remaining girls on the team were the “wrappers.” Each wrapper was given a roll of cheap toilet paper. They had to wrap the mummy as quickly and as best as they could without the paper ripping, which it did – plenty! It was hilarious. They wrapped and rolled to the song “Monster Mash.” The team with the best looking mummy at the end of the song won.

Keepin It Under Wraps Game - October 18, 2008

Afterwards, the girls had a massive tissue paper fight. I wish I could be a kid again! Such uninhibited joy!

Tissue Paper Fight - October 18, 2008

And yes, they helped clean up the mess too – very quickly! After all the games, the girls were ready to settle down and eat.

Then we began crafting. We made Batty Sock Bats from socks, foam, googly eyes, and chenille sticks.

Crafting Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

These are the finished bats. Aren’t they the most boo-tiful bats you’ve ever seen?!!

Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

Here is a closeup of the bats…

Batty Socks Bats Closeup - October 18, 2008

Next, we made mummies out of toilet tissue rolls and Boo Bags from white paper lunch bags.

Boo Bags - October 18, 2008

After our creepy crafts, we headed outside to the screened, covered patio for marshmallow roasting and spooky stories. I told several stories including “The Ghost of Mable Gable,” “Bloody Fingers,” “The Ghost with One Black Eye,” and “Blood Red Lips.” The patio was dark except for several lit candles. It was the perfect spookmosphere.

Gathering for Ghost Stories - October 18, 2008

Finally, around 1:30 am, we headed inside and set up the sleeping area on the floor of the living room. Everyone brought their sleeping bags. I put in the movie, Ghostbusters, and all but three girls fell asleep. The last three girls fell asleep around 4:30 am! That meant that I was up with them!

In the morning, Antonio made Eliana’s Devil’s Food Monster Muffins. The girls had a spooktastic time and I was ready for a nap!! LOL Two of the girls had never been to a sleepover and they loved it so much, they want to do it again! (Yes, maybe next year, girls!! hahaha)

Wrapping the Mummy - October 18, 2008

It was a successful Spookover and Eliana was elated. And that’s all a Mummy can ask for, right?! Happy Spooky Season!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne