Happy Halloween!

This year we have had SO MANY chances to wear costumes...so far we've gone to a fun trick or treating event at the Oklahoma City Zoo called Haunt the Zoo, and yesterday alone we went to TWO costume parties. Today the kids are invited to a costume birthday party, and then tomorrow, of course, is the real deal. Lots and lots of fun and candy!Getting my hubby to dress up is no small feat, let me tell you. We've been married 10 years and this is only the second time he's ever dressed up. So I wanted to make sure that he was happy with his costume. He loves golf and one of his favorite movies is Caddyshack, so he went as Carl Spackler and I was one of the preppy golfers from the country club. I loved how our costumes turned out!

And here's the little goblins all decked out in their outfits. Jonah was the best vampire I've seen in a long time, and Mr. Werewolf had furry sleeves and neck. Then there's Miss Jessie. Sophia has been OBSESSED with Jessie this year so that costume was chosen months ago. I painted an old dress shirt of Jonah's and made some quick cowprint chaps for her. Found the red cowboy hat at Walmart for $5 and we were set! She was so excited about her costume and kept saying that she was the cutest Jessie ever!

Happy Halloween, Shearer style.

We started our morning with orange colored pancakes that we decorated as "jack-o-lanterns" with chocolate chips. This one is the hubby's; apparently this is what you come up with when you're studying crime scene investigation at law enforement training. Gross, if you ask me. Then we went and bought some more pumpkins to carve. The ones from Noah's birthday party were a little yuck.After a super yummy dinner, we got the kids dressed and headed out for some Trick or Treating. Here's my pirate and my crippled shark.And the "Queen Bee" herself. Apparently she felt that her stroller was her chariot and I was her horse and footman. She was quite demanding about where I should stop the stroller and how long to wait for her to get back in.Trick or Treat! With daddy, who was dressed as a blind hockey ref. He got lots of laughs with that one!

The kids had a blast and were so happy that their daddy got to stay later this Sunday than normal. They got TONS of candy, too. Noah counted his and had 167 pieces. Jonah counted his up to 208. I told people earlier in the week that I guaranteed the sling would get Jonah "sympathy candy"...sure enough he did. I should've bet money!

Friday Finds on Etsy: Grown Up Halloween Fun

Well, after the week I've had, the thought of relaxing this weekend and indulging in a 'grown up drink' or two, I decided to take my Friday Finds in a different direction this week. No cutesy, adorable stuff this week....no ma'am.

I despise spiders. But I LOVE this decantur and glass set. It's from Mary Elizabeth Arts . They are beautifully done...and would make such a great addition to your Halloween party decor!

Well, okay, this one from Impulsive Creativity is cute. What can I say? I'm a sucker for some candy corn.Now this is such a fun piece to decorate with! I could picture myself putting it on a shelf or tabletop with skull candleholder and maybe some mini papier-mache bones next to it...a perfect Halloween vignette! GreenCycle Designs has a ton of great painted bottles...you need to see for yourself!

Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween. My hubby will be able to stay home a little longer this weekend so he'll be able to join us for Trick-or-Treating afterall. The kids & I are so thrilled. I just wish I could've found these beauties in time to use them this weekend!

Friday Finds on Etsy: Halloween Part 2- Pumpkins

We all know that I love Halloween. The decorating, the costumes, the CANDY! And when I decorate I love to use pumpkins. They're so bright and cheery....I can't help but smile when I see them. I'm a grinnin' fool when we drive past a pumpkin patch.

Here's some of my favorites from Etsy this week:

First up are these ADORABLE bows from Madi & Bill. Now, normally I make all of Miss Sophia's bows, but I have not yet mastered this style, and oh! how I love them! And with the monogrammed pumpkin center?! Forget it!! I'm taken!

Next up is this super cute customized trick or treat bag from First Crush Designs. It's another must-have! I love all things personalized and I could envision all three of my boogers carrying these adorable bags to gather goodies- even my 9 yr old BOY.
Lastly is from my shop, Jen's Craft Corner. I so wish I would've started making these bloomers when Miss Thing was still in diapers. She would've have at least one pair for every holiday. Seriously. But since she's three now, I think the hubby would frown on her walking around in these. But wouldn't they be so adorable on a little munchkin for their first Halloween?? So there you have it. Three of my favorite pumpkin items from Etsy. Go on over and check out for yourself...there's so much greatness there!

A Halloween Birthday Party

Last week Friday my firstborn turned nine. NINE. How is that even possible?! Anyway, he decided on a Halloween themed party and everyone came in costume. Here are my personal favorites: a shark, pirate, and bumblebee.

We had an eyeball race (think an 'egg & spoon race', only using eyeball painted ping pong balls)

...bobbed for apples And each family got to carve a pumpkin!

The hubby got home from training just in time for presents, cupcakes and the pinata.

It was definitely one of the most fun parties we've had!

Friday Finds on Etsy: Halloween Pt 1- Candy Corn!

"Ooohh! Candy Corn! I hate performing on an empty stomach!"

- Heimlich, from "A Bugs Life"

Next to those super delicious candy pumpkins I buy every year, candy corn is my favorite Halloween treat. I could eat those things ALL. DAY. LONG.

Serious. I have a big bowl of them on my kitchen table and I grab a handful when I pass by. If you're a dentist reading this blog, I can imagine you shuddering where you sit. Sorry.

Anywho...like I do every week, I nosed around on Etsy and found some of the cutest candy corn items I could. There were so many I wanted to include, but then I'd be sitting my tush in this chair for too long. And since there are already too few hours in my day, I had to whittle it down to three.

Sorry to toot my own horn again, but I love Halloween so much and have alot of cute items up in my shop for this time of year, so I just had to showcase another one. I sorry. (Okay, not really. It's a shameless plug.) But you have to admit...this is a super cute headband, is it not?!Next up are these a-freakin'-dorable flip flops from Miss Priss Bowtique. These are made for toddlers but oh good heavens I want a pair for myself! I would totally sport these babies while taking the kids trick-or-treating!Last up are these great earrings from Miss Megan's. I don't have pierced ears, but I could definitely see my mom or sister wearing these. They're a great way to accessorize for Halloween but still be sophisticated!

So now go check all those shops out and make a purchase (or two or ten) and help support crafters!

Check back next week for another Halloween edition...this time featuring creepy crawly spiders!

Happy Halloween!

From Luigi, Mario, and the monkey.

Jack-o-Lanterns

And for those of you who remember our squirrel issue from last year, the answer is YES, they're at it again.

Cheap Thrills

Are these not the cutest Halloween plates EVER?!

I found them at the Dollar Tree.

That's right my friends. I spent a whopping 3 smackeroos for these babies. And my kids LOVE. THEM.

Trick-or-Treat!

I love making the kids costumes for Halloween. Nothing beats homemade if you ask me.

Noah & Jonah both wanted to be Yoda this year. Jonah really got into character ;)

And Sophia was Tinkerbell.
They had so much fun trick-or-treating. We went with a group of friends and the boys had a blast. Noah was absolutely fearless this year...a HUGE feat for him! Sophia was a little hesitant after the first house she walked up to had a man with a scary skeleton mask. After that, she refused to walk up to the door, and would only go if Daddy pulled her up to the door in the wagon.

Hope you all had a great time!

You, Sir, are a SNEAK!

Last night the hubby was eating some of the Halloween candy that I had bought to pass out to trick-or-treaters. I hadn't opened the bag, and I knew the boys hadn't opened it because I kept close watch all day. But when I went to go hide the rest of the candy, I couldn't for the life of me find a tear or hole in the bag. How in the world did he get the Starburst out? The only ones we had in the house were from that bag. And then I found this, hidden under the seam on the back:

*Smacks head* The hubby is worse than the kids!

Just call me Mrs. Productive!

I'm so proud of myself today. I had a HUGE to-do list for myself, and I got every single thing done! That rarely happens, so I'm thrilled! Here's what my list consisted of:

• Laundry- one load of towels, one load of whites.
• Wash dishes.
• Go to Walmart to get tights and ribbon.
• Go to Sally Beauty Supply for more alligator clips.
• Drop off donations at Goodwill.
• Make spider clippies for an Etsy order

• Post Office run.
• Finish Jonah's Halloween shirt.
• Make Tinkerbell wand for Sophia's Halloween costume.
• Make Yoda ears for Noah & Jonah's Halloween costumes.
• Make Reindeer Korkers for my Etsy shop.

• Sweep
• Vacuum

Now I can sit back and relax when the kids go to bed!

Carving Pumpkins

My favorite part of Halloween is picking out and carving pumpkins. We didn't go to the pumpkin patch this year, but we did get some great pumpkins.

Sophia decided to taste test the insides of the pumpkin while she was 'helping' clean them out. Hence the dirty face.
The finished products: Noah's pumpkin

Jonah's pumpkin. I picked this pattern because it just reminds me of my Jo.

I'm so happy that I can finally do girly pumpkins! Sophia's is Cinderella.