Kid's Halloween Books with Great Graphics

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So this afternoon I volunteered in my son's classroom.  There was another mom in there as well so I had a quick second to glance through the Scholastic order forms.  I was delighted to see some books with great graphics, humorous stories and Halloween themed (even though I don't enjoy it.  And seeing as both my kids are having afraid-of-the-dark-issues right now, I picked these books because they appeal to my aesthetic.)  Here are some of my faves:

The Hallo-Wiener  {by Dav Pilkey} 

My oldest son was a hot dog for his very first Halloween so I was especially drawn to this book.

Oscar is a dachshund forced to wear a hot dog costume on Halloween which he does begrudgingly but in the end saves the day from some kind of peril.    "Oscar proves that he may be short on height, but he's long on heart." HA!

Jeremy Draws a Monster {Peter McCarty}

Similar to Harold and the Purple Crayon, Jeremy draws and the images come to life.  After drawing a monster who demands that Jeremy do things for him, he realizes that while he can get lost in his drawings and the solitude it provides, he would also like to experience real relationships with other kids and without this bossy monster.  

Stinky Poetry:  Halloween {Elizabeth Krych}

This book comes with scratch and sniff stickers that the kids have to put in the proper spot throughout the story.  I am not sure what smells they are and seeing as it is a Halloween themed book, I have to assume some of them might be pretty rank. But I love kids poetry books and think the colors and graphics from the cover are outstanding!!  This was available in the Scholastic catalogue I found in the classroom but I couldn't yet find it on Scholastic's website. :(

Welcome to Monster Town {Ryan Heshka}

What happens in Monstertown when the son goes down?  This book will tell you all about what the different people found in town do for work and what else goes on there.  A little bit of humor, creepy but cool illustrations.  Probably best for older kids.  Again, this was in the Scholastic brochure, but not on their site.  

ABC Spook Show {Ryan Heshka}

When I was researching the book above, I also came across this ABC book.  Sort of a dictionary of creepy (G is for ghouls...) From the sample pages I could see, this seems a little darker than the previous book.  And for some reason I think Jenny would love this book.  Do you remember her zombie party from last year? 

Vunce Upon A Time {J. Otto Seibold}

I LOVE the Christmas book 'Olive the Other Reindeer' so it is no surprise that I was drawn to this book by the same illustrator.  This story is about a vegetarian vampire who loves candy.  But he is afraid to trick-or-treat on account of the scary humans.  It is a non-scary story about overcoming fears and I am pretty sure this one will be delivered to my house shortly. 

Again, I haven't read any of these but was drawn to them for their graphics and story concept.  If anyone has read them, I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Now, if you would, please tell me what your kids are going to be for Halloween, I'd love to hear.  Do you dress up too? 

Maybe I really am starting to like Halloween.  After all, it took me about 30 years to like guacamole.  

Sharon

Chocolate Heals - Cookbook and Self-Help book in one!

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My mom just brought over some pictures of my grandma when she was younger.  I love this one and wanted to share since, thanks to Del Webb, I am giving away a KitchenAid hand mixer in her name.  Oh and I also don't have a photo of the brownie recipe I made from the cookbook I am about to review so since I made them for her, I thought it was totally appropriate to use her photo.  

Anywho...a few months ago I was emailed about a cookbook that was coming out called "Chocolate Heals...Life is Sweet" by Marcia L. Williams.  After fighting her own breast cancer battle, Marcia turned to what she knew best to help others deal with their own struggles with the disease.  Chocolate.  With seven suggestions for getting through the difficult times in life (seriously great tips, not just for those dealing with breast cancer), this book also includes recipes for some of the most delicious sounding brownies I've ever heard of.

Image via Maury Tieman

I decided I would try out one of these recipes, Raspberry White Chocolate Brownies, and then take it to my grandma to enjoy.  The recipe was really easy to follow, which is really important to me when I bake as I get distracted very easily...They turned out amazing.  They were delicious and moist and filled with love.  While you can find brownie recipes on-line, I loved knowing that this one in particular was tested and tweaked by someone passionate about the end result in hopes that the person eating them can forget about their troubles even for a moment.  I will definitely be making other brownies from this book.  

But this book is so much more than the recipes.  Marcia shares practical tips on learning to take things one day at a time, building satisfying connections with those around you and so much more.  The book is $9.95 and available on her here.  It would be a great gift for anyone dealing with breast cancer in any capacity - patient, family, support system, etc. 

Marcia is committed to using her personal experiences to encourage others through this book.  Although she is now cancer-free, she continues in the memory of her sister who lost her battle against breast cancer.  Find out more about Marcia and her efforts on MyChocolateHeals.com.

Still time to enter GEORGENE VEHE'S SWEETS FOR TEATS CONTEST HERE! 

Sharon

Sew Stylish Cocktails

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As if I have time to take on a new hobby... Yup, I went and joined a sewing class. I have mentioned Carole several times before and I finally decided that she needed to teach me sewing. Well, me and four other friends. We meet once a week for about an hour and learn to sew via great projects that Carole finds for us. My plan is to learn to sew well enough that I can make all my own clothes (and in my head they don't look like potato sacks). And since I am me, I decided that we needed to make them more in to tiny little week night parties. For the first class I planned on making a really girly cocktail and have a yummy cake (Carole's bday just happened to be the next day and one of the sewing chics, Amy, is an exceptional baker). But what cocktail? I was recently sent this fantabulous, girly cocktail cookbook to review, "The Stylish Girl's Guide to Fabulous Cocktails" by Colleen Mullaney. The book has over 80 cocktail recipes (each with shoe suggestion) "that every stylish girl should have in her cocktail wardrobe." So really sewing and cocktails are the perfect match and I found the perfect cocktail in the champagne cocktail section of the book. I chose to make the Broadway Bellisimo, which is a tantalizing concoction of strawberries soaked in raspberry vodka (in my world, nothing but Absolut Raspberri would work), pureed and topped with Rose Champagne...holla! It tasted as good as it sounds. The book is clever and fun and would make a great gift for a girlfriend, sister, mom and any other girly, girl in your life. With cocktail horoscopes and lists of which movies pair best with which cocktails, this is more then just a cookbook. I want to also note that usually when I try to make a mixed drink, it tastes like finger nail polish remover. This one was delicious and I will for sure be trying more from it. The author, Colleen, also has a blog on stylish entertaining with great tips for celebrating with ease. She has multiple other themed books and she's a mom. I bet she knows how to sew too.

This will be the cocktail cookbook that I look to first when I need a recipe. Colleen has graciously allowed me to share one of her special recipes with my readers. I hope you enjoy. Try it and let me know how you like it!!

The Ruby Slipper

serves 4

8 oz. vodka

4 oz. triple sec

4 oz. pomegranate juice

2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup ice

Mix the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Allow the mixture to sit for one minute, giving time for the flavors to marry. Strain into martini glasses and serve.

Sharon

(p.s. I'll be sharing photos from every sewing class. Last week was Gangsta Rap week bee-yatch! )

A true Cup Cake

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Original post has been edited. New info posted at the end.

If you are a long time reader, you may remember I used the recipe for a chocolate cake baked in a cup as a favor (see post here). I was catching up on a blog that I have not had a chance to catch up on in a long time, Muffin Tin Mom, and she posted about a whole cookbook of microwave-cake-in-a-cup recipes. Yum. If you go to Microwave Mug Cakes there is a sample recipe for a Blueberry Muffin cake. I love that for the most part, with very little planning ahead, you can throw together a little treat for yourself (or drop by visitors) in no time at all. Most of the ingredients you can find in your fridge or pantry and of course everyone has coffee mugs. Peruse through her blog and there are a few more recipes as well. And although I love to bake, I hate that most recipes bake way more then my husband and I should eat. With a cup cake you don't have to share or feel guilty for scarfing the whole thing. This cookbook is perfect to have on hand to make you the most prepared hostess but would be totally cute to use at a little cooking party where each kid could pick what kind of cake they want to make and keep the mug as their favor. The book is available via several online retailers, including Barnes and Noble for around $11. I think it is time that I bring up that my birthday is just around the corner...Family, take note, a wishlist is slowly forming.

S-

Photo via Microwave Mug Cakes

Cupcakes and Cutlery Approved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am now the proud owner of this book and have gotten to flip through the pages. A wonderful friend/relative, Leigh, sent it to me - she certainly knows the way to my heart. This book is full of delicious sounding recipes. I have yet to try any (every night I think is the night and then I fall asleep...maybe I will try it at lunch today :) but they sound like perfection. Would be a perfect hostess gift, gift for college age kids, bachelors, well every one!!!! Buy it!

A Farewell Party - for you

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My friend T's mom has her funeral all figured out.  Okay, maybe not down to how the program will look, but I'm pretty sure she has all music and floral arrangements decided on.  Did this alarm me when I first heard about her plans?  Not at all.  I thought - what a smart idea and a great way to work in another fabulous party for your loved ones.  T and I have a sense of humor about everything, which some of you may not.  But after attending several funerals/memorial services, we realized that the zest for life that so many of our loved ones had is all but erased by sadness and tradition when you have gathered, to in fact, celebrate the person.  We have given each other instruction (still yet to be written down, but there has been many discussions) on what to do in case the other person goes first.  I have instructed T that she will need to bring Sprinkles Cupcakes and set up a lovely dessert buffet complete with champagne cocktails.  T, knowing she will get better coverage if there are some names in the crowd, has instructed me to have Adrien Brody attend (although he hasn't been in anything of note recently and I'm going to suggest she reevaluate).  I am still working out my play list but am going for a loungey, hip, urban feel.  T has set aside a nice selection of family photos to be worked in to a montage set to a moving medley by Johnny Cash.  So, one day I was watching the Today show and there was a segment that came on about a book called Grave Expectations - Planning the end like there's no tomorrow.  Meredith Vierra asked the guests how the book came about and when I heard what the authors had to say, I knew that I would have to get this book.  One of them said, "We had been to one too many funerals that were just deadly, with bad food and this isn't the person we knew.  So we went home and had some champagne and thought we have to do something about this."  YES!   These ladies really understand what a funeral should really be about - celebrating the life of the person that we are bidding farewell to.  Aside from being funny and a bit tongue in cheek, they seem to know their stuff.  They detail all kinds of burial options, including "green" methods, and creative grave stone markers.  They handle all of this information with humor and charm which many people need when discussing this very sad topic.  I can't wait to read the chapters called "Graveside Services:  Location, Location, Location," "The Rehearsal Dinner - You really can attend your own funeral...sort of," "The Funeral or Memorial Party - It's my party and I'll die if I want to."  T and I have decided that our 50th birthday parties will actually be a dress rehearsal for the big day (funeral).  We'd like to see people enjoying themselves while they remember the fun and silly sides of us while we are still around.  It will also give us a chance to see what works and what tweaks need to be made.  If you think about how much time you spend planning a first birthday party, it makes sense that you should spend a little time planning your farewell party.  This book is available online at Amazon, or online and in stores at Barnes and Noble.  Check out the today show clip here.  You don't want the last party thrown in your honor to be one you wouldn't be caught dead at, do you? 

S-  

Bottoms Up Mamas!

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Welcome back cupcakes! Hopefully you all got a bit of rest and relaxation over your 4th of July weekend and all your entertaining was easy and stress-free. How nice was it that the 4th fell on a Friday this year? You know, now that summer's here, cocktail season is in full swing. I mean nothing says summer quite like a frilly drink with a little umbrella in it, right? I know S would agree. Which is one of the reasons that being pregnant over the summer can be so difficult. I mean, who wants to skip out on poolside mojitos? Which is why I am dedicating this post to S and T and all you other preggos out there. Thanks to author Alyssa Gusenhoff and her book, Margarita Mama, you don't have you miss out on all the yummy cocktails this summer - and neither do your other pregnant guests. This book is full of 100 percent alcohol-free "mocktails" including old favorites like mudslides, mojitos, cosmopolitans and mimosas plus there's a few new ones thrown in - like materni-tini and the raging hormone. Pick up this little read at amazon.com. This book would make a great little gift for the mom-to-be on your list or pick one up for yourself if you're hosting a baby shower this summer and give your guest of honor a little something extra to enjoy!

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Simple, Stunning and So Much More!

I love weddings. For a very short while, in college, I assisted a wedding photographer. I enjoyed learning more about photography but LOVED being at the weddings and seeing all the special touches each couple came up with. Like the gospel choir at the Jewish New Years Eve wedding in Los Angeles. Or the custom wine created by a groom who owned an Italian restaurant. So even though I have been married for almost 5 years now, I still shop for wedding magazines and books. I am the kind of person who can see an idea and adapt it to about 800 different things and since wedding publications are filled with ideas, they are invaluable to me and my parties. One of my favorite books of all time is by Karen Bussen a NY based floral and event designer. I came across her book, Simple Stunning Wedding Showers, while shopping at a Barnes and Noble a few years ago. I was immediately attracted to the book jacket which is done in bright pink and orange, a color combo that makes my heart smile. And as I flipped through, I got so excited. I remember carrying the book with me for days for the next time I saw T. I knew she would love it as much as I did. It is full of unique ideas for wedding showers, however, you can easily change these ideas to suit any kind of party. The ideas are cool, instructions are simple, the photos are gorgeous, there is nothing I don't LOVE about this book. While some event planning books are merely fun to look at and know you could never pull off a party like that in a million years, this book makes you feel like it is possible. I really want to go back and get her Simple Stunning Weddings book now too and see what other ideas she has. And I hope she expands her publications to encompass entertaining in general. Maybe the Food Network should give her a show...

You can find all of Karen Bussen's books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Borders.

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