Food, Cooking, and Holidays:
Cooking with a Little This and That
10 Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Your Last Minute Stop for Halloween Ideas
17 Halloween Cupcake Ideas
20 Pumpkin Inspired Recipes
Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner
30 Fall Inspired Desserts and Treats

Organization and Declutering:
Do You Have an All or Nothing Attitude
Tips to Get Your Organization Started
Simplify Your Life:  Do Not Call Registry

Homemaking and Housekeeping:
Ideas for Repurposing Old Dresser Drawers
Tips for Completing Dreaded Chores
10 Ways to Save on Your Winter Energy Bill
How to Keep Your Carpet Smelling Fresh
Recycling Containers for Your Home
10 Easy Ways to Save Water
What’s in Your Washing Machine?
An Exploration of Laundry Myths
Lenox Bloom Dinnerware Review

Other:
A Farewell
Wordy Wednesday: My Trip to New York
Links I’m Enjoying
5 Tips for Grocery Store Baggers
 I’m Headed to New York City!

As I mentioned earlier, this will be my last post at Keeping the Castle. It’s been a pleasure.  You can continue to find me at Thrifty Mommy and on Twitter. 

image used with permission of Linette G

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Bridget at Bake at 350 gives step-by-step instructions for making these cute spiderweb cookies.  You’ll also want to know how to make her perfectly black icing for the spiderweb cookies and other Halloween treats.

Thrifty Mommy is always interested in saving money.  Check out 33 do-it-yourself costume ideas, ways to save money on Halloween candy, tips for taking Halloween photos, 10 ways to save on Halloween part 1, part 2, and part 3.  Also, don’t forget to take advantage of after-Halloween sales on candy and costumes.

If you’re concerned about handing out so much candy this you might want to check out these Halloween candy alternatives from Boston Mamas.

Linette at Play Library has some great Halloween ideas.  I’m glad she posted these 10 easy homemade costume ideas.  My son was wanting to be a ninja but I was determined not to pay $20 for a costume.  There is an idea for a homemade ninja costume that uses everyday items.  You should also check out 5 favorite Halloween books for young kids,  treat ideas for the school Halloween party,  10 fun Halloween papercraft ideas for kids, and Kids Halloween – Painting Pumpkins.

Kids Birthday Fun has a round-up of cute ideas for a ghostly Halloween party.

Little Fun; Little Learning has an easy pumpkin song you can teach your kids.  You can also let your child fingerpaint or easel paint a pumpkin  or make a Christian pumpkin carving.  There are also several fall-themed ideas.

And from your very own Keeping the Castle – 17 Halloween cupcake ideas, 20 pumpkin inspired recipes, the coolest pumpkin carving designs on the web, pumpkin-carving ideas from Martha Stewart, and pumpkin faces.

Katelyn Thomas has haunted house tips, Halloween decoration ideas, and tips for making a Halloween emergency kit. 

Noreen at Hankering for Yarn shows us some gorgeous masks created with yarn and an upcycled mask trimmed with spool knitting.  Also, how to make a pumpkin pincushion and Halloween dolls to weave on a potholder loom.

While it’s probably too late to order a costume, maybe these Halloween tutu ideas will give you ideas for making your own or using one that you already have.

Are there any holidays that you don’t celebrate?  Mary Emma offers some tips for parents.

Which links did you enjoy?

image from Kids Birthday Fun

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This time, I included a short description of the things needed for each of these cupcake ideas. Perhaps that will help you save some time as you scan through the list. If you’re like me, you’d rather choose a project that you already have the supplies for, rather than making another trip to the store.  Each cupcake requires icing, so I did not include it in the list.

• Peeking Monster – sour candy corn, Necco wafers, blue mini M&Ms
• Spider Crawler Cupcake – chocolate truffles, melted chocolate, mini red M&Ms, pretzel sticks
• Howling Werewolf – shredded wheat, red mini M&Ms, candy corn, black licorice, sunflower kernels
• Witch Legs – black marzipan, yellow mini M&Ms, peppermint sticks, dyed green coconut
• Frankenstein – chocolate graham crackers, miniature marshmallows
• Funny Frog – Hostess Ho Hos or Swiss Cake Rolls, melted chocolate, blue mini M&Ms, green mini M&Ms, red fruit roll-ups
• Green Goblin – sour gummy straws, sour gummy rings, white jelly beans, mini chocolate chips, green jelly beans
• Little Witch – sugar cones, chocolate cookies, melted chocolate, mini M&Ms, dyed coconut
• Gone Batty – chocolate cookie wafers, chocolate M&Ms
• Spooky Eyes – candy coated almonds, Cocoa Puffs, icing
• Who’s There? Owls – fruit flavored candy circles, oval chocolate cookies, frosting, cashews, shaved coconut, pretzel rods
• Googly-Eyed – dark chocolate-covered almonds
• Peek-A-Boo Ghosts – sugar, marshmallows, small mint candies, M&Ms
• Bare Bones skeletons – large candy mints, licorice pastels, small mint candies (Tic-Tacs), white sprinkles
• Under Wraps Mummies – M&Ms, chocolate chips
• Ghoulish Delight ghosts – white fondant
• Madcap Monster – silicone cupcake baking cups with feet,  lollipop sticks, cornstarch, black licorice, white disk shape candies, chocolate pieces, gel frosting

Which cupcakes do you think you’d like to make?

image sxc.hu

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Is there anyone else out there, who bought too Halloween candy,  thinking that since the weather was so nice this year, we would get twice as many little Trick or Treaters!! Didn’t happen and I have tons of it left over. What are you doing with yours?? Leave me a comment.

And that Candy Corn down there… it’s just calling my name.  Brings back so many memories!!

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I’m not quite ready to let Halloween go as of yet. This is the perfect time to hit the mall and pick up all of those Halloween decorations that you wanted for this year, but never got around to getting. Well you are in luck, prices I noticed just yesterday, have been slashed by at least 50% and at one card shop, all their Halloween goodies where marked down by 75%!  Now you can’t sneeze at that! Grab what you can and stash it in the Halloween Box that I talked about yesterday.

Just have to tell you… I spotted the coolest Halloween coffee mugs at the dollar store. That’s another great place to pick up all your seasonal necessities.

Tomorrow, we turn our thoughts to making November the best November possible.

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