Halloween-Costumes and more... for 2011

Ideas for Making Your Own Halloween Costume

Thinking about how you can save money this Halloween? Why not consider a costume that you design from used odd and end clothing and accessories? Thrift or Goodwill stores offer these items at a small portion of what you would pay at a Halloween or retail store. You can also network with other moms and swap off old costumes for the one you want. With some creativity and legwork, you can make any of the following costumes.

Argh Matey! - Pirate Costumes

Pirate costumes will be huge this year. You need baggy black or brown pants cut below the knee. Pirates wore baggy white shirt that are cuffed up. A solid baggy vest, unbuttoned, would be worn over the shirt. Add a bright scarf tied around your waist. Army boots, large gold hoop earrings, sword, eye patch, hat or bandana tops this outfit off. If you live in a colder region you might want to look for a long black coat.

BOO To You Too! - Ghost Costumes

The ghost is the oldest and easiest ghoulish outfit around. You need a large white sheet that completely drapes your being. With arms down cut any excess off the bottom up to an inch from the ground. Cut out eyeholes. White eye make up keeps the ghost entirely white. You can carry a pumpkin or maybe a glow stick for that added touch.

If I Only Had a Brain! - Scarecrow

With the right straw hat and a little straw, a scarecrow can easily be done. Oversized, old and sloppy is the key. You will need old overalls or jeans that you can patch with bandana type material, a flannel shirt, work boots and work or garden gloves. Be sure to stuff straw or raffia inside your shirt and leave some hanging out wherever you can. A blackbird attached to your hat, silk daisies or a corn cob pipe would be good accessories. Paint your face base white and proceed with black paint for a triangle nose and circle eyes. Paint your lips a bright red extending the make up beyond your lips for a straight smile.

10 Hut! - The Always Popular Football Player

Another inexpensive way to look sharp while using odds and ends is the football player. You may have or can easily network to get the pads, helmet, shirt, cleats and pants for this easy costume. Black make up under the eyes is all that is needed. Oh, don't forget to carry the football for the full effect.

As soon as this year's festivities are done, start thinking about next year! Once Halloween is over, it's time to hit the discount stores. Often, outfits and accessories can be picked up for half the price or less. Thinking ahead on what your needs will be the following year will save you a ton of money, especially if you've got more than one person in the family dressing up. Don't forget the garage sales too. This past Spring I bought my son's character costume at a garage sale for two dollars. Outstanding savings I must say. Clearly, with a little imagination and a bit of planning ahead, you can create a costume that the kids will love and so will your checkbook.

Halloween Costumes Ideas for Two or More

Do you have a spouse or friend whom you'd love to share a costume with this year, but just can't quite put your finger on the right one? Maybe you're looking for cute paired costumes for the kids? Here is a partial list of some ideas that you might consider. Use these to decide on your own

Little Bo Peep & Her Sheep (This is especially cute for moms and baby)
Rich Boy and Poor Girl
Cookies and Milk
Fisherman and Fish
Babe and His Blue Ox
Santa and Mrs. Claus
Adam and Eve
Grapes and Bananas (or any other variety of fruit/veggie combos)
Ball and Chain
Toilet and Seat
Sonny and Cher
Republican and Democrat
Raggedy Ann and Andy
Card and Dice
Cat and Mouse
King and Queen
Dog and Cat
Bat and Ball
Salt and Pepper
Batman and Robin
Jack and Jill
Howie Mandel and a Suitcase Girl
Dora and Diego
Bill and Hillary Clinton
Danny and Sandy (from the movie Grease)
Cheerleader and Football Player
Twins (This one will be especially easy if you have actual twins) ;)
Frankenstein and His Bride
Baby Bottle and Rattle
Ketchup and Mustard Bottles
Nut and Bolt
Grim Reaper and Victim
Doctor and Nurse
Beast and Belle
Buzz and Woody
Captain Hook and Wendy
Peter Pan and a Lost Boy
Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone
Pebbles and BamBam
SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick
Desi and Lucy
David and Goliath
Pen and Pencil
Soccer Mom and Her Player (This can be done with various sports)
Tom and Jerry
Southern Gentleman and his Belle
Caveman and Cave Girl
Cleopatra and Pharaoh (King)
Harry Potter and Hermione
King & Queen of Hearts
Prince Charming and Princess
Shrek and Princess Fiona
Vampire and Dracula
Hansel and Gretel
Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe
Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth (from Pirates of the Caribbean)
Pilgrim Man & Woman
Pilgrim & Indian
George and Martha Washington
Priest and Nun
Pink Lady and ThunderBird Guy from Grease
Race Car Driver and Pit Crew Member
Cowboy and Cowgirl
Plug and Socket
Austin Powers & Felicity Shagwell

While coming up with the idea maybe the easiest part, putting the two together may not be as simple. If you want to make your own costumes, you can find templates online or at your local craft store that will definitely make the process easier. Looking to purchase your costumes?

Make sure wherever you choose to buy from has both costumes in stock before purchasing. Don't forget you can always go through your own clothes, any dress up clothes the kids may have and previous years' costumes and put two of them together as well.

Now that Halloween is upon us, why not put those flower beds (you know the ones you thought had been laid to rest for the winter) to good use? It's time to dress up your front yard up for the Fall. Here are some tips to make your home look wonderful, even when the weather may not be.

Leaves of Many Colors - Fallen foliage are a perfect fertilizer to help keep your yard and flower beds in perfect growing condition for the spring when it's time to start planting flowers and such again. They also make a great base for your Halloween decorations.

Who says flowers are only for the spring and summer months? Here is a partial list of flowers that will make it through the autumn months. These flowers are hardier than their spring and summer counter parts and will last a lot longer too.

Chrysanthemums
Joe Pye Weed
Chelone (also known as Turtleheads)

Even veggies have their place in your Halloween yard décor. Now is the perfect time to pick up gourds, squash and pumpkins from a neighboring farm or store. Not only are they decorative, but you can eat the squash, carve the pumpkins or make pie too! For those who live in the country and like to attract wildlife, deer enjoy pumpkins after the season as well.

Seasonal decorations to adorn your yard are fairly easy to come by this time of year. Check your local dollar store to pick up everything from bird feeders to scarecrows and more. Here are a few other ideas for sprucing up the outside of your home this Halloween.

Bird feeders adorned with black crows

Scarecrows for your garden and flower beds - You can purchase these or make your own. Get the whole family involved and spend some quality family fun time together.

Pumpkin arrangements - Using hay bales, create your own pumpkin and scarecrow scene or village.

Using fallen limbs and sticks from the trees create stick Halloween characters. Always popular at Halloween are Frankenstein and his bride along with ghosts hanging from the bare tree branches.

Rake all those leaves that have fallen from the trees in September and early October up. Put them in black or orange garbage bags to prop up throughout your yard and beds. You can purchase ones with jack-o-lantern faces already on them or use the black ones to create make-shift tombstones painted with white markings like RIP, Here Lies%u2026, etc.

Grab a shovel and a dark colored blanket. Create a few mounds of dirt around your flower beds or yard and cover them with the blanket. Then place the shovel in the ground at the top of the mound to resemble a freshly dug grave.

Get a big cardboard box. Using grey and black paint, decorate it to look like a coffin. You can even lay down in it on Halloween night sitting up whenever trick-or-treaters enter the yard to give them a bit of a fright.

If you've got speakers or a radio available, purchase a CD at the dollar store with spooky music that you can play in the background to really help set the mood for visitors.

It's Fall. It's Halloween! Have a yard that will be the envy of the neighborhood this year. You don't need a fortune to make it happen when you use these ideas along with a little creativity of your own.

Keep Those Pumpkin Seeds: Recipe for Your Jack-O-Lantern Seeds

Before you throw away those pumpkin seeds you carved out of your Jack-O-Lantern this year, think twice!! There is good dietary benefit in those seeds, not to mention a yummy snack even the kids will love. Here's how to prepare and cook your pumpkin seeds.

Prepping the Seeds

First, after you have scooped your pumpkin, put the seeds in a glass bowl. Next, separate the seeds from all the stringing pumpkin meat. You'll need to do this fairly quickly because once you've let them sit and they've gotten too dry, they will be harder to clean.

Using a cold-water rinse, finish taking off what is left of the stringy meat (there will be some little bits left more than likely) off the seeds. Place a strainer in the sink so you don't lose all that pumpkin goop in your sink drain.

Once your pumpkin seeds are completely clean, put them on a waxed paper cookie sheet to dry. You'll leave them to dry overnight. Sorry, you can't eat them until tomorrow.

Optional: If you like your seeds salty, you may want to let them sit in a bowl of salt water overnight. Be careful though and don't over salt the water. Remove from bowl of water and dry as stated above.

Now that your pumpkin seeds are prepared, let's get to the actual cooking of them. Here are both a microwave and oven baked recipe for you to choose from. Note: Preparation is the same for both of the following recipes.

Microwave Pumpkin Seed Recipe

Place salted butter in a microwavable rectangular baking dish and heat for about 30 seconds. Place seeds into pan and toss through the melted butter. Spread the seeds out evenly into one layer on the bottom of the dish. Microwave on high for about 8 minutes or until seeds are a light golden color. Make sure you stir the seeds every couple of minutes while in the microwave to prevent burning.

Oven Baked Pumpkin Seed Recipe

Spray your seeds with butter spray. Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch for them to be lightly brown. When they are done, take them out and season with your favorite seasonings. Some popular seasonings include salt and garlic. Let them completely cool before enjoying.

Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are not the only seeds that can be eaten this way. The seeds from butternut and acorn squash can also be cooked just like pumpkin seeds. Give them a try too.

Leftover Storage

You can store any leftovers of your pumpkin seeds in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 months. If you choose to refrigerate them, they will last for about a year in an air tight container.

Baked pumpkin seeds provide a great source of dietary fiber along with a nutty flavor. So, instead of popping that bag of popcorn tonight, grab your favorite Halloween movie, sit back with your toasted pumpkin seeds and enjoy.