Despicable Me Squash Minions

We had a little fun tonight in preparation for tomorrow's House of Holloween Horrors shoot...... I mentioned the other day that we like to have a lot of fun with the kids and it included a rabbit slicing up pumpkins with a makeshift table saw.

Between then and now that little rabbit also lined the pumpkins up and taught the other animals in the house how to shoot for the firing squad.

Tomorrow the rabbit is enlisting the aid of today's minions, so stay tuned.

These Squash Minions took just a little imagination and very little time.

We used spaghetti squash, mason jar lids, paint, hot glue, marker and a little cardboard.

We painted on the overalls.

Flipped the lid over and turned the seal the wrong way and hot glued it in place. Then we cut out teeth and used marker to color in the mouth on one and the eyes on both.

 And we have MINIONS!

Scarecrows in Rockford, MI - One of our favorite family projects!

They're back! And we are doing ours tomorrow!

This event has been a favorite for our family almost every year since we moved to the area. Previous year's events have run from about 10am to 4pm on each of the Saturdays of Harvest Festival and from about Noon to 4pm on the Sundays of Harvest Festival. (I say about because the volunteers are always there a little early and they will usually stay as long as it stays busy.) I'm pretty sure it's the same this year, but forgot to bring the schedule home ;)

For $7 per scarecrow, they have everything you need right there. They give you the stick, have piles of clothes to choose from, "heads" to stuff and markers to make your face, the ties to stop the hay from falling out and the hay to stuff the scarecrows with.

These pictures are from a couple years ago, so I'll add new ones after we do ours, I just want to make sure everyone knows what fun it is and they have a chance to go!

For $14 we were able to have a great family project together and we got a large portion of our fall decorating done!

All proceeds benefit the Rockford Historical Society.

Enjoy!

Kids Driving You Nuts? Don't Sell Them to the Circus, Take Them There! Sept 19-22 at Van Andel Arena #GRRingling

So, it's been a crazy start to the school year here. Before the second day of school was over they had already cancelled the third due to ecoli in the water of the city. Then the fourth day ended up being cancelled as well. My kids that were REALLY excited to back at school quickly reverted to lazy days of end of summer and wanted to do something fun.

So is the bloom of the back to school season wearing off for you already? Are you finding the kids antsy for something fun like you packed the summer with?

Then Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Dragons might be the thing for you!

If you go early enough you can go down on the show floor before and meet many of the performers. Ainsley LOVED it last year. She thought everything was so cool and had to have her picture taken with this performer that she thought was SO pretty!

The circus is just the perfect icing to our dragon filled month. Just down and around the corner from Van Andel Arena my husband's good friend from high school is installing his "Monty, a dog gone dragon" ArtPrize piece! It's a mythical kind of month.

And my giveaway winner is......
Kristen! Check your email!

How you can save: Save $5 on tickets to select performances with code "MOM" - Valid on the $25 and $20 price levels only. Valid on select performances: Friday, Sept. 20 @ 7 PM; Saturday, Sept. 21 @ 7 PM; and Sunday Sept. 22 @ 5 PM. Not valid on Opening Night tickets. Not valid on circus celebrity, front row, VIP, or $15 seating. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Must purchase via Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000. Limit 8 tickets per order.

And if you have a little one I LOVE this program for babies!

Free Ticket for Baby’s First Circus®
Moms and Dads! Children of All Ages!

Parenthood brings many wonderful firsts - your baby’s first tooth, your baby’s first steps... and of course, your Baby’s First Circus!

That’s why we created the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Baby’s First Circus program for parents of newborns (up to 12 months old and living in the continental United States).

When You Sign Up You'll Receive:

A ticket voucher, which will arrive by mail, that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date!
You'll also be able to print a very special commemorative certificate, that you can personalize with your child's name!
Ringling Bros. celebrates children of all ages. Give a special gift to your older children by signing them up, and you'll be able to print a free personalized Ringling Bros. commemorative certificate for them also.

Getting your free ticket voucher and personalized certificate is easy, so sign up today and prepare for a lifetime of fun with The Greatest Show On Earth®!

A sincere thanks to Feld Entertainment for providing tickets to my family and a contest winner to experience opening night of this show!

B-17

We took a trip to Muskegon to tour a B-17 today. (We also went and walked down the channel in Grand Haven, dipped our toes in the lake and got some sun... but that's normal stuff.)

Old planes are cool. World War II planes are awesome. One that is very similar to the kind my Father in Law flew in, and ejected from over occupied France during WWII, are something of legend in our family.

Imagine any flight you've taken. Pressurized cabin, heat, comfy seat, very little real risk of going down. Now, take a look at these pictures and imagine being in a suit you had to plug into the plane to stay warm, having no room to move around and knowing that bullets and bombs are coming your way shortly after you leave the ground. It should leave no doubt in your mind as to the character and heroism of the people that did this over and over and those that continue to serve our country today.

It took 3 people to get these off the ground. The pilot & co-pilot were busy doing so much that the flight engineer was also needed to watch the gauges and call out readings.

My FIL's view when in place for missions. He shot from the top.

See the hatch on that little ball? Someone actually went into that to hang below the belly of the plane!

The view of the same from under the plane.

My Father in Law's crew only lost their tail gunner (they flew with 10 people total). Everyone else ejected, touched down and were immediately contacted and recovered by the French Underground. They were then moved through occupied France to Great Britain over the course of several months before they made their way home to the United States.

We spent almost 2 hours crawling around this plane. It was free to walk around the outside and $5.00 per adult, $3.00 per child, to go through front to back. It's worth much more than that.