JEN SEVERN'S BLOG

Here are a few things I LOVE that I have found this year for Halloween.  They are creative and wonderful!  You can click on all the images to discover how to make them! Mumified Oreos!  From, how does she? Trick-or-Treat Topiaries from Crafty Sisters.  I want to make these with the kids! This is Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse from Glorious Treats!  Wow!  A sweet dessert for a Halloween Party!   These cookies are AMAZING!  They are also from Glorious Treats! These are fun Witch Hats Cupcake Liners from Half Baked. Edible Details makes these cute cup cake toppers! Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats.  This Tootsie Roll stem is great. This is an Aqua and Orange Halloween Monster Brunch from Hostess with the Mostess. Great colors! I like the popcorn and candy corn idea too! Hay Bales are a great accent for a Halloween Party too!  These cookies are from The Cookie Jar . These are FUN signs from ...

Places KIDS eat FREE in Denver !  The is a gold mine of a resource!  Have fun!

I asked Lond if I could have a good morning hug?  He wanted to but he said real serious, "Yeah mom, but.... don't pick me up,  I have guns!"

Vegetable Chop & Measure A well spent $29.95! I like to make a crock pot meal for our Monday night dinner.  It seems Monday's have enough hassle without dinner so I try to keep that simple.  Here is a really delicious potato soup from Fix It and Forget It called No-Fuss Potato Soup.  I have made it enough times that I have my own variation now.  I will share both mine and the original.  One hint to a great soup is finely chopped vegetables, for this I use my chopper from Williams Sonoma .  It's a great time saver!  Enjoy! 6 cups diced peeled potatoes 5 cups water (I ALWAYS use chicken stock, the kind that comes in a box.  It makes your soup tasty!) 2 cups diced onions 1/2 cup diced celery (I use 2 cups) 1/2 cup chopped carrots (I use 2 cups) 1/4 cup margarine, or butter 4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules (I omit this b/c I use chicken stock) 2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 12-oz can evaporated milk (I omit this to...

Writing is a release for May. It is a natural way for her to communicate all her emotions, thoughts and ideas. It is one of her best ways of expressing herself. Monday night I went to Bible Study and she left this note for me on my computer. It is really sweet. We find notes all over our house from her.  When she is mad she lets us know and apologizes in notes. She gives gifts to her brothers and always attaches a note, for example, she and London each got a back scratcher from the allergist. London was distraught when his broke. A few hours later May wrapped hers up with a note attached to it for London. The note explained she wanted him to have hers because, she did not need it and she loved him. Her notes warm our hearts and sometimes make our days.  With her permission, I am going to occasionally share, 'Letters from May'.  Inside the heart and mind of an 8 year old. Hi mommy I am probably at School but I love you no matter what. Love, ...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 2 Spice Cake Mixes 1 30-oz can pumpkin 1 12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips Pre-Heat your oven to 350 degrees. All you do is add all 3 ingredients to a bowl and mix. (that’s it, you don’t need to add anything else) Scoop mixture into lined muffin tins.  Yields 36. They do not rise very much so fill the liners up. I have a medium scoop and I LOVE it. It worked great for this project. How they look going in is how they will look going out. Try a scoop. It’s makes them even more delicious looking.   Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Leftovers (well not at my house) but if you have them freeze them. These muffins are a great idea to add to a lunch or a snack on the run.  My kids devoured these! I liked them too but I added salt to mine. That’s strange, but I enjoyed them more?!? Recipe from  http://www.ourbestbites.com/

I am so thankful to have a few sweet friends that I met through our kids elementary school.  It is always nice to see a friendly face.  I am thankful these ladies are in my life!  We had a little Birthday Breakfast for Aimee!  Look at that amazing cake from Indulge Bakery.  It was incredible!  Happy Happy Happy Birthday Aimee!!!  FRIENDS! The Birthday Girl is GLOWING!  Aimee you are adorable!  Make a WISH.

 Scott found this delicious steak marinade online.  We had it tonight on a Ribeye and it is AMAZING.  It is rich in flavor.  The steaks taste like they are from a gourmet steak house.  Mix it up and give this a try. 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder 3 tablespoon dried basil 1 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley flaekes 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 Teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional) from allrecipes

Last night Mai had a sleep over and the girls were rocking out to sing it Wii, the boys played anything LEGO on the wii and I had to finish up editing a wedding.  Scott popped a movie in the lap top and sat down next to me and we watched two movies.  The first one we watched was The Fighter staring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s. Great acting, Christian Bale was amazing. There was a lot of Bostonian slang in this well told great story. It is based on a true story and you meet them at the end of the movie and you realize again what talent these actors have. Don't play this video in front of the kiddos! it probably has a few words you don't want to be repeated in it. Our late night movie that took us until 2am when I finished the wedding edit was Law Abiding Citizen with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. It w...

Hey Friends!  Welcome to my new blog.  I will still be posting on Grace Full Home but, I wanted one that was all mine.  I have a few reasons for doing a blog solo.  First, I just want to share whatever whenever.  Secondly, I am frustrated with the spam filter on Word Press, we are getting SO much spam over there on our comments. It seems that blogger has better protection.   I am also just trying to stay current here on blogger. Finally, I see a blog as a way to share my life with my friends and family who I don't get to talk to all the time.  I alway have in my mind that someday my kids can look at this blog and it may be a fun resource for them.  I expect it will hold memories of our life as well.  I hope you join me here!  I'd love to chat here on my personal blog! I may have some repeat posts.  I may re-post things here onto Grace Full Home or vice versa.  I am going to give it a whirl.  I will probably ...

Classic tips on decorating your tree from the Green Family. 1. Make sure your lights follow the branches.  They go on the inside and out side of the tree. 2. Small ornaments at the top.  The ornaments get bigger as you move down the tree.  Biggest ornaments at the bottom. 3. Ornaments go on the inside and outside of the branches and, of course, all the way around. 4. Lots of ornaments. If you are choosing a fresh tree, don’t forget to check out the Balsam Pines.  They are gorgeous. At first when I heard these guidelines I thought it was a little crazy.  We always just grabbed an ornament and hung it where ever.  Now we implement the guidelines and I must say I think our tree looks more beautiful and balanced. I have two trees.  One that is covered in child friendly ornaments.  The child friendly tree was made after my daughter at 2 bit into a football glass ornament, my sons repeatedly throwing glass balls and I gave up.  One yea...

What to do while you wait and enjoy family on Thanksgiving?  One idea is  to have some fun crafts that the family can enjoy together.   I am going to post a few different ideas on fun ideas for Thanksgiving this week.  For me this is about getting everyone around a table, enjoying each other, laughing, helping, and then getting to talk about what makes this holiday unique.  Things like this break up the day and they are fun!  I got this idea a LONG time ago from my sister-in-law, Kim.  When we would come over to her house for a family holiday we would find a packet with each of our names on it.  It would be filled with fun little worksheets, trivia, crosswords etc.  I threw in a football trivia/prediction sheet in mine this year I will attach it as well!  It’s a fun and festive.  Here is a bunch of printable ideas if you decided to make a activity packet this year.  If you find any other cool l...

Jen This is so simple and fun!  All you need is  paint  and  paper bags  and you can have your own  SPOOKTACULAR PUPPET SHOW ! I wish I could say I thought of this myself!  This was what my super star babysitter and my 3 year old put together.  Thanks Alyssia!!

Amy, from Living Locurto , created a great free printable she calls,  School Notes .  This is a creative way for kids to express their day at school.  Thanks Amy!  I am a huge fan of Amy’s blog  Living Locurto . These links will take you over there to check her blog out.  If you click on the image or the School Notes it will take you straight to her post where you can print out these great School Notes for your kids!   I can’t wait to see how my kids like them!  Great idea!

Here are a few of my favorite things for the 4th of July, 2011.  You can click on all the pictures for more information.  Happy 4th of July everyone! Sticks American Flag art from Chasing Fireflies. 4th of July Radio by Pandora What a great gift for the kids for the 4th of July from Chasing Fireflies. Red, White and Blue Desserts from Martha Stewart. We are staying with friends just before the 4th. I think this would be a sweet parting gift for their kids. Williams-Sonoma has my favorite recipes for the holidays. These Carolina-Sliders look amazing! This is a great series to watch with your kids on America! I love going to a baseball game and watching the fireworks show afterward. This is one of my favorite family traditions.

Hey friends!  The Tom Kat Studio  just posted these adorable free printable cards for Father’s Day.  How cute! Each of my kids are choosing a card to print and give to their dad.  I had to share they are so great! Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19th!

We threw a great bash for Kristina and her family to wish them a hearty farewell a few weeks ago. I decided to rent a local park shelter for the occasion.  It turned out to be a huge hit and we received many compliments. I put together a basic checklist of things that made the party a success.  I will reference this list next time I throw a party at a park and I hope it will help you too! Choose a time and day for your party.  Ask the person it is honoring what is good for them. If they have young children be sure to choose a time around their nap schedules. Choosing a park.  There are some important features to consider when choosing a park. City.  I knew I would be furnishing many items for the party so I choose a park in the city I lived in. My city was within 40 minutes for most of the guests. This choice helped me to make sure the party was a success. A stressed out host is palpable at a party. Make it easy on yourself. You will also most likely sa...