Make a Chalkboard Pumpkin

My daughter and I made a few chalkboard pumpkins from craft pumpkins. Use them to count down the days til Halloween, or draw a different jack-o-lantern face every day of October! 

Materials:

Craft pumpkin

chalkboard paint

paint brush

chalk

1. Wipe down the pumpkin to remove and dust or dirt.

2. Paint with chalkboard paint. We did 2 coats and let dry overnight.

3. Draw on a funny face with chalk!

Super easy and super fun!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Super Easy (and FAST) Semi Homemade Minestrone Soup

When we want something hot, filling and (semi) homemade, I whip up a pot of my Super Easy Minestrone Soup!

2 cans, 6 spices, noodles and frozen veggies...you can't mess this up. 

Ingredients:

3 Cups Water

3 Vegetable (or Chicken) Bullion Cubes

1 Can Red Kidney Beans (undrained)

1 Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)

2 Cups Uncooked Pasta

2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Celery Salt

1 Teaspoon Parsley (optional)

1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Frozen Italian Vegetables (our mix included carrots, yellow zucchini and broccoli)

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups water to boil and add bullion cubes.

2. Add beans (liquid and all), tomatoes(liquid and all) and herbs. Cook for around 10 minutes, stirring once. 

3. Add the pasta and vegetables, cook until tender. 

4.  Salt & pepper to taste. 

I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the top of each bowl before serving. 

Makes: (4) 1 1/2 cup servings 

(enough for my family of 4, when served with warm crusty Italian Flat Bread!)

Happy Cooking!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Make Your Own DIY Handmade Shower & Tub Cleaner

I just got back to doing this (I don't know why I stopped, perhaps all the free cleaning supplies I've gotten with coupons?!?) but now my shower and tub are ALWAYS spotless! 

Easy Home-Made Shower & Tub Cleaner: 

(I guess Grandma DOES always know the best way to do things!) Happy Cleaning!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Make Red Angry Birds Pumpkins

We had a Halloween party, and one of the activities was angry bird pumpkin painting! The kids had a blast, and everyone got to take theirs home. They were easy and a lot of fun!

Materials:

Foam pumpkins

Red craft paint

White craft paint

Black craft foam

Yellow craft foam

Red feathers

Googly eyes

Directions:

1. Paint your pumpkin red and white, as shown.
2. Once the paint is dry (play another game while you wait, or paint the pumpkins ahead of time and let the kids add the details) glue on the googly eyes, foam beak and eyebrows. Add the red feathers on top.
3. Let everything dry.

(We did paint the pumpkins ahead of time and let the kids add the details. They had more fun and got to play more games that way.)

Happy crafting!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

10 Easy & Cheap Costume Ideas

If you don't have the time or cash to invest into a Halloween costume, I have put together 10 easy and cheap costume ideas. If you want a full costume or just an accessory, you'll find what you need here!  Start digging through your closets and drawers, pull open one of these 10 Instructables, and see what you can make!

The Birds Costume by JorIsa

LMFAO ROBOT COSTUME byTChin1108

Easy Candy Corn Costume by eclipsed

LEGO Halloween Costume(using recycled materials) by boston09

last minute swat costume by paintball soldier

Dilbert costume by pluralmolecule

Wee Gnome Halloween Costume byjessandstavro

DIY Fairy Wings HOW-TO and BONUS Costume Essential bythreadbanger

How to make a superhero cape! byjessyratfink

Star Trek 2009 Uhura Costume bygiannyl

Happy crafting!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Easy DIY Costume - Little Raven - for under $6

My daughter was invited to an early Halloween party, and she neglected to tell me until last minute (of course). I had to do the best with what I had on hand, and come up with something that was "you know...scary, but not too scary,mom". What we came up with was a little raven! She loves this costume, and likes to wear it around the house, chanting "nevermore!" over and over (and over and over and over and over!)

Lil' G, trick or treating 

Materials:
Black hoodie (old, had on hand)
Black feather boa ($2)
Googly eyes ($2)
Stiff craft felt, black ($1.75)
scissors (on hand)
black thread and needle (on hand)
Hot glue gun (on hand)

Instructions:
1. Thread your needle, and use to attach the boa to the back and arms of the hoodie, in a T shape on the back. This gives you 2 wings and a tail! I just anchored it in several places with tight stitches.
2. Cut a triangle 'beak' out of the stiff black felt. Sew it and a few feathers along the top of the hood. It doesn't have to be perfect!
3. Use the hot glue gun on med-low, and attach the googly eyes to the hood.

There you go, an adorable costume in 5 minutes! The pieces all stayed put all night. For a quick "I need a costume NOW" fix, this was great. My daughter was the hit of the party, and several moms asked me to make birdy costumes for their kids! This can be adapted to pretty much any bird. 

Happy crafting!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

ABOUT ME AND CONTACT INFO

~A Little About J.Rae~

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, in a household where the words "budget" and "coupons" were used a lot. I learned how to use what we had to the best of our ability, and let nothing go to waste. Now that I am running my own household, these odd skills have come in handy! 

I spent the first half of my childhood raised by my stepmother, a woman with ties to the Amish community. She taught me how to sew, how to re-use common objects for practical (and sometimes just fun) uses around the house, and how to really clean a home. 

The second half of my formative years, I spent with my Mother ~ a free spirited, sometimes crazy, always tough woman who taught me that sometimes, the chores can wait! Your kids are only young once! 

I started a family of my own and we moved to a rural town in Central Illinois, near Springfield. I realized that though I've lived most of my life in the suburbs, and a large part of my adult life working in Chicago...I am a country girl at heart! The pace of life is a bit slower here, the people are friendly, and I secretly have always wanted to be a homesteader. 

We are saving up for what we call our "Forever House", which will hopefully have just enough land for me to grow our own veggies and herbs. I love to cook, so this is a big deal to me. I am married, addicted to coffee and a Pisces. When not writing for Little Mom on the Prairie, I write for Little Mom Saves, and am a freelance copy writer for several companies. 

~What You Can Expect~

You will also find my original recipes and crafts, as well as round ups of crafts from some of my favorite blogs. I have started writing about working from home, as well. I hope to add more to my gardening page ASAP.

I might sometimes share a special deal from Little Mom Saves, if I think it is just too good to pass up, or if it is craft/recipe related. 

Thanks again for visiting! If you like what you see, tell your friends!

If you have any questions feel free to email:

ilovethefree@yahoo.com

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.