Menu Planning Monday - November Is Almost Here

So I made a trip to the restaurant supply store a few days ago, and almost fainted at some of the prices. Pasta was up $3! A few things were on sale, so I stocked up. I also tried a new cheese that was on sale, and well... blech. We've used it in two dishes now, and I can honestly say for the first time I actually don't like a cheese! I thought it was the crust of my bread sticks at first since it was a new recipe, but I quickly made a pizza for lunch yesterday, and I realized it was the cheese. Bummer, because it's a five pound bag now that I need to go through.


Monday: pumpkin shaped pizza, witches fingers (green tinted bread sticks with olives as nails!), salad

Tuesday: grilled chicken Florentine

Wednesday: Easy Pasta Bake

Thursday: recipe of the week

Friday: Slow Cooker Kickin' Chili

Saturday: Spicy Beef Roll Ups

Sunday: Slow cooker roasted chicken, homemade biscuits, salad

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Happy Halloween!

ZomBcon 2011, Part Four

I'm going to start off this post by commenting on the ZomBcon mess that's going on. For those who are curious and unaware of what's happening, you can read the official statement here. Ryan Reiter has my full support and I stand behind him as the originator of ZomBcon. He built ZomBcon from the ground up and it is sickening that someone is trying to squat on the name. :( And on to day three of the convention....

Saturday morning we woke up to the dreaded rain, but we trudged along early in the morning for a screening of Day of the Dead. (The original 1985 version) I peeked over during the movie and recognized Jarlath Conroy (McDermott) watching it with us! Next up was a Working with Romero: The Actor's Close Up panel which had many of the cast and crew members from Day of the Dead, including Lori Cardille, Antone Dileo, David Emge, John Amplas, Jarlath, and Eugene Clark - Big Daddy himself! I never knew that the RVs, cars, etc you see down there really were down there as the area they were filming in was an underground storage place. A lot of the actors were sick during the filming because of the dust from the actual mine that was there, too.



After this, we did some wandering around (see post three), and came back for The Walking Dead: Stories of Survival Season Two panel with Norman Reedus and Melissa Cowan. Jon Bernthal was originally supposed to attend too, but canceled at the last minute. It was interesting to learn to Norman talk about how his character Mitch is shaping up this season into being less of an ***. (Fill in the blank there. lol) Melissa, probably best known as "Bicycle Girl" is definitely going to go down as one of the BEST zombie characters ever. I know the total time on the screen for that character was seconds, but you can't talk about The Walking Dead without taking about that zombie. DH was thrilled to meet them both.



Next, was one of the most entertaining panels of the weekend, "Creating A Hero: Costume Design of A Superhero" with our local superheroes Phoenix Jones and Pitch Black, along with cosplay model Vampy Bitme. Phoenix Jones did a great job of making the panel more zombie-fied with sharing items around the home you could use to fight zombies, and I have got to tell you - this guy is HYSTERICAL. Seriously. I totally support what these guys are doing in helping to clean up our communities and it was a lot of fun to listen in on this panel.


We also attended "The Zombie Autopsies" panel with Dr. Steven Schlozman and Jonathon Maberry. The Zombie Autopsies is Dr. Steven Schlozman's book, and it talks about the science behind zombies and what would be possible. Apparently, the book will be made into a movie by George A. Romero!

The following panel was one we had really looked forward to, called "Hand To Hand Combat With The Undead" featuring authors Roger Ma and Jonathon Mayberry. Unfortunately, someone had the really bright idea to bring Sean Patrick Flannery into the panel - which I get that he's a martial arts expert - but he showed no respect for the other folks on the panel or really, the zombie community in general. His idea was to simply "run" or "skip" to everything, which got annoying after about five minutes in. For an hour long panel, you can probably imagine that I was left wanting to smack him upside the head with a frying pan myself. ;) I really hope that this panel is revisited next year with the authors and without Flannery.


One of the panels that was filled to the brim was "True Blood: Surviving Bon Temps" with guest Sam Trammell. I like the show, but eh... not zombie enough for our taste. ;) He seemed like a nice guy, but I'll be honest: I was half asleep during this panel.

The next panel was "Master of Splatter With Tom Savini". He talked a lot about his past, including being sent to Vietnam as a war photographer. The man doesn't need to see pictures in a book to have inspiration of dead bodies, he saw them live. :( It was interesting to hear him talk about his special effects school and more about working on some of the different movies. (Yes, he still has Fluffy, and a bunch of other ones!)




We finished up the evening with "A Boozy Evening With The Boondock Saints". Actually, we weren't going to attend this one, but it was raining, and we decided it was a moot point to go back to the hotel and get changed for Zombie Prom. The guys talked a bit about their past, and ticked off the Hilton staff by getting folks in the crowd to smoke inside. (Yeah, it did wonders for my asthma - it was amazing how quickly smoke traveled in that room and I would not want to be in there during a fire!)

The end of the night was Zombie Prom, which was incredibly late starting. I'm an impatient person especially when I'm half asleep on my feet, so we didn't last long there.

Part five to come....

DVD Review: Victorious: Season One Volume Two

My family and I recently received a copy of the newest Nickelodeon DVD release Victorious Season One Volume Two to review.


Victorious follows Tori Vega who attends a prestigious performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts. The school is filled with plenty of talented students, and while Tori was overwhelmed at the beginning, she has come out of her shell and let her talent shine as the season continues. If your kids like iCarly or Glee, they'll probably enjoy this one too, if they haven't already discovered it! It's best for the ages 9 and up crowd, though as a parent, you may want to decide for yourself.

Volume Two of the first season is a two disc set and contains nine episodes from the second half of the first season: "The Diddly-Bops", "Cat's New Boyfriend", "Sleepover At Sikowitz's", "The Wood", "The Great Ping-Pong Scam", "Wok Star", "Survival of the Hottest", "Wi-Fi In the Sky", and " Freak The Freak Out".

There is a cameo from celebrity gossip columnist Perez Hilton on the "Wi-Fi" episode.

The set also has some bonus materials including the crossover special with fellow Nickelodeon 'tween show iCarly called "iParty With Victorious", a behind the scene look at that special with a mash-up performance, and a music video, "Best Friend's Brother".

Victorious Season One Volume Two will be released on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011. Full screen format, it is not rated (see above for my thoughts), and has a total running time of 240 minutes long. The suggested retail price is $19.99, but Amazon has it available on pre-order for $13.99 as of this posting. (Netflix users: this title is not currently available, but add it to your DVD queue to be notified when it is.)

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Locked Out By Thea Isis Gregory

I recently received an e-book copy of the new book Locked Out: Zombie Bedtime Stories #2 by Thea Isis Gregory to review.


Locked Out is a short story and part two of the Zombie Bedtime Stories. This one shows us the other side: the researchers and army folks who are trying to figure out and contain what is happening, as "riots" break out in the cities. Folks are urged to stay home and indoors in hopes that they will avoid coming into contact with what seems to be an airborne disease that makes the infected attack and eat others. Tired and worn out, Anna, a doctor in charge of a research facility, is on the front lines after Major Cartwright brings the samples to her facility. Will they discover what is happening and find a cure before they are infected?

After reading the short story part one (Locked In), it was interesting to read of the epidemic from the researchers' and military point of view. You don't need to read part one before reading this one, although there is one point in the story where they intertwine with a passing mention. (Spoiler! I am not sharing!) This story is another fast paced part of the Zombie Bedtime series, although a little longer than story one, and I look forward to part three being released! (I am hungry for more! Mwhaha!)

Locked Out: Zombie Bedtime Stories #2 by Thea Isis Gregory is a short fiction e-Book with a total of 34 printed pages. (if you print it out) You can purchase it online via Amazon for the Kindle or via Smashwords for just $0.99 cents as of this posting.

I received a copy of this e-book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Book Review: Locked In By Thea Isis Gregory

I recently received an e-book copy of the new book Locked In: Zombie Bedtime Stories #1 by Thea Isis Gregory to review.


Locked In is a short story and part one of the Zombie Bedtime Stories. Halley, a rookie paramedic, is out on a run for a homeless gentleman she remembers helping out in high school. Apparently, he has gone crazy and is attacking people in the local park. When the man bites her, she is shocked, and her partner Frank cleans her up and sends her home. She doesn't feel very well though, and has no clue what's wrong. Is it stress? Or worse?

If you feel that zombies might be able to think and have feelings like humans do (after all, they were human once!), I think you'll enjoy this short story. It's a fast pace and you'll almost be sad it's over so quickly! (Fear not, for there is more in the series!) The story has the right amount of gore, but it gives it a different perspective than the usual survivor who knows to look for weapons kind of zombie story. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Locked In: Zombie Bedtime Stories #1 by Thea Isis Gregory is a short fiction e-Book with a total 18 printed pages. (if you print it out) You can purchase it online via Amazon for the Kindle or via Smashwords for just $0.99 cents as of this posting.

I received a copy of this e-book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Book Review: See Mix Drink By Brian D. Murphy

I recently received a copy of the new book See Mix Drink: A Refreshingly Simple Guide To Crafting The World's Most Popular Cocktails by Brian D. Murphy to review.


See Mix Drink is a guide to making your own cocktails at home. It contains the step by step recipes to make 100 different drinks, with an appeal to everyone, from champagnes to brandy to vodka. The book shares with you every ingredient you'll need to make the drink, from glassware to shakers or stirrers to the alcohol involved.

Shows like Mad Men have made cocktails all the rage again, so I'm not surprised to know that the author decided to learn to make one of the cocktails because of the show. I've never been particularly very good at mixing drinks - when I could drink, I usually tended to stick to either a glass of Merlot or simply cranberry and vodka if I was making it myself. At one point I discovered a "Black Sheep", which is made with brandy, but I would only have it when ordering in a bar.

So my knowledge of making cocktails is pretty minuscule, which would make me a very bad 50's housewife. ;) I like See Mix Drink, because not only does it share with you the bar essentials, which is great for a cocktail newbie like me, but each drink has a color illustration with a break down of each ingredient you're adding to the drink. There is also a color photograph of the finished drink for you to compare yours to. It's detailed folks, and that means you can't mess it up! It even shares with you how to pronounce the names, which comes in handy for some of the names.

If you're planning on hosting a holiday get together, or maybe you just want to have a little fun while watching Mad Men or a vintage movie night - you can have a lot of fun learning and sharing new drinks thanks to See Mix Drink. I've seen a few how-to's on mixing drinks recently, and this one definitely is the most detailed and easiest to follow, especially for those of us who have no clue what they are doing. ;) It would also make a great stocking stuffer gift for the aspiring bartender.

See Mix Drink: A Refreshingly Simple Guide To Crafting The World's Most Popular Cocktails by Brian D. Murphy is a hardcover food and recipe book published by Little, Brown and Company. It is 232 pages long. The suggested cover price is $14.99, but Amazon has it available for $10.08 as of this posting.

I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts. All opinions are my own and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Book Review: Boomer And Halley Election Day By Mary Jane McKittick

My family and I recently received a copy of the new children's book Boomer And Halley Election Day: A Town Votes For Civic Responsibility by Mary Jane McKittick to review.


Boomer And Halley Election Day is a special book geared towards the ages 4 to 8 crowd to teach them about civility, honesty, and of course manners. It arrives at a perfect time as local elections will soon be taking place across the country. In the story, the town of Shady Pines, a small Southern town, is holding a special election. You see, money has gone missing from the town, and the residents are convinced Mayor Beauregard Fibbs is at fault. Nothing is being done around town because of it - even the gate to the dog park is broken, and dangerous! Boomer, an Australian Shepard, and Halley (short for Halley's Comet), a kitty, get a front row seat as their owner, Edna, is nominated to run against the mayor! Will things be righted in this small town?

I loved that this story is teaching kids about their civic duty to not only vote, but hold those folks we voted in to be accountable for their actions. It helps show kids that they CAN make a difference by speaking up if they notice something is wrong. It's up to us to help fix things when they are broken. You don't need to result to name calling to get the job done, either. (Ah hem, maybe our current Congress needs to read this book?) I also love that in talking about civic responsibility, the author managed to sneak in taking care of your pets! Using the two pet characters also helps get kids interested in the storyline, and there are plenty of black and white drawings throughout the book. It was fun to read together!

This is book three in a series. There are two other books - Scavenger Hunt and Lost and Found. The author just won a Mom’s Choice award for book three! (Boomer And Halley Election Day) You can find out more about this great series for kids by visiting the Boomer and Halley website, where you can also get a free civility lesson.

Boomer And Halley Election Day: A Town Votes For Civic Responsibility by Mary Jane McKittick is a softcover children's book published by Theo Davis Printing. It is 52 pages long. The suggested cover price is $9.50, and you can purchase the book via the website.

I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts. All opinions are my own and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Book Tour & Review: Refuge On Crescent Hill By Melanie Dobson

I recently received a copy of the book Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson to review as part of a Kregel Blog Tour.


Camden Bristow, a freelance photographer, is broke, jobless, and now homeless, so she decides a good plan would be to visit her grandmother in Ohio who she hasn't seen since she was ten. Upon her arrival though, she finds out her grandmother has passed away and left her the 150 year old mansion on Crescent Hill. Devastated, she settles in to the beaten up house only to find evidence that she may not be the mansion's only occupant. Things keep disappearing. Could her grandmother's stories of secret passages and runaway slaves be true?

Alex Yates is relatively new to town, and is intent on making money via developments. His proposal to bring a Walmart to town was shot down. The land around the mansion could be quite valuable - is that what motivates him to help Camden?

It seems others know the home's secrets. Will Camden learn them in time?

The author's writing flowed and I really enjoyed this book. The mystery of what was going on and who Camden could trust really pulled you in. I liked reading familiar town names from when I lived in Ohio, too, and I found myself wishing we had an old house like this one. Sigh! A girl can dream, right? The historical parts with the Underground Railroad are just enough to reel in a history geek like myself without boring the non-history folks. Speaking of my fellow history geeks, if you'd like to check out a photo of the house that inspired this book, you can do so on the author's website - you can also find out more about her and check out some of her other books!

Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson is a paperback Christian suspense fiction book published by Kregel Publications. It is 271 pages long. The suggested cover price is $13.99, but Amazon has it available for $11.89 as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to participate in the blog tour and share my thoughts on this book. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Review: SentrySafe Pink 1100 Fire Safe

I joke a lot about being prepared for the zombie apocalypse on here, but in a way, I'm being serious with you. If you're prepared for the zombies coming at you, then generally you're also ready for natural disasters. The same steps that you'd probably take for being ready for the zombies - food and water for two weeks for instance, would also help in case of a major snowstorm, or if a hurricane was hitting your area. Having a plan to evacuate your home in case of zombies pounding on your front door would also help if your home was on fire. Zombies make it a lot more fun than using "insert natural disaster of choice - even the CDC has caught onto that!

The one place folks generally lapse in their preparedness though is safekeeping their documents and important family photos. I've seen people leave for a hurricane with just a suitcase full of clothes and some toys. Folks, if something is coming at you hard enough that you are being told to evacuate, there's a big chance you're going to come back to your home in ruins. Don't leave your insurance papers (or your pets!!!!) at home - these are the items that should be loaded into your vehicle or backpack first, not clothing which is easily replaceable!

The folks over at SentrySafe sent me on over the specially-designed Pink 1100 Fire Safe. During the month of October, a portion of the sale of this pink safe will be donated - SentrySafe will donate $1 from your purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, for a total of up to $25,000. I'm glad to know when my purchases help support a charity, especially a cause like breast cancer.



For all my work on being prepared, we actually didn't own a fire safe chest, so I was thrilled to receive this. I always kept a copy of major documents on a flash drive, as well as keeping them organized in a binder that would be easy to grab if we had to evacuate and had time. However, neither of those solutions would be helpful if our home caught on fire! It also wouldn't help me save important things to my family, like photos of great-grandparents and locks of hair. I immediately set into fixing that! Here it is with some of the important things in it:


I plan to keep it in the bedroom near the bed, so I can grab it and go in an emergency. (It's right next to our emergency bag!) The pink color is actually awesome, because the moonlight/streetlight actually catches the color. I normally tend to lean towards blacks, but in this case, the pink is the better choice! Now if you are trying to hide it from prying eyes, say in the top of a closet, then the black might work better for you. (Walmart actually carries a Black 1100 Fire Chest which contributes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and you can snag the pink there too)

One of the things I really like about the Sentry Safe is the handle means in an emergency where I have a few minutes to evacuate - hurricane, wildfire, etc - I can just grab that handle and quickly load it or carry it with me. Even loaded with a bunch of documents and photos, it wasn't too heavy for me to carry. (I walked up and down the street and few times with it just to check) It's also the right size for a college student to keep things away from prying eyes, and even kids could use it as a treasure chest to keep their important things in - making it a great way to brooch fire preparedness with kids. (A fire is absolutely devastating to small children!)

Not sure you need a fire proof safe? Think again. You might need the deed to your home to prove it really is yours in case of returning back to your neighborhood after a natural disaster. Your local police officer might know who you are, but the National Guard who is brought in to help will not! Having all the paperwork available from that safe if a fire happens will make things a lot easier to prove you really owned an important item - and keeping those precious photo memories really is priceless. Anyone who has lost their belongings in a fire will tell you that. :( Here's a list of items you should keep in your SentrySafe:

*birth certificates (notarized)
*social security cards
*passports
*house deeds (if you own)
*any insurance documents - life, home, car,
*wills, etc
*copies of all your high school/college diplomas (originals if not on display)
*health records (including vaccinations records if it applies)
*pet health records (especially rabies records!)
*pictures of your house, outside and in, for insurance purposes, and any receipts that go along with the items (for instance, that TV or your wedding ring)
*important photos that you don't want to loose, such as of your children or wedding, or Aunt Erma
*any genealogical information you don't want to loose
*baptismal information, etc
*your CURRENT job resume for the moneymakers of the house
*older Family bibles

The inside of the safe is 12" wide by 3.5" high by 17.5 long. You might need to fold some of your documents in order to fit them in. The SentrySafe Pink Fire Safe Chest is backed by a UL-proven fire rating at 1,550° for up to 30 minutes to ensure your valuables will be safe in case of a fire - it also includes CDs, DVDs, memory sticks and USB drives.

By the way, if your SentrySafe is damaged by fire at any time you own it, Sentry Group will ship a replacement to you free of charge. Simply mail a copy of the model number, a photo of the burned SentrySafe, and a copy of the official report from the fire/police departments. Not a lot of companies would do this, so I think this is great!

The SentrySafe Pink FireSafe Chest retails for around $24.99, which I feel is a really good price. It comes with two keys, so my suggestion is that you keep one where you can easily access it, and give the second key to someone you trust who lives outside the home, such as a parent or sibling. This way, if you can't grab your keys during a fire (remember, you will have less than 60 seconds to get out!), you can easily access the safe using the other key.

I highly recommend the SentrySafe Fire Safe Chest as a practical gift this season for younger folks - most of us don't have one, and really don't think about owning one until it's too late. You can also say it's for in case of the zombie apocalypse, and they will probably think it's awesome!

One more thing though, while we are on the subject of zombies - the SentrySafe FireSafe Chest is NOT safe for guns and ammo during a fire, so don't even think about it. Purchase a proper gun safe for these items.

Be sure to check out SentrySafe on Facebook and Twitter for promotions and giveaways!

I received the item mentioned above in order to try it out in my own home and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

End Of October Random News, Sales & Contests

My inbox is full of great stuff to share with you, and rather than fill up your inbox or Twitter stream, I'm condensing it into one easy peasy post! Hopefully you'll be able to take advantage of some of the offers.

FRESCHETTA has created a special code just for FRESCHETTA pizza fans that allows you to donate $1.00 to Breast Cancer Research on www.ProudToSupportPink.com with no purchase required. The code is FRESCH11 - please help donate by entering this code in!

Dixie Crystals Sugar will be giving away a coupon for $4 off your sugar purchase this coming Monday, October 31st. The first 2,000 people to fill out the One Day Giveaway form on Facebook will be able to download a coupon worth $4, or the same price of a bag of sugar. Be sure to already “like” the Dixie Crystals Facebook Page, and download the SmartSource.com coupon printer applet so you can be ready to print your copy.

Most animal shelters and rescue groups are seriously hurting for donations right now thanks to our economy. You can help thanks to the fourth annual Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart campaign supports animal welfare organizations nationwide sponsored by Kroger and Purina. Through November 2, for each pet tale shared online, Purina and Kroger will make a $1 donation, up to $25,000, to animal welfare organizations nationwide. Plus, you could win too! When you complete the online sweepstakes entry form at www.TalesForThePetLoversHeart.com, you could win a year’s worth of groceries from your local Kroger affiliate and a year’s supply of Purina pet food! Plus a $50,000 donation will be made in the winner’s honor to a participating animal welfare organization. For more information and to enter, check out the website above.

Do you have a giant pile of laundry? Quick, snap a photo! A contest on Facebook is aiming to find the largest laundry pile in America. It’s simple: “Like” TerraCycle on Facebook to view the contest, post a picture of your biggest pile of dirty laundry and vote once a day, every day for your favorite entry. The winner will receive a one-year supply of Dropps laundry detergent! For more information, and to enter, here. Hurry though, as the contest ends November 1st to enter your photo! You can also help keep Dropps packaging out of landfills by joining TerraCycle’s Dropps Laundry Detergent Pouch Brigade, and earn money for your child’s school or a charity of your choice for every pouch that’s collected. Visit http://www.terracycle.net to start collecting today!

From now until November 19th, CLEAN+GREEN natural pet stain and odor removers will be on sale in all Petco stores nationwide for just $7.49! I've previously reviewed their Furniture Refresher and have been quite pleased with it.

During the 100 toughest days of the cold and flu season, Robitussin is giving out 100,000 Simple Acts of Relief, which includes an instant win game & sweepstakes for a chance to win a variety of prizes, such as coupons for free product, pre-paid gift cards and the ultimate sweepstakes grand prize of $100,000! (Um, I don't know about you - but right now, I'd about faint if I won $100K!) There is also a printable coupon on that page to save $1.00 off your next purchase of Robitussin.

Abe’s Market, a blend of Etsy and Whole Foods featuring bits and pieces from Amazon, Groupon and Home Shopping Network, connects buyers seeking amazing natural products with the people who make them. They recently released a new video on how to look eco fabulous with expert Jasmin Malik Chua of eco-fashion site Ecouterre discussing ethical/sustainable practices and the impact of conventional cotton (it takes 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to make one t-shirt!). If you're interested in learning more, definitely check out that video! If you're interested in making a purchase, I have an exclusive discount code for you: use promo code ENB-az4xp2 at checkout to receive $10 off a $30 purchase or more!

This Saturday, October 29th is National Oatmeal Day, and Better Oats has a $1.00 printable coupon available for your next purchase of three or more products on their Facebook page. Just "like" the page to access it!

Review: ChicBoom Cassette Speaker

I am most definitely an 80's kind of girl. I love the movies, the big hair, and most importantly - the music! Yes, I'll admit that I still have a stack of cassettes from the 80's here. (How about a little Cure or Dio, folks? lol) Who can forget patiently rewinding a cassette simply to listen to a song twice on your portable cassette player?

Um, yeah, I don't miss that at all! LOL I do miss the nostalgia of the artwork in the cassette liners - it seems these days, most album covers are incredibly boring. The majority of my music is downloaded online (legally!), and I have to admit, I love being able to skip from song to song on my iPod without having to lug around a stack of tapes or CDs. I may love the past, but I do NOT miss that part either! lol

I also remember sharing headphones with other kids on the bus so they could listen to whatever the latest band was that I had stumbled onto. It was nice to spread the word about the bands, but no fun only being able to listen to my music with one ear! Now with the iPods, that's a LOT easier - you can simply hook up your MP3 player to any of the portable speakers on the market, and everyone around you can hear.


ChicBuds, known for their fashion forward electronics, recently released the chicboom Cassette Speaker, and it's a great way to share your tunes with others with a little bit of nostalgic flair! Shaped like a cassette - complete with plastic "tape" holder - you can connect to any listening device with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack. Whether it's an iPod or iPhone, or regular MP3 player, you can use this! Simply charge the speaker first, and you'll get up to 2 hours of awesome, distortion-free sound. The built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery is easy to charge via any USB drive, and the battery life indicator will let you know if it's time to charge it or not. You also don't have to worry that you need to go out and purchase more cables, as both the stereo cable and USB cable are included.

I'm a dork, so I just LOVED this! The chicboom Cassette Speaker is easy to toss into a backpack or messenger bag to share at a moment's notice. It's the size of any old cassette, so even if you should loose the clear carrying case, it's super easy to find a new one at a thrift store or garage sale. The speakers on my laptop are not the greatest, so it was nice to get some better sound using this while we were at the hotel for ZomBcon! I think this would also make a great stocking stuffer for teens and college students.

The chicboom Cassette Speaker retails for $21.99, and you can purchase it online via the chicbuds website. If you're interested in getting one for FREE though, I'll be giving away one on November 1st! For more free products and giveaways, go to http://www.facebook.com/chicbuds. I won't be the only one giving away the chicboom Cassette Speaker that day, so head on over there to find out who is, and get all your entries in!

I received the item shown above in order to try it out and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Giveaway Winners!

The winner of the The Popcorn Factory Halloween Giveaway:

Erica G said...

I would love to get the HB2U set!

The winners of the Marzetti Giveaway:

Anonymous said...

I would like to make the Baked Pancake With Caramel Banana Sauce

Hoa said...

I'd love to make the Caramel Dipped Marshmallow Treats.

The winner of the Freschetta Proud To Support Pink Giveaway:

ZESTYWONDERLAND said...

I would get the Brick Oven Zesty Italian Style Supreme !

The winner of the Dinosaur Train Halloween Giveaway:

Renee G said...

My son wants to be a doctor for Halloween.

The winner of the Daryl Hall CD Giveaway:

peterg201 said...

My favorite Daryl Hall song is
You Burn Me up I'm a

The winner of the Nacho Mama Tees Giveaway:

Nicole Larsen said...

I would get the Christmas Vacation Jelly of the Month Club T-shirt

And the winner of the Crazy Dog T-shirts Giveaway:

Kate said...

I love the GIVE A HOOT, DON'T POLLUTE T SHIRT!

Congratulations everyone! I'm sending out emails right now - remember, you have 48 hours to get back to me!

Thrifty Thursday - Holiday Budgets

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm reminding you that it's just about time to start planning your holiday budget. From gift giving at the office, to planning Thanksgiving dinner, to spoiling your kids rotten - all of this can add up really quickly!


Start planning your budget by writing down all of the things you're planning to accomplish for the holidays. Don't forget the little things, like holiday cards, and budgeting for the extra electricity for the outdoor Christmas lights. Your list might get pretty long, especially if your family tends to be the main hub during the holidays.

You'll want to start prioritizing your list. Perhaps you don't mind basic boxed greeting cards, but you absolutely must have a special bottle of wine for Thanksgiving. Allocate accordingly. I've found it easier to leave space between each line on my "need" list so I can cut each item and re-arrange back and forth as I think about what is more important to me. It's a little more work at first, but it helps me plan the budget easier.

After you have your list ready to go, you'll want to plan the total amount of your budget and STICK TO YOUR BUDGET. Once your budget is set, then you can start the shopping! Have your budget and list ready to go before you step foot in a store. Once Halloween is over, most stores will start rolling out their holiday sales because they want your money! You can use this to your advantage - stores like Walmart will have holiday layaways. If you have your budget ready, you can already snag a more expensive gift and pay as you go along this holiday. Stores like Safeway currently have their gas rewards program that can help you too - where you get 4x rewards points just for purchasing gift cards to stores like Amazon. If you know you will be buying gift cards to give as gifts, or you are planning to holiday shop and know where you will be spending money already at, you can come out a little ahead. Other stores will probably follow suit, so take a moment to check out ads online before heading out!

DVD Review: VeggieTales: The Little Drummer Boy

My family and I recently received the new animated DVD VeggieTales: The Little Drummer Boy to review.


The VeggieTales have taken on the Christmas classic The Little Drummer Boy just in time for the holiday season! Junior Asparagus is main character in this version, playing The Little Drummer Boy, a lonely child who finds the true meaning of Christmas when he stumbles upon the birth of baby Jesus. The story is told with plenty of music and dancing - including the new silly song, "The 8 Polish Foods of Christmas" which will be stuck in your head for days! Here is the trailer:


Direct Link for the feedreaders

As you probably know by now, each title in the VeggieTales series of books, CDs, and videos bring an important lesson to the table for young children to learn. This one brings generosity, forgiveness, and love - all very important for children to learn during the Christmas season. (And really, all year long) I love the Veggie Tales because kids don't even realize they are learning important qualities. As a parent, you'll NEVER have to worry that Larry or Bob will say something inappropriate! (If only there were more shows on the market like this!)

Geeky husbands will love the Star Wars references in this one. ;) It's the perfect DVD to usher in the Christmas season. (I'd save it for the day after Thanksgiving, of course)

VeggieTales: The Little Drummer Boy is full of bonus features, including the "Little Drummer Boy" music video, a fun behind the scenes look at the music of the "The Little Drummer Boy", a trip to visit a drum factory with Junior Asparagus (this is really neat!), a fun family activity that shows you how to make your own drum, an interactive book preview called "Christmas Is Finally Here", and Singalong Songs.

VeggieTales: The Little Drummer Boyis available now on DVD at your favorite Christian retailer and Big Idea, as well as sites like Amazon. The total running time is 45 minutes long. It's not rated, but geared towards the preschool and young school age set. The suggested retail price is $14.97.

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

DVD Review: CatDog Season 1 Part 1

My family and I recently received a copy of the new animated DVD CatDog Season One Part 1 to review.


CatDog is the latest release from the Nickelodeon vintage cartoon vault. Originally airing in the late 90's, it followed the adventures of Cat and Dog who were joined in the middle - making them CatDog. It made for some amusing fun, as they were complete opposites in just about everything - Cat was tidy, Dog was a slob for instance. For all their differences though, they were best friends. (Well, you'd kind of have to be in a situation like that lol) The show is geared for the ages 7 to 12 crowd and it ran for four season.

Season One Part One is a two disc set that contains the first ten double story episodes of the first season: "Dog Gone"/"All You Can’t Eat", "Flea or Die!"/"CatDog Food", "Full Moon Fever"/"War of the CatDog", "Pumped"/"Dummy Dummy", "Nightmare"/"CatDogPig", "Squirrel Dog"/"Brother’s Day", "The Island"/"All You Need is Lube", "Party Animal"/"Mush, Dog, Mush!", "Diamond Fever"/"The Pet", and "Shriek Loves Dog"/"Work Force".

DH thinks this show is funny, I just think it's silly. There's a bit of questionable humor in this show at times, so make it your call on what you are comfortable with your child viewing at what age - I say at least 7 and up.

CatDog Season One Part 1 is available now wherever DVD's are sold. Full screen format, it is not rated, and has a total running time of about four hours long. The suggested retail price is $19.93, but Amazon has it available for $15.49 as of this posting. (Netflix users: this title is not currently available for streaming, but add it to your DVD queue to be notified when it is available.)

I received a copy of this DVD in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

ZomBcon 2011, Part Three

I'm going to break off from talking about the panels for round three today and talk some more about some of the fabulous vendors and authors at ZomBcon.

Let me start it off by saying I screwed up though - both DH and I were manning cameras, and apparently I got too lazy, because I didn't take pictures thinking he was taking pictures - and yeah, pictures I thought we had we don't have. Oops! :(

You know I am going to gush about books, and a bunch of great authors from Permuted Press were there signing books:


(Did you spot one of the books on my to-read list from a few weeks back?) Seriously, if you want some great books to read, I can give you a giant list from these folks. ;)

I've got to share with you one of DH's favorite purchases, his ZombAlert pendant from the folks at Optimystical Studios:


The back of the pendant carries his "final" wishes should he be turned into a zombie:


Yeah, it says "KEEP AS PET". Teehee. ;) I'm going to keep in the shed playing video games like in Shaun of the Dead.

I also snagged these bumper stickers from them to decorate my writing area:


Totally me, right? The awesome part is with our purchase I even ended up getting a cute pair of earrings for free. I'd take a pictures of them, but they seem to be buried in the bag full of bug out stuff ZomBcon gave us as part of our passes.

Speaking of bugging out, I can't bring up that subject without bringing up the guys from the Zombie Squad. We had a great emergency preparedness conversation, and DH picked up a sticker and patch from our local chapter. If you are wanting a fun way to get into preparedness, you have to check out the Zombie Squad forum.


I almost brought home one of the awesome Gnombies. I didn't get any photos of the booth, but here's one from their website so you can check 'em out:


And DH wanted one of everything from the guys over at Zombie Tools. I nearly had to thwap him over the head. Next year, I'm running with the pet idea and seriously making him wear a collar and leash. Laugh if you want, but it's easier to keep track of him. I lost him a few times and this would help me drag him along too. LOL

Twice I tried to get to the back side of the merchandise area to go visit Haunted Home, which you might remember I featured on my blog a few weeks ago. I kept getting distracted!

I wish I had more pictures and could share more about the fabulous vendors at ZomBcon, but we spent 90% of the time in panels! (DH even had some free vouchers for photos with some of the celebrity guests, and he missed his chance to use them because we were always in the panels when they were taking photos!)

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Crazy Kitties!

I woke up to a scene in the kitchen. DH tends to go to bed later than I, and I guess after taking trash out, he didn't put my kitchen can back in the exact same spot. Why does this matter? Because it blocks the cats from getting into the pet cabinet. Unfortunately, it's a weird cabinet and I can't use any of the childproof locks to keep them out, and DH's ding dong cat can open the cabinets easily. (I must be the only person that has to cat proof rather than child proof my cabinets... sigh!) Anyways, the rotten kitties got into a very big bag of catnip. Need I say my kitchen looked like someone dumped a planter of dirt everywhere? They must have had field day! No wonder I woke up to no cats on the bed, they were all high in the kitchen on the 'nip!

I was not happy as you can probably guess. Luckily for me, DH is off today so I made him clean it up! ;)

...I am in withdrawals from ZomBCon.

And I am still so tired. I had about six hours of sleep total in over 3 days, so exhaustion was seriously getting me. By Sunday morning I was feeling like I was turning into a zombie. I still haven't caught up on sleep. And I really haven't even spent time in my kitchen - we've had Subway for dinner one night, and Little Caeser's the next. Tonight? Well, there's a tray of chicken in the fridge, we'll see. lol

The new neighbors' dog hates DH. It's hysterical. She can be inside, and hear DH's voice as we walk past, and go crazy barking. LOL

The Zombies Live! AMC Renews The Walking Dead Yeah, no surprise there. Although, usually if I like a show, it's the kiss of death for it. See Firefly, Jericho, The Dresden Files and Eureka (although at least Eureka made it nearly 5 seasons)

Zombies Worth Over $5 Billion to the Economy I guess we help contribute to it a little. lol ;)

Short and sweet this week, I guess. I'm still soaking in information from this weekend. lol

ZomBcon 2011, Part Two

So I mentioned that we headed down to ZomBcon on Thursday, where we attended the Welcome to the Apocalypse mixer for the specialty pass holders, and attended the Late Night at the Vagimacon Panel, which was a gathering of female horror enthusiasts from a gender-centric micro-con that is hoping to have a big show in February. They had some really good stories that they read - it's not normally my cup of tea, but interesting none the less.

Alas, we missed a panel on the vampire movie Martin because I was an idiot I need glasses and read it wrong as simply the movie Interview with A Vampire, which I have never seen and never will. ;) (If you're asking how on earth I misread that, it's the fact that there was a True Blood panel and other non-zombie things going on at ZomBCon. Big oops. Yes, DH is ticked off at me. lol)

Another big mistake? We choose to stay at an off-site hotel a few doors down instead of at the Hilton. Big, huge, honkin' mistake. If you're going to attend ZomBCon, even if you live locally like us, spend the extra money to stay at the Hilton. I'm all about being thrifty and saving money, but you'll thank yourself in the long run. We ended up spending extra time walking back and forth, and with Seattle rain, it was annoying to walk around during the day feeling damp. Another plus? You can take back your loot to the room so you're not carrying it around all day. Oh, and easily change your clothes multiple times during the day. ;)

Friday morning we were up bright and early for the screening of The Night of the Living Dead, followed by a great panel called “They’re Coming to Get You, Barbara” with Judith O'Dea who played Barbara in the 1967 movie. It was fun to listen to her talk about the old farmhouse, and admit that she got into the scared frame of mind by the 3D versions of House of Wax. She also mentioned being afraid of a skeleton that in the make up area that everyone would practice with derma wax (which is what funeral homes use to fill in holes and wounds on bodies).

Next, was one of my absolute favorite panels of the weekend, called "Scanning the Zombie Brain" with Brad Voytek, PhD, a neuroscientist who talked about how the brain functions, and how the zombie brain would behave. Some of you might think this sounds boring, but trust me, it was incredibly entertaining and informative. Seriously. I walked away looking at neuroscience a little differently. Did you know there are certain areas of the brain might decay faster and create the certain characteristics of zombies - like slow zombies being uncoordinated and the inability to speak or see?


After this, DH made his way through the vendors and started contemplating what he was going to bring home. He was like a kid in a candy store. lol I just sat back and soaked it in. ;) Then I quickly drug him on over to Artist Alley, where I was able to get S.G. Browne to sign my very abused copy of Breathers. (That's what happens when DH gets ahold of my books... sigh!) I say quickly, because then it was off to the next panel...


which was with Cherie Priest. For those unfamiliar with her, she's a local (OK, sort of - she lives here but is not from here) author who has written a chunk of books, probably the best known being Boneshaker. Zombies, vampires, and steampunk - she's awesome. (insert Jedi mind trick: read her books!)

...which she brought up one of my favorite quote, "Steampunk is what happens when goth's discover brown" - Jess Nevins - which is so true. LOL It's kind of a natural progression for many. ;) I'm not giving up my bats, spiders, or gargoyles any time soon though...


Next, was one of DH's favorite panels, "Creepshow: Fear in Four Colors" with Tom Savini, John Amplas, and Michael Gornick. DH really enjoyed this one, as Creepshow is one of his favorite movies. Who can ever forget "Fluffy"? (Savini still has him, by the way) Listening to the guys talk about the cockroaches was a little on the heebie jeebie side to me. Apparently, they got the cockroaches in from Guatemala. Apparently, all they had to do was tell customs they were for a Stephen King movie, and they let them in. Geesh.

I'm not kidding about it being jampacked for us - the next panel was with Jonathon Maberry - which hey, it's a co-inky dink - his new book is out today, called Dead of Night as well as you can see Jonathon tonight on the Zombies: A Living History special tonight on the History Channel. And, yes, I am plugging him - he's another awesome author that you must read. (Look for a review of Dead of Night here on my blog, soon)


and dun dun dun... another happy DH moment, where the Night Crew consisting of Thom Carnell and Sean Smithson grilled Sid Haig - yes, Sid Haig of The Devil's Rejects fame. (I'd toss in the Tutti line, but I keep my blog "G") I'll admit I didn't realize how many films this man had been in. There was moment where he was talking about filming the prison movies in the Philippines, and he was able to visit a very secluded village and film a scene. Before he could film this scene though, he had to get permission from the tribal leader... and to do so, he ended up drinking a bowl of blood and hallucinogens. Can you say yikes? LOL

ZomBcon 2011, Part One

Oh my gosh, if you couldn't tell by my lack of posts so far, we are EXHAUSTED from ZomBcon! It was nearly four days of a jam packed schedule for us. But let me back up first, for those who have no clue, ZomBcon is a convention held in Seattle whose focus is on zombies! From movies to books to survival to even the zombie brain, it was:

zombies.

zombies.

zombies.

And a little other stuff this year, like True Blood, The Devil's Rejects and The Boondock Saints.

There was panels about filming with the Godfather of the Undead "Zombies" (or ghouls), George A. Romero, to a conversation with the Master of Splatter himself, Tom Savini. Lots of awesome authors were there to talk about their books and sign, from Cherie Priest to Jonathon Maberry.

DH was in heaven when Thursday night while at the Welcome to the Apocalypse mixer he was able to meet Tom Savini and Bill Moseley! That was just the beginning of the fun for us.

One of my personal favorites was getting to attend a panel on Night of the Living Dead Friday morning and listening to Judith O'Dea, who played Barbara (They're coming to get you, Barbara!) speak. Later on during the weekend, we were able to talk with her a few minutes, and DH took a picture with her. It was AMAZING to meet Judith.



I've got TONS of stuff I cannot wait to share with y'all about some of the panels, and rather than make this a gigantic long post no one wants to read, I'm going to break it into a couple of smaller ones.

Here's a shot of my very happy DH walking through the exhibitor's area drooling over all the great stuff you could purchase. Remember my swearing I'd take his wallet away? Yeah, I should have done that. The hall was very, very dangerous. Let me just say we came back with way more stuff than we left with!

Review: AlwaysFits.com Zombie Brain Gelatin Mold

What's a zombie get-together without brains? ;) (Trivia: the whole zombies + brains didn't come about until The Return of the Living Dead movie in 1985. Really, zombies love ANY body part.) The folks over at AlwaysFits.com sent me on over the Zombie Brain Gelatin Mold from their Candy+Yum section to review.


There's always room for... brains? Yes, kids, there is - especially when it involved Jello! The brain mold is a sturdy green plastic, and there are different recipes on the box to help you start on your creative brain making journey. ;) Since we actually wanted to eat the brain - well, rather the DH and kiddo did, I simply made ours with fruit flavored Jello - I think Raspberry. Maybe Strawberry. Anyways.... here it is:


The zombies already got into it and started tearing it apart. Really! ;) Actually, it was a little hard for me to get the brain out of the plastic mold, but I am sure I will improve with practice. It made a really fun dessert for us just before leaving for ZomBcon, and it will be perfect for Halloween parties! It also has a great price at just $6.99 - I've seen similar molds at Halloween superstores that are priced more expensive and not as great quality. (I'm guessing those would probably fall apart after a couple of uses, this one should last for several years.)

Right now, AlwaysFits.com is hosting a KILLER contest where you can win $300 worth of candy. (Talk about some serious sugar rushes!) Simply make a video with a total running time of under 4 minutes using one (or many) of the zany edibles in the “Candy + Yum” section in your video, and head on over and upload it to the contest page, where you will find out more information and of course, the rules. The contest runs through November 18th, so you have plenty of time to get a great video in the running for prizes!

I received the product shown above in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Menu Planning Monday Is Non-Existant

This week, anyways. I came back in last night and hit the menu planning wall. Literally, not physically. ;) I need to grocery shop for fresh things - seriously, there isn't a fresh fruit or vegetable in the house at the moment - and since we are all now sick, nothing interests me. I think I will simply rotate through some of the canned soups for a few days (need to rotate my FIFO, anyways) and then you'll see Menu Planning Thursday or Friday this week when I feel more into it. ;)

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Review: LoveSac Phur Slippers

Living in the damp Northwest with no carpeting in our home, we wear slippers a lot. So when LoveSac asked if I was interested in reviewing a pair of their Phur slippers, I happily said yes! I never knew they had slippers - I was mostly familiar with their awesome Sacs. (They are the most comfortable "bean bag" you will ever sit on!)

LoveSac Phur slippers are made from a hypo allergenic polyester knit that gives it a "furry" look. They sent me on over a pair of the creme colored slippers.

When I opened the package, I was surprised at the box they arrived in - it was presented so nicely! It's so perfect for gift giving. Look at the inside after I took the lid off:


Nice, right? (And that box is seriously sturdy - it screams to be repurposed. lol Decoupage, anyone?) Here's a shot of the slippers before I put them on:


Guess what made the journey with me to ZomBCon? Yes, these! They are soft, plushy heaven on my aching, tired feet. The bottom of the slippers has a non-slip patch, although as a head's up - be careful with the surfaces, with the hotel's slightly worn carpet I caught myself slipping once. When we were at home though, it was nice on our hardwood floors. The creme color is a soft elegant shade, and I really love it. Normally I tend to lean towards darker colors, especially for slippers so they don't show the dirt, but this color is really pretty. Luckily, they are washable, so if they get a little icky looking, I can just toss them into the washer and let them line dry overnight.

You can purchase the Phur slippers on LoveSac's website, where they retail for $49.

I received the item shown above in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Lunch Makeover Challenge With Truvia Part One

Y'all know I am trying to get DH a little healthier. Well, I am going to take part in the Lunch Makeover Challenge with Truvia natural sweetener.


Just before we left today, a kit arrived with some Truvia and recipes to replace a typical sugar-loaded snack with a no-sugar-added, naturally sweetened snack. When we get home from ZomBCon, I'm going stealth - DH has no clue that I plan to start baking some of the recipes to replace other snacks he loves. I'm going to see if he can notice a difference - I'm betting he can't.

Check back next week for some of recipes and the verdict on whether or not he's noticed it!

ZomBcon!

We have arrived at our hotel for ZomBCon! I will try to post a few photos throughout the weekend, and some updates - but for the most part, I will be busy preparing for the zombie apocalypse. ;) As soon as I start uploading photos a little later on, I will post the link to the Flickr stream.

Oh, and I have a fun review post for later on! Don't miss me too much, I'll try to post once a day for you. Sorry entrecarders, drops will have to wait until Monday, but I will return sincere visits!

Giveaway: In Case Of Zombies

Let's face it: most people don't take zombies seriously until oops, there's a zombie apocalypse in their front yard. You're not one of those people, right? You have your two month supply of food and water, and enough ammo to make a good go of it?

But I bet you have lots of friends who scoff at you for being prepared for the zombies. Secretly you might think some of those friends would make good zombie food, but there are those you really care for. You want to get them prepared, but they just shrug or laugh at you. Maybe you can't carry your supplies to work, but you'd like to have your office prepared. Well, I have the perfect holiday gift idea for you.

In Case Of Zombies carries an assortment of Zombie Defense Boxes to suit just about any home or office. From the Pistol and Knife Combo Box*:



to Zombie Bait, so you can pick them off easily:


In Case of Zombies has the perfect options for you to help safely survive the zombie apocalypse! ;) (Note: all the weapons included in the boxes are replica. You could - theoretically, of course, change the weapons out to the real thing if desired.)

Already have your weapons completely ready to go? Well, then, check out the super cool Are You Prepared? t-shirt so you can spread the word while out and about.


(DH totally needs the South of the Border limited edition Health Pack. LOL!! It's a shame it's sold out!) Maybe you have a glass box already that you just want to decorate so folks know it's there? Well, In Case of Zombies even has stickers for that. ;)

For those who are rolling their eyes at me right now, In Case of Zombies was started by a couple of guys back in 2009 who were talking about what they would do if there were a zombie infection. (Well, what would YOU do? lol) They formed the idea to put together some “preparedness kits”, and In Case of Zombies was born. (See? There are lots of us who talk about it. Your neighbors might be one of us! lol)


Win it! The fabulous guys over at In Case of Zombies have generously offered to give one lucky reader their very own Small Pistol Box so they are ready for the zombies! ;) This kit contains a single replica pistol in a 10"x8" enclosure and includes a helpful Zombie survival tips guide. To enter the giveaway, head on over to In Case of Zombies, and tell us something else you love.

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway 1X (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse)
Win an In Case of Zombies box http://bit.ly/onA1qK ends 10/29 @psychotichouse

Giveaway ends October 29th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I didn't receive anything for writing this post, but one lucky winner will receive the prize stated above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

*Note that all guns included in this post are replicas. You are NOT purchasing the real thing if you purchase from In Case of Zombies.

Halloween Hershey's Winner!

And the winner of the Halloween With Hershey's Giveaway is:

Sarah said...

http://twitter.com/#!/sarohioan/status/125188410527858688

Congratulations! I'm sending you an email right now!

Wordless Wednesday - The Zombie Food Pyramid

A little humor for you today ;)

Yum Yum, Eat 'Em Up - Zombie Cupcakes

Remember my sneak peek of one of my family's projects last week? Well, here you go - some of the finished zombie cupcakes we made based on the Zombie Cupcakes book! And I'll tell y'all how to make the body parts at the end. ;) Here's some of the assorted bits and pieces we made using "half & half":


I was trying to be all cutesy and take pretty photos for y'all, but as you can see, I have issues. lol


Here's another shot of one of the hand cupcakes:


To make "dirt", you just crush Oreo's and dip the frosted cupcake in it. And here's a lung cupcake:


Want to make your own zombie and Halloween cupcakes? It's easy peasy, but you need to have patience and creativity. To make the bits and pieces, head on over to your local baking supply store - most stores that sell things for DIY weddings will have the ingredients, or check Walmart. You need store bought white fondant and ready to use gum paste. While you're there, pick out the colorings you want to use - you can use regular food coloring, but the colors might not be what you want. I picked up candy coloring myself. You'll also need some plain vegetable shortening which you might already have in your cabinets.

To make the half and half mixture, mix equal parts of the fondant and gum paste - hence, the half and half. ;) It will take awhile for you to roll them together - you really have to work it well. If it's sticking to your fingers, put a little of the vegetable shortening on your fingers.

Then roll out some balls - make sure you split more than enough for all the colors you want to use! To add the coloring, use a toothpick dipped into the coloring then "drop" it into the half and half and mix well.

To get your finished product hardened, leave it out in the air overnight in a safe place, then store in an airtight Rubbermaid container. Yes, they are edible, but not the greatest tasting if you ask me. ;)