Melting the Calories Away

This was our 2nd annual Halloween candy melting experiment. I got the idea from a Family Fun Magazine article. The girls had so much fun doing it last year that they wanted to do it again. Last year only the candy no one wanted made it on the cookie sheet, but this year no candy was safe. They probably would have done the whole bag if we would have had room on the cookie sheet.
When they were finally satisfied with their conglomeration we put it in the oven at 350 degrees. The girls ooooed and awed as they watched the candybars become puddles, and the Lifesaver gummies become a mountain of foaming bubbles.

After the candy came out of the oven the girls poked and prodded it see how the heat had changed the texture of the candy.


I think this is going to be a yearly event in our house. So if you've got some candy lying around that you don't want. Melt it in the oven, and watch those calories melt away!

Secret Garden

It is amazing what kids will come up with when they are bored and "there's nothing to do!" Last week Lori had one of those days, and "The Secret Garden" as it is now called, was the product of that need for something to do. Lori has never seen the movie "The Secret Garden" and we have only begun reading book so this was purely out of her imagination. She gathered sticks that we had picked up on a walk one day, rocks from around the house, sand from the sandbox, and rotted tomatoes that were still laying in my garden. From there she, and later Audrey, formed each little place in the garden.
Here are the girls demonstarting the path you take to get into The Secret Garden.


This is the playhouse.

This is the fire pit.

This is a food storage area.

Lori also made a bridge today out of clay and sticks, but I don't have a picture for that.
Perhaps Lori has a landscaping career in her future!

Autumn Fun

We took the girls to Center Grove Apple Orchard this year to pick out our pumpkins. What a blast we had! There was a giant trampoline, a train for the kids to ride on, a corn pool, and the giant slide. The kids were pooped when we left but we had a fabulous time.