Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Let me just start out by saying that I love peanut butter.  I'll scoop it out of the container and eat it straight off the spoon.  Peanut butter and jam sandwich with extra crunchy peanut butter?  Yum.  But I especially love peanut butter in desserts.  This recipe I'm about to share with you today is one of my favorites and the bonus is that they are super quick and easy to make.

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Awesome Non-Candy Alternatives for Halloween

Phew!  Is it just me, or does it feel like October flew by?  I was realizing that I just celebrated my birthday at the end of last month and here it is already the end of another month.  That being said, Halloween is going to be here in three days and there are going to be lots of little (and maybe not so little) people coming to your door looking for a goody to put in their bags.  As a kid, I'd come home with my loot and dump it out on the table then sort it according to type: candy bars in one pile, tootsie rolls in another, etc.  (I still sort my M&Ms by color and then eat them in a pattern.  I'm weird, I know.)  Then I'd pick a few, eat them and save the rest because I remembered my mom's warning: "Eat as much candy as you want, but you'll have to have milk of magnesia afterwards."  That right there stopped me from eating more than 3-4 pieces.  (Have you ever had milk of magnesia?  Imagine trying to swallow an entire mouthful of pasty chalk.  Disgusting.  Just the thought of it makes me cringe. *shudder*)

Now that I am a parent and I have to worry about my own children's health (and pay the dental bill), I've been thinking about alternatives to candy that I can give out on Halloween and I've put together a list for you to consider if you'd like to give out something different.

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How to Make A Bouncy Ball

My 3.5 year old daughter is at the stage where she will take an afternoon nap about 50% of the time.  This means that some days I have kid-free time and other days I need to think of something to do with or for her that will keep her entertained so I can have some semi-kid-free time.  A while back I had seen a recipe for how to make a bouncy ball.  This sounded like something that my daughter would be interested in and I thought it seemed easy enough to do.   I did have to do a little planning ahead for this activity since it calls for Borax and white glue, which I didn’t have on hand.  I didn’t mind buying the items since I’ve seen other activities call for Borax and white glue is dirt cheap.  I already had corn starch and food coloring so when nap time didn’t happen, I was ready.

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6 Simple Ways to "Halloween-ify" Your Home {plus a FREE printable}

So...Halloween is next week and you might be like me and realize that there's not much Halloween-ish-ness going on at your house.  While I do like to decorate during the holidays, I generally just have a few places in the main living area that I put up decorations.  (I've also got littles in my house who like to play with the decor if it's not out of reach.)  I'm not into creepy or spooky so my Halloween decor leans more towards pumpkins and witches, rather than skulls and zombies.  But whatever your Halloween decorating style is, there are a few staples that you can't go wrong with.

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DIY No-Sew Burlap Table Runner with Tassels

With the changing of seasons, I've been swapping out my summer decor for more fall themed decor.  I was looking around the house today and noticed that the credenza (fancy word for table) in the front room was looking a little bare and I had two words pop into my head: burlap and runner.  I ran downstairs and grabbed some burlap remnant I'd bought who knows how long ago thinking it would be nice to have on hand.  (I have a hard time resisting the remnants bin.  It's a problem...)  Turns out that I had the perfect amount to make a cute and easy table runner.

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Welcome to Sunshine and Munchkins!

 

Hello!  Welcome to Sunshine and Munchkins!  (And before you ask, no, this blog has nothing to do with The Wizard of Oz...)  My name is Shani and I'm so glad you decided to stop by.  I am mom to two beautiful kids, a girl (3) and a boy (1), who I get to stay at home with.  They are both crazy, curious, happy kids and they keep me on my toes!  I am also married to the best husband in the world.  (Can a girl get any luckier?)  I love to read, craft, scrapbook, DIY, cook/bake, dance, laugh, take pictures and soak up the sunshine any chance I get.  I graduated in Marriage and Family Studies and love applying the things I learned in college to me and my family’s life. I love sharing and discussing new ideas and viewpoints and am fascinated by the way people think and their life experiences that got them to where they are now.  I am a self-proclaimed “ambivert” so while I enjoy getting out of the house and doing things with family and friends, I’m also perfectly content to read a book for hours alone (which with 2 kids pretty much never happens, but I can dream, right?).

The idea to start a blog of my own has been in the back of my mind for a while, but it wasn't until recently that I thought, 'What the heck?  Let's do this thing!  Maybe I've got something to say that someone else will find helpful.'  And I hope that's the case.  But I also want to hear from you!

On this blog you'll find a little bit of everything, from recipes to crafts, holiday and seasonal activities to marriage and family topics, with a little bit of hair and beauty tips thrown in for good measure.  I am not an expert in any of these areas, but I do have a passion for them.

So join me as I raise my little munchkins and search for and share the sunshine in this beautiful, crazy thing called life!

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