Phase 2 of The House Behind The Trees ~ The downstairs #TeelsBuildaHouse

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So we are starting the downstairs ... I HATE to say basement because we had a basement in our old home, where you opened a door and went down stairs separated from anything else. It was a finished basement complete with a bedroom, craft room, family/game room and we spent a lot of time there ~ our oldest son moved down there in jr high and stayed through high school ... until we finished the master suite in the attic then he moved back up to the bedroom floor with his brother and sister.  So here our downstairs is open to the rest of the house, you can see through to the outside from the top of the stairs going down because we have a wall of windows down there as well.  We really didn't plan to have a kiddo down there but since we are having to do a switch-a-roo with rooms (I'll explain later) he is moving home soon and will be downstairs. Anyhoo, our downstairs will house our main family room, our middle sons room, a full bath and kitchenette.  I thought it would be fun ...
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Halloween Drinks for Your Kiddos Halloween Festivities/Party

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Whether you are having a party at your kiddos school, at home or going to somewhere for a Halloween party try these fun Kid Drink Treats!

Swamp Juice

Ingredients
FOR 8 SERVINGS:
1/2 cup small tapioca pearls (found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)
Food coloring
4 tablespoons sugar
8 gummy fish
Seltzer water
Lemonade
8 gummy worms
Instructions
MAKE THE EGGS: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes. COLOR THE EGGS: Divide the pearls, with the remaining water, between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food coloring (we used 3 drops of yellow and 1 drop of green in one bowl, and 4 drops of blue in the other) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixtures, then allow them to sit uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse the pearls with cold water. ASSEMBLE THE DRINK: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with seltzer water, then add a splash of lemonade. Place a gummy worm around a spoon as shown.

Halloween Bug Juice

Ingredients
2 10-oz. packages frozen strawberries, defrosted
1 6-oz. can lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 qt. ginger ale
2 cups raisins
6 gummy worms
Instructions
Mix the strawberries and lemonade concentrate in a blender until smooth and thick. Gradually add ginger ale. Transfer the beverage to a punch bowl. Stir in any remaining ginger ale and the raisins. Place the gummy worms on the rim of the bowl for a swampy effect. Makes 10 servings.

Rotten Apple Punch

Ingredients
Apple cider (adjust the amount for the number of people you plan to serve; we suggest at least 1 gallon)
Five 1/2-cup containers (we used Pyrex glass dishes; other small containers or cups will also work)
Red and green food coloring
10 to 15 gummy worms
Punch bowl
Instructions
Pour apple cider into all 5 small dishes, stopping about 1/2 inch from the top. Add 2 drops of red and 1 drop of green food coloring to each dish and stir until the colors have blended. Hang 2 or 3 gummy worms around the edge of each dish and place the dishes in the freezer. If you use more than 3 worms, the rotten apples won't float as well. Freeze until the rotten apples are solid. Just before serving, slip the frozen wormy apples out of the dishes by setting them briefly in a few inches of warm water in your sink. Float the rotten apples in a large punch bowl filled with untinted cider. For added creepiness, drape the gummy worms over the edges of your serving bowl.

Spooky Punch

Ingredients
For the ice cubes:
2 packages gummy bear worms
1 (32-ounce) container cranberry juice
For the shrunken head straws:
6 plastic drinking straws
6 pitted prunes
18 whole cloves
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut
For the punch:
3 (12-ounce) bottles strawberry smoothies
2 quarts orange juice
3 cans lemon/lime soda
Instructions
For the ice cubes:Stick 1 gummy worm in each cube, with half of the worm hanging out. Pour cranberry juice into the ice cube trays. Place in freezer 2 hours before mixing the punch.For the shrunken head straws:Push a straw up through the center of 1 prune where the pit used to be, so it sits one-third of the way down the straw. Repeat with remaining prunes.In a small bowl melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave for 45 second at 15-second intervals stirring between intervals. Take 12 cloves and dip the round ends into the melted chocolate. Place on a plate lined with waxed paper and allow chocolate to set about 15 minutes.Meanwhile using a small brush or toothpick coat the top part of each prune with melted white chocolate. Carefully sprinkle the coconut on top of the white chocolate to resemble hair. Repeat with the remaining prunes.Stick 2 white chocolate-coated cloves into each prune to create 2 eyes. Place 1 undipped clove into each prune under the eyes to resemble a nose.For the punch:Pour the strawberry smoothies, the orange juice and the lemon/lime soda into a large punch bowl and stir.Take the gummy worm ice cubes out of the freezer, and add half of them to the punch. Place remaining cubes into glasses and fill each glass with punch using a ladle.

Helter Seltzer

Ingredients
1 cup corn syrup
10 drops red food coloring
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cans lychee nuts, drained (about 24)
24 maraschino cherries, chilled
24 skewers or toothpicks
1 liter seltzer water, chilled
Instructions
For the blood: In a small mixing bowl, add the corn syrup, food coloring and vanilla extract. Mix together well and sent aside. For the eyeballs: Begin with the lychee nuts. Insert a maraschino into the hole of each lychee nut and drizzle with extra blood syrup. Insert a skewer or toothpick into each "eyeball" to secure the cherry.
For the mocktail: To serve the cocktail, drizzle the blood syrup around the rim of each glass and let it drip down. Pour the seltzer into the glass and garnish with an eyeball. For the Eyeball Highball: Prepare the cocktail as noted above and add a splash of vanilla vodka.

Bloody Punch with Floating Hand

Ingredients
3 cups cranberry juice
1-1/2 cups apple juice
1-1/2 cups grape juice
2 cups caffeine-free cola
1 cup frozen strawberries
Instructions
In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine the cranberry juice, apple juice and grape juice. Stir, then refrigerate until you're ready to serve. At the last possible moment, add the cola, the strawberries and, of course, the Floating Hand of Death. For the Floating Hand of Death: In a measuring cup or jar, stir a few drops of green food coloring into some water -- not too much, just enough to give it a slightly decomposed tint. Pour the greenish water into a disposable rubber glove (the stretchy kind -- make sure it's not powder-coated inside) and tie the top securely. Place in the freezer for several hours or overnight. At serving time, peel the glove off the hand and deposit icy hand in chilled punch. Yum.




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