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

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 ...

Halloween Sweets for Your Kiddos Halloween Party (and adults will enjoy these too) ~ What fun ideas to serve up some sweets for you little sweets school Halloween party, the neighborhood party or whatever function you need to take a Halloween treat!


Funny Bones
Ingredients
half package (7 ounces) white meltable candy wafers
36 pretzel sticks and thin rods of various lengths
72 mini marshmallows (about 1 cup)
Instructions
Follow the instructions on the candy wafers package to melt the candy in a wide bowl. For each bone, press marshmallows onto both ends of a pretzel stick or rod, with the marshmallows' flat sides parallel to the pretzel. Dip each pretzel into the melted candy to coat it. Lift it out with a fork, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Place the bone onto a sheet of waxed paper to set at room temperature.

Frankenstein's Jell-O Monster
Ingredients
Black and red 3-D paint and brushes (scars and mouths); we used Scribbles
and Tulip Slick brands
Ceramic plate
3-ounce box of Jell-O lime gelatin (makes 2 monsters)
9-or 10-ounce, 4-inch-tall clear plastic cup
Table knife or spoon
2 Maraschino cherries (eyes)
Double-sided tape
2 Rolos (neck bolts)
Crushed Oreos (enough for hair)
Instructions

Paint scars and mouths on a ceramic plate as shown (squiggly mouths and "stitches" are covering a plate). Let them air-dry over night.Prepare the gelatin according to the package directions. Pour slightly cooled gelatin into the cup, stopping 1/2 inch from the top.Refrigerate until the gelatin is partially gelled, then remove the cup from the refrigerator and use a table knife or spoon handle to push 2 cherry eyes into the gelatin. Refrigerate again until the gelatin is completely set.Use double-sided tape to attach the neck bolts. Peel the scars and mouths off the plate and place them on the cup (they'll adhere like Colorforms). If it's difficult to peel the shapes off the plate, stick the plate in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, and they should come off easily. Variation: it may not look as cool as the paint, but kids can also use a permanent marker to draw the face on.Cover the top of the gelatin with crushed Oreos hair. Don't wait too long to gobble up the monsters, or the hair will get soggy.

Edible Eyeball Treats
Ingredients
3.4-ounce box vanilla pudding mix
Jelly beans
LifeSavers Gummies
Plastic eggs
2 empty egg cartons
Instructions
Prepare the pudding according to the package directions. For each eye, fit a jelly bean into the center of a LifeSavers Gummies candy and place it in a plastic egg half. Fill the egg cup with the pudding, then place the egg halves in an egg carton in the freezer until they're firm (about 3 hours). Remove the egg halves from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about 3 to 5 minutes. With the back of a fork, gently press down on the edge of the pudding, rolling the frozen ball out of the egg cup. If you're not serving them right away, place the eyes in a freezer-safe dish in the freezer until you're ready.

Batty Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes (baked from your favorite recipe)
Chocolate icing
White frosting
2 M&M's Minis
Jujube candy
Thin Mint (we used Haviland brand)
Andes Creme de Menthe candy
Instructions
Frost a cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with chocolate icing. For the bat's face, set two M&M's Minis in place for eyes and add a jujube candy nose. For the wings, cut a Thin Mint (we used Haviland brand) in two and set the halves in place as shown. Then cut an Andes Crème de Menthe candy in half diagonally and set the pieces in place for the bat's ears. Finally, add a white frosting mouth, fangs, and pupils.

Creepy Cupcakes
Ingredients
GHOST CUPCAKES
24 baked cupcakes
24 Nutter-Butter cookies
Chocolate frosting
Vanilla frosting
Tube of chocolate decorator's icing
SPIDER CUPCAKES
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped peanuts or crispy rice cereal
3/4 cup dry chow mein noodles
24 baked cupcakes
White frosting
Instructions
Coat each baked cupcake with chocolate frosting and partially insert a Nutter-Butter cookie into the top. Frost the remaining cookie with vanilla frosting. Draw a spooky expression on each ghost with the decorator's icing. Makes 24.
Make the spiders by combining the chocolate chips and milk in a glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth. Stir in the peanuts or cereal and chow mein noodles. Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper. Stick on extra noodles for spider legs and chill. Frost the cupcakes white. Then top each cupcake with a spider. Makes 24.

Hairy Daddy Longlegs Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate cupcake (body)
Canned chocolate icing
Chocolate sprinkles (hair)
2 pieces of eye-type candy (we used Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts)
Clean scissors
Ruler
1 package of black string lace licorice (legs)
Instructions
Frost the cupcake with chocolate icing and cover with sprinkles. Press the eyes into place. Use scissors to cut eight 4-inch pieces of licorice for the legs. Holding all of the legs together in a bunch, bend them in half and crease. Push the end of each leg into the cupcake as shown.

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