Sunday, October 23, 2016

Autumn Activities at Joplin Nature Center


This year we are blessed with warm weather so I find that I am making plans to be outdoors on the weekend with family. In my hometown, there are many activities, including hayrides at the park, bonfires, and church bizarre. Those activities are always fun but this weekend we took to the nature trails at the Audubon Center just south of Joplin Missouri.

The nature center was built on land that is adjacent to Wildcat Park and Shoal creek. This is the perfect location for watching birds and wildlife in their natural habitat.

Today we visited the center first to see what they had on display and to pick up their brochure for upcoming winter events. My husband and I enjoy the night owl watch and also like to participate in other wildlife events held at the park.

We decided to have lunch before taking our walk since there were tables available under the pavilion. So we ate a picnic lunch of sandwiches from Panera and we both had coffee. Lunch was good but instead of rushing off to the trails we sat for an hour and enjoyed the beautiful day. You could not ask for a more beautiful day, the sun was shining, and the temperature was 72 degrees.

After lunch we took to the nature trails, we saw a few black-eyed Susan’s in the wildlife gardens, some butterflies, and gray squirrels. There were hawks circling above us but other than that no deer or other wildlife was in sight.

The trails were windy and at one point the tree's overhang was so thick that no light was coming through. The path turned dark and rather spooky. We quickened our pace and soon we were back in the sunlight.

There was a bench close to Shoal creek and we sat to take in the view. This section of the creek is where you could see the bluffs on the other side. We had heard stories of Indian markings on the bluffs and that there were caves in this area, but in order to get to the other side, one would need a boat so we will plan to do that on another day.

The nature trail at the Audubon center is very scenic and I believe it is 20 miles long. Needless to say, we did not walk the entire trial. Instead, we looked at the tree's leaves that were starting to turn. Many were orange, yellow, and a few dark red and we enjoyed the beautiful autumn day.






Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Kids Halloween Costume Ideas



This week we are getting serious about Halloween Costumes for parties and trick or treat. Last year I did shop the Walmart.com sales after Halloween and bought trick-or-treat bags, makeup, and Halloween pattern leggings. This year I will use those things to create a cute Halloween outfit for kids.


Instead of buying a ready-made costume, I plan on making my own from things that I have and will buy a cute Halloween designed t-shirt from zazzle.com I have bought a few of the kid's shirts from zazzle and like that the designs are unique. Normally when I buy a t-shirt at the mall the fabric is stiff and rough feeling. The print-on-demand kids' shirts are soft right out of the bag, no need to wash them a few times to make them soft.

Kids like the feel of the shirts. My friend’s toddler refused to take her Halloween shirt off, she wanted to wear it to bed. That will tell you that these tees are kid-pleasing.

Buy a tee with the design that you like then coordinate it with Halloween pattern leggings, solid color pants or skirt, or striped tights. You can also wear these shirts for everyday activities during the October season with jeans.

Here are a few of my kid's Halloween t-shirts. Click on the blue highlighted words to view a large image of a Halloween shirt at my store and to learn more. 

Halloween Trick or Treat Costume for  Kids Toddler T-shirt


Halloween Black Cat Baby T-Shirt


Monsters Halloween Kids T-shirt



First Halloween Black Cat Toddler Baby T-Shirt


Cute Purple Glitter Trick or Treat Baby Baby T-Shirt


Cute Black Cat Halloween Toddler/Baby Toddler T-shirt


Customizable Toddler Halloween Black Cat T-Shirt




Here are two outfits that I created that show you how cute the Zazzle-made tee is when used to create a Halloween outfit for kids.