My Itsy Bitsy Spider and Fall Food

I began thinking about Halloween costumes MONTHS ago. I really, really wanted to make Shelby's costume this year. I don't always get to be the super mom I wish I was, so this was one thing that was really important to me. I want it to be a tradition (as long as I can make what Shelby wants to be in the future), and something that we can do together. But as October approached, I looked at my sewing machine, looked at Shelby, and just knew it wasn't going to happen. I have only been getting 2-3 hours of sleep as it is. There was no way! So, I scoured four different Halloween stores, Walmart, and Target, and finally bought a ladybug costume. It was perfectly cute, but deep down I was a bit sad and disappointed in myself.

Then my coworker alerted me to some really cute ideas on marthastewart.com. I should have known Martha would have something perfect! I saw an idea for a mother and child costume, so I combined that idea with one I saw on another website and came up with this:






She's a spider! And I am going to be the web. Of course, I will (hopefully) have better pictures come Halloween, but wanted to post my progress. I'm definitely not the best seamstress, but I really did enjoy making the costume, and that is ultimately why I really wanted to do it.

Now, on to some FALL FOOD. The other night I bought an Acorn Squash, a Butternut Squash, and a Spaghetti Squash. They all looked so pretty sitting in the produce section, I couldn't resist. The problem is, I have never used any of them in my cooking!

Tonight I attempted the Acorn Squash. I saw tons of recipes online, and sort of combined a few to come up with my own version of a stuffed Acorn Squash (basically I added onion, celery, and apple to a box of dirty rice). I really liked the filling, but was not so keen on the squash itself. I felt like the flavor was a little over-powering. But, it was worth trying once!