Blog Posts by Martha Stewart

Throw a monster bash with our easy DIY games and kid-friendly activities.

	Pop Goes the Pumpkin Looking to kick off Halloween with a bang, not a boo? This version of a classic carnival game makes a festive wall decoration, and features confetti-and-candy-filled balloons for bursting. How to Make the Pop Goes the Pumpkin Game
	Doughnuts on a String Loop delicious doughnuts onto string, and let your party guests dig in with their fangs -- great for all ages. Get the Doughnut Game How-To
	Pin the Face on the Pumpkin This autumnal twist on a childhood favorite is a guaranteed gigglefest for kids and adults. Get the Pin the Face Game Template
	Squash Bowling Substitute butternut squash for bowling pins and a pumpkin for the ball, and you've got an outdoor, harvest-themed version of the sport. Get the Squash Bowling

Say so long to store-bought packets of instant oatmeal mix. By toasting and grinding rolled oats at home, you can create your own breakfast blend with creative flavor combos.

Makes 3-4 cups
Serves 6

Ingredients
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread oats on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until lightly toasted but not browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Pulse in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Mix in 1 cup of a combination of add-ins, if desired (try toasted almonds, dried apricots, and/or flaxseeds), and stir in sugar, salt, and cinnamon, or more to taste, before storing in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

2. To serve: Stir in boiling water until desired consistency is reached. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes.

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Plus:
Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes
Five-Ingredient Dinners
Our Best Chicken Recipes

Use a sturdy pot, skillet, or slow cooker to make complete, hearty meals (minus a sink full of dirty dishes).



Chicken and Dumplings
Halfway between a soup and a stew, this one-pot wonder makes a belly-filling family dinner thanks to plump, herb-flecked dumplings.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Serves 4

Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 medium carrots, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

Directions
1. In a Dutch oven (or a 5- to

Brighten up your space with these try-at-home tips for creating eye-catching flower arrangements.



Go Big

Celebrate big, billowing flowers, like hydrangeas, with an exuberant large-scale arrangement. Here, the flowers overflow from a generous glazed-iron urn-shaped vase in an effortlessly elegant way, while tendrils of clematis emphasize the cottage-garden feeling.

Tip: Leave the woody stems long and anchor them in a two-tier wire flower frog, which can be secured to the bottom of a vase with dots of floral adhesive.

Plus: Fall Flower Arrangements



The Unexpected

Make a jewel-like bouquet by combing unexpected elements. Begonia leaves snipped from houseplants in rich shades of red and green blend beautifully with the caramel-colored Mission vase.



Go for Height

Long flower stems naturally follow the shape of this trumpet vase: They reach up and out, and the result is delicate and light. Choose flowers with graceful stems, such as this crocosmia, for the most pleasing look. Shorter

Follow this simple checklist every day and you'll keep house chaos at bay:

1. Make the Bed

Tidiness is contagious: A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, making it less likely that you'll let other things -- such as clothes and papers -- pile up around it.

2. Manage Clutter

Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it away, and encourage everyone else in the house to do the same.

3. Sort the Mail

Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin nearby for junk mail, and drop other mail into one of four inboxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing.

Plus: More Easy Cleaning Tips

4. Clean as You Cook

Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal.

5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh

Whether it's tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the bathroom counter,

Chalkboards aren't just for history class anymore. Thanks to a slew of clever paint products, you can create your own wipe-off customized writing surfaces at home to track appointments, keep lists, and leave messages -- or simply cover your kid's bedroom walls for oodles of doodles.


Wall Calendar
Turn a wall in your home office into a mega family planner, with six weeks' worth of squares in a variety of shades to accommodate lots of busy schedules. To create yours, start with a base coat of store-bought black chalkboard paint, and mix in varying amounts of white chalkboard paint to create lighter squares. Then, cover the rest of the wall with chalkboard paint for even more memo-making.

Plus: Fall Organizing Tips


Mudroom Mural
The bottom half of a mudroom wall is just the right height for pint-size Picassos. Coat with store-bought green chalkboard paint, and let the drawing fun begin! The canvas can then be wiped clean with a damp sponge. Apply corkboard, available at home centers,