Pams Party & Practical Tips: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Dare to Share #36

What a week. Who knew that a sick child and a major holiday would throw you off for an entire week. This week I could never quite get back into my routine. My daughter was sick for several days and missed 3 days of school. We thought it might be strep, but it turned out to be a pretty bad respiratory virus. This week was also our first full week of school since Halloween (day of for teachers grading day, conferences etc..) We were all a bit more tired not having any days off. I am also feeling little under the weather again. I am hopeful it is from before and not another new virus. I got my trees up, but they do not have ornaments on them yet. You can see why in the picture. This is Tootise my tree climber. She is the smallest and most agile of my cats. I was hopeful they wouldn't climb this year.. Reeses tried it this morning and I found my front window tree had fallen into the corner. Let's hope she learned her lesson. I did tape it down really good so many it wont fall over again.

Buddy the elf has arrived back in our house and he is a bit of a daredevil this year. You can read all about what he has been up to this week here.

I have had time to do some crafting including this Santa Wreath made from dollar store supplies. I will be sharing what else I made very soon.

I have started to feature Christmas ideas as we Countdown to the Holidays. Have you had a chance to see them?

Paper and Wool Balls from Wesen's-Art
Advent Calendar Turned Into Jewelry from Mellywood's Mansion
and Two Scarf Patterns for those homemade scarves from Earning My Cape.

I don't really have any rules to link up to Dare to Share. You may link up as many posts as you would like. While following is not mandatory, I would love it if you would follow in some way. When I share a Feature of the Day I feature it on the blog, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and G+
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Link Up and Have Fun!

Where's Buddy?

Buddy arrived at our house the evening of Thanksgiving. Last year he was content with mostly sitting and observing in different areas of the house. He has a hard job of watching over older kids, and last year Santa even had to restore his power because one of his charges poked him. While he has been away he has been working out. He has returned much braver and loving excitement. You could even call him a daredevil! He is no longer a nervous and shy elf.

Here are some of the adventures that Buddy has had in the past week..

Dove headfirst into a large vase trying to reach a piece of chocolate

Hidden near the top of a Christmas tree

Rode a Harley Davidson (although it was a bit small for him)

Hung out with a bunch of Pilgrims, sat on a Pilgrim hat

Bungee jumped off the fireplace mantle
and then took a rest on the letter M after his death defying bungee jump.

Currently he is swinging from a chandelier (aka kitchen light)

The kids are loving the new and adventurous Buddy. He might need to pace himself though, it is not even December yet.

I would love to hear some of the fun things your Elf on the Shelf is doing..

Countdown to Christmas - Paper and Yarn Ornaments

I chose today's Feature of the Day from Wesen's-Art because her paper and wool globes would make beautiful handmade ornaments.

Can you believe this was made with just cardstock, transparent paper, paper punches and glue? You can see how to make them here with Wesens-Art's wonderful tutorial.

She also shares her wool (yarn) balls that look so festive with lights here. I love making ornaments, and I think I will give these wonderful ornaments a try. Thank you so much for linking these on Dare to Share.

I am very excited with how my Santa wreath turned out, especially since I got almost all of the supplies from the dollar store. The only thing I did not get from the dollar store was the Ho Ho Ho ribbon, and even that was just slightly more.

Here are the dollar store supplies that I used; a straw wreath, Santa face decoration, 2 pine garland, 1 package of red medium size ornaments and red tinsel. The white tinsel is in the picture because I thought of using it, but decided to use it for something else.

I wrapped the straw wreath with the 2 packages of pine garland. It looks pretty close to the more expensive pine wreaths you can find at the craft store but only cost a total of $3.

I added the ornaments to the wreath by bending ornament hooks. I wrapped the wreath with the red garland, because I liked the candy cans. I also attached Santa's head to the middle of the wreath. I liked how it looked when it was like this, but something seemed missing.

That is remembered I had bought Santa ribbon last weekend at JoAnns for 60% off. Since it says Ho Ho Ho I thought it would be perfect for a Santa themed wreath. It is fun, colorful and only cost a few dollars to make!

Countdown to Christmas - Advent Calendar into Jewelry

I am very excited about today's Feature of the Day. Mel at Mellywood's Mansion shared a great advent calendar that also turns into jewelry for you little girl. How cool is that?!! I know my accessory loving daughter would love to have one. You must stop by Mel's blog here, to see how she made this awesome gift. Thank you so much for linking this up great idea Mel!

If you would like to be a Feature of the Day, but sure to stop by and link up your favorite posts at the weekly Dare to Share linky party here.

Countdown to the Holidays- Handmade Scarves

Now that Thanksgiving weekend is over, it is officially Christmas season! Some of you might like to give homemade gifts, and today's Feature of the Day is two scarves you can make . It is extremely thoughtful to give someone you love something you made from your heart. Both of these patterns are from Susie at Earning My Cape. She gives wonderful step by step instructions on how to crochet both of these scarves. You can see how to make the Granny Stripes Scarf here, and the Lacy V Stitch scarf here. Thank you so much for linking up your wonderful scarves Susie!

If you would like to be the Feature of the Day, be sure to link up your favorite posts on to the Dare to Share Linky Party HERE,

Dare to Share #35

Well it is that time already. Time for a new Dare to Share. I am posting a little bit late, because I am still recovering from the last few days and my internet was running slow. (probably from all that online shopping going on.) We had a nice time, I am just a bit tired. Our company has left , and I got in a little bit of Christmas shopping. My kids finally put together their lists on Thanksgiving when all the flyers were in the newspaper. . I ordered a few things online Thanksgiving night and then only ventured to Target around noon today. I got all of the items I was looking for and only spent 10 minutes in line. Score!

A glimpse into our holiday

Photo 1: a very full Thanksgiving plate
Photo 2: the turkey right out of the oven
Photo 3: Kyle impatiently waiting to eat
Photo 4: Buddy hiding in the tree
Photo 5: setting up the tree, so far no kitties have climbed it
Photo 6: Milo taking a nap on the phone

Do you still have some Thanksgiving leftovers? Be sure to check out one of my favorite recipes to make Thanksgiving leftover Pizza, which you can see HERE.

Have you had a chance to enter my giveaway yet? Del Monte has graciously offered to give a Del Monte food gift pack and $25 Visa card to one of my readers. You can't win, if you don't enter.. You can enter the the giveaway and read more about Del Monte's Add Some Garden Facebook Giveaway HERE.

With the business of the holiday week and having company, I was only able to share a few features this past week. Did you have the chance to see them?

Moon Pie Turkeys by Phaedra's Adventures
Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits by Growing Up Gabel
Thanksgiving Table by Kathe With An E

You can link up as many posts as you would like. While becoming a follower is not madatory, I would love if you would follow in some way. You can follow Pams Party Planning in the following ways.. I will be sharing the Feature of the Day on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and G+

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Now link up and HAVE FUN!

Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza

Tonight we had a favorite meal that we look forward to all year long . I think it is just as anticipated as Thanksgiving dinner itself, we ate Thankgiving Leftover Pizza.

Happy Thanksgiving From Our House to Yours..

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

A few photos of what is going on at our house today. It has become a yearly tradition that Kara helps butter the turkey.

Here she is Thanksgiving 2006 or 2007. I know she was about 5 or 6 years old. She looks so young!

Kyle was cooking way back when too.. Here he is helping make the stuffing. He would have been about 8 here.

Here is a funny picture I took this morning of Milo using our phone as a pillow. I am not sure what Kara is doing..

BUTTER FINGERS!!! (Kara insisted that be in all caps)

We hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Countdown to Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow.. Ack! Are you ready? While I bought all of my food, I am not so sure I am ready for the big day yet. I want to go over the menu tonight, prepare some of the food tomorrow and make sure all of the tableware is clean and ready. I chose Kathe's gorgeous Thanksgiving Table as today's Feature of the Day, because it looks so warm and inviting. I love all the colors, and love her beautiful but simple decorations. Be sure to stop by Kathe's blog at Kathe With an E to see all of the details of her decorated table here. Thank you so much for linking up Kathe!

If you would like to be the Feature of the Day be sure to link up to the weekly Dare to Share Linky Party

I am getting excited. In just a couple of days Buddy arrives from the North Pole. While my kids are older, we still enjoy this yearly tradition. Last year my younger kids ALMOST got coal in their stocking because they thought it was funny to poke Buddy so he would lose his powers. You can read about that here.

I am not sure if you have seen it, but there is a DVD that shares the story of Elf on the Shelf for kids. It too has become a tradition in our house. While my older kids think the story is cheesy, that is what makes them want to watch the movie.

I have been pinning Elf of the Shelf ideas on my Pinterest board. You can see it here. I really want to do some fun ideas this year and not just hide him on a shelf somewhere. If you have an Elf on the Shelf, what are some of the fun things you have done?

Thanksgiving Place Cards

Last year I made turkey place cards, so this year I thought I would make something different. I chose to make a Pilgrim and Native American, since they are thought to have been at the first Thanksgiving.

Countdown to Thanksgiving - Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits

The Feature of the Day would make an wonderful alternative to the traditional pumpkin pie. Camille from Growing up Gabel linked up the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits to this week's Dare to Share. I think it looks so good, I might just have to some this week with canned pumpkin I got on sale last week. You can see just how Camille put this recipe together HERE. Thank you so much for linking up your delicious recipe Camille!

If you would like to a Feature of the Day, please be sure to link up your posts to the Dare to Share linky party HERE.

Countdown to Thanksgiving - Moon Pie Turkeys

I am loving today's Feature of the Day. It contains two of my favorite sweet treats, Moon Pies and Nutter Butter cookies. Phaedra from Phaedra's Adventures shared her Moon Pie Thanksgiving Turkeys. They are fun, easy to make and a colorful snack that any kid would enjoy. Stop by Phaedra's blog to see how she made them here. Thank you for linking up this wonderful post Phaedra!

If you would like to be featured as the Feature of the Day, be sure to link up your favorite posts to Dare to Share Linky Party here. Be sure to stop by to check out all the awesome posts even if you don't have something to link up.

"Add Some Garden" with Del Monte

I have been asked to share with you about Del Monte's "Add Some Garden" contest on Facebook. In this contest you have the chance to win many prizes including kitchen appliances, and gift cards to Williams Sonoma. There are five phases to this contest in which a different Del Monte canned variety will be featured.

Those phases are as follows:
Green Beans, November 5- November 18
Corn, November 19-December 2
Tomatoes, December 3-December 16
Peaches, January 7-January 20
Pears, January 21-February 3

Fans will have five days during each phase to submit their best tips on their Facebook page for that week's featured variety. Others will then have the opportunity to vote for their favorite during the second week of each phase. The five winning tips will compete for a chance to win the Grand Prize which is Culinary Travel Adventure. This prize is worth $10,000, and the winner will be announced on February 15th.

Del Monte's canned fruits, vegetables and tomatoes contain the same essential nutrients as fresh varieties. Their fruits and vegetables are grown in the best growing regions of the United States, so they are able to provide consumers a consistently quality product. The majority of Del Monte products are picked at the peak of ripeness and canned on the same day, to ensure nutrients and flavor are locked in.

We are trying to add more fruits and vegetables to our family's diet and I feel that Del Monte is a good choice for my family because of the above reasons. In the next few weeks, I hope to be sharing a few our favorite recipes that we have tried using the products that were sent to me.

You can learn more about Del Monte products, and print coupons for extra savings on their website Delmonte.com. If you are on Twitter, they can be found Twitter.com/DelMonteFoods

Del Monte has generously offered to send a Prize Pack to one of my readers. The prize pack includes 1 of each of these canned varieties; green beans, corn, diced tomatoes, peaches and pears. The pack also includes a $25 Visa gift card. To enter leave a comment on which Del Monte canned variety is your favorite. If you prefer,you can also earn bonus entries for more chances to win. The contest will end at midnight on November 30th.

The Del Monte product, information and two gift packs have been provided by Del Monte.

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Dare to Share #34

I am a little late starting the party this week because we have friends in town who just arrived from across the country. They are staying with us for Thanksgiving, so I am sure you will hear more about them later.

This week I made my turkey pumpkin

and turkey treat cups. I had planned on making more this week, but unfortunately it didn't happen because I had a pretty bad head cold that wiped me out. I am finally starting to feel better, so hopefully I will be posting more ideas this upcoming week.

I hope you had the chance to see this week's Features of the Day.. If you haven't here is your chance.

Paper Bag Turkey by Life On Lakeshore Drive

Not Your Mommas Sweet Potato Casserole by Dining with Debbie

Birch Bark Painted Vase by Turtles and Tails

Tulle Tutu Tutorial and Felt Flower by Pinkie for Pink

While following my blog when linking to the party is not mandatory, I would love if you would follow in some way so you will see when you are featured. You can follow the blog by GFC or in the following places

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Twitter

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You can link up as many posts as you would like, there is no limit. Now link up and HAVE FUN!

Turkey Treat Cups

Isn't this little guy cute?! I think he would look adorable on our Thanksgiving table. He is easy to make, and is a fun way to serve a little extra treat to your friends and family.

I started with a small piece of brown craft foam that was in the shape of a bowling pin. After adding the face with colored craft foam and google eyes, I hot glued the body to the bottom of a mini flower pot. I also glued on small wings I found the mini flower pots at the Dollar Tree in packs of 3. I am not sure if they still have any in stock, but I do know they are still at craft stores like JoAnns and Michaels.

I then cut out some small feathers out of craft foam. For this craft I chose red, orange, yellow and light green. You will only need 3 or 4, because there is just not enough room for more.

I lined the inside of the the mini pot with plastic wrap before adding the candy. I chose mini pumpkins, but of course you could add any kind of candy you prefer.

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I will be linking up Turkey treat cups on these wonderful linky parties HERE!

Countdown to Thanksgiving- Birch Bark Painted Vase

Today's Feature of the Day is a beautiful and inexpensive way to decorate your home by Turtles and Tails . Depending on what you put in the vase will make it transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I love that you can achieve this look with an some paint and an inexpensive glass vase. See how Barb made her Birch Bark Painted Vase HERE.

If you would like to be the Feature of the Day, be sure to link up you favorite posts to Dare to Share HERE.
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Countdown to the Holidays - Little Girl Gift Idea

I am switching gears today and jumping ahead to Christmas for a bit. If you have a little girl in your life and you like to make homemade gifts, today's Feature of the Day is for you. I just LOVE this handmade little girl's tutu by Pinkie With Pink. While my own girls are a bit too old, I have three neices 6 and younger who will now be getting one for Chrstmas. Nichole has a great tutorial on how to make a tutu on her blog HERE.

While you are on Nichole's Pinkie for Pink blog, check out how she made these adorable hair bows. You could easily coordinate the color of the bows with the tutu for a sweet gift. You can see how to make a felt hair bow here, and ribbon bow here. Thank you so much for linky up these great ideas Nichole!

If you would like to have your post be a Feature of the Day, be sure to link up at the Dare to Share Party HERE.

Countdown to Thanksgiving- Not Your Mama's Sweet Potato Casserole

Are you having guests over for Thanksgiving this year? We are, and I am already starting to stress about the menu. One thing that I love having on the table this time of year is sweet potatoes. I was drawn to this recipe for sweet potato casserole by Dining With Debbie . While I have to respectfully disagree with Debbie on marshmallows, her recipe sans marshmallows sound absolutely delicious! If you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or even if you are not, this recipe is a MUST SEE. Be sure to check it out on Dining With Debbie HERE! Thank you so much for linking up Debbie..

If you would like to be the Feature of the Day, be sure to link up your favorite posts on Dare to Share HERE.

Turkey Pumpkin

A new member joined my Pumpkin Gang this weekend. Meet Mr. Tom Turkey Pumpkin.

I painted one of my extra Dollar Store pumpkins brown. Since they are no longer available, a regular pie pumpkin would work for this craft as well.

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

I glued the face onto a peanut shaped body made from brown craft foam.

As we are getting closer to Thanksgiving, I have had turkey on my mind. When I saw Kathy's turkey from Life on Lakeshore Drive, I knew I wanted to share it as a Feature of the Day. This is such a cute idea, and something fun you can do with your kids. Kids love to be involved in holidays, and this is a great way to decorate for the big day. You can see the full tutorial on Life on Lakeshore Drive HERE.

If you would like to be a Feature of the Day, be sure to link up your posts to Dare to Share linky party HERE.

Hurricane Sandy Auction for Help

A few days ago I posted that my good friend Lauren from TuTus and Teas parties would be holding an auction to raise money to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. The auction starts today, and here is how you can help.

I want to thank everyone participating in running & donating to this auction. It really means a lot to me and everyone affected by the Hurricane. Today's auction will be found here and you can bid in the comment section of each post/item.

There are a variety of items up for grabs including products, ad spaces and gift cards. Some are available worldwide, some only to US; some are free shipping and some winning bidders will be required to pay shipping. You can use the labels on the side of this page to search around for what you might want to bid on.

I will be accepting donations until Wednesday, November 14th. If you would like to add an item to the auction, please fill out this form and I will get it posted as soon as I can.

The auction will end on Sunday, November 18th at midnight. All winning bidders will be contacted by email by Wednesday, November 20th. Please do not bid if you have no intentions of paying for the item. All money will be collected through PayPal and donated to Occupy: Sandy Relief NYC. I have been following them on Facebook (as well as other relief pages) and found them to be super helpful in reaching out to communities, not only in NYC, but in other areas of need. They are the one's delivering & collecting items and physically reaching out to those who need help. I feel like the money raised would do loads of good there.