Dare to Share #96

It is Friday night, so you know what that means! 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

BBQ Sausage and Cheesy Bacon Potaoes

I had planned on making a different appetizer entirely today, but when I went to check the recipe, I realized that I was out of a very important ingredient.  

Cinderella Party - Feature of the Day

As you know I love a good party, especially one that is put together on a budget.   Melissa from Willamette Valley Wonder Woman shared a Cinderella princess party she held for her daughter.  She has some great decor ideas that are quick and easy to put together.  So if you are looking for ideas that won't break the bank, be sure to see Melissa's  party post on her blog here.  Thank you so much for linking up to Dare to Share Melissa!

Warm Cheesy Bacon Dip

I  recently came across this recipe for Cheesy Bacon Dip while looking for coupons on Hormel.com.  It looked so good, that I wanted to give it a try.  The two words that caught my attention with this dip.. Cheese and Bacon!  

Game Day Eats - Feature of the Day

I don't know about you, but I am in still in a football state of mind. It could be because I am about to go in the kitchen to make a new dip for my kids to try.  What I love about the post linked on Dare to Share by  the Crafty Lumberjacks this week is they not only shared one recipe but FOUR.  All of which look really good, and I would love to serve at a Super Bowl party. Be sure to check out all of their yummy recipes over at the Crafty Lumberjacks here.  Thanks so much for linking up these great recipes to the party guys! 

Football Pops for the Super Bowl

A few years ago, I made these Easy Football Pops for the kick off of the football season.  They would be a fun treat to add to your Super Bowl Party  menu.,  Not only do they take only a few minutes to make, my kids loved them. You can see how I made my Football Pops on this post  here.

Football Pizza - Feature of the Day

The Super Bowl is now just a few days away, so many people are thinking about football and snacks. This year's game will sure be interesting, since it is being held in New Jersey during the one of the coldest winters in recent memory.   If you are having friends and family over for the big game, a fun thing to feed them would be this football pizza by Summer Scraps. It is surprisingly quick and easy to put together, and  makes an ordinary pizza a little more exciting.  You can see how to make your own football pizza for your Super Bowl party over at Summer Scraps here.  Thanks so much for linking to Dare to Share  Summer! 

Save Money on Textbooks

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Campus Book Rentals. All opinions in this post are 100% mine. 

As many of you know, we just finished a school semester this past week.  It was quite busy the last several days with midterms and final projects.  College has really been on my mind lately, because my oldest daughter is a junior in high school.  Time is really flying, and she will graduate before we know it.  It is now time to start thinking about where she wants to go, and how we are going to pay for it. College is expensive, and one very big expense is college textbooks.  

So when I was asked by CampusBookRentals.com to share about their program for the upcoming  semester, I was more than happy to.  We will be worrying about textbooks in a matter of months, and will need to find a ways to save money  There are so many advantages to renting your college textbooks instead of buying them. Here are just a few;  

• you save 40-90% off  of bookstore prices 
• there is free shipping both ways 
• flexible rental times 
• they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented 

Have you heard about Operation Smile?  It is a wonderful organization that helps saves childrens' lives all over the world by surgically fixing cleft lips and cleft palates.  This organization gives these children that would struggle through life their smiles.  

Another great thing that CampusBookRentals  is doing is their rent back program that you can learn more about at rentback.com.   You can earn money by renting textbooks that you already own to other students.  You can make 2-4 times more by renting them out, than by selling them back to the bookstore.  

Want to know even more about CampusBookRentals? Check out this video explaining how the program works. 

Frozen Party Food, Games and Activities

In the last few weeks, I have been sharing some ideas that would be great for a Frozen themed party.  Here are even more ideas to make your party memorable. 

Dare to Share #95

Whew what a week!  I am so glad that it is Friday because the means it is time.. to Dare to Share! 

How was your week?  

Sun Catchers for Valentine's Day - Feature of the Day

I don't know about you, but I am so over the dark dreary days of winter in the midwest. We are in the middle of another extremely frigid day, with dark gloomy skies.  Right now I could really use something cheery, bright and colorful like the Valentine's Day Sun Catchers by Jen of  The Suburban Mom. I just love how they brighten up her window.  If you would like to see how make she made these fun Valentine's Day hearts, be sure to check out The Suburban Mom here.  Thanks so much Jen for linking up to Dare to Share!

Olaf the Marshmallowman

I have been thinking about making Olaf out of marshmallows for awhile now.  I finally had the chance to make him today. 

Edible Magic Wands - Feature of the Day

Being the mother of two girls, we have definitely been through the princess phase at our house.  Over the years we have even had at least a couple princess themed birthday parties.  My girls  have made traditional princess wands before, but Liz from Howling at the Moon has given the princess wand an interesting spin.  She made edible wands for her daughter's 4th birthday.  How much fun it would be to have a toy that is also a treat!.  You can see how Liz made these  special wands that princesses everywhere will enjoy on her blog here.   Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share Liz! 

Happy Birthday Flashback

It is my oldest daughter's birthday today.  She has asked for us to take her to her favorite Sushi restaurant for her birthday dinner for the forth year in a row.  It's been a few months since I have had sushi so I am excited about it.  I thought it might be fun today to reshare one of her favorite cakes on the blog today.  I can't remember what flavor it was, but it was decorated with Sweet Sushi, and a pair of chopsticks.  You can see how to make sushi that kids will be wiling to eat here.

Polar Bear Cookies - Feature of the Day

Are you being affected by the second Polar Vortex of the past few weeks?  The temps are dropping fast here, and will be in single digits in just a few hours.  Brrrr! It is not as cold as the last one, but it is enough to make me super tired of ice, snow and cold.    Since we feel like we are in a great white tundra, I thought it was the perfect time to feature these adorable Cinnamon Polar Bear Cookies by Krystle of  Baking Beauty  These cookies would be great to serve at a snow themed party, or just because you like cookies.  Be sure to check out Krystle's recipe on Baking Beauty here.  Thank you so much for linking up to Dare to Share! 

Dare to Share #94

It's Friday night, so you know what that means..

It's time to Dare to Share! 

Anything exciting happen to you this week?

Elsa's Ice Candy

If you have seen the movie Frozen, you know that Princess Elsa has the power to create ice and snow.  After something happens in the kingdom, Elsa goes up on a mountain and builds herself a beautiful ice palace to live in.  

Mexican Hot Chocolate

If you live in the midwest like I do,  you know that we are going to be in the middle of another cold snap the next several days. While it will not be record breaking lows like it was last week, we are not supposed to get out of the twenties. I am not a fan of winter. I do not like to be cold. Brr!  I think that is why when I saw a giant cup of hot chocolate smothered in marshmallows I had to know more.  The Crafty Lumberjacks found a way to give hot chocolate some extra heat with their recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate.  If you like things spicy, this will be something you will want to check out.  Thanks so much for linking up this great recipe idea  to Dare to Share!

Mounds Cupcakes - Feature of the Day

I have to admit, Valentine's Day is not really one of my favorite holidays. When my kids were smaller, it always turned into a lot of work.  We would always have to write out classroom Valentines, and with three kids that meant 75-90 signatures.  Some years we would even have to make an original card box, like the time Kyle made a praying mantis eating Valentine box in the 4th grade. There is one thing though,  that I do love about the day, and that is it usually means I get to eat chocolate! So when I saw these delicious looking Mounds cupcakes by Cooking in Bliss, I knew I would have to feature them.  I don't know about you, but that picture makes my mouth water.  To see Amber's recipe for Mounds cupcake, check out Cooking with Bliss here.  Thank you so much for linking up this wonderful recipe to Dare to Share!

#Frozen Olaf Gift Bag

Today I planned on bringing you a different project, but unfortunately my first attempt at it did not work out.  I went to try again this morning, only to find that I  was out of the key ingredient.   I would have gone to the store, but one of my girls came home early not feeling  well, and the other never made it to school.  I then thought I would go to Plan B, and make another one of my planned projects.  I did not have the chance to make that project because we had a bit of mouse trouble which will soon be posted on Surviving the Crazy Life.   So once things settled down, and I had a chance to breathe, I went to Plan C, which is to share my Olaf Gift Bag.  It is not difficult to make, and would be a lot of fun to use for the goody bags at a Frozen Party. 

Dare to Share #93

 

      It's Friday night, so you know that means! 

   It's time to Dare to Share!  

How was your week? 

Canvas Kisses - Feature of the Day

You will need to check out this sweet gift idea by Wesens-Art.  Christmas may be over, but this gift would also be great for Valentine's Day.  She shared how to make a Kisses on Canvas that is perfect for parents, grandparents, or maybe a loved one in the military.  You can be able to see how to make one of your own, at Wesens-Art here.  Thanks so much for linking up this great idea to Dare to Share!

Household Management Binder - Feature of the Day

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to become more organized. I have to admit, I have not done much yet this year with the kids home from school 3 extra days this week.  When they do go back though, I plan on getting back into the swing of things.  Kim from Kims Kandy Kreations  share some really good ideas on how she stays organized with her Household Management Binder. I think keeping everything in one place like this is something I really need to do.  Check out all of Kim's ideas  on Kims Kandy Kreations here.   Thanks so much for linking up Kim! 

Sweet Snowflake Treats

Where I live we are still pretty much stuck inside.  Tomorrow will be our third day off of school because of snow, icy roads, and extreme temps.   Since I am still not able to get out and get some of the supplies I was hoping to, I am going to revisit on of our favorite treats for a snow themed party. 

DIY Workbench - Feature of the Day

There are many things I would love to build if I was not too nervous to use power tools.  April from Wilker Dos shared a fantastic step by step tutorial on how she made the wonderful workbench for her husband.  She explains it so well, even someone who does not know their way around the workshop could make one too. It is also inexpensive to build which is an added bonus. Make sure to check out how she made her workbench on her site Wilker Dos here.  Thank you so much for linking up to Dare to Share April! 

It's a Frozen Party!

Did you see the movie Frozen yet?  We finally had the chance a few days ago.  Even though we got a lot of snow on the pre-scheduled date, Kara and I braved the snowy roads and cold to meet some friends for the movie. We were both very glad that we did..  We LOVED it!  Part of the reason why this movie is so much fun is because of the lovable snowman Olaf.  This picture of this adorable scene was taken at our local movie theater. I am going to try and make a smaller version during Frozen party week.  

We are currently snowed in at my house  just like Arendelle was in the movie, which makes the timing of this party even more fun.. (though some of my ideas will have to wait until we dig out enough to so I can get to the store.) The scary thing about this picture was that it was taken about 4 p.m., it is now 11 p.m. and we got a lot more snow.  I will share the after picture in the next post.  Tonight on the news they were saying that my area got at least a foot of snow of today.  And unlike Elsa.. the cold does bother me anyway! 

For this first day of Frozen week, I am going to share some of the highlights from my Snow Day/Snowman party from a few years ago. Any of these ideas would work  with the Frozen party theme as well.  You can see the full post of the party here.

I made a snowman centerpiece out of styrofoam balls and basic craft supplies.  You can see how to put him together in this post here.    I drew snowman faces on styrofoam cups and write the kids names on the back, so they could keep track of their own cup. 

I went through all of my goodies, and made a make a snowman bar. I put out anything that the kids could use to make an edible snowman.

Here were some of the creations we came up with.  They were fun to make, and fun to eat.  

The kids also loved their snowman themed lunch. We had snowman pizza, snowmen made from bananas, pretzel snowmen, and teddy grahams sledding in bowls of vanilla yogurt. 

Stay tuned for more ideas to come! 

Dare to Share #92

This week has been a very interesting week for us, and with the holidays it doesn't not feel like Friday. 

But the calendar says today is Friday so you know what that means...  

It's time to Dare to Share!! 

Five Minute Appetizers

Did you have any appetizers on New Years Eve?  We spend the night at home, but we still enjoyed a few quick and easy recipes while we counted down to the new year. I thought I would share these recipes because they take only minutes to prepare and  would be great for upcoming Super Bowl parties or bowl games. 

Fruit and Chocolate Butter Cookies - Feature of the Day

Are you cookie'd out yet?  I hope not, because these  Butter Cookies with Fruit and Chocolate by Winnie of Something Sweet.  These cookies look too good to pass up.  I also think that the ingredients Winnie used might make them a perfect treat for an upcoming holiday in mid February.  You know which one I mean.  I am still wrapping my head around the fact that it is 2014, so I am not in Valentine's Day mode quite yet. :)  If you would like to see how Winnie made her delicious looking cookies, be sure to check out Something Sweet here.   Thanks so much for linking up this great recipe on Dare to Share  Winnie!  

My Blogging Goals for 2014

It's that time of year again. Time when people make "resolutions" or goals for the New Year.   While I do agree that making unrealistic resolutions are not likely to work,  I think making specific goals for the New Year gives you something to strive for, often with better success than just a basic resolution.     I went through my 13 Goals for 2013 the other day, and was happy to see that I was successful in about half of them. Some are still a work on progress, but I am encourage enough to make new goals for 2014.