Dare to Share #233

It is Friday night, and you know what that means..  

It is time to Dare to Share!! 

It has been a crazy week at our house this week.  The kids have been sick, my son had his senior pictures, and this morning, I woke up not feeling well either.  I also have been volunteering. Earlier this week one of my small groups shucked corn at the food bank, and tomorrow my other one will help fill shoeboxes for Christmas.  

On top of all the school events, I am also in the middle of planning a really "BIG" birthday party. It is in one month, and we have some really fun plans. 

There were so many fantastic links at this past week's Dare to Share party.  I have a few more in mind that I want to feature.  Today I chose Easy Apple Pie Trail Mix by Frugal Foodie Mama. It looks really good, and it is great to take on the go  (which we are at my house a lot)  

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations shared a lot of great posts this week  One of my favorites are these Mario Seeds Bag Topper Printable.  They would make fun favors bags at a video game party  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature your post will be featured on the blog, and on social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts from the party to feature on her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Easy Apple Pie Trail Mix - Dare to Share Feature

So are you an apple person or a pumpkin spice person.  I like them both.  Early in the fall season I tend to chose more apple flavor, and pumpkin later in October and November. What I really liked about this Easy Apple Pie Trail Mix by Frugal Foodie Mama is that is a great snack to take on the run.  I am always on the go with my kids, and having a sweet snack like this on hand  when hungry, would save me a few runs for fries  through the fast food drive thru. Stop over to Frugal Food Mama to get the directions on how to make your own.  

It is time for a "BIG" Birthday Halloween PARTY!

In exactly one month I am having a "BIG" birthday and a party. I love planing birthday parties, but I do admit this one freaks me out a little. (it is a number, I have trouble saying out loud)   Since my birthday is two days before Halloween, we are planning  a Halloween themed Birthday Party for my special day.  

As the birthday girl who is having the big birthday, I want to dress as something special.  I LOVE the newest version of Cinderella, and I really want her gorgeous blue gown from the ball. Oriental Trading has one on their Halloween Costume Page.  They have hundreds of costumes of all kind for men, women, kids and  even your pets. I have not ordered my gown yet, but I will be soon, and I can't wait to wear it!. 

A couple of weeks ago, Oriental Trading  contacted me, and asked me if I would like to review some of their products. Talk about perfect timing! I have bought from the in the past, and I knew they had 1000s of items to choose from.  They sent me the products, and I received them within a couple of days. Since the party is not for a month, this review will be in two parts. Today I will share what I ordered, and later on I will show you how they were used at my party.  All opinions of these products are 100% my own.  

This party will have a little bit of a twist instead of the usual Halloween theme.  Since we can not have the party in a real castle like Cinderella did, we are decorating the party to have a castle feel with a little bit of Halloween thrown in.  The main colors are black, silver and Cinderella blue, with a just a little bit of orange thrown in. (mainly pumpkins and other Halloween decorations)  

These are going to be 3D glittery candelabra centerpieces, and they will go on the main table.  They were shipped flat, so they would not be damaged. 

I am very excited with what we have planned for the photo booth.  We are going to wrap that stone wall backdrop around tall boxes to look like castle towers.  I am trying out the costume props (lips, glasses, and mustaches) and have them ready for the guests to use in their pictures. We are also going to have a few boas, crazy hats, and large wooden picture frames on hand.

Between the castle towers of the photo booth, we will be hanging the Cinderella Happy Birthday banner that has a place to put your age.  I also choose silver balloons, and a roll of silver ribbon. Not pictured is a large roll of black plastic to use for tablecloths, and other decor. The item in the middle with the arrow, is actually from their clearance supplies, but perfect for the Cinderella theme.  They are count down paper fans that have the arrows pointed to almost midnight. I picked out blue, silver and, Cinderella themed napkins that will be on the food and cake table.  

In the next few weeks I will be sharing a few of the more party ideas that we are using for the party. I have some ideas for dollar store pumpkins, party trays and treats. 

Are you looking for more Halloween ideas?   The Free-N-Fun Halloween site has a ton of great costume, treat and craft ideas that are for all ages and all kinds of parties.. There are several things on that site like the Monster Munch Popcorn, that I am thinking about using for my own party.  

 

Dare to Share #232

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share!  

Do you have fabulous friends?  Enter to win a Fabulous Friends Gift Pack from Hallmark. In this post I talked about some of my best friends and how much they mean to me. 

The Dare to Share Feature this week is this awesome Super Hero Party by Cute and Little. 

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations shared a Princess Bride Pennant Banner this week perfect for a Princess Bride movie night.  

Now it is time for this week's party. You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature, your post will be featured on the blog and social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts from the part to feature on her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN!  

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Superhero Party - Dare to Share Feature

As you all know I am love planning the at home kid's birthday parties. The birthday boy at this Superhero Party by Cute and Little recently had a party that he and his friends will always remember. You will definitely want to stop over to Cute and Little  and see this colorful party, from the cake, favors and one awesome pinata.  It almost makes me wish my kids were little again so we could have a Superhero party.  

Hallmark Fabulous Friends Gifts and Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a Hallmark  Fabulous Friends collection to review.  All opinions in this post are 100% mine. 

Recently I received a box of fun mail. I opened the box to find items from the Fabulous Friends Collection from Hallmark.   I have been blessed with many wonderful friends, and I could not wait to go through the items and share them with the good friends in my life.  

\

I belong to two life groups at my church.  You may wonder why I am in two, but I am sure you will understand when I say that there were so many wonderful people in both, I could not pick just one.  These two smiling women are Sheralee and Sherry. We recently went to lunch and spent hours just talking and encouraging each other.  I spent a lot of time with them this summer, and know I can count on them both.    

The gift I chose for them from this collection are these beautiful Signature Pineapple Cards. They are have pretty gold shimmer and are blank, so they are perfect for writing a personal note to a friend that means lot to you. 

This is my friend Ann. She has become like a sister to me in the past year  She lives very close by, so we have spent a lot of time walking and talking in the evenings. She has been through more than pretty much anyone I know, but yet still has joy.  She is one of the strongest people I know. The gift for her was easy to pick out.  I gave her the Never Quit (unless you want to) Journal.. She loves taking notes during church service, and I want her to remember I will always have her back. It is lined and just the right size to throw in her bag and take with her. 

Donna is my oldest friend. Not in age, (I am older than her by 10 months) but in how long we have been friends.  We meet in college many, many years ago. We were in each others weddings, pregnant at the same time, and have gone through life together.  She is also  like a sister to me.   I wish I could see her more often as we now live in different states.  

The perfect give for her from the collection would be the Crafters & Co Orange Amber Scented Soap. It has a really nice scent, and pretty label that would look good by  any sink. 

This is my friend Rhonda.  She has been on the blog with me before.  She is also like a sister to me  She is a couple of years older, and truly acts like my big sister always looking out for me.  We have been friends for many years now, and our kids have grown up together. 

She is a nurse and at times the days can be very stressful. I gave her this Keep Your Friends Close and your Wine Closer Frame to put in her kitchen.  When she looks at the frame she will remember she has good friends thinking about her.  

, 

The last item in the collection is this Pretty Witty Happy Pillow. It is bright, colorful, and has fun poms attached to each corner.  I currently have it sitting on my bed. When I look at it, it makes me feel happy, and reminds me how wonderfully blessed I am to have such great friends.  

You can win a Fabulous Friends Gift Collection of your very own, but entering below.  The giveaway will run through September 29. It is open to US only.  You must be 18 and older to enter.  The winner will be chosen by random, and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.. Good Luck!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dare to Share #231

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

We had our second week of school this week  It was also the first full week of our regular routine with two appointments, and an open house thrown in. It would have also been the first week of dance class, but my daughter is still not 100% sure she is going back this fall.  

On the party front, I have had a couple of planning sessions with a few of my friends for an upcoming party.  You see, it is a big milestone birthday for me, and we are hoping to do something pretty amazing on an almost nonexistent budget.  I am excited with what we have planned so far, and I will be sharing it is in the next few weeks.  

Also coming up in the next few days is a giveaway for a Hallmark friends gift pack.  Be on the look out for that.  

It is apple picking season where I live, so I wanted to find an apple recipe.  I think these World's Best Baked Honeycrisp Apples by Worthing Court look amazingly good! 

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations shared this week how to make Fall Leaf DIY Lights. They pretty, and festive and would look great at your next fall party.  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share. If you chosen as a Dare to Share Feature your post will be featured on the blog and social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.  Kim also chooses posts from the party to feature on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!  

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Baked Honeycrisp Apples - Dare to Share Feature

It is apple picking season where I live. Here in Michigan we have some amazing apple orchards to visit every fall.  I am always looking for apple recipes this time of year, so I can make something with those delicious apples.  I noticed the World's Best Baked Honeycrisp Apple recipe by Worthing Court on this week's Dare to Share. They look so yummy, and inviting I am drooling just by thinking of them. An added bonus to this awesomeness is to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Definitely go check out this recipe on Worthing Court and see how you can make them too.  

Dare to Share #230

It is Friday night, and you know what that means... 

It is time to Dare to Share 

(the back to school edition!) 

I know some of you have had kids back in school for weeks. Where we live, we just went back this week.  It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that my kids are getting so old. Two years ago, I had three going back to school.  This is the last year, I will have two.  My son is going to graduate this year, and I am not ready yet. We are trying to figure out our school routine, which has been an adjustment.  To my surprise I was called to sub on the second day of school. I was not able to this time, but soon I will be back at work as well  

With back to school, a few appointments and a holiday weekend,  I did not post this week. Hopefully it will be easier next week.   

It is now time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature, your post will be featured on the blog and social media. This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses post to feature on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

 

   

    http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=662151" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up

   

   

Dare to Share #229

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

It is time to Dare to Share!!  

We had a very eventful week around here.  This week was the last week, before going back to school.  My daughter finished the program she was in.  My son had a meeting about a career assessment he took, and a pizza party parent night for his work study program.  Last weekend we went away for a few days to attend Family Camp with good friends from my church. There were so many fun activities like zip lining, kayaking, and horseback riding. My daughter was looking forward to the trial ride the most of all, and here she is saying goodbye to her horse. We are definitely going to go back again next year. 

I have been on a S'mores kick lately.  During our camping weekend, we had a couple of campfires where we go to eat them.  These Chocolate S'Mores Donuts by Delightful E Made bring the yummy S'mores taste to breakfast. Yum!  

It is football season.  Are you excited?  I actually am.  I love football, and my college team is a really great team who does very well every year.  I also happen to live in the rival schools state, so I have a lot of fun wearing my school's jersey. If you like to have sports parties, or get together your friends for a big game, Kim my co-host from Kandy Kreations has 10 Football Cupcake Wrapper Printables you might want to use.  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share If you chosen as a Dare to Share Feature, your post will be featured on the blog, and social media  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts to share on her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Chocolate S'mores Donuts - Dare to Share Feature

As many of you know, I LOVE CHOCOLATE. I also LOVE S'MORES.  So when I saw Chocolate S'mores Donuts, I knew I had to feature them.  Erin from Delightful E Made shows you step by step on how to make delicious chocolate donuts, and add the S'mores donuts.  These are one of those food items, that I would be very impatient to eat while waiting for them to finish cooking. Be sure to stop over to Delightful E Made for the full recipe.