Tips to have a great Tailgate Party

If you are a long time reader, you know that I LOVE FOOTBALL! I grew up in Ohio, and went to Ohio State. I am a 2nd generation Buckeye.  My parents met on campus, which gives me an even bigger reason to like Ohio State, because if my parents had not met, I would not be here.  I also have three pro teams that I cheer for in addition to Ohio State. I have been a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals for years, and even named on of my cats after Boomer Esiason. In more recent years I have also become a fan of the goat and the baby goat.  LOL! Love him or hate him, I really admire Tom Brady.  He is still at the top of his game, and showing everyone that he still had what it takes to take his team to the Super Bowl in his mid 40s.  I also love the quarterback of the losing team of this year's Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes. He is adorable, and will hopefully be able to play for many years to come.  A lot of my family lives in Missouri and are Chiefs fans.  

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links  

I have been a long time ambassador and affiliate for Oriental Trading Company, and have used their items to throw a few football parties over the years. 

One of my favorite items I used at one of our parties is this inflatable buffet cooler.  While we did not use it for hold our drinks, it was large enough to hold several of our easy to grab snacks.  

We decorated with these cute football lanterns .  They were a really nice size, and could even stand up on their own.

This football utensil caddy held all of our silverware, straws and napkins at the buffet. 

While the football style treat boxes and football photo props are not currently for sale on their site, I am posting them in case they give some idea inspiration. 

Now for some of our favorite party food. Everything listed here has a been a huge hit with our family and guests. 

 A dip I like to serve is this warm cheesy bacon dip

These cheesy air fryer stuffed mushrooms are so yummy, and made in only a few minutes.

Tator Tot skewers and easy ham and cheese sliders are also party favorites in our house.  You can see both of these recipes on my Super Bowl party food post.

Here are a few items that have been added to the website since we had our last football party.  I am loving these stadium trays. They are large paper trays that can be used as serving dishes and hold  a lot of food. 

Loving this stadium cupcake stand. It is such a cute way to display your cupcakes. 

Here is another fun item for your football party.  A 72 pc football face tattoo set. They are temporary tattoos can be worn throughout the season. 

Do you like what you see and want more ideas, go to the football tailgating section over at Oriental Trading Company.

Dare to Share #487

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

It is time to Dare to Sare! 

Happy Fall Friday Y'all!

I'm not actually from the south, but a lot of my family members have grown up there or lived there for over 20+ years, so I like how that sounds. :)  How was your week.  Mine was a bit crazy.  Things started a bit slow and then mid week we had a power line go down near our school just as many of the kids were arriving.  The generator kicked on so there was some light but we were out of most of the electricity at our school, the neighboring elementary school and the surrounding neighborhood.  There was no running water or internet and the power was not predicted to come on for several hours.  We had not choice but to cancel school.  Since we had many of the kids already dropped off, we had to contact parents and wait for them to be picked back up.  The power was already off when the buses started to arrive to they just kept the kids on the bus and return as many as they could back home. It took 90 minutes to get everyone safely to where they needed to go. All the teachers, support staff and some volunteers worked together, which was really cool to see.  Thankfully this outage was not as bad as the time when my son was in intermediate school.  At that time the power outage happened in the middle of the day and all 900+ kids were in the building. It was also very early in the school year so it took a lot longer to get everyone picked up.  I was on the parent side that time and not working at the school.      Yesterday a bit more craziness as we had more people out than we had subs, so I was covering two people. On top of that we had a lock down drill which cause a bit of anxiety, but the class I was in did great!  With everything going on this week, I did not have a chance to write a post. I have a couple planned, so hopefully they will be up in the next few days.  

Let's get this party started!!  Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

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Dare to Share #486

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

It's time to Dare to Share! 

Happy Friday!  I made it through our second week of school. Yea!  We are starting to get back into the flow of things. The buses are closer to being on time, the parents are a little less nervous dropping off and picking up their kids. Next week we have our first spirit week where we dress up in different outfits every day.  It feels good to be almost back to normal. 

Are you getting excited about Halloween and Spooky Season? I have been a long time fan and affiliate for Oriental Trading Company. I have used their supplies for all of my kid's parties which you can see on the party themes page above.  Their decorations are so cool this year! I am loving the giant skeletons.   You can see this unicorn skeleton and many other fun items on my post Fun Ways to Decorate and Celebrate Spooky Season. 

I am also excited to share that I finally got my Etsy Shop open after a few months of anxiety procrastinating.  I have a few fall themed calendars listed, and will be adding Halloween and Christmas items over the next several weeks.  

Did you have any accomplishments that you would like to share this week? I would love to hear about them!  

It is time to get this party started!  Link up and HAVE FUN!  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Fun ways to decorate and celebrate Spooky Season

*This post contains affiliate links.  

I have been a long time fan of the Oriental Trading Company.  I have used their products at all of my children's birthday parties (which you see on the party theme's page here)

Your house will be one of the most interesting ones on the block with this dragon skeleton. It is 4 feet long, and 3 feet high, with many 5 star reviews.  

Recently they sent me an email with some of the coolest Halloween decorations that I are definitely something I would love to have in my front yard.  

While the Dollar Tree has the mini mermaid skeletons,  Oriental Trading has this life size version.  It would definitely be the showpiece of your party. 

My personal favorite the unicorn skeleton.  You could have a lot of fun adding some colorful flair to this fun guy.  If you like both the dragon and the unicorn they can be bought separately or as a duo at a discount.  

If you like your skeletons on the smaller side, there are this scary but cute vinyl skeleton toys (12 ct) I just love how the unicorn and narwhal have a candy cane horn.  

I adore gnomes, and this Halloween gnome sign can definitely put a spell on me.  

Do you like scary movie posters?  This Creature from the Black Lagoon is just one of many that are available. 

How fun is this pirate ship cooler. Its 3 feet high, and 3 feet wide and holds up to 72 cans.  That's a lot of cans.  

Oriental Trading has Hocus Pocus Party Supplies  

and all of the Sanderson sister witch costumes.  Which Sanderson sister are you?  It's been awhile since I have seen the movie, but I think I am probably Sara

Want an ice breaker for your party guests?  Have them spin the wheel and find out their fate with this fate prize wheel.

There are currently over 10,000 Halloween items available on Oriental Trading, and for a limited time there is Free Shipping on ANY order. 

Dare to Share #485

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

I just finished my first week back to school.  It was both wonderful and exhausting. Everyone was excited to be back with the kids and our school family again.  We did have a few first week bumps though.  Our buses have been arriving very late as ,they try to figure out the routes with a shortage of drivers.  The first day of school I stayed an entire hour later than normal just trying to help get all the kiddos safely on the buses. While I was not being paid for that extra hour, I know what it is like to be standing at the bus stop waiting for your kids to arrive home way after they are supposed to be home. Hopefully next week will be even easier as we get used to our new routines again  

I did have the chance to write a post earlier this week.  Just as you walk in the front door of the Dollar Tree, they had a display of gorgeous fall dishes that would be so pretty on your Thanksgiving table. You don't actually need a special reason to use them.  They are very affordable so you can use these dishes every day if you would like.  You can see more about them on my post Amazing Dinnerware for Thanksgiving and Your Fall Parties.

I stopped by another Dollar Tree store tonight and found a several more really exciting things.  I share the new products I find over on Instagram.  I also share videos and reels/tutorials if you would like to follow along.  

Well it is looking to be that time to get the party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Amazing Dinnerware for Thanksgiving and Your Fall Parties

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

Have you seen the fall dinnerware patterns at the Dollar Tree?

I am really impressed, they are so beautiful this year.  If you are someone that likes to decorate for Thanksgiving, or have fall dinner parties, you will definitely want to check them out.  An added bonus, since they are from the Dollar Tree, everything is only $1.  

Their pumpkin placemats are GORGEOUS, and they are currently available online in units of only 4! You can get a whole table full of placemats for the price of only a couple at a regular store. 

These 16 oz pumpkin tumblers are so pretty, and are a nice addition to your fall table settings.  They are currently available online in units of only 6.  

If tumblers are not your thing, they also have stemless wine glasses in a case of 12. 

The pumpkin bowls  are a really nice size and available in units of 6. 

My store did not have any of the dinner plates in stock, but WOW it is definitely eye catching.  They are available online in a case of 12 plates. 

The 7.5 in side plates have a coordinating design, and also available in a case of 12. 

If you prefer fall leaves to pumpkins, there is also an entire line of the leaf pattern.  There was a bit of a glare when I took this picture. You can see the leaf tumblers here.

The fall leaves bowl has a similar look to the pumpkin bowl and comes in a case of 12. 

In addition to the dinnerware and placemats, you can find several types of dish towels, napkins, drying mats and more. 

If you had to choose which pattern you like best, which one do you choose?  If I was hosting Thanksgiving this year, for me it would be the pumpkin line.  

When you order from  Dollar Tree online, remember that most   items you one the website can  shipped free to your store.  I have done this several times, and have always had a great experience.   Another bonus tip... The Christmas items are starting to appear in stores, so check be sure to check the Christmas items online NOW.. 

I have added the video that I took of the dinnerware while I was in the store.  This way you can see the items more than just in pictures.  

Dare to Share #484

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Happy Labor Day Weekend! 

And poof, just like that summer is over! It go back to school in a couple of days, and stores are already selling all things fall.  I am a fan of fall. It means football, cider, Halloween, and a lot of fun.  I'm not though a fan of what comes after it, snow, ice and cold.  Brrr!   Which is your favorite season of the year?  

This week I have been working on my online store, a project that I am reviewing and a blog post.   

 If you have not had a chance to see it yet, it is How to Celebrate Dios de los Muertos.  Do you remember last year when I was asked to fill in as the Spanish teacher for a few weeks until my school was able to hire one? Thankfully, they hired an amazing one (especially since I know very little Spanish).  She is originally from Mexico so she was definitely the right person to teach the kids how to speak Spanish and all about their customs.  I assisted her on the days she was teaching about this important Mexican holiday. 

Well it is looking to be about that time to get this party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN! 

 

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Click here to enter

How to Celebrate Dios de los Muertos

This week while visiting my local Dollar Tree, I saw many, many items for Dios de Los Muertos, aka Day of the Dead. I have to admit I did not know much about that holiday until I saw the movie Coco (which was awesome), and when I was the temporary Spanish teacher at my school.  I am a full time building sub at an intermediate school.  When school started back last year the school found themselves without a Spanish teacher.  Our school was in person four days a week with Covid protocol, and the past teacher who had health issues decided to retire right before school started.  My principal asked me if I could fill in as the Spanish teacher until they could hire someone.  I said yes, but there was one problem.  I knew muy poca espanol. I had not taken Spanish since high school over 30 years ago, and remembered very little of it.  I went through past worksheets, and started looking up ideas on Google.  I taught some basic words, colors and numbers. Thankfully, they found the perfect person to be the full time Spanish teacher before the third week of school.  She is from Mexico, speaks fluent Spanish and knows all about the culture.   I assisted her for a few days when she first started, and also helped her with this altar at the end of October for Dios de los Muertos.  

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

Most of the supplies she bought were from the Dollar Tree.  She covered boxes with black plastic tablecloths.  The skulls and banners can be found in store and online on their Day of the Dead page. She also added colorful prayer candles that come both with skulls and without, and several votives.  We had the kids color small skeleton printables there were used as the photographs of loved ones who had passed.   We helped the kids make tissue paper marigolds from different shades of yellow and orange tissue paper, and green pipe cleaners.  When everything was pulled together, there was definitely a WOW factor, and the kids learned a lot about the holiday.  

There were so many items that I found during my recent visit to the Dollar Tree that there are just too many to post one photo at a time.  Thank goodness for Canva! 

Which item is  your favorite? 

There are even several more items at the store that are not pictured. Seriously, there are so many great items available you could definitely celebrate with on a teeny tiny budget! 

Did you know that you that DollarTree.com  has a many party, holiday, and craft ideas on their site?  If you want to see in more Day of the Dead ideas you can see how to decorate your own sugar skulls using a basic $1 skull here.

If you would like to keep up with my Dollar Tree finds, crafts and reels, be sure to follow me on Instagram.