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Saturday, August 31, 2024

It's Time to Dare to Share!

It's Friday night, and you know what that means...
It's time to Dare to Share!


I'm sorry I am a little bit late with the party this week, but I have a really good reason.  My grand baby is here! She was induced on Monday morning, but there were some complications, so she actually arrived early Tuesday morning. Even though it took a bit for her to enter this world, she is doing well.  She is beautiful and healthy. I am already so in love with her.  They came home from the hospital tonight, and we were asked to come over to  spend some time with the baby.  :) We just got home from our visit. 

This weekend we will be having another big event. D and I are having our high school reunion. We graduated together, so we both know all our classmates. It's a pretty big number, but we are looking forward to it. It will be weird seeing everyone getting older though.  Since it is getting late, I am going to get this party started.

Link up and HAVE FUN! 



 

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Friday, August 23, 2024

Let's Dare to Share!

It's Friday night, and you know what that means..
It is time to Dare to Share! 

Well, I was hoping to have some big news to share, but baby watch is still on for our grandbaby to be born.   Her due date has come and gone earlier this week.  We know it can happen at any time, but for now we are just waiting.  There is only one person still left in the "guess the due date" game we played at her baby shower.  Everyone else guessed days that have already passed.  Hopefully this weekend! 



 Are you starting to think about Halloween yet? I have to admit I am.  I having been thinking of some new projects that I want to make this year.   Last year I made these easy pumpkin pail crafts that I plan on using again this year.   The Dollar Tree has been getting new Halloween items in store and on their website.  What I love about their website is you can see what to look for in stores, and you can order what you can not find and you can often have it shipped for free to your local store. 


Now that you know what I have been up this week, I would love to see what you have been up to.  Link up and HAVE FUN!  


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Sunday, August 18, 2024

Halloween at the Dollar Tree

 

Now that it is almost the end of the summer, we are starting to see Halloween everywhere, including at the Dollar Tree both in store and online.  I LOVE shopping at  Dollar Tree for Halloween items.  I was so excited when I had an email in my inbox from Dollar Tree saying that Halloween items are now online.  I love looking at the website, because not only can you see what you might find in stores, but you can also buy items you don't see in your local store. 

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

New this year are these black metal haunted houses (photo above)  that are 11.9 inches tall and light up.  I think they will be a very popular item at only $5 each.  


Are you a fan of the Halloween Porch Signs ? Dollar Tree has several new ones for only $5. I think my favorite is the Hocus Pocus sign. It would fit in great with my Hocus Pocus themed items I bought last year. 



I included this 36 inch hanging ghost in this round up, because I used this to make one of my favorite Halloween crafts last year. 


I used them to make the taller ghosts. The shorter ghost is made with a Dollar Tree mop. You can see how to make both types of ghost on my post how to make Dollar Tree light up ghosts. (everything on my table is from the Dollar Tree except for one ceramic ghost) 


Another new item this year are these coconut lime spooky soap dispensers. I bought them this weekend, but have not tried them yet. 
A popular item that has come back the last few years are these 4 inch pumpkin votives that come in clear and orange. I have a few of them, and I really like them.  

I don't remember seeing this black lace table runner, so I am not sure if they had it last year or if it is a new product. I really liked it in the store, so I picked one up. The runner is 72" x 13" and only $1.25.


These Halloween throw pillows are selling out in stores quickly. I was lucky enough to find the Hocus Pocus pillow, and I am hoping to find the bat.  They are only $5 each and super soft. 


I LOVE the solar lights at Dollar Tree. I buy both regular and holiday solar lights every year. At $1.25 they are a great deal. This year I am placing several of the spooky LED ghost stakes in our landscaping.



If you are having a Halloween party, classroom party, or looking for unusual gifts, there are so many items available this year like these plastic candy jars.  I bought the pumpkin jar last year and filled it with orange gum balls.  



These Halloween canteen sippers are another really cute party favor items.  I think the ghost is my favorite. I bought it last year for my ghost table.  
New this year are these themed drink dispensers.  I bought the cauldron last week. 



A few years ago, Dollar Tree introduced a mini candy dispenser.  It was so popular, they added a couple more. This year there are FOUR different candy dispensers for Halloween. They are 6.5 inches tall and would make great party favors. 




These skull snack bowls have been around a few years. I am not sure if all four colors were available last year or not.  My store only had the black one is stock the other day, but just got in a new shipment out over the weekend.  They are a great deal for only $3.  

I love these 2 tiered metal trays. I already have two of them. You can see what the bat tray looks like below.  I used mine for decor, but they would also be great as a cupcake stand. 




I have been using the Dollar Tree foam pumpkins for many years.  They  used to only be available in orange, but now they also have black and white pumpkins as well.   For years I have been adding new pumpkins to my Pumpkin Gang. You can see how to make all of the different pumpkins here.



Hopefully you have seen something you like, and are starting to get excited for Halloween.  It will be here before you know it! 



Friday, August 16, 2024

It's Time to Dare to Share!

 

It's Friday night, and you know what that means...
It is time to Dare to Share! 


I'm sorry I missed last week's Dare to Share party, but that night I was still on vacation.  If you were at the last Dare to Share party I mentioned that I was going on a road trip vacation, but I did not know where I was going yet.  We were waiting on two things before making the decision on where to go, the weather and the birth of our grandbaby.  They weather last week turned out to be sunny and warm, and the grandbaby has not yet arrived.  She is due in just a few days, so the birth can be any time now.  We decided to stay within a few hours from home just in case we needed to rush back.  It was definitely a busy week! We went to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Ky, Great Wolf Lodge, the Cincinnati Zoo, Kings Island, and the Bengals vs Buccaneers preseason game.  It was so much fun choosing on what to do each day.  You can read more about our trip, and see some photos on my post where we went on vacation.  

This week I was back at work, but the center was closed today so I took a friend who had a birthday this week to lunch. We also went shopping at Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby.  We are starting to make plans for our Halloween market, and going to be crafting and baking Halloween items in the next few weeks.  I will be sharing everything here on the blog, and also re-sharing some of my older Halloween ideas from past years. This is one of my favorite times of the year to be creative. 

While I did not post anything new in my Etsy Shop this week, I have a large inventory of back to school and Halloween printables available.  Are you someone who gets excited about Halloween in August, or do you like to wait until October? I think for me it varies from year to year. As I am writing this I am watching a commercial for the new Beetle Juice movie. I might have to go see that one. :)

Well it is getting late so let's get this party started.  Link up and  HAVE FUN! 


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Sunday, August 11, 2024

Where We Went on Vacation



I mentioned in my last Dare to Share Party that I was going on vacation, but not sure where I was going.  We knew we could not go real far, because our first grandbaby is due very soon, and we wanted to be able come home quickly if needed.  A few hours before we left, we decided to visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.  Willamstown is about 45 minutes south of Cincinnati on I-75.  When you are visiting the Ark there are actually two different exhibits to visit.  The Ark itself, and its sister exhibit, the Creation Museum.  We chose to just see the Ark during this visit, but combo tickets are available if you decided to see both. 



The Ark was massive.  It is the actual size that the actual Ark would have been,  510 feet long, 85 feet wide, 51 feet high. There were three levels where you could see how Noah and his family lived and took care of all the animals.   


When you are done seeing, they have a restaurant with a good buffet right on the property.  There is also a children's zoo, animal encounters, a playground, and a carousel.  When we were done seeing the ark, we drove a little bit farther south to visit the Richmond, Kentucky Buc-ees, and a nearby graffiti bridge. 



After all the walking we did at the Ark the day before, we decided to go to Cincinnati, and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge there on day two.  I had never been at one before, and swimming sounded good on a day that was almost 90 degrees. 


The room was really nice, and we had an excellent view of Kings Island from our balcony. 


Our stay included passes for the water park for two days.  We spent most of the first day, and part of the second day in the water.  



It was still really warm on day three. We had thought about going to Kings Island, but it was warmer than we would have liked.  We decided to go to the Cincinnati Zoo instead.  There is a lot of shade there, and we could leisurely walk to see all the animals.  


The Cincinnati Zoo is the home of the famous hippo Fiona, and her baby brother Fritz.  Since it was warm afternoon, a lot of the animals were resting, but we were still able to take some great pictures.   After the zoo, we went back to the Great Wolf Lodge for a few more hours and then to dinner.  


Day four we had the perfect weather to visit Kings Island.  I had not been there since my kids were little.  I had not been on a roller coaster since 2017, so I was happy to find out that I can still handle riding most of them. I sat out on a few of the rides like the Banshee, and Mystic Timbers, but the rest I rode.  


If you are looking for a good choice for food while in the park, check out Tom and Chee. I love both grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese.  They have a sandwich that is mix of both, and it is so good!! 


At the end of the night, they have a nice but short fireworks and drone show. The park was not that crowded, the weather was beautiful and it turned out to be a great day.  


Our last day of vacation we did something special.  Saturday was the first preseason game for our favorite team the Cincinnati Bengals.  They were playing Tampa Bay, and the price of tickets for a preseason game were very reasonable.  We were also sitting in great seats with an excellent view.  




This was my view!  Joe Burrow played in the first series, and threw to Tee Higgins for a touchdown.  The rest of the game he stood on the sidelines with his helmet off with the rest of the team.  I definitely did not have any problems with that.  LOL!  Unfortunately we did not win the game, but it was definitely a fun experience.  

This week will be one to remember.  We were able to do all the things we have been wanting to do for awhile, just all at once. If you ever have a chance to go on vacation without any plans and decide where you go as you go along, I highly recommend it. 

The Dare to Share party will be back this upcoming Friday!  





Friday, August 2, 2024

It's Time to Dare to Share!


It's Friday night, you know what that means..
It is time to Dare to Share! 

Happy Friday! 

This week flew by. I'm happy about that because I am technically on vacation for the next week.  The problem is I don't know where we are going.  I am with someone who is not a planner but much more spontaneous.  We have a few ideas but have not made a decision yet.  There are two variables that will come into play on that decision, our grandbaby is due in a few weeks and the weather.  How are you when you have a vacation?  Are you a major planner or more go with the flow.   I admit to being a bit of both, but our go with the flow vacation around the coast of Michigan was one of our best vacations I have ever been on.  I have a series of posts of all the places we saw including this post, Our Trip to the Michigan Upper Peninsula.


Are you watching the Olympics?  I used to be a gymnast back in high school, so my favorite sport to watch is definitely gymnastics.  We have also been watching a lot of swimming as well.  We still have another week of the games. If you want to make some fun Olympic decor or snacks, you can find ideas on my posts, Olympic Party Food Ideas and How to Throw and Olympics Party.


It's hard to believe kids will be going back to school in just a few weeks.  It still feels to me like summer just started.  Recently I did add a new post if you are looking for an activity for girls who are having a birthday or slumber party, with my Slumber Party Scavenger Hunt There are also some back to school items, and many Halloween items.  In just a few weeks is the start of Spooky season! 

Well now that you know what I have been up to lately, I would love to see what you have been up to.  Link Up and HAVE FUN! 





 

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