Dare to Share #162

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

It's been another crazy week here.  Tonight  was a Robotics banquet, a girls night out at church, and a school dance.  A lot more will be happening in the next few months, that I will be sharing at a later time.  I do have a feature for this past week  chosen, and it will be posted this weekend. 

This week I was able to do something special for a friend who could use a treat for Mother's Day.  I have a few friends who have lost their mothers, and this time of year can be a little hard for them. We had a very nice time, and it made her week a little brighter. You can read more about it in A Mother's Day Treat for a Special Mom.

My co-host Kim has a great Mommy Bingo Game Printable that would be fun to play with your family this weekend. Be sure to stop over and print a few game boards. 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up anything you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature of the Day,  your post will be shared on the blog on my social media.  Kim also choses features that are shared on her blog KandyKreations.net and social media.    

Now link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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A Mother's Day Treat for a Special Mom

Disclosure: I was sent these treats by Shari Berries to share with a mom in my life.  All opinions in this post are 100% mine. 

I was recently given a great opportunity that I could not pass up.  I was asked to write a post about a mom in my life.  While I am close to my mom, she lives several states away and I do not have the chance to see  her very often.  I knew right away of another mom that I wanted to write about, my friend Rhonda.  I met Rhonda almost six years ago when we were both volunteering at our kids' elementary school.   We were both greeters who sat in the front hallway, and  welcomed parents when they came in the building.  I had the first shift of the morning, and she had the second. We started talking and realized we had a lot in common. Both of our boys were about the same age, and are very similar  My son had already been diagnosed with Aspergers, and her son was just starting the process. Not only did we become good friends, but our kids did as well.   Do you remember the milestone birthday Garden Party I shared a few years ago? How about  the It's Not a Party Until Someone Throws Up post?  That was her special birthday, and our kids having a great 4th of July holiday together.   

She has become one of my best friends, and is like an older sister to me.  She is a nurse who loves to take care of others, but doesn't always have the chance to do things for herself. This time of year can be a little hard for her.   Her mom is no longer with us, and she does not have a lot of family. I know she really misses her mom, and it is hard not to think about her with the constant reminders that are everywhere this week.  She has done so much for me over the years, and I really  wanted to something special just for her. She recently had a birthday, so I chose a day between her birthday and Mother's Day to celebrate.  I told her I had something special planned, but did not tell her anything else other than  she should come over hungry.  

Originally we were going to have lunch, but with our schedules it ended up being later in the day.  I knew we were going to have a decadent dessert, so I planned for a healthy meal.  We had chicken salad with cranberries and almonds, and homemade pepperoni pizza salad.  There was a little problem though, I forgot to pick up the pepperoni at the store so it was just pizza salad.  Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we also had blue chips in with individual bowls of mango salsa. (Aldis's has an excellent mango salsa for under $2!)  It was starting to get dark when we started to eat, so the lighting was not the best for pictures.  

Luckily I was able to take pictures of all the great goodies sent to me by Shari's Berries before dinner.  What they sent was amazing! Gourmet Dipped Strawberries that we gigantic, chocolate dipped cherries, and cheesecake bites. 

In addition to all of the other goodies, we also got Mother's Day Chocolate Covered Oreos. Yum! 

Everything looked so good, we had to try it all!  It tastes as good as it looks! It was the perfect  way to finish a special dinner.  Do you have a mom friend that might need a special treat this time of year?  

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Dare to Share #161

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

These next few weeks are going to go very fast.  My oldest is a Senior and she only has three weeks of school left!   I am very excited, but not sure I am totally ready for her to leave the nest. 

We had celebrated another milestone this week. A certain cook you might know turned 16! He did not want do anything big for his birthday,  He just chose to go our favorite sushi restaurant for dinner, and have chocolate cupcakes for dessert.    I would be fine, if time decided to slow down a little at this point.  

I have started working on my Cinderella party projects.  Today I shared Cinderella Party Bags

In honor of my son's birthday, the Dare to Share Features of the Day, were his favorite dessert..  Cupcakes.  You can read more about each cupcake and see some of our favorit cupcake recipes here on Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes.

The cupcakes shown are: 

Chunky Monkey Cupcakes by Virtually Yours  (KellyStillwell.com) 

Paddington Bear Cupcakes by Optimistic Mommy

Disney Pixar Inside Out Cupcakes by Virtually Yours

Churro Cupcakes by Formula Mom

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations had a lot of fun posts this week, but my favorite was definitely her Pixels Arcade Video Game Family Party. She was celebrating the upcoming Pixels movie, with old fashioned video games and treats. 

Now it is tie for this week's party.  You can link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as the Dare to Share Feature of the Day,  your post will be featured on the blog and social media.  This party is also seen on Kim's blog KandyKreations.net for double the exposure.  She also chooses her own features for her blog and social media.  

Now link up and HAVE FUN!  

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Cinderella Party Bags

I LOVED the movie Cinderella.  I had been planning on working on a Cinderella party for the blog ever since we saw it opening weekend.  I am finally able to work on it now that my daughter is starting to feel better, and our schedule is getting a little lighter.  One of the first projects I wanted to share our my Cinderella Party Bags. 

I started to this project with a gift bag from the dollar store and a piece of scrapbook paper as close to Cinderella's gown as I could find.  I cut out a basic dress shape from the cardstock. 

I knew I wanted to add some tulle to the gown, so I went through what I had on hand to find which color matched the best. I ended up going with the long piece wrapped in white paper  on the left.  It has a little bit of shimmer to it, and matched the paper perfectly. 

I wanted to add several layers of tulle but not make it too bulky and hard to work with.  I ended up using four layers and secured it on the back side of the gown with tape. 

It was a little harder to add the tulle to the top of the bodice. I applied several layers and secured it with a scrapbooking tape runner.   In the movie there were several butterflies on this part of the dress.  I would love to add some, but I have not found any that small yet.  I did add a small stick on jewel  to give the dress some bling.  

I felt the bag needed something else.  I asked my daughter, and of course she said, add more jewels.  A princess like Cinderella has to have jewels.  I also had some matching tissue paper on hand that is perfect for gift giving.   

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Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes - Features of the Day

In honor of my son's birthday today, I am featuring one of his favorite desserts.. Cupcakes! I will be featuring the wonderful cupcakes from this week's Dare to Share Party, but also some of my kid's  favorite cupcakes we have had at past parties. 

Chunky Monkey Cupcakes (upper left) by Kelly of Virtually Yours (KellyStillwell.com) are Chocolate Banana Pudding Cupcakes  that your family will love.  I know my son loves bananas and would be thrilled to have these for a birthday treat. 

Paddington Bear Cupcakes (upper right) by Courtney of Optimistic Mommy would be adorable at a Paddington themed party or movie night.  

Disney Pixar Inside Out Cupcakes (lower left)  also by Kelly of Virtually Yours are a fun and colorful treat for the upcoming movie Inside Out. They would be fun to serve after seeing the movie, or at several types of colorful parties. 

Churro Cupcakes (lower right) by Mariah of Formula Mom are full of  sweet cinnamon goodness that would be perfect for your upcoming Cinco De Mayo celebrations. 

Thank you so much Kelly, Courtney, and Mariah for sharing your cupcake making talents to this week's Dare to Share!

Even More Cupcakes to Enjoy 

Several years ago I started serving cupcakes at our at my children's parties.  I found that they were easier to make, and faster to serve when you have several impatient children who want cake.  Here are some of our favorite cupcakes we have had at our parties in the past. 

I once made these Flower Cupcakes for a friend who shares her birthday with my son (Happy Birthday R!)  Flowers were a great theme for late April and upcoming Mother's Day holiday.  

These Cloud Cuckooland Cupcakes were made for a Lego themed party.  They would also be good for a rainbow or St. Patricks Day party.  

 My daughter loved her Kitten Cupcakes at her cat themed party.  

At her Zoo Animal Party we had cupcakes that looked like Elephant, Lions, and Monkeys. 

At one of our most recent parties,  Kara's Butterfly Party, we used edible butterflies that looked like the real thing.  

Do you prefer cake or cupcakes at your parties?  

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Dare to Share #160

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

It is time to Dare to Share!

Sorry it is has been such a quiet week on the blog.  I had to take care of some family matters, and Kara had a bad week with her migraines.  She missed four days of school this week.  We also had lots of Drs appointments on the schedule.  On the plus side, I had my annual physical and my Dr was happy with me even though I was a few months behind schedule.  Hopefully next week will be a bit calmer.  

My Dare to Share Features of the Day this week were Chicken Recipe Ideas  for family dinners. 

Easy Mustard Chicken by Simply Stacie

Garden Fresh Grilled Cheese by Homegrown and Healthy

Homemade Enchiladas by Lemons and Laughs

Applesauce Chicken by Strength and Sunshine

My cohost Kim had many posts on her blog this week.  I used to love to play the game Frogger, so i really like these Frog Log Cookies. 

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

Now link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Chicken Dinner Ideas - Features of the Day

I am always looking for new ways to make chicken for dinner. My entire family likes it, so it is a go to meal.  I saw several interesting chicken recipes that I would like to try on this week's Dare to Share, and I hope you will too.  

Easy Mustard Chicken (upper left) by Stacie of  Simply Stacie is a meal that is easy to make but looks like it was served in a restaurant. 

Garden Fresh Grilled Cheese (upper right) by Aubrey of  Homegrown and Healthy is an interesting and healthy twist on a family favorite. 

Homemade Enchiladas (lower left) by Miranda of Lemons and Laughs  is a another favorite meal that the entire family will enjoy. 

Slow Cooker Applesauce Chicken (lower right) by  Rebecca of Strength and Sunshine is another super easy meal idea that you will want to make again and again.  

Be sure to check out these wonderful recipes for your next family meal.  Thank you so much Stacie, Aubrey, Miranda, and Rebecca for linking up to this week's Dare to Share. 

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Dare to Share #159

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

This week we started our last quarter of school.  The next few weeks are going go by really fast, especially for my Senior.  There will be a lot of big things happening that we have not experienced before, and I am not sure I am ready.  

I kept busy this week with a few things.  I bought supplies for a couple of new Cinderella party posts, coming soon.  I also was asked to do a Hometalk Board for 9 Smart Ways to Upcycle a Pringles Can. 

I was also asked to share a #sponsored post about Hamburger Helper and a FREE beef rebate.  It is a really great deal to check out if you like free food. 

With the warmer weather, I am starting to think about summer and lots of color.  For the Features of the Day this week, I chose Colorful Party Treats.

Cotton Candy Party Popcorn by Krystal's Kitsch

Confetti Donuts by The Mandatory Mooch

Cowboy Cactus Dessert by Bombshell Bling

Homemade Sno-Con Syrup by AttaGirl Says

My co-host Kim keeping with the video game theme of last week, shared these super fun Pacman Ghost Pretzels. I can see serving these at your next game party, and for the upcoming PacMan movie. 

Now it is time for these 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 of the Day, your post will be shared on my blog and on social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.  Kim also chooses features to share on  her blog and social media.

Now link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Quick and Easy Hamburger Helper Meal and FREE Ground Beef Rebate

This post is sponsored by Hamburger Helper but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Having three teenagers with busy schedules, it can sometimes be difficult to sit down to a family dinner.  It can also be expensive to feed three teenagers who have very different tastes.   Recently after dance class we stopped at the store to pick up some groceries. Hamburger Helper is a dinner they all agree on, and it is easy to make on those busy days.  

We were happy to see that Hamburger Helper was on sale the day we were there and picked three flavors that all enjoy,  Sweet and Sour Chicken,  Four Cheese Lasagna, and Crunchy Taco. I also picked up a package of ground beef which was also on sale.  

What was even more exciting than seeing Hamburger Helper and hamburger on sale was when you bought three boxes and hamburger there was a rebate for a FREE lb of ground beef.    Not only were we going to have an easy to make  meal that all of use would enjoy, but it was going to super affordable as well.  Awesome! 

The kids decided on Four Cheese Lasagna on this night.  I browned the hamburger in the skillet.  All I had to do then was add the sauce mix and pasta  with 1 1/4 cup water and 1 3/4 cup milk.  I loved that I could do everything in the same skillet, it really cut down on the messy dishes. 

A few minutes later it was ready and we had a cheesy, meaty meal that disappeared quickly. All three of the kids said they would like to eat this meal again.  When all three agree, I know it is a big hit.    

How to get your  FREE Ground Beef Rebate

1. Visit your local grocer, and purchase three Hamburger Helper products and Ground Beef. 

2. Visit the campaign landing page.  You will see the digital rebate: “Free Ground Beef, when you buy 3 boxes of Helper.” Please note that you may also buy Chicken Helper or Tuna Helper.

3. Click on the rebate. 

4. Print and mail in the rebate form.

  

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Colorful Party Treats - Features of the Day

It's a gray, dreary day today, so I was thinking I needed some color to brighten things up. Today's Dare to Share Features of the Day are all bright, colorful and perfect for a party. 

Cotton Candy Party Popcorn (upper left) by Krystal of Krystal's Kitsch is a great mix of sweet and salty, and part of a Confetti Themed Party.  At this party she served confetti cupcakes, made a confetti craft, and my favorite had a confetti themed photo booth.  I love how the confetti photos turned out! 

Confetti Donuts (upper right)  are a fun and colorful treat by Nichi of The Mandatory Mooch. They are so bright and cheery, they would be great to serve at so many different types of parties.  In fact I would just make up a party so I could serve some.

The Cowboy Cactus Dessert (lower left) by Sarah of Bombshell Bling is a fun and simple treat perfect for a Cowboy or Western Themed Party.  Sarah whipped these up for a class party, and the pudding cups made them easy to take on the go.  

Homemade Sno-Cone Syrup (lower right) by Amy of Atta Girl Says would be great to serve at pool parties, picnics, and many summer parties. With her simple recipe you can make all kinds of great colors and flavors.  

So if you are looking for some colorful party ideas, be sure to check out these fun features.

Thank you so much Krystal, Nichi, Sarah and Amy for sharing your wonderful recipes on this week's Dare to Share! 

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9 Smart Ways to Upcycle Pringles Cans {A Hometalk Curated Board}

I was recently asked to curate a board for Hometalk on ways to upcycle Pringles cans. Do you remember when I made my Pringles Can Scarecrow a couple of years ago? I think it is still one of my favorite crafts.  There are other crafters on Hometalk that have also used an upcycled chip can for inspiration.  They can be used for holidays as decorations, and treat baskets.  They are great for storing things such twine, your curling iron, and other household items. You can use them in your decor by turning them into  candle holders  Another great use for upcycled Pringles cans is for giving gifts and goodies.  Do you love to watch football with your friends and family? How about turning a few cans into a goal post for your party table. There are just so many fun ways to reuse a Pringles can.  You can read more about each of these projects here on my Hometalk Board. 

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Dare to Share #158

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

This week was our Spring Break.  It was nice to have a much needed break before the craziness of the end of the school year.    Because of the Robotics meet, we did not have to color our eggs this year until the night of Easter.  This year Kara experimented a bit with the food coloring.   The Robotics meet went well. We were chosen to go to the final rounds as part of an alliance and ended up in 5th place.  We did not advance to the state meet, but came close. The state meet was four days long and across the state, so we were okay with not advancing. Hopefully next year that the meet will be closer to home.   

We have started working on our Cinderella Party ideas.  Kara shared how to make Cinderella Butterflies. 

I had two Dare to Share Features of the Day this week.. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out these Blogging Tips to help grow your blog.  

How to Make a Full Time Income by Serendipity and Spice

10 Ways to Make Your Business Cards Stand Out by My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings

Manage Your Blog with Google Calendar by Hey, Let's Make Stuff

Running Your Blog Business by Pink Heels Pink Truck

Today's Features of the Day were how to make these pretty Spring Wreaths.  

Orchid Spring Wreath by Bombshell Bling

Monogrammed Spring Wreath by Life Anchored

Frugal Yarn Wreath by The Jenny Evoluation

Burlap, Lace and Button Wreath by Busy Being Jennifer

It is almost my son's birthday again.  Last year I made him Video Game Party Treats for his birthday.  This  Pac Man Fever Power Pills Printable by my co host Kim of Kandy Kreations is  definitely something I know he will enjoy. 

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 of the Day, you post will be featured on the blog and my social media.  Kim also chooses features, so you may be featured on her blog and social media as well.  

Now Link Up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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