Dare to Share #202

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

The party is back, but what a crazy couple of weeks it is has been.. Last week we were unable to have the party because of this.. 

Our power went out Friday evening.  We ended up going to a friend's house who lived 20 miles away.  SInce she was with me, she did not know that her house was without power too until we got there.  We ended up having a camp out in the dark for the night.. 

This week, this happened. It started Wednesday morning. I was called in at that morning for a teacher that got sick during the school day. A few hours later there was already 6 inches of snow on the car, and the roads were in really bad shaped for our drive home.  We ended up getting  about 8 inches more after we got home,   That is how much snow you see on my car.  We did not have school for the last two days because of road conditions. This weekend it is supposed to get up to 50 degrees and we will have to watch for flooding. 

We are still working on candy party posts. Between working almost everyday, some health issues of one of the kids, and just a crazy schedule it has taken a little bit longer than planned.  This was a fun treat to make, for a Wreck it Ralph or Nascar theme.  We got several types of candy at the dollar store and made our own Candy Race Cars. I like activities that have more than one function. Not only would party guests have the fun of making their cars, but they will be able to eat them when they are done. 

There were two yummy Dare to Share Features..    This Cherry Cordial  Chocolate Skillet cookie by Frugal Foodie Mama

and these Chicken Parmesan  Muffins by Just Us Four. Both recipes loo delicious to me! 

Do you have or know a child who loves Minecraft?  You will want to check out my co-host Kim's blog Kandy Kreations this week. She has several Minecraft ideas and free printables. 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are allowed to link up anything that you would like to share. If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature you 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

   

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Mini Chicken Parmesan Muffins - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

I am always looking for new dinner ideas that are not that difficult to make, and that my family would love to eat.  I think these  Mini Chicken Parmesan Muffins by Just Us Four could be one of those meals.  I also love that  they are small  and appetizer size, so they would be perfect to serve at a party.  Be sure to stop over to Just us Four to see the full recipe. 

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Candy Race Cars

This weekend we went to the dollar store and picked up a lot of random candy. One of the things that i really enjoyed in the movie Wreck it Ralph was the race cars made from candy and treats  If you are having a Candy themed party like Wreck it Ralph, a great activity  would  for the kids to make their own race cars.   I also realized that NASCAR just started back up this past weekend as well.  While I am not a fan or racing,  it wold be fun to make Candy Race Cars for a race viewing party  

Any long cake like treat would work as a race car body.  We bought Swiss Rolls and Strawberry Shortcake Rolls.  Twinkies would be good, and so would some types of donuts.   

Using a small knife and car "glue" my daughter an I started to put our race cars together.  You can use several different things for glue, icing, melted chocolate, ore even peanut butter.  You can also make your cars a lot more colorful.  Since we were only making a couple of cars for this post, I did not think to get a a container of frosting. 

We will be moving again soon! I can not wait!  Where we live now has NO light, very few windows and very little space. I have to take pictures on my dryer. I hope you bear with me with the horrible lighting on my pictures. I could also really use a better camera.  I am not sure where my old one is, and I have been taking pictures on my cell phone.

Hopefully you can see how I made the Strawberry Shortcake Race Car.  I used bite size Vanilla wafers for tires, half of a sugar wafer for a spoiler, sliced gum drops for the headlights and steering wheel, and a peppermint for the spare tire.  This car would be a good one to add colored frosting or sprinkles for a lot more color. 

While the Swiss Cake worked for a race car, it was a little more fragile to work with. I used peppermints for the tires, a peach ring for the spoiler, sour cherries for the headlights, and a sliced gum drop for the steering wheel. 

These cars are just an example of how you can make Candy Race Cars. Pick your favorite candies and have fun with it. 

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Power Outage Version of Dare to Share

If you are wondering where Dare to Share is this week.. We are having an unexpected week off..  

Here what was going on last night at our house.. 

Having an adventure tonight. The strong wind knocked out the power in several areas.

A photo posted by Pam (@pamspartyplanning) on Feb 19, 2016 at 8:27pm PST

As you can see the last 18 hours or so have been a bit crazy.  I have a very old computer with little battery charge.  I can only use it when it is plugged in, so I was unable to log on to post the party. We went to go stay at a friend's house, but when we got there her power had gone out too. We ended up having a picnic by flashlight.   I still had a little charge on my phone to contact my co-host Kim.  It was a bit crazy on her end as well, so we decided to give everyone the night off..   We WILL  be back next week, so keep all the posts ready to go!

Have a great weekend! 

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Cherry Cordial Skillet Cookie - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

Have you ever had a skillet cookie?  I have to admit, the concept is relatively new to me. The name of this treat, and the fact that I may have been eating Cherry Cordial ice cream while looking through the Dare to Share posts, made this post by Frugal Foodie Mama really stand out.  While she shares the recipe for an adult version to be shared with a special person, this would also  make a yummy, family friendly dessert if made without the adult beverage.  Which version would you like  to try? Stop over to get the full recipe. 

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Dare to Share #201

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

It is time to Dare to Share!  

What a busy, crazy week!  I worked at the same school 5 days in a row. Three days as the Art teacher, yesterday in the  6th grade, and today in the  5th. It also happened to be the day of the Valentine's Day party in the class I taught, and the Tim Tebow Night to Shine special needs prom at my church.  I had another long tiring day, but I ate a lot more sugar so I am still awake. ;) 

One of the girls in the class I taught today made this super cool Minion Valentine Box. I loved it so much she gave me permission to take a picture of it. She made it out of large plastic container, tissue paper, and craft foam.  Another girl made a sweet unicorn using multiple boxes and toilet paper tubes. I might use a variation in a craft post in the future. 

Tonight was also dance night. My daughter and her best friend went to a school dance, and I went to a special dance with my friends too. Our church was part of the Tim Tebow Night to Shine special needs prom.  Churches all around the country hold dances for the special needs people in their area. We made their night super special with a wonderful meal and a night of dancing. It is such a fun event. 

This week I shared a post on how to Make Your Own Candy Themed Decorations

The Dare to Share Feature of this week was Fried Pickle Dip by Lemons for Lulu. I love pickles, so I definitely want to try this one. 

Are you still thinking of what to give to someone special for Valentine's Day.  My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations shared how to make a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Rose Candy Bouquet. 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are allowed 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 featured on the blog and my social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts to feature on her page and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Fried Pickle Dip - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

I love pickles, so when I saw this link for "Fried" Pickle Dip, I knew I had to check it out.  It turns out I really love all of the ingredients in this dip by Lemons for LuLu. This dip would be good for a party, pot luck or just because. It is definitely not your usual boring dip. Be sure to stop over to Lemons for LuLu for the full recipe. 

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Make Your Own Candy Themed Decorations

Today I am going to share with you how easy and inexpensive it can be to make candy decor for a candy themed party.  I picked up these items at the dollar store. neon straws, colorful balloons, a 2 pack of styrofoam circles, bright colored wrapping paper, and cellophane.  I already had the tissue paper on hand, but they have a large assortment of that as well. 

Instead of painting the styrofoam, the easiest way to make large lollipops is by wrapping them.  I found it easier to work with the tissue paper than the colored wrapping paper, but I like the thickness of the paper.  Wrap the circles as tightly as you can. All of the tape is on the backside of the circle. 

I used a toothpick to form a small hole big enough to fit in one of the straws.  Depending on were you want to use the lollipops you can also use skewers or thin dowel rods.  

To make hard candy, wrap cardboard tubes with bright colored paper. I had the candy cane striped one leftover from Christmas. 

Wrap the candy in cellophane and ribbon.  You could use plastic wrap if desired, but I think the cellophane is easier to work with.   The orange piece of candy is wrapped in cellophane as well, I just taped down the sides for a different look. 

A balloon lollipop centerpiece is a fun touch. I made a simple version with balloons, ribbon and colorful pipe cleaners. Additional embellishments like tall sprays that look like candy can be added to really make it stand out. 

I made these felt M & Ms a few years back for our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. party.  they can be used as decor or for party games which will be shared in a later post. 

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Dare to Share #200

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

It is time to Dare to Share!! 

Welcome to the I am too tired to move edition of Dare to Share.  

I had a big post planned on sharing tonight..   The problem is I am currently very, very tired.. I taught K-4 art today and was on my feet the entire day except for the time I was eating my lunch, and driving home. I was only  home for about an hour, when it was time to go meet members of church life group to help set up  at a community event. Tomorrow in my county they are giving away a lot of free services to people in need. My church is in charge of setting up all of the clothing portion of the event. .  For three more hours tonight I was on my feet helping to un-bag, sort, organize and set up many tables of free clothing, shoes and household goods. I felt fine on the way home. Once I got home and sat down though, my very long, busy day caught up with me. I am now too tired to move, and I can barely keep my eyes open. As I write this it is about 10:30 pm and I need sleep now. On a normal Friday I can easily stay up way past midnight, so this is kind of weird for me...  

To make sure that the party goes live on time, I am going to add the link now, and then update the rest of the post after I get a little bit of sleep..

Link up and HAVE FUN (and I will see you in the morning with the rest of the post!) 

UPDATED Saturday 2/6..   Thank you for being understanding about last nights exhaustion..  I really needed some sleep after the crazy week we had. A funny thing happened going to sleep much earlier than normal. I woke up in what I thought was the middle of the night. I saw the hall light on, and thought my daughter fell asleep with the lizard. (long story) I went to go check up on her, and saw that she was lying down, but still awake.  I had no idea what time it was and thought she had stayed up most of the night. She looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "mom it is only 1 a.m. and I am trying to go to sleep.  She had already put the lizard back in her cage, she just forgot to turn the hall light off. I took my tired self back to bed, and slept almost 9 more hours.  Today I had the chance to  some quality time with my daughter.  We went to the craft stores to come up with some fun new ideas we will be sharing soon, and taking advantage of some of the Super Bowl party food deals. We also had the opportunity to see this.  

It was definitely a gorgeous site, with the sky a mix of pink and purple  We saw it at the perfect time because a few minutes later it was gone.  

   

I shared our favorite tip for a quick and easy pizza appetizer or weekday meal.. 

I featured this awesome looking Apple Cinnamon Dougnut French Toast Bake by Lamberts Lately

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has several football post ideas on her blog this week. You will especially like them if you are Broncos fan. 

Now back to Dare to Share! 

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Super Simple Pizza Bite Appetizers

While making pizza is not a new thing, I am going to share a quick and easy trick we use when make pizza bread that can be used when you need food quickly for a crowd of easy weeknight dinner. Instead of taking the time to roll a crust, there is something much easier.. garlic bread or Texas toast.  What I like about using garlic bread as a pizza crust is that it is already preseasoned with garlic and very often cheese. 

Add a little sauce, pepperoni, and cheese, and in literally a few minutes,  yummy pizza bread.  If serving to a crowd set up an ingredient station for each person to customize their own.  

I got a little impatient with this batch.  I should have waited a couple of minutes for the oven to preheat.  Instead of threw it in a cold oven, so the cheese was almost melted but not 100%. It still tasted great though.   Cut into bit size pieces for a super simple appetizer.   

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Apple Cinnamon Doughnut French Toast - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

 

I love breakfast casseroles, especially ones that are easy to put together. They are great to serve for holidays, company, and busy weekends. If you would love to really impress your family and friends check out this Apple Cinnamon Doughnut French Toast Bake by Lamberts Lately.  The mix of flavors, textures and that icing is sure to be a big hit.  Make sure you go to Lamberts Lately to get the recipe.   

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Dare to Share #199

It is Friday night, and you know what that means..
It is time for the end of the semester Dare to Share!

If you have followed me for awhile you will know around this time of year, my life and that of my children get a little crazy.  For eight semesters my oldest daughter took a mix of online and in school classes  Every single semester without fail, she would fall behind and have to basically work non stop for a couple of weeks ti finish in time. I was really hoping now that she graduated the end of the semester would not be that difficult. This year I had not one, but TWO kids rushing to get last minute work done. My son has his German class online and he needed to be at least 60% complete to at least pass. As of a few weeks ago, he was only 41% done. German took over his life the last few weeks, but at least he finished over 22% of his classwork in a short amount of time. He passed, but did not get the grade her deserved 

( a B+ on work completed) but  D because he had only 63% of the semester work complete My youngest daughter has also had to have a huge last minute surge of work to complete.. For the last couple of weeks I have been helping her almost 24/7 to make up a lot of work she missed while out with her migraines. Today as of 3 pm, she was DONE.. We wont know the final grades for a few more days, but we are all very grateful that the semester is over, and she can start fresh next week.  On top of all of the homework that needed to be done, I have been working almost every single day lately. After today, things should get a little bit easier, that is until the end of next semester.  

The only non homework post I was able to get posted was It's a Spectacular Snow Day. Now that we have a three day weekend WITHOUT homework,, I will  be able to work on those Candy Party post that have been been wanting work on. 

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

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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It's a Spectacular Snow Day

I was asked to be part of the Spectacular Snow Day by Wayfair.com who sponsored this post. All opinions in this post are 100% mine. 

A few years ago, I posted ideas for a Snowman themed Snow Day Party.  We had many snowman treats such as snowmen pizza, snowmen banana skewers, snowmen pretzel rods,  and Teddy Graham sledding bears. We had a marshmallow snowman building station and a craft area.  In the years since I wrote  that post I have shared many other winter/snow posts that would also be a great to do when you are stuck inside.  If you live on the East coast and were in Winter Storm Jonas this past weekend, you might even still be snowed in from the blizzard today.  

If it is too cold to go outside and make a real snowman, use a few circle pretzels, white chocolate, and chocolate chips to make one you can eat.  You can see more  on the post  Snowman Pretzel Treats

If you have tortillas and powdered sugar you have all the ingredients you need to make Sweet Snowflake Treats

Feeling crafty?  You can make a yourself a little snow buddy with socks from the dollar store in the post Sock Snowman

When the movie Frozen came out, Anna and Elsa had the ultimate snow day thanks to Elsa's special powers. You can have a Frozen themed Snow Day and  build your own Olaf the Marshmallowman or make Elsa's Ice Candy. 

So the next time you car looks like this and you are stuck inside,  hopefully you will find a few ideas to make it the best Spectacular Snow Day  to remember.  

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Dare to Share #198

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

This week went very quickly for me, probably because it was all over the place.  Monday was the calm before the storm, so to speak. We had a day off of school for Martin Luther King Day/teacher development day. Both of my kids are/were behind in their homework, and neither got any done om their day off.  The rest of the week my daughter had headaches and was late for school the last three days.  I had a sub job Thursday morning, but woke up sick, so I had to cancel it.  Luckily I canceled early enough that someone else picked it up in time. I felt really bad doing that, but you can't teach 4th graders all day if you feel like you are pass out, and possibly have to reach for the trash can.  I ended up taking a 4 hour nap, which really helped me feel better. It was also my oldest daughter's birthday that day, but we did not get to celebrate.  She is currently out of the state, and we missed having her home Today I had a sub job in the media center  where I used to volunteer.  It ended up being a great day. I will be called to fill again, because I knew the job well due to helping out there for so long. It felt like I had never left, even though it was three years since my volunteer days.   My son passed his online German class the last minute today. I was quite stressed about it, because if he did not finish it in time, it could have messed up his graduation.   Now this weekend we have a lot of make up work to finish up on that my daughter missed when she was out of school with her headaches.   Whew.. Next week have to worry about several midterms. 

This week I shared some of the great Party Finds I found for a Candy Land Party.  I have a few projects planned, but did not have a chance to work on them with all the school craziness.  

In honor of my oldest daughter's birthday, I did a flashback post to the year she wanted a Sushi birthday.  I shared How to Make Candy Sushi that I put on top of her cake. It's hard to believe how quickly the years went by.  

With the freezing temps and all of the snow hitting a big portion of our country this week, I chose this cute Paper Mache Penguin craft by About Family Crafts as a Dare to Share Feature this week..  Are you in the storm where  you live?  

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations is in a snow mood. Her posts this week have a snowman theme like these Snowman Oreo Pops. 

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, your post will be featured on the blog and my social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for about the exposure.  Kim also chooses post to feature on her blog and social media.  

Link Up and Have Fun! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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How to Make Candy Sushi

Four years ago my daughter wanted to have a Sushi birthday.  We went to her favorite sushi restaurant, and I made her Sweet Sushi birthday cake. If you have never made candy sushi before, it is actually not that difficult. You can see how I made mine on my post Sweet Sushi here.

I am feeling a bit sad about this years's birthday. Not only is my daughter all grown up and 19 now, but this is the first year we will not be spending her birthday together. She is currently in another state.   I will be busy with work  most of the day, but I will sure by thinking about her. Maybe I will just have to make a cake, so we can celebrate anyway. 

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