Dare to Share #197

I had high hopes, and big plans for this week but it somehow got away from me.  On Monday we woke up to a surprised snow/ice day off of school. I had a sub job that day that was canceled when school was called off. The next  we should have been off, because the roads were HORRIBLE. It took me over an hour to clean off my car, and drive the kids to school.  My daughter had a Drs. appointment right after school, and I had my small group.  Wednesday I worked in a 6th grade class, watched Ella Enchanted two times back to back, and we had another appointment after school.  Thursday I went to Aldi and Target, my daughter  stayed late after school, and had dance.  Today I worked in J/K and 1st, had an ice cream sundae party (a perk of working in the 1st grade) went to another small group meeting at my church and dinner out with friends. We have a three day weekend this weekend, MAYBE I will be able to tackle my everlasting to do list.  

I shared my post about The Christmas Experiment I am attempting this year to earn money for Christmas.  Since I wrote the post, I earned a little bit more.  My goal is to pay for entire Christmas this way. 

.  I did get the chance to share this adorable Norm of the North cookies by The Country Chic Cottage

I have a goal to post at least 3-5 Features of the Day each week.  As you can tell. I have not met that goal yet. Look for a few more features this weekend!

Do you like the look of Christmas light, and want to keep them up all winter?  My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has an easy tutorial for DIY Snowman Lights

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 shared on the blog and my social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses features for her blog and social media.  

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Read More »

Norm of the North Cookies - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

This weekend the new family movie Norm of the North is being released.  If you have kids it may be part of your weekend plans to go see it.  Angie from The Country Chic Cottage shared at the Dare to Share party this week how to make these really cute Norm of the North  cookies. They are not that hard to make, and would be fun to make before or after the movie. Even if you do not plan on seeing the movie, polar bear cookies would be a great treat for a snow day, or zoo party.  Stop over to The Country Chic Cottage to see how to make them. 

Read More »

The Christmas Experiment

I have been in the process of writing this post for a couple of days, but I keep being distracted by the kids and the weather.   We are definitely in winter where I live  In the last 48-72 hours we have had a power outage, my car doors have been frozen shut, we had a snow day,  then got 5 more  inches of snow, and very long, yucky commute to school when they did not call a 2nd snow day. How much longer until Spring?  

Now that is is January, and we are only a few weeks past Christmas, it is the perfect time to introduce my new series the Christmas Experiment. For several years I have made a little bit of side money doing surveys, reading emails, and using shopping apps.  I want to see how much money I can save for next Christmas spending just a couple of minutes a day doing a couple of fun, simple tasks.  My goal is to pay for our entire Christmas with my earnings. Each month I will share how much I have earned, and my failures and successes.  I am going to share with you the sites I am using, so you can follow along and also earn some money as well.  Some of these links are affiliate links.  Everyone of them, though, I have used myself, and  feel that are a great sites/apps to use.  

Surveys

Opinion Outpost  is one of my favorite survey sites. I have belonged to the site for several years and have earned over $100.  I currently have a balance just a little over $20.  One this site you earn points that can me redeemed for cash, gifts cards, and more.  You can cash out at $10 for paypal and $5 for gift cards. 

I have used Toluna in the past and really liked it.  I have not used it recently, but plan to start again. On this site you also earn cash and gift cards for doing surveys.  My current balance is $0. 

Pinecone Research is another great site to use for surveys.  I currently do not have a link for this site as they are not taking new members at this time.  They do, though, frequently, and when they do I will be sharing the info.  You earn $3 per survey, and I usually make $12 to $15 a month.   I just cashed out some money, so my current balance is $6.  They pay in cash and gift cards. 

I am just starting out on another survey site that I want to try out before recommending.  I will be adding it to the list if I think it is worth sharing. My current balance on that site $0. 

Reading Emails 

I am actually making some decent money with Inbox Dollars and it's sister site Inbox Pays. Each day they send you a couple of email ads and pay you to open them. You do not have to buy anything or do anything with the ad.  Inbox Dollars pays 2 cents an email and Inbox Pays 5 cents It literally only takes a minute or two a day.   There are surveys you can take on the site you want to earn more even quicker.  I currently have balances of $12.45 on Inbox Dollars and $23.41 on Inbox Pays  Inbox Pays are more offers you can take if you find one interesting, but it is definitely not require to take any of them to earn money. 

Send Earnings  is just like Inbox Dollars. I have used it in the past,  and liked it. I stopped keeping up with it when I got too busy.  I am going to start it up again now that I have a mission to earn money for Christmas. 

Swagbucks I love Swagbucks!  You earn money just for looking up things you normally do, entering bonus codes and watching videos.  Many people love this site because of how quickly you can earn Amazon gift cards. My current balance is $13.36

Shopping Apps 

By now everyone has probably heard of Ibotta . It is my favorite of the shopping apps.  It pays you for shopping. Seriously, it really does!  It has hundreds of stores through the app, and it will pay you if you buy any of the current featured products.  I have earned over $100 from this site, and currently have a balance of $28.35.  They are adding new stores, restaurants, and other places like movie theaters all the time.  Currently if you sign up now here, you will get $10 when you redeem your first rebate. 

CheckOut 51 is also a great site to use. You can redeem rebates from any store, and is not store specific like Ibotta.  I always items from Aldi that I can redeem on this site.  My current balance is $25.86

My Starting Balance 

I just added up my current balances and it looks like I am at a good start for the year.  I currently have $129.53 already earned that I have not redeemed yet.  This makes me excited to see how much I can actually earn by the end of the year.  I hope you follow along with this experiment and make you own money as well.  

Read More »

Dare to Share #196

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

It is time to Dare to Share! 

How was your first week of the year?  We went back to school and work, and are trying to et back on our schedule. Those first few mornings were hard to get up early for school again. We are definitely not early birds at our house.  

My daughter and I recently attended a class at Painting with a Twist. I shared about our experioce here.

In New Years Goals for 2016 I shared about my success in past goals, and what new things I plan on bringing to the blog his year. 

I am currently working on a fun post that will become a year long series called The Christmas Experiment. 

One of the yummy features tis week was for Healthy Chocolate Mousse Pie by Little Miss Dexterous

If you like flavored Chex Mix recipes be sure to check out our other feature of the day by Sunny Sweet Days

My co-host Kim's blog Kandy Kreations is a great source for printables.  This week she is helping readers to become organized in the new year with Free Planner Printables and many others.. 

It is now time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up 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 on my social media.  This party is also 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

   

Read More »

Sugar Cookie Chex Mix - Feature of the Day

One treat that I love around the holiday season is flavored Chex Mixes. Sunny Sweet Days has shared  the recipe on for Sugar Cookie and Birthday Cake Chex Mix. Even though the holidays are over, you can still make these sweet and salty treats for birthday parties, pot lucks, upcoming sports parties etc..   Be sure to stop over to Sunny Sweet Treat for full recipe. 

Read More »

New Year Goals for 2016

I have been thinking about writing  this post for several days. It is really hard not to get reflective when one year ends and a new one begins.  I do have a few goals for this year, but I have been debating on posting them.  I just  looked at the goals I posted from the last several years.  A few I actually accomplished, a few I definitely did not. 

While it is good to put your goals out there, it also makes you feel let down when you do not accomplish them  

In 2012, I resolved to finally organize my closet, save more money with coupons, update my link buttons, update my blog look, and have more giveaways. 

I did save a lot of money in coupons that year.  Stores were still doubling, and coupons were plentiful. I also updated my blog links like here on my party theme page, and linky party page.  I do know that the linky party page needs a serious update, and many of those parties are no longer running. 

In 2013 I was ambitious and had 13 goals for the year.  Goals like post more often, schedule more, learn social media and clean/organize my craft room.  

I did accomplish a few of those goals. I shared a few of my favorite parties that year, Despicable Me/Minions, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Our Art Themed Slumber Party. I began to understand social media more, but I failed at organizing the craft room. 

I also had big plans in 2014.  I finally updated my blog design which was a 2013 goal.  I had hoped to write an E-book.  I do have four books planned, but I have not gotten past outline form. (maybe this year!)  I started my second blog Surviving the Crazy Life.  I was a contributor on two other blogs, and a writer on Examiner. It started to be hard to keep up because all three of my kids started having different health issues around the same time. We also had a lot of obligations. My oldest daughter started her Senior year, my son was on the Robotics team, and my youngest had two dance classes, extra rehearsals, and scouts. 

That brings us to 2015.   I had received some news in the summer of 2014, so I knew my 2015 was going to bring some big changes.  Because of that, I scaled back on my goals knowing they would be hard to keep. I think this was the only year that I met most of my goals, and it happened without me even trying.  My organization goal did not happen, but that is no surprise.  I am not even going to put it on my list for 2016, because I know there are more important things that I plan to work on. Plus where we are living should be temporary, and we hope to be making another move in a few months. My goal to lose weight actually happened. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroid Disease . It caused me to gain a lot of weight, and not matter what I did, it was very hard to loose.  This year because of stress, and my thyroid changing, I lost the weight without even trying.  I stopped taking one of my medications, and I immediately lost 10-15. Over the summer/fall, I lost 20 more. I am back at my ideal weight which I am happy about, but I could do without the  extra stress.   I am following my goal of spending a lot less, basically because I have no choice.  I just do not have extra spending money to spend right now.  I am hoping that changes in 2016.  I started working as a sub in the fall, and I should be pretty busy the rest of the school year which will help.  I did not reach my goal of cooking more. Now that I am working, that will probably not happen.  I am tired at the end of the work day, especially when working with elementary kids.  They have A LOT of energy.  I usually save the nice meals for the weekends, when I have more time.  During the week it is a lot of food from the freezer, or a rotisserie chicken from the store.   2015 was exciting toward the end of the year when my post Snow Owl Ornaments went viral. I had the highest numbers I had ever seen in my years of blogging.  

Now that we are a week into 2016, I think I finally know what I what goals I want to set for this year. A lot of it has to do with the blog.  I think the changes are very doable, and will be a lot of fun for everyone.. 

Party of the Month - I have been talking this over with my daughter Kara, because she will probably help me with a lot of the ideas.  I am getting back to more party themes. I kind of dropped the ball a bit in 2015, because we were too busy and not in the mood to party.   Each month there will be a new party theme, and most of the recipes and crafts during the month will be for that theme.  There will be other posts as well, but this will help bring me more focus, and my Party Theme  page will grow with more great ideas.  In the month of January, we have chosen CANDY as the theme.  We both love candy so we are both excited to  come up with some new posts.  She would like to go the Candyland route, I would like Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,  it might end up being a hybrid of both.   There are some really big movies coming out in 2016, that have also made the party list later in the year.

Posting More - Because of everything going on in my real life last year, I did not post as nearly as I wanted to.  Now that i am working outside the home, it has been a little easier to set a schedule. It will also help having the party theme each month to help generate new ideas.  

Posting more frequently on Surviving the Crazy Life.  At the end of March, I took a hiatus from my 2nd blog.  Not really on purpose, just that life got too crazy.  My life is still crazy, but I am going to take the time to post again. 

Viral Posts -  You can never predict when or what will go viral.  I made my Snow Owl Ornaments and they went viral 2 years later when two big websites picked them up, and then MSN. I am really hoping to have a couple go viral again this year.  

Do you have any goals for the new year?  Have you already broken them a week into January.  I do a lot of one step forward, one step back, but as long as you are moving in the right direction, it is all good!  

Read More »

Healthy Chocolate Mousse Pie- Feature of the Day

With the start of the new year, many people are thinking of eating better, and maybe losing weight. No matter what time of year it is, I am always thinking about chocolate. When I saw this recipe for Healthy Chocolate Mousse Pie by Little Miss Dexterous  I had to check it out.  Be sure to stop over to her blog for the recipe where you can eat chocolate goodness without the guilt.  

Read More »

Our Afternoon at Painting with a Twist

I was recently asked if I would like to come to a new Painting with a Twist store to try out a class with my daughter.  I went to something similar a little over a year ago and loved it, so I wanted my daughter to experience it too. This review is 100% our opinion. 

On New Year's Eve we went to the Peach of an Owl class at Painting with a Twist in Fenton, Michigan.  They have Painting with a Twist locations in several states, if you are interested in a going to a class of your own.  

If you have never been to a paint class before, it is quite an experience. Each person has their own easel, and canvas to paint.  The instructor then walks you step by step through the painting process in front of the class.  At this store they also had a monitor that you could watch if you were in the back of the room.  In this picture we had just painted our background by mixing red, orange and white paint. My daughter wanted to add some highlights and shading to hers. (she is in an Art class at school right now, her teacher would have been proud) 

Partway through the class, you can really see the owls take shape. 

I really liked this picture because my daughter is really into her painting. She does not even notice me taking a picture of her.  Each painter can add their own details to their paintings, so even though we were painting the same picture, they all looked very different.  

My daughter loves the color black, so she added a lot more black detail. She also made her owl's eyes red.  At the end of the class, the instructor took pictures of everyone with their paintings, 

This was our instructor Cassandra.  She was really nice, and full of energy. 

On the wall in the studio, they posted their rules of the store. Here is my version of them.   

1. Relax! You will definitely have more fun in in the class, if you are not stressed about your work.   

2. Watch where you put your brushes.  It is very easy to put them in the wrong cup if you are not careful. It is also easy to spill your water if you are not paying attention.  The person across the table from me had that happen to her.  

3. They do take short breaks during the class. Sometimes it is needed because the paint needs to dry before moving to the next step. If your painting is not drying fast enough, you can use one of the handy hair dryers on the wall.

4. You painting will look different when you step back. Sometimes the "mistakes" are more noticeable  when it is right in your face.  

5. I personally do not drink wine, but they do have classes where you are welcome to bring some.  They often have private parties and ladies' nights out.  

6. I love the last rule.  They make it very easy to have FUN in the class. 

You are welcome to bring your own food and unopened  bottles of wine to the store, but if you don't bring your own, they do have some for sale. They also have several types of soda/pop. You have to be over 18 to attend a class after 6 pm. Ages 12 and up, can attend an open class before 6 pm as long as they are accompanied by an adult.  There are family classes  for children under 12. but they recommended for 8 and older. Younger kids might have a hard time sitting for a long time following directions. You can book a party for younger children if they really want to paint.

All around the studio they had paintings from the classes they offer.  My daughter saw several she wanted to go back and paint. After our experience we had, I am sure we will.  

Have had the chance to go to a painting class?  

Read More »

Goodbye 2015, and Dare to Share Party #195

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

It is time for the New Year Edition of Dare to Share! 

Goodbye 2015

I don't know about you, but I am not sad to see 2015 go. It was a very hard year for me, probably my hardest to date. I know I do not share a lot of what is going on in my life on this blog, but it was a year with a lot of loss, health issues, financial problems, and more. I am writing a post on my 2nd blog Surviving the Crazy Life about this year. I am restarting that blog after a long hiatus.  I have not posted it as of the writing of this post, but it will be up in the next 24 hours. There were a few bright spots to the year, that I hope will continue as we move into 2016.   In the words of a meme I saw in my feed today.. I am deciding 2016 is going to be AMAZING!   


Since we took a break for Christmas last week, I did share a good number of posts.. 

You may be wondering why I am sharing a picture of a bra. Well it is a Coobie bra, and I recently wrote a review, about my favorite bra ever.  

We do not have a mantel where we are currently living.   After having one for many, many years, we were not sure what to do with our stockings.  I shared how I made a Cardboard Fireplace out of boxes.  It is currently still up, our cats have decided it is a great place for them to lay on.  

This was a fun post to write!  I was sent some really yummy popcorn to try, and I shared about it and how to make quick NYE party favors in Pop Works & Company and Easy NYE Party Favors

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has these gorgeous 2016 journal card printables and her Top 10 Party Posts of 2015 on her blog this week. Stop over and check them out.  

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 part is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts from the party to feature and share on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Read More »

Pop Works & Company Popcorn and Easy New Year's Eve Favors

One thing that I love about this time of year, is all the holiday items on clearance that you can use as party favors.  You can easily find items that will work for New Year's Eve and beyond for many different types parties. (think bowl games, and Oscars too) 

At Target, I found these pink and gold polka dot pails at Target for only 50 cents each.  I thought they screamed party to me. I also found a gold charger for about $1. Gold seemed perfect for a New Year's Eve celebration,and looked really pretty with the pails.  The pails are also the perfect size to serve Pop Works & Company popcorn. 

I want to tell you about Pop Works & Company. They are launching a line of ready-to-eat 

popcorn providing hosts and gift givers an unique and novel twist to a traditional party favorite. They start with light and airy popcorn, add sweet glazes, and drizzles and sprinkle bits of sweet treats over the top resulting in three delicious flavors, Cookies and Cream, Salted Caramel & Fudge and Birthday Cake. It is sold exclusively online, and you can choose one of your favorite flavors or "Build a Box" by mixing and matching all three flavors. 

Pop Works & Company is offering an introductory price of $15.99 on its Pop Box, a colorful and versatile box which can be filled with 3 different popcorn flavors. They are also offering free 2 Day Shipping through New Year's Eve. 

A fun and easy party favor that is great for New Year's Eve, 4th of July, or pretty much any party setting is a confetti cracker.  I found the gold and silver paper on clearance at the dollar store, and the gold and silver ribbon on clearance at Target.  To make a confetti cracker, cut a small cardboard tube in half.  I found the tube easier to work with when I placed a small piece of tape on the back side holding the two halves together. Fill the tube with confetti, or if you prefer less mess, candy or small trinkets.   Wrap the tube in a piece of wrapping paper so that it looks like a piece of candy, and tie ribbons on both ends.  When it is time to for confetti,  you can either pull the cracker apart by pulling both ends or breaking the tube in half. This paper was a little bit thicker, so it was easiest to break in half.  I think they look pretty on the charger, and on the party table. 

Another easy favor that I found on clearance were these journals in the same colors as the pails.  I thought they would be perfect for Resolution Journals.  Give one to each of your guests to write down their New Year Resolutions 

What are your plans for New Year's Eve? 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

  

Read More »

Merry Christmas and a Party Break

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday, and spending time with your family and friends. Since Kim and I are busy with our own families tonight as well, we are going to take the night off of Dare to Share.  The party will be back next week.  We look forward to seeing all of your wonderful holiday posts then. 

Read More »

DIY Cardboard Fireplace Mantel

As you know we moved over the summer  Where we currently live (which should only be temporary) we do not have a fireplace.  We had a yearly Christmas tradition of hanging our stockings on our mantel after reading T'was the Night Before Christmas each Christmas Eve. It was something we looked forward to every year.  This year with our official stockings in the back of the storage unit, and no place for Santa to leave goodies in our stockings, I wanted a temporary mantel for he holidays.   I did see some I could buy online like this one, but not having a lot of extra money and a lot of moving boxes, I knew I could try to make my own. 

I started with four small moving boxes. You can find these at Lowes for less than $1 each. They are 16 x 12 x12.  I taped them shut and stacked them to make the fireplace columns.  I did not put anything in them but if you could if you want to weight them down. 

I bought two rolls of plain red paper at the dollar store.  Each roll wrapped two of the boxes with just a little bit left over.  I wrapped the all separately, but if you are feeling really ambitious you could tape the together and wrap in two big pieces.  I made sure that the tapes side faced the wall, so it would not be seen. 

I almost forgot to take a picture of this stage, so I apologize that the picture if so off center. The quickest and easiest way to make bricks is with a roll of masking tape also from the dollar store. I really should have measured to have more precise lines, but I had procrastinated so long in making my mantle, I was in a hurry to get it done. Uneven bricks just gives your fireplace more character. 

I then cut smaller pieces of tape and tried line up the bricks on both columns of the fireplace. I did add a few more pieces to the top section and made bricks on all of the visible sides.  

For the mantel of the fireplace, I decided to use foam board from the dollar store.  It was pretty sturdy and light enough for the cardboard boxes. I bought two pieces, because I had planned on making it a double thickness. Since we are so close to Christmas, and I do not plan to put a lot of weight on top, one was enough.  Yes, the mantel is a little off center in this picture.  I had not secured it yet. It was just laying on top to make sure it fit. We (Kara nd I)  had to cut about 6-8 inches off lengthwise, and add a 4 inch piece widthwise. Once it fit, I secured it to the boxes with masking tape underneath the foam board. 

Somewhere in storage I have a snow blanket which I think would look good on top. Since I really don't have the time to go searching, I came up with another alternative.

I found our woodland themed blanket and laid it on top. The Santa wreath I had tried to hang above the fireplace. Since we can not drill holes and the temporary hooks do not stick well to the textured walls, it would not stay put. For now it is siting on the mantel. I also found Buddy and Joy enjoying a little snuggle. Since pretty much all my supplies to make the mantel came from the dollar store, we also hung dollar store stockings.  

While it might not be the beautiful big wooden mantel we are used to, we are happy with how it turned out. It cost only a few dollars and a few hours to make.  

Read More »