Dare to Share #239

It is Saturday morning, and you know what that means... 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

You may wonder why the party did not go live last night at least on my blog. It's because it was very cold (Brrrrrrrr)  outside. My thermostat is really old and it recently stopped working. Last night the temperature  got below freezing.  I went to my Friday small group and afterwards talked with a friend for a few hours. I ended up staying at her house where there was heat, but my computer was at home.  So now with a few hour delay here is the party. 

You may have noticed on the blog this week, my post about Coobie Seamless Bras. I have posted about them before, because I LOVE them and they really are my most favorite bra ever. They are currently have a good sale, which you can read more about on my post. 

The feature this week, is Lambie's No Churn Pink Party Ice Cream by Views from the Ville.  Ice cream is one of my most favorite foods ever, and the fact that it is pink with marshmallows in it all the better. 

It is almost time for Elf on the Shelf to return to houses everywhere.  If you have on returning to your house, you might want to print this Elf Kisses Printable by my co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations.  

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

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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No Churn Pink Party Ice Cream - Dare to Share Feature

I was not sure which post I was going to feature, until I saw this.. Lambie's No Church Pink Party Ice Cream by Views from the Ville. There were three magic words involved, pink, marshmallows and ice cream.   My kids are too old for Doc McStuffins, but I know many of my readers have children who are fans.  What is great about this ice cream is it is versatile enough that you can use it for other types of parties as well.  Be sure to stop over to Views from the Ville for the full recipe.  

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Great Deal on Coobie Seamless Bras

I am pretty excited to share this deal that I just found out about.  Have you ever heard of a Cooble Seamless Bra?  I have mentioned them on the blog in the past, because I LOVE them.  They are the most comfortable bras that I have ever worn.  I have a drawer full of bras and I always reach for my Coobie.  They are perfect for everyday, and are a versitile one size that  fits 32A-36D.  There are more than 7 different styles and over 70 different colors and patterns. They have removable pads and straps for easy washing.  The straps are also adjustable to make sure you have the best fit.  

Here some of the styles you can choose from. 

My favorite is the scoopneck which is the picture at the top of the page.  

This is the v-neck. I also  have and really love this one. 

I don't have any personal experience with the comfort bra, but I am sure it is very comfortable to wear.

I only found out about these bras a few years ago, way after I had my babies.  If I was still nursiing I would try out their nursing bra. 

I love the lace on the bralette style. 

If you would like to try out any of these Coobie bras, my readers can get them for 25% off.  

Go to their website ShopCoobie.com and use the code USFG 

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Dare to Share #238

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

It is time to Dare to Share!  

This week was very eventful. I celebrated a really Big Birthday.. When it is a really big birthday, you get to dress up as Cinderella if you want to.   It was also eventful because a good  friend of mine died, who had been fighting brain cancer. We were all surprise with how quickly it progressed. Her funeral was Wednesday She is at peace now, and no longer suffering.  

This week's feature by The Gracious Wife is a no bake dessert that is perfect for Thanksgiving.  Be sure to stop over to her blog to get the recipe for No Back Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake.  

My co-host Kim also has a post for Thanksgiving.  She has a free printable for Thanksgiving Place Card Setting Candy Bar Wrappers.  

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

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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No Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake - Dare to Share Feature

So we go from Halloween, directly to the holidays. I am not one who wants to jump straight to Christmas on November 1st. I would like to enjoy a few weeks of Thanksgiving first.  This week's feature, No Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake is the perfect dessert to bring to your Thanksgiving get together.  What I love about it is that is no bake, and super easy to whip together. It takes only 15 minutes plus a few hours chill time. Want to know more about yummy cheesecake?  Be sure to stop over to The Gracious Wife for the full recipe. 

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The Big Birthday Post

As I have mentioned recently, this past weekend was a pretty big day. It still does not feel real, and I am having some trouble wrapping my head around the new number.  I had a really big birthday.  Being a party planner, I had been thinking about what I wanted to do for the last several months. I knew it was not going to be a big fancy party.  It is not my style or in my budget. One thing I knew for sure is I wanted it to be with  my friends, and I wanted to dress up as my favorite princess since it was Halloween weekend   At the end of September, Oriental Trading asked if I would like to review some of their party supplies. The timing was perfect! The sent me the items for my honest review. I will be sharing what they sent me in this post as well as how we celebrated.  

The party was held at the house of one of my friends.  We knew we wanted to bring some Halloween elements in, but not have it be too scary or gory.   We decided to do some Cinderella themed decor, considering I was a princess and all.  We set up a few tables for people to sit at while eating,  The one her family room was in the middle of the action.   On this table I used black table covering cut to size, and candelabra centerpieces from Oriental Trading. The white table runners I found on clearance at Target a few years ago.  I made the Cinderella pumpkins and glitter 50.  The crown was from the dollar section of Michaels. The Cinderella dresses I found at the Target dollar spot last year.  I loved how it turned out. 

Here is a close up of the Candelabra Centerpiece made from foam with glow in the dark wicks.  It was not dark enough at our party to see if they glowed, but they held up very well and can be used more than once.  They come apart and can be stored flat.  

I painted a few dollar store pumpkins Cinderella blue and added a ton of glitter.   

I knew we would be taking a lot of pictures, so I wanted to set up a photo booth.  I used painted picture frames that we used at my daughter's art themed birthday party.  I had a few hats, and photo props that  people used for pictures. 

Continuing with the Cinderella theme, the photo booth was two castle towers made with boxes and the stone wall backdrop. I will be showing how I made them in another post.  The countdown clock fan is currently on clearance, and made the perfect touch since Cinderella only had until midnight before she had to leave the ball. 

Above the tower, we hung a Cinderella add an age birthday banner, which had enough space for a double digit birthday.  

The girls are posing with the stick costume photo props which had mostly lips and glasses. There are many, many different themes and styles to choose from though if you are having a specific theme. 

In this picture I was getting ready to blow the candles out on my cake.  In the background you can see some of the balloons from Oriental trading.  Since I was the birthday girl at this party, I was not able to take a ton of pictures like I normally do.  You may notice that I do not have pictures of the food. My friends told me they were taking over a lot of the planning, and surprised me with a lot of things, including the food.  We ate macaroni and cheese, bbq meatballs, shrimp, cheese and crackers and salad. It was all very good, but I did not get a picture. 

I was also surprised with this big, yummy birthday cake.  I believe it was from Costco. It fed a lot of people and there was plenty of cake leftover.  

We were able to do a multi frame group shoot with several of my closest friends. They really helped make my big day extra special.  

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Dare to Share #237

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

It is time to Dare to Share!  

Okay I have to confess, it is actually Saturday as I am posting this.. It is slightly after midnight on the day of my really big birthday..  I just got home because I was at my friends house decorating for my birthday party that is now actually later today.  I am really excited to share with you all about the party over the next few days.   Since it is after midnight and I am exhausted after a really long day,  I am going to go right to the party.. 

You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature your 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 post to feature and on her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Pumpkin Idea Roundup (No Carve)

While I am busy this week working behind the scenes on my BIG BIRTHDAY Party, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favorite no carve pumpkin ideas I have designed over the years.  While I used craft pumpkins to make mine, these ideas can be adapted to real pumpkins as well.   

Olaf was one of the last additions to the Pumpkin Gang, but one of my favorites. You can see how to make him here.

To make Bat and Spider Pumpkin all you need is some black paint and a few craft supplies 

Pumpkins can be cute like these Scarecrow and Crow Pumpkins

Add and extra eyeball or two and you have a not so scary Monster Pumpkin

A colorful boa makes the perfect head of hair for a Witch Pumpkin

It is easy to make a Mummy Pumpkin with dollar store gauze 

Vampire Pumpkin was the first member of the Pumpkin Gang 

Some paint, google eyes, and pushpins make a friendly Frankenpumpkin

Using some felt and feathers, you can make an Owl Pumpkin you can use past Halloween. 

Turn an uncarved pumpkin into a Thanksgiving Turkey Pumpkin

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Dare to Share #236

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

It is time to Dare to Share!  

What a week.. It started out strong.  I went to one of my favorite places with some of my favorite people. It was my first time there in a few years, and now I really look forward to going back again next summer.  The week ended a little crazy.  Right now I am feeling a bit chilly as our thermostat has decided to totally stop working. Brrr..   Luckily it is not super cold right now, only for a few hours at night.  Yesterday my good friend's van totally died on the side of the ride.  I have been driving her where she needs to go today.  

We are also busy getting ready for the Big Birthday Party that is in a WEEK!  My costume arrived yesterday. It is getting real now.  

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has several new Halloween themed posts.  Here is one you might not have seen before, how to make a Candy Corn Kissing Ball  

With the craziness of the last few days, I did not have a chance to pick a feature this week. I will be posting a few over the weekend.  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share.   If your post is chosen as a Dare to Share feature, it 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 feature on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Dare to Share #235

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

It is time to Dare to Share!! 

October is flying by. Only two weeks until my big birthday (need to get working on that party!) and Halloween.  I am kind of bummed that my kids are too old to ask me to make costumes anymore, but with everything going on this month, that is probably a blessing. 

If you live in the midwest, you may have heard of a special little town in Michigan called Frankenmuth, and one of it's most famous residents Dorothy Zender. She is well into her 90s and still cooking her amazing recipes. She shares many of them in her cookbook that I shared about in this post here earlier in the week.  

The Dare to Share feature I chose this week are these super cute Witch Marshmallows by Embellishments.

My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations was in the path of Hurricane Matthew.  While everything is fine, she was without power for a few days. She was able to post this free Candy Corn Alphabet. Be sure to stop over and print yours. 

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

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

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Witch Marshmallows - Dare to Share Feature

Halloween is getting closer, and is just a little over two weeks away.  Soon we will be attending parties and trick or treating. I love fun, cute party treats that are easy to make like these Witch Marshmallows by  Embellishments to take to Halloween festivities.  Stop on over to Embellishments to see how to make some Witch Marshmallows of your own.  

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The Dorothy Zehnder Cookbook, A Great Gift Idea.

Disclosure: I will be receiving a copy of this cookbook for sharing about it.  All opinions in this post are 100% mine.  

One of my favorite places to visit in Michigan is Frankenmuth.  It is a quaint little German town that makes you feel like you stepped back in time in another country.  One thing that Frankenmuth is known for is the amazing food, and Dorothy Zehnder is a big reason for that. She has been been cooking her  special recipes at the Bavarian Inn for many years, and has been busy in the kitchen well into her 90s.  She will be celebrating her 95th birthday this December 1st.   Her second cookbook, Dorothy Zehnder, From My Kitchen to Yours is a collection of many of her signature recipes that have not been revealed before now. 

If you ever have the chance to visit to Frankenmuth, you really should go. After stopping for a world famous chicken dinner, there a many wonderful specialty shops to check out. 

There are many photo ops around town. Here my daughter his posing with the toy soldier outside the Bavarian Inn.   

If you are downtown at the right time, you can see the Glockenspiel clock 

Another view of the Bavarian Inn and Lodge on the main street in town

Seeing all of these pictures again, and talking about the amazing food is making me want to go visit again. We always have a good time there. 

With the holidays coming up soon, now is the perfect time to start thinking about gifts.   If you are unable to visit Frankenmuth in person, you can order Dorothy's Zehnders  cookbook online at the Bavarian Inn online store and bring a little bit of Frankenmuth to your table.  

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