Thanksgiving is just a few days away and that means that Christmas is right around the corner! 'Tis the time to start thinking about The Elf on The Shelf and advent calendars. Just like The Elf, calendars can be as boring or creative as you want them to be. I've done some searching for ideas for my family and found these nine unique advent calendars... This DIY Paper Ornaments Advent Calendar by Sweet T Makes Three fascinates me. I can't decide if it would be more fun for my girls to make the ornaments or to open them! Hang these as a garland if you don't have a tree yet. How cute is this DIY Christmas Bulb Advent Calendar by The House That Lars Built?! Even if you don't make these bulbs as a calendar, you can make them to hang on your tree or just around the house. What I love about this Magnetic Bottle Cap Christmas Advent Calendar by Third Stop On The Right is that there are no gifts needed. It's just a simple count down to Christmas. How can you go … [Read more...]
Halloween Witch’s Brew Necklace
My youngest daughter's birthday is at the end of the month. Because her birthday is so close to Halloween, she's having a Halloween themed party. It's hard to come up with unique ideas but this year I think I've come up with the perfect activity/craft that also serves as a party favor... a Halloween witch's brew necklace! I told my daughter that we were going to make a "potion necklace" for her birthday but I didn't exactly tell her what the potion would do. I made an example of what the necklace would look like and she loved it! A bottle of "Slime of a Frog" and "Unicorn Dander". But that wasn't the end... I had her uncork both bottles and pour the "Slime of a Frog" into the "Unicorn Dander". I wish I would have gotten her and her sister's reaction on video! They thought it was "so cool!". I can't wait for the birthday party guests to make and then use this Halloween Witch's Brew Necklace! I hope their reaction is as fun as my daughters'. In … [Read more...]
Free Printable Love Libs Valentines
My girls are all about being different for Valentine's Day. They don't like handing out store-bought Valentines to their friends so I'm always on the look out for unique free printable Valentines. While searching the web, I came across cute Mad Lib Valentines where people had torn out pages of Mad Lib books and rolled them into Valentines to hand out at school. I thought to myself, hey, I can make my own! So, Love Libs Valentines were created... My girls thought these were so funny and can't wait to use them with their friends. To print your Love Libs Valentines just click on the photos below. They are meant to print on a half-sheet of paper but can be printed full sized too. Roll them up, add a ribbon, a tag, and a pencil and you've got a fun and unique Valentine to give to friends! … [Read more...]
Easy Salted Caramel Bites
Looking for a quick, easy addition to your holiday cookie tray? Check out these salted caramel bites. The hardest part is removing wrappers! To make these you'll need: Caramels Meltable chocolate (such as milk chocolate chips) Sea salt tooth picks microwavable bowl plastic wrap plate or platter 1) Start by unwrapping all of the caramels then set them aside. This takes the longest time and is the hardest part of the entire recipe. 2) Melt the chocolate in the microwave making sure not to burn it. For best results, microwave for short intervals and stir in between. We used fancier, more expensive, brand name chocolate chips to make our salted caramel bites taste better. 3) Lightly push a toothpick into a caramel and use it to dip the caramel into the melted chocolate. Cover the caramel completely. Hint: Do not push the toothpick too deeply into the caramel or you won't be able to get it out. 4) Use another toothpick to help remove the first … [Read more...]
FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project™
I was not asked to write about Food Allergy Research & Education's (FARE) Teal Pumpkin Project™ nor am I receiving any compensation for this post. The Teal Pumpkin Project™ is something I personally believe in and thought I would share with my readers. Two years ago I came up with an idea as I read a post my friend Missy (link to all her food allergy posts) had written about her daughter's food allergies and Halloween. I wanted to start a movement called "Happy Alloween" where people could pledge to be allergy safe on Halloween. Obviously, it was only and idea and it did not come to reality. Someone else, however, had the same idea and it did come to reality in the form of the Teal Pumpkin Project™ by FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). My family does not have any food allergies but I know plenty of families who do. I have heard many friends talk about how hard Halloween is for their children who can not eat candy. The Teal Pumpkin Project™ makes Halloween … [Read more...]
The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 #MNBloggerBash
This past Saturday I attended my first ever (that I can remember) Minnesota Blogger Bash. It was at Zywiec’s Haunting Experience on Highway 61 in Cottage Grove. Man was it a good time! I am not required to write about The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 nor am I required to mention any other sponsors that were there, but it was so fun I feel like I need to share! Please be sure to read my "things you should know" at the end of this post and enter the giveaway for tickets for you to go see The Haunting Experience for yourself! The evening started off with some socialization with fellow bloggers and pampering by Spalon Montage Woodbury. I got a much needed massage and if you look closely at our pictures, you'll see that the girls and I got colorful hair extensions! We also tasted Zywiec's famous pork chops with seasoning made just for them. I highly recommend getting at least one while you are there! Next we got a lights-on, behind the scenes tour of the haunted houses. … [Read more...]
