Santa Hat Mini Brownie Bites #BakeInTheFun

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #CollectiveBias

I love baking during the holidays! I grew up baking with my mom and siblings 

and we especially loved making treats to share with friends and family. My mom 

learned from her mom how to make delicious treats and I love that she passed it 

on to me. Now it's my turn to make delicious treats during the holidays and we 

can share with friends and family. It is so fun to get my kids in on the baking 

and creating. They really love helping and delivering the goodies to their friends.

 My Isabella loves to do the grocery shopping with me for the ingredients for our

holiday treats. So, we headed to Walmart to do some shopping and find the
perfect ingredients for our Santa Hat Mini Brownie Bites! We found the
Pillsbury™ Family Size Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, 
Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Vanilla Flavored Frosting
and M&M’S® Brand Minis Milk Chocolate Baking Bits on baking 

aisle. We grabbed all three and headed home to bake.

First, we mixed up the Pillsbury™ Family Size Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
and used our mini ice cream scoop to spoon it into the mini muffin pan. I used
cupcake liners on half of them and the other we didn't use liners. I wanted liners
and Isabella didn't, so we compromised and it worked perfectly. After we baked
them we let them cool on the cooling rack and then got to decorating.

Next, we used a decorating tip to pipe the red hats onto the mini brownie bites.
My baking hack for filling a frosting bag is to use a tall glass to hold the bag.
This leaves your hands free to fill the bag with frosting and makes it easier to load.

I used a medium sized tip for piping the red portion of the Santa Hat, but you
can use whatever you have on hand. If you don't have any decorating tips, you
can just cut a little hole in the corner of your plastic baggie and use it to pipe
instead. I've done this in a pinch and it works fine, especially if you you're not
looking for a fancy frosting shape.

Look at my cute little hats all ready for the white icing. This time I use a pretty
small decorator's tip for the white frosting. It all depends on what look you want.
Isabella had a great time helping me turn the little brownie bites to get the white
on them just right.

We decided to embellish our little Santa Hat brownies a bit and used the 

M&M’S® Brand Minis Milk Chocolate Baking Bits to add a little bling. This
was Isabella's favorite part and it was fun to give her a job that she could do all
by herself. If you think your hats are looking a little droopy, then pop them in the
refrigerator and they will stiffen up nicely.

I can't take a treat to a friend without a cute little printable note to go with it. So
I whipped up these cute cards that you can pair with your treats when you share
them with friends, family, co-workers or neighbors. I think baking as a family
really brings us together and helps makes the holidays extra sweet. I especially
love that my kids are so excited to share what they make with others. It helps to
spread the holiday spirit and cheer and helps us to get a boost from giving
those around us.

Do you bake with your family at the holidays? What's your favorite treat to make
with one another? Do you keep them all for yourself or share with others? I'd
love to hear about your baking holiday traditions! Share in the comments below!

Tutorial: Favorite Music Lyrics Piano Tote Bag

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #ExpressUrSelfie #CollectiveBias

I love music. It has always been a huge part of my life and I love

how hearing a song can take you right back to a particular moment in time

and it feels like you are living it all over again. I always have a song running through

my head and can almost always think of a song lyric for any particular situation.

My friend once said, "You really do have a song for everything!"

It's so true! One day I'd love to put together the soundtrack of my life playlist

and have all those important songs all together make a musical trip down memory lane.

I'm so excited about the Share a Coke Sweepstakes! Especially because of the awesome

"Share A Coke Share A Song" bottles with favorite song lyrics on them!

Enter to win the Share a Coke Sweepstakes at cokeplaytowin.com/shareacokesweepstakes for a chance to win tickets to the American Music Awards® and more.

1. Snap a selfie with your favorite lyrics on a Share a Coke® bottle or can*

2. Upload your selfie to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ShareaCokeSweepstakes

3. Enter up to 12 times to increase your chances of winning a trip for 2 to the2016 American Music Awards®, along with hundreds of other great prizes! Including: wireless headphones, wireless speakers, a 1 year Premium Music App Membership or a $50 Music Gift Card

 

I had a blast at my local Albertsons going through all the bottles of Diet Coke® and 

Coca-Cola Zero™ and finding bottles with lyrics from some of my favorite songs.

You can even download the Shazam app on iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and other

devices to find your Coca-Cola Share a Song! So fun!

It inspired me to make a tote bag that was inspired by one of my favorite song lyrics

"But I won't last a day without you." It totally takes me back to road trips with my

family to Idaho to visit my grandparents in the summer. And I love sharing the song

with my own kids as we make summer memories.

To make this musical piano tote bag you will need:

Rotary cutter

sewing machine

1" masking tape

seam allowance gauge

 Black fabric cut to the following dimensions

3 pieces 18x14

1 piece 6.5x14

1 piece 8.5x14

10 pieces 1.75x3.5

Contrasting black fabric cut to the dimensions

2 pieces 16x14

2 pieces 5x26

White fabric cut to the dimensions

1 piece 15x8

 

1. Cut your 10 pieces of fabric 1.75x3.5 - these will be your keys.

2. Using your seam allowance gauge, iron three of the side in a half inch

on the bottom and long sides to make the .75x2.5 in size.

3. Fold the white piece of fabric in half and iron.

Using the masking tape, start .75 inches from the sides, mark 1" intervals.

Then sew down either side of the tape with black thread to make the white keys.

I used a triple stitch on my machine to make them more pronounced.

 4. Pin the iron black keys onto the white keys using the pattern

3 black, space, 2 black, space, 3 black, space, 2 black.

5. Sew the pinned black keys to the white keys.

6. Now take the 6.5x14 piece of fabric and pin it to the top of your black

keys with right sides together and sew.

7. Repeat with the 8.5x14 piece by sewing it to the bottom of the white keys.

I top stitched along the seams to keep them laying nicely.

 8. Take two of your 18x14 pieces of black fabric and your two

contrasting 16x14 pieces to make some pockets on your bag.

9. Iron your 16x14 pieces in half  so they are 8x14 and pin them to

your 8x14 pieces of fabric and sew with a basting stitch around 3 sides.

10. Fold the piece in half and mark the middle with a piece of masking tape

and then sew down that middle mark to make 2 separate pockets on each.

11. Choose your song lyrics and sketch them onto your fabric above one pocket

with a white fabric pencil. Then hoop and use a back stitch to embroider them

onto your bag.

 12. Now all your pieces are ready to put together into a bag! Put

the keyboard and song lyrics with right sides together, pin, and sew with

a 3/8" seam allowance on three sides, leaving the top open. Repeat with your

interior lining pieces.

13. Pinch and flatten the corners of each "bag" and sew a line 1 1/2" from the

point to create a boxy bottom.

 15. For your straps, take your 5"x26" pieces and iron them in half with

wrong sides together. Then open up and iron each side into the middle crease

you create. Then fold over and iron closed do you don't have any exposed seams.

16. Turn your interior lining piece right sides out and slip it inside your piano/lyrics

exterior fabric so that the right sides are together.

17. Pin your straps in between the right sides about 2.5" from the sides of the bag.

 18. Sew up the top of the bag with a .5" seam allowance, making sure

to leave a 2"-3" opening for turning the bag right side out.

19. Turn your bag right side out and then push the lining into the bag

and top stitch around the bag to make it looked finished and close up the

hole you left for turning.

Now you have an adorable bag that you can carry around that will remind

you of a special moment in life. I know that whenever I load this baby up with

Diet Coke and Coke Zero and head out with the family, I'll always remember how

special those summer road trips to my grandparents were and try to make

memories with my own kids.

I know that expressing myself through music is already rubbing off on my

kids because they love singing and I catch them singing lyrics to some of our

favorite songs throughout the day. I love how sharing music as a family helps

us anchor to one another and have a shared interest that we can all participate in.

It's really fun to break out the disco ball wireless speaker, throw on our favorite

songs, and sing our hearts out while having a dance party.

I know that music has gotten me through a lot of tough times in my life and

whenever I need a little pick me up I find good songs with lyrics

 that either lets me mope until I feel better or rev me up and snap me out of it.

Is music a big part of your life?

What lyrics speak to your soul? I'd love to hear them!!!

Let's Share A Coke and A Song!

Becoming Adventurous: Family Adventures with an Adventure Impaired Mom

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #allfreeclear #CollectiveBias

It's no secret that I'm not an outdoor-adventurous kind of mom. The dirt, the mud,

the grass stains, the mess, the horror! I get a little panicky when I think of all the laundry

and mess that goes along with outdoor adventures. However, in an effort to step outside

of my comfort zone and be a cooler and more adventurous mom, I've started trying

new things with my kids over the past few months to get us outside and more active.

This means more fun, but it also means more muddy laundry, so thank goodness for

all® free clear detergent to save the day and calm my adventure impaired heart.

After an afternoon of geocaching and climbing through weeds, bushes, and shrubs,
it's nice to know that I'm washing my kids' clothes with #1 recommended brand by
dermatologists, allergists and pediatricians. And while all® free clear detergent is
100% free of dyes and perfumes, it is not intended to treat or prevent allergies.
However, I take comfort in the fact that it removes 99% of the top every day
and seasonal allergens - like dog and cat dander, dust mite matter, ragweed,
and grass and weed pollen. This is important to our family because all three of my kids
have allergies and sensitive skin. I love that all® free clear detergent gets rid
of the allergens, is gentle on their sensitive skin, and gets the play clothes
clean and stain free.

I love that the kids can enjoy a day at Adventure Playground with friends, exploring all

the dirty, unstructured play that it has to offer, and I can sit in the shade and not worry

about all the "things" they will bring home on their clothes. 

I know that all® free clear detergent will take care of all of those "things" 

and won't irritate their skin in the process.

Adventure Playground is the perfect place for them to explore and create

and just be kids. I really appreciate that our city has created a setting that allows for this.

Regular parks are great, but I love the open space and the non-directed play areas

that allow the kids to just be kids without too much adult intervention.

My Isabella has the most sensitive skin of all three of my kids. She has to be really 

careful with what comes in contact with her skin and I have to be extra careful

with what I wash her clothes with. There were times she would scratch 

herself to bleeding and I felt helpless to know what to help her. 

Since using all® free clear detergent over the last few years, 

she has been pretty much rash and eczema free and I'm so thankful!

So whenever we're running low, I head to Sam's Club and pick up 

all® free clear detergent so that I can keep the kids' clothes clean, allergen free,

and ready for our next family adventure. It really has been good for my family for me

to feel like I have the freedom to let my kids have those adventures.

I honestly used to send the kids with my husband for the "dirty" things because it

was just too anxiety inducing, but now I'm the one leading the walks and hikes.
I even planned and executed a family camping trip during spring break and I loved it.
Who am I?

So, if you are adventure impaired like I am, there is hope thanks to all® free clear detergent.

I know my kids are a lot happier when they're unplugged, outdoors, and are given the

chance to explore and play without too much direction from me. Especially since

I no longer shout - be careful, you're going to get dirty!

Are you adventure impaired like me?
Or are you an adventure loving mama?
How do you help create opportunities for adventure and free play for your family?
I need all the help I can get!

Guardians of the Galaxy Birthday Movie Party

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OwnTheGalaxy #CollectiveBias

Once my kids saw Guardians of the Galaxy, they were sold.

They went without me to see it - a grandpa/kid date to the movie theater

and it was all they talked about for at least a month.

They also started the DVD release date countdown. Do your kids do that?

They ask at least every other day when a movie is going to come to DVD so they

can watch it over and over and over again.

Well, my kids do.

So, when JT found out that the Guardians of the Galaxy DVD would be released

right around his birthday, he started planning how we could have a family

movie night to celebrate and all the fun snacks we could make.

I perused Pinterest and headed to Walmart on December 9th release date to get supplies for
JT's birthday movie bash with the family
and to pick up our DVD copy of Guardians of the Galaxy!
I decided we need Gamora Green Caramel Corn, Drax the Destroyer Punch,
Star-Lord Star Cookies, and Dancing Baby Groot Chocolate Covered Pretzels.
There were a lot of copies of the DVD and Blu-ray available in the Electronics Department.
The Blu-ray copies had these cool exclusive character o-sleeves, music zinepack,
a 64 page magazine with cast and crew interviews, exclusive behind the scene photos,
plus a custom mix tape cassette laptop decal.

The Gamora Green Caramel Corn was so much fun to make!
I used my favorite caramel corn recipe and added some green food coloring
to make this bright green caramel corn.
Gamora was Isabella's favorite character, so she was excited to see me
mixing up some green caramel corn for the birthday party movie night.

GAMORA GREEN CARAMEL CORN RECIPE

1 bag plain microwave popcorn
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
Food coloring

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Pop popcorn, pour into 9x13 pan and remove kernels.
Mix butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in saucepan. 
Cook on low-med heat for 2 min or until bubbly around edges, remove from heat. 
Add food coloring and 1 tsp. baking soda to cause foaming (helps coat them better). 
Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir until coated. 
Place in 250 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and pour onto waxed paper. Cool.
Break apart into desired piece size.

The Dancing Baby Groot Chocolate Covered Pretzels were messy and time consuming

to put together, but they turned out so cute, it was worth all the effort.

JT was so surprised and excited when he saw them, 

so that also made my chocolate covered counters worth the work.

I saw several version of these Baby Groots and improvised with mini chocolate chips

for eyes when I couldn't find black chocolate melts or mini M&M's.

The Star-Lord Star Cookies and Drax the Destroyer Punch were the easiest because

they were store bought (shhhh! I'm all about semi-homemade).

I also found these cool Guardian of the Galaxy cars that were a fun

little birthday gift, as well as the body pillow to snuggle up with for movie night.

We had a blast enjoying our Guardians of the Galaxy movie night,
munching our treats, and celebrating JT's ninth birthday.
Have you seen the movie? What's your favorite part?
If you head to Walmart by December 13th,  you'll get a $5 Walmart gift card instantly
when you purchase a Groot, Drax, or Rocket Raccoon Disney Infinity 2.0 figure.
Awesome, huh? I know that the Guardian of the Galaxy figures are on my
son's Christmas wish list!
 

Disney FROZEN: Happy Birthday Celebration

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When I heard that the FROZEN DVD would be released the week of my birthday,
I just knew that we had to do something FROZEN theme to celebrate with the kids.
It's no secret that we adore Elsa and Anna around here and since the due date of my next
baby was March 22nd, I thought celebrating a few days early would ensure that we did
something fun before life around here changed in a big way.

So we headed to WalMart on release day -March 18th - and were greeted as soon as we
walked in the store with a big display of all the newly released DVDs of the week.
The FROZEN DVD took up an entire side of the display and Isabella was eager
to snag our copy and head home and watch it for my birthday celebration.
Plus, you can't beat the great $14.96 pricing on the FROZEN DVD at WalMart.
Isabella had a really hard time waiting for her brother to get home before we started
the celebration.



When we got home she put on the Elsa outfit that I made for her FROZEN birthday party
in January and set to work opening the new Anna and Elsa toddler dolls we grabbed from WalMart to help us celebrate. She really is my own little feisty Elsa incarnate.



I just love Anna and Elsa because it is their love as sisters that saves the day
in FROZEN. Isabella was about to become a big sister and I would love for her
and her new little sister to depend on one another, stick up for each other,
and prove that being family is even better that being best friends.

We decided to get the cupcakes baked for my birthday celebration while JT was

still at school, so they could set to decorating them as soon as he walked in the door.

It's hard to keep a five-year-old distracted and wait 2 hours for anything.

We enlisted Anna and Elsa to help mix up our beautiful blue velvet FROZEN cupcakes.

As soon as JT walked in the door from school, Isabella put him to work

decorating his plate of cupcakes. The kids decided that since the cupcakes

were for my birthday, that I wasn't allowed to help them frost and decorate. So I set

them each up on a large cookie sheet, gave them frosting and a knife, and the sprinkles

and let them create their masterpieces.

It was so fun to watch their individual personalities come out as they

set to frosting and decorating their FROZEN inspired cupcakes.

While they decorated we talked about their favorite parts of the FROZEN movie

and which characters were their favorites. 

The FROZEN inspired cupcakes turn out so cute and the kids were proud

that they had decorated cupcakes for my birthday all by them themselves.

They could hardly wait to choose their favorite to eat and enjoy while we started

the movie.

Isabella even made a special cupcake for Daddy when he got home from work.

I really enjoyed spending the afternoon chatting with my kids about

FROZEN and family and celebrating my birthday a few days early and cherishing

the time we've had together as a little group of three each day after school.

I'm so excited for Isabella to have a little sister - because sisters are built in best friends.

My sister currently lives in Korea and I am so thankful for technology that allows us to keep

in touch regularly and share our struggles as mothers, wives, and women.

I can only hope that Isabella and Grace will share the same bond as they grow up.