Gluesticks {Top 12 Posts of 2012}

 

 

As I review this past year it is amazing to see all that we have done, the places we have gone, and the time we've been able to spend with our family and friends. This is the 3rd year I've done a quick round up of the most popular posts on Gluesticks. It's fun to see which ones made the top of the list. They aren't always the posts that I would have expected to! Sometimes it's the simplest ones that are the most popular. So without further adieu (from the most popular on down)...

Win a Trip to the ACM Awards

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper at the ACMA’s for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We're leaving our usual recipe/craft posts for a minute to share a fun opportunity for country music fans. We're close to the end of the year and the beginning of 2013. Wow, that sounds weird. How about starting it out on a good note...Do you love country, do you know someone who does? How would you like to be treated like a celebrity for a night. Yes please! Of course, like all sweepstakes, it's a long shot, but definitely worth entering the Dr. Pepper at the ACMA’s contest because you have nothing to lose! And that's not the only thing up for grabs. Read on...

Our Favorite Homemade Chinese Food Dishes

When I was a teenager I was invited to an awesome New Year's Eve party at a friend's house. They served homemade Chinese food and it was amazing! I love Chinese food in general and figuring out how to make it at home is a fun challenge for me. Here are some of the recipes we've tried and enjoyed in our home. Perfect dinner party food.

 

 

Homemade Egg Rolls

 

First, start out your night with homemade egg rolls. Ground turkey or pork with fresh shredded veggies and an amazing sauce. Deep fried to perfection. Don't be intimidated. They aren't hard to

make!

Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life {Review}

This post brought to you by Carole Roman. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

My boys absolutely love to read. I love when they find a series that they can't put down. They both enjoy stories of knights and castles, dragons and Vikings, and pirates. I was recently asked to review the book Captain No Beard - An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life by Carole P. Roman and was thrilled to do so. It falls in line perfectly with the kind of books that my boys enjoy!

Both can relate to Captain No Beard, correctly named as he is too young to have a beard! He is the captain of the ship, the Flying Dragon, and leader of his fearless group of shipmates: First Mate Hallie, Mongo the Monkey, Linus the loudmouthed lion, and Fribbit the floppy frog. Normally a young boy named Alexander, his cousin Hallie, and three stuffed animals.

Paula Deen's Caramel Corn

We've made this recipe for years.  It is Paula Deen's so you know it's good! I've tried microwaved versions, sticky caramel corn, etc. but nothing has been as good as this stuff. It's great for gifts and get togethers. I'm getting ready to make a big batch to have on Christmas Eve.

10 Printable Christmas Tags {Free}

I went online this morning to find some printable gift tags for some treat boxes that I'm putting together  and couldn't believe how many darling ones were out there! So I thought I'd do a quick round-up of FREE printable gift tags that you can download.  So quick, so easy, and so pretty! Just what I was looking for (since I have no design skills of my own)!

 

 

 

 

Christmas Spritz Butter Cookies

 My cookie press broke after last year so I purchased a new one and WOAH. A good cookie press makes such a difference! The other one I had worked ok and lasted 8 years, but I seemed to have ore issues with mis-shaped cookies and the trigger sticking. Not anymore. We pressed out 10 dozen cookies in less than 10 minutes.

Kaylee's Little Reindeer

 

Kaylee is here today to share her hand/foot print reindeer that she made all by herself :) I love when I have an idea and see in my mind how it will turn out, and then one of my kids takes it in a completely different direction. This goofy little reindeer happened that way, and he makes me laugh every time I see him. He is just perfect!

 

 

Kaylee loves having her hands painted. When she was 2, I'd sit at the table and paint her hands in different colors and she'd stamp them against a piece of paper over and over and over...she said it tickled.

Perfect English Toffee

One of my FAVORITE holiday treats is English toffee. I love this stuff.  My first batch of toffee 8 years ago was...gritty. Eww. And soft. I was SO bummed! But I wasn't going to give up. Making it is so much cheaper than buying it so I kept trying. And the second batch turned out great!

I've also been the recipient of soft and under-cooked toffee from friends and not only is the texture off, but when it is under cooked it tastes bad too. So I've taken step by step photos of how I make toffee. An easy guide to making the perfect English toffee. It actually isn't hard and uses pretty basic ingredients!
 

 

First you will need to line baking sheets with foil. One baking sheet per batch. As you can see I made a lot this day. By the end of the day I had 6 batches of toffee done.

Stocking up for Winter

This post brought to you by Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

Rexall products have been around for a long time and have become a household name. And for good reason! They are affordable and quality you can trust. With winter approaching and cold/flu season it is nice to be able to stock up on the necessities before hand. Of course they are available on a moment's notice, but nobody likes to go to the store when they are sick. This is why I try to always have an extra box/bottle of basic medications on hand; such as Vapo-cream, throat lozenges, fever reducers, and chest rub. They also provide other products for children, dental, and first aid.

 

 

Chocolate Peppermint Cups

 

 

Do you look forward to the seasonal flavors that Ghirardelli comes out with this time of year? Peppermint bark is one of my favorites, and it is super easy to make!

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowflakes

 

Are you ready for an incredible addicting treat? Like...you go for 2 of them and end up eating 6? Yeah, they are that good! And SO easy to make.

A New Way of Banking and Giving Back {Part 4: Final Post}

This post brought to you by ableBanking. All opinions are 100% mine.

With ableBanking it will really be a happy new year.ableBanking is a division of Northeast Bank, based in  Maine, who has been around since 1872.

A Year of Free Home Decor Printables



There are so many fun printables on pinterest. It seems as though at least one friend pins one every day. I decided to print out my favorites and change them out each month in this frame. You can print them at Costco or Walmart for just a couple of bucks each. Such an fun and inexpensive way to switch up seasonal decor. If you like the ones I picked out just click on the name of the month below to be directed to your free printable!

For best results, follow the link and go directly to the sourse vs. doing a right click. You will get a much better image that way. Most are available in several color schemes.

Sharper Image: Innovative Gift Ideas

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sharper Image for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Looking for a gift for someone who is tricky to buy for? Maybe this post will be the answer to your shopping dilemma. Sharper Image products are meant to be fun, unique, memorable and are something you never knew existed until you saw it. So for someone who supposedly has everything, one of these just may be the perfect gift idea!

Here are 3 must have holiday gifts of the season! In no particular order...

Bluetooth Speaker

Big enough for a great sound yet small enough to take on the go, this wireless speaker from The Sharper Image ensures you never have to be without your tunes. This speaker works up to 30 feet away from your device to control music and has a powerful speaker output with integrated subwoofer for expanded bass response.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese for Great Holiday Entertaining

This post brought to you by PHILADELPHIA cream cheese . All opinions are 100% mine.

It's that time of year. The time when we gather as friends and family to celebrate the season, which also means there will be plenty of opportunities to try new recipes. New recipes with our favorite staple products.

I am one of the probably .02% of Americans (I totally made that percentage up ;) who does not like the taste of cream cheese. Crazy, I know. But I still buy it all the time!! I have so many recipes that call for PHILADELPHIA cream cheese. It's more than just a spread for bagels. I use it for all sorts of recipes. One of my favorite Swedish meat ball recipes calls for PHILADELPHIA cream cheese when making the gravy. I also use it in my buffalo chicken dip, and homemade alfredo sauce. Remember my turkey cheese ball?

A Quick Frito Lay Deal!

This post brought to you by Frito-Lay @ Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of my favorite dinners as a child was taco salad, which was my mom's version of nachos. Corn chips, chili, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. To this day, that is my favorite go-to meal. My favorite corn chips are Fritos. I LOVE them and use them for guacamole, salsa and other dips. I love the snack bags too. Single portions, perfect for a lunch. Just open a bag, sprinkle with your favorite fixings and it is a quick and easy lunch.

A New Way of Banking and Giving Back {Part 3}

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ableBanking for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Magnetic US Wall Art Tutorial {Homes I have Made}

 

Hello Gluesticks Readers!

My name is Megan, and I blog over at The Homes I Have Made - a DIY and craft blog where I chronicle the various "homes I have made" over the past 8 years as a military wife, as well as feature lots of ideas, tips, tricks, and projects for making any temporary space a cute, cozy and comfortable home! I am really excited to be here today sharing another homemade gift idea. Let's get started shall we?!?

Grinch Cookies

This post brought to you by Avocados from Mexico. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

I recently learned that you can substitute avocados for butter or oil in baked recipes. Not only do you cut out the saturated animal fats , but you replace them with the healthy fats which the avocado contains. As well as many vitamins and minerals and its oils help to reduce cholesterol. Even after hearing all of that I was skeptical. I like my butter and I like my butter in my baking, but I thought it was worth a shot. So I gathered all of my ingredients and made some holiday chip cookies.

 

 

You've Got a Health Question? The've Got the Answer!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of © Blue Shield of California for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Today I'd like to share something that we can all relate to. I know my readers come from all parts of the country, many outside of the country. We all have different careers, interests, family dynamics, but there is one area that we share a common interest in. And that is our health. How many times to you turn to the internet for questions to common ailments, or not so common? If you're like me, you do this often.

Ways to find relief from the common cold, cold sores, digestive ailments, or relief from a sun burn. Oh, I've wondered on that one. I've suffered from many sunburns in my lifetime. Some self inflicted (STUPID teenager years) and others by complete accident.

Well, Dr. Jim and Bob's Fun & Helpful Health Advice is here to the rescue. Blue Shield of California's dynamic duo Dr. Jim and Bob offer fun and entertaining, yet informative approach to tacking your health questions because after all---isn't laughter the best remedy? And laugh I did!

I found their sunburn video to not only be informative (next time I'll try some hydrocortisone cream!), but hilarious.

Homemade Nativity Scenes for Children

Some friends and I do a preschool co-op together. I teach twice a week every 4 weeks. The kids love the social interaction and it is so fun to plan activities for them! I recently did a "Nativity" theme. The highlight for the kids seemed to be playing with all of the different nativity sets that we have. And we have a lot of them! Some homemade, some not.

 

Gluesticks Grab Box Giveaway! **CLOSED**

Congrats to the winner, Natalie!!
 

This has been such a wonderful year for our family and for our blog. I appreciate each and everyone of you who stops by to browse posts and those who take the time to leave a comment. I read every comment and do my best to reply to them as well! What an amazing time we live in when we can get so many fun ideas from online friends with just a few clicks. My mom has mentioned a few times that she is envious of all of the fun things I am doing with my children. I always tell her that things are different now vs. when I was little. We didn't own a computer, we didn't have the Internet or a lot of the fun stores that we have now. She did a great job providing fun projects and outings for us as children. She used what she had, but I am grateful to be a mom nowadays for the simple fact that I receive A LOT of help from my online resources!

A New Way of Banking and Giving Back {Part 2}

This post brought to you by ableBanking. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before you make a decision, especially if it deals with your finances, you want to be informed. Informed about the company, it's founders, it's policies and their credibility. That is why this ableBanking spans more than just one post. It is a series to provide quality information for the prospective banking customer.

The ableBanking founders are Richard Wayne, Claire Bean, and Heather Campion, who each had long careers in traditional banking, and had planned to spend the next phase of their lives helping non-profits...until they came up with an idea that they thought could transform banking for customers and for our communities too.

It's a new way of savings to help consumers save more, do more for our communities and feel good about their banking. We'll only be online yet still rooted in local communities. Here's what they believe:

• Customers don't need brick and mortar branches to bank anymore.
• Customers should be earning more for their money and not paying fees.
• Customers would be happier if we spent more money on them and their communities than on costly advertising.
• Our customers know the needs of their own communities best, so we're letting them decide where to spend our money in the community.

Date Night Kit, Spy Kit and Memory Stars {Homemade Gift Ideas}

I feel as though I need to give a bit of an intro to our guest blogger this week! Stacy is the most creative person that I know. If you don't follow her blog yet, you should. She doesn't disappoint with her creative gift ideas and kids crafts. We both have 4 kids and almost identical tastes and interests. It is almost as though we were cut from the same mold...oh wait, we were! So without further adieu...

 

******

 

Hi! My name is Stacy and I am author of the blog: Piles of Projects.  I am so excited to be featured on Gluesticks!  It just happens to be my amazing sister's blog.

My goal is to create fun, but relatively inexpensive crafts, and Christmas is the perfect excuse to come up with fun, new ideas.

 Today I am going to be sharing three of my favorite homemade Christmas gifts: Date Night Kits, Spy Kits, and Memory Stars.

1. Date Night Kits

 

 

A Throw Back Post {Braces: Before/After}

All children go through an awkward phase. Some last longer than others. I'm one of those kids and here is my story :)

When I was 9 years old I was a happy little girl. Full of self confidence and had no idea that there was anything wrong with my teeth. I thought it was cool that I could fit a finger or two in the gap between my top and bottom teeth when I smiled. My parents, however, had the foresight to have braces put on my teeth when I was in the 4th grade. They knew that even though I was happy with my smile then, that someday I would probably feel self conscious about it and that the work that needed to be done would cause issues later if not taken care of while I was young.

 

(Good teeth still couldn't fix my hair issues and the fact that I gave myself a haircut when I was 8, but I've over come and embraced my curly hair now that I am an adult.)

A New Way of Banking and Giving Back

This post brought to you by ableBanking. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you heard about ableBanking? I hadn't until recently and I think it is a neat concept.

They take the money they save and give you better rates with no fees. At the same time, they let you give away their  money to your little league, church, neighborhood food pantry or any charity you want to support. They think that together we're able to make savings better.