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Cheerio Christmas Trees Recipe Makes a Great Holiday Snack

Posted on October 29, 2018January 1, 2024 by Mandy

This easy recipe for Cheerio Christmas Trees is perfect for whipping up a batch to take to a classroom Christmas party or to serve up at a holiday get-together. Requiring only 5 ingredients, this is a very economical way to create a cute holiday snack that will wow anyone that sees it! Kids love snacks made from familiar foods! As a result, they will love these tasty Cheerio Christmas Trees.

Cheerio Christmas Trees

Ingredients

– 6 cups of Cheerios

– 6 tablespoons of butter

– 5 cups of mini marshmallows

– green food coloring

– red, yellow and green M&M candy

Directions

– Pour the Cheerios into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Looking for a big bowl to make these with? These mixing bowls are great!

– In a large saucepan, melt the butter and marshmallows on low-medium heat, constantly stirring until the mix is smooth.

– Add the marshmallow mix and food coloring to the Cheerios. Stir until it’s evenly coated.

– Coat your hands with cooking spray (trust me, you’ll want to make sure to do this!) and grab a handful of the Cheerio mix, shaping it into a tree. Place them on a sheet of waxed paper.

– While they are still sticky, place red and green M&M candies on the tree as ornaments. Place a yellow M&M candy on top as a star.

– Refrigerate for an hour before serving! After that, your Cheerio Christmas Trees are ready to be served. I guarantee everyone will think they are super cute, and the kids will be amazed!

Want more fantastic holiday snacks made with cereal? Check out these Butterscotch Cornflakes Crunchies. They’re just as cute and easy to make as well! No baking is required!

This Christmas Meal Planner Will Save Your Sanity

Posted on October 26, 2018June 27, 2021 by Mandy

This Christmas meal planner will save your sanity this holiday season! Meal planning is something I always fail to do during the holidays. I mean, I plan my meals in my head and I make a list for the grocery store, but I always end up doing things in a rush and end up always forgetting something. My sweet husband, bless his heart, never minds heading to the store to pick up something I’ve forgotten, but I just wish for once I could get it all together when it comes to holiday meal planning. I’m determined not to be stressed this year!

This Christmas meal planner is already helping me out. As soon as something pops into my head that I want to make for our holiday gatherings, I just write it down on this list and go back and fill in the ingredients I’ll need to pick up at the store. I’m running across so many amazing holiday recipes online and although I pin them to a Pinterest board so I can see them later, having to pull up a pin in a grocery store helps in a pinch, but I’m so glad I’ll have everything on a list in my hands to make shopping easier.

I’ve got to come up with several appetizer ideas for our Christmas Eve gathering with my dad’s side of the family. We’ve gathered at the same home (my aunt’s) all of my 44 years of life and we do heavy hors d’oeuvres that evening. On Christmas Day, we have breakfast at home, dinner with my mom and her side of the family, and then that evening it’s back to my aunt’s house again. I need to plan for several sides and our breakfast at home as well. We also like to make several Christmas candies and cookies that were family recipes handed down for generations.

Once November hits for me, things at work and life in general just become super busy, so writing things out now while my mind isn’t in a million other places certainly helps. Grab your free printable copy of this Christmas meal planner or just click on the picture above!

20 Christmas Candy Recipes for Holiday Snacking

Posted on October 25, 2018October 10, 2023 by Mandy

Christmas candy is always a staple in our home during the holiday season. Each year there are more and more cute candy recipes floating around Pinterest to try. We always make a few treasured family recipes, but I also love discovering more delicious recipes out there. It’s fun to see what other people come up with and even more fun to get in the kitchen and give them a try!

The recipes below are some great ways to get you started baking and making during the holiday season. Whether you need a recipe for a family get-together or something to make for a class party, you’re sure to find some great ideas! There’s even a vegan recipe in there for those of you who follow that way of eating, proving that everyone can enjoy Christmas candy during the holiday season!

20 Christmas Candy Recipes

DIY Peppermint Candy Spoons by Princess Pinky Girl

Hot Chocolate Fudge Recipe by Wonky Wonderful

Peppermint Patties by Dinner At The Zoo

Maple Peanut Brittle by I Heart Naptime

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Snowflake Truffles by Zesty Olive

Homemade Toasted Coconut Marshmallows by Season And Suppers

Cinnamon Rock Candy by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch

Peppermint Oreo Fudge by Lil Luna

Chocolate Christmas Tree Pops by The Decorated Cookie

Vegan Candy Cane Meringue Kisses by Wallflower Kitchen

Maple Gingersnap Fudge by Love From The Oven

Peppermint Brownie Truffles by Inside Brew Crew Life

Old Fashioned Butter Mints by Averie Cooks

White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Fudge by Spoonful Of Flavor

Peppermint Marshmallows by Bakerita

Orange Cranberry Almond Bark by Beyond Frosting

Mint Oreo Truffles by Sally’s Baking Addiction

Icicle Candy by Sprinkle Bakes

Eggnog Fudge by Baking Beauty

Loaded Christmas Bark by Averie Cooks

Looking for some great tools to add to your kitchen to make some of these holiday cookies? Check out my post on some great kitchen gadgets to help make holiday baking a little easier!

These no-bake butterscotch crunchies are a perfect holiday snack!

Butterscotch Cornflakes Crunchies- No Bake Holiday Snack

Posted on October 24, 2018January 5, 2025 by Mandy

Looking for the perfect no-bake holiday snack? These Butterscotch Cornflake Crunchies are sooo good and so easy to make! They are a perfect party food and sure to be a hit with the young and old alike.

Yields: 1 1/2 dozen

INGREDIENTS

12 oz bag of butterscotch morsels

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

4 cups Kellogg’s cornflakes cereal

Christmas sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a large cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.

2. Pour the cornflakes into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

3. Add the butterscotch morsels to a small saucepan. Stirring occasionally, melt over medium low heat. Remove from heat.

2. Add the peanut butter and stir well to incorporate.

3. Pour the mixture on top of the cornflakes and gently toss to evenly coat the cornflakes.

4. Drop by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet and sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles.

5. ENJOY!!

*Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Looking for another easy holiday snack? These Cheerio Christmas Trees are delicious and fun to make!

20 Halloween Bark Recipes For Easy Halloween Snacks

Posted on October 23, 2018June 27, 2021 by Mandy

Halloween bark recipes are probably the easiest and quickest ways to whip up a fun Halloween snack that will be a sure hit! Most Halloween bark recipes call for yummy ingredients like pretzels, candy bars, and other fun embellishments which, when thrown together, make for a yummy-tasting snack!

Even if you don’t need to make this for Halloween, this is a fun way to use any leftover Halloween candy you might have sitting around. I know in our house, this isn’t usually an issue since we live in a neighborhood where we get a ton of trick-or-treaters, but we’ve had plenty left over in the past! The beauty of this is that it doesn’t have to be perfect! It’s easy to make and each piece will be unique.

20 DIY Halloween Candy Bark Recipes

Halloween Oreo Candy Bark by A Pumpkin And Princess

Halloween Candy Bark by I Heart Naptime

Frankenstein Chocolate Bark by The Decorated Cookie

Candy Corn Pretzel Bark by Fresh April Flours

Pumpkin Cookie Dough Bark by Wine And Glue

 Halloween Peanut Marshmallow Bark by Brite And Bubbly

Melted Witch Bark by Lil Luna

Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark by Two Peas And Their Pod

Cookie Monster Candy Bark by DIY Candy

Graveyard Chocolate Bark by The Decorated Cookie

Chocolate Bark Halloween Brownies by How Sweet Eats

Pumpkin Spice Latte Bark by The Kitchen Prep Blog

Salted Caramel Candy Corn Bark by I Heart Naptime

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bark by Fresh April Flours

Zombie Themed Chocolate Candy Bark For Halloween by Brite And Bubbly

Easy Halloween Candy Bark by Meatloaf And Melodrama

Monster Bark by Lil Luna

Spooky Layered Halloween Bark by DIY Candy

Chocolate Halloween Bark by Ashlee Marie

Candy Corn and Pretzel Chocolate Bark by Brown Eyed Baker

Need more Halloween snack recipes? Check out this roundup here! I also have a fun roundup of Halloween crafts for kids located here.

Halloween Snack Brownie Bats Treats

Posted on October 22, 2018October 28, 2018 by Mandy

Need a quick Halloween snack for a party or a class? These brownie bats are easy to make and so much fun to eat! We are getting excited about Halloween at out house. We live in a neighborhood in which Halloween is super busy with trick-or-treaters! We usually run out of candy in 45 minutes. I’m planning better this year as far as candy goes, but these little treats would also make a surprisingly fun treat for those trick-or-treaters as well!

Supplies:

– Little Debbie Brownies (enough for your child’s class)
– 1 piece of spare paper
– Pen or pencil
– Scissors
– Black crafting foam or construction paper
– Glue
– Googly eyes
– White Sharpie

Directions:

1. Using the spare piece of paper, create a stencil for the bat wings. Place one of the brownies on the paper for reference and using the pen/pencil, draw a bat wing out from the brownie. Be sure to add a little bit extra to the inside of the bat wing stencil. The wings will be glued to the back of the brownie and you need a small piece of the wing to put the glue on.

2. Cut out the stencil. Then use it to trace bat wings on the foam or construction paper. Keep in mind you need 2 wings per brownie.

3. Cut out the bat wings and glue them to the back of the brownies.

4. Glue the googly eyes to the front of the brownie.

5. Using the white Sharpie, draw 2 small bat fangs right onto the front of the brownie package.

6. Allow everything to completely dry and share this cute Halloween snack with the kids!

*Note: Basic glue will work, but you can also use hot glue if you want to reduce the dry time. If using hot glue, just be careful not to use too much, or burn through the brownie packaging.
*Tip: If using construction paper, reduce prep time by doubling up the paper when cutting out the bat wings.

Want more Halloween posts? Check out my Halloween posts here!

How To Organize a Medicine Cabinet

Posted on October 19, 2018October 16, 2018 by Mandy

A medicine cabinet is an essential part of every home. Keeping it organized and well-arranged makes it easy to find the right medicine just when its needed.

Medicines are a part and parcel of every family. A well-stocked medicine box or cabinet is an important element of family life. A medicine box must not, however, be a hold-all for all kinds of medicines. Rather it should be organized and sorted out properly to make finding a medication simple and quick. Here are easy ideas to arrange and organize a medicine cabinet or a smaller medicine box.

Clean out the Medicine Cabinet

The first step in organizing the medicine cabinet is to clean it out completely. Remove all the bottles, strips and pills from the shelves. Wipe the shelves and doors clean and line with fresh paper. Discard old and unused medicines, prescriptions that are not needed and any medicine which does not have an expiry date clearly mentioned.

Organize Medicines According to Type

The next step will be to organize medications according to type. For instance, put all stomach medicines together, then antibiotics, then children’s medicines and so on. Use trays or small boxes to hold similar medicines together. A better but slightly more expensive option will be to use drawer or shelf dividers to store like items.

Organize Medicines According to Prescriptions

For family members who are taking prescription medicines, keep space separate for their medication. Label the containers clearly and store them in a separate box or section dedicated to prescription medicines. Make a small chart with names of family members, their prescriptions and dates on which they must be filled. Put this chart up on the inside of the cabinet door.

Organizing General Medications

General medicines such as vitamins and supplements, birth control pills and first aid supplies can be kept together on the lower shelf of the cabinet to allow for quick and easy access. Keep a thermometer, preferably digital, and a pair of scissors with these supplies. On the inside of this shelf, paste a list of phone numbers of physicians, pediatricians and the hospital.

Arranging the Medicine Cabinet

While cabinet storage is ideal for medicines, for smaller homes, a medicine box can also be used to store medications. Arrange everything neatly and according to the systems given above. Make sure that labels are clear and informative. If using a medicine box, make sure that the lists of prescriptions and phone numbers are pasted either on the inside of the lid or filed in a small clear folder.

Review the medicine cabinet periodically to discard expired medications and prescriptions, which no longer have to be filled. These simple strategies will keep the bathroom medicine cabinet or family medicine box neat and organized. No more will parents have to fret over finding the right stomach medicine for their toddler.

Best Choice Products Bathroom Wall Wood Medicine Cabinet Organization Storage Space Saver w/ 3 Shelves, Tempered Glass Double Doors, Double Plated Knobs – Espresso Brown Lockmed Large Double Combination Lockbox Size Aprox 12 KOHLER K-99007-NA Verdera 24-Inch By 30-Inch Slow-Close Medicine Cabinet With Magnifying Mirror Elegant Home Fashions Whitney Wall Cabinet with 2 Doors and 1 Shelf Kohler K-2967-BR1 Aluminum Cabinet with Oil-Rubbed Bronze Framed Mirror Door, Oil-Rubbed Bronze

Photo: mmmCCC

Thinking about starting an Ebay business? Here are some tools I use to help me work smarter while running my Ebay business.

Useful Tools For Success In Your Ebay Business

Posted on October 18, 2018July 3, 2019 by Mandy

It’s been a few months since I started my Ebay business as a side hustle. I have dabbled on Ebay (both buying and selling) since 1999. However, I recently decided to get serious and start an Ebay business. I’m in the very small stages of starting out as I write this post, but things are moving along. You might think you need a ton of equipment to get started selling on Ebay, but that’s not true. Really, all it takes to start selling on Ebay is a computer and camera or smart phone, an internet connection, and some good lighting. I started out with my computer and smart phone.. Today I’m sharing a few items I use to help me sell on Ebay.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus, GSM Unlocked, 64GB – Gold (Certified Refurbished) LimoStudio 700W Photography Softbox Light Lighting Kit Photo Equipment Soft Studio Light Softbox 24 Flash Furniture 34” Square Granite White Plastic Folding Table Smart Weigh Digital Shipping and Postal Weight Scale, 110 lbs x 0.1 oz, UPS USPS Post Office Scale SINGER 218 60-Inch Tape Measure General Tools LTM1 2-in-1 Laser Tape Measure, LCD Digital Display, 50’ Laser Measure, 16’ Tape Measure JAXPETY Female Mannequin Torso Clothing Display W/Black Tripod Stand New Beige (Beige) Savage Seamless Background Paper – #1 Super White (53 Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape, 2 x 800 – Clear (3 Tapes) (1, Clear)

iPhone

I have an iPhone 6 Plus that I use for taking pictures of the items I sell, but any phone with a good camera will do if you don’t use a digital camera. I also list quite frequently on my phone, but I also go in on my computer and recheck things and make edits as needed.

Lighting Kit

I started out taking pictures of my items near a window using natural light, but I soon became frustrated on cloudy days when I couldn’t work my Ebay business because the room was too dark. Once I could afford it, I bought this lighting kit from Amazon and it set up quickly and easily and has been a huge help in making my pictures look much more professional. It isn’t a top of the line model, but it gets the job done.

Folding Table

For smaller items, I use a folding table covered with white poster board to take pictures with. It’s easier than getting up and down off the floor and the table is the perfect height.

Postal Scale

Having a good postal scale is a must! This was also one of those items I had to gradually acquire when I could afford to and it’s by far the most useful tool I use for my Ebay business. Nothing stinks worse than not having enough postage on a package and having to correct that mistake. Knowing the right weight for a package helps me correctly calculate shipping so I’m not putting myself in the hole by not charging enough.

Measuring Tapes

If I’m selling a clothing item, I like to take as many measurements as possible. I always keep a tape measure handy for this. I also keep a retractable measuring tape to measure boxes so I’ll have the right dimensions for calculating shipping.

Mannequin

I eventually also bought a mannequin for displaying clothing items. It’s not a must, but I just love the way it makes clothing look better for displaying in pictures.

Background Paper

Seamless white background paper makes your items look almost like stock photos. It gives a very professional looking background.

Packing Tape

You can get free Priority and Flat Rate shipping boxes from the post office (and even have them delivered to your door), but the one thing I constantly go through is good packing tape. I prefer the Scotch or Duck brand because they are good quality and I can find it on sale at Walgreens or Kroger a lot of the time.

Eventually, I hope to add a thermal label printer to my toolkit, but for now, I can print shipping labels and packing slips right from my home printer.

Do you sell on Ebay? What are your must-have tools for Ebay success?