Home Blog Page 513

FanGirl Friday: DIY Comic Book Room

Tessa Smith
-
34
FanGirl Friday: DIY Comic Book Room

As most of you know, I pride myself on being a geek! I love comic books, video games, playing HeroClix, and Magic: The Gathering – I am a total Fangirl. So I have created “FanGirl Fridays” where I will try my best to bring you reviews and rambling of a geeky, nerdy nature! I am really excited about this. If there is anything specific you would like me to talk about, please feel free to leave it in the comments or email me, I will try my best to get to it.

Comic%2BBook%2BRoom%2B1

For my first FanGirl Friday I am going to bring you step by step instructions on how to make a “Comic Book Room”. This can actually be applied to making your own wallpaper out of pretty much anything, but I used it to make a comic book room. This room was in our Florida house and I miss it so much. I loved curling up on the chaise and catching up on my comics, putting together models, or playing Magic: The Gathering. It was a lot of work but it was a whole ton of fun!

Simple Steps

Step 1: Buy duplicate comics! Don’t cut up your comics. Please, please, please buy duplicates of the ones you want to destroy! Make sure to purchase some posters too for size variety.

Step 2: Go through them and find your favorite photos and scenes. Some of our favorite things that we put on the wall were Spider-man’s witty banter with a criminal or Iron Man’s drunken ramblings.

Step 3: Get yourself some wallpaper paste. Plain old wallpaper paste. It took us about 4 gallons of it to do this room.

Step 4: Get to gluin’. Cover the backs of the pages and posters in wallpaper paste and place them where you want them to go. Feel free to put them in a corner – having them go from one wall to the next. This creates a really cool effect and helps pull the room together. Use a scraper to even them out and get rid of any wrinkles.

Comic%2BBook%2BRoom%2B5Comic%2BBook%2BRoom%2B6

Step 5: Decorate! After the walls are dry, go ahead and add shelves to display any cool models or figures you have.

Step 6: Enjoy your geeky space!

Comic%2BBook%2BRoom%2B10
Fan Girl Friday

Throwback Thursday: A Bubble Guppies Birthday

Tessa Smith
-
4
Throwback Thursday: A Bubble Guppies Birthday
DSC 0777

This morning I was thinking about how my daughters are growing so quickly in front of my eyes. I was thinking back on how we moved from Florida to New York when my youngest daughter was less than 2 weeks old. Yes, we drove across the country, in January, with a newborn baby. And I was breastfeeding so that meant stopping every 2 hours to nurse her. It took almost 3 days and was a crazy trip. But I am so glad we did it. I realized that my oldest had her second birthday up here in New York. She really did not have much of a life down in Florida and has now lived here longer than she did there. Seems ridiculous to me since I spent so many years there. It is hard to imagine my life before her. But, back on topic, as I was thinking about this I realized that I never posted about her 2nd birthday because I was not yet blogging. I know a lot of my readers like to see my birthday party themes so I wanted to go ahead and share her Bubble Guppies second birthday.

DSC 0775
Cucumbers, Cream Cheese, and Goldfish

I took a lot of ideas from Pinterest and from NickJr.com and we had a great day! My husband made her an “ocean” themed dress – he is so handy like that – while I worked on the snacks and decorations. I cut up cucumbers and put cream cheese on them (dyed blue to look like water), and stuck goldfish on top. These came out really cute and the kids actually loved them!

DSC 0799
The Birthday Girl with the Bubble Guppies!

I found a printout online where the kids could have their picture taken with the Bubble Guppies! They all really loved doing this and I got some cute photos. We played lots of games like Pin the Tail on Molly, and Pin the Tail on Gil. We even had a bounce house! And the cake came out amazing, thanks to my awesome sister-in-law. Mommy and Daddy spoiled the birthday girl with an ATV! It was a great day and I cannot believe she will be turning FOUR this year! Where does the time go?

DSC 0791   3
cropped
#BubbleGuppies #KidsBirthdays #BirthdayParties

#NSNation Monday: Time to Lose the Holiday Weight!

Tessa Smith
-
44
#NSNation Monday: Time to Lose the Holiday Weight!
450x300 nutrisystem food

As most of you know, I recently lost just over 50lbs. When the doctor told me that I was around 200 lbs, I decided that is it. Time to get my life back on track. If not for me, for my daughters. Well as the holidays tend to do, they messed up my routine a bit. I was not working out and I was not eating right. My husband, my sister-in-law, my nephew, my cousin’s son, and my youngest daughter have birthdays around the holidays so there was a lot of family get togethers with a lot of cake. That is why I am so thankful that I am a part of #NSNation for the next several months!

Nutrisytem%2BFood%2B1

NutriSystem provides you with the foods you need for success. Over the next 3 months I will be working out with the T25 system from Beach Body as well as eating all NutriSystem foods. I cannot wait to document my journey and share it with you guys. Look for weekly updates and also posts about which foods I am loving, and which ones you might want to pass on.

Nutrisytem%2BFood%2B5

NutriSystem has an online community filled with recipes, discussion boards, and a logging system so you can record everything you eat as well as your weights and measurements. I am really excited to see it all right in front of me. I think knowing what you are losing will really help keep the motivation going!

Fast%2B5

For my first week I will be going the Fast5+ that helps you drop five pounds and one inch around your waist in the first week! This week is different than the other weeks – think of it as a “boot camp”. I will be eating the food pictured above (Nutrisystem energi-zing shake, Craving Crusher shake, breakfast, lunch, and dinner) plus 4+ non-starchy veggie servings a day. I cannot wait to dig in this morning and get started with NutriSystem! All of the food that arrived actually looks really good. It came right to my doorstep which made things really easy. I was surprised at how quickly it was shipped and arrived – and I love that it auto renews for me! No trying to remember to order and worrying if I did or not. I have mommy brain more often than not! Find out more information here.

Every Monday I will be posting about my journey – my progress, which foods I love, which foods I hate, and how I am feeling.

#NSNation Week #1 Stats:

Weight: 156.0 lbs
Waist Inches: 33
Hip Inches: 38.5
Photo:  Day 1

Nutrisytem%2BDay%2B1    Nutrisytem%2BDay%2B1%2B2

 

unnamed

 

#NSNation #Ad
I received this free in exchange for my unbiased, honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Our Doc McStuffins Birthday Party!

Tessa Smith
-
1
Our Doc McStuffins Birthday Party!
DSC 0306

My youngest daughter recently turned 2! We themed her party Doc McStuffins – we LOVE Disney around here – and came up with some cute ideas that I wanted to share. First thing was of course the cake. We took some of her toys and put them on top of the cake that my sister-in-law made for her. She always makes our cakes and does an amazing job! It was super delicious too. Check out how we made the fondant for her here.

DSC 0304

We always have a “pin the tail on the donkey” inspired game at our birthday parties. For my oldest’s Tangled themed party, it was pin the nose on Flynn Rider’s Wanted Poster. For the Doc McStuffin’s party, my wonderfully talented husband drew a poster of Boppy with a thorn in his belly. We then made little bandaids that the kids would be sticking on him after they were blindfolded and spun around.

DSC 0333

We also had a pinata filled with slap bracelets, candy, and whistles. I had planned on the kids decorating their own stethoscopes but time got away from us. We had so much fun! I hope I helped you with ideas for a Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins themed party!

DSC 0370  lorie

 

A Day with the Dinosaurs at Discover the Dinosaurs

Tessa Smith
-
2
20150109 132619

My daughters love dinosaurs – in fact, my whole family does! Thanks to shows like Dinosaur Train, they have already learned a lot about them, and are very interested in learning more. That is why when I heard about the Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit at The Oncenter in Syracuse, I just knew we had to take them.

20150109 133323  20150109 132702

From the moment we walked through the gates, my girls were in awe! Their faces lit up and they were (no lie) running around to check out all of the dinosaurs. My husband and I took our time and enjoyed reading all of the fact cards about each dinosaur. I learned a lot of things today! I think my youngest favorite dinosaur was the baby that popped out of the egg! My oldest liked the T-Rex – she said he wasn’t scary at all. Some of the dinosaurs had buttons that you could press to control their tail, arms, and even make them roar! My girls LOVED playing with these.

20150109 13352120150109 13462420150109 134652

Besides the actual dinosaurs, the Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit had SO MUCH for the kids! After you see all the dinosaurs (and there are two that they can sit on for a photo opp!) there is a fossil dig! The girls had a blast with this. There were three sand tables set up with brushes where kids can brush the sand off dinosaur fossils. Beyond that there were large dinosaurs they could ride on, tons of bounce houses, and miniature golf. They also spun a wheel and were able to win a prize (they both won small dinosaur toys!).

20150109 131706   20150109 135826

For an additional cost you can mine for gold or get your face painted! They also have a small gift shop area with stuffed animals and other cool dinosaur things! It can get pricey, but if you plan to stay there most of the day, it will be worth it. Locals – Discover the Dinosaurs is here through Sunday, January 11th! Purchase your tickets by clicking here.

20150109 135815                             20150109 133404

Discover the Dinosaurs is traveling through the month of January so click here to see if they are coming near you! Purchase your tickets by clicking here. Your family will have a great day at Discover the Dinosaurs!

20150109 13300320150109 135033

Connect with them on Social Media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DiscoverTheDinosaurs
Twitter: www.twitter.com/discoverthedino
Instagram: http://instagram.com/discoverthedinosaurs
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DiscovertheDinosaurs
Tumblr: http://discoverthedinosaurs.tumblr.com/

I received tickets to this event in exchange for my unbiased, honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Air Bud Entertainment Launches Air Bud TV!

Tessa Smith
-
1
Air Bud Entertainment Launches Air Bud TV!
air%2Bbud

Hot off the heels of their recent announcement of the new movie “Russell Madness,” hitting theatres this February, Air Bud Entertainment has announced the launch of the new You Tube Channel, AIR BUD TV. The company behind the brand most well known for the beloved AIR BUD and AIR BUDDIES franchise launches the channel with original, all new short form content and TV series, in addition to sneak peaks of their adorable family-friendly films.  The announcement was made today by Anna McRoberts, President of Air Bud Entertainment and co-creator of the AIR BUDDIES franchise.

As the premiere provider of talking animal content, Air Bud Entertainment has implemented an initiative that will allow AIR BUD and AIR BUDDIES fans to view new content, extending its proprietary magic to the digital platforms. ABE will be presenting its fans new and entertaining programming.  The newly launched YouTube Channel is the first of numerous new outlets. ABE will be announcing other platforms within the next few weeks. “We look forward to extending our trusted brand ABE onto the YouTube platform and becoming a go-to for families in the digital space globally with short form programming. It’s an exciting new venture and one we believe will have a lot of growth in the coming years,” commented McRoberts. AIR BUD TV will feature regular programming, such as Animal Sing-Alongs, (click here) weekly series, such as Puppy Preschool, (click here) and The Bubble Bath Boys (click here), among other cute, loveable animal content. Click here to visit AIR BUD TV. For nearly 20 years AIR BUD and AIR BUDDIES has become the four-paw icon of this generation and part of the social fabric for children, parents and grandparents. Robert Vince, CEO of the Company and creator of every AIR BUD film since its inception adds, “This is an exciting time for our brand. Our strength is our content and building franchises, with fun characters and stories with great messages that families love.”

russell

About “Russell Madness”

Debuting in theatres February 21, 2015 as part of the Fandango Family Screening Series, and on home entertainment in Spring 2015 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, the hilarious, all-new family adventure is the first feature film from newly-launched Air Bud Entertainment, the creative force behind the #1 live-action, direct-to-video movies in the family category.  The exciting action-packed adventure introduces ‘Russell,’ an adorable TALKING Jack Russell Terrier who accidentally becomes a professional wrestling superstar, on the way to discovering the true power…of family.

Russell is an undersized but big-hearted terrier who dreams of having a family of his own. After running away from his pet store, Russell gets taken in by The Ferraros, a family desperate to revive their grandfather’s pro wrestling arena. That’s when they discover their new pet pooch has incredible wrestling skills. With help from his coach, Hunk, a savvy and hilarious monkey, Russell rockets to the top of the pro wrestling world and becomes a famous sports superstar. But when a dishonest promoter double-crosses the Ferraros, Russell will face his biggest challenge and discover that the strongest tag team is family.  RUSSELL MADNESS is rated ‘PG’ by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

Make Canning Easy with These Ball® Products! | #BallCanning

Tessa Smith
-
3
Make Canning Easy with These Ball® Products! | #BallCanning
Ball%2BCanning

As most of you know, I have my own garden. I grow veggies and fruits and then spend several weeks creating salsas, sauces, jams, jellies, etc and canning them. I love to come up with different salsas – just throwing in what has ripened and playing with flavors. Every year, I make several different jams and jellies – usually pepper, cherry, & strawberry at a minimum. I like to have these at my disposal – but because they are more or less strict recipes with no room for imagination (like the salsa), they can get tedious to make. So when I found out that Ball® has an Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker – well, to say I was very excited is an understatement!

20150106 180812   20150106 183223

I was genuinely shocked at how easy this is to use. All you have to do is add your fruit and pectin, start it up and add the sugar, and serve and/or can. That is IT! This Ball® Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker uses SmartStir Technology to automatically stir your jam or jelly while it cooks so you just set it and go! Once your jams and jellies are made you can enjoy them right away, freeze them for up to a year or use a simple waterbath canning process to fresh preserve them. In a little more than 20 minutes, I had fresh strawberry jam. And it was delicious. I could not be any happier with this newest addition from Ball®! Purchase yours here.

20150106 19130020150106 191746

I also received some freezer jars from Ball® and I must say, they are pretty amazing. I have never used them before and they store the jam really well – and can for up to a year! When I do my regular canning, I always use Ball® products. I have their Fresh Preserving Kit and LOVE it! My in-laws always tell us how self sufficient we are because we grow and can everything. From tomato sauce to jam! I have been canning for about 7 years now and I highly recommend using Ball® products! You will not be disappointed!

I received these products in exchange for my unbiased, honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

 

What is your favorite canning recipe?

 

How to Make Perfect Marshmallow Fondant

Tessa Smith
-
6
How to Make Perfect Marshmallow Fondant
Make the PERFECT Marshmallow Fondant

We all love beautiful cakes. We want them smooth and well, just perfect. Especially when it comes to weddings and little ones’ birthdays. As a mom, I know this all too well. You want a gorgeous cake to have photos of to show your children when they are older. To say “Hey look, I was a pretty awesome mom getting you this cake!” Except you need usually need fondant to do it – and most people do not like the taste of fondant. So you are stuck letting everyone pull off the fondant pieces themselves, or trying to pull them off before serving it. It gets messy and I know I don’t want to deal with that.

DSC 0778

My sister-in-law makes AMAZING cakes. She is very talented and has made all our cakes since we moved up here. For my oldest’s 3rd birthday, my husband and I decided to try to make some marshmallow fondant for her to use for the finishing touches on the cake. I am so glad we did. It was really easy and came out amazing! No one minded chomping on the fondant pieces. Success! I am going to tell you how to make the Perfect Marshmallow Fondant in a few simple steps.

DSC 0023

What You Need:

  • 16 oz of Marshmallows
  • 2 lbs Powdered Sugar
  • 1/4 cup of Shortening
20141230 181932

Step 1: Melt the marshmallows in the microwave.

20141230 181935

Step 2: Pour about half the powdered sugar in the melted marshmallows and mix in with a greased spatula.

20141230 18211020141230 182223

Step 3: Grease the countertop and your hands with shortening.

20141230 18250120141230 182931

Step 4: Knead the mixture while adding the remaining powdered sugar. If it starts to tear rather than stretch, add a tsp of water and continue mixing.

20141231 171339

Step 5: Once fully mixed, your fondant is ready to be rolled out and used. Or it can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks. If storing, grease it and bag it.

cake
This only takes about 15 minutes to make, with no cook time required! Super easy right? Share with me what you have made with fondant and if this post helped you!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes

How to Make Perfect Marshmallow Fondant

1514645 10100312601830636 1635671270 n

Super easy marshmallow fondant.

  • 16 oz of Marshmallows
  • 2 lbs Powdered Sugar
  • 1/4 cup of Shortening
  1. Step 1: Melt the marshmallows in the microwave.
  2. Step 2: Pour about half the powdered sugar in the melted marshmallows and mix in with a greased spatula.
  3. Step 3: Grease the countertop and your hands with shortening.
  4. Step 4: Knead the mixture while adding the remaining powdered sugar. If it starts to tear rather than stretch, add a tsp of water and continue mixing.
  5. Step 5: Once fully mixed, your fondant is ready to be rolled out and used. Or it can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks. If storing, grease it and bag it.

Super easy fondant that actually tastes good!

Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt Review

Tessa Smith
-
6
Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B10

I have some amazing memories of going to see Disney On Ice with my family and friends when I was growing up. We went for 5 or 6 years in a row and it was always one of the highlights of my year. I looked forward to it for months. I was THRILLED to be able to take my girls this year. We made some incredible memories today and the Worlds of Fantasy show is one that I highly recommend y’all attend if you are able.

Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B1 Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B3

Of course, the morning of the show we had a lot of snow – such as life right. We left early, took it slow and steady, and walked in to the arena just as the show was starting. Our seats were incredible. We were about 6 rows off the ice and high up so that we could see everything happening. All of our favorite characters (and songs!) made an appearance. There was Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Donald – Mater, Lightning McQueen, Sally – Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian, Ursula, Prince Eric – Tinkerbell, Vidia, Silvermist, Terrance – and of course Woody, Buzz, Jessie, & the whole Toy Story gang!

Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B5Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B7

I had just as much fun as my daughters did singing along to the songs, clapping, and dancing. The Little Mermaid is one of my all time favorite movies and I may have shed a tear or two when Prince Eric kissed Ariel – shhh, don’t tell anyone! It was amazing watching my girls’ faces. It is funny – my youngest was all smiles and yelling and clapping the whole time, while my oldest sat still – watching and listening intently to the stories – just taking it all in. Every now and then I saw the corners of her mouth twitch in to a smile as her favorite characters performed in front of her. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it….

Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B8 Disney%2BOn%2BIce%2B9

There were plenty of souvenirs to choose from – so bring some extra cash if you decide to go. If you read my blog, then you know I was also giving away 4 tickets to the show. Well I followed up with my winner, Jessica,0 and she said they had such a blast too! They had great seats and got some awesome photos. This Disney On Ice show is touring the country – so see if they are coming to a town near you by clicking here. If you are local to the Syracuse, New York area like I am then don’t worry – the show is still here until Sunday, January 4th – and tickets are still available! Grab yours here.

Disney%2Bon%2BIce
Winner Ariana at the show!

Disney on Ice thumb

I received tickets to this event in exchange for my unbiased, honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

What Are Your Childhood Toys Worth Now?

Tessa Smith
-
0

As we come up on the holidays, I cannot help but think about all those Christmas toys that I received as a child. Most of them I wish I still had around to share with my daughters. Some of them I wish I still had around to sell! Come on, you know you do too! Check out how much your favorite toys could be worth right now. Ridiculous right? I had most of these… What toys listed below did you have that you wish you still did?

toys worth now

Play Interactive Version (via Two Little Fleas Bingo).

1...512513514...517Page 513 of 517