How to Host a Rockin' Super Bowl Party!

FatCats knows all about parties! Here's how to host a rockin' super bowl party!

Start early! Don’t leave everything for Sunday. Trying to fit shopping, grilling & cleaning the house in one day can make a person go crazy. Here is a simplified plan to get you started:

Friday-

~Plan your menu

~Go shopping

Saturday-

~Prepare dishes in advance

~Clean the house

~Double check all the details- make sure you have soap in the bathrooms, a designated coat area and enough drinks.

Sunday-

~Decorate the TV room with your team’s colors. If you have guests rooting for opposing teams, draw an imaginary line down the middle of the room & decorate Patriots on one side and Giants on the other.

~If needed, bake, grill or cook food
~Set out food

What to do with the kids?

If the kiddos aren’t too keen on football, throw them their own party. Stock another room with DVDs, games and treats.

Drinking at your party?

Offer a free pick-up and drop-off service. Remember, friends don’t let friends drive drunk!

How do you get lingering guests to leave your house?

~Turn off the TV

~Say, “It was so nice to have you over. We should do it again sometime.”

~Start cleaning up

~Ask if they need a ride home

If those things haven’t worked then you might as well pull out home videos, photo albums and drone on about your latest project at work.

Worried if you’re a good host? Here are some tips:

~Make sure you try to great each of your guests individually.

~Introduce your guests to each other. This will help shy people feel more comfortable

~Be completely ready 20 minutes before guests arrive. Chances are you’ll have a few early birds

~Give a tour of your home. Some guests may feel awkward asking to use the restroom so, avoid this with a tour.

~Ask for help. If you need assistance in the kitchen it is better to ask for help vs struggling by yourself.

Food you might need:

Cheese tray

Crackers

Soft drinks

Veggie Tray

Tray of cold cuts

6-foot sub sandwich

Chips

Snack dips

Football Field Cake (click here)

Pumpkin Cookies- Guilt free in SO many ways!

Ok, this recipe I am about to give y'all is probably my favorite recipe in the world. Never wanting to divulge this amazing secret, this blog post is kind of a big deal.

You see, I like to think that my family is the only people on the planet that even know this recipe exists. For those who choose to take the recipe seriously and cherish it like it should be cherished, you will be honorary members of my family.

This recipe only has FOUR ingredients...FOUR!!! You are probably wondering how these so-called amazing cookies are so guilt free. Well, first, you can eat as much of the cookie dough as you want without worrying about salmonella. There are exactly zero eggs in these cookies! Second reason, they don't put a dent in your diet. If you understand or follow Weight Watchers point system, these cookies are only 2 points. If you don't totally understand WW point system, 2 points for a cookie is CRAZY good!

Ingredients:
box of white cake mix (you can substitute for yellow)
box of spice cake mix
29oz can of pumpkin
chocolate chips

Last reason these cookies are guilt free...they are super duper easy to make that you don't have to spend the entire afternoon slaving away in the kitchen aka more time with the family!

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a large bowl mix white cake mix & spice cake mix together.

3. Add in can of pumpkin. Mix it up

4. Once it is all mixed together and is creamy and delicious, add in your desired amount of chocolate chips

5. Using a spoon, start plopping your cookies onto a baking sheet. These cookies DO NOT spread out during cook time. What ever they look like on the pan before cooking, is what they will look like after they are cooked.

6. Slide 'em into the oven and set your timer for 8-12 minutes (remember all ovens are different!!)

7. When the tops of the cookies are just beginning to become firm, take them out! They will be a tad gooey but, they will set up and continue to cook on the cooling rack.

These cookies will stay moist and delicious for days! Just keep them stored in an ziplock bag, plastic wrap over a plate or in Tupperware.

Angel of Music

I had so much fun with this project! The idea came to me when I was brainstorming gift ideas for my sister-in-law. I knew she liked angels, music & writing (she just won the fantasy category for National Novel Writing Month-congrats!) So I decided to mix her favorite things into one awesome gift!

First order of business was to find an angel figurine. I finally found the perfect one at Family Dollar. 

Don't worry if the angel isn't super cute because you're going to cover it!

Next, find some old sheet music and tear it into different sized strips.

Now make your "guck": Flour, water and a little bit of liquid glue. It should be a smooth consistency.

Dip strips into the guck and place on angel. 

Cover angel completely. I used the end of a pen to get the music strips to stick in the small crevices. Let your angel dry over night. 

Once your angel is completely dry, pull out my best friend-MOD PODGE and slather that angel!

Put the mod podge on your angel will give it a nice polished look. If you want the rough antique-y look, don't use mod podge but, you'll have to be careful with applying the "guck" and how your music strips lay on the figurine.  

Let the podge dry then wrap it up and give it to a friend. 

Other fun ideas:

Cover an old frame, flower pot or Christmas ornaments

Happiness Makeover: Part 4

Thanksgiving is almost here! I've got the turkey defrosting in the fridge and all the ingredients for a "perfect" Thanksgiving in my kitchen. This is the first year my family has allowed me to cook our entire Thanksgiving meal. The pressure is on! Here are today's tips to deal with all the holiday pressure:

Morning Do a little deep breathing


Midmorning Treat Exercise. Getting your heart pumping works wonders on your mood (not to mention prepare for those extra calories on Thanksgiving)




Midday Take your lunch break outside. I know it's a little chilly but, catching a few rays will increase levels of the "happy hormone" serotonin.




Afternoon treat Write down five things you're grateful for. Keeping a gratitude journal for a month will boost your mood. 

Evening Stretch. Ease some of the tension you've stored in your neck, shoulders and back and regain some flexibility in your mind and body.

De-Stress Homework List three people who make you smile. Then pick up the phone and call them. 

$2 Christmas Decoration

The Holiday season can get pretty pricey so finding ways to save money and "cut corners" is essential for survival. Luckily there are so many great ideas to decorate on a budget. You might have rolled your eyes when you read the title of this post, "$2 Christmas Decoration" and thought to yourself, "yeah right..." But seriously! I only spent TWO DOLLARS!!!

What you'll need:
branches
pine cones
yarn
red berries
hot glue gun
ribbon

1. Take a walk. Pick up any dead branches or even break off branches from the tree in the backyard. Also, keep an eye out for pine cones. You'll need 6-8 to put on your decoration.


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2. Once you've got a nice bundle of branches, bunch them together to look like antlers. Tie the branches together with yarn to keep them from falling all over the place

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3. Next, use red berries from your local dollar store OR if while on your walk you find a bush with red berries, pick a few of those branches! Place the berries and pine cones randomly on the branches.

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 5. Use your hot glue gun to keep the berries and pine cones in their place.

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6. Tie a ribbon around the middle of your decoration. I found my ribbon at Dollar Tree. It had over 9 feet of ribbon so I can use it on other decorations or gift wrapping. 

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Total amount spent was only $2!!! I love this decoration because I know it is one of a kind. Even if someone else made one, it won't look exactly like mine. Having to only spend $2 was also a nice perk. This decoration also gives off a nice woodsy smell--perfect for the holiday season. Happy decorating!!

Happiness Makeover: Part 3

According to the American Institute of Stress, more than 110 million Americans take medication for stress related causes. The holidays only increase stress levels and bring on the blue Christmases. So what's my advice? Plan for stress. If you know it's coming you can create an emergency escape route! Here are today's escapes:

Morning Do a crossword puzzle. Find it in your favorite newspaper, magazine or print one off your computer. having something fun to do will help take your mind off stress triggers.



Midmorning treat Hug someone. It is a natural stress and pain reliever. A simple embrace can also trigger a flood of endorphins!



Midday Try a yoga class. Practicing downward dog can lower your heart rate.

Afternoon treat Pet a dog--it may bring down your blood pressure. Just make sure it's not a stray with some form of rabies!





Evening Get some shut-eye. Missing out on a good night's rest (8 hours) makes you feel uptight and may lead to binge eating.





De-Stress Homework Write about something that is bugging you. Don't mince words Use extra paper if you need to. Then tear it up.

Happiness Makeover: Part 2

After subscribing to multiple Black Friday email lists, I am officially on the prowl for the best deals. Finding that perfect holiday gift for the perfect price can be super stressful and to top it off the radio is already playing Christmas music-yikes! Here are today's tips for making sure you stay sane and stress free this holiday season. 

Morning Walk in the park. Do you have nature-deficit disorder? How about the kids? Take a nice walk in the beautiful outdoors. Autumn is here so make sure to throw on your jacket and a scarf. 

Midmoring treat

E-mail an old friend. Research shows that reaching out to a friend may decrease anxiety and boost self-esteem!

Midday Book a vacation, or just Google beautiful places you'd like to travel to. By simply imagining a calming scene can lower your levels of stress hormones!

Afternoon treat Let a call go to voice mail. Finding ways to pause helps keep you centered.

Evening Escape into a good book. It doesn't have to be a classic. If you haven't started reading The Hunger Games series, you MUST!

De-Stress Homework Write down three things that make you feel calm