How to Throw a Treat Bar Party

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

Christmas is such a happy time of year and it's the best time to get all my favorite people together under one roof. Give me a holiday, and I'll show you a party ;) My parties are always a hit, and people tend to stay 'till the wee hours of the morning having a blast! I always make sure we've got some food around and to create a comfortable environment for mingling.

We just moved into a new home just last week (such a quick decision and move), and I want to throw a housewarming Treat Bar Party featuring some of my favorite treats! Such as OREO, Double Stuf OREO, Nutter Butter, and Chips Ahoy!

I am a woman who needs a checklist. In my old 24 years (haha) I've become forgetful, so I need a list to keep me on track! Above is a checklist you can print out yourself for planning the perfect Treat Bar Christmas soiree! 

It's all about getting the right products and informing your guests with ample time to schedule the party into their crazy busy lives.  One of the best party tips I can offer is do as much as you can ahead of time, including the making of treats and favor bags!

One of my favorite holiday treats are chocolate dipped Double Stuf OREO cookies with festive sprinkles and crushed candy canes on top! Here are the quick instructions on how to amp up your party with these adorable treats.

1// Heat up a fondue pot (or pot on the stove), and put in a splash of vegetable oil. Lay out a sheet or parchment paper on your countertop to prepare for the Double Stuf OREO cookies. 

2// Put on low heat and pour in 2 pounds of white chocolate meltable chips. 

3// Stir until all the chips have melted and turn to lower heat to avoid burning. 

4// Dip half of your Double Stuf OREO cookie in the white melted chocolate and make sure it completely covers one half of the cookie. 

5// Place cookie on parchment paper then pour sprinkles, crushed candy cane, or anything festive and delicious on top of the melted chocolate.  

6// Let the cookies cool on the parchment paper, wait until hardened then move to your party table or place in a clear treat bag to show off all your work! These are perfect for friends, family, and colleague gifts. An affordable gift to show everyone in your life that you're thinking of them this holiday season!

I grabbed some Christmas decor from around my home to complement the candles, poinsettia plant, plates, and napkins I purchased from my local Walmart. It's all about presentation! As I was walking out of Walmart I found these easy-to-grab boxes of treats by the cash register. I snagged OREO, Double Stuf OREO, Nutter Butter, and Chips Ahoy! boxes to create my Treat Bar. 

To avoid stressors on the day of a party, if you can do cleaning and party prep the couple days before it helps you to enjoy the party itself instead of racing around like a madwoman. I did this party prep the night before and it saved me from a ton of stress the day of! 

What are some of your best party tips? How would you gift or showcase these fun and affordable treat boxes?

60th Diamond Anniversary Celebration

What's a Disneyland trip without a truckload of selfies? This past weekend Ryan, Evan, Amanda (cousin), and I drove down to California for a short weekend getaway. I read an article that some attractions would be shut down starting in 2016 to make room for Star Wars Land, anddddd it's the 60th Diamond Celebration anniversary. Which was the perfect excuse to make a Disneyland trip before the end of the year :D Also, my Grandma was at the opening day of Disneyland when she was 10 years old, that is so crazy!! I'm totes jealous of her haha

I made sure we hit Tom Sawyer Island because it's one of the attractions that will be closed starting next year, and Ryan's never been on it. Also, when the heck did it become "Pirate Island"?! That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Does no one read Tom Sawyer anymore? Or is there too much racism in the book that Disneyland decided to be politically correct and change the name of the island? Too ridiculous. I will always refer to it as Tom Sawyer Island. Can't change my mind! 

It was possibly the perfect day to hit Disneyland. The longest wait time was 40 minutes for Haunted Mansion (which is super weird imo). We did Indiana Jones in 25 minutes, Space Mountain in 20 minutes, Storybook Ride (Ryan's favorite, it's the one by Tea Cups with the open whale mouth), Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, I had my obligatory churro, and we ate at the French Market restaurant where Tiana from Princess and the Frog sang with a band. It was SO MUCH FUN. 

Disneyland will always have a special place in my heart. I'm so excited to bring my future babies here so they can experience the magic of Disney as well! All in all, it was a great weekend :)

Get a Good Nights Sleep!

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

For as long as I can remember I have always played basketball, it's practically in my blood. I play for fun now because I'm too short to actually do anything with it haha! Although, now that Ryan and I are getting older we are spending more time behind a desk at school or work, so when we do get the time to play we feel those hardcore aches and pains afterwards. Ouch!

With our responsibilities we don't have the luxury of not getting a well-rested nights sleep. Which is where Advil PM comes in, it takes care of the pain and helps with a great nights sleep! 

Advil PM knocks out 2 birds with one stone. Instead of taking Advil for my aches and a sleeping aid to help with a good nights sleep, I can take one pill and save time and money! I snagged mine at Walgreens while I was in there picking up some cough drops for the cold weather coming up. You can save on your Advil pain reliever/sleep aid products when you use these offers!