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2014 in Review


2014 was a crazy but wonderful year.

It was a year of change for our family as our oldest graduated high school and moved off to college.  It's been a year of making memories as we had several family get togethers with family from afar.  And it was a year of figuring things out a little bit more for me and my blog.

I still haven't gotten to where I had hoped to be by this time, but I do think I'm progressing in the right direction along many fronts.  As long as I'm moving in the right direction, I'm okay with it.

Looking back over the year, I'm thrilled to see that my friends have joined me for a fun journey of parties, learning, and spending time together.  Here are the top 10 posts for 2014 on Kandy Kreations blog.

If you didn't see them the first time, I hope you'll check them out now because there's some good stuff here if you ask me!


Play the Mormon family feud with your church ward or youth with this game night activity.  We surveyed 100 (or thousands of) people and have the top answers, and everything else you need, for you to have a fun game night with your LDS friends.

Divergent's Erudite Faction is all about learning and knowledge.  Therefore, I imagine even in play, they are always gaining more or showing off their smarts.  When I think about what kind of game the Erudite's would play at a Divergent party, I think it would be a Brain Teaser game.

Help your kids to choose the right this Christmas with a fun gift from their Elf on the Shelf.  These elf hugs candy topper printables are perfect to remind them that they need to be nice for Christmas in a sweet way.



Apple Crisp is the perfect fall dessert.  Yummy, crisp apples baked with a sweet topping just screams fall treats.  This Apple Crisp recipe is all the more fun when you have the dessert in a jar for single serve treats and fall gifts.

Make your own Printable Despicable Me Minions.  This easy and fun toilet paper craft is a fun addition to a Despicable Me party or gift for anyone needing a "little help" around the house.



Are you looking for a way to teach the young women in your church group about feasting on the scriptures?  Here's an easy and fun lesson for your weeknight church young women activity to help the girls learn the importance of regular, in depth scripture study.

Mormon Family Feud Game Party Food Ideas

Make your next game party or family game night extra special with these fun party food ideas.  Turn regular desserts and treats into spectacular additions to your game night with the addition of yummy recipes, fun party food names, and free themed Family Feud game printables.
Make your next game party or family game night extra special with these fun party food ideas.  Turn regular desserts and treats into spectacular additions to your game night with the addition of yummy recipes, fun party food names, and free themed Family Feud game printables.

A Little Late but Still Daring to Share

Whew.

Did you survive Christmas?  I love the holiday but I am always kind of surprised when it's over that I made it through.  Then I crash.

It seems like the week after Christmas, is the only time all year long when I can catch up on all the lost sleep through the whole year. I am so tired all week long.  I go to bed early and sleep late.  (Admittedly, any time after 5 in the morning is sleeping in...)


So I'm running a little late this week in our Dare to Share Saturday.

I hope you have some awesome projects to show, because I'm going through withdrawals after all the fun of the Christmas season.  I can't wait to see!


Homemade Christmas Fudge Neighbor Gift Free Printable

Don't have time to make those awesome neighbor gifts you had planned? Make a great last minute neighbor gift for Christmas with this Homemade Christmas Fudge candy bar free printable.  Simple print out the candy bar wrapper and add to a large Hershey bar for a great gift your friends and neighbors will love.
Don't have time to make those awesome neighbor gifts you had planned? Make a great last minute neighbor gift for Christmas with this Christmas Fudge candy bar free printable.  Simple print out the candy bar wrapper and add to a large Hershey bar for a great gift your friends and neighbors will love.

Christmas Toilet Paper Gag Gift


Going to a White Elephant Gift Exchange this Christmas and don't know what to bring?  This Christmas toilet paper is the perfect gag gift to make all your friends laugh out loud.  Just a few simple steps and this free printable and you are on your way to a fun Christmas party with the perfect gift idea.
Going to a White Elephant Gift Exchange this Christmas and don't know what to bring?  This Christmas toilet paper is the perfect gag gift to make all your friends laugh out loud.  Just a few simple steps and this free printable and you are on your way to a fun Christmas party with the perfect gift idea.

Crafting Christmas and Dare to Share Saturday


It's almost Christmas!  Can you believe it?

Today was the kids' last day of school before the break, and I admit, I am so glad!  This whole week has been one of last minute crafting sessions, baking at the crack of dawn, and running to school with forgotten items.

Jelly Belly Snowman Christmas Candy Gift Idea


Give your friends a sweet Christmas gift with this Jelly Belly Snowman.  He is a great candy gift idea for everyone who loves Christmas candy or Jelly Belly candies.  You can craft him in a few moments and have a great gift idea for everyone on your list.
Give your friends a sweet Christmas gift with this Jelly Belly Snowman.  He is a great candy gift idea for everyone who loves Christmas candy or Jelly Belly candies.  You can craft him in a few moments and have a great gift idea for everyone on your list.

Elf on the Shelf Personalized Letter Printable


Give your child a personalized letter from their Elf on the Shelf with this free printable.  You can customize this candy bar wrapper with your child's information and give as a sweet gift this Christmas.  You and you're elf with be the hit of the day!
Give your child a personalized letter from their Elf on the Shelf with this free printable.  You can customize this candy bar wrapper with your child's information and give as a sweet gift this Christmas.  You and you're elf with be the hit of the day!

It's Christmas and Dare to Share Time!

Hi friends!

It's another Friday night and time to Dare to share with our weekly linky party.  I hope you've check out both Pam and I, on all the projects that we've shared over social media and on our blogs this week.

I can't wait to see all the great crafts, recipes, projects, and stories you have for us this week.



How to Get Rid of Christmas Stress: Day 11 of the Blogger Online Advent

Feeling stressed this Christmas with too much to do? Here are nine ways to get rid of the Christmas stress and have a wonderful, Merry Christmas this year.

Feeling stressed this Christmas with too much to do? Here are nine ways to get rid of the Christmas stress and have a wonderful, Merry Christmas this year.
Balm to My Soul
Christmas is a wonderful time to enjoy time with family, make your kids happy, and remember our blessings.  But they are also a time when there is a lot of stress and work.  Don't let the stress ruin the "most wonderful time of the year".  Find out how to get rid of Christmas stress in Day 11 of our Blogger Online advent.

Elizabeth from Balm to My Soul has nine ways to banish holiday stress forever!  (Sounds appealing to me!)

Read what she says:

 The holidays are known to take a toll on each of us. There is so much to do. Shopping. Baking. Giving. Parties. Wrapping. More shopping. Decorating. Cleaning. Expectations. Exhaustion.
Really, the holidays are intended to be a positive experience, but all too often they don’t live up to the hype and end up leaving us feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, overspent, and disappointed.
In an effort to battle holiday stress (without actually cancelling Christmas), here are:

9 Ways to Banish Holiday Stress Forever


Symbols of Christmas Matching Game: Blogger Online Advent Day 10

Teach your children the meaning of the symbols of Christmas with this fun printable matching game.  This game will give you fun teaching moments that bring Christ into Christmas.

The Mormon Home
Finding fun ways to bring Christ into Christmas is always a goal of mine.  But finding ways to teach them while they don't always realize that they are learning?  Extra bonus!

Day ten of our Blogger Online Advent is Rachel from The Mormon Home.  She shares a free printable game that will have your kids matching, learning, and thinking of Christ while having fun tonight.

Here's what she says:

By this time of the season your halls are decked and your stockings are hung! It’s the perfect time to gather your children and talk about the symbols of Christmas. I know you’ve heard of these before: many common Christmas objects and traditions have a deeper, often religious meaning associated with them. For example, the candy cane can remind us of Christ’s role as a shepherd. I bet you have most of these Christmas symbols decorating your house right now! Object lessons waiting to happen. Associating these items with a more spiritual meaning could help connect you and your family to the true meaning of Christmas.

READ the WHOLE article HERE


Neighbor Gift Ideas with Free Printable Tags on Blogger Advent Day 9

Don't have any cheap and amazing gift ideas for your neighbors and friends this year? Here are ten great neighbor gift ideas with free printable tags to jazz up cheap gifts and make them wonderful.  This is day 9 of our Blogger Online Advent project.

Don't have any cheap and amazing gift ideas for your neighbors and friends this year? Here are ten great neighbor gift ideas with free printable tags to jazz up cheap gifts and make them wonderful.  This is day 9 of our Blogger Online Advent project.
The Things I Love
Christmas can be a wonderful time to celebrate those that you love in your life.  It's a great time to sit back and see how blessed you are with all the people in your life who bless it and make it so much better.

Your friends.
Your neighbors.
Your kids' teachers.
The school staff.
The crossing guard.
The bus driver.
The mail man.
The trash man.
Your pastor.
Your boss.

And the list could go on and on.

It's wonderful to be so blessed.  But also a little expensive when you want to get them a little "something" for Christmas.
Neighbor Gift Ideas with Free Printable Tags on Blogger Online Advent Day 9

Day nine of our Online Blogger Advent introduces us to Kendra from The Things I Love.  She has you covered with free printable Neighbor Gift Ideas and tags that are perfect for everyone on your list.

Here's what she has to say:

Today I am talking about friend/neighbor gift ideas!  Coming up with gifts for your friends and neighbors is sometimes stressful! Last year I wrote THIS post with 35 simple neighbor gift ideas. This year I picked 10 of them and made free printable tags to go with them!  I hope you enjoy them!!

READ the WHOLE article HERE

Wine Cork Angel Christmas Ornament: Day 8 of the Blogger Online Advent

Make a beautiful wine cork angel Christmas ornament in our blogger online advent calendar.  This wine cork craft is simple and fun, so you can make enough Christmas ornaments for your own Christmas tree, as a teacher gift, a neighbor gift, or for all your friends.

Make a beautiful wine cork angel Christmas ornament in our blogger online advent calendar.  This wine cork craft is simple and fun, so you can make enough Christmas ornaments for your own Christmas tree, as a teacher gift, a neighbor gift, or for all your friends.

It's day 8 of our Blogger Online advent.  Have you seen all the amazing offerings that we've had for you yet?  If not, be sure to go check them out.  I love all the traditions, ideas, crafts, and stories that have been shared so far.

This wine cork angel Christmas ornament by Wendy from Wendy's Hat is a quick and easy craft that you can use with old wine corks you may have saved.  Wendy recently went to Italy and was able to bring some back so this craft is a great memory keepsake as well as a beutiful ornament.

Check out what she has to say:

Remember my recent trip to Italy?  I also told you that, although I don’t drink wine, I did bring back some wine corks from my trip to make fun projects with.  Do you have a handful of wine corks sitting around? If not then don’t worry because you can easily find them online to purchase in bulk too.  If so, take a peek below at a sweet wine cork angel ornament you can craft. Using just a wine cork and a few common crafting supplies, you can make this Angel Ornament which is perfect for gift giving or your holiday tree. 

READ the WHOLE article HERE

Christmas Craft Ideas and Dare to Share

Enjoy some fun Christmas craft ideas from last week's Dare to Share linky party.  Craft a DIY advent calendar, a milk carton gingerbread house, and your own Elf on the shelf doll.  Plus, find lots of other great ideas in this week's party.


I've been pretty busy this week sharing some great holiday advent ideas.  I joined up with some other bloggers for 24 days of Christmas crafts, printables, and posts this month.  You can find all types of great ideas to help make your Christmas extra awesome this year from some new bloggers and friends.


As part of this blogger Advent calendar, I shared a new candy topper printable perfect for your Elf on the Shelf and Christmas craft projects.  With the popularity of the Elf Kisses, I created a new poem with Elf Hugs to help your kids to Choose the Right this Christmas season.  Go check that post out here.


I also have been sharing a great Nativity advent calendar gift idea for your kids, neighbors, class, or friends.  There will be 12 days of poems and treats to bring the true reason for the Christmas season, Jesus Christ, back into your holiday.  You can find day one here as well as a new link each day this week and next for the complete Nativity advent.

If you're still in the Christmas craft mood, be sure to check out these awesome craft ideas from last week's Dare to Share linky!

DIY Boxes Advent Calendar Free Printable by Powerful Mothering

Milk Carton Gingerbread House by Pre-K Pages

Elf on the Shelf Doll Pattern by Patchwork Posse

I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week.


Stocking Stuffer Solutions: Day 5 of the Blogger Online Advent

Solve your stocking stuffer problems with these solutions from day five of our blogger online advent. You can get all your stocking stuffer shopping done in one place with some free money to boot!

Solve your stocking stuffer problems with these solutions from day five of our blogger online advent. You can get all your stocking stuffer shopping done in one place with some free money to boot!

I think one of the hardest parts of Christmas is coming up with solutions to the Stocking Stuffer delimia.  I mean seriously, who decided to make my kids stockings so darn big?

Coming up with meaningful gift ideas is hard enough, but then to stuff the stockings with ideas that are fun, meaningful, inexpensive, and exciting, just takes the cake.


But day five of our Blogger Online Advent solves this problem for you in a fun way.  Check out Camille over at Chicken Scratch and Sniff.  She has some great ideas and a giveaway so you can solve that problem with some freebies!

Check out what Camille says here:

What is your favorite thing to open Christmas morning? The stocking always seems to be magically full of never ending amazing gifts. Taking on the job of Santa now though is a little bit overwhelming! How can you fill the stocking up so it is just as magical and meaningful to your kids? Here is a few ideas to get your started on becoming Santa: 

Keep Those Sneaky Kids Out: Day 4 Blogger Advent

Have sneaky kids who are always trying to get into their presents and peek at Christmas? Try this wrapping trick to keep them from spoiling all the Christmas magic.

Have sneaky kids who are always trying to get into their presents and peek at Christmas? Try this wrapping trick to keep them from spoiling all the Christmas magic.

I  have sneaky kids.

They are terrible about checking out all the presents under the Christmas tree.  They shake them, they feel them, they guess what they are, so by the time Christmas day comes around, they've lost the suprise and the Christmas magic.

Years ago, I started waiting to put the presents out until Christmas Eve, to dissuade that problem.  It didn't work so well.  They still spent the evening shaking and guessing.  Finally, I stopped adding name tags to the gifts.  Instead I wrapped them each in a different type of paper, or I wrapped them with a certain color ribbon.


This helped, but I wish I had thought of this idea by Stephanie at The Circus.  It would have been so much easier.  Check out Day 4 of our Blogger Online Advent Calendar with this great Christmas tradition.

See what Stephanie says here:

Christmas has a way of testing one's resilience.

Especially in the eyes of my youngest daughter, Cali.

That girl is all spice.

And honestly, I get it. 

I do.

I remember, as a kid, snooping around in my parent's room for my presents.  Sometimes I'd find them, but usually not.  We lived next door to my grandparents, and I found out as an adult that all of our Christmas presents were hidden in my grandparent's basement.

Obviously a wise choice on my parent's part.

But there's only so much a parent can do, and only so much anticipation I could handle.

As the presents began to show up under the tree, wrapped in pretty wrapping paper, and labeled with our names, I would sneak out to the tree in the middle of the night to look at them in all their Christmastime glory.

READ the WHOLE article HERE



A Stocking For Jesus Day 2 Blogger Advent

Celebrate Christmas with a Stocking for Jesus this year.  This is a great Christmas tradition to help you family remember the true meaning of the season and enjoy a Christ centered Christmas.

Celebrate Christmas with a Stocking for Jesus this year.  This is a great Christmas tradition to help you family remember the true meaning of the season and enjoy a Christ centered Christmas.


Day two of our Blogger Online Christmas Advent is by Rachel from Rachaels Book Nook.

This is a great idea on how to bring Christ back into Christmas by giving him his own stocking on your mantel.

We have this tradition at our house too.  Years ago, I had my mother-in-law create a beautiful stocking out of nativity fabric.  It is so different from our own stockings and stands out to remind the kids to fill it with acts of love and service throughout the year.

See what Rachael says about her own family tradition.

Every year I can’t wait to put up the Christmas decorations.  Our house is filled with lights, trees, snowflakes and candy canes.  I carefully place our Christmas stockings on the mantel and fill them with treasures for Christmas morning.  We try to do things each year to keep in mind the true reason for the season, but the vast amounts of secular and commercial things thrown our way can make it difficult.  One year in church a sister shared a yearly tradition her family kept that I just love and we’ve been doing it ourselves since then.

READ the WHOLE article HERE

25 days of our Blogger Online Christmas Advent
Find all 25 days of our Blogger Online Christmas Advent

Online Christmas Advent Day One

Celebrate Christmas with some great bloggers this year as we share all kinds of fun and excitement. Day one consists of some great ways to help you feel the Spirit this Christmas amidst all the chaos.

Celebrate Christmas with some great bloggers this year as we share all kinds of fun and excitement. Day one consists of some great ways to help you feel the Spirit this Christmas amidst all the chaos.

I'm doing something extra special and fun this year for Christmas.  I've teamed up with a bunch of other bloggers to bring you 24 days of printables, recipes, devotionals, and craft projects.

Each day a different blogger friend will share something amazing to help you have a Merry and Joyful Christmas.  So be sure to take a few moments in the midst of all the craziness and fun, to check out all the great projects we have to share.

Day One Christmas Blogger Advent Calendar: Great ways to help you feel the Spirit this Christmas season.

Day one is from my friend Camille from Chicken Scratch and Sniff.  She is sharing some great ways to help you feel the spirit a little more this Christmas season.
Okay, who does the whole Pajamas on Christmas Eve tradition? You know, where you get to open one gift on Christmas Eve and every year its always new pajamas. My family definitely had that one. Have you see on Pinterest the version where you don't just get pajamas but also a movie and some snacks? What a fun idea! Well, if you were with me last year and read my 12 Christmas Devotionals, you know that we have our own version too. 
We give out our Christmas pajamas on December 1st instead of Christmas Eve. I know- CRAZY! What in the world am I doing breaking with tradition like that?! Well, it is all in an effort to teach my children about feeling the Holy Ghost.