Throwing a Last Minute Game-Watching Party: #SnackMadness

My family certainly doesn't need an excuse to throw a last-minute get together, but we can always find one! With the College Basketball Tournament going on, there's bound to be a fun time had by all. Time for some #SnackMadness.

{My BFFs that helped me plan this last-minute get-together: 

Walgreens, Hershey’s, Reese’s, Coca-Cola, Coke Zero}

Parties don't have to be elaborate or stressful. Some of the best times and greatest memories can be at last minute gatherings...nothing fancy-schmancy. Just food, fun, family & friends.

I just ran to Walgreens before our big game to pick up a few last minute essentials.

Keep up with all the best Walgreens deals on their facebook page here. 

A few minutes later...looks like a basketful of fun! 

Spotted these on the way out. I see a cute basketball printable on these! 

Easy and still quite tasty for a quick shindig.

Throw a couple of pizza pies in the oven and it's almost game time! 

I also threw together a super simple sweet snack...with our favorite: Reese's!

For the recipe for Easy Snack Grahams {adapted from a Hershey's Kitchens recipe}, click here.

For more easy and DELICIOUS snacks from Reese's, click here. 

It didn't take long...but now it's a party!

All of our faves are here: lots of Reese's, Coke Zero, chips and munchies!

We held this shin-dig at my parents' house...

they have the best tv for game-viewing 

{a must-have for this time of year}!  

Easy snacks make for fuss-free entertaining. 

Oh, lawsy...every family has a couple of these characters. Gotta love 'em.

The game is the center of the fun! 

{But we all come for the food & fellowship, too!}

Who can resist college hoops? 

Even the littlest fans have a great time.

If you'd like to download my basketball straw printables for your own basketball party, click here. 

{Can be used for anything...even stickers!}

Getting into the action. 

Hoop It Up!

I knew these lollipops would come in handy!

Woot, woot! His team is winning.

For more information on college basketball fun, visit enjoymoremadness.com.

To see my entire shopping and planning trip for this event, check out my Google+ Album with all of the details.

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Walgreens #cbias #SocialFabric. All opinions expressed are my own.

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and at Coastal Charm and Savvy Southern Style

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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A DIY #NinjaParty {or #NinjagoParty}

My youngest son is in love with the Lego series, Ninjago. When he asked for his sixth birthday party to be a Ninja themed birthday party, I was all over it. Here's some easy tips and tricks to do a budget-friendly, DIY Ninja birthday party that won't disappoint your little Spinjitsu master.

I love a good, home-based DIY birthday party. I did this one on a budget and without pulling my hair out over the details. I seriously did not sweat the small stuff {for, like, the first time ever}. I think the trick was keeping it super small and only inviting the besties.

Most of the ideas I implemented for this party were found on Pinterest from other bloggers. For the complete source list, see the bottom of this post.

PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST 

WITH FUN PARTY PICS! >>>

Aloha Cheeseball {Awesome #PartyFood}

Looking for an easy party food recipe that your guests will love? This cheese ball has something for everyone: salty and sweet with lots of texture and yumminess. Cheese ball recipes are always a hit around here...and this one is no exception.

I first tasted an Aloha Cheeseball at one of my friend's houses back in high school. Her mom had made it for us to snack on...we finished the entire thing in the duration of one movie. It was sooo good. Over 20+ years later and it's still one of my favorite combination of flavors.

I recently saw a super similar recipe from Nikki at Chef in Training. She also included powdered sugar in hers...so I decided to give it a whirl. It did not disappoint! It's now a staple in mine. 

You'll Need:

• half of a package of diced ham {sometimes I make two cheeseballs to use it all up}
• 1 small can crushed pineapple
• 2 {8-ounce} packages of cream cheese {softened}
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans {I've also used chopped macadamia nuts in this, too, to add even more "aloha" to it. Our store was out of them last week, though.} 

Drain your pineapple really well. Any excess liquid will make your cheeseball not want to form an actual ball.

Mix all ingredients except nuts. Fold everything together until incorporated.

Form a ball. Gently wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours. Remove from plastic wrap and roll into the chopped pecans. Wrap again and chill until ready to serve. {If you're making this for a party the next day, go easy on the green onions. They seem to get more intense the longer the flavors are able to marry. And their flavor tends to take over the entire cheeseball after more than a day}.

I actually like to serve these with the scoop-style Fritos or tortilla chips...the saltiness of the chips is so yummy with the pineapple in this. My friend's mom always served hers with Triscuits. 

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and at Coastal Charm and Savvy Southern Style

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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Fun & Fancy Fortune Cookies

If you've never had a chocolate and sprinkle covered fortune cookie...you are missing out, friend. These were fabulous and so easy to put together. I made these for my son's Ninja birthday party and we all loved them. I was inspired by the ones I saw over at Vixen Made.

TUTORIAL AFTER THE JUMP>>>

100+ Fabulous Birthday Ideas #birthday

{Please note: this is not a linky-party...it is the collection which resulted from a linky party}

Last week's Mop It Up Monday was an exciting one for me...it was my birthday bash! My readers were so amazing and joined me in a special linky section especially devoted to birthday ideas! From cakes to parties to amazing traditions, this is the mother-load of birthday ideas! ISBMTF readers know how to rock a birthday! Thanks for making my day super special. 

Now check out these AWESOME ideas:

{kindly pin from the original source. please and thank you.}

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1. Faux-Made Banana Cream Cake	2. Lego Cake	3. Toy Story Bday Party	4. Sleepover Cake
5. Punch Box Tutorial	6. BBQ Birthday Bash	7. Truth Or Dare Ball Party Game	8. Lemon Cake
9. Margarita Cupcakes	10. Simple Nutella Cupcakes	11. Birthday Ice Cream Sandwiches	12. Personal Baked Alaska
13. Chocolate Cake with Heart-filled Strawberry Mousse	14. Birthday Pie (AKA Chocolate Peanut Butter)	15. Death By Chocolate Cupcakes	16. 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
17. Alice in Wonderland Party	18. Artsy Fartsy Birthday Party	19. Very Hungry Caterpillar Party	20. Shabby Chic Birthday
21. Mini Oreo Cheesecakes	22. Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake	23. Soccer Ball Cupcakes	24. EZ Open Gift Box
25. Nerf War Birthday Party	26. Lemon Balm Cake n Glaze	27. Quick Gift Card	28. Roller skate party cupcakes
29. Yummy Rootbeer Cupcakes	30. Cherry-Pineapple Dump Cake	31. Biscoff Sock-It-To-Me Pound Cake	32. Favorite Birthday meal
33. Polar Bear Cupcakes	34. Polar Bear Cupcakes	35. Zucchini Carrot Cupcakes	36. 90 Minute Sweet Party Platter
37. The Best Tie Dye Cake EVER! Super Easy to Make.	38. Spiced Cranberry Chocolate Cake	39. Paper Beaded Curtain! Tween Party Ideas	40. Super Cute CARS Birthday Party Ideas.
41. Coconut & Cardamom Cupcakes	42. Wii Birthday Party Ideas!	43. Pink Lemonade Cake	44. Movie Party Ideas. Popcorn Cake.
45. The Rose Cake	46. Blackberry Daiquiri Cake	47. Country Music Birthday Party	48. Chocolate Buttercream Filled Cupcakes
49. Golf Birthday Cake	50. Boston Cream Cupcakes	51. Dr. Seuss Ice Cream Party	52. Tropical Birthday Bash
53. Moms Birthday Cake	54. Rainbow Birthday Cake	55. Recycled Gift Bags	56. 5 Tips to Save on a Birthday Cake!
57. Happy Birthday!	58. 5 Layer Rainbow Cake	59. Party Hat Tutorial	60. Gorgeous Gift Packaging
61. 18 years young	62. Favorite Fudgy Frosting	63. Puppys 1st Birthday	64. Luau Birthday
65. Tangled Birthday Party	66. Free Party Invite	67. Birthday Funfetti Pancakes	68. Fun Frosting Decoration
69. Blood Oraneg Mini Cakes	70. Mountain Bars	71. edible tea cups	72. Baking Party Theme
73. Pool Party 1st Birthday	74. Toddler Birthday Activities	75. Cake Smash Photo Shoot	76. Pizza Party & a Boboli-Style Crust Recipe
77. Midnight Sin Chocolate (Birthday!) Cake	78. Bee-Day Party	79. Happy Birthday Bundt!	80. How To Make a Doll Dress Cake
81. LEGO Birthday Party!	82. Charming Batman Party	83. Cowgirl and Pony Party	84. A No Bake Birthday Cake!
85. The very hungry caterpillar tea party	86. Lego Party	87. Birthday cake Milk Shakes	88. Individual Angel Food Cakes with lemon Curd
89. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes	90. Star Wars Party 2012. . . lots of fun food!	91. Hello Kitty Birthday	92. Its My 40th Birthday and Ill Cry If I Want To
93. Rainbow Party Decor	94. Rainbow Party Photo Pennants	95. Skinny Spaghetti and Meatballs	96. Mickey Mouse Party with Printables
97. Caillou Party	98. Wall-E Party	99. Thomas the Tank Birthday Cakes	100. Egg Free Chocolate Cake
101. Angry Birds Birthday Party	102. Decadent Dark Chocolate Cupcakes	103. Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cake	104. Zelda Birthday Party
105. Easy Rainbow Cupcakes	106. Skyrim Birthday Cake	107. Rainbow Cake	108. 1st Birthday Smash Cake Recipe
109. Cute & Easy Cupcake Toppers	110. A Very Elmo Birthday!	111. Peppermint Fudge	112. Birthday Printable
113. Birthday Party in a Box	114. Better the next day chocolate cake	115. Puppy Party	116. Chocolate Stout Birthday Cake
117. A Princess Party ~ And Cake!

This linky list is now closed.

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