Kwik Stix Review/Giveaway | Christmas Gift Ideas

I received a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. 

We have been having a blast with our new Kwik Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc sent to us for a review. If you haven't seen these in action yet, you may just want to add them to your holiday wish list or gift giving list. They make crafting so much easier to complete because they are mess free. I love painting but hate waiting for it to dry especially when sending home papers when I taught Sunday School. With Kwik Stix, that is no longer a problem! They dry in 90 seconds!  No water, no paint brush, no smocks, no mess = hours of fun for mom too.

We now have the basics set, metalix set, and neon set so we have a beautiful variety to keep our crafting going.

                                         

Here are a few of the crafts we have been working on for the holidays.

For Halloween, I just printed out this coloring sheet and added Happy Halloween.  I love that the paint doesn't bleed through the paper yet the colors still remain vibrant.  This was painted using the Neon Kwik Stix.  You can compare and see how the marker did bleed through.  

Sarah made her own pumpkin using the paint and some old supplies we already had on hand.  

We picked up this Thanksgiving Thankful Tree at Target a while back.  It's made of wood so we added a little pop of color by painting the base and viola - we have a new table centerpiece!

We found this simple Christmas craft idea using toilet paper rolls and used the Kwik Stix Metalix paints to give our trees a special sparkle. Simply paint the rolls, cut them to size, and glue them together -so easy! I think this set of paints is our favorite! What girl doesn't love a little shimmer in her life?!

Since their is no bleed through, I have found these to be a great touch for my planner too! You could paint an entire box for a special occasion or simply color paydays like I did here. Any planner girls out there?

Kwik Stix are now available at Target too making it easier than ever to bring some crafting fun into your home. I love that they are so versatile so you can use them on regular paper, cardboard, wood, and many other surfaces. 

Enter below to earn your own set of Kwik Stix.  These would make great stocking stuffers too!  This giveaway will open at midnight November 2nd and end on November 9th at midnight.  

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For more inspiration and creative ideas visit The Pencil Grip, Inc. on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Shop Online For Gifts Using Groupon Goods | #Groupon #ad

This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. 

Christmas is now only 56 days away! This is the time when I like to begin my Christmas shopping preparation so that I am not so overwhelmed when the day arrives. With the internet at our fingertips, Christmas shopping no longer has to be a dreaded notion. 

I've just recently found out that Groupon not only offers great deals on services but they now offer products too! They have a massive selection of products to choose from so finding a gift for each of member of my family just became that much simpler. I also began to make my own Christmas wishlist to share with my family. They always want me to give them gift ideas so I've been perusing the site to add items to my wishlist. Then I'll hand it over to them so they can pick and choose what they would like to get me- so easy!

As I searched through the site, I found the first item that I wanted to add to my wishlist. For the past two years, I have become an avid Fitbit fan. I wear my Fitbit daily and love changing out the bands.

Here's me wearing my Fitbit while having a little conversation with my friend. HA!

I've been wanting a little classier band to wear to church on Sunday mornings. While searching, I found these beautiful replacement bands for my Fitbit Alta. You can easily begin to build your own wishlist by clicking on the "Add to wishlist" button once you find an item that you like.

Christmas shopping just got a whole lot easier around here! The site is so simple and easy to use and will help me save money too. Be sure to stop by Groupon Goods to ease your Christmas shopping too. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

What's on your Christmas wishlist this year? 

Share your favorite Groupon deal! I need more ideas.

Review of The Familyman's Christmas Treasury - Audio Collection | #familymanministries

There are only 68 sleeps until Christmas 2016! Can you believe that? It seems like we were just putting away last year's decorations around here. The key to a successful Christmas for me is always planning ahead of time so I am not overwhelmed as we have several traditions we like to do each year. I was thrilled when the opportunity to review the Digital Downloads from The Familyman's Christmas Treasury - Audio Collection came available. These audios are written by The Familyman, also known as homeschooling dad and author, Todd Wilson.

If you are familiar with any of Todd Wilson's works then you will know that his sense of humor shines through all he touches. Each story is read by master storyteller, Jim Hodges. His character voice reflections are hilarious and really help you feel like you are watching the story unfold instead of just listening to it. These audio books were the perfect companion to our basketball practice driving time. We received the Digital Downloads of each audio book. They are in MP3 format so I transferred them to my phone so that we could listen to them in our van. We also received a single CD of The Stranger. I thought I would prefer the CD format but transferring the files was no problem at all so both are great options.

Not only are each of these stories engaging and funny but each one contains its own teaching lesson. Specifically, each audio book always points you back to Jesus. I'm going to try to give you a little synopsis of each and hopefully not spoil any of the stories for you.

The titles included in this series collection are:

• Captain Chaos and The Manger Blaster - This story will be fun for those in your family who love superheroes. This superhero grows tired of hearing and doing the same old traditions every Christmas so he gets a glimpse of what life would be like without some of those traditions. This story lasts for 19 minutes and 21 seconds. 
• Cootie McKay's Nativity - When the town hall nativity ends up involved in a car wreck, no one can believe it when Cootie McKay, one of the town's oddest characters, saves the day. After all, he had created a turtle out of hubcaps for his front porch. What could possibly go wrong? This story lasts 30 minutes and 45 seconds. 
• The Stranger - This story details a homeless stranger in town who visits the members of the same congregation in the local town church. Unfortunately, instead of receiving the help he needs, he is sent away over and over again until he visits the home of the Pastor. The stranger is Jesus and the question to ponder is how you would respond if Jesus came to visit your home in the form of a homeless beggar. This story lasts 18 minutes and 9 seconds. 
• The Bishop's Dream - This story centers around Bishop Nicolas who goes around sharing the love of Jesus with the children of the poor. One night as he is reading his Bible, he falls into a deep sleep and begins to dream. In this dream, Bishop Nicolas discovers the commercialism that is the Christmas we know today. Bishop Nicolas is soon saddened to discover that this dream shows his very own story and that people were placing him above his Savior. This story lasts for 20 minutes and 16 seconds. 
• Harold Grubbs and the Christmas Vest - The day after Thanksgiving, Isaac's dad digs deep down in his closet in search of his Christmas vest. In this story, you will follow along as Isaac's dad recalls the first time he saw this vest and the meaning behind why he wears it every single year. This story lasts 12 minutes and 54 seconds. 
• Gladys Remembers Christmas - Gladys was not a fan of Christmas. In fact, she hated it. All that begins to change when her father sends her on a mission to bring him a box from their attic. This story lasts 22 minutes and 52 seconds.

We were also sent these two additional Christmas stories that are not included in the collection.

• The Secret of the Snow Village - This story takes you right inside one of those little ceramic Christmas village sets and teaches you what Christmas is really all about. With the scene details given, you can just imagine yourself going inside one of those little villages. Follow along with Katherine as she finds out that "Christmas isn't about lights, decorations, gifts, carols, or even snow. It's about Him." This story lasts for 20 minutes and 53 seconds. 
• It's Called Christmas - This story is a message from the future written directly to you! The problem in the future is Christmas has been totally removed. Follow along to find out why and how you can help to get it back. This story lasts 27 minutes and 34 seconds.

Children will learn about serving others, sharing Jesus with others, not judging others, and so much more. These are great conversation starters for families who want their children to know that Christmas is all about Jesus. Each story is less than 30 minutes so they can easily be woven into your schedule if you wanted to make them apart of your school day too. We will definitely be adding this collection to our family Christmas traditions!

Find out more by visiting The Familyman on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and their blog.

Christmas Favs- Rocky Road

Here is another favorite Christmas food tradition that we love at my house.  Again, it's very simple!

Ingredients

1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 bag of chocolate chips - semi-sweet or milk chocolate ( I like to mix with 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 TBS of butter

Directions

Add chocolate chips, milk, and butter to a bowl and microwave on high for about a minute and a half - be sure to stir about every 30 seconds.  Fold in marshmallows until completely combined and add to a 9x13 pan to chill in fridge for 2 hours.

Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Christmas Favorites - Oreo Balls

I'm hoping to show a few of our Christmas favorites with you and Oreo Balls are a part of our Christmas tradition.  Bonus:  they are extremely easy to make and under 3 ingredients!

What you need

1 Package of Oreos
1 Package of Almond Bark White Chocolate - I only used half and you can also just melt white chocolate chips
1 Package of Cream Cheese
Sprinkles or colored sugar - optional

Directions

Put your oreos in a food processer and pulse to you get a crumb mixture.  If you don't have a food processor, just put them in a ziploc bag and crush them.  Next mix in the cream cheese until you get a nice pliable ball.

Chill mixture for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Melt chocolate in microwave or 1 minute 30 seconds until melted stopping to stir every 15 seconds.  Roll mixture into small balls dip in chocolate.  If you'd like to add a little color, add sprinkle or colored sugar to the top as soon as you dip them. Chill again for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.

Enjoy!

Watch and see how quick and simple the process is.  If you can't see the video, click here.

Review of David Nicholson's Book - If He Had Not Come

The holiday season is here! If you are looking for a great Christmas book to add to your collection, then I have a priceless one to recommend!

David Nicholson has reintroduced A Classic Christmas Story by Nan F. Weeks called If He Had Not Come.

The book is a very quick read with only 40 pages and comes with a hardbound cover.  It can be purchased here for $18.95. This story is best for ages 6 and up.

David Nicholson is a retired teacher and heard this classic story while sitting in his Sunday School class.  In the preface he states that he remembered thinking to himself as he drove home that day, "I am going to read this story to my family this and every Christmas to come."   He has now made it his mission to share this beautiful story with everyone.  


If He Had Not Come tells the story of a young boy named, Bobby.  After listening to his father read John 15:22 on Christmas Eve, those five words "If I had not come" would not leave his mind.  The rest of the story unfolds in a dream as just some of the things that would have happened had Jesus not come.  Each reading page is coupled with a beautifully colored illustration page that brings the words completely to life.  This illustration in particular had me in tears as I read this beautiful story to my children.  

The story doesn't end there though, it brings you back to Bobby being awoken by church bells and being more thankful than ever that Jesus did come!
There is no better way to start the holiday season off than that!  Focusing on the true reason for the season!

The back of the book allows you even more opportunities to reflect on as a family or church group.  It includes several interactive questions.  There is a Going Deeper section that aids you in exploring what the Bible has to say about the birth of Jesus.  The Gospel Message is also presented along with Bible verses to help you find out just how simple the gift of salvation is to receive from Jesus.  

An idea is given for a simple art project.  It asks you to draw a Christmas tree and gives you discussion points of how a Christmas tree reminds us of eternal life in Jesus.  My daughter completed this activity.  She has also requested that this book be added to our books that we read every year!

Our family would highly recommend this book to all parents who are trying to teach their children that the best gift ever has already been given!  It would also be a great addition to any church library.  

Here is a personal note that was attached to the inside cover of my book when I received it.  I find it such a wonderful touch when an author takes the time to do this.  It's so simple, yet it makes a great impact on it's reader - me!

You can also find out more on Facebook.