Weekly Menu and Recipe Menu Blog Hop

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Welcome back to another Monday! Just a reminder that you can link up recipes in my linky. I don't require just menus like other link ups! So share your food!

Creamy Hot Cocoa
Do you cook differently depending on the season? I know that from Fall to the end of Winter I use my crock pot a lot to cook soup. I do not use it much in the Spring or Summer months. How about you? How do you cook differently?

Monday-We are trying out Kaylee from Couponing & Cooking's Fresh Takes Pasta Bake. 

Tuesday-Apple Stuffed French Toast, bacon and The Southern Mom Cooks Tropicana Orange Banana Yogurt Smoothie
Wednesday-Daughter requested Stir Fry before she gets on her bottom braces. She wanted a meal full of veggies and protein (such a smart girl) because she knows her mouth is going to be sore for several days. Beef and Snow Pea Stir Fry, "Veggie Fried Rice" (not fried but so tasty) and Crab Rangoons

Thursday-Ham & Bean Soup in the Crock Pot

Friday- Eat out. The kids are in a play and this weekend is the performance. Check out my Recipe Box for menu choices. 

Have a super weekend! Remember link up menus & recipes. I will pick to to try next week and feature you on my menu plan!

Check out menu plans & recipes from  3 Boys and A Dog, Crystal and Company and OrgJunkie.

HOTTEST Cookies on my blog in 2012 & Pinterest blog hop

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The hottest cookies on my blog this year were the tasty Soft Brown Sugar Cookies you see below! They are wonderful and I hope that all of you who clicked on them actually baked them! 
For the weekly Pinterest Party I am featured my most clicked post this year, yes the tasty Soft Brown Sugar cookies and most followed Pinterest board. That board is my Best Ever Cookbooks. It is a must follow board. You'll find yummy cookbooks and recipes made from those cookbook.

HOW TO JOIN THE LINKY Party (all optional)
1) Pin this Party Post to Pinterest- Please! 
2) Link up your most clicked on post, most followed Pinterest board, etc.
3) Add your Pinterest name to the linky.
4) In turn pin a few things on the linky.

Please follow my boards on Pinterest- SusieQTpies Scraps of Life and cohost  Crystal and Company and  3 Boys and a Dog. We do follow back.

Let's Fight Holiday Fat with Exercise, Recipe & Tips To Help Keep You On Track

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Tis the Season for crazy routines, jolly parties filled with tasty and oh so tempting drinks and treats as well as a house full of goodies to share with friends and family. How have you faired this holiday season?I personally went into this holiday season with high hopes of continuing my daily exercise, avoiding all sweets that popped into my vision field and kept up with my regular work and sleep routines. I found that these were not easy task to do on my own with the hustle and bustle this season. How about you? Did you keep your regular workout routines? Did you over indulge too many times? There is still time to get help.
On my own, as I said, I did have my struggles this holiday season. I did reach out for help and found the  Let's Fight Holiday Fat website. The site was personalized toward my size and gave me a set calorie goal as well as exercises to complete. The calorie goal allowed me to be aware of what I was eating and to eat smaller portions of the tempting favorites at holiday parties. The exercise routines were easy enough to work out at home since I didn't have time to hit the gym daily. 
I also made it a point to try and to feature skinny mini recipes on my blog this holiday season. For the most part, these recipes were mini forms of tasty recipes which allowed a little bit of indulgence instead of an all out fat smorgasbord disaster. One of my favorite skinny mini recipes was the Almond Apricot Snowballs. This was a sure hit with my blog readers and racked up a lot of visits this month. I also offered water and healthy veggie trays at my holiday open house along with some of the not so healthy items. I was thrilled to see people taking, eating and drinking the lighter, no fat options. I loved having the veggies handy so I could nibble guilt free right along with my guest. 
Almond-Apricot SnowballsIngredients:

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 560 mL
• 1 cup granulated sugar 250 mL
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch 45 mL
• ¼ tsp salt 1 mL
• ¾ cup canola oil 175 mL
• 2 Tbsp water 30 mL
• 1 tsp almond extract 5 mL
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 mL
• ½ cup sliced almonds, chopped 125 mL
• ½ cup finely chopped dried apricots 125 mL
• 1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, for rolling 425 mL

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt until completely combined. Add canola oil and beat until well combined Add water, almond and vanilla extract. Mix. Stir in almonds and dried apricots. 
3. Scoop batter with small ice cream scooper, melon baller or spoon, making all same size. Place them on ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. 
4. Bake cookies about 12 to 15 minutes or until just set. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to wire rack until just warm. 
5. Pour confectioners’ sugar into bowl. While cookies are still warm, but not hot, roll in confectioners’ sugar. It will adhere slightly to cookies, making them look like snowballs. Return cookies to wire rack and when totally cooled, roll in confectioners’ sugar again. Store in air-tight container for up to five days.Yield: 36 snowballs.

The Let's Fight Holiday Fat website was the most helpful to me with the exercise options. I loved being able to watch how to actually do some of the exercises. Not only did they tell me to do a burpee but they showed me how to do it. I know when I started I didn't do them as pretty as the girl demonstrating but I tried to stay at true form and got better the more that I did. 
Busy Mom and Let's Fight Holiday Fat spokesperson, Samantha Harris shared tips on 'Surviving the Season' which I totally loved. Here are the tips:
1-Make healthy low-fat food choices. Swap out the high fat ingredients in your favorite holiday recipe for healthier options.
2-Snack Often. Have healthy snacks at hand to help keep you from reaching for holiday goodies. Apples, low-fat string cheese and baby carrots are low-fat and easy to pack! Have a sweet tooth? Try a small peppermint candy (fat-free!) to satisfy your temptation. 
3-Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. Finding small ways to fit in physical activity can help maintain your weight and energy throughout the season. Going holiday shopping? Park the car in the farthest spot from the store entrance. Cooking? Work your legs with squats while waiting for the water to boil.
4-Plan Ahead. Going to a holiday party? Eat a low-fat snack at home to help you stay on track and avoid over-indulging in unhealthy choices. 
5-Keep Stress Levels Low. Eating healthy and being physically active can play a big part in keeping holiday stress at bay. Keeping stress levels low also may help prevent weight gain. Try to find a time in a busy day to take a few minutes for exercise, deep breathing, or eat a healthy, low-fat snack.
So for this season, I found it necessary to reach out and get help! The Let's Fight Holiday Fat website gave me a focus and guided me throughout this holiday season. The cool thing about finding this site is that I now have a go to place for the new year, too! Since I'm already registered, I'm all set to keep using this free website. If you check out my healthier lifestyle post you will learn that I've been on a healthier lifestyle journey since April and have lost over 60 pounds! I've used various resources to be where I am today. I am excited to keep using The Let's Fight Holiday Fat website to keep me on my journey to an even healthier 2013.  I also downloaded their app for my iPhone so that I could take the website with me no matter when I traveled this season!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for alli. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

Shopping ALDI for seasonal items

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When was the last time you shopped at an ALDI store? We have one about 20 minutes away that I go to a few times a month. The store always has unbelievable savings!  I do have to say that I love ALDI for their seasonal items. How about you?
This year I was able to get just about everything on my holiday grocery list at ALDI. I had a huge list of baking staples that I needed to pick up to make my holiday goodies. Here are some pictures of items that I placed in my cart as well as some of the ways I used them. Almond bark, gingerbread marshmallows and graham crackers to make my Graham Cracker Gingerbread Bark. Veggies for my veggie trays. ALDI always has great prices on fresh veggies. While I was there I picked up a 10 lb bag of potatoes for $.99! They were not on my holiday shopping list but I could not pass up on this deal!  Filling my cart with my list of items. ALDI isn't all generic items. I was able to get my Hershey M & Ms and Hershey Kisses for two of my recipes.
 Two of Eight bags of groceries I purchased! I stuck to my holiday list but because of the great prices, I did pick up a few items not on my list like mini bagels, potatoes, award winning wines and all the ingredients to make a pot of chili that night for dinner.
 I always stock up on baking staples at ALDI! Hot Cocoa station - I purchased the whipped topping, peppermint chocolate covered sticks, marshmallows as well as the items to make my hot cocoa mix (some of the ingredients are coffee creamer, powdered milk and powdered sugar.)
 I love the toys and household items for sale at ALDI. Seasonal goodies were all over the store. We loved the Savoritz Pita Bite Crackers to go along with my cheeseballs and their seasonal cheeses like Specially Selected Smoked Gouda, Havarti, Brie and Goat Cheese. They had a yummy Belmont Petite Cheesecake Sampler that I was going to go pick up for New Years dinner!


 Ground beef, cocktail wieners, BBQ sauce and grape jelly German Santa's to give to kids ALDI had all the ingredients for my pinwheels which included white flour tortilla shells, taco seasoning, cream cheese, shredded cheese, can green chilis and veggies.
 I bought the peanut brittle! Why make it when you can but it at ALDI!
 Ingredients for my egg less egg nog which included Milk, vanilla, vanilla instant pudding and spices. Ingredients for my Christmas Crack! Peanut butter, potato chips and chocolate chips.

I love shopping at ALDI because I can count on them to have what I need. I was able to pick up 98% of my holiday groceries at their store. This included the basic items like flour, sugar and oil along with speciality items like award winning wines, Hershey M & Ms and Kisses. They also had all the paper products that I needed in seasonal designs. ALDI saved me time and money this year which I am grateful for.

Here are a few holiday tips from ALDI:


Keep it Simple. When planning your holiday party or family dinner, don’t overthink it. Remember, “Less is More” when designing your menu and décor. If you try to do too much, you’ll end up unable to enjoy the event you’ve worked so hard to put together. Keep your shopping experience simple and stress free by shopping at ALDI. From award-winning wines and holiday baking essentials to gifts and all the trimmings for your holiday dinner, ALDI has everything you need at prices up to 50 percent* less than traditional grocers.
Somewhat Homemade. Combine traditional homemade recipes with pre-made items for a holiday spread that is sure to please. Dress up your Appleton Farms Spiral Sliced ½ Ham from ALDI with an apple cider and balsamic glaze. Or, place bite size portions of L’oven Fresh Dutch Apple and Pecan Pies and Belmont Cheesecake Samplers into mini martini glasses for a chic dessert table display.
The Perfect Table. Let the food be the star by using white or clear plates, bowls and serving dishes. Use napkins or table runners with seasonal colors and designs to add to the holiday mood. Seasonal flowers or plants such as poinsettias from ALDI can add a pop of color to your table as well. Consider renting linens rather than purchasing if you don’t think you’ll use them often. Rentals are typically inexpensive and there’s no cleaning or ironing involved! Pre-set your dining room table a few days in advance so you know you’ll have everything you need on the day of your event.

I do have to admit that one of the coolest things about ALDI is that you have to pay $.25 to use the shopping cart. Way back in the day when I had baby twin girls I went to the store and realized that I didn't have a quarter. Some older gentleman gave me his cart instead of returning it for his quarter. I have never forgotten that generosity and I always give my cart away to someone. Most of the time they try and hand me their quarter but I tell them to keep it and pass the cart on to someone else.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for ALDI. I received a gift certificate to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

Top Menu Plans of 2012 and Weekly Linky

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Good by 2012 and hello 2013! Happy New Year! The past year I created a weekly menu plan almost every week for my family and to share with you! It was a huge hit and here are the top 10 Menu plans of 2012.

#1 Back To School Menu & Lunch Box fun

FYI- for all you regular visitors. I've had problems all year, on and off with the linky tool that I was using for all of my blog hops and link ups such as this one. My frustration level was finally reached and I canceled my linky acct and am now trying out a new one. UNFORTUNATELY all the link ups I had all year went away with the plan I was on. I will miss looking at all of the goodies linked up on older post. So if you don't see a linky on post for 2012 you will know why. I'm now trying out inlinkz which got rave reviews from my other blogger friends. Check it out for your own blog hops. 
#2 4th of July Menu Plan & Recipes#3 Holiday Menu Plan & Recipes#4 July Menu Plan & Recipes#5 June Menu Plan & Recipes
#6 January Menu Plan & Recipes
#7 Menu Plan with Lunch box Recipes
#8 My 1st Menu Plan of 2012

#9 March Menu Plan & Recipes
#10 October Menu Plan & Recipes
I hope you click on the Top 10 list and check out all the recipes and menu plans! Some of the photos above belong to other blogs and were featured on my menu plans.

Link up your menu plans and any recipes you want to share in the below linky. Next week I will featured at least 1 recipe and menu plan shared in the linky!

I've linked up at OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday link up and always check out 3 Boys and a Dog menus. I will pin some of the below post on Pinterest as I have time! If you do pin my post, please leave a comment and I will be sure to get yours pinned. Thanks!

Cottonelle “Name It” Contest

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Have you checked out the Cottonelle  “Name It” Contest on Facebook? Last month I had a giveaway of the Cottonelle Care Routine. This routine is using Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care Toilet Paper and Fresh Care Flushable Wipes. The "Name It" Contest is based on this care routine in the bathroom. Cottonelle wants to know what you would call this routine. Some of the entries in my contest last month were:

• Adventurous Dance 
• Energize Awesome
• Charming Plus
• Sweet Relief
• Dream Regimen

What would you call your bathroom care routine? Cottonelle wants us to leave the bathroom feeling refreshed. I personally love the combo. My husband and I have been fans of the Fresh Care Flushable Wipes products for years. The wipes are wonderful at home and to take on the road.

Below is the "Name It" widget. Spin the wheel and see what name comes up. Do you think this is a good name for the Cottonelle Care Routione? Stop over to their Facebook page and share your Care Routine name at the ‘Name It’ Page. It is a contest and you can win prizes!
Visit Cottonelle.com for more on Cottonelle toilet paper,
flushable wipes, coupons, and more.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cottonelle. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

Give the Gift of a Great Future Boys and Girls Clubs of America

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Are you familiar with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)? This year marks their 2nd annual BGCA Give the Gift of a Great Future Holiday Campaign. 
Stop over and check out the BGCA website to learn more about their annual Give the Gift of a Great Future Holiday Campaign. I'm curious as to how many of you are familiar with BGCA and to what extent. Unfortunately we do not have a local club to support. I use my blog, though, to share information about the BGCA and support them via their online website. I hope that you find this information useful.

Right now you can log into BGCA and participate in their Give the Gift of a Great Future Holiday Campaign. You can play the free Giving Game to easily donate a gift to a club this season. I played and won! My win gave $1 to the Club Membership Fund. Let me know what you win!
Along with this game, you can vote in the Kids Give Back photo contest. The winning photo/club will get $2,500 for their club! Very cool!

As a parent, I know the importance of teaching kids the value of giving to others. BGCA created a list of tips to give new ideas on teaching this to our kids. I love the list because there are a lot of tips on there that can be done as a family. 

• Tip #1 is about talking to your kids about giving. Over the years, we have learned to involved our daughters in decision making choices such as this one. Including kids in this process will teach them to be givers today and in the future. 
• Tip #5 encourages you to teach your kids to do something fun- like cooking or an art project for those around them. Kids love to create projects. This is a great way to help them focus their creativity and talents to a specific project or need. 
• TIP #9 It's o.k. to offer incentives to your kids if you are asking them to do extra and help with a cause. I'm not sure I totally agree with this tip but in some cases like a long term project I can see it being beneficial to the older kids. What do you think?

Do you have any tips to share on teaching the value of giving to others? I'd love to hear your ideas, too! 
Follow any of the above links for this one at the BGCA website to get more info on their holiday campaign and to participate in their online giving.
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys and Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

Rudolph Reindeer Reinbeer

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What do you buy for the guy that has everything? Holiday crafting and holiday shopping for the hard to buy guy just got easy! Make some Reinbeer Reindeer.

Ruduloph Reindeer Reinbeer

Supplies-
brown pipe cleaners
wiggly eyes
red marker
glue
6 pack of beer or root beer

Directions-
1-Twist the pipe cleaners around the top of the bottle. Shape like antlers.
2-Add on the wiggly eyes
3-Draw on a red nose.

That easy! Cheers!

11 Festive Holiday Drinks {Hot & Cold}

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Holiday drinks are so fun to serve and drink. Do you prefer your holiday drinks hot or cold? Hot suites me best but I won't turn down a fun, cold festive drink! Cheers!
Here are some of my personal favorite drinks as well as drinks from some of my favorite blogs who linked up in my Holiday Hop of Goodies and added to my Christmas Crafts & Recipes Board on Pinterest.
1-Rudolph Reinbeer Reindeer2-Egg Free Egg Nog- the best!3-Snowman Soup Recipe & Craft4-Elf on the Shelf Hot Cocoa & a Christmas Movie 5-Merry Mint Spice6-Hot Vanilla Night Cap with bonus cookie recipe7-Instant Russian Tea8-A Christmas Favourite from Downunder: Mango Cocktails9-Cranberry Kiss Mocktail10-Homemade Mulled Apple Cider11-20+ Hot Cocoa Recipes
Bonus Egg Nog Martini and Creamy Hot Cocoa- the best!
I'd love for you to link up any fun drinks from your blog so that I can pop in and see them! Leave your links and join the Pinterest Party!  
Remember you don't have to link up just drinks! Link up anything below! IF YOU LINK Up anything Christmas or fun drinks, I will PIN it to my board!
HOW TO JOIN THE LINKY below- (do any of the following)
1) Pin this Party Post to Pinterest- Please! Why? To let others know about the party. It advertises the party so more people see it which in turn more people will see what you pin and give you traffic.
2) Add your Pinterest name to the linky. If you aren't on Pinterest and want an invite, leave a comment and email addy.
3) Link up anything you want to be pinned! No limit. We just ask that you make sure your post has a decent picture.
4) In turn pin a few things on the linky.
5) If you want to host the party on your blog, scroll down and take the code. Make your own Pinterest Saturday page. That way you will get more attention to your blog.
Please follow my boards on Pinterest- SusieQTpies Scraps of Life and cohost  Crystal and Company and  3 Boys and a Dog. We do follow back.

Norton Spot takes on Android Madware

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Norton Spot takes on Android Madware! Do you have an android phone? Are you protected?

In my household, 4 out of 5 cell phone users have an iPhone. The last hold out has an android phone. I'm not sure if she will ever do the switch over. So for now, I have one teen on her own in the android world. I never though much about this until I heard that madware was on the rise for android phone users. Do you know anything about madware? 
We learned that madware is aggressive mobile advertising which include apps that continuously update your phone with push notifications, create unauthorized desktop shortcuts and secretly collects your personal information. Creepy? Yes very and this made me really concerned for my teen and her phone. Supposedly this madware is only on android phones and not something my daughter nor I were aware of. Knowing this, my teen and I reviewed Norton™ Spot which is an ad blocker, detector, killer and stopper of this madware.
Here are a few things we learned about madware:

• It collects your phone number
• Collections your local information and location
• Displays ads on your notification bar
• Modifies your web browser bookmarks
• Sends text message ads
• It deliberately hides from ad detectors

My teen went to Google Play and quickly installed the Norton Spot on her phone within minutes. Norton Spot scanned her phone and identified apps that had issues on her phone. Once the problem areas were identified she was given the option to keep the app or remove it. She really like that this app sorted the apps by potential annoyance levels. 
We are thrilled to report that her phone was clean for now but did have a few apps with minor annoyance level. Norton Spot madware blocker will stay on the phone to keep her phone and personal information safe by reporting was is on the phone and it will give her options to keep the app or remove it.
So what do you think about this? Do you add apps from developers that you do not know? I personally felt comforted after my daughter installed Norton Spot on her phone and allowed it to check for madware. We both like how it explained and ranked the annoyance levels of ads as well as giving her the option to remove them. Will you check out Norton Spot? 
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Norton. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

How to Handle Your School's Football Obsession if You're Not Football-Obsessed

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Endure the mass hysteria known as football season with these mildly subversive tactics.

To complete this how-to, you will need:

Offbeat school colors
Compelling photos
"I Hate Football" group
Happy place

Step 1: Tweak the team colors

Forced to wear team colors to show your school spirit? Wear shades that are close, but a little bit off. You'll feel like less of a lemming without pissing off the football jocks.

Step 2: Ditch the pep rallies

Ditch the pep rallies however you can. If anyone asks where you were, whisper "stomach troubles" and they'll leave you alone.

No way to escape the pep rally? Stay seated when the team enters as your silent protest.

Step 3: Keep photos handy

Scan the internet for funny, weird, or shocking photos to keep on your phone. Anytime someone wants to talk football, use them to change the subject.

Step 4: Start a group

Vent with like-minded people in an "I Hate Football" group. Make plans together for game nights, when the rest of a town is at the stadium.

Step 5: Have a happy place

When all else fails, have a happy place to go to in your head when everyone around you is boring you to tears with their football obsession. And remember: sooner or later, you'll graduate!

TV star Ryan Seacrest played football for the Dunwoody High School Wildcats in Atlanta.

Thanks for watching How to Handle Your School's Football Obsession if You're Not Football-Obsessed! If you enjoyed this video, subscribe to the Howcast YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=howcast

Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from howcast and more videos in the Howto category.

You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide (at http://www.howcast.com/videos/new ), learn about producing Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmaker Program (at http://info.howcast.com/filmmakers ), or showcase your expertise in a Howcast video series (at http://info.howcast.com/experts ).

Related articles

• How to Prevent a Football Head Injury 
• Pest Control: How to Avoid Hotel Bed Bugs 
• How To Make White Rice 
• How To Make Pizza Dough 
• How To Make Edible Garnishes 
• How To Celebrate Rosh Hashanah 

How to Handle Your School's Football Obsession if You're Not Football-Obsessed

To contact us Click HERE

Endure the mass hysteria known as football season with these mildly subversive tactics.

To complete this how-to, you will need:

Offbeat school colors
Compelling photos
"I Hate Football" group
Happy place

Step 1: Tweak the team colors

Forced to wear team colors to show your school spirit? Wear shades that are close, but a little bit off. You'll feel like less of a lemming without pissing off the football jocks.

Step 2: Ditch the pep rallies

Ditch the pep rallies however you can. If anyone asks where you were, whisper "stomach troubles" and they'll leave you alone.

No way to escape the pep rally? Stay seated when the team enters as your silent protest.

Step 3: Keep photos handy

Scan the internet for funny, weird, or shocking photos to keep on your phone. Anytime someone wants to talk football, use them to change the subject.

Step 4: Start a group

Vent with like-minded people in an "I Hate Football" group. Make plans together for game nights, when the rest of a town is at the stadium.

Step 5: Have a happy place

When all else fails, have a happy place to go to in your head when everyone around you is boring you to tears with their football obsession. And remember: sooner or later, you'll graduate!

TV star Ryan Seacrest played football for the Dunwoody High School Wildcats in Atlanta.

Thanks for watching How to Handle Your School's Football Obsession if You're Not Football-Obsessed! If you enjoyed this video, subscribe to the Howcast YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=howcast

Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from howcast and more videos in the Howto category.

You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide (at http://www.howcast.com/videos/new ), learn about producing Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmaker Program (at http://info.howcast.com/filmmakers ), or showcase your expertise in a Howcast video series (at http://info.howcast.com/experts ).

Related articles

• How to Prevent a Football Head Injury 
• Pest Control: How to Avoid Hotel Bed Bugs 
• How To Make White Rice 
• How To Make Pizza Dough 
• How To Make Edible Garnishes 
• How To Celebrate Rosh Hashanah