Announcements + A Fall Recipe

Surprise! I'm posting on a Saturday. I know...a rarity. I meant to get this out last week but never found the time. 

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First up, I'm going to bore you with a few announcements but, be sure to read until the end for a treat :)



Not So Fun...Theft 
Blogging has up and downs for sure. I enjoy almost every single thing about blogging EXCEPT blog theft. 

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I'm sure you've read a lot recently on other blogs about how theft {also known as scraping} has become a HUGE problem. Two of the easiest solutions to this are truncating blog posts and watermarking photos. 
So, as you noticed last week, most of my blog posts will not be truncated and I changed my watermark to be a little more prominent.  It's just a way for me to send this message to thieves.

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Now, as a blog reader, I understand that truncated posts aren't everyone's favorite. But, bloggers {including me} spend a lot of time and effort to develop crafts, recipes and other items to post about and that property needs to be protected. 
So, please know that the decision to truncate my posts was not made lightly but I felt it was a necessary step.

Fun...Guest Posters 
I am super lucky...I have some pretty talented folks amongst my readers. Yeah...you guys! I see it week after week at the Pinworthy Projects Party. 
Well, if you would like to show off a project or recipe of yours to my readers in a full length blog post, I would LOVE to have you! Just send me a quick email to justusfour {at} gmail {dot} com and we can get you a guest blog slot to share your work!

More Fun...Contributions
Speaking of guest posting...I have a BIG announcement to make. Recently, Sugar Bee Crafts decided to ask for contributors to her blog. I'm a HUGE fan of hers so I decided to apply. She's got some pretty amazing blog friends though so I kind of figured I wouldn't get selected. 
Well, I was wrong! I got an email saying

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Say "hello" to the food contributor for Sugar Bee Crafts! {Yeah, that's me if you hadn't guessed!} I'll be featuring a recipe over on her blog each month. I hope you'll come over and check it out {don't worry...I'll remind you!}. 
You can read more about all the contributors over on Mandy's page. 

The Most Fun...Fall Recipe
I've been hesitant to post a lot of fall stuff because the weather here hasn't be very fall like for long and I've been really busy with basement stuff. BUT, I decided to bust out my first fall post today as a "thank you" for slogging through those announcements up there :) 

Ok, so what exactly is that little ball of deliciousness you see there? It's a candy corn Oreo ball! 

These came about when I was talking to Mathlete about a trip to Target for some stuff. He immediately said "ooh, get some candy corn Oreos while you are there." 
Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about. Was that a "thing"? Then, in the store, I saw

I was immediately intrigued and bought a bag {or 3}. 
One of my favorite things at neighborhood parties is when my friend Maribeth brings her Oreo balls. That sparked an idea...why not use these new Oreos to make a fall themed Oreo ball.

What you'll need:
- 2 packages of candy corn Oreos 
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened 
- Dipping chocolate 
- Sea salt

Let's make it:
1) Place one and half packages of candy corn Oreos (16 oz) in the food processor and pulse to chop them up some.

2) Add the cream cheese and turn on the processor to combine. It will look a little like a thick icing. 

3) On a baking sheet covered with wax paper, place tablespoon sized balls. Put in freezer for 10-15 minutes. 

4) Melt your dipping chocolate. Using a toothpick, dip the cold balls into the chocolate and swirl to coat. Place back on the wax paper and sprinkle with sea salt. 

5) Let sit for 10-15 minutes so that the chocolate is fully set. Enjoy!

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