Switching up Holiday Sides

Have I told you lately how much I love Thanksgiving? I have said that a billion times this month, I know, but I am so sad to see it coming to an end. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving volunteering at the community Thanksgiving dinner and spending time together. There is nothing better than getting to be with my family and sharing the things that we are most thankful for. We have been so blessed and it's a great time to reflect back on the year and everything we have been blessed with!! I love being a part of the Hormel Foods blogger program and I am loving this month's topic on side dishes!!!!  I hope you all have enjoyed all of the side dish recipes we have shared so far but we aren't done yet! Hormel Foods has given us a challenge!!

 

The Challenge:

 

We all have traditions in terms of holiday side dishes. Whether it is a mashed potato recipe passed down from your great-grandparents or homemade stuffing you whip together at the last minute each year, it’s easy to stick to what you’re familiar with. This year, we challenge you to spice up that typical holiday side by adding in a new ingredient to your tried and true item. Get creative and surprise your guests with something original; you may just create a new family tradition your children will use as adults!

I wasn't sure about this challenge. My family is very traditional and we have eaten the same foods year after year for as long as I can remember. So I played it safe. I made a batch of our regular tried and true mashed potatoes and then made a second dish in which I threw in shredded cheese and Hormel Black Label Bacon.

The verdict?! It was a HUGE hit! Of course there were a couple folks who just can't toss tradition out the window but this is going to be a new dish we make quite often!!!! And the greatest thing was how easy it was. I made the mashed potatoes just like normal until the end when I tossed in the bacon pieces and cheese. Mmmmm.

How about you? Are you up for the challenge?

*I am a member of the Hormel Foods Extended blogger program. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own!

Holiday Gift Guide: Mens-wedding-rings.com Review & Giveaway Ends 12/14

In all of our pre-holiday polling, we found that one of the gifts that a lot of women would like to give their husband's for Christmas this year is a new wedding band and I thought, what a great idea! When my husband and I got married 11 years ago, we bought him a nice gold wedding band but for some reason unknown to us, he developed an allergy to gold and was unable to wear it ever again.  I know that he really wanted a wedding band and has been completely frustrated that we never found another one that he could wear without breaking his finger out so we were so excited to try out a ring from Mens-Wedding-Rings.Com!!! 

We chose a tungsten ring and I was THRILLED when it arrived. I did not tell my husband it was coming so he would be surprised when I gave it to him and surprised was an understatement!!

I chose this particular ring because I have heard really great things about Tungsten regarding it's strength and durability which is important because of my husband's line of work. I also loved this style because my husband is more of a traditional kind of guy so this ring fit him perfectly!!!  I would definitely recommend the mens tungsten ring if your husband loves attractiveness and simplicity!! My husband has gotten so many compliments from this ring!!!

If you are looking for other styles, mens-wedding-rings.com has you covered!

If Tungsten isn't your thing, check out the mens diamond wedding ring! Mens-wedding-rings.com offers a large line of diamond wedding bands for men for just about every style! I love the styles with white gold but they also offer yellow gold as well!

Mens-wedding-rings.com also offers an awesome mens titanium wedding band.  If I wouldn't have went with the Tungsten, this would have been my second choice! Titanium is really lightweight and durable so it is becoming very popular in jewelry, especially wedding bands!  Titanium is a beautiful metal so it's no wonder it has grown in popularity in the past several years!

If you are looking for a mens gold wedding band, mens-wedding-rings.com has an awesome line of those as well! I love gold and this is really similar to the original wedding band my husband had!

If you are looking for some really great rings at affordable prices, definitely check out mens-wedding-rings.com!!!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner is going to win their choice of a non-designer ring up to $90!!!

Holiday Gift Guide: Canvas 4 Life Giveaway Ends 12/11

I love taking pictures of my family but sadly, it seems like they never make it off of my digital camera. When I have time though, I love to print them out, blow them up and hang them on my wall. I love canvas prints so I was really excited to do a review for Canvas 4 Life! I enjoy professional photos but I REALLY love candid pictures that show my kids personalities and I have so many of those that I have taken myself. I couldn't believe how easy it was to turn one of these fabulous shots into an awesome canvas for our family room at Canvas 4 Life!!!!!!!

The Canvas 4 Life website makes it so easy to turn any photo into a beautiful canvas!!  I created our canvas from start to finish. I was able to upload our picture, choose a size...I even got to choose the coating and the frame depth.  I have never created a canvas so I was a little bit nervous but when it arrived, I was in LOVE!  I couldn't wait to hang this awesome canvas of my four favorite people!!!  It looks so great in our family room and I cannot tell you how many compliments we have received from friends and family members.  The canvas itself is flawless and easy to clean. I loved it so much that I got on their website and ordered another as a Christmas gift the very same night I received ours!!!  Just a few days later, the new canvas arrived! I can't believe how quickly they can create these prints and get them into the customers hands.

Canvas 4 Life really makes it easy and affordable to create a one-of-a-kind gift for someone special!!!  If you have someone on your holiday list that is difficult to buy for, definitely check out Canvas 4 Life!!!

Buy now and receive 20% off their already low prices using code CRAZYHOUSE!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner is going to win their own $25 Gift Certificate to Canvas 4 Life!!!

Party Time!!!

 I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this time of year. Spending time with my family and friends is more important to me than anything else in the world and it seems like November and December are just full of opportunities to get together with my friends and loved ones! I love love love this time of year and I couldn't be more excited for the things to come to finish off 2011!!!!

Thanksgiving was such an awesome day for us! We started out yesterday by going to the Civic Center in Lima, Ohio and volunteering for their community Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of the most amazing acts of love that I have ever encountered. Over 2,500 people were served an awesome Thanksgiving feast and I felt so thankful to be able to be a part of it. There were people there from all different backgrounds, all different situations. I had the opportunity to walk around and visit with some of the people who were there and I loved being a part of making their Thanksgiving a special day and listening to their stories. I had people share with me how they had just lost their jobs and how things were so tough for them and I couldn't help but just feel extra thankful for the blessings we have been given over the past year.  Seeing homeless men and women looking for a warm place to sit and enjoy a meal was very sad for me but being able to serve them brought me so much joy. The guy who was in charge of the volunteers told us when we came in that what we received out of the experience would depend on how much we put into it and he was so right!!! I felt so good knowing that we had made a difference in some of their lives and even better, that my children could see how fortunate they really are. My 6 year old really put a lot into the experience and I was really proud of him. He did whatever they asked of him, even the dishes!! 

After we were finished, we went back to my parents house for our annual Thanksgiving feast! We were starving after serving that awesome meal to everyone at the Civic Center!! We had a wonderful meal and then it was time to SHOP! My husband and I went with my Dad to a Christmas auction and then we braved the craziness at our local Wal-mart. Let me just say....never again!  I have never seen people be sooo mean!!!  I saw people stealing stuff out of other people's carts and one lady got her hand stomped and her watch broke right off her wrist. It was really silly what people were doing just to save a few dollars. We gathered up the items we went to buy and then had to stand in line for over an hour just to checkout!!! The entire store looked like the picture below....people were everywhere!!!!

Now that all the crazy is over, it is time for me to start focusing on the other holiday parties we have coming up! I am the head room parent for 2 of my kids classes at school so I am busy busy buying up holiday party supplies.  We bought all of the stuff for the goody bags for their class Christmas parties today and now my little guy and I are going to fill them up and get them ready for their parties. I know they are a few weeks away but I have so much to do, I just feel like I need to do everything ahead of time so I am not going crazy the night before. Plus, we are already having Christmas with my husband's family NEXT WEEKEND!!  I am pretty sure I have everything ready to go for that but I will double check my list next week and make sure. 

WHEW! How was your Thanksgiving? Did you venture out for some Black Friday deals? 

Holiday Gift Guide: Personalized Ornaments from Zazzle Giveaway Ends 12/4

You all know how much I love personalized products so of course I was thrilled when I was contacted by Zazzle to do a review of their Personalized Christmas Ornaments!!!  I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to order our yearly ornament so this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so!  We love to get a special ornament each year that is personalized just for our family and the kids absolutely love this tradition as well!    

First of all, the ornament was so easy to make!  It literally took me 10 minutes to add a picture and text, set it up the away I wanted it and get my order placed.  I am not sure I have ever seen such an easy process! I made ours on a super nice square ornament with red ribbon. I added a picture of our children along with the text, "Merry Christmas, 2011" and now I am just chomping at the bits for it to arrive!!  Ornaments make such awesome gifts for those hard to buy for people on your list! Teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. 

If you are looking for high quality, customized ornaments, definitely check out Zazzle! Their HUGE selection will amaze you and they are offering some great FREE SHIPPING deals right now!!!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader is going to win their own personalized premium Christmas Tree Ornament from Zazzle!!!

World Vision Giveaway Ends 12/5

This is an awesome time of year to give to others in need. I love to reflect on the blessings that we have been given and it makes me feel good to turn around and bless someone else who has not been as fortunate.  I know what it is like to struggle and wouldn't wish that feeling on anybody so whenever I have the chance to give, I do it with an open heart and I can only hope to pass that along to my own children. 

World Vision is one of those organizations that I have the utmost respect and admiration for. I remember last year when my kids came running in from school and telling me that they needed all of my spare change because they were raising money at school to buy people cows and chickens. Of course I laughed at them and said they must be mistaken...that was, until I read the World Vision brochure that they had brought home with them.  They were, in fact, collecting money to provided livestock and other means of living resources to donate to need families around the globe.  And if you think about it, it makes a ton of sense. You can give  a family $100 worth of food that might last a week but for $100, you can also buy them things like a goat and 2 chickens that will provide a family with large amounts of milk and eggs for a long period of time.  For $500, you can provide a family with 13 farm animals....Thirteen farm animals can save families from hunger! With this truly life-changing gift, you’ll provide ample protein and vital nutrition — including milk, eggs, meat, and more — for years to come. As the animals multiply, families can sell surplus food for extra income. A bountiful and enduring blessing!

But World Vision doesn't just offer the opportunity to feed families. They offer educational resources, clean drinking water and medical care. A donation of $1,000 can fully stock a health clinic!  And while you may look at these prices and think, I can't afford to donate $1,000 for something like this....you can! They also sell shares of these gifts so while you can't give $1,000....maybe you can get 10 people together to each give $100. Or you can get a community together to each give $1! Think about what an impact that could be. I live in a community of around 10,000 people....Imagine if each person just gave $1....that would make such a significant impact on so many lives!!!

You can even choose to give help to someone right in your own country. There is an entire page, for instance, of ways you can help families in the U.S. !!!  For just $50, you can provide $300 worth of necessities to a needy child including clothing, shoes, etc. With 1 in 5 children in the U.S. living in poverty, think about what a tremendous gift this could be!!!

And now, World Vision is making it even easier to give!!!!  You can now consider giving gifts to your loved one's from the World Vision's Gift Catalog. Not only will your loved one be receiving an awesome gift, but the proceeds will go to make a difference in the lives of children and families living in poverty in the U.S. and around the world!!! With a financial contribution, the gift giver selects one of 36 items that can be given to someone on a holiday gift list and at the same time help a person in need. Visit the World Visions Gift page where you will find a selection of gifts with this two-for-one benefit!!!!  

I  received a beautiful Artisan Beaded Necklace from World Visions!  It was hand crafted in Thailand and can be worn in so many different ways! I wear it as a single strand and my daughter wears it as a double stranded necklace and a multi-stranded bracelet!!! This is just one of the many gifts you can give to someone while helping others at the same time!!!

Check out The True Spirit of Christmas Tour Facebok page too!  For the third consecutive year, World Vision staff will be traveling across the world this December to see the impact that goats, sheep and other gifts have on families and children.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner is going to win the same Artisan Beaded Necklace that we received!!!

Ham and Baked Bean Casserole

I told you I am not a big fan of green bean casserole, but I do love baked beans. My Mother-in-Law makes the best but I have never been able to duplicate her recipe. I don't know what it is that she does to them but they are SO yummy!!!  I have been looking on the Hormel Foods website for a recipe for baked beans and while they only had a few, I did manage to find one that I think my family would approve of!! Total prep time is under 15 minutes which means this one is extra sweeeeeet!

Ham and Baked Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

1 (28-ounce) can Boston-style baked beans

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 slices Cure 81® Boneless Ham, diced

Directions

1.In microwave-safe casserole, stir together beans, onion and ham; cover. Microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (75%) 6 minutes or until steamy hot. Let stand 2 minutes.

Very simple! Very yummy.

*I am a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family blogger program. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own*

Tokii.Com

When I got married 10 years ago, I was really young and had no clue how hard it would be to make our marriage work. But marriage is a lot of work. You have to learn to listen, to communicate and to really care about how your spouse feels. You have to learn the things that make your spouse happy, the things that make them tick. For those who think marriage is easy, I advise you to think again. In a time where life is busier than ever, it's no wonder so many marriages are falling apart. People just don't take the time to connect anymore. I have even found with my own marrige that we are often doing our own thing instead of spending time together. I might be on the computer while my hubby is watching tv or playing games on his iPod. Since we love this technology so much, we were really excited to be introduced to Tokii! 

 Tokii is an online resource that allows couples to interact and explore one another through the use of a unique social platform.  It's what I would describe as  a social networking sites......for couples! They offer a large line of DiscoveryGames that allow couples to answer questions and guess how the other person is going to answer!!!  With the holidays now upon us, I have been playing around on the Holidays and Travel page. I decided to play a couple of the games solo and I like that because after I answer, it tells me how the rest of the Tokii community answered as well!  My husband and I played a little of the "Hosting Thanksgiving" game together and it was funny to see how we both answered. For me, the best party of hosting Thanksgiving is having everybody in the family there together.  Of course hubby answered FOOTBALL!! 

Here is an example of how the website looks....you can see where I answered a question and then I had the option to guess how my hubby would answer! Of course between these 4, wouldn't most men say the Superbowl?! *LOL*  After I finish answering, my husband can answer the questions and he gets to guess how I answered and then we can compare answers!

Tokii offers couples to explore a large range of topics including things like spirituality, military, parenting, newborns, weddings, etc. One of my favorite pages so far has been the Friends and Family page! It really allowed my husband and I to explore our thoughts on the different bonds of the family.  The Bonds of Growing up game allows you to explore your own childhood, determine how birth order affects a person, etc.  

Another favorite feature of mine is the Trading Post where you can swap favors!  Here is something I just proposed to my husband! I am offering to cook him his favorite dish in the world for supper tonight, Shrimp Scampi, if he will do the dishes after! Now he can either accept or decline my offer!!!

Tokii is a really fun way to keep couples connected, especially if you spend a lot of time apart. I think we could all use a little extra ways to help keep things creative and fresh when it comes to our relationships and Tokii definitely allows you to do that!!! Sign up for a free account today and start discovering!!!

Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwiches

Thanksgiving is a great time to eat......but what on earth do you do with all of the leftovers?! I can only handle them so much before I get sick of them so I have been looking at new ways to handle the leftovers. Check out this recipe for Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwiches from Hormel Foods!

Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cranberry sauce (I skip this ingredient, I am not a fan)

4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices sourdough bread, toasted

1 pound Jennie-O Turkey Store® VIP® Turkey Breast, thinly sliced and heated

1 cup mashed potatoes, heated

1 cup prepared stuffing, heated

1/2 cup turkey gravy, heated

Directions

1.Spread cranberry sauce on each slice toast. Place turkey over cranberry sauce; top with scoop each of mashed potatoes and stuffing. Pour gravy over potatoes and stuffing. Serve immediately.

How about that?! Your entire Thanksgiving meal on a sandwich!!!

*I am a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Blogger Program. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own*

BK Crown Program Giveaway Ends 12/4

One of our favorite places to go in town with the kids is Burger King because it's so family friendly. Not only do they have the playroom in the back of our local BK, but they also offer some really great kid-friendly menu items as well. It's so funny that we were actually at Burger King last week when I received the opportunity to participate in a review/giveaway for the BK Crown Program and I am super excited to share it with you all too!!! Our children LOVE the new Kids Meal boxes and couldn't wait to get home and register on the website so they could choose their favorite charity. They really have some great one's listed but ultimately they chose one of  the Environment Charities!!!

More about the Program:

IMAGINATION IS KING™ at BURGER KING®. The new BK CROWNTM/MC Program, built to inspire every kid’s imagination and encourage kids to help choose how BK® gives back, brings families together to enjoy not just a meal but a mealtime experience.

The BK CROWNTM/MC Program comes in a fully interactive Kids Meal box. Sitting atop each box is a newly redesigned BURGER KING® crown, because every kid deserves to be treated like royalty at BURGER KING®! With crowns on their heads, kids can dive into the box, taking it apart, playing fun games and activities that challenge their minds, inspire their imagination and engage with the whole family.

With the BK CROWNTM/MC Program, Burger King Corporation invites kids to tell BURGER KING® what matters to them most. BKC has established a fund to help support the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Parks Conservation Association, DonorsChoose.org and Have It Your Way™ Foundation. By visiting BKCrown.com, kids learn how BKC’s charitable partners make a difference. Upon entering BK CROWNTM/MC Codes and clicking on their favorite cause, each kid’s vote helps BK® choose which charity to give back to.

The fun doesn’t end at the restaurant; the BK CROWNTM/MC Program experience lives on at http://www.bkcrown.com/ where kids can place their vote for how BKC should give back, as well as find more games, win prizes and enjoy interactive play. Also at BURGER KING®, for just $9.99 your family can enjoy the “BK™ Family Bundle” which includes a WHOPPER® sandwich, WHOPPER JR.® sandwich., two small fries, two small soft drinks and a Kids Meal. Now that’s a deal worth getting together for! Limited time only. Price and participation vary. Prices higher in HI.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader is going to win a $25 Gift Card to Burger King!!

Cheerios Cheer! Giveaway Ends 12/4

We are BIG Cheerios fans here at the Crazy House and now we have another reason to love them!

When our troops are called to serve, their families must rise to meet the challenges of service as well. To thank them, Cheerios® and the USO have partnered in a postcard campaign that spreads Cheer directly to these honorable military families and supports USO programs.

Here’s how it works:

Now through November, 2011 at your local grocer, specially-marked boxes of Cheerios cereal will feature Cheer postcards on the front of the box. Consumers can simply cut out the postcard from the Cheerios logo, write a message of thanks on the back, add a stamp and mail the pre-addressed card to the USO. The USO will deliver the Cheer card to military families across the country.

For each postcard received through November 2012, Cheerios will make a $1 donation to the USO to help fund programs that support military families. To kick off the campaign, Cheerios has already donated $150,000 to the USO and will donate up to an additional $100,000 based upon the number of postcards received from specially marked boxes now through November 30th, 2012.

Sending a “Cheer” postcard is a simple way to say thanks and lift the spirits of our country’s military families. So, take a moment out of your day to spread some Cheer and send a message of thanks!

 

What an incredible idea! We purchase several boxes of Cheerios a month and this is such an easy way to send some cheer to the troops....and it costs you nothing but a stamp!!! Look for these special boxes of Cheerios now and start sending some CHEER!!!

 

GIVEAWAY

 

One lucky winner is going to win this prize pack that includes:

1 Cheerios cereal bowl

1 Cheerios cereal spoon

1 cereal dispenser

1 “Cheer” box of Cheerios

Holiday Gift Guide...Skincare for Athletes Giveaway Ends 12/4

Our son is extremely athletic but I never even thought about the affect that it might have on his skin. Athletes sweat more, shower more and spend more time in the sun which results in possible skin damage. Athletes need products that restore essential nutrients and help prevent dry, cracked skin, acne breakouts, and even infections. From the weekend warrior to the fitness enthusiast; from the high school athlete to the Olympic athlete; they all need products that will naturally cleanse and moisturize the skin without the use of drying or toxic chemicals. I was sent the Tri-Body Collection Travel Set from Skincare for Athletes which is perfect for our son because he plays on a couple of travel leagues which requires us to stay out of town. This is great if you are on the road! It takes up minimal space and is jammed pack with awesome products for any athlete! The anti-fungal/anti-bacterial properties will keep your skin protected from a lot of unknown "bugs" that might want to follow you home and this set is a great way to introduce your tween/teen to a natural, organic skincare regimen!!

This set includes:

•One – 2oz Tri-Body Wash Freshening Blend

•One – 2oz Tri-Body Wash Muscle Rescue Blend

•One – 2oz Tri-Body Spray Freshening Blend

•One – 2oz Tri-Body Spray Muscle Rescue Blend

•One – 12 count bag of 100% Biodegradable Wysi Wipes

•One – Clear Vinyl Zip Top Carry Bag

These are really great products and our son LOVES having them!!  They are very refreshing and it feels good knowing that we can provide him with products that are going to help him maintain healthy skin!!!

Skincare for Athletes offers so many great products, no matter what your skincare needs might be.  If you have an athlete on your holiday list, you might also check out their awesome gift collections!!!  If you are just wanting to try some of their products out, they also have their Tri Me Sizes as well!!!  Definitely check them out if you are in the market for some great skin care products!!!

GIVEAWAY

Online Shopping? Buyers Beware!

Other than small odds and ends items, I am done holiday shopping. That's right. It's not even Thanksgiving yet, Black Friday has not yet arrived, and I, Sarah Lewis, am done with my holiday shopping. How? Because I started WAY early and I did most of my shopping online. My hubby and I did make one trip to Toys R Us and the Mall last month to get some items but other than that one day, everything we have purchased has been online.  For the most part, I was very satisfied with shopping online. For a lot of purchases,  was able to find discount codes or free shipping deals. The items all came quickly and I was able to get them hid away before the kids saw them!

One of the big gifts my daughter asked for was the new Barbie Townhouse. I had already purchased her big gift when she told me she wanted the Barbie house more than anything...I was already over budget for her gifts so I saved a little bit of money here and there over the past several weeks so I could purchase the Barbie house since she wanted it so badly. I ended up ordering it online from Toys R Us because they are offering FREE shipping right now AND because they were offering a free Barbie case! Of course when I placed my order they were completely sold out of all of the barbie cases but I ordered it anyway because it was on sale and for the free shipping. I knew it was going to arrive this week so I have been on the lookout! I was shocked to find it on my porch last evening at 6:00 p.m. but not only was I shocked, I was LIVID! The kids and I were on our way out the door to run to the grocery and there it sat.......in the original box, just as if you were to buy it right off the shelf!!! It wasn't covered, it wasn't wrapped. It just looked like it was pulled from the shelf and a shipping label was slapped on it.  I had to hurry up and get it hid in our storage room before the kids could see it.......if my daughter had come out ahead of me, she would have seen it and the surprise would have been ruined!!!!  Grrrrr.

Have you had any issues with online shopping?! I am going to keep this in mind in the future and make sure I specify to companies I am ordering from that this is not acceptable.....surely they would have to realize that people are holiday shopping, right?!

Mertado Coral Springs Plush Blanket Giveaway Ends 12/4

This is my favorite time of year to snuggle up with my family and watch movies and drink hot cocoa!!!  Of course, you can't do that without a cozy, warm blanket so I was really happy to receive the Coral Springs Plush Blanket from Mertado!!!  This blanket is sooooooo soft and warm.....just what I need as the temperatures get cooler and cooler outdoors!!!  It is so generously sized too which is perfect since I am never alone in this Crazy House!!! 

What is Mertado you ask?

Mertado.com is an online social shopping site that sells top of the line home & kitchen products at up to 70% off. Membership is free and the selection is AWESOME!!! Most sales only last for up to 3 days though so if you see a deal you want, you better snag it up quick!!!!

Built on the Facebook social media platform, the Mertado site allows shoppers to recommend purchases, see what their friends are buying, and interact with their network while shopping for their favorite brands at deeply discounted prices. Mertado has tapped Food Network TV veteran Curtis Aikens to tape exclusive segments for Mertado TV -- a unique series of videos on the site that highlight recipes, tips, and tricks for using goods purchased on Mertado.com. 

They really have some GREAT deals on the site so if you are looking for some great holiday gifts, definitely check out Mertado.com!!  You can click HERE to sign up free today!!!

GIVEAWAY

One reader will win a Coral Springs Home Plush blanket worth $35+ from Mertado.com

MyPublisher Holiday Cards Giveaway Ends 11/24

I love this time of year because it's a time of giving and sharing. One of the things I love to share is my family via awesome photo holiday cards and I was really excited to do a review for MyPublisher!!! My parents do a lot for me so I surprised my Mom by using my gift code I received to order she and my Dad photo cards for Christmas!!!  

I was really surprised how easy it was to order the cards from My Publisher!!  They make it really easy by allowing you to narrow down your choices until you find exactly what you are looking for. I was able to search by color and by type and finally found the perfect card to create for my Mom and Dad!!! I did have a little trouble creating the cards in Internet Explorer so I downloaded Google Chrome and it was really quick and easy from there!  They have a HUGE variety to fit every style so if you are looking for a more formal card they have those available but if you are looking for something spunky and fun, they have you covered there too!  I found a ton that I would have loved to do for our wild and crazy family!!!!

Ultimately, I settled on this one for my parents!!!

I love the way the cards turned out from MyPublisher!!!  They arrived quickly and they were packaged nicely and wrapped in tissue paper. I received 30 cards and they included envelopes and envelope liners.  The envelopes came with a return address too so you don't have to worry about writing out your address or putting labels on every single card.  I was really excited to give them to my Mom and she loved them as well! YAY! I will definitely remember MyPublisher in the future! I signed up for their newsletter and I have been getting some awesome deals in my inbox so keep that in mind!!!

GIVEAWAY

MyPublisher is going to give one lucky reader a $50 Gift Certificate to order their own Holiday Cards!

Money Saving Tips on Laundry

I think I have lost track about how many times I have blogged about laundry but when you have 4 children and 2 adults living in a house, laundry is a BIG deal and can add up to a HUGE expense!  I am constantly buried alive in my laundry room and even though I sincerely try to stay caught up, it only takes one day to be back to square one! Since my washer and dryer are not big enough for my large blankets, I also have to add that expense in because I have to take them to the laundry mat. When you factor in all of the expenses such as laundry detergent, fabric softener, the cost of water, electric, etc, etc, the costs really add up! We live in the country so we also have to buy salt for our water softener and we also purchase special detergents for our white laundry. On top of all of that, if you throw in the cost of a new washer/dryer, laundry costs nearly as much as some of your bigger bills!!  Not long ago I thought we needed a new dryer but thank goodness I found out right before we bought a new one that all we needed was a new fuse!!!  Had we not thought to check that, we would have been out a lot of money!!!!

I am always looking at ways to save in the laundry room so here are some of my best tips!

*Wash clothes that aren't heavily soiled in cold water instead of hot

*Only wash when you have a full load

*Measure out detergents instead of just pouring straight from the bottle

*Clean vent trap in dryer after each use

*Hang clothes to dry if possible

*Buy an energy efficient washer/dryer

*Certain clothes can be worn more than once before washing

What are your best tips in the laundry room?!?!?!

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.*

Holiday Herb Roasted Turkey

I absolutely LOVE turkey. It is my favorite food, not only this time of year but all year long. I love turkey so much that a couple of years ago we started a tradition of "Thanksgiving in July" just to have an excuse to get together and cook a turkey!!! LOL Seriously though, it really is my favorite dish so I am looking forward to Thanksgiving more than anybody else. Our turkey has been bought and is thawing in the fridge so I have been on the lookout for a recipe that will knock my family's socks off this year...and I think I found it!!!

Holiday Herb Roasted Turkey

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves

1/3 cup thinly sliced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Jennie-O Turkey Store® Classic Young Turkey

Directions

1.In food processor bowl, combine rosemary, garlic, thyme, parsley, sage, salt and pepper; process until finely chopped. Rub herb mixture under skin of turkey; rub skin with oil. Roast turkey according to package directions.

Mmmmmmmmmmm. I just can't wait!!!

*This is not a paid post. All opinions are my own. This post was written for my participation in the Hormel Foods Extended Family BloggeR Program*

Chick-fil-A Cow Watch

The Cow Watches are coming to Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meals! During the holidays Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meals are featuring the never before seen Cow Watches to reach families with a simple and fun message: In your busy holiday season make sure to stop and take a few moments together as a family to spend quality “time” with one another.

Giveaway!

One lucky reader is going to win a Chick-fil-A prize pack valued at $30!

Just leave a comment here and tell me what your favorite family activity is this time of year...don't forget your name and email address!!!



EdenFantasys Review

*Please note. This post is PG but the links will take you to an adult shop that might contain products that are inappropriate for children to view*

Life  has been so incredibly busy lately that I feel like I have zero downtime to relax and unwind anymore. Seems like when I finally get to bed, I just collapse and pass out because I am so tired from everything going on.  When life gets stressful, there is nothing more I love than a hot bubble bath and a relaxing massage and thanks to EdenFantasys, I can enjoy both!!!

I recently placed an order on the EdenFantasys website and I had no clue what I was going to buy when I started out. I have a long list of people that I would love to buy a gift for so I started out by searching the massage products!  I found a huge line of awesome products and ended up making several purchases. The first thing I bought was the heart warmer!!  My hubby laughed at me because I purchased 7 of them but I plan to stick them in with my gifts for my sisters this year!! We are all busy Moms who could use some relaxation products! When they arrived, I had to try one out for myself and I absolutely LOVE this thing! All you do is squeeze this little piece in the inside of the heart and it is immediately activated. It gets so nice and warm and makes for the BEST massage!!!

Along with the heart massagers, I also purchased some massage oil because these heart warmers don't work very well if you don't have some kind of oil to help it glide across the skin. (Learned that the hard way!) The other thing I purchased was the Knead Me Massage Set and this thing is heavenly....if you can find someone to give you a massage with it!  It comes with a massager and a candle , creating the perfect environment for a relaxing massage. This would make a great gift too! It arrived in a nice white box with a red ribbon wrapped around it!

 Along with the massage products, I found a bunch of nice bath products too!  These heart shaped soap flakes are awesome! You stick them in your bath and not only do they look pretty, they smell awesome as they dissolve into the water!!! Now I just need to find time to use all this great stuff!!!

Something really awesome that I just found at the website too is their awesome points program!!  You can earn points for a number of things and then these points convert to gift cards! I had no idea about it and I already have almost 500 points which would convert to a $5 Gift Card. The more tasks you complete, the more points you earn! How awesome is that?!

If you are looking for some products to help you relax this holiday season, check out the awesome products at EdenFantasys!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of EdenFantasys. I received a gift card for writing this post, however all opinions are my own. EdenFantasys is an online retailer of sex toys, lingerie and so much more!!!