Gluten-Free Holiday Treat

There are so many delicious treats you can make (and eat) for the holidays. But what about gluten free treats (without having to buy gluten free flour)?  

How about these adorable Holiday Pebble Treats!?!?  There are only 3 ingredients you need: Holiday Pebbles cereal, marshmallows, and butter. 

So if you or someone you know has a gluten intolerance, this would be a great dessert/treat to make! 

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Posted by Leslie

Christmas Jammies are Hilarious...And So is this Video

I will admit...I haven't blogged in a long time. I guess I decided to take a little sabbatical. But there is something that has pulled me out of my sabbatical because I absolutely have to share this.

This family is awesome! I want to go and get #XMAS Jammies for my family now, too. (You watch, there is going to be a spike in Christmas jammy sales!)

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Posted by Leslie

Get into the St. Patrick's Day Spirit

We love St. Patrick's Day around here. My mother's side of the family is Irish and I've always grown up having lots of fun celebrating St. Patrick's Day with family and friends. When I was little my mom would take shamrock cookies to my classroom and help my teacher make leprechaun footprints everywhere. I always wore green and ended the day with a delicious dinner of corned beef and cabbage with bacon-yummy!

As I got older, it was always a race to see who could call my grandmother to wish her a happy St. Patrick's Day first. If you called 2nd or 3rd or 4th she would let you know who called ahead of you:)

I can't wait to pass on these special traditions with my children. We've already made shamrock cookies, read leprechaun stories, put together little gifts, and decorated cards. This week we're busy delivering our St. Patrick's Day treat bags with chocolate gold coins and shamrock straws, courtesy of the Target dollar bins.

On St. Patrick's Day, the girls are going to have a treasure hunt for gold coins and celebrate with all things green! I had the easy idea of taking simple white t-shirts that we're about to outgrow and using my mom's die cut machine to cut fabric shamrocks. She ironed them on and then had a family friend sew around them. She used a quilting method so they puff up. The quilt show and the Bok Kai Parade (Chinese New Year Parade) in our town is the weekend of St. Patrick's day so they'll be able to show off their fancy shirts at a few special events.

Posted by Liz

How to Use Holiday Decorations for Valentine's Day

Don't put all your holiday decorations away just yet! Here are a few ways to reinvent some of your Christmas decorations for the next big day. Valentine's Day is around the corner and I find that decorating on Feb. 1st, just doesn't leave enough time for you to enjoy the happy hearts that make you feel like a kid again!

This white tree above decorated with garland, valentines and goodies makes me smile. And what a fun tree for the kids to help decorate, don't you think?
  Next year, shopping the after-Christmas sales to gather up some pink and red ornaments to make this garland will be key.

The white cone trees add dimension to this entry table.



A wreath like this would only take a few minutes to make and is such festive touch to your holiday decor.



If you are like me you never know what to do with all the leftover candy canes.  Aren't these candy can heart pops such a clever idea?!?

Posted by Liz

Here Comes Santa Claus

We were so lucky that Santa Claus came down from the North Pole to visit our community.  It was such a nice treat to see old St. Nick without having to fight for a parking spot and wait in a long line at the mall.

Both kids were able to tell Santa all about school and what they want for Christmas.

My 5-year old couldn't believe she was sitting with Santa! 

She just sat there and stared at him for a while.

And I couldn't resist taking a picture with Santa either!  It's amazing how a man with a long white beard and red suit can make you feel so jolly!

 
Merry Christmas!

Posted by Leslie

Decking the Halls with What You Already Have

 I'm lucky enough to be friends with an amazing decorator who graciously made time to come and deck our halls for the holidays.

I had her focus on the entry and our kitchen/dining room where we spend most of our time.

Using what we had she used her talents to put together some magical arrangements.

Sometimes it is so helpful just to have another pair of talented eyes for a fresh perspective.  And I am absolutely thrilled I didn't have to buy anything new...other than the candy canes, of course!

Happy Holidays!

Posted by Liz

A Mommy's Best Ally: The Elf on the Shelf

If you haven't purchased an Elf on the Shelf by now for your kids, I must tell you that you are missing the boat.  I have seen many of the cute, silly, and sometimes inappropriate things Elfs on the Shelf can be found doing.  However, this mom loves how her Elf on the Shelf motivates the kids.

When our elf arrived back at our house, he wrote a letter for the kids letting them know how well-behaved they were last year and how he hopes they will behave the same way this year.  He also told them how he wished he could go to school and how he loves math.  This was especially timely since my son kept saying how he didn't want to go to school.  After reading this letter from our Elf, Ralphie, my son then wrote back a letter to him asking him if he knows any good math problems and he even told him a joke,  It was very sweet.  Definitely something we are going to save. 

A few days later, after having piano lessons, Ralphie told our kids how much he loved hearing them play the piano and how he wished they played more.  To my amazement, the kids went over and started playing a song for him.  They don't ever want to play a song for me, but when they heard our Elf wanted a song, they were very excited.

Bottom line, our Elf on a Shelf does add an extra excitement everyday leading up to Christmas and it is fun for the kids to have a friend from the North Pole!

Posted by Leslie

Re-Purposing for the Holidays

Just a couple of months ago, I added a couple of chairs and changed up the color of my living room to add some accents of turquoise (ie. the pillow above).  With the holidays upon us, I was hesitant to remove my beloved turquoise.  So I decided to re-purpose it.  I found a way to use the same pillow and red ribbon for two different looks.

With the first look, I simply lined up a red ribbon along the turquoise accent on my pillow.

The second idea was to just flip the pillow over and tie the ribbon into a decorative bow.
 

Do you re-purpose for the holidays?  If you do, we'd love for you to share!

Posted by Leslie

Christmas Traditions

Growing up we had holiday traditions like decorating cookies, picking out the tree, seeing the lights, going to church, visiting relatives and opening packages on Christmas morning.

Now that I'm grown with my own family and my grandparents have passed, it is time to create new traditions for my little family. I found some cute ideas in Family Fun magazine that might inspire new traditions in your family this holiday season:

1. Wrap your packages in brown craft paper and then let your kids decorate them. I love this idea especially for keeping kids busy on rainy days. You'll have to be able to handle some "creative" packages under the tree though.

2. Select a name of a family member and then come up with a gift for them that doesn't cost any money. On Christmas Eve, turn on the video camera and let each person present their gift. It could be a song, poem, craft or anything they come up with.

3. Have an Annual Christmas Movie party. Invite friends over, let the kids wear pajamas. This would be so easy and fun. You could put out movie snacks, pop some popcorn and turn on different Christmas movies in different rooms depending on the age groups.

4. To contain the package opening madness on Christmas morning, instead of gift tags, put a family trivia question on the box. Read the trivia question and the person it pertains to is the recipient of the gift. What a great way to teach younger generations new and interesting things about their relatives.

5. Instead of candy in the advent calendar put slips of paper for activities that you can do together. You could bake cookies, make hot chocolate, decorate cards, read a Christmas book, watch a holiday movie, or go shopping for Toys for Tots.

6. Here's a holiday shopping tip to keep you on budget. Write an index card for each person you need to buy for and make a list of what they like. When you purchase a gift make a note of it on the card along with how much you spent. Then you can keep track of your purchases and your expenses.

7. One more idea that was featured in Family Fun magazine that I absolutely loved was the adorable graham cracker gingerbread house they featured using healthy snacks. They used peanut butter to hold it together, and added raisins, Chex, pretzels, Cheerios and other dried fruit for decorations. I think this would make for a great after school play date, snack/activity.

What new or old holiday traditions do you enjoy?

Posted by Liz

Get 49¢ Holiday Cards from Cardstore + Other Holiday Card Deals

You can get holidays cards for just 49¢ and FREE SHIPPING from Cardstore.com now through December3, 2012.  100 cards for just about 50 bucks...it's the best deal I've found so far. Simply use promo code CEP2049.

 Here are some other deals for holiday cards:

• Shutterfly 50% ends Sunday, 12/2, Promo code: SAVE50
• Tiny Prints 25% Code: WKDSALE1112 | Ends 12/2
• Minted 15% off + free shipping on holiday card orders $100+. (Code: FROST15) + FREE Recipient Addressing. Ends Monday, 12/3

Have you found any better deals for holiday cards online?

Please share if you have a better deal.

Posted by Leslie and Liz

Thanksgiving Day Activities to Keep the Kids Happy

Thanks to some amazing bloggers and Pinterest, I'm grateful to have so many creative ideas and activities for the little ones this Thanksgiving.

This year our family gathering will be about 20+ people and very few kids, my twins (age 2) and their twin cousins (age 8). I tried to pull together a few activities that the little and big ones can enjoy doing together.

Last year, we spent the entire afternoon chasing the babies around the house trying to keep them from breaking things, climbing the stairs, or hurting themselves on the brick fireplace. My husband and I were exhausted, and the entire afternoon was a blur. To tell you the truth, it wasn't any fun at all. I hope this year we can all enjoy ourselves. The girls are old enough now that they can sit and play at least long enough for me to enjoy some turkey and a glass of wine.

A mother can dream can't she?

I thought we'd start the afternoon off with the turkey scavenger hunt outside. The winner with the most turkeys will receive a prize, of course! Then before our toes are frozen, we'll move inside for some coloring pages for the little ones and Thanksgiving trivia questions for the older ones. In a party full of so many adults, trivia questions are a fun way to get all ages interacting. For more holiday entertainment, there will be board games, crossword puzzles and pumpkin play dough.

I'm saving the best for last, the rice krispy treat turkeys, will be great for entertaining the kids during dinner. I know my little ones will love this activity because it is so similar to the play dough/cheerio project we do at home. If all else fails, I'll be stocked with plenty of stickers to put all over the table.

Thanksgiving Activity Resources:

Turkey Hunt Printable
Coloring Pages
Thanksgiving Trivia
Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle
Pumpkin Pie Play Dough
Turkey Rice Krispy Treats

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Liz

How to Welcome Guests During This Holiday Season

It always seems that during the holidays I have many last minute or unexpected visitors. And while I absolutely love having guests over, as soon as I get the call, I run around, clean up the toys, straighten the house, and see what I have to serve.

Even if I don't have time for all of the above, I love to have out a beverage tray. This way I can offer my guests a drink when they come in from the cold. It is so easy to put together with a few mugs, several teas, honey, sugar, your favorite instant hot cocoa and you're set.

I usually make this up come October and leave it out through January. If you don't have counter space, put it together and store it away in your pantry and then you can pull it out when guests arrive.
If you have a fun coffee/drink machine, you could put together a tray with a chocolate spoons, festive napkins, sweetener or sugar, marshmallows, Bailey's, etc.

I find that it is an unexpected and thoughtful way to welcome your guests. Happy host/hostessing!

Posted by Liz

{Images above from www.stonegableblog.com and brandyscrafts.blogspot.com}

$25 + FREE Shipping from Minted.com

Now through Monday, November 12, you can save $25 off your holiday card purchase and receive FREE shipping.  Simply enter the promo code HOL25SHIP at checkout. 

Happy card shopping!

Get 10 FREE Holiday Greeting Cards from Cardstore

Get 10 Free holiday greeting cards from Cardstore.com today only! Use the promo code CCN2433 at checkout. This is such a fun and great opportunity to save on Thanksgiving, season's greetings, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's cards.

20% off at Plum District - Today Only

Want to save an extra 20% off the already amazing deals Plum District is offering?  Today only, use the promo code SPOOKY20 at checkout to receive this additionally amazing discount!

Perhaps it is a great time to take advantage of the holiday meat tasting menu.  With this 20% discount, you will pay just $42.40 (deal valued at $129!).

Happy deal shopping!

101 Free Prints from Shutterfly

Happy 5th of July! Today only, Shutterfly is offering 101 free prints. Just use the promo code PRINTS4TH at checkout. (tax and shipping not included)

Wordless Wednesday: Rapunzel Wig

Elf on the Shelf Shopping Trick

As it seems like most kids are this year, my 4-and 6-year-olds are in love with Ralphie, their Elf on the Shelf.

They love coming down every morning to see where he has moved to.  My son even decided that he would prefer to give Ralphie his letter to Santa since he knew Ralphie had a straight shot to Mr. Claus.

And while I have gotten creative with ideas as to why Ralphie didn't move on a couple of nights, I am most proud of how Ralphie has become my shopping buddy...well, sort of.

My 4-year old daughter hasn't really given us a ton of ideas for what she wants for Christmas (perhaps that is because she got everything she wanted for her birthday in the beginning of November), but needless to say, we have had a tough time figuring out what to get her.  And since she has preschool just 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time, she is with me most of the time.  And that time includes shopping time.

Here's my little shopping trick: While shopping with my daughter, she found something she liked. I asked if she wanted to take it home to show it to our elf, Ralphie, so that he knew exactly what to tell Santa.  Of course, she said yes.  I explained to her that I would have to return the item (in this case, a Pillow Pet) to the store the next day because Santa would be making one especially for her.  When we got home, she talked to Ralphie and showed him the Pillow Pet.  Then, while she was sleeping, Ralphie took the Pillow Pet to the North Pole for Santa to check out (a.k.a. the Pillow Pet was put in the Christmas present hiding spot in our garage.)  She woke up the next morning to find Ralphie sitting in a new spot and the Pillow Pet was gone.  She was thrilled when I told her Ralphie must have taken it to Santa.

I have since used the same tactic with a few other presents.

It is hard enough to go shopping with your kids and remember what they want, let alone go back at another time and pray that the item is still there. 

I am proud to say our Elf on the Shelf has brought efficiency to our holiday shopping.

Thank you, brilliant Elf on the Shelf creator! You have added a fun element to preparing for the holidays and helped parents across the globe

Gingerbread House Fun

My kids love decorating their gingerbread house each year for Christmas.  This year, Wilton has made it even easier on Mommy...the Gingerbread house kit at Costco is already assembled.  All you have to do is ice it and decorate it.

Grandma and Grandpa were lucky enough to be here to help with the decorating, too. 

And yes, my daughter figured out very quickly how tasty the icing is!

Oh yeah, I caught her red handed trying to squeeze the icing in her mouth!

 Gingerbread boys and girls were fun to make, too!

Still sampling the icing!

One last taste...

Ta-da!  The finished product!