Merry Christmas All!

Posts Tagged ‘christmas’

Cookie Making Holiday Tradition

December 26th, 2009 |

Every year we do a long list of holiday traditions. Last year I wrote about our hard candy making and this year I want to share with you our cookie making tradition! The way it works is we make the cookies and the kids get to decorate them. You can tell by the pictures that they were all ages 7 and under! I am thankful that most of the sprinkles do not stick to the cookies. I always grab some for myself after frosting but before sprinkles lol I just personally don’t care for some of them.

We tend to make A LOT of cookies and this year was no different. My mother in law has a bunch of recipes that she makes every year. This year I didn’t even remember having some of them in the previous years. Like Russian Tea Cookies. All I can say is Oh My God! I think the cut outs are the most fun because everyone gets to do a part. Each child picks the cookie cutter that then want to use, then Mom rolls out the dough for her children. They each get to make a full sheet of with the cutter they chose. (I received a great new house cutter from Wilton this year, Spencer picked that one out to use.)

housecookies santacookies

We bake them, frost them, the kids get to decorate them and then we EAT! Here are just some of what she made! You will have to wait until next year to find out about the delicious Chocolate candy we make!

Cookies2

Merry Christmas All!

Disclosure: This is a family tradition that we do every year. I was provided with products to assist me with my holiday cookie preparations. See my full disclosure policy here.

Posted in Family |

Tags: Baking, christmas, cookies, Family |

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Walmart’s Christmas Dinner for Eight

December 20th, 2009 |

Author: Toni-Lynn

What are some of your best tips and tricks for the holidays? Do you have any favorite holiday meal memories or a special dish that you prepare every year? I sadly don’t! I am thinking I am at the time in my life where I really need to start doing more traditions. My mother in law has so many of them that it makes me happy to know that my boys have some already!

Walmart has good news for moms seeking to save money without sacrificing holiday cheer -a holiday meal for 8 under $30 (that’s less than $4 per person)! Food Network star Aarón Sánchez has developed recipes to go with Walmart’s affordable holiday menu to help families create a delicious Christmas or New Year’s celebration on a budget.

To find out more about Walmart’s Holiday Dinner ideas, check out Holiday Meals! In addition, you can find some great recipes from the Food Network’s Aaron Sanchez.

Holiday Entertaining Walmart’s $30 Christmas feast for eight starts with family-favorite ingredients, including:

One 10-pound spiral cut half-ham
Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie

It just wouldn’t feel like the holidays without dinner and entertainment to enjoy with the family. A recent survey conducted by MomCentral.com on behalf of Walmart revealed that the current economy impacts overall holiday plans for 80% of moms. As a result, 75% of those surveyed hope to spend only $5‐$15 per person for a big holiday meal, but 71% believe they will end up spending more, around $10-$20 per person.

Chef Aarón Sánchez has tips for turning a New Year’s party into an extra-special affair to remember. Using standard party ingredients, such as cocktail shrimp, a veggie platter, and crescent rolls, Chef Aarón created a party-ready fiesta spread for 10 for as low as $40. It includes:

Shrimp Tray
Vegetable Tray
Hillshire Farms Little Smokies
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Land O’Lakes Egg Nog
Red Velvet cake

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart and received a gift card for my participation”

Posted in Reviews, Reviews by TL |

Tags: christmas, Walmart |

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Use FedEx for all of your Holiday shipping

December 20th, 2009 |

Author: Toni-Lynn

Whether you tend to leave your shopping until the last minute or you bought presents for everyone on your list weeks ago, gift-giving around the Holidays can add extra stress and worry to an already busy schedule – especially when you factor in shipping. How do you ensure a fragile gift arrives intact? What’s the most cost-effective way to ship? Will it arrive on time?

This Holiday season, FedEx offers ways to save time and money with discounts that make FedEx one of the cheapest options this December. For example, when you sign-up on fedex.com, you can save up to 16% on FedEx Express services and 8% on FedEx Ground and Home Delivery. And, by visiting a FedEx Office location, shipping with FedEx Ground costs 10% less than with UPS.

For those awkward sizes, fragile items, or time-strapped packers, FedEx Office professionals can pack and ship your holiday packages for you or give you tips on how to minimize the size and weight of a package to reduce shipping costs at any of the locations nationwide. FedEx Office also offers customized holiday cards, stationery and personalized 2010 calendars in just minutes either online or in-store. With FedEx Office Print Online services, you can print holiday newsletters and cards to a nearby center of your choice or have them delivered to your friends and family hassle-free.

Not only does FedEx Ground cost 10% less than UPS Ground, but the new FedEx Office Print & Ship Centers offer customized calendars, cards, and stationery in addition to packing tips and assistance. Do you ship with FedEx on a regular basis? Are you often unsure of the best way to send a present or package? What do you think about the different offers from FedEx Office?

Sign up for a FedEx account, http://www.fedex.com and find out more information about the different shipping and packing options available. Anyone who signs up for a free account on fedex.com and records their name and confirmation number here http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229YSQDALUE will be entered to win one of 5 Apple iPod Touches!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of FedEx and was promised a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Posted in Reference |

Tags: christmas, FedEx, Reference |

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Who doesn't love SpongeBob SquarePants?

December 13th, 2009 |

Author: Toni-Lynn

Nickelodeon released SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 6, Volume 1 on DVD December 8th. The DVD includes a 2-Disc set that features 24 Spongy Stories from the sixth season, along with the exclusive SpongeBob history song, and more!

In our house, everyone is a fan of SpongeBob. I didn’t know the show even existed until about 2004 but it first came to TV in May of 1999. My mom started buying the Season Sets for us years ago and i am happy to see the new one release! The only thing I really hate is that this is only half the season. Just another way to get us to spend more money Here are the episodes that are included on this DVD. Great addition to the SpongeBob collection!

Disc One
1. House Fancy/Krabby Road
2. Penny Folish/Nautical Novice
3. Spongicus/Suction Cup Symphony
4. Not Normal/Gone
5. The Splinter/Slide Whistle Stooges
6. A Life in a Day/Sun Bleached

Disc Two
7. Giant Squidward/No Nose Knows
8. The Patty Caper/Plankton’s Regular
9. Boating Buddies/The Krabby Kronicle
10. The Slumber Party/Grooming Gary
11. SpongeBob vs. The Big One (guest starring Johnny Depp as Jack Kahuna Laguna!)
12. Porous Pockets/Choir Boys

Special Features
- The SpongeBob History Song
- Ballons (bonus short)
- Juiceman (bonus short)
- The Outfit (bonus short)
- Traffic (bonus short)