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2019 Elf Calendar
Bell the Elf arrived back at our house Thanksgiving Night at around 2am. That’s probably not the best time for your elf’s arrival during the holidays. But let’s be honest, sometimes we have a bit too much Turkey and fall asleep watching British Baking Show. Luckily, our 2 year old woke up wet and saved the day. Since Bell’s arrival was chaotic, I decided that I’d create an “Elf Calendar” for this year. There’s no way I want to search for candy canes in the middle of the night again. Also, because I’m super nice…I’m sharing my calendar so that you don’t have to wake up in the middle of…
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Amazon Black Friday
Affiliate Links – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon Black Friday is here! In less than 24 hours it will be over!!! Amazon can be a little overwhelming. I’m going to break it down by category and some of my favorites in each. Take advantage of these great deals now, before they are gone! Devices – We have multiple Echos and Fire Tablets in our house. These are some of the best prices I’ve ever seen! Echo Dot $22 / Echo Show 5 $49 / Fire Stick $20 / Echo (3rd Gen) $59 Fire 7 Tablet $29 / Fire 7 Kids $59 Toys LOL Disco Surprise…
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Target Black Friday
The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Get a 20% coupon emailed when you spend $50 (use it from 12/3 – 12/14) TARGET Black Friday starts NOW! Here are my favorites from the Doorbusters and more at Target’s Black Friday Sale. (I’m a Redcard Member at Target (Debit or Credit) so I receive an additional discount on my purchases and so can you.) DOORBUSTERS Dyson Animal 2 ($200 off!) / Shark Ultra ($115 off) / Roomba ($100 off) Sherpa Throw ($10) My kids fight over ours. Home (up to 40%) Instant Pot…
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Grandmas Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is an essential item on most of our holiday tables. If your family is anything like ours, the type of cranberry sauce is a very personal choice. We’ve got some that will only eat that smooth, canned variety. I must admit, I do like that kind – it feels very nostalgic. But there’s something about homemade cranberry sauce that seems to go with everything. This recipe from my Grandma is so easy and does not disappoint. Ingredients Orange Zest (1 orange) Fresh Cranberries (1 bag) Crushed Pineapple (1 can) 1/2 cup Walnuts (optional) Water 1 cup Sugar Instructions Step 1 – drain and save juice from pineapple in…
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Evie’s Cherry Crumb Pie
Ingredients Cherry Pie Filling – 2 Cans Lemon (zest from 1 lemon) Pie crust 2 1/2 cups AP flour 1 cup cold unsalted butter 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar Pie crumb – combine with pastry blender 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter Instructions Step 1 – Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Step 2 – Make your pie crust by combining the pie crust ingredients with a pastry blender and chill 1 hour (you can a make this a day or two in advance) Step 3 – Remove pie crust from the refrigerator and roll to fit into a 9 inch…
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Under $100 Thanksgiving Menu
Thanksgiving is a highly underrated holiday. There are no costumes, trick or treating and parades like Halloween and there isn’t the pressure of a million gifts and obligations like Christmas. Thanksgiving is about getting together with those closest to you, making your yummiest food and eating it until your pants pop….and then eating leftovers the next day (or three hours later). I think we actually need more holidays like Thanksgiving if you ask me! Thanksgiving does require some planning and prep work, so if you know me at all…there’s a list involved. Here’s my menu and shopping list to save you some time this year. BONUS – the entire menu…
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Books to Give
One of my favorite things to receive as a gift is a book. I love to read and a new book is an opportunity to experience the author’s world, characters and dreams. If it’s a good book – for a few days that book can transport you to the seaside or the mountaintop or the tensions of war. So much in just one amazing but small gift. The difficult part sometimes is choosing a book for someone else. Consider that person – first do they tend to like historical fiction or romance or science fiction? Not really sure? That’s okay too, sometimes everyone likes to read outside they’re usual genre,…
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Favorite Holiday Movies
I love holiday movies but I’ve actually promised my family this year that I wouldn’t start watching them until November 1st. Well, November 1st is here – so slap on my reindeer ears because all bets are off. You can usually find some holiday movie on the tv between November lst and December 25th in our house. I love all of the sounds of the season from Wil Ferrell to Chevy Chase to Macaulay Culkin to the latest Hallmark Christmas movies – anything goes. That being said, I do have a few favorites. I don’t expect anyone is going to agree with these because really no one in my own…
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Gifts for Boys
When you’re buying boys gifts, its easy to gravitate towards certain kinds of gifts. But I know that the boys in my life have a wide range of interests and I try to think outside the box when I buy them gifts. Most boys love to make craft projects, play games and learn musical instruments too, along with the typical race cars and building blocks. Don’t forget to include soft PJs, cozy slippers and a new pair of winter boots for those boys in your life. Check out my post about books and movies for more ideas! Affiliate Links – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Hanna…
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Gifts for Girls
At my house the toy catalogs are a big deal – my kids fight over the catalogs from Target and Amazon. They’re usually delivered in late October and my daughter starts drafting her list that day. Items in the catalog get circled and crossed out – over and over. If your daughter is anything like mine, she changes her mind about her Christmas list virtually daily. My goal is to get her to finalize her list (in writing) by early November, otherwise, her list would never get to Santa. Typically, Santa always gets a few toys from her list and then we get her some things too (usually more of…
