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Stocking Stuffers for the Entire Family
When I was a child we always came downstairs Christmas morning and opened up the gifts in our stockings while we waited for our parents to get out of bed at 5am. It was a good way of keeping us distracted while my parents tried to wake up. We loved to see what little trinkets waited for us in our stockings. I do think that there’s an art to giving a good stocking. You can’t just stuff it full of one type of thing. It needs to be a mix of practical items and fun items and a few silly things thrown in. So, I’m going to break it down…
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15 Kid Friendly Ideas for Giving Back during the Holidays or Anytime
Sometimes during this busy season the true meaning of the holiday tends to get a little lost. It’s so important as parents that we slow down and take some time to focus on giving back with our children. One of the greatest gifts that we can give children is the gift of charity. That feeling when you give a gift, volunteer or help a stranger is better than any one thing you could ever receive. Here are a few easy ideas to help celebrate the giving season. Visit a local nursing home during the holidays. Call ahead to see if they have a time you can bring your kids in…
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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…
