For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
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God Bless Us, Every One
December 25, 2013 by 1 Comment
Merry Christmas!
December 24, 2013 by 1 Comment
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Enjoy your days and nights, and hopefully get some relaxing in there.
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5 Holiday Meal Preparation and Organization Tips
December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Planning a huge holiday meal for family and friends can be quite an ordeal. Heck, planning dinners during the average work week can be a hassle, so when you’re hosting a slew of people during the busy holiday season, you’d better put some extra time into planning, preparation, and organization if you don’t want your dinner to be a complete disaster. Although you probably have some notion of the amount of work that has to be done and at least a few menu items your guests will expect, still it can’t hurt to get the ball rolling early in order to avoid any major snafus at the eleventh hour. Here are just a few tips that should help to ensure your holiday feast goes off without a hitch.
Plan and shop early. Once you have an idea of how many people are coming to your holiday meal you can begin planning the menu and shopping for items you’ll need. This is important for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, traditional items may sell out as the holidays approach. If you wait until just a few days before your feast to pick up meats, pie crusts, and other items, you may find them out of stock at your local market, leaving you scrambling to hit other stores or plan a new menu. Additionally, however, you’re bound to miss something and you want to make sure you still have plenty of time to pick up ingredients that you accidentally forgot to put on your initial shopping list.
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Hot Toys for Christmas
December 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Disclosure- I have received the below in order to review. All opinions are my own and honest. Please feel free to see the “I Disclose” tab for more info.
Getting ready for Christmas? It can be hard to wade through all the noise to find the best Christmas items. Now that “Black Friday” is over, we can focus on what’s fantastic for the season vs how much can be saved at 3am. A few of my current favorites are;
North Pole Communicator Microphone- This is super cute and fun for kids, and lets them “talk” with Santa every night before bedtime. Beginning December 1, get the family together daily and dial up the North Pole to have “real” back-and-forth conversations with the “big man”, elves, and more. The communicator is quite a lot of fun, will amuse adults as well, really psychs kids up and gets them excited, and and is a great way to get the family involved in a nightly activity.
Hallmark’s Keepsake Ornaments are a tradition for many, and giving a treasured ornament (or building a collection for your children) is something that so many people enjoy doing. Keepsake Ornaments has a variety of ornaments that commemorate milestones and nurture memories, as well as scenes from your favorites movies, TV shows, or cartoon characters. Our favorite this year is “Lions and Tigers and Bears”, a Wizard of Oz ornament that moves and talks. All the characters move and speak lines from this scene in the movie. There is an amazing variety of Keepsake Ornaments, so finding the perfect gift for your child or loved one is easy.
The new interactive storybook “Santa and the Christmas Eve Flight” is adorable and will make bonding over reading with you kids fun for both of you. Santa responds with questions or choices as you read key words and phrases. how your child answers will shape this story, which can change each time you read it. There are more then 30 responses from Santa, which makes the possibilities for the storyline pretty diverse.
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Five Attractions to See in NYC Over Christmas
December 10, 2013 by 2 Comments
The day after Thanksgiving, when families are still full of holiday cheer and pumpkin pie, New York City hangs its wreaths, switches over its store displays, and gets ready to celebrate Christmas. The sound of taxis speeding through crosswalks is replaced by the sweet sound of Christmas carols, as holiday shows go up, store windows are lit with icicle lights, and visitors descend on the city to share in the cheer. Plan your perfect holiday trip with these fun and festive stops along the way:
Holiday Windows: The Upper East Side is known for its terrific shopping, but even those on a budget can enjoy the city’s wonderful department stores during the holiday season without spending a dime. New York’s most famous stores, including Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, and Bloomingdale’s, all deck out their storefronts with elaborate and festive scenes during the holiday season. With just over a mile between all of the shops, checking out all of the windows is a terrific, but time-effective, tour of central Manhattan.
The Nutcracker: George Balanchine’s holiday classic comes alive with some of the world’s greatest dancers at the NYC Ballet. For those seeking an activity that provides ample holiday cheer to a variety of age groups, this festive celebration more than fits the bill. Whether you’re a visitor or a life-long New Yorker, The Nutcracker’s mix of true artistry and holiday whimsy rarely fails to delight.
Portable North Pole
December 2, 2013 by 12 Comments
Disclosure: I am a Portable North Pole Christmas Magic Ambassador. I received compensation and complementary Portable North Pole products in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Christmas time is upon us, and this time of year is not only stressful for parents but also for kids. The all seeing big guy in a red and white suit is especially watchful right now, so best behavior is mandatory! But what if this best behavior isn’t working out? Instead of an upswing, is there a quick down swing in attitude and attentiveness?
Why not reaffirm the good behavior with a Santa phone call and video? It’s cute and fun.
Check out Portable North Pole for some quality personalized items for Christmas, including their wonderful Premium Video. The video features Santa and his elves as they go through your child’s year and gives them a naughty or nice recommendation as well as some personal details about what they have tried hard on this year and their achievements of the last 12 months. Little Man really loved the recap of the year and the personalized pictures included in the video. His favorite part was when Santa saw his artwork and complemented him on it. The Little Guy had a smile bigger then the sun. The video is downloadable or stream-able, so even when the internet goes down the video can still be seen. I would definitely suggest saving it, no one likes a choppy Santa. I personally love how they ask for a proper pronunciation of your child’s name. With the number of unique names around currently, it is nice to see this special touch.
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Holiday Wines – Sterling Vineyards
November 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Disclosure- these bottles were provided as samples to facilitate this post. As I don’t consume alcohol, my husband did the drinking for me, and let me know his thoughts 🙂
I liked the light flavor of both these wines. I’m not a big wine drinker, but these I could drink. They aren’t fruity or have odd flavors, and the oak flavor in the pinot noir is interesting.
Sterling Vineyards Carneros Pinot Noir
The bright acidity and gentle tannins of this fine Pinot can take guests from appetizers right into the main meal, pairing with a cornucopia of dishes on the Thanksgiving or Christmas table. The smell-nose is oak-y, a full body aroma. The smell is complex and not that of the basic red wine. The taste is light, but definitely still a red wine. The flavor is more subtle then other red wines and frankly more enjoyable. This would go well with a nice steak or cut of beef. There is very little after taste with a clean crisp finish.
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Thanksgiving Cocktails
November 15, 2013 by 2 Comments
That special time of the year is approaching when we gather with loved ones to celebrate what we’re thankful for, eat delicious food, and toast to the start of the holiday season! When planning the indulgent spread, don’t forget to include a signature cocktail or two to compliment your seasonal fare. SMIRNOFF has two new confection flavors, SMIRNOFF Wild Honey Flavored Vodka and SMIRNOFF Cinna-Sugar Twist Flavored Vodka that are perfect additions to Thanksgiving libations.
Alongside these delicious cocktails, don’t forget to have a staple red and white wine on hand so you don’t leave any of your guests out. Sterling Vineyards Carneros Pinot Noir and Aromatic White pair great with appetizers at any Thanksgiving gathering. Below, please find two delicious and easy-to-make SMIRNOFF cocktail recipes and wine pairing info that are sure to become a part of your Thanksgiving traditions!
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