Here’s a great link to more printable coupons. Enjoy!
http://mojosavings.com/2009/12/19/christmas-retail-restaurant-printable-coupons/
Dec 18
This website–http://canvaspeople.com–is offering a FREE 8 x 10 portrait of your choice converted to canvas to new customers. While it won’t make it in time for Christmas it’s still a really great gift for someone or to enjoy yourself.
Dec 18
Clearly a traditional turkey feast is in order for Thanksgiving but Christmas is more open for interpretation. I usually do our big celebratory meal on Christmas Eve and then relax and enjoy leftovers while my kids enjoy their slice of new toy heaven.
We usually serve pork tenderloin (one of my grandma’s recipes), but I’m always on the lookout for other ideas. (See below for Grandma’s recipe.)
I’ve heard of others doing prime rib or tri-tip, but we’re not huge beef eaters. We’ve done cranberry-glazed chicken and even gone out to eat some years. No one is a big fan of ham in our house, so we usually only serve that on Easter.
Question: What do you serve for Christmas?
Gram’s Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin strips (trimmed from fat)
Italian style bread crumbs
eggs
flour
vegetable oil
Cut meat into 1-inch thick slices and then pound down until it’s 1/2 inch thick or thinner. Once the meat is pounded out and excess fat is trimmed off, dip the meat into the flour. Shake off excess flour and dip into egg mixture until coated, then place meat slice into bread crumbs. Shake off excess bread crumbs and then brown in skillet with oil. Brown on each side and then place on a cookie sheet and put in oven for an extra 20 minutes on 375 degrees to make sure the meat is cooked all the way through.
Dec 17
As you start your own family, you combine the traditions of the past and create new traditions to share in your own burgeoning families.
I do have a word of caution about traditions though. It’s easy to become a slave to them, and while there are many wonderful things you can or should do during the holidays, sticking to tradition can kill the spirit of Christmas if you let it overwhelm you.
For example, this year we missed out on one of our favorite traditions – going to the drive-thru Live Nativity in nearby —but in the end I enjoyed staying home and spending time together relaxing even more. We’d had a busy day full of holiday fun but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
I find that when I fill my life with too many things – no matter how great they all are – I rob myself of the joy that those bring me. So, as a word of warning, be cautious biting off more than you can chew in the name of having a great Christmas. I’m sure my kids appreciated their mom being happy and fun far more than they would’ve appreciated The Live Nativity with their stretched-too-thin mother.
Keeping that in mind I wanted to share a few of our favorite things we do and hear your ideas on what your families do. Here are a few of our favorite traditions that we’ve carried on and/or adapted for our own little nucleus.
· Every Christmas Eve, as a little boy my husband would always receive a few early gifts. One was always a good, long book and the other was always a new pair of pajamas.
· My family always celebrates St. Nick’s Day (Dec. 6), a European tradition, where you open one small gift and enjoy some candies or cookies. (We adapted this and always give our children an ornament to put on the tree. We usually decorate the tree on or before this day each year so it’s perfectly timed.)
· We give each girl an ornament that reminds us of who they are at that time. It’s so fun each year to pull out the ornaments from year’s past and remember why we chose the ones that we did. We always write their name and the year on the back too. Someday when they have their own “First Christmas Tree” I’ll bestow their ornament collection to them.
· We act as a Secret Santa. We choose a family in need and buy them gifts to help lighten their load – financially or emotionally. This year we weren’t so secret and the kids lamented over how sad they were that they didn’t get to doorbell ditch anyone. (So glad they felt the spirit of service as much as deviant doorbell ditching.)
· We go caroling. I’m not much of a singer but husband and children sound great. I just get to blend in these days. We visit older people and widows in our neighbor and carol to them. It’s a lot of fun and really helps us focus on the important parts of Christmas instead of the commercial, hectic nature of the season.
· We make cookies for Santa. It’s a great chance for me to make some of my Grandmother’s recipes. It helps her feel close to us even though she’s no longer with us.
· We make assignments. Each year someone gets a different special job. One gets to go on Dad’s shoulder’s to put the star at the top of the tree, another gets to dole out the gifts on Christmas Eve, and another get’s to do it on Christmas morning. The kids look forward to this all year round.
Question: What traditions do you enjoy as a family during Christmas?
Dec 16
Need to stock up on wrapping paper, bows and ribbon? If you have a CVS nearby here’s a great way to spend a little and save a lot. They also have great deals this week on gift tags, tissue paper, and bows. When you use your Extra Care Card you get Extra Care Bucks on your receipt that you can use to save money on future purchases.
I shopped yesterday and in the end I SAVED SO MUCH THAT I MADE MONEY WHILE SHOPPING. Who doesn’t love that?
Books always make an excellent gift for young and old alike. Here’s a great coupon to help you save some cash while you continue to cross items off your list.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/email/print_nonav.asp?PID=32358&cds2Pid=32360
These exclusive coupons expire December 21, 2009, so make sure you use it soon.
Macy’s has lots of great options and with this coupon there’s no way you won’t find a great deal. But you have to use it today.
http://akimages.crossmediaservices.com/listingimages/Retailers/macys/Coupons/21568_102.pdf
Question: What deals have you cashed in on this week?
Dec 15
Jamba Juice is offering a FREE California Flatbread today, Tuesday, December 15th from 11AM – 2PM. Not all locations sell the flatbreads, so you might want to call first. Enjoy!
Dec 15
Notice all the changes to my blog design? I’d love feedback — honest feedback — from everyone on the redesign. Write a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for sharing in the joy of the first year of my blogging journey.
There’s more to come in the weeks to come and into 2010.
Dec 15
Two days before Thanksgiving my friend (whose children are all grown) posted this on Facebook: “Just spent two hours cleaning the house as I get ready for Thursday.”
I had to think to myself, When will the time come that I can clean my house two days before company comes and I can expect that it will stay clean? In fact, I had to wonder, When was the last time I cleaned my house in the morning and it was still clean by 11:30 a.m.? I realize I catch myself fantasizing about clean house far more often than it is actually clean. I know, it’s not my stage of life to not trip on 10 things when I enter a room in the moonlight, or to not use my stairs as a human obstacle course as I bob and weave through Barbies, dress-up shoes, and half-eaten granola bars.
We used to have a landlord that would make unannounced “visits” around 3-ish on weekdays to check-in on his house. Those were of course the days when my children would decide to take every toy they owned out of their rooms and play with them in the entry way and living room area. I could hardly open the front door to greet the man because the toys were like a protective blockade from intruders. (I found out later from a neighbor that he was shocked at how clean the house was when moved out since the landlord believed I was such a terrible housekeeper. I took major offense to this since I actually am a clean freak who simultaneously is a mom to young, happy children.)
So, in the midst of the craziness of the holidays, I say, “Let the dirty dishes soak a little longer. Let the laundry pile up more inches high than you are tall.” If anyone accuses you of being a terrible housekeeper you can sit tight and relax because you’ll know it’s all part of the plan.
Since the machine that cleans your whole house only lives in my cleaning fantasies, you are that human machine that does most (or all) of the cleaning. (BTW, in my dreams it’s called a house-ba, like a Roomba or Scooba on steroids.) Chances are you’ve neglected your typical household chores as you’ve been frantically checking items off your Santa list. Don’t be afraid. There’s still a way to make all of this chaos work in your favor.
With Christmas less than two weeks away, now is the time to settle in for a little deep cleaning. I know it sounds crazy to let other things pile up and instead do a little deep cleaning, but it’s true. Now is the best time to tackle those closets, clean the carpets, wipe down baseboards, or prep your pantry.
Here’s my theory on why this works. You know you’ll change the sheets and clean the bathroom before company comes. You know you’ll stock the fridge with snacks and pick up kid’s dirty socks from the living room floor before Grandma comes to visit. But will you really have it left in you to do all of the regular clean up stuff AND reorganize your guest room, or dust your bookshelves? Probably not. When you’re under the gun—and let’s face it, the closer we get to the Big Day the more we feel the pressure—we’ll cut corners at the last minute. That is the kind of stress and chaos that can make a person have a meltdown minutes before company arrives.
I always think that having company stay with you, or a holiday to celebrate, gives you an excuse to knock out things you’ve been postponing. Let that laundry linger longer, eat off paper plates for a few days, and decide now if there’s a big project looming over you to tackle before out of town relatives arrive on your porch.
Dec 14
Our pug, Aggie, is far from normal. Most pugs are a bit eccentric but ours inherited an extra dose of personality.
For example, she has quite a vocabulary. She recognizes more words than most toddlers and she can even speak a few words. (She is able to “say” the phrase “I love you,” and she is working on mastering “happy birthday.”)
She even watches TV – golf is her favorite. She tilts her head at the whispering and then sits up on the edge of her seat to watch with anticipation where the little white ball ends up. The recent “Tigergate” scandle hasn’t seemed to impact her love of the game. She does become hysterical when images of animals appear on TV (even dinosaurs in cartoon format). A brief glimpse of Michael Jackson on TV causes her to bark frantically.
But her recent communication with us was too incredible to not share it in my holiday rhyme below.
‘Twas just weeks before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not our pug (or even a mouse).
The stockings were hung, Charlie Brown Christmas was on the flat screen,
The house was adorned in perfection – it was quite the holiday scene.
The children were upstairs playing in their room,
Except just one who snuggled up with me as if she missed the womb.
In our moment of bliss between she and me,
I turned to her and said, “Plug in the tree.”
When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter.
As Aggie leaped off the couch as if something was the matter.
She turned to give us quite the glare,
Her giant pug eyes wide, not a blink in her stare.
Between anxious spins and puggy yaps
She used her paw to give us pesky taps.
Faster spinning and jumps so lively and quick,
We thought maybe she had seen a glance of good ol’ St. Nick.
My daughter and I looked at one another in awe.
What had we done to create such hoopla?
Then the answer came from the one so young and sweet:
“Mom, instead of ‘Plug in the tree,’ she thought you said, ’Pug gets a treat.’”
Question: Do you believe my canine tale? Cast your vote in the comments section.
Dec 04
One of my favorite ”Friends” moments is when quirky Pheobe tries to help Monica de-code her grandmother’s secret Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Monica makes endless batches before Pheobe remembers the name of her European ancestor who created the recipe named, “Nessleh Tulhous.” Monica then says, “Do you mean, “Nestle Tollhouse?” It reminds me that some of the best recipes for goodies and treats are those from the back of the box or the condensed milk label.
Here’s one of my favorite “secret” recipes for holiday yumminess that isn’t really a secret at all but has everyone fooled (until now) about its origin. No weird ingredients. No complicated Martha Stewart tricks. Just simple and perfect.
The Classic Sugar Cookie
· 1 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening
· OR 1 stick Crisco® Butter Shortening Sticks
· 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
· 2 tablespoons milk
· 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
· 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
· 1 teaspoon salt
· Colored sugar and decors (optional)
·
· BUTTERY CREAM FROSTING
· 4 cups powdered sugar
· 1/3 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening
· OR 1/3 stick Crisco® Butter Shortening Sticks
· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· 6 to 7 tablespoons milk
· Food coloring (optional)
1.COMBINE shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended. Add milk. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in separate large bowl. Mix into shortening mixture until well blended. Chill 1 hour.
3. HEAT oven to 350°F.
4. ROLL out 1⁄3 of dough at a time to about 1⁄4-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars and decors or leave plain and frost when cooled.
5. BAKE 6 to 8 minutes or until edges of cookies are slightly golden. Remove immediately to cooling rack.
BUTTERY CREAM FROSTING
1. COMBINE powdered sugar, shortening and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer; slowly blend in milk to reach desired consistency.
2. BEAT on high speed for 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Tint frosting with food coloring, if desired.
TIP: Spread a thin layer of frosting on cookies and decorate with sparkling sugars or sprinkles while frosting is still wet to ensure the decorations stay in place. If you’re planning to pipe on frosting decorations, make sure to allow the base coat of frosting, and then each addition layer, to dry completely before adding another.
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