SWH4T$

Today I am linking up with Sweet Stella's and Baby Shmizz for their SWH4T$ link up. Please take a moment to check out their wonderful blogs.

This week's money saving idea is for holiday gifts you can make. Anytime you make your own gifts, you are going to save money. You are also going to save a little sanity, no malls = sanity!!

First off is Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar. I have to credit Domestic Charm Blog for this great idea!! I have made these cocoa mixes in the past and given them as gifts but the packing on the ones below are just so cute!! The fun part is you can add your favorite goodies to the mix, candy cane pieces, marshmallows, chocolate pieces....the possibilities are endless! You can tie them up with the fun paper straws like below but my favorite is to tie a candy cane on there. Be sure to make a very cute tag with the directions. Perfect for teachers, hair dressers, mail carriers, this list is also endless!!

The next idea is for a fabric covered journal. This gift is so simple and so much fun to make. You can find the full instructions here. This is such a great way to use up some fabric you have been holding on to. Again this project has so many possibilities with embellishments and endless possibilities for recipients. 

I hope these two ideas will help you out with some of the gifts you need to give this holiday season! I know there will be some friends and teaches receiving these from our family!

Be sure to enter the Ultimate Christmas Giveaway here!

 

The Ultimate Christmas Giveaway!!!!!

Welcome to The Ultimate Christmas Giveaway Event!

 

You have a chance to win the Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set worth $199.99!

If bought separately, the items in the kit would cost $250!

The Ultimate Decorating Set contains the following: 9-inch & 11-inch Straight Black Handle Spatulas, 9-inch & 13-inch Angled Black Handle Spatulas, 10-inch Featherweight Bags - 2 Pack, 12-inch Disposable Bags - 50 Pack, Practice Board with Patterns 4 - Standard Couplers, 6 Pc Forming Cups, Large Lily Nail, - 2 Pack 15-inch Parchment, Triangles Round Tips: #1, #3, #5, #12 Star Tips: #14, #16, #18, #21, #1M Petal Tips: #59s, #101, #104 Leaf Tips: #352 and #366 Bismarck Tip #230 Drop Flower Tip #2D Multi Opening Tip #233 Thin and Thick Foams Flower Nail Templates Brush Set, Gold Foil Cut, & Press Button Flower Pansy Cutter, Wave Flower Former, 2 Pack 2 Pc Mum Cutter Set, Calla Lily Cutter, Calla Lily Former, Scallop Ruffle Cutter, Lily Stamen Set Tip, Dishwasher Pouch, Dusting Pouch, Green Ball Tool, Green Veining Tool, Fondant Smoother Ribbon Cutter/Embosser, 12-inch Dowel Rods, Round Cut Out Set, Rose Cutter Set, 5 pc 8-inch Cake Circle, Silicone Tip Covers, 9-inch Rolling Pin Thin, and Thick Modeling Sticks, 4 Pc Decorating Nail Set, & The Ultimate Tool Caddy!
There are 28 blogs participating in this event. To not make the Rafflecopter entry list too long - all entries are MANDATORY (worth 5 entries each) with JUST ONE optional entry (to Tweet about the giveaway - worth 5 points as well)! Going through 28 blogs to win a $199.99 prize is not hard to do at all! I went through the list myself & didn't run into any problems - I was done in less than half an hour. :) The giveaway is December 7 till the 14th (ending at 11:59PM EST on 12/14) but the winners will not be announced until December 16, 2011 so we can make sure that everyone who entered followed all the rules. I know Google Friend Connect widgets can do disappearing acts so please give all of the pages time to fully load or refresh a page to see if the widget shows up. This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canada readers only – we wish we could include international readers as well but we hope you guys understand. (If you're in Canada, please check our Giveaway Policy to make sure you qualify to enter You may be asked to answer a question if you win.) Must be 18 years old & older to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be e-mailed & will have 48 hrs. to reply or we have no choice but to pick another winner. Below are the following blogs participating in this giveaway along with the Rafflecopter! It’s only 28 blogs total so not a lot of work on your part! We all have the same Rafflecopter code so just as long as you enter in one blog, it’s okay – as long as you make sure to visit each blog to follow them according to the Rafflecopter form below (we check for duplicate entries)! Happy linking & Good Luck! 1) Life According to Damaris 2) Building Our Story 3) Force Family Journey 4) Gumdrop Pass 5) Our Crazy Bunch 6) Little Miss Nerd Girl 7) It's a Vol 8) The Mommyhood Chronicles 9) Mama Luvs Books 10) Frugal Plus 11) Our Life is a Jungle 12) Ever Changing 13) The Mama Pirate 14) Banana Hammocks & Tutus 15) Little Free Radical 16) Tidbits from a Mom 17) Keenly Kristin 18) Another Day in Paradise 19) Domestically Unemployed 20) Healthy Mom on the Run 21) Our Pregnancy Roadtrip & Beyond 22) Sweet Peas & Bumblees 23) Thrifty Frugal Living 24) My Messmerized Life 25) Ethereal Influence 26) Mamalou's Gems 27) Africa's Blog 28) Why We Love Green

(Make sure you have Javascript enabled to see this giveaway!)

Holiday Season

 

 The holiday season is such a magical time of the year. There are a lot of lights, yummy goodies, extra time spent with family and hearts filled with joy. This time of the year was made so much better when our son was born 6 years ago. There is nothing quite like the holiday season when you have a kiddo around. It seems that every little thing gets him more excited for this season. He loved hearing all the stories about the Christmas ornaments. 

 This year he was able to write a letter to Santa without much help, only some spelling help. We mailed his letter at Macy's and yet he was still very excited to sit on Santa's lap to tell him just what he wanted this year. He received a very cool card from the North Pole Elves, thank you Tiny Prints, letting him know that he is indeed on the nice list this year. 

We know in Denver that the holiday season has officially begun when we brave the cold weather to see the Parade of Lights. This parade is full of beautiful floats, marching bands and balloons all decorated with lights. Santa comes to make a special guest appearance at the end of the parade and put the best smiles on the faces of all the believers watching the parade. 

I hope this holiday season is bringing joy to all of my readers! Tell me about some of the traditions you hold dear during this time of the year.

I'm Back

You may have noticed that I did not blog last week, I had to take an unplanned break from blogging. I had a terrible tooth ache on Saturday and made it through the rest of the weekend. On Monday I was able to call the dentist and get some antibiotics and make an appointment for a root canal I have been putting off for some time. Dental work is something I tend to put off a lot, even though I really should make it a priority. I was able to make it through the days at work and try my best to be a decent mom at night. I know I don't have the patience I need as a parent when I am not feeling well. Blogging was not a priority because of this dental issue. I missed writing and reading any comments. I am glad to be back and I hope you are all ready to read more of my blog posts! Have a great week!!

 

Eating Crow Today

So, earlier this week I blogged about not shopping all the madness of Black Friday and how I was irritated about how many stores were open on Thanksgiving. 

Well, today I am eating a big slice of pumpkin humble pie. At my family's Thanksgiving Feast yesterday, everyone started looking at the sale flyers from the paper. Once I saw several toys my son has on his Christmas Wish List, at 50% off, I knew I had to change my mind and venture out for the deals. 

I did feel a little better about my shopping because I did not go to any store on Thanksgiving, instead I decided to go at Midnight to Target. I had three very clear items I was going for and had a game plan once I got there. 

Since we live in one of the smaller suburbs of Denver, I did not think the store would be too crowded and went there at 11:50 p.m. Once I got there I realized I had made a grave misjudgement of the crowd. The line was very long and it was quite cold and windy but I was determined to get the items I had come for. Once the clock hit 12:00 the line began to move, a little at a time. It took me 15 min. to actually enter the store and since it was so windy and cold all of us in the long line looked like March of the Penguins all huddled together to keep warm. 

Once I got inside I realized that most people were there that early for televisions but the whole store seemed to be filled in every aisle. Since Target was handing out maps to all of us in line I had a game plan and knew exactly where I needed to go. I got the three items I as looking for and headed to the front to check out. Another 20 min. in line to check out and I was done and out the door. I was pleased with my purchases and glad I saved as much as I did. On my way home I knew I had to write this blog today because I had such a strong opinion in my last post. 

For all of you who also went out shopping, I hope you found some great deals and saved lots of money on your Christmas gifts.

Black.....Thursday??

We all know that this Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. My question this year is......do we really have to start on Thanksgiving? Do we really need to make people leave their family celebrations just to sell us the "must have" deal? Why can't we just wait until Friday, the deals will still be there at 4am just like every other year. 

When I was in college, I worked at Wal-Mart and worked the store on Black Friday. I understand the desire for a great deal, and there are some great deals on Black Friday. This year so many retailers have decided to begin their shopping madness at Midnight or even before and I just think it is horrible that they can't just let employees enjoy one day with their families.

My family is going to forgo the Black Friday shopping this year. We would not be huge spenders if we went but we would never choose to go on Thanksgiving just because we believe that day is for families to be together.

I wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Black Friday Shopping!!

Versatile Blogger Award Winner!!

I was given the Versatile Blogger Award

 I am so honored that Censie from Building Our Story put me on her list of bloggers she loves! Thanks a bunch Censie! I am so honored that she thought of my blog when she was picking her top 15 Versatile Blogs. I love reading about Censie and her family, be sure to check out her blog and follow her too!!

So here are the "rules to accepting the award":

• Tell 7 things about myself

• Pass the award along to 15 bloggers that I feel are deserving 

1. I am an only child and was raised by a single mother

2. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 8 great years

3. We have a very sweet 6 year-old son who keeps us hopping

4. I love my job! I do fundraising for a Non-Profit in Denver, we serve abused and neglected kids

5. I love documentary films and T.V. shows, National Geographic is one of my favorite channels

6. I love to bake, cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, bread....almost anything, I also love to make candy

7. Estes Park, Colorado is my favorite place in the world

Now I am going to pass this wonderful award on to 15 of my favorite bloggers. Please take time to check each of them out and be sure to follow them too!!

 1. Iheart Organizing
2. Goodson Family Journey 
3. Mommies Time Out Today 
4. My Attempt at Motherhood 
5. Never a Dull Moment 
6. Peace Love & Poop 
7. The Mama Pirate 
8. The Real Life of a Red Head 
9. Eat, Pray, Love....LIVE! 
10. Tickled Pink
11. Perfectly Imperfect
12. Our Growing Garden
13. Mom 4 Real
14. Mama.Mommy.Mom.
15. A Gracious Home