Blogmania: Holiday Open House! Elf's Pajamas

As a child there was a tradition in my home that I just could not resist passing on to my family. I have changed things up a bit and played up the Christmas "magic" a tiny bit more than my mom did but the general idea is the same. 

On Christmas Eve, while we are out at church, one of Santa's elves comes for a visit.  This secret elf stops by to make sure that everything is in order for Saint Nick and leaves a freshly washed, cozy set of Christmas pajamas for each one us.  The pajamas are always left unwrapped under the Christmas tree. Eph loves to get his Christmas pajamas and loves that they are from the elves. 

Now here is the little secret...

Once I was a grown adult my mom told me that the reason she always gave me new pajamas on Christmas Eve was because she wanted the pictures from Christmas morning to be perfect. [I know isn't she just the smart one?] She didn't want the pictures of me opening my gifts in old stained t-shirts to be looked back on years later with the thought, "what was I wearing." 

Now, as I said, I changed the tradition up with the elves and adding the grown ups pajamas. I try to buy a similar color or design for each of us. I should tell you that finding matching pajamas for the four of us is anything but easy. I have never done the actually matching pajamas, I think that I might just take my Martha fascination a tad too far. 

If you would like to add this fun little tradition to your home there are just a couple of things that you should consider.  First off, how do you get the pajamas under the tree?  We do the "forget something in the house" routine.  Once the kids are safely buckled in their car seats, one of us runs back in and puts the pajama's under the tree.  Another idea I have considered is asking my neighbor to pop over and place them under the tree. You also need to come up with a plausible story as to why the elves have to check on the house.  Of course we don't have a traditional fireplace so the pajama elves are their to look for other entrance points, like windows and doors. 

Once everyone is all snuggled up in their pajamas; we set out the reindeer treats, cookies & milk, and gather under the tree to read our favorite Christmas stories. 


Come back daily to enter the Sunshine Praises $20 gift certificate to my dear friend's Etsy shop.  This is not a sponsored post. I am personally going to give one of my readers a GC to Vinyl Signs 4 Him just for participating in the Holiday Open House.

TO ENTER THE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE:

Please ENTER THE DIRECT URL to YOUR Holiday Entertaining post (post must include our giveaway button in it) in the link up below for YOUR chance to win the over $2,000 in prizes* - all chosen to make you the Holiday hostess with the MOSTESS!!




*All links must link directly to a winter/holiday entertaining post. Links to main pages will be deleted. All linked posts must include our giveaway button. Any posts without our button in them will be deleted. Winner will be chosen using random.org. from all eligible (remaining) links and announced on www.parkerpronline.com on Nov. 11, 2010 and winner will also be contacted via comment on winning post. Winner will then have 72 hours to submit their contact information to blogmaniapr@gmail.com in order to claim the prize package. If not claimed, a new winner will be selected from remaining eligible links.

TO ENTER THE SUNSHINE PRAISES GIVEAWAY:

• Post one comment on that current days post with a link to your Holiday Open House post and either Tweet or Facebook a link to the Sunshine Praises Holiday Open House Post. If you tweet be sure to include #PPRO. (1 entry per day)
• Winner will be chosen by using random.org at the close of the event.  Comments will be counted each day starting with this posting, day 2, day 3 etc.  Winners will be contacted via email (so make sure yours is listed) and have 48 hours to respond. I will choose a new winner if I do not have a response.

Praise & Giveaway: ChicoBag Resuable Bags

As the mother of young children, one of the issues of great concern to me is the environmental impact of plastics, chemicals and toxins in our landfills.  Daily, research is telling us that this "disposable" world we have created is impacting so many aspects of our lives. Doing away with disposable plastic bags are a simple change to make for the betterment of our environment.

For over a year now, I have made a concerted effort to reduce the use of plastic bags in our home.  I have acquired a large amount of your typical large square bags.  Here is a picture of my bag collection:

When I saw a review on one of my favorite blogs of the ChicoBag I really was really impressed with their product, the company and their mission.  After hearing about their great company, I contacted them and they generously offered to send me a bag of my choice and one to host a giveaway.  Deciding which bag to get was not an easy task but we were in need of a hands free alternative when we are out and about so I chose the Daypack15 in meadow.  Here is the description from the website:

The DayPack15 rePETe™ is our answer to an overwhelming number of requests to produce a DayPack for women. The DayPack15 shares the same basic design philosophy as the larger DayPack rePETe™, but is designed to complement a more feminine lifestyle. The DayPack15 features subtle curves and is smaller than the DayPack20. Made of 95% recycled content and available in four new colors, the DayPack15 is designed for the fashion conscious, eco-friendly traveler or commuter.

I just love this bag.  It is the perfect size for all our going out needs and the side pockets are great for a set of sippy cups, keys and our paci collection.  I am able to carry a pack of wipes, cloth diapers, my wallet, toys, books and a host of other items.  Because the bag is light weight, it doesn't feel over loaded.

All of this...fits neatly into...

here.

We have taken the bag on a host of outings including the pumpkin farm, football games, the grocery store, a craft fair and they gym. I love that I can just go hands free which leaves me the ability to push my cart/stroller, talk to my family using sign language and pick up my daughter.

I also love that all their bags fold compactly into a small little pouch for easy on the go. You can keep one (or 5) in the car for all your last minute shopping trips.

Beyond just making a outstanding product, ChicoBag is committed to addressing the environmental problems we all face.  You can read more about their commitment to the planet here. They even have a program where they will take ANY worn out reusable bag from ANY company and repurpose it.

Now this post absolutely would not be complete without some attention being focused on The Bag Monster. This "creature" was created with 500 plastic bags and tours the world bringing attention to reducing (and banning) single use bags. After reading this information, I am ashamed that I use as many single use bags (although I always use them multiple times and recycle) as I do. I vow to fill both cars with reusable bags and use them everytime I go to the store.

You can purchase all of the fabulous ChicoBag through their website or you can win your very own Daypack15 in the color smoke right here!

Mandatory Entry:
Visit the ChicoBag website, come back and tell me one of the which product is your favorite AND one way you can "take action" in the reusable bag movement.

Extra Entries:

Make sure you do a separate comment for EACH entry. Be sure to include your email. I want you to have as many chances to win as you can. Remember you must do the MANDATORY ENTRY FIRST! Then the extras. Email me with questions!

Extra Entries (1 per entry unless otherwise noted):

• Publicly follow the Bag Monster blog on Google Friends.
• Publicly follow Sunshine Praises on Google Friends.
• Follow Sunshine Praises on Twitter and tweet this (or your own idea). Link back here to your comment. (3x per day). Sample Tweet:

#Win an @ChicoBag Daypack15 from @SunshinePraises http://bit.ly/9NZPS1 #eco #giveaway (11/22) 

• Follow Chicobag and the Bag Monster on Twitter.
• Sign up for our Sunshine Praises email. (3 entries)
• "Like" Sunshine Praises on Facebook, that's another one!
• "Like" ChicoBag on Facebook.
• "Like" the Bag Monster on Facebook.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this contest. Make sure to leave a direct link in your comment. (3 entries)
• Grab my *NEW* button! Post a link to your blog and show me where
• Join my Blog Frog community.
• Comment on any other Sunshine Praises post.
• Join me on Network Blogs.

Giveaway ends on November 22, 2010 at 11:59 EST. The winners will be selected by random.org and notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected. Must be 18 years of age to enter. No purchase necessary. Open to US residents only.


I was not financially compensated for this post. I was given a sample product from the company. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and have not been in any way influenced. For my full disclosure statement click here.*

Blogmania: Holiday Open House! Old World Ornaments

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is decorating the Christmas Tree. We always reserve a night during the Thanksgiving weekend in which we unload all the boxes of shiny, glittery decorations and spend the evening listening to Christmas carols, drinking hot chocolate and decorating the tree. 

I am not particular about many things when it comes to decorating but one of my "requirements" is that we only have Old World Glass Ornaments on our tree.  Each one of the ornaments has been acquired since my husband and I married in 2003.  The original set that I was given is the bridal set.  That year we had just the 12 ornaments and then your standard glass balls. Since that time I have purchased an ornament for each of us (and now the children) that represents something about our year.

Choosing the perfect ornament is my favorite part of the process.  I scour the Christmas Treasures website looking at each of the ornaments and trying to decide which one is the perfect match for each one of us. The year's memories come back in little sparks as I jot down some of my favorites for the year.  Sometimes I just can't resist buying more than one. 

Here are some of last year's ornaments and my their stories:

For Eph 2009 was the year of Pirates and all things "Arghh"! He had a little pirate costume, pirate boats and addiction to anything to do with pirates. This tiny boat was the perfect match for little man.

For Lu I chose the little Garden Cherub. She was bright and cheerful with angles wings, a halo and a sunflower on her gown. Sunflowers have a special meaning in my life and it was the perfect match for my little ray of sunshine.

For my husband, I chose something a little more whimsical.  The French Fries ornament was the 2nd part in his Happy Meal collection.  My honey has an addiction to hamburgers, french fries and and Coke.

And here is a picture of my tree:

And I can't end the post without mentioning that I don't keep a list of which year and why I give the ornament or to who. I hope one day there will be more little green boxes wrapped under the tree for my grandchildren to open and I look forward to buying the brides set for my future daughter in-law. 

I love the mini memories that the ornaments represent and the memories that we have yet to make.

Do you have a favorite ornament? If so why?


You will also want to come back daily to enter the Sunshine Praises $20 gift certificate to my dear friend's Etsy shop.  This is not a sponsored post. I am personally going to give one of my readers a GC to Vinyl Signs 4 Him just for participating in the Holiday Open House.

TO ENTER THE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE:

Please ENTER THE DIRECT URL to YOUR Holiday Entertaining post (post must include our giveaway button in it) in the link up below for YOUR chance to win the over $2,000 in prizes* - all chosen to make you the Holiday hostess with the MOSTESS!!




*All links must link directly to a winter/holiday entertaining post. Links to main pages will be deleted. All linked posts must include our giveaway button. Any posts without our button in them will be deleted. Winner will be chosen using random.org. from all eligible (remaining) links and announced on www.parkerpronline.com on Nov. 11, 2010 and winner will also be contacted via comment on winning post. Winner will then have 72 hours to submit their contact information to blogmaniapr@gmail.com in order to claim the prize package. If not claimed, a new winner will be selected from remaining eligible links.

TO ENTER THE SUNSHINE PRAISES GIVEAWAY:

• Post one comment on that current days post with a link to your Holiday Open House post and either Tweet or Facebook a link to the Sunshine Praises Holiday Open House Post. If you tweet be sure to include #PPRO. (1 entry per day)
• Winner will be chosen by using random.org at the close of the event.  Comments will be counted each day starting with this posting, day 2, day 3 etc.  Winners will be contacted via email (so make sure yours is listed) and have 48 hours to respond. I will choose a new winner if I do not have a response.

Blogmania: Holiday Open House! Potlucks

 

In yesterdays post I shared my a bit about my dream to create the most Marthaeque Thanksgiving that one could imagine and my personal lack or ability to do it.  It is good to dream right? Now in today's post I am going to share 2 recipes that I consider my signature dishes.

Now I do want to preface this by saying, if I have the choice, I am ALWAYS the one who signs up to bring the paper products or drinks.  Would you like to know why?  Well I have four very very furry fur babies.  I have 2 long haired cats, 1 Muppet like mutt and a short snouted little Boston terrier.  Unfortunately, along with that many animals comes a whole lot of fur.  So, preparing food to take out, presents a challenge.  I am constantly cleaning, washing, rinsing, wiping out everything that I use to cook with so that I am not risking even one tiny little stray hair to get into my meal.

The first recipe is an appetizer that I want to share is from my Aunt JB.  My Aunt is a quickie cook and I love her for it. One of her best appetizers are Bacon Wrapped Crackers.  So simple, quick and inexpensive that I love to make it for parties.  [I will say this is a cook and eat right away, so they should not be left in the car for an hour.] 

And here is the recipe:

 

Bacon Crackers

 

With your kitchen shears, cut a pound of bacon in half. Wrap slices of bacon around a butter cracker. Put crackers on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Drain on towel. Serve warm or cold.

 

Honestly can you get more easy than that? You will be amazed at how quickly the plate empties and people rave over them. I know I always am.

 

The second recipe that I am going to share is a quick and easy version of "Corn Pudding."  There is a Marthaesque/Joy of Cooking version of this classic dish that my Grandmother made every year for the holidays.  When I make it for my family, I always make the more intricate version but for office pot lucks and church gatherings, I love the Jiffy Corn Bread version. I also like this recipe because it does not contain any eggs [which my daughter is allergic to]

 

And here is the recipe:

 

Jiffy Corn Pudding

 

1 can whole kernel white corn, drained
1 can cream corn
1 stick butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix


Melt butter in dish. Put in corn and cream. Mix together well. Sprinkle corn bread mix over corn and stir all together. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.


I hope that you enjoyed these two tasty little tidbits. I would love to hear some of your simple go to recipes.  You can even post them on your blog for a chance to win in the Holiday Open House Giveaway.

You will also want to come back daily to enter the Sunshine Praises $20 gift certificate to my dear friend's Etsy shop.  This is not a sponsored post. I am personally going to give one of my readers a GC to Vinyl Signs 4 Him just for participating in the Holiday Open House.

TO ENTER THE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE:

Please ENTER THE DIRECT URL to YOUR Holiday Entertaining post (post must include our giveaway button in it) in the link up below for YOUR chance to win the over $2,000 in prizes* - all chosen to make you the Holiday hostess with the MOSTESS!!




*All links must link directly to a winter/holiday entertaining post. Links to main pages will be deleted. All linked posts must include our giveaway button. Any posts without our button in them will be deleted. Winner will be chosen using random.org. from all eligible (remaining) links and announced on www.parkerpronline.com on Nov. 11, 2010 and winner will also be contacted via comment on winning post. Winner will then have 72 hours to submit their contact information to blogmaniapr@gmail.com in order to claim the prize package. If not claimed, a new winner will be selected from remaining eligible links.

TO ENTER THE SUNSHINE PRAISES GIVEAWAY:

• Post one comment on that current days post with a link to your Holiday Open House post and either Tweet or Facebook a link to the Sunshine Praises Holiday Open House Post. If you tweet be sure to include #PPRO. (1 entry per day)
• Winner will be chosen by using random.org at the close of the event.  Comments will be counted each day starting with this posting, day 2, day 3 etc.  Winners will be contacted via email (so make sure yours is listed) and have 48 hours to respond. I will choose a new winner if I do not have a response.

Blogmania: Holiday Open House: You're Invited

 

Hostess with the Mostess, I am not.  Really, I am not an entertainer. I don't know the first thing about how to host a successful dinner party and I can barely make the cushions on the couch match the curtains. {ok, so we don't have couch cushions but I can dream right?} I typically decorate (and I use that term loosely) using the same bland neutral colors - tan, brown, green, white. I am a true hostess failure and it bugs me.

As I prepared for this post I began to think about all the things that I dream my entertaining life would be like.  Perfectly trimmed bushes in shapes of little rosettes, a warm welcoming sign with a matching seasonal wreathe, little candles burning in the window. As the door opens, the smells of warm apple pie and cinnamon fill the air.  Coats mysteriously vanish down the halls and a cozy fire crackles in the fire place.

Delicious appetizers (that didn't come out of a box) fill the tables on color coded platters that sit on crisp linen table cloths. My grandmothers china plates are held gently in the hands of my company as they mingle around the house. Libations and conversations flow easily.

I am in the kitchen, wearing a beautiful apron putting the final touches on my Marthaesque dinner. I swiftly stir gravies and sauces and put them into little dishes with ladling spoons.  The meats are perfectly browned and carved. Homemade rolls are being placed into baskets with monogrammed linens. The meal looks right out of Southern Living magazine.

Should I go on or do you get the picture? I know, pathetic right? 

But believe me, these dreams are not exactly out of reach. Over the next 10 days, you will be able to join me and the Blogmania team as we help you create your dream holiday. Be sure to visit all the Dream Teams blogs.

Then xcome back daily from Nov 1st - 10th to learn a little bit more of our family traditions.  I will be sharing great recipes, stories and ideas that we use to make our holidays perfect.  

You will also want to come back daily to enter the Sunshine Praises $20 gift certificate to my dear friend's Etsy shop.  This is not a sponsored post. I am personally going to give one of my readers a GC to Vinyl Signs 4 Him just for participating in the Holiday Open House.

TO ENTER THE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE:

Please ENTER THE DIRECT URL to YOUR Holiday Entertaining post (post must include our giveaway button in it) in the link up below for YOUR chance to win the over $2,000 in prizes* - all chosen to make you the Holiday hostess with the MOSTESS!!




*All links must link directly to a winter/holiday entertaining post. Links to main pages will be deleted. All linked posts must include our giveaway button. Any posts without our button in them will be deleted. Winner will be chosen using random.org. from all eligible (remaining) links and announced on www.parkerpronline.com on Nov. 11, 2010 and winner will also be contacted via comment on winning post. Winner will then have 72 hours to submit their contact information to blogmaniapr@gmail.com in order to claim the prize package. If not claimed, a new winner will be selected from remaining eligible links.

TO ENTER THE SUNSHINE PRAISES GIVEAWAY:

• Post one comment on that current days post with a link to your Holiday Open House post and either Tweet or Facebook a link to the Sunshine Praises Holiday Open House Post. If you tweet be sure to include #PPRO. (1 entry per day)

• Winner will be chosen by using random.org at the close of the event.  Comments will be counted each day starting with this posting, day 2, day 3 ect.  Winners will be contacted via email (so make sure yours is listed) and have 48 hours to respond. I will choose a new winner if I do not have a response.

Blogmania: Holiday Open House Starts Tomorrow!

The BLOGMANIA 2011 Dream team would love for you to get to know us better. What better way to accomplish that than through an open house?

Starting November 1, 2010 at 9am EST – all members of the Dream team will publish a post on Holiday entertaining as it pertains to their blog’s niche. At the bottom of each of those posts, you will have the opportunity to join us by entering yourself to win over $2,000 prizes – selected to assist one blogger in being the Holiday Hostess with the MOSTESS this year!!

TO ENTER – you will be asked to ENTER THE DIRECT URL* to YOUR Holiday Entertaining post (post must include our giveaway button in it) in the link up below for YOUR chance to win the over $2,000 in prizes* – all chosen to make you the Holiday hostess with the MOSTESS!!

*All links must link directly to a winter/holiday entertaining post. Links to main pages will be deleted. All linked posts must include our giveaway button. Any posts without our button in them will be deleted.

Bloggers may publish and link up one post per day from 11/1 – 10, as long as each one meets the criteria to be eligible.

Winner will be chosen using random.org. from all eligible(remaining) links and announced on www.parkerpronline.com on Nov. 11, 2010 and winner will also be contacted via comment on winning post. Winner will then have 72 hours to submit their contact information to blogmaniapr@gmail.com in order to claim the prize package. If not claimed, a new winner will be selected from remaining eligible links.

Prizes will be provided to winner directly from companies in a timely  fashion. BLOGMANIA, members of the BLOGMANIA 2011 Dream team and Parker PR Online will do our best but are ultimately not are not responsible for any misrepresentations of or fulfillment made or not made by PaRtners of this event. ——– Thank you and good luck!