A true Winter Wonderland

Trust me... you've gotta check this out:

http://www.staplenews.com/home/2010/12/20/snow-under-a-microscope.html

Holiday shopping.

I am super proud of myself for committing to Christmas early this year. With threats of bad weather looming, I started, and nearly finished, my holiday shopping in mid-November. When snow hit Thanksgiving week, I was relieved that our Christmas photos were taken, and I could avoid the nasty weather. During that time we set-up the tree, I made our handmade Christmas cards, and we even saw Santa.

The only problem? Black Friday and the deals that follow.

I had already laid my kid's gifts out across my living room, meticulously documenting each gift, and how much it cost on my color-coded Excel spreadsheet (a wonderful tool-- I know who I need to shop for, what I've purchased and for how much, and what still needs to be taken care of). My children were past the point of "spoiled" and didn't need anything else. But I couldn't stop myself! There were jammies and movies at Walmart. Dolls and board games at Target. Don't even get me started on TJ Maxx.

Here's another deal I couldn't pass up, and it's only good TODAY. JCPenney has Disney Princess Dress-up Gowns for $9.99! And with the promo code 4RELVES you can get an additional 20% off (that's only $7.99 each, folks) and use the free Ship-to-Store feature. There are other Wednesday-only deals, too, and trust me... I found them.

Disney Dress-up Gowns

Halloween Recipes

I love holidays! Here are some fun recipes for your family to celebrate this upcoming Halloween:

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Mummy Meatloaf, as seen in Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients:
Meatloaf from your favorite recipe
American cheese
Olive slices

Make your favorite meatloaf recipe and shape the loaf to resemble a mummy's body with crossed arms. Bake the loaf until it's cooked through. Let it rest about 3 minutes, then lay 1-inch-wide strips of American cheese across the body as shown, leaving a narrow space on the head for the olive slice eyes. Trim any overhanging cheese with scissors and return the mummy to the still-warm oven to slightly melt the cheese, about 1 minute.

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Ghosts in the Graveyard, Kraft

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
3 cups cold milk
1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
15 OREO Cookies, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
Assorted decorations: Milano Cookies, decorating gel, candy pumpkins, candy corn pieces

BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min. Stir in 3 cups COOL WHIP and half the cookie crumbs. Spread into 13x9-inch dish; sprinkle with remaining crumbs. REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Meanwhile, decorate cookies with decorating gel to resemble tombstones. INSERT decorated cookies into top of dessert just before serving. Add candies. Drop large spoonfuls of remaining COOL WHIP onto dessert to resemble ghosts.

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Candy Corn Smoothie, Disney

Ingredients:
3 red apples, peeled and cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 cups low-fat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
2 cups frozen peaches or mango
2 cups frozen pineapple
Red and yellow food coloring

Chop apples into chunks and toss with lemon juice. Place in a shallow dish in the freezer until frozen, about 45 minutes. In the work bowl of a food processor or blender, place 2 cups of yogurt along with the frozen apples and sugar substitute and blend until smooth. In the work bowl of a food processor or blender, place frozen peaches or mango and 2 cups of yogurt and process until smooth. Add 4 drops of red food coloring and 8 drops of yellow food coloring for a strong orange color. In the work bowl of a food processor or blender, place frozen pineapple and remaining 2 cups of yogurt and process until smooth. Add 6 drops of yellow food coloring for a bright yellow color. If not serving smoothies right away, store all three layers separately in three separate airtight containers in the freezer. Thaw slightly before serving. Spoon a layer of the apple yogurt mixture into bottom of glasses. Carefully spoon a layer of peach or mango mixture on top. Top with a layer of pineapple mixture. Makes 6-12 servings, depending upon size.

October 9th is National Dessert Day!

I baked Double Chocolate Chip and Sugar cookies, and Cinnamon Struduel. How will YOU celebrate?!

Happy "National Talk Like a Pirate Day"!

July is National Ice Cream Month.