Happy Thanksgiving

I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy turkey day!

Operation Black Friday aka Shop Til I Drop

I am so excited because this year I will finally get to go shopping on Black Friday. I haven't been out on Black Friday in at least three years. If you remember, Sawyer is three. There has been no way I was going out with a small child in tow.

The other cool thing about Black Friday is that my birthday falls on that day. So here is my "plan of attack" for enjoying, not just surviving the Black Friday Frenzy. And things I'd recommend you consider if you are going out.


So here are my Top Ten Black Friday Shopping Tips

1) First and most important the kids are staying with my mom. Yay!!! That is probably the best birthday gift. I love my kids, but a momma needs to have some time away. And I won't be gone all day long. You can't cover ground and look at things with a 1 yr. old and 3 yr. old in tow. It just won't happen.

2) Use the buddy system. It is way more fun if you can find the right person to go with you. I'm going with my sister. We used to always go out on Black Friday. It is so fun going out with her. We have the same taste in clothes and shoes so when we shop together we are able to scout out things that we both like. I can't tell you the number of times we've been in a store together and have come around the corner with the same item to show the other one. It is uncanny.

Taking a buddy is great for not only sharing the excitement, but they can help pass the time while standing in line and they can also help hold packages as you take time for bathroom pit stops.

3) I recommend taking change with you for mall vending drink machines. Yes, they are outrageously overpriced, but you will save yourself time by not spending it in line at the food court. Stay hydrated people, there is no reason to find ourself passing out on the shopping trail.

4) Take a page out of Santa's play book and make a list. If your main objective is to get your Christmas shopping done then take a list. When you are in the midst of your shopping frenzy, the last thing you want to do is try and remember if you needed to pick up something for Aunt Edna's cat Mr. Binkles. Perhaps a string of lights? (Anyone pick up on that slight Christmas Vacation reference LOL) Also, if you've already bought items for some folks then make a note of that so you aren't over spending on them. You don't want to get home and think, "Oh yeah, I already had X,Y, and Z for Uncle Buck. That way you can stay within your budget.

5) My next tip is to have a budget. So many people have such big hearts, but a small wallet and they get themselves into trouble at the holidays. Having a list and a budget will help you stay within your means. I also recommend if you can swing it, to give yourself a little fun money. There are great deals to be had. When I've shopped Black Friday in the past, I've planned ahead and gotten some great sales on things I need around my house. Having a budget is also good so that even if you end up spending over it, you will hopefully control yourself so you don't go way, way over. Everyone's will power is at different levels. I'm just sayin.

6) Wear comfortable shoes and layers. I plan on wearing boots like these so that I can slip them on and off quickly while trying things on, but they are also comfortable and won't wear a blister. I got mine at Payless, but Target has them available as well. As a side note, the lady at Payless told me the black are easier to keep clean and I'm glad I went with black. http://www.target.com/Xhilaration-Kendra-Suede-Boots-Black/dp/B001VSEI4Y/ref=br_1_1?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=2233127011&node=2233127011&searchRank=pmrank&searchPage=1&searchSize=30&id=Xhilaration%20Kendra%20Suede%20Boots%20Black

http://www.target.com/
Instead of having to wrestle with a jacket I wearing a Rachel Zoe inspired faux fur vest with my boot cut jeans. Who says you can't be comfortable and stylish while out on the shopping trail?

7) Take some hard candy or breath mints. I don't know what it is, but when I get in a mall I get all dried out and my mouth tastes terrible. Maybe it is the heat? But, I'll be taking something so that I don't get all dried out. Along those lines some lip gloss or chapstick will come in handy too.

8) Hand sanitizer. I have discovered that Bath & Body Works has these in their holidays scents. My favorite is the Winter Candy Apple. I have already purchased one that I will be taking with me, but I think I will go back and stock up on some more. My hands might as well smell good if I'm having to use that stuff a lot. With the swine flu going around, I'm not taking any chances. Also, I love those small bottles because they fit easily in my jean pocket.

9) Vera Bradley Wristlet. I've featured this on my blog before and I can't say enough good things about this wallet. It has a place to hold my cell phone and will just hang right on my wrist. It will be so much easier to keep track of my wristlet then a huge purse.

10) Snacks. Put some kind of snack in your car. Just call me "Meals on Wheels". After shopping and fighting the crowds you'll need a pick me up and the drive thrus and mall food courts will be packed. Have a little something ready to go in the car to tide you over.

So go out there, have fun, be kind and patient with others and all will be merry and bright!

http://www.twittermoms.com/forum/topics/what-is-your-black-friday-plan

Thankful Tuesday

I can't believe it is Tuesday already. The rest of the year is going to fly by. I'm very excited about Thanksgiving this week and Friday is my birthday. I'm going shopping with my sister while my mom keeps the kids. I haven't been Black Friday shopping in a few years. Since I had the kids so I'm very excited. My sister and I used to go every year. I remember how it was about 15 years ago when Target first came to our area. They started out by giving out goody bags to the first ??? people that would get there. It wasn't much and it went well in our area. But of course there is no way the could do that now. Especially after things like that poor Wal Mart worker got trampled last year. So, practice safe shopping out there if you are going out on Friday.

Today I was reflecting on my blessings and one in particular. I am blessed to have good friends in my life, but there is one friend in particular that I have been so thankful for over the last few years. We both have children the same age. The two oldest are two weeks a part and the babies are 3 days apart. So that is one thing we have in common. One thing among many.

What I love about this friend is that our friendship is not one sided. I'm not always the one calling to get together. We both make the effort. When I've had some difficult times she has always been such a positive force to make me feel better. And when she has had some difficult things to deal with, I've tried to be there for her too.

We got together last week on Wednesday and I was having a rotten week. But once I got together with my friend, it changed not only my day, but my whole week around. We always have a good time and the time flies. I love it that our children are friends. These are friendship I hope both our families will have for a long time.

So, this week I encourage you to call up a friend and remember that friendship is a two way street. Friendship, just like a marriage takes good communication and letting the other person know that you care. And the rewards are so great.

Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!

Turkey Cookies

Happy Turkey Week everyone! The big day is quickly approaching. I can almost smell the turkey and pumpkin pie. MMMM.

Yesterday we decided to get in the Thanksgiving spirit and make these super easy turkey cookies. These were featured in a Betty Crocker Cookies & Bars magazine that came out in September. Months ago, I did some kind of online survey thingy where they were asking people to choose which cover they would buy. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this magazine in the mail for free.

The recipe calls for using BC sugar cookie mix. I love their mix and have used it before, but I didn't have a lot of time so I saved a step and bought Wal Mart's slice and bake sugar cookies. Oh my goodness, they are a little slice of heaven. They have to be bad for you. LOL

All you do is bake your cookies. Then you'll need some chocolate frosting, candy corn, small m&ms, and another color of icing for the beak & feet. You just need to frost the cookies with your chocolate frosting and then arrange the candies. And that is it! You can see from my pictures how to position your candy. It is a super easy project. I have to be honest and the cookies that I took photographed are the turkey's I finished. Sawyer decorated one and gave that one to daddy. I had to cut him off because that kid was shoving m&m's and candy corn in as fast as he could. So if you do this project, I don't recommend doing it before nap time. LOL

I hope you enjoy our little gobblers!

Ramping up for Black Friday

Here is a great article that gives consumers some information regarding those enticing Black Friday specials. I thought I'd share it with everyone. There are some especially good points if you are doing any online shopping. http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108212/dirty-secrets-of-black-friday-doorbusters

Gobble Gobble its a Turkey Ring

Since Thanksgiving is next week, I thought I'd share this Pampered Chef recipe I made last night. This would be a great way to use your left over turkey, that is if you have any left over. :) This comes from Pampered Chef's "All the Best" cook book. I know a lot of people get invited to parties this time of the year to do Christmas shopping, so if you are invited to a Pampered Chef party, I highly recommend this cook book.

Turkey & Cranberry Ring

2 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 1/2 cups (5 oz) shredded swiss cheese

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

3 tablespoons of snipped, fresh parsley

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon coarsley ground black pepper

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 (8 oz cans of refrigerated crescent rolls)

1. Separate crescent rolls into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles slightly overlapping. In a circle on the Large Round Stone with wide ends 4 inches from the edge of the baking stone. (Points will extend off the edge of the baking stone). Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5 inch opening.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine turkey, 1 cup of cheese, celery, cranberries, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard, and black pepper; mix well.

3. Using a large scoop (cookie or ice cream works great) scoop filling evenly over dough in a continous circle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at the center to form a ring. (Filling willl show).

4.Once you've done step 3, brush the top with the egg white. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Some notes about this recipe..

I never seem to have the celery or parsley, so you don't have to have them to make this. Also, during the year I go to the deli and buy turkey from there and it tastes great.

I also seem to have a hard time making this into one great big ring. So last night I used eight and made two separate rings. Also, I've found with my oven that I was able to pull this out in 20 minutes so keep an eye on these.

I hope you enjoy! This is a great quick meal during the week. Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!

Playing hooky

I'm taking the day off and playing hooky from blogging today. We've got a lot going on and momma needs a break. Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!