Tastes Like Christmas *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

I don't cook.  My husband does all of that in our household.  I hate it, and am forever grateful to have found a man who loves it (and me!).

However, I do bake.  Not very well, mind you.  But I love to make pie and cake and cookies.  Especially around Christmas time.  It makes me very happy.

So when Pop-Tarts sent some of their new Gingerbread Pop-Tarts for the kids and me to bake with, we jumped at the chance to try out a new recipe.  Naturally, we chose something ginger-bready...

Gingerbread Sheet Cake

1/2 C Butter

1/3 C Sugar

1 C Molasses

3/4 C Water

1 Egg

2 1/3 C Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Ground Ginger

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add the molasses, water and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat until combined. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

We then drizzled icing over the top in fun shapes and crumbled up a couple of the gingerbread Pop-Tarts on top. Yummy!

 Although, I must say, I was a little sad that I couldn't think of anything that would highlight how cute these particular Pop-Tarts are:

And it's no surprise that the kids loved the cake.  They each had about three slices before I made them stop! And the Pop-Tarts.  They taste like Christmas, and who doesn't love that?

 (Bria loved it too, but was feeling a little self-conscious about eating cake for the internet today.)

What tastes like Christmas to you?  Share it here for a chance to win a $100.00 Gift Card from BlogHer!

Sweepstakes open from 12/13-12/25.  To enter, leave a comment.  (Please include your email within the comment.)

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

For NINE more chances to win a $100.00 gift card, make sure to visit the BlogHer review/giveaway round up page.

Rules:

• No duplicate comments
• You may receive an additional entry by tweeting about this contest and leaving the link in the comments
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected at random, and will be notified by e-mail (please leave your email in your comment)
• If you win, you will have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected\
• Visit the Official site for more information.

The Perfect Touch

CSN Stores recently sent me a product for my review.  I chose this metal wall hanging (which I lovingly call the scrolly thing) for my dining room.




And I absolutely love it!  Isn't it the perfect touch for the new paint job we did this summer?

I was very pleased with CSN and their service.  I don't usually receive items from anywhere very quickly, since I live at practically the end of the earth, but to my surprise the package arrived only 3 days after I had ordered it.  Unfortunately, I couldn't be nearly as fast getting it on to the actual wall, and it sat leaning (but looking beautiful) against the wall for more than a week.

Thank you CSN for such great service, a wide array of products to choose from, and your high quality.  I will certainly order from them again.

Do You Have Your Christmas Card Yet?

Christmas cards are one of my favorite things about Christmas.  Seriously.  I'm like a little kid, running out to my mailbox every day, starting the day after Thanksgiving and hoping that I'll find a card or three in there.  And when I actually DO find such a card I giddily run into the house and open it, read all about my friends and family and immediately put it up on my card display.

Love Christmas Cards.

I haven't quite got my card ready yet, but I do have the picture taken.  Shutterfly has some pretty amazing Christmas cards, and I have to say I am very impressed by them!  Look at all of these beautiful folding cards, printed on high quality stationery and the designs are just absolutely gorgeous, to boot!

I personally love this one:

And this one:

And just about every other card on the website!  There is something for everyone, that's for sure.  And I usually design my own cards, but they even have an option to be able to upload your own design or plain picture.

Finally, if you're thinking about having a Christmas/Holiday party, Shutterfly does some pretty cool invitations, too.

I always want to have a Christmas party, but I never manage to get around to it.  If I happen to do it this year, I think I will use this invitation:

So pretty.

Christmas is coming and if you haven't gotten your card ordered up yet, be sure to check out Shutterfly!

***************

This is a compensated review from Shuttefly.com.  I will receive 50 free cards for writing it...and if you're a blogger, so can you!  Click here for more information.

A Very Special Interview *Contest Closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®


I had a chance to interview Chloe the Pilgrim Girl--one of the menu-planners for the very first Thanksgiving!


BlogHer and PopTarts Thanksgiving video from Lara Neves on Vimeo.


And, since you're dying to know, the recipe to our favorite Green Jell-O Salad with marshmallows can be found here.  It really has been passed down from generation to generation and no Thanksgiving is complete without it.  Or Easter.  Or Christmas.  


What is your favorite family tradition at Thanksgiving?  Share it here for a chance to win a $100.00 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer!


(Comments from the previous post will be combined with the comments from this post, comment again to be sure you have a second chance!) 

To enter, leave a comment.  (Please include your email within the comment.)

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

For NINE more chances to win a $100.00 gift card, make sure to visit the BlogHer review/giveaway round up page.


Rules:

• No duplicate comments
• You may receive an additional entry by tweeting about this contest and leaving the link in the comments
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected at random, and will be notified by e-mail (please leave your email in your comment)
• If you win, you will have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected
• Please see Official Rules here.

For more information, visit the Official Pop-Tarts website.

Scentsy Winner*Closed*

There were 67 total entries.  (50 total comments + extra entries)

And the winner is Melissa!

Congrats, Melissa!  I will get you in touch with Kristin, ASAP so you can get all those refills you need!

As for the rest of you...Kristin still has some parties open here.  And you can always go enter to win the $100.00 gift card that I'm giving away here.

Pumpkin Pie: Ain't Nothin' Better*Contest Closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®

I freely admit, the first thing I am grateful for at Thanksgiving is the pumpkin pie I know I will be having for dessert. And for breakfast the next day.  In fact, I might have to say that pumpkin pie for breakfast at 3:30 in the morning or whatever ungodly hour I decide to go shopping on Black Friday is my favorite moment of the entire year.  Anyway, it's pretty clear that I love pumpkin pie.

You can imagine my excitement when I found out that Pop-Tarts has a limited edition Thanksgiving flavor this year: Pumpkin Pie.  My kids and I were given the assignment to use the Pop-Tarts to make something yummy, and not surprisingly, we chose to make an actual pumpkin pie using the Pop-Tarts as the crust.

First, we ripped up 6 Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts and put them in a bowl.

We then melted a stick of butter and mixed it all together.

Second, we smooshed the crust down into the dish.

Then we made our favorite pumpkin pie recipe, poured it over our fancy crust and baked as normal.

Finally, we ate it, which is the best part!

What do YOU most look forward to eating on Thanksgiving Day?  Share it here for a chance to win a $100.00 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer!


(For another chance to win the gift card please comment on this post.)

To enter, leave a comment.  (Please include your email within the comment.)

For a second entry, you can:

·         Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

·         Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·         Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

For NINE more chances to win a $100.00 gift card, make sure to visit the BlogHer review/giveaway round up page.


Rules:

• No duplicate comments
• You may receive an additional entry by tweeting about this contest and leaving the link in the comments
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected at random, and will be notified by e-mail (please leave your email in your comment)
• If you win, you will have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected
• Please see Official Rules here.

For more information, visit the Official Pop-Tarts website.

Scent-sational Giveaway!

I have always been somewhat obsessed with yummy smelling candles.  Especially in the fall.  I *need* to have a candle burning in my house and emitting some sort of bakery scent, so it seems like I've just been slaving away in the kitchen making all manner of cakes and pie.  Pumpkin is my favorite, but I love the spicy scents, too.

The problem with candles, though, is that they require flame.  And smoke.  And smoke makes my walls turn blackish because I burn the candles too often.  And then there's always the worry about housefires.  You can never be too careful.

That's why I love Scentsy.  I found Scentsy a couple years ago and I fell in love.  The warmers are pretty and fit right in with just about any decor because they have such a great selection.  I have three warmers currently (the rooster and the music warmers on this page and an orange plug-in warmer that matches my girls' bathroom), and will definitely buy a few more.  Every time I look in a catalog I see another warmer that I would love to have.  I've especially got my eye on a few of the holiday warmers.

And I really love the scents.  My personal favorites pretty much all come from the Bakery collection (pumpkin roll is my all time fave and I have a big huge giant brick of it...yum!), but there seems to be something for everyone: Floral, fruity, exotic, perfume-y and more.

Kristin Mabb, who is my Scentsy consultant, (who happens to live 2,000 miles away from me...proximity is definitely not required!) is giving one of my readers a $25.00 gift certificate to Scentsy.  To win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite candle scent is.  That's it!

However, if you do want extra entries to up your chances of winning, do any of the following and leave a comment here letting me know:

•  "Like" Kristin's fan page on Facebook:  1 extra entry
• Tweet/Facebook/Blog about this giveaway:  1 extra entry
• Go to Kristin's Scentsy Website and tell me what your favorite item is in the current catalog: 1 extra entry
• Make a purchase from the party on Kristin's Scentsy Website titled Overstuffed:  5 extra entries

Also if you order from the Overstuffed party during the duration of the giveaway, you will receive a free "Circle Scent" (car freshener).  

I will close comments on Monday, November 15 and draw for a winner the next day. Good luck, and may the force be with you!

(comments now closed: Winner announced tomorrow!)