Nov 302016
 

Watching Christmas and holiday movies is one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season.  In fact as a tween and teen (okay, fine, and as a college kid) on Christmas Eve I would stay up as late as I could manage to keep my eyes open and watch them.  Considering we opened gifts at 5 a.m. I think I even managed to pull a few all-nighters.

New Holiday Movies for 2016 include Kate & Mim-Mim A Christmas Wish, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Daniel's Winter Wonderland, and more

I have a few tried and true favorites that I have to watch every year: Elf, The Santa Clause, The Polar Express.  I also like to check out new releases in the hopes of discovering a few new favorites each season. Continue reading »

Jul 142016
 

Blue and silver is probably one of my favorite color combinations for Christmas.  I mean, I love the traditional green and red, too, but silver and blue just seem so classy.  Plus they’re an easy nod to all things winter, so you can extend the use of your decorations for a longer season.

"Bright", "Peace", "Hope" and "Joy" DIY Tile Coasters in silver & blue - perfect for Christmas!

I’ve had some white tiles kicking around in my craft stash that I knew I wanted to turn into coasters.  I just wasn’t exactly sure what kind of coasters. Continue reading »

Dec 112013
 

For holiday gift-giving as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias® I made these Rocky Road Squares to give to family and friends.  All thoughts and words are my own.

I’ve been spending a good portion of my days lately baking, cooking, mixing and stirring.  Every year for more than the last decade, I have put together homemade food gift baskets for friends and family alike.  I try and have them completed in early December if at all possible, so that they have most of the season to enjoy them.

One of my favorite holiday desserts to make for gift-giving are my Mom’s squares.  She has made them for as long as I can remember and they were one of the treats I always requested for my birthday or other special occasions.  She just calls them “her squares” but I think most people would consider them to be Rocky Road Squares.

Rocky Road Squares Recipe with #KraftEssentials #shop

Knowing that I had a lot of Christmas recipes to make over the next couple of weeks I made a trip to Walmart to stock up my pantry.  Baker’s Baking Chocolate, Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, Planters Peanut Butter, chocolate bits, sweetened condensed milk, flour, sugar – pretty much the baking aisle.  I usually make more than I plan to, and I don’t like needing to run out to pick up extra ingredients if I can help it. Continue reading »

Dec 072013
 

Thank you to the Gaylord Opryland for providing accommodations and tickets to ICE!.  All thoughts and words are my own.

Our family has always talked about going to see the lights at the Gaylord Opryland just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.  We enjoy driving around and seeing our local light displays; we even once visited a display set to music.  And the Gaylord Opryland also has other fun holiday events, like a Shrek Holiday Feast, ICE! Featuring Frosty the Snowman, shops, a nativity, and more.

So when the lovely folks at the hotel offered for us to come down and check out the ICE! Featuring Frosty the Snowman display, we of course accepted.  I thought Bubbles would get a kick out of the brightly-colored ice figurines and spending a night on such a beautiful property sounded great, too.  And as the Gaylord Opryland is within convenient driving distance from us, it was a good fit to go.

Gaylord Opryland

Waterfall in the Cascades Atrium of the Gaylord Opryland

Cascades American Cafe at the Gaylord Opryland

After checking in, we wound our way up through a beautiful indoor atrium in what is called the Cascades area.  It’s aptly named as there’s actually a cascading waterfall on one side of the atrium.  On the other is one the hotel’s main restaurants, the Cascades American Cafe.  The dress is casual – the seating is open to the atrium – and upon check in it was the eatery recommended to us as one of the most family-friendly spots in the hotel. Continue reading »

Dec 032013
 

I received Elf Magic Christmas Elf to help start a family Christmas tradition.  All thoughts and words are my own.

I think establishing family traditions is really important.  It’s something that bonds your family together and gives you situations you can look back on over time and recall together.  Growing up my parents provided us with lots of special family traditions, especially around the holidays.

Many of those traditions I’ll be continuing with my own family in years to come, but Bubbles is on the young side to understand or appreciate most of them.  I did think it would be fun to invite a Christmas Elf to visit us as a way to help her understand the Santa-side of Christmas.  When I saw the Elf Magic Elves I thought their soft, huggable bodies made them the best choice for introducing a Christmas Elf tradition to a toddler.

Start a Christmas Tradition with a Christmas Elf - Elf Magic Elves #ElfMagic

Continue reading »