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It is giveaway time again! This giveaway will be for custom printed postcards from our wonderful sponsor UPrinting. I recently received postcards from them and I LOVE them.

I used one of their beautiful 2 sided templates. The postcard I created was like a big business card. It had information on all of my websites, contact info, and advertising info. It will come in very handy when I meet potential advertisers. I hate handing people a handful of business cards so that they can see all of my websites.

The great thing about postcards is that you can print anything you want on them. They could be made into invitations or even used to advertise a business. They are only limited by your imagination. Check out our sponsor if you would like more information on how to order postcards online or would like to see the beautiful templates they have available.

100 Postcards are being provided to me and the winner of the giveaway by our sponsor UPrinting.

Giveaway Prize: 100 Postcards for one (1) lucky winner
Size: 4x6
Paper: 14pt Cardstock Gloss
Printing: Full color both sides
Shipping: Winner will have to pay a few dollars for shipping
Deadline: 7pm on January 4th

HOW CAN YOU ENTER?

Your main entry will be to comment about how you would use the postcards if you won. Please make sure that you include your email address if your profile is private or does not include an email address. I am finding many people are entering my giveaways and they do not give me a way to contact them so they can not win.

EXTRA ENTRIES

• Blog about the giveaway and include a link back to this post. Make a new comment here with the URL to your post. This will give you three additional entries!
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Each one counts for one entry so each should have a separate comment. It must include the link where it can be found to count. I will be deleting comments that do not follow the rules so others get a fair chance.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Club House. All opinions are 100% mine.

I never liked gravy when I was growing up because I never had good gravy. My mother never made gravy so I only had it at restaurants. It was always too thick and too salty for me. When I started making family dinners I would make my own version of gravy by making it thinner and adding black pepper. I like it more like a sauce.

The first few years I would hear James' dad ask him if I learned how to make gravy yet. I did thicken it up some over the years for him but I still will not make it really thick. The thing I love about gravy is that it is a good starting point that you can change to what you like.

What is your favorite gravy? Gravy can make or break a meal. It can bring out and enhance the flavors of everything you make. It could also turn out lumpy, separate into an oily mess, or end up like paste. The Club House website has a gravy tips video that can help you avoid these catastrophes and create the perfect gourmet gravy. I love that they add wine to the gravy to make it taste more homemade.

Club House sells gravy that is available all over Canada. There website is full of cooking tips and ideas. There is also a newsletter sign-up and contest entry page where Canadians can sign up for a chance at a Club House Great Gravy Gift Pack.

These cookies are another holiday tradition in our house. They are also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes. The girls love making the balls and they also love rolling them in the powdered sugar afterward. Yes, it can become a mess of powdered sugar when kids help but the smiles on their faces make the mess worth while. These cookies go fast in my house so you may want to make a double batch like we do.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. While still a bit warm roll in confectioners’ sugar. Roll again as they cool more.

Neona made these one year at school and I thought they were so cool. I would have never thought of this one on my own. I think they look much nicer than the regular paper snowflakes.

All you need is a regular sheet of printer paper, scissors, and a stapler. Take the sheet of paper and fold the bottom up about one inch. Then continue to fold up the paper doing the accordion fold also known as the fan fold. When the paper is all folded put a staple in the center.

Now you can start to make your cuts. You want to make your cuts match on both sides so the snowflake gets a nice pattern. When all the cuts are made you open up the snowflake like you would a fan. (sometimes the paper needs additional cuts to open all of the way) I am always in a hurry so I staple the sides together. If you have more time you can glue them together.

Now you have a pretty paper snowflake that is ready to be hung up with a string.

I was recently asked to check out Springpad which is an awesome website to get you organized. I REALLY could use the heck out of this website! I am always way too busy and behind on everything. I set things aside for later and leave notes for myself everywhere. The problem is that I never remember where I left everything.

Lately I have thought about getting an old fashioned organizer. Yeah, that thing people used when they actually had paper and pens and they wrote things. I figured that I would just end up forgetting to check it or filling it up with more stuff than it could handle.

I NEED something to keep up with all of the giveaways and advertising dates. I always worry that I will miss an end date for a giveaway. I also find myself having to go back and check when ad spots end. I have some great advertisers but they did after all only pay for a certain amount of time. I want to open up good spots for new advertisers too.

Springpad can do everything I need and a TON more. I love that it helps with online shopping. I hate when I find something online and then can not find it again later. It also keeps track of gift ideas, recipes, travel plans, to-do lists, and more. I tend to have piles of bookmarks for websites that I want to go back to but they are scattered between the 3 computers that I use. This organizer would make the holidays a lot less stressful!

Springpad can be accessed online or from your phone. You can also share things on your Springpad account by email or on Twitter and Facebook!

Candied Orange Peel is an acquired taste but once you get the taste you love it. The girls and I love them in many forms. Sometimes we make them soft and chewier. Sometimes we make them crunchy. Other times we go all out and dip them in chocolate afterward. They are super yummy, they make the house smell great, and they use something you would otherwise just throw away. You can also use other citrus fruits and make a colorful mix. Just be sure to make them in separate batches so the flavors do not mix.

Instructions

I make this with 4 or 5 oranges. If you do not normally eat that many oranges in your family you can freeze the peels in a ziplock until you have enough.

1. Cut the oranges in half across the middle. Then cut each half in an X to make four pieces. This makes it easier to peel off the skin and make the strips.

2. Pull out the fruit and cut the peel into strips. You do not need to remove the white part.

3. Blanch the strips by boiling for 5 minutes and then running them under cold water in a strainer. Repeat this step until you have blanched them 3 times. This will remove most of the bitterness from the white part.

4. While the oranges are in the strainer the final time, bring 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar to a simmer. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved and then place the orange peels back into the pan to simmer.

*note - If you are doing a larger batch you need to be sure that you have enough liquid to cover the orange peels. Just keep to twice as much sugar as water.

5. Let simmer for around 1 hour

Variations

Crunchy - Let the orange peels simmer until all of the water is gone. You will see it all of a sudden crystallize. Place on waxed paper to cool. Save the sugar for tea.

Chewy - Pull the orange peels out of the syrup before it all dries out and toss in sugar before placing on waxed paper. Have the syrup for your tea.

Chocolate Covered Oranges - Pull the oranges out of the syrup before it dries out but do not toss in sugar. Just place on a rack to dry and cool. Again save syrup. When the orange peels are cool dip them in melted chocolate. I prefer to just use chocolate chips. Place in a bowl and microwave at 15 second intervals stirring in between. It will become smooth chocolate very fast and there is no worry about it burning. After you dip the orange peels place them on waxed paper to cool.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have gotten to a point where the girls do not have a wish list like they did in past years. My girls have everything they want already. This year we have decided to not do big gifts and instead plan a getaway for a little after Christmas. We could really use the time to get away from everything, relax, and have fun together. I wish we could get away at Christmas time but life is just too crazy right now.

There are some incredible Christmas packages available at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. I would love to go there over the holidays but we will not be able to go somewhere until after the holidays.

Santa Claus is Coming package (From 209/night USD) Nov. 23, 2009 - Dec. 31, 2009

• Deluxe, overnight accommodations for four people
• Two children's gifts
• Full breakfast for four
• A portrait with Santa
• Milk and cookies

Its a Wonderful Life package (From 349/night USD) Nov. 23, 2009 - Dec. 31, 2009

• Deluxe, overnight accommodations at our hotel
• Full breakfast for two
• A spa treatment for two

I would love to go to Branson and check out the Titanic Museum. It is huge and beautiful because it is the only exhibit that does not travel. I am sure that the girls would want to check out the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium.

Many years ago one of my girls made one of these creamer bottle snowmen at school. As soon as the other two saw it they wanted to make some too. Since then it has become a tradition.

They look forward to it each year. I think part of what they look forward to is buying the creamer so we can get the bottles. They like to get flavors that would go well with hot chocolate too. Christmas time is great for this because they come out with so many great flavors that are only out during the holidays.

This is another cheap and easy craft that kids love. If you do any crafts with your kids you will have everything already at the house. Just like making real snowmen you just use whatever you have laying around. The scarf can be made out of felt or yarn. You can then use beads, buttons, or even just cut up construction paper. The arms can be made from pipe cleaners of even just little sticks they find in the yard. The nose can be as simple as just a colored toothpick poked into the bottle.

The creamer bottles that are used to make these snowmen are the flavored kind that you buy in the refrigerated section at the store. I am sure you have never noticed before but the red pour top on the bottle looks just like a winter hat so it is perfect. All you need to do is take off the label and wash them out. If you will be displaying them in a high traffic area you may want to put a few pennies or water in the bottles to hold them down.

Every year about half way through dipping all the peanut butter balls in chocolate I swear that I will never make Buckeyes again. This is the one Christmas treat that no one wants to help make but everyone loves to eat. I actually tried telling the family that I will not be making Buckeyes this year and everyone was in an uproar. Hopefully this year I will get more help making the peanut butter balls and dipping them in chocolate. I know that I will get plenty of help eating them. I usually have to hide them all and only take out a few at a time or they will all disappear.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
2. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 15 second intervals stirring in between until melted.
4. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

I am not a big snow lover but I do think that snowflakes look pretty. Not to mention that making them is almost therapeutic. I thought I would share with you all two sites that have cute little snowflake creators. My girls love making these. If you would like to make some snowflakes and have some extra time you might like to check out both of the sites. Just click on the pictures and have some fun.

Snowdays

I think that we may have to make some paper snowflakes today to get more into the holiday spirit. Maybe we can even turn on some holiday music. I think I hear hot chocolate calling too. I can not wait until the girls come home! I could use a nice day of holiday cheer.

Rum Balls are just for the adults. Rum Balls do contain rum and they are not baked so the alcohol is still present. I first made Rum Balls a couple years back after James put in a request. They have been a big hit each time I have made them. James' employees seem to enjoy them the most. They always get my extra food and treats. This is probably why each year James puts in more requests for new things.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  
• 2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Into a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the cocoa powder and allspice. Stir in the rum and corn syrup. Stir in the vanilla wafers and walnuts, and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to firm up slightly, about 30 minutes. (The mixture may appear crumbly and dry; this is O.K.)
2. Place the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl or dish.
3. Scoop out portions of the chocolate mixture and press into 1-inch balls. Using your hands, roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar, coating evenly.
4. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, placing waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking.

One of our favorite family traditions during the holidays is making Candy Cane Cookies. I used to make these with my mom when I was young so it is nice to now make them with my girls. We tend to alter this recipe by using crushed candy canes instead of the peppermint extract.

You can put a few candy canes in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. My girls love doing that part. The crushed candy canes can be added to the dough for a real candy cane taste and a very pretty look. You can choose to add it to all of the dough or just the red dough.

The Recipe

1 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (only if not using real candy canes)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Mix first 6 ingredients together well.

Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Add food coloring to 1 portion. Blend well and refrigerate.

When the dough is chilled enough to easily work with you can continue. Roll each color dough into ropes that are about 5-1/2-inches long. Lay them side by side. Pinch ends together. Twist the colors to make the spiral. Lay on baking sheet. Shape to form canes. Wreaths are easy to make too.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until baked being careful to not let them brown much. Cool on sheet for 2 to 3 minutes then remove.

Makes about 4-1/2 dozen.

I just had my first review as an Official Event Chaser published. Thanks to RazorGator we got free tickets to see The Glamour Kills Tour with All Time Low at The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee. It was my teenage daughter's first concert and we had an awesome time! Come check out my Event Chaser review of The Glamour Kills Tour. Feel free to comment on the review too... I would love more free tickets!

We have a winner to announce in the 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print Giveaway!

The winner is Emily Armstrong! Congrats!

Thank you to Online Poster Printing for sponsoring this blog and providing us with tons of products and giveaways.

Yummm, are you hungry yet? I can not wait to make the toffee this year. James' grandma used to make English Toffee every Christmas. She would make lots and lots of it. We would always save cookie tins for her because we knew that she would give out as much toffee as she had tins to put them in. All of the relatives would look forward to getting her toffee.

James loved her toffee and guarded it like a prized possession. When she died I knew that I needed to learn how to make toffee so he could still have it each Christmas. I worried that it would be hard to make but it is actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. The main concern is to becareful not to burn yourself. Boiling sugar will stick to your skin and make for a nasty burn. The other problem is how to keep people from eating it all.

English Toffee makes for a great small handmade gift over the holidays. It is perfect for when you need to bring something along to someone's house.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
• 1 pound of dark chocolate
• 2 cups (1 pound) butter (margarine does not taste as good)
  
• 2-2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Preparation:

1. Prepare a 12x16 inch cookie sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine the butter, sugar, water and corn syrup in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Insert a candy thermometer and bring the candy to a boil, periodically brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization.

3. Continue to cook the candy, stirring gently, until it reaches 300 degrees. If the candy appears to separate (with a layer of melted butter on top) stir vigorously to make it come back together again. Watch the candy as it approaches 300, since it cooks quickly and can scorch at high temperatures.

4. Once the candy reaches 300 degrees, remove from heat and pour it onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a spatula or spoon to spread the candy to an even thickness.

5. Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot mixture and place a baking sheet over pan so the heat will melt the chocolate chips. After about a minute or two, spread the melted chocolate chips over candy.

6. While candy is still hot, Score in squares for easier breaking when it is cooled. Chill until firm.

As I search for new things for around the house I keep getting more excited. I really need to check into getting the poster prints framed. I have not even looked for places to get them framed yet. I can not wait to have them done so I better hurry up and do something about it.

I have been looking more into wall clocks though. I found one that might be perfect. It is a large scale Howard Miller wall clock. It has three smaller clocks in it that show the time in three other cities around the world. I figured that since our livingroom has an around the world theme one of those howard miller clocks would be perfect for the room. We do not have room for a grandfather clock so a wall clock will have to do.

I really wish that we would have gotten everything painted this summer. We have a half wall with a ledge that goes around one side of the room. I want to do something different on that half wall but I have no idea what I want to do with it yet. All I know is that I want it to be different than the rest of the walls.

German Pfeffernuesse Cookies are a lot like Russian Tea Cakes but they have a very unique taste. These cookies have added spices and a hint of licorice flavor from the ground anise. This is the second year that we are making them ourselves. From what I have seen the name of the cookie means "pepper nuts".

Every year we would buy them at the store during the holidays. It seemed kind of silly when I thought about it. We make so many cookies and treats over the holidays we might as well make these too. We had soooo many people asking for our recipe so we knew that we had to make them again and share the recipe. Here is our recipe...

Ingredients

2/3 cup softened butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

This recipe for Pfeffernuesse Cookies makes 5 dozen cookies.

As we get ready for the holidays we also start to go through recipes and decide what to make. There is just something about this time of year that makes me want to get in the kitchen and make things.

My youngest daughter loves pie. She is very picky though. I think she gets that from me. We both insist on our pumpkin pie being served warm and with lots of whipped cream. We both love pecan pie but prefer ones that are mostly pecans and less of that sugary stuff.

For a long time I have been meaning to find a recipe that combines pumpkin pie with pecan pie so we can enjoy it all together. I have been lazy though and have not actually looked for a recipe. Finally I have found a recipe that I really must make.

The My Pecan Pie Recipe website has a Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Pie that is just screaming for me to make it. I have not mentioned it to Neona yet because I know she would be hounding me nonstop to make it.

I hate cold weather! Many people love winter but I hate every minute of it. I would move back to Arizona in a heartbeat. Since I can't I will just hibernate on the couch all winter under a blanket.

There is one plus to the cold weather though. This is the time when I start making "cold weather" food. At the top of my list is chili. Who doesn't love chili?

There is just something about chili that just feels warm and comforting on a cold winter day. The best part about chili is that you could make it different every time and never run out of recipes to try.

I came across a pretty cool website dedicated to just chili recipes. Chili Recipe 4U has a lot of interesting recipes that I want to try. I am really interested in the Coca-Cola Chili. Our family has a kind of love affair with Coke. Our kitchen even has a Coke theme.

There are a lot of recipes on there that I am interested in. I am sure that winter will be way too cold and way too long so we will get the opportunity to try quite a few of the recipes.

Now that we have actually stayed in the same house for almost 2 years we are starting to get excited about decorating again. We have not really done any decorating in 4 years. That was the last time we lived somewhere this long. Usually we are either packing or unpacking so who cares what anything looks like then!

I have always loved huge wall clocks but ours broke somewhere between Arizona and here. I still remember how excited I was when James brought it home. We had a very high ceilings in that house and there was a peak between the livingroom and dining area. A huge wall clock was the perfect thing for that peak area.

Now we have another strange wall to cover. I would not even know how to explain it. The wall is like a huge T where the middle is visible from the livingroom, kitchen, and a staircase. We have never put anything there because whatever goes there must be very large scale and match with the other rooms.

I am thinking that a wall clock like this would work out nicely. It is very large and it has the red that is in all of the rooms.

How cute are these things? This is a great project for a cold snowy day just like today. Marshmallow snowmen can be made with just about anything you have on hand. Arms can be made out of things like chow mein noodles or pretzels. I think we have plenty of things left in the cupboards from decorating birthday cakes so the rest will be easy. We use decorator frosting spray cans as "glue" to adhere everything but you could melt some chocolate chips or use anything you have around the house.

Marshmallow snowmen are a cheap and fun winter craft that your kids will love making and eating. I find some of the best kids crafts are edible. You can also make some of these snowmen when you make a gingerbread house. They would make an adorable addition.

When are cable companies going to step up and start offering as many channels as Direct TV? When I look at the channel guides I always find channels that I wish we had on cable.

DirectTV has channels like the Nasa Channel. That would be a really fun and educational channel that my girls would love. There are a ton of other cool channels from around the world that cable channels just do not show.

I also wish our cable company had more On Demand programs. Directv has almost all of the major shows available On Demand. Our old cable company in Arizona had a better selection of shows than the one here but it still did not compare. Why does cable cost so much more and give you so much less?