Wishing All My Readers, A Safe and Happy Holiday Season

I just want to take this moment to wish all my wonderful readers a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.

It will be a quiet one for us. Ria is in the Bahamas with her boyfriend and not back home till Christmas evening. The girls will both be coming over however, with their boyfriends Boxing Day for supper.This year too, will be our first Christmas with our new dog Jake, who is like one of our kids.He loves when parcels come in the mail, opening boxes to see what I am reviewing, so he'll love when we start opening gifts tomorrow morning.

Alot of our family members do not talk with one another so it's unfortunate, but we won't be having a big, happy family get together.

Very cold here as well. -32 with the windchill today. Gerry is picking up some last minute food items at the grocery store today. He gets off work early then has about a week off work so that will be very nice for the both of us.

Ria is coming home to an empty fridge. Her breaker somehow got kicked while she was gone. Having only ferrets to feed dry food, no one went in the fridge, till a few days went by, then my brother who takes them out to play in the evenings, opened it and noticed. Too late and everything was warm. We had to throw almost everything out!

Erika is also having troubles at her apartment,(both run by the same landlord but different location in town). She's got a leak within the walls and water running under the tub. Can't get the plumber over till at least Jan. 2nd. Most times Gerry will fix things for the girls but this is something someone else will have to look at.

I just wish the weather were warmer.. brr it's cold  here! Hopefully it will warm a bit over the holidays so I can go out for a skidoo ride with Gerry. I hate the cold.

We just got a new, used truck. Gerry traded in his smaller truck for a 4x4, full sized truck, but it worked out to pretty much the same payments.Gas will be not bad for it as well. Much better in the snow and for hauling for him.He is quite happy with it. It's a bit older than what we had by 2 years I think, but looks new and still has a year warranty on it.

Enough of my rambling though. Happy Holidays Everyone!

HP Study Shows Canadians Too Busy to Enjoy Holidays

According to a new national survey from HP Canada and Ipsos Reid, the vast majority of Canadians (96%) say spending quality time with family and friends is what is most meaningful around the holidays. But one in five Canadians (21%) are too busy with holiday preparations to do exactly that. Interestingly, even though many Canadians (72%) say receiving the gift they want is not important, almost half (48%) find that shopping and wrapping gifts takes up most of their free time during the holidays.

HP Canada wants to inspire Canadians by showing how they can spend valuable time together and save time and money on holiday preparations, with the launch of HP Holiday Headquarters.From festive ornaments and decorations to gift boxes and photo calendars, HP  Holiday Headquarters offers a huge selection of easy, affordable and time-saving templates, plus advice and tools to make this year’s holiday season preparations a truly enjoyable opportunity to bring family and friends together.

HP Holiday Headquarters also offers Canadians particularly meaningful tools to personalize their greetings this season. Asked how they will express holiday greetings this year, nearly a third of Canadians (29%) plan to write cards and letters and approximately the same number (30%) say they prefer to receive cards or letters.

I will be using my own HP Deskjet D2430 for printing over the holidays!

You can view the full release here: HP Study Shows Canadians Too Busy to Enjoy Holidays

Today's Winner!

Our giveaway today:

http://www.oneincomedollar.com/2012/12/kfcs-free-sandwich-voucher-with.html

And our winner is:

pamfreecycle@gmail.com

** Winner has been contacted and has 7 days to reply before a new winner is selected.

Thank you to all who entered- and Happy Holidays!

Great Stocking Stuffers

As the poem goes, all the stocking are hung by the chimney with great care in hopes that St. Nicholas will soon be there. While everyone hopes that St. Nick will fill their stocking, sometimes it is left up to us. When thinking of fun stocking stuffers, the sky is the limit. Traditionally these are small gifts that often can bring a great smile to the recipients face. This is a great opportunity to give some practical items that may not be ideal as a main Christmas gift, or choose gifts that are fun or whimsical in nature. Who knows, you may even spot St. Nick!

Some great stocking stuffers for this year's stockings:

Bic Flex4-

Help get your prince charming mistletoe-kiss ready with BIC® Flex 4™. With the Holiday season officially launched, BIC is ready to help guys put their best face forward so that they can get up close and personal with the ones they love. BIC^® Flex4^® disposable razors are the perfect addition to any male stocking, offering a quality shave for under $10. The BIC® Flex4® disposable shaver features four flexible blades that individually adjust to your skin for an ultra-smooth shave with a lubricating strip with aloe and vitamin E for a smooth glide. For more information, please visit: www.bicworld.com.

Duracell-

Whether you need power for your or another little ones toys, Duracell - the # 1 trusted battery among parents in Canada - has engineered all of their batteries with DuraLock, a new technology which preserves power for up to 10 years in storage. Just in time for the holidays, it is guaranteed power when you or your loved ones need it. 

Need to make a quick call to double check a wish-list? There is nothing worse than getting halfway through the day and seeing your cell phone or Ipod is running on empty. Luckily, the Duracell Instant Charger is a handy portable power solution that allows you and your loved ones to charge their new USB-powered devices on the go. Small and light, it can charge many gadgets and is great to keep in your purse or pocket. Suggested retail price is $44.99. Click here for more information.

Eye Slices Canada-

eyeSlices® are innovative eye treatment pads that combine the natural essence of nature with bio-innovation to bring about an all-in-one solution to all common eye concerns. Seen on Dragon's Den, I wanted to try these for myself and can honestly say they lifted my eyes and I felt refreshed instantly.

The perfect stocking stuffer or gift for yourself, to relax, restore and revive.
Each package contains one set of re-usable cooling eye gels, good for 10 x 5 minute treatments.

A Friend and a Cup of Coffee

During this busy season it is great to unwind, or meet up with a friend over a cup of delicious coffee.

Coffee has transcended our culture from being just a warm drink to a huge part of our day to day lives. These days you do not have to venture into a coffee shop to enjoy a unique, fresh brew; you can do so right in the comfort of your own home, saving you both time and money.

So this holiday season make sure to enjoy both the great taste and the experience a good cup of coffee can offer.

Review: Balsam Hill Holiday Wreath

One of my favorite things during the holiday season is looking at all the Christmas decorations around the neighborhood.  Each house and family decorates just a little bit differently, thus bringing individuality into their holiday traditions.

When looking for some stunning holiday decor, look no further than Balsam Hill. The company offers a multitude of holiday decorations, including artificial Christmas trees, ornaments and accessories for them, wreaths and garlands as well as many others.  The pieces are so realistic and stunning that they are the choice for top set designers for shoes such as Oprah and Ellen.  

This year we have had the chance to feature a stunning Greenbrier Mountain Pine Christmas Wreath featuring holly leaves, red berries, long pine needles and twigs.  It is the first year that we have a wreath on our home and I must say it boosts the merriment of the season every time we see it. The goal at Balsam Hill  is for you to enjoy a picture perfect, hassle-free Christmas.

And with the beautiful and realistic decorations from Balsam Hill, you don’t have to just hear carols about a winter wonderland,  you can live within it.

Affordable Holiday Gift Ideas - Christmas Cookies In A Jar

There are few things that say “Christmas” quite like holiday cookies. If you want to give a gift from the heart this year that helps express the excitement of the holiday season, creating Christmas cookies in a jar is the perfect way to share your enthusiasm for the spirit of the season. They’re easy to create, aesthetically pleasing, and one of the most useful gifts you could offer this year. 

Step 1: Choose a Recipe 

Before you can even begin to select the right jar to meet your needs or purchase the ingredients from the grocery store, the first thing you have to do is choose a recipe that you like. It may help to actually bake a few of the cookies on your own to decide which one is your personal favorite. Unfortunately, there are many to choose from. Whether you want to go with the traditional “emergency cookies’ packed with quick oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips or you’d prefer something a bit more exciting like M & M cookies or you even want to go with something completely different like Christmas Crunch cookies, the key here is to choose a recipe that gives you a chance to create beautiful layers inside the jar, so you’ll want a variety of different ingredients to help build that amazing look. One of my favorite recipes is Cowgirl cookies because they look beautiful layered in a jar. You can find the recipe at The Larson Lingo along with a free printable label like the ones shown in the photo below.

Step 2: Select a Jar

Every recipe is going to require a different sized jar, and if you’ve never done this before, you may have a bit of trial and error on your hands. I've found that the best choice is to use a quart-sized Mason jar, as that’s the most traditional option here. You can pick them up at a local craft store like Michaels. In some cases, though, you may have to go smaller or larger depending a bit on which recipe you choose. If you’re planning in advance, you can keep your costs down by purchasing your Mason jars at the right time of year. In the late fall, well after summer gardening season has ended, stores often put their canning supplies on sale, like their complete stock of Mason jars, helping you save quite a bit on your holiday gift budget. You can also often pick up vintage Mason jars for less than you would imagine at antique and thrift stores. 

Step 3: Fill your Jar 

To complete this step, you may want to have a wide-lid jar or a funnel large enough for each of your ingredients to go through. It helps to make the layering process easier. Add each of your ingredients to the jar, one by one, pressing each layer down with the back of a spoon. If you want to get really creative, when you’re finished, take a skewer or a knife and press it down the sides of the jar, like you might with a child’s sand art project, to create beautiful patterns in the layers.

 Step 4: Decorate your Jar

Once it’s filled, add to your jar a bit. Choose a pretty holiday fabric to put on top as well as a matching ribbon. Put stickers on the jar or paint it. Get creative with whatever you think will look best, because it will make the gift look a bit more attractive in the end.

photo credit: Lin T via photopin cc 

Step 5: Attach the Recipe 

They can’t create your amazing cookies if you don’t add the recipe, so copy it onto an index card or some matching scrap booking paper, punch a hole in the corner, and add it to the jar with a bit of beautiful ribbon. Or print out the free stickers with directions from the Cowgirl cookie example shown below.
In either case, you'll have a beautiful handmade holiday gift for friends and family.

 photo credit: chuck-reynolds via photopin cc

About The Author: Jan Kremer is an event planner and baking enthusiast who shares her Christmas cookie recipes, holiday party planning tips and seasonal gift ideas with blog readers at www.holiday-gifts-gift-baskets.com

Sunday-A Good Day To Organize the Pantry and Fridge

I always try to keep my fridge and pantry organized and free of outdated food. This means using up what you do have before it has a chance to expire or not buying too much to begin with.

My pantry is "unusually" full and only because we only got our Santa's Choice boxes in earlier this month-over $1,000 in food, which we froze, stored, and shared things WE didn't eat, with family and the food bank.( Please let me know if I can refer you..as my name can get entered into a cash draw!) 

Let today or this week, be a day you clean out YOUR fridge and pantry. Washing the insides of shelves, wiping off bottles and jars, and checking for expiry dates on your food.

Another Sad Day in America

Iams Home For The Holidays

The Iams Home 4 the Holidays program is now in its 14th year of helping shelter animals find their forever homes. 

To help mark this milestone, Iams provided an exclusive gift basket filled with amazing pet supplies that are sure to help taking care of Jakey a breeze!

Jakey says: Thanks Iams!