Everyone loves receiving gourmet treats as gifts, don't they? I sure do! These Hickory Farms gift baskets are terrific for giving and receiving. The summer sausages and cheeses on these packs are truly delicious. My family and I enjoy them with hot chocolate especially now that the weather has turned cold again.

We had the opportunity to try out this Hickory Farms Party Planner Gift Box as part of a blog tour and for some reason they taste even better! Is it 'cause they're free? I wonder. lol!


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Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you get your dose of corned beef and cabbage today? I didn't and it makes me sad. It's become a tradition with us to have our annual dose of corned beef on St. Paddy's day even though we're not Irish. But, it was not to be. Our water line caught a leak and so we don't have any water in our house today and that means that we can't cook. So instead, we got some teriyaki chicken take out which wasn't bad. It will do, but it still sucked that we don't have water.

So we took our take out home all ready to sulk when lo and behold, there on our doorstep sat a green box! And guess what was inside it...

I finally got an IZEA Swag box! Oh, I have been waiting patiently for this while trying not to be too envious of other bloggers who showed off their loot on their blogs. So we donned our clover leis, the green beer mug bling, the buttons, the tattoos and decked in our St. Paddy's regalia, the blue frog on our side, we settled in front of the TV and watched American Idol. Ah, heaven!! Go Anoop! :D Oh hush, I know... it's so un Irish!







Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

It is the season for giving and if you're still looking for a good cause to contribute to, consider the heroes at home program at Sears. The unsung heroes behind our troops deployed on the front lines are the families they left behind. They not only have to contend with not having their loved one and main provider gone during the holidays, they also have to deal with reduced income and sometimes money just gets really tight. Sears hasn't forgotten the families left behind, that's the main focus of the Heroes at Home program which grants wishes of military families by giving them Sears gift cards.

Donations to Heroes at Home are not tax deductible but the donation you give will make a huge difference in someone's life. Visit the heroes at home wish list section and read about some of the simple but touching wishes from these military families. Like the request from the mom who is serving overseas and misses her husband and kids and wanted to make sure they had something for the holidays when all they probably want is their mom home with them. There are many more stories like that on the wish list registry. Visit the website and see which wishes your donations will be granting.

Watch the video below on how every little bit helps when we all work together.

So we talked about gifts for your little girls on the previous post. Now lets talk about gifts for your big girls. Kmart is really working hard to enable buyers this holiday season first with the rejuvenation of the layaway plan and now they've marked over 25,000 gift items to be priced at under $25!

For moms, aunts, wives and girlfriends, Wal-Mart has just the perfect gift for them for under $25. For instance, check out this Hamilton Beach slow cooker for $19.99. That stainless steel, modern look certainly looks like a lot more than twenty bucks!

OK, so maybe I won't mind getting kitchen gadgets for Christmas but many women actually get offended so maybe it would be safer to stick with something non-domestic. How about a nice jacket or a robe? Even a sweater? K-Mart has a large selection of Women's apparel that are priced under $25. They even have jewelry priced under $25! When it comes to cosmetics, beauty products and gift sets, K-Mart has all that covered and mroe.

Let's not forget, for you Martha Stewart fans, that K-Mart is THE official store to get Martha Stewart Everyday living products. Who wouldn't love to get a set of linens or towels or bedding or curtains or any of the hundreds of items that make a home much more livable.

Start shopping and ordering your presents now from K-Mart. Some rders over $49 qualify for FREE SHIPPING.

My favorite game when I was little was playing house. I loved playing pretend that I had my own house and kitchen. Especially the kitchen.

I had a little doll house and I loved rearranging the furniture and especially making the furniture. We didn't have very many places to buy pre-made doll house furniture then so we would make our own either from modeling clay or match sticks. Those times made for some great memories.

If you have a little girl in your Christmas gift list who loves to play house, consider Ryan's Room, maker of wooden play sets and accessories that allow a child to imagine, create and bring to life their very own world.

Use coupon code: SALE142 and get $20 off your order. If you spend more than $100, shipping is free.





Visit our new blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

One of the best things you can give for Christmas, I think, is food items. I certainly love getting food gifts. One thing I try to do when giving gifts rather than buying the generic fruit cake is to find a food item that is unique to our area. For instance, if I were to plan on sending gourmet nuts to your family and friends this holiday season, I will probably choose to send Virginia peanuts since that is what is commonly known from my region of the country.

Now if you're in California you may want to send some pistachios or some macadamia if you're lucky enough to live in Hawaii. However, this isn't a hard and fast rule of gift giving, if you know someone who just loves Turkish pistachios, then I don't see any reason why they shouldn't have a nutty holiday present from you. I'm sure they would love it!

Nuts on the Net by Zenobia has been in the nut business for over 80 years and guarantees the quality and freshness of the nuts they sell. They offer 100% guarantee of their products. That means if you are not 100% satisfied they will either give you a refund or a replacement, no questions asked. For internet orders, they also offer free 2-day shipping via UPS. You can't beat a deal like that!

If you love food you probably loved playing with food when you were little, right? I sure did, and I still do to this day. I know I buy them for my girls, but I too enjoy playing with their tea sets and other food related toys.

With Christmas coming up, we're all on the hunt for the best presents and if you're like me, you're looking for gifts that won't break the bank. Times are tight, you know?

If you know a little foodie in the making, then these Small World Toys will be perfect for them. These sets cost less than $20 each, perfect gifts that won't stretch your wallet.

You can save an additional 20% on your order by using the coupon code: SALE142 when you place an order. If you order over $100, your shipping is FREE!


Visit our new blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

I'm always muttering about how things come just when you need them. So how apropos is it that this beautiful baking set comes to me just when I joined the Daring Bakers? This was my birthday present from my sister this year. How awesome is that? I had a set from Tupperware that is over fifteen years old. The rolling mat is so scarred from all the cutting done on it, it's starting to dry out on the edges, and it was starting to get that old plastic, gummy feel to it. Same thing with the measuring cups.

I was really excited to get this set. That rolling mat is just awesome. It didn't move an inch the whole time I was using it to roll out my wonton wrappers. And that rolling pin? Man, that thing is deadly. It's professional heavy but rolls around like butter :)

I also like the metal measuring cups and bowls. I know I'll have them for more than 15 years. If those tupperware plastic cups can last that long, you know these will!

Calphalon Mixing Bowl Set 3-pc.

Calphalon Measuring Cup Set 4-pc.

Calphalon 16" X 24" Nonstick Rolling Mat

Calphalon Rolling Pin




Visit our new blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

I got one of these DYMO Labelmaker sometime ago, I thought, for work. You know, labeling my file folders, binders, and bins in my office. Since then, this little label maker has been all over the house! Just check out their website for some really cool ideas to use the labels on and you'll see what I mean.

The kids use it to label their school supplies and books, my husband uses it on his electronic stuff. As for me, I love using it in the kitchen. I have labeled all my storage containers in the pantry so that I won't have to open each thing when I'm looking for an item or ingredient. See, I put most of our pantry items in plastic containers because here where it's warm and humid in the summers and blustery cold in the winter, the humidity in the pantry can get very inconsistent and we've had incidence of mold and other weird growths on food not to mention the meal bugs that get on flour and such. Anyway, that's why I have them in plastic, sealed containers rather than their original packaging. I try to get clear containers most of the time so I can see what's inside them, but of course that doesn't always work out. So that's where the labels come in.

I love looking into my pantry and seeing everything labeled. I don't have to guess if that white thing is flour or sugar, or all-purpose, self-rising or cake flour. Having them labeled just makes it easier to find what you need. You know what else I have labeled? My spices! I have these cute little tupperware containers that I put spices in because it just looks so much neater when all the containers are the same size and color. It looks less messy than when you have a hodge podge of different sized and shaped containers. The spice drawer looks even more gorgeous with each container labeled with the name of the spice. I just love it!

How about you, do you like labeling stuff around the house? What's your favorite thing to label?

I get my love of food from my dad so you would think that with Father's Day fast approaching, I would be leaning towards a foodie gift, right? Wrong. The thing with having a foodie for a father is that he always thinks what he makes is better than anything that can be bought. Yeah, well I didn't say he was modest.

Luckily, like most men he also loves watching sports on TV. That is, after the food channel. BUT, me buying him a giant HDTV for Father's Day, even though I know he would absolutely love it, is out of the budget.

HOWEVER, if you can write a convincing essay on “Why does your dad deserves the nation’s biggest HDTV?” he just may be spending Father's Day in HD heaven. To enter the contest, just click on the link for details on how you can make your dad's day even more special.

If your dad lives in Charter's service area (check their website if your area is covered), they may be eligible to win, thanks to you, the Grand Prize HDTV and FREE Charter HD service and The Charter Bundle for life. Runner ups can also win FREE Charter HD service for a year.