Adagio Tea's 24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar

A complimentary Tea Advent Calendar was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. 

Winter is my favorite hot tea season and it is my go to beverage when I am looking for something warm in the afternoon or evening. I used to reserve tea for the evening but now that I work from home, I find that I have been preparing myself a mug of tea as a late afternoon treat. Being at home, I have found that putting up my feet and sipping on tea is such a great way to relax and unwind and reenergize myself for the rest of the day. Of course, I also like a cup of tea as a soothing pre-bed time relaxation too. I think that with all that is going on, the ability to take a few minutes of down time and relax is an important thing for my mental health.

Looking for a unique Advent calendar? This Tea Advent Calendar from Adagio makes an 8 oz serving of tea each day, as you count down to the holidays. They offer three versions of their advent calendar and also have a variety of other gifting options.

Once you remove the decorative sleeve (perfect for gift giving with the printed bow), inside you find the calendar.

The numbers are not sequential, requiring a little search to find the right door each day.

I was thinking that buying one for your friends and family, could be a fun way for everyone to connect through a common experience. Enjoying a cup of the same tea while video chatting with your friends or family could help bring your together in a year where there is real potential that more families are apart during this time of year than normal. With 24 unique teas, you will have the chance to try many flavors. If you are enjoying it as a group, perhaps you could make a chart and rate the groups' favorites. The added bonus is that you would then have insite and could order more of their favorite tea as a gift in the future.

Do you have a favorite variety or flavor of tea? Who in your family would enjoy these gifts?

A complimentary Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Tea Gift Set was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Cozy Winter Days and Nights

A complimentary Puffy Blanket was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. 

December 1st: A little early in the season for my liking but here in NEO, it is a blustery and snowy day. The kids are glad to be home on their first official snow day of the school year. It means a day filled with cuddling up to read and to watch movies and television. This means that everyone will grab for their favorite blanket as they look to stay cozy while the snow blows around outside.

Blankets have always been a big deal for us. I think it started when I was a kid. I had that special afghan that Grandma made me and I remember using it in the family room as we hung out watching tv, curling up under it while I read and sleeping tucked in beneath it at night. When I got my first apartment, having a cozy bed with fluffy and cozy blankets was a must. It was part of my vision for my new place. When we became homeowners and went on vacation, a blanket was the souvenier of choice on more than a couple of trips. Last year, I had the opportunity to learn to make a chunky knit blanket and then came home and helped my daughter make another one for herself.

Blankets are a great add for themed gifts too. A popcorn bucket, some candy and a pack of popcorn, a couple of DVDs, a cozy blanket and socks for watching movies is one example of a basket that I have put together for friends. One year, I did a Christmas themed basket for friends that just bought a new house. I filled it with a Christmas print blanket, a new home ornament, some candy canes and hot chocolate and two mugs. Another theme where a blanket is a great addition is a Picnic theme basket. Of course, here we need to do an indoor picnic at the holidays. Start with a blanket, include a bottle of wine, a couple of glasses, a corkscrew and some crackers and a charcuterie board.

This year, we have a new family favorite blanket - the luxurious faux fur Puffy Blanket

My daughter was quick to adopt this blanket when it arrived right before Thanksgiving. She describes it as big, cozy and warm. It is the perfect size for using on a bed or covering up while watching your favorite show or reading your favorite book. When I asked what she liked best, the two different sides with different textures to keep you warm. She often debates which side should be on the inside - my answer, whichever one feels best to you.

This blanket is warm, with a cozy texture and available in multiple sizes, making it a perfect gift option for those that long to be cozy. It makes a great housewarming basket gift or a straight up gift to someone that loves blankets like we do.

A complimentary Puffy Blanket was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Tea Gift Set

A complimentary Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Tea Gift Set was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. 

When I was a kid, I was not a fan of tea. I'm not sure where or when I had had it but I remember thinking that it was without flavor and left a 'dry' aftertaste in my mouth. I knew that I also had tried and didn't care for sun tea. My feelings about hot tea changed when I was in high school. I had a really good friend that was a fan of tea and when I was at her house to work on a project or doing homework, she would often times drink tea but it wasn't plain tea. Rather she was always drinking different flavors and the aroma was enticing. I think the first tea that she had me try was a peppermint tea around the holidays. There was something that was so good about the fresh pop of the flavor. She also introduced me to apple cinnamon, lemon, and probably a few other flavors.

As I got older, I became more adventurous and liked to try new flavors. Dining out, hotel breakfast bars, and offerings at business meetings were the easiest places to try new flavors and further experience tea. There are a few that are definitely not for me and I have a tendency to primarily purchase herbal teas. I enjoy a mix of loose tea and tea bags. I like the flexibility to adjust the intensity of the tea with loose tea but there is an on the go convenience to bag tea. My tea making supplies expanded with time too. I have a tea kettle for boiling water. I have both a ball infuser that screws together and a snap ball tea strainer. One year for Christmas, I received a carafe with a center infuser that allows me to make several cups at once. A few years ago, I picked up a ToastTEA travel tea infuser from Adagio tea which makes taking loose tea on teh go a little easier.

Winter is my favorite hot tea season and it is my go to beverage when I am looking for something warm in the afternoon or evening. Lately, I have been preparing myself a mug of tea after the work day winds down. Being at home, makes the transition a little different but I have found that putting up my feet and sipping on tea is such a great way to relax and unwind. I think that with all that is going on, the ability to take a few minutes of down time and relax is an important thing for mental health.

If you are looking for a gift for someone on your list, check out these two items from Adagio tea. The 12 Days of Christmas Tea Gift Set comes with 12 varieties of tea, each in it's own tin that you can hang from your tea or stack for a cute ornament image. I love that they are each ornaments that you can hang in your tree. How fun it would be to seek each numbered tin on the tree. The teas include: White Pear, Rooibos Peacan Turtle, Lavender Lemon, Candy Cane, Golden Monkey, Jasmine Pheonix Pearls, Blue Mango, Cream, Cha Cha, Earl Grey Bravo, Fruit Medley, Rooibos Nutcracker. I'm curious to see what Golden Monkey is and the Rooibos Nutcracker I am expecting to love. Of course, it not only makes a great gift for the poeple on your list but you may also decide to make it a gift for yourself and experience the twelve flavors.

Looking for a unique Advent calendar? This Tea Advent Calendar from Adagio makes an 8 oz serving of tea each day, as you count down to the holidays.

It gets the thumbs up from my daughter, as she noted, the numbers are not in order, which from her point of view makes for a better Advent calendar.

I was thinking that buying one for your friends and family, could be a fun way for everyone to connect through a common experience. Enjoying a cup of the same tea while video chatting with your friends or family could help bring your together in a year where there is real potential that more families are apart during this time of year than normal. With 24 unique teas, you will have the chance to try many flavors. If you are enjoying it as a group, perhaps you could make a chart and rate the groups' favorites. The added bonus is that you would then have insite and could order more of their favorite tea as a gift in the future.

Do you have a favorite variety or flavor of tea? Who in your family would enjoy these gifts?

A complimentary Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Tea Gift Set was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Cook'n Recipe Organizer - review and giveaway

I received a complimentary copy as a participant in the Tryazon Cook'n Recipe Exchange Party back in October. I had previously had an older version. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

I love to cook and to bake. I love to find and try new recipes. One of my biggest challenges was always organization. I have a recipe box that is partially populated with cards. I have a recipe accordion file that is full of some recipes that I got from my family at one of my wedding showers, plus some others that I have added. I have two write your own cookbooks - one that maxed out on space (you could add refills and I did until the rings could hold no more) and a second one that is not quite full but is set up to hold a combination of papers you write directly on and some pockets to hold recipe cards. I also have a folder that contains hundreds of recipes that I have clipped from newspapers, magazines and even printed from the internet over the years that I had wanted to try. Once I tried them, I would either transfer them to a recipe card or a cookbook or throw them out if we didn't like them. (This was all before Pinterest of course, now I just Pin them and try them later. My organization there is a whole other issue.)

Having my recipes was great, but with so many places, it could be hard to locate the recipe that I was looking for, although I became an expert on location of some of the most used recipes. In addition, sharing with friends and family required either typing it up to share or writing it out on a note card. Then, a few years ago, I discovered the wonder that is Cook'n Recipe Organizer.

There are a number of features that I love about Cook'n. The first is that I can easily enter my own recipes. Not only can I type them up, if I am able to find a recipe online, I can use the features in Cook'n to capture recipes from the internet. In my experience, most of them over clean but sometimes you have to do a little bit of cleanup to align the ingredient name. One of the improvements that was made in the most recent version is that you can capture from almost any site now...it used to be limited to a handful of sites. I often will do a quick search to see if I can find a similar recipe, as a means of expediting the load of the recipe. There is also functionality that let's you scan or capture a photo of a recipe and import it to your cookbook. You can customize your chapters, to organize in a way that makes sense to you and change them as you go. I started with just a dessert category, but have since split it out to put cookies into their own chapter. I love the flexibility.

The program is able to calculate the nutrition per serving and uses values from the preferred or designated brand for the ingredients. Can't find your favorite? You can add you own ingredients and brands, allowing you to base your calculations on the ingredients and brands that you use. This is a nice feature in my opinion. For my favorites, I have entered the details from the nutrition label on the package and made that brand my preferred brand for the ingredient.

Once you have a recipe saved, it is also easy to scale your recipe. There is functionality to help you with menu planning and will even generate a grocery list. Plan your menu by dragging and dropping the recipes onto the weekly plan. Then, click on the grocery list and it will generate based on the recipes. Clean up the list to remove on hand ingredients and you are ready to go.

With the newest version, you can now Sync your recipes to your mobile devices. I really like this functionality, because now, I can take the iPad to the kitchen and easily access my recipes where I am, without having to print or walk back and forth to my computer while I am baking and cooking. It is also nice because with it on my phone, I can quickly reference a recipe...whether I am at the store and found a great deal and want to update my meal plan or I am talking to a friend and want to share it with them. Speaking of sharing, quick share buttons that allow you to e-mail, post to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google+ are available on your recipes. You can also use the embed in website button to get an HTML version complete with formatting for the theme. You can share links to your recipe as well.

There are several available cookbooks that you can buy and download into the software. This is a great way to find new recipes and increase your database. Just the other week, there was an offer from Rhodes bread in the Sunday coupon flyer to download their cookbook to Cook'n. Most of the other cookbooks are available for a nominal cost.

The newest version also features a Live Recipe feed, that provides a picture and link to several recently used recipes. It includes the most captured recipe from the last 24 hours and last 7 days, giving you the perfect opportunity to find some popular recipes. You can even customize the feed to easily follow your favorite sites and see the recently added recipes.

The search functionality in the software allows you to search a particular cookbook or chapter, all of Cook'n or even the internet. Search by key words to find ingredients you have on hand, focus on recipe names only and even search based on ratings. It really has worked well for me when looking for recipes.

I really can't say enough good things about the software. I simply love it.

I think it makes a great gift for family or friends that love to cook. This weekend, Cook'n is offering a great special on the software. You can get it for only $20, the regular retail price is $80...that is 75% off! Here is the link to this amazing offer. After this weekend, you can still save on your purchase, go to http://www.dvo.com/ to place your order and simply use the following code at checkout to save 50%: mb-busymom.

You can learn more about Tryazon by visiting them on Facebook or following them on Twitter or Pinterest.

Giveaway!

In addition, I have the opportunity through my participation the Tryazon party to giveaway one complimentary copy to one A Busy Mom of Two reader.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through December 10th. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

I received a complimentary copy as a participant in the Tryazon Cook'n Recipe Exchange Party back in October. I had previously had an older version. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. The discount code and the giveaway copy are compliments of Cook'n.

Holiday Gift Guide - Christmas Cookies and Candies

One of my favorite gifts to share at the holidays are my homemade cookies. I enjoy making a variety of cookies and enjoy that I can give them as gifts to others. Each year I experiment with new recipes (this year, the new recipe was M&M Pretzel Bark. You can find many of the other recipes over on A Busy Mom of Two in the Kitchen). Assembled together on a plate (or in a bag), they are nice to share with others.

When it comes to neighbors and co-workers as a whole, my goal is to help spread holiday cheer. For my neighbors, I like to put together a small plate of baked goods to share with them. I drop them off along with the Christmas card. It allows for a quick visit, during the cold time of year where we tend to see less of each other because we aren't outside playing. I also like to take a large platter of baked goods to work to share with everyone (although, I find myself eating more than one!).

For the kids teachers, I know that they are getting a number of gifts and try to avoid filling their life with more clutter. When my kids were first in daycare, I struggled with what I was going to give their teachers, I have a friend who is a teacher and she said - no apples, no smelly stuff and no mugs. Okay, that helped narrow things down a bit, but I still wasn't sure what to give.

So, I thought, why not make a plate of tasty treats that they could eat or share with friends and family that visit during the holiday season. For the teachers I decided it would be better to give them a plate that they could use over and over again, instead of the typical paper plate I use when giving plates of cookies to neighbors. I headed out to the store and found some really cute little square plates.

They were winter themed, not just holiday themed. I piled them with our homemade holiday cookies and candies,

>placed them in food gift bags and tied them with a tag.

I got a nice of lot compliments and thank you notes from the teachers. I've had teachers who didn't have my kids express disappointment that they didn't have one of the kids in their class at Christmas, so they could get the holiday treats. Now that the kids are older, they help me with baking the cookies and making the candies. Which, of course, makes it an even better gift for them to give to their teachers, because they helped make it. Homemade treats and a fancy plate as a Christmas gift for teachers works for me.

I also have started to use treat bags to allow me to share more cookies with more people. It is great to get to bake (something I really enjoy) and to share with others (especially those that have expressed appreciation because they don't or don't have the time to bake).

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Entertainment Book - a giveaway

I like to save money, it is no secret. One tool that I have used to help me save money for several years (over 20 years to be sure!) has been the Entertainment Book. I first learned about the book when I was a kid. My parents had the book and I can remember using the coupons. It was when I went off to college and started dating that I became a first-time owner of my own Entertainment Book.

It may seem odd that a college student would own an Entertainment Book, but I got a book with my boyfriend because of all the fine dining offers. The offers in the front of the book, were BOGO offers at local fine dining locations. It allowed us to be 'fancy' in dating while still on a college budget. It was also a benefit for us when we would order pizza or go to the movie.

When I moved to Pittsburgh after college, I got an Entertainment Book for a different reason - to help me explore the area. Being new, I wasn't familiar with the local restaurants and entertainment venues (movies, bowling, sports, and more), but with the Entertainment Book, I was able to flip through by neighborhood and find places that were near to where I lived or where I was. It gave me a chance to try new things and save.

Now that I am married and have kids, we still use the Entertainment Book. There are a number of offers for local movie theaters, local mini-golf and entertainment centers, local sports teams (minor league), and zoos and museums. Since these are things that we would do anyway, it is nice to be able to save while we have fun with the kids. We still, of course, use the restaurant and the dry cleaning coupons too.

The book has gone more high-tech in recent years. Now, when you register your book online, you gain access to additional coupons through their website and now, through your phone too!

We also like giving the Entertainment Book as a gift. They are a great option for those in your life that like to try new restaurants or like to golf or like to check out the arts and culture in their community.

If you haven't checked out the Entertainment book, I highly recommend that you do. Review the discounts and deals in the book for your area. If you can find two or three offers that you know you will use and cover the cost of the book, then any other offers you use will be a good return on your investment. As an example, if you do a lot of dry cleaning, there are coupons in my book for 50% off your dry cleaning order, up to $10, each month. If I used these every month, I could save up to $120. Those coupons alone will pay for my book. If you are a golfer, or someone in your family is, there are a number of local courses that offer a free green fee with green fee, the senior rate to everyone, a free bucket of balls at the driving range, and more. Again, the savings opportunity for the golf alone will cover the cost of the book.

Giveaway!
Courtesy of Entertainment Book, I have the chance to give away to one A Busy Mom of Two reader an Entertainment Book for the community of your choice. Choose one for you or give it to a friend or family member (Christmas gift?!?)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through December 6th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary Entertainment Book to facilitate my review and one to give away to a reader. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Holiday Gift Guide - DIY Memory Board

For years, I looked for a way to display my Christmas cards at my house. I wanted them out on display, not stacked on my counter. I found a memory board and a wire tree that was designed to hold Christmas cards. I went with the memory board. It hangs in my hallway, in place of another picture every December. It lets me take a look at all the cards and the cute pictures every time I head down the hall.

I bought the Christmas memory board that I use, but when we were looking for something to hang on my daughter's wall, I learned just how easy they are to make yourself.

1 - Foam Craft Board, will cut to your desired size
1 - piece of fabric, your choice of patterns, large enough to extend a few inches on each side of your board
1 - bag of quilt batting, to cover the board
1 - spool of ribbon or elastic
Craft Glue
buttons or brads or other decoration

Tools:
Stapler
Straight pins
Yardstick
Ruler
Scissors
Utility Knife

1 - Using a yardstick, mark your board to the desired size. I mark at three points and then placed the yardstick so that it lined up with those three marks. Using a utility knife, cut the board using the yardstick as your guide. We cut ours in half to make two boards.

2 - Cut your quilt batting about an inch larger all around your board. I used a very small amount of glue on the front of my board to hold the quilt batting in place - it will be held by the fabric, but I didn't want it moving around. Don't use too much glue, or you will feel the hardness through the front of your finished board.
3 - Cut your fabric so that it extends about two inches around your board.
4 - Place your fabric print side down on your work surface and then place your board, batting side down centered on top of your fabric. Using craft glue, secure each side of your fabric on the edges. I recommend doing one side and then it's opposite side. Pull the fabric taut when you do the opposite side. Don't pull too much or it will looked stressed. After securing each side, you will have fun "wings" at each corner. I work those by folding the middle in flat to the board, so that the corner is smooth and securing it with glue. Then, fold the two new "wings" in towards each other and secure.

5 - Starting at one corner, place your first piece of ribbon or elastic. Secure at the edges with straight pins. Then, align your second ribbon/elastic. I used two rulers to help me align the ribbon as I worked.

Continue this way, working your way down one direction of the board. Then, repeat going the other way, making a criss-cross pattern on the front of your board with your ribbons/elastic. After the pattern is secured (and you like the way it looks), flip your board over and using your stapler, secure each of the ribbons/elastic. Again, you want to pull them so that they are taut, but not overly tight.

6 - Add your buttons, brads or other decorations (if desired), where the ribbons/elastic meet. Since I was using buttons, I decided to sew them in place, but glue could work.

7 - Add a ribbon loop or a picture hanger to the top of the board.

A memory board can be used to house a select set of pictures, an ever changing array of pictures, Christmas cards, mail, etc. By choosing different types of fabric and embellishments, they can be made to fit in any room.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Holiday Gift Guide - Shows and Games

There is nothing quite the same as seeing live entertainment. Whether that entertainment is a Broadway show, a ballet, or a live sporting event, being at the show/game in person is just better than watching it at home.

I love taking my kids to see shows. Many theaters offer family packages and/or $10 tickets to shows. The tickets at that price are limited, but they give you the opportunity to share the experience without breaking the bank. We are fortunate, that in addition to regular shows, that we have been able to take in shows geared towards children. We have seen groups like Imagination Movers in concert, a local Children's Ballet group perform Fancy Nancy and Madeline ballets, storybook shows such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Wrinkle in Time by a Professional Theater Company for young audiences and families, and shows like Disney on Ice and Phineas & Ferb Live. Each of these experiences can be used to teach children about the arts and to see familiar things transformed into live performances.

The holidays can be a great time to give someone the gift of show tickets (and sporting event tickets). Many theaters, having thought of this too, will send out their annual performance information just in time for the holidays.

Sometimes, you are able to get the tickets in time to wrap them and give them, but other times you can not.

At my house, if we can't get the tickets, we have been known to print out "gift certificates" that we make saying that we are giving the gift of the show. I have also done this for sporting event tickets.

The Very Best of Neil Diamond

I feel like I have always known music by Neil Diamond. As I read through the list of tracks included on the soon to be released The Very Best of Neil Diamond - the Original Studio Recordings, I found myself singing a few lines from each song. Some of which, I was surprised to recall were his songs. I'm not sure what song that I heard first, but I am pretty certain that my parents listened to Neil Diamond. In college, no party would have been complete without a group sway to Sweet Caroline. I am not sure that I can pick a favorite, but know that Forever in Blue Jeans is one of my favorites.

Then, I was listening to the radio the other day and learned that Neil Diamond is coming to town next summer. I checked out the tour schedule. The shows start in June and it looks like tickets start to go on sale next week for many locations. I'm not sure that I will make it to the show, but I am sure that if I do, it will be filled with many familiar songs.

"Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings proudly announce the release of The Very Best of Neil Diamond - The Original Studio Recordings on Tuesday, December 6. The new long-awaited definitive single disc compilation of 23 best-loved hits and signature tracks from America's quintessential singer-songwriter is the first Neil Diamond collection to draw from the artist's complete studio discography. The Very Best of Neil Diamond - The Original Studio Records includes his first pop chartings as a writer/performer for Bang Records in the mid-1960s; his spectacular career-defining hits for Uni/MCA (1968-1972); music from 1980's The Jazz Singer (his 5x platinum-selling soundtrack album on Capitol Records) and studio essentials from a long-running association with Columbia Records that began in 1973 with the Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack album and runs through a pair of Rick Rubin-produced albums: 12 Songs (2005) and Home Before Dark (which became Neil's first Number 1 album on the Billboard 200 in 2008). Also included is "Recollections," a revelatory set of liner notes penned by Neil especially for this collection, providing anecdotal detail and behind-the-scenes point-of-view insight into each of the songs. In his reflections on "Hell Yeah," the track that closes the album, he writes, "'Hell Yeah' is an affirmation of a lifetime spent devoted to music and my attempt to find a personally satisfying life for myself beyond the music. I have that life now but it was a much harder job than I thought possible. Still, well worth all the years and all the tears." In closing his "Recollections" for The Very Best of Neil Diamond - The Original Studio Recordings, Neil says, "I wish I could personally thank the hundreds of musicians, arrangers, and engineers who, along with the producers, spent long days and nights in studios around the country to make these recordings vibrate and thrill. As a songwriter I can only humbly bow down and thank them all from the depths of my heart for giving wings to my dreams.""

The track list for the album is:
The Very Best of Neil Diamond - The Original Studio Recordings

1. Forever In Blue Jeans


2. Beautiful Noise


3. Love On The Rocks


4. Cherry, Cherry


5. I Am…I Said


6. Sweet Caroline


7. Cracklin’ Rosie


8. Play Me


9. I’m A Believer


10. Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon


11. Holly Holy


12. Solitary Man


13. Song Sung Blue


14. You Don’t Bring Me Flowers


15. Hello Again


16. Red, Red Wine


17. If You Know What I Mean


18. Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show


19. Pretty Amazing Grace


20. Kentucky Woman


21. Shilo


22. America


23. Hell Yeah

Giveaway!
Courtesy of Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, one A Busy Mom of Two reader will win their own copy of The Very Best of Neil Diamond.

Read More>>

SeeHere - 60% off Site Wide

I wanted to quickly share a deal with you that I just took advantage of. I got an e-mail earlier today from SeeHere sharing this offer. It invited me to share it with friends, so here goes:

SeeHere is currently offering a 60% discount, site wide. To take advantage, enter the promo code thankyou at checkout.

Many of their photo gifts currently have free overnight shipping available (through 12/12), so this might be a great chance to pick up some personalized gifts at a great price.

Myself, I made a puzzle for the kids. I went with the 7 x 10 puzzle. I took pictures from our Niagara Falls vacation last spring to make the puzzle. I was able to do a photo collage - making a picture with the Falls fill the full puzzle and then adding three other small photo insets. I also added text to the puzzle, to identify the location/year. I can't wait to get it. I've always wanted to do a photo puzzle like this. The puzzle, after discount, was only $5.20 (plus tax). Unfortunately, I'm not sure it will arrive before Christmas, but that was because I didn't look into the processing/shipping time until after my order was complete (you can check it out here). If I had looked sooner, I could have chosen alternate shipping to ensure delivery.

Of course, there is some fine print, only one code per order, tax and shipping not included, etc. If you want full details, it is best to reach out to the company.

Shutterfly Photo Cards and Gifts

Each year, we send out a lot of Christmas cards to our family and friends. I love receiving photo cards - it is nice to see how everyone's family grows and changes each year. (I've even started a scrapbook to capture many of those photo cards - and husband wonders if anyone keeps them). One source for our Holiday photo cards has been Shutterfly. They offer Holiday cards in a variety of styles and sizes - you are certain to find one that suits your style and needs. This year, we decided that we really liked the Confetti Flowers Christmas Card. I used my 10 free cards from my recent Shutterfly House Party to get some of these cards for this year. I like too that they offer coordinating address labels to match many of thier cards.

I know it might sound like cheating, but photo gifts seem to me to be an easy to give, great to receive, personal holiday gift that is appreciated and doesn't add to life's clutter.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I enjoy putting together and giving a Photo Book to our parent's each year. What I like about this gift is that I can share with them pictures of the kids (family really) from throughout the year. I try to select a highlight of the events from the past year, as well as some pictures of the kids simply being kids. I do a much more in depth Photo Book as a family scrapbook for us to keep, but the one that I am making as a gift is meant to just be a brief glimpse. I recently completed this year's Photo Book gifts on Shutterfly. Have you tried their photo books? I really like their Storyboard feature that is available to help you set up your book when you use the custom route. What I like about their Storyboard is that you can just start dragging and dropping your pictures on the page that you want them. Once you have the pictures on the pages that you want, you click a button and the program will auto-fill your book, selecting a default layout for each page based on the number of photos you placed on each page. Then, you can go in and add captions, adjust pictures, or tweak the layouts if you would like. To me, this makes the overall process both quick and easy.

There are so many other photo gifts to choose from on Shutterfly as well - puzzles, mouse pads, desk organizers, canvas art, notebooks, apparel, bags and more. Each year, my brothers and I also put together a wall calendar for my parents, filled with pictures of the grandkids. We generally split the months up, with a few months where everyone has a picture. My mom loves this gift and looks forward to receiving it each year. I've also considered the photo mug as a potential gift for our parents or even for myself. You can make the photo mug with one picture or a handful. What a great way to make you smile while you enjoy your hot beverage. (I also use a mug as a pen holder on my desk at work - so there is yet another use and a different way to display pictures at your desk.)

Outside of gifts for parents, I have also considered giving Photo Puzzles to my kids. They have two varieties - Center Stage (24 or 125 piece puzzles), where your child becomes part of a picture featuring Disney Princesses, Star Wars, Transformers and more and the photo puzzles (252 piece puzzles), where your pictures is transformed into a puzzle. My preference would be to get them the 252 piece puzzle, so I will likely wait until my daughter is a little older. I think they would find a puzzle made from their picture to be pretty cool.

Beyond the holidays, I know people who have used Shutterfly to make birth announcements and also used their photo cards for birthday party invites or thank you cards.

Their site is easy to navigate (I was even able to walk my mom through it over the phone and she successfully ordered Christmas cards and a photo book.). They frequently offer specials - right now, for instance, they have free shipping on orders over $50 and 30% off Photo Books.

Are you a blogger? Click here to learn how you can get 50 Free Holiday Cards from Shutterfly.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own. I am submitting this post to receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly.

Holiday Gift Guide - Klean Kanteen, includes giveaway

I used to not think much about using disposable cups and bottled water. But then, I started thinking not only about the added cost, but the environmental impact that using them has, and decided that I could make a small difference by making changes in my home. We picked up some plastic bottles that we could use for water - so that we could take them to go, take them for sports, and such. I started to carry a plastic cup with me to work each day to use for my water throughout the day.

A few months ago, I received a Kid Kanteen, a small Klean Kanteen bottle with a sippy lid, as well as a regular lid. It was part of the kit for the Healthy Home Party that I hosted. My daughter loved it when I received the bottle and immediately claimed it as her own. She was so excited to have her own "silver" bottle for water, because her brother had been using one of mine to take water to soccer and football. She was also impressed that her bottle had a soccer ball printed on it (at least that is what she thought their logo was)!
In addition, courtesy of Klean Kanteen, I more recently had the chance to check out the 16oz Café Mug-To-Go Combo Pack, a 16oz Wide Insulated Bottle which comes with 2 caps - the standard LOOP cap and a CAFÉ cap. I have been taking the bottle to work with me each day for enjoying my tea or coffee (I never was a big coffee drinker, but there are some really good flavored coffees and creamers out there, that I now find myself having a cup from time to time - but I still love my tea!). I noticed that it was doing a good job of keeping my drink hot and I was really happy about that. I have a bad habit of not being able to finish my drink right away some mornings, as I get pulled into meetings, phone calls, etc and routinely, found myself dumping out almost half a cup a day of my favorite hot beverage. Since I started using this mug, I haven't had to dump out my drink because it got cold. I had hoped that the cafe cap, when closed would help me in my bouts of clumsiness, but I can tell you, from experience, that if you knock over the bottle, the drink will still come out, just much more slowly than normal - so where it hasn't prevented my spills, it certainly has minimized the size of them.

Last week, I really put the Klean Kanteen Mug-to-Go to the ultimate test. I took it shopping with me on Black Friday. I left my house about 3:15 am that morning, right after brewing up a mug of coffee (used my Keurig, which I learned that the Klean Kanteen bottle does not fit under - so I had to brew into a standard mug and transfer). I left my coffee in my car while I ran into Kohls. Then, I drank a little on my way to JC Penney. After leaving JC Penney, and heading to Staples, I took it with me when I got in line at Staples at 5 am. When I finished drinking it around 5:30 - that last drink was still hot! I was happy for that, considering it had spent the time I was shopping sitting in my car, at what was a very cold outside temperature.

In addition to the fact that it does a great job of keeping my beverage hot, I love that I am no longer using so many Styrofoam (or whatever all the new "hot" cups are made out of) cups. It makes me feel better in terms of the reduced environmental impact of no longer using a disposable cup and of course, there is the savings associated with no longer having to buy that cup too. Sure, I am only one person, so there are still cups being bought and disposed, but each person that makes the change to a reusable mug, creates an impact.

Now, when summer comes, I could also elect to use the insulated bottle to keep my cold beverages cold. I'm not sure if I would use the cafe lid or return to the loop cap, but I know that it would be good for taking beverages to all of the kids sporting events and trips to the park. The insulation seems to be very effective based on my experience. In fact, according to the information on Klean Kanteen, their insulated bottles keep "contents hot or cold for up to six hours, while iced drinks stay frosty for more than 24". I think that is a great feature.

You can purchase Klean Kanteen through their website or find a local retailer using their store locator.

You can find Klean Kanteen on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway
Thanks to Klean Kanteen, I have the opportunity to allow one A Busy Mom of Two reader to win a free 16oz Café Mug-To-Go Combo Pack. I have set the giveaway so that the outfit can ship to the winner in time for Christmas.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing what you and your family have done to make the world a better place.

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each additional entry)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two on Twitter.

Follow Klean Kanteen on Twitter.

Tweet about this giveaway, include @ABusyMomofTwo and @kleankanteen in your tweet. This can be done once daily, please be sure to leave a link to the tweet in your comment. You can use this if you would like: Enter to win a @KleanKanteen 16oz Mug-to-Go combo pack hosted by @ABusyMomofTwo. Ends 12/8. http://bit.ly/hDgwqG

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Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

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Giveaway will remain open until December 8th at 6 pm and is open to residents of US only. Winners will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected. This is to ensure that the outfit can be sent in time for Christmas.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Klean Kanteen provided me with a 16oz Mug-to-Go combo pack for my review. In addition, Klean Kanteen is providing a 16oz Mug-to-Go combo pack for the giveaway.

Holiday Gift Guide - Photo Books

Photo books are a great holiday gift for just about anyone you are close to. Photo books are a great personal gift, that the recipients will find themselves sharing with others.

You can make a photo book of the kids for the grandparents or of the family for the kids. A few years ago, we started doing books each year for the grandparents. I pull together many of my favorite pictures of the kids, as well as pictures of them with the family, from the past year and put them together in a photo book. Another option is to gather pictures of your family and put them together in a photo book for your kids.

Of course, instead of making a book that spans the full year, you could also make a book from a special occasion or event from the prior year to share with all of those involved. If you take a family vacation with your larger family, gather every one's pictures and assemble a book full of the memories. Order a copy for everyone (for each family, really) so that everyone has a collection of all of the pictures from the vacation. Similarly, if there was a reunion or an anniversary party or other event, you could make a photo book capturing the fun.

I have also seen people use photo books as a way to get a personalized book. I saw one where they made a book of ABCs, featuring one or more of their own pictures for each letter. I think this is a neat idea, but is not something that I have done.

I have two codes for a free 20-page, 8x8 photo books remaining from my Shuttefly House Party that I hosted a few weeks ago (I still haven't shared about that, have I?). I hate to see them go to waste and they are only good until December 6th. Since that doesn't really give me enough time to do a giveaway, I'm going to do a site scavenger hunt type giveaway. I will put up two posts in the next 24 hours each with a question that can be answered with information contained in one of my posts from the past couple of weeks (or through a link in one of those posts). The first person to respond by e-mail with the correct answer to that question, will be the winner. I will post at 7 am Eastern and at 5 pm Eastern on Thursday, December 2nd. I will notify the winner and send their codes over on Thursday night.


No compensation was received for this post. I have the coupon codes for the free Shutterfly Photo Book from a recent Shutterfly House Party that I hosted.

Holiday Gift Guide - Teachers, Babysitters and others

I love to give holiday gifts, but one challenge that I face is what to give to teachers, babysitters, and others outside of the family. I don't want to just give something to give something. I want to give something that is personal to say thank you, something practical that won't go to waste and something that isn't typical (especially to a teacher that has 25 students giving little gifts each year).

When it comes to neighbors and co-workers as a whole, my goal is to help spread holiday cheer. For my neighbors, I like to put together a small platter of baked goods to share and I also take a large platter of baked goods to work to share with everyone.

This works great for the general population, but I felt the need to personalize things a bit more for those that are more in my life. I thought back to the gifts that I like to give at wedding showers - themed baskets (basket is optional, gift bag or other container works well too!). What I like best about giving themed baskets is that a portion of my baskets are always consumable, which I think makes it more practical. The nice thing about a themed gift basket is that you can make it more or less personal, depending on your recipient and how well you know them.

In recent years, some of the gifts that I have given have been coffee gift baskets, bread dipping gift basket, wine and cheese, and so on. In a coffee gift basket, I might include a package of coffee (holiday flavored perhaps), a pair of holiday mugs, a coffee cake mix (either a box mix or there are websites that offer "recipes" for gifts like here), a holiday tea towel, and other associated goodies. For the bread dipping basket, I found a set of dipping bowls (you know those flat bowls like they have at Bravo!, Macaroni Grill, etc), a container of dipping blends (I found one with four varieties), a bottle of olive oil, a holiday tea towel and a gift card to buy bread. You get the idea.

For the kids teachers, I know that they are getting a number of gifts and try to avoid filling their life with more clutter. When my kids were first in daycare, I struggled with what I was going to give their teachers, I have a friend who is a teacher and she said - no apples, no smelly stuff and no mugs. Okay, that helped narrow things down a bit, but I still wasn't sure what to give.

So, I thought, why not make a plate of tasty treats that they could eat or share with friends and family that visit during the holiday season. For the teachers I decided it would be better to give them a plate that they could use over and over again, instead of the typical paper plate I use when giving plates of cookies to neighbors. I headed out to the store and found some really cute little square plates (like these here, here and here). They were winter themed, not just holiday themed. I piled them with our homemade holiday cookies and candies, covered them in some plastic and attached a big bow.

I got a nice of lot compliments and thank you notes from the teachers. I've had teachers who didn't have my kids express disappointment that they didn't have one of the kids in their class at Christmas, so they could get the holiday treats. Now that the kids are older, they help me with baking the cookies and making the candies. Which, of course, makes it an even better gift for them to give to their teachers, because they helped make it. Homemade treats and a fancy plate as a Christmas gift for teachers works for me.

This post (and series) shared on the Holiday Gifts themed Works for Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.