December 22, 2010

I've got a question for you. Do you think gift cards are thoughtful or lazy?

It seems like opinions are split on this one; but I think gift cards can be a thoughtful gift. Granted, I'm not talking about someone that spends ten minutes to run into the grocery store at the 11th hour and without any thought, just buys every person on their list a Visa gift card.

With the selection of gift cards available in the stores this year and with just a little consideration about who you're buying for, I think gift cards can be a great gift.

• For very young children, it's usually more fun for me to choose a gift for them versus give a gift card, but I recently discovered that you can buy Build a Bear gift cards! I LOVE that idea for younger kids.

• Once kids reach a certain age, I think a Toys R Us gift card is perfect. I know my kids always loved taking a trip to the toy store with a gift card in hand.

• For new parents, I know they love receiving Babies R Us gift cards. It allows them to get anything they need for the baby, from clothes, toys, to diapers or formula.

• For the techno teenager, I think Best Buy or Target gift cards are great choices, and of course, my teenager still loves receiving iTunes cards.

• For the “hard to buy for” guy who seems to have everything, how about a Dick's Sporting Goods, Golfsmith, or Bass Pro gift card?

• For someone who can't get out to shop or someone who lives too far from good retailers, you can always go with a QVC or HSN gift card.

• A Bed, Bath, & Beyond or Target gift card is perfect for someone who is about to move into a new home or it just redecorating a bedroom or dorm room?

• For women, like my sister and I, who love our lotions and potions, we adore L”Occitane, Origins, Bliss World, and Sephora. We're easy to please! 🙂

Most of these gift cards can even be purchased now as an e-gift card in case you're really running behind and need to print off the gift card right away.

To make it super simple, you can go straight to Amazon to purchase a variety of Gift Cards from a huge selection of different retailers. How easy is that?

I happen to love giving and receiving gift cards. I'd much rather give someone something that I know they will use versus possibly buying them something that ends up in the back of a closet.

I love finding an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card under the Christmas tree! Then, I just go straight to my “wish list” and pick something out that I may not have otherwise bought for myself.

What about you? Do you like receiving gift cards? Do you like giving gift cards?

~LilSis

December 15, 2010

Only days away til Christmas!

Everyone ready?

Here's the official countdown to Christmas clock in case you care to know exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds til Christmas!

Christmas cards addressed & mailed?

Shopping done?

Gifts wrapped and shipped?

Baking planned?

(If your answer is no to any of the above, don't worry; you're not alone. I have to admit that no matter how hard I've tried, I'm still a little behind.)

My top priority right now is to finish up the shopping for out of town gifts so I can get those in the mail ASAP. (I've been so late a couple of times that I've had to pay an outrageous price for 2 day UPS shipping and I refuse to let that happen again.)

Last week I talked about Holiday planning and how it's an absolute necessity for me to have a plan and make lists of all those extra things we have to do during this Holiday Season. BigSis is also a huge list maker and she recently shared her Top 4 Tips on planning and getting organized for Christmas, which can help you get started if you're still struggling with how to get everything done.

If you're planning a cookie exchange or making treats for neighbors, which I usually do, you may find this helpful. I was recently reading How to Simplify and Jen mentioned this wonderful FREE printable eBook, Holiday Treats Your Way, which was put together by Mandi from Life…Your Way.

This fantastic ebook is filled with Tips and Tricks on how to plan your Christmas baking and has pages on how to organize a successful Holiday Cookie Swap. The book features tips and recipes from more than 15 Bloggers and contains recipes for cookies, candies, and nuts.

The book even includes adorable gift tags that you can print to attach to all your goodies! 🙂

~LilSis

December 5, 2010

In case you missed it, last year BigSis and I did a little Hip Hop as dancing Elves , but this year, we're trying out some Disco moves!

It just takes a minute to watch and hopefully it'll make ya laugh!

JibJab makes it really simple to create your very own Holiday eCards that you can email to friends or family and easily upload to Facebook and Twitter.

We think they're hilarious, but maybe we're just easily amused. 🙂

~LilSis

December 3, 2010

BigSis just talked about her Top 4 Tips to get your Christmas Planning Started and since we're both crazy, obsessed organizers and list makers, I wanted to talk a little more about this topic before we move on.

There isn't anything more important around this time of year than planning, planning, and more planning. It's an absolute necessity for me in order to keep myself from getting totally overwhelmed and stressed out!

I have this adorable little hard back holiday planner that I bought at Hallmark five years ago and I still use it every year.  I actually leave my previous years pages in the planner so I can refer back to them when planning my shopping list. I like the fact that I can look back and see what I bought family members and friends in previous years.

In my planner, there's a tab for the Calendar, Notes, Card List, Shopping List, and Gifts Received. The pages for Christmas cards are ideal because below each persons name and address is the year and a place for you to check off if you sent a card and if you received a card.

(Helpful hint: Write all your addresses in pencil; so when an address changes, you can just erase it and you don't end up with a bunch of old, scratched out addresses in your planner.)

I haven't checked Hallmark to see if this particular planner is still available, but why buy one if you can make your own? I've discovered through browsing the Internet that there's a great selection of forms available to download for free.

Here are a few sites you can visit for FREE Christmas Planner forms.

• Organized Christmas has a huge selection of forms to help you create your very own customized Christmas planner, including printable dividers. (Their Christmas Card form is very similar to the ones I have in my planner.)

• Clever blogger, Meck Mom puts her spin on Christmas planning by creating these great forms for planning, budgeting, and gift giving.

• Family Fun has instructions and some cute forms to help you create Ann's Amazing Holiday Planner. She has a couple of different forms such as Holiday Memories and Holiday Menus and Party Planning.

Hopefully, some of this info will help you get organized for this Holiday Season. I've already printed out some of these forms to use in addition to my Holiday Planner but now I've got the itch to create myself an entirely new full size Christmas Planner. 🙂

~LilSis

December 1, 2010

I hate to break it to you, but it's December.  Yep.  And if that isn't enough to put a little panic into your bones, consider the fact that 3 weeks from this weekend is Christmas!  3 weeks!

Fear not though!  Even if you haven't yet given one single thought to Christmas, it isn't time to freak out.  It's time to get organized and we have some tips to help!

Make lists! These are a few to get you started:

• Gifts to buy

• Christmas cards to send

• Other things you know you'll need, like Christmas lights or new Christmas dresses for the girls

• Charitable donations to make before year-end

Start a calendar. Pick one up at the office supply store, download one online, or just draw one out on a piece of paper…just do it!

• First add every function to it that you know about this minute

• As invitations for parties and other events come in, add them to the calendar so it's always current

• Add travel arrangements

• Add other important dates, such as shipping deadlines

Do as much as you can now. Seriously, don't put anything off til next week if you can avoid it.  You'll thank yourself later!

• Start your shopping NOW!

• Think about what you want to bake or cook this year, and if there are any new recipes on the list test them now.

• Don't wait until Christmas Eve wrapping time to find out that you need boxes and tape.  Get it now when you see it on sale.

Order online as much as possible. You avoid the crowds and the parking lot dramas that always occur, plus you get it all done at the speed of light.  And you can usually get great deals!

• Gifts, of course

• Christmas cards, gift bags and wrapping supplies, mailing materials

• Stamps (avoid that deadly post office line that steals your Christmas joy)

There you have it: our top 4 tips to get your Christmas planning off to a great stress-free start.  Now get out there and deck those halls!

photo credit: jannalauren

~BigSis

November 30, 2010

Now that Thanksgiving has officially come and gone, BigSis is on her way back home today after spending five days with us here in California to celebrate the holiday and her birthday.

Here are just a couple of pics from the visit. We had a very non-traditional Thanksgiving planned this year and BigSis arrived just in time to join us for our first Thanksgiving Feast with all our friends on our dock at the Harbor. It was a GREAT time!

For BigSis' birthday on Friday, we enjoyed lunch at a wonderful Mexican restaurant, El Callejon in Encinitas.

BigSis with the boys, Bry and HayHay

We both agreed that they served the best guacamole either of us has had since we were in Cancun years ago!

BigSis & LilSis

We managed to squeeze in two more lunches to our favorite local Mexican food restaurants, a visit to a new Mediterranean restaurant, a little bit of shopping, a night of playing Wii games with the guys, and a day trip to the Casino. We made sure we had time to go to the casino. Casinos are such fun places. We decided to go in the day to ensure we didn't run into the crowds of people that would be in there in the evening. My friend had been practicing her casino skills the whole trip. She uses an online slot malaysia bossku club website to play when she's at home, so she really wanted to visit the slots at the casino. We had a great time.

(And we did force ourselves to do a six mile walk every morning so we didn't feel too guilty about all the overindulgence of Mexican food.)

We had a great visit, as usual, but time just flew by too quickly. 🙁

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on thankfulness and we have so much for which to be thankful. Now, as we count down the days towards Christmas and New Years, instead of letting the busyness of the holiday season cause more stress and anxiety, I am going to try to take the time each day to reflect on our blessings and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas.

~LilSis

November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving from BigSis & LilSis!

~LilSis

November 21, 2010

Here's a quick and easy Thanksgiving dessert that's a fun one for the kids. I recruited my 17 year old to help with the eyeballs.

BigSis mentioned this recipe for the Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies a couple of years ago but I never got around to making them until now. We're celebrating Thanksgiving this year with a group of friends and I thought these cookies would be something a little different to take to the gathering.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not the baker in the family and I'm not particularly fond of baking from scratch so I love that you just use refrigerated cookie dough for this recipe.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies
(recipe adapted from Pillsbury)

1 roll Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies
1 container (16 oz.) chocolate creamy frosting
candy corn
orange decorating icing
Miniature M&M's
Tiny black or blue nonpareils

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies as directed. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable plastic baggie and seal bag. Cut a small hole in the bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.

Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and brown icing for the feet. Use a small dot of icing to attach the M&M's to the cookie for eyes and to dot on a tiny nonpareil for center of eyes.

These little guys were actually pretty fun to make! 🙂

(Note to BigSis: Here's a turkey that even a vegetarian can eat! ) 🙂

~LilSis

November 19, 2010

Daphne

Most people are talking about preparing turkeys for the Thanksgiving meal, but LilSis is right that this Vegan Sis isn't one of them.

It's been 17 years since I feasted on anything that had a face or parents, and Thanksgiving is definitely not an exception. In fact, I think it's an opportunity to celebrate the real meaning of the day, and it doesn't have to revolve around a dead bird.

Instead of eating a turkey, how about adopting a turkey?  For just $30, you can sponsor a turkey through Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization.

“Save a life this Thanksgiving, and join me in starting a new tradition by adopting a turkey instead of eating one through Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project.” – Ellen DeGeneres, Farm Sanctuary’s 2010 Adopt-A-Turkey Project spokesperson

Velma

Your contribution will go toward the care of animals at the organization's New York or California facilities, and in return you get a color photo of your adopted bird buddy and fun info about him or her.

Plus you get the satisfaction of knowing you did something that honors life, and that if they could, these birds would express their thankfulness to you for that.

How about giving turkey sponsorships to your friends to celebrate your gratitude this Thanksgiving?  We're always trying to think of something different and thoughtful to give to those people on our Christmas list who have everything.  Do they have an adopted turkey?  Probably not!

Kima

If you decide to celebrate turkeys this year, you'll be in good company!  On Wednesday, Farm Sanctuary submitted a petition with close to 14,000 signatures to President Obama, urging the White House to send the two turkeys who will be pardoned in a ceremony next week to their world-class shelter in Watkins Glen, New York.  The petition asserts that the shelter is uniquely equipped to provide the expert care necessary for the health, comfort and longevity of these birds.

Want to learn more about celebrating a compassionate Thanksgiving?  Here are a few links to get you started:

Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Turkeys

PETA's Recipes for a Vegan Thanksgiving

Farm Sanctuary's Compassionate Thanksgiving Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving!

~BigSis

November 17, 2010

So, who's roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving next week? Whether it's your first time to roast a turkey or if you're an old pro, here are ten tips to help you assure that you roast the best turkey EVER!

1. First, decide whether you are going to buy fresh or frozen. Plan ahead if you're buying frozen. The safest way to defrost a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator and a 20 lb. turkey will take between 3 -4 days to fully defrost.
2. When choosing your turkey, be sure to read the nutritional label. A lot of the frozen turkeys are basted and will contain more fat and as much as four times the sodium as a fresh turkey.
3. Decide on the size of the turkey you need based on how many people you will be feeding. If you want leftovers, Butterball says to allow approximately 1 1/2 pounds per person; so for 15 people, you would want to buy a 22 lb. turkey.
4. Cooking times do vary depending on whether you purchased a frozen or fresh turkey. Allow 20 minutes per pound in a 350 degree oven for a defrosted turkey and 10-15 minutes per pound for a fresh turkey.
5. I stuff a turkey the same way I do a large roasting chicken. Just loosely fill the turkey cavity with veggies like carrots, celery, garlic, onions and maybe some fresh rosemary. And, I like to add fresh herbs under the breast skin. A turkey will cook more evenly if it's not densely stuffed. (Our family always baked the stuffing separate from the turkey, never stuffed inside the turkey or in the bottom of the roaster.)
6. For more even roasting, truss the turkey and tuck the wing tips under the shoulder of the bird. If you don't want to take the time to truss, just make sure the legs are tucked into the pocket of skin at the tail end.
   
7. Before roasting, brush the outside of the turkey with either vegetable or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and make a tent out of aluminum foil and place over the top of the turkey. (This will prevent the breast from browning too quickly.)
8. Once you've got your turkey in the oven, just leave it alone! There is no need to baste every hour and opening the oven will drop the temperature which will effect the roasting time. About 45 minutes to an hour before you think the turkey is done, remove the foil so the breast can brown and baste with turkey juices. (Our mom also liked to rub butter on the skin at the stage.)
9. Don't rely on the little plastic thermometers to pop out. Instead, check the temperature of the turkey with an instant read thermometer. The deepest spot on the turkey, in the thigh, between the leg and the breast should read 165 – 180 degrees. Make sure you do not overcook or you will end up with dry turkey breast.
10. Remove from oven. Place the foil tent back over the turkey and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes to allow to juices to redistribute throughout the turkey. To end up with a moist turkey, it's very important to let it rest. For best results, carve with a very sharp or electric knife.

Voila!  I know the first time I roasted a turkey, it was somewhat intimidating, but it really is pretty simple, isn't it?

photo credit: r_gnuce

~LilSis