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JcPenney Angel Giving Tree Twitter Party

November 15, 2011
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It seems that every year around the holidays people tend to get sucked into the “me” way of life. The excitement of the holidays can do that to some people and no one is immune to it, especially children. But how do you teach your children that it’s not always about what they receive but the meaning behind the actual holiday and how amazing if feels to help out those that may be less fortunate then them.

I will admit this has been a struggle in our house at times. Last year we donated about six boxes worth of old toys, clothes and miscellaneous items to a local shelter and the way our kids eyes lit up knowing what they were doing was helping another child out was heart warming but with kids it’s not always something that sticks with them. It should be a constant way of life. One of the easiest ways I have found of making something like this the norm for children is by making it a tradition.
This year I plan to participate in the Angel Giving Tree with my family. The Angel Giving Tree program is an online adoption program that allows customers to provide children, teenagers and seniors in need with Christmas gifts. JcPenney has made it very convenient for customers to shop, buy and then ship their gifts from the convenience of their own homes anywhere in the country. You can even choose an angel based upon the location, age or gender. UPS has also joined the efforts so you don’t even have to worry about paying for shipping. For every Angel Giving Tree gift purchased through JCP.com the gift will be shipped for free to the local Salvation Army collection center of the angel you have chosen.

This year there is an option to create a Group through Angel Giving Tree. This is perfect if you would like to adopt more then 10 angels say with a group of friends, your company or a church group. 
The Salvation Army and JcPenney have held the Angel Giving Tree for three years now. In 2010, nearly 70,000 angels were adopted online. That’s 70,000 people that were given a gift for the holidays that might not have received one without the Angel Giving Tree. Isn’t that amazing.
 
I will be co-hosting a Twitter party in celebration of the Angel Giving Tree program tomorrow, November 16th from 7pm EST-8pm EST. We will be talking about ways to give back and learning more about the Angel Giving Tree program.

Here are the details for the twitter party!
  • When: Wednesday, November 16th 7pm-8pm EST
  • Hashtag: #jcpangel
  • Prizes: 12 winner will each receive a $25.00 gift card to JC Penneys



*I was compensated by JcPenney but the thoughts & opinions stated in this post are my own*

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Sunset Sunday-Digging through the archives

November 13, 2011
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 This weeks Sunset Sunday is brought to you by the year 2010. I couldn’t find any recent pictures that I liked so I went digging and ended up all the way back in photos from January 2010. Living in a condo had it’s downfalls, one of them being two story buildings obstructing most of your views. But on the rare occasion that the sunset was viewable from that little space of green area on your side yard was never a let down.
 Pretty pink California sunset

Join Stay Adventurous and I in spreading the awesomeness of Sunsets by
linking up below. And then we can visit you and spread some Sunset Sunday love!
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Macys Recipe Share Contest

November 12, 2011
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SheSpeaksbutton
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. 
Well not quite yet but there’s something about fall that just gets people in the festive mood. Whether it’s the changing of the leaves, or the temperature change, or for some maybe it’s the snow. Whatever it may be there’s one thing no one can argue with, and that is the abundance of fall/holiday themed foods around this time of year.
You will hear zero complaints from me on this, I also love this time of year for all of the reasons mentioned above. My favorite being the food. I love to cook and one of the great things about cooking is discovering new recipes.
SheSpeaks has teamed up with Macy’s to help spread the word on their Recipe Share Contest The Recipe Share Contest is a great way to share a favorite holiday recipe you have. Either one you have created your self or maybe one that has been passed down through generations in your family. It is also a great place to discover new recipes and vote for one’s you think might be delicious. If you decide to submit a recipe in the Recipe Share Contest you will be entered for a chance to win $1000 AND to have your recipe featured on Food Republic.

You can submit your recipe and vote starting November 1st and the contest will run until November 30th.
Here is what you need to do:
1. Go to www.facebook.com/macys
2. Click on the Recipe Share tab
3. Submit your recipe
4. Share the contest either on Facebook and/or Twitter
So what are you waiting for? Go enter your favorite recipe, and don’t forget…share share share!
*I wrote this post while participating in the SheSpeaks Macy’s Recipe Share campaign.*

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Mini Vegetable Frittatas

November 10, 2011
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Last Friday while reading through facebook I saw Once a Month Moms recent post about Mini Veggie Frittatas. You see I’ve never actually made a frittata and seeing these little bitty one’s made me think, well those look easy. I could probably to that. So off to work I went. And when I say work I mean cooking. And when I say cooking I mean making an even further mess of my kitchen. 
What I loved about this recipe is the simplicity of it. 
You can find the original recipe here Mini Veggie Frittatas
1 cup of spinach
I roll my spinach and then cut it. You get nice uniform slices and it allows you to cut a lot of spinach at a time.
3 green onions
Diced
8 eggs
 1/2 milk
I didn’t have any milk but had some heavy cream (shhh so bad)
And this is where I went astray from the recipe. I just dumped everything into the eggs. Still came out delish but the cheese settled on the bottom so I was constantly having to stir it before scooping it out. Also if you like uniformity I got some frittatas with no green onions because there are less of those then the spinach.
Pour all of your egg mixture into a 24 mini muffin pan. Cook at 375 for 15 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked.
 Pig out Enjoy
Now I was in a hurry, probably not the best time to cook I know, but I really wanted to try these so I shortened a few steps. While my food did come out good I do not suggest throwing everything in like I did.  Next time I will be following the recipe that way the cheese doesn’t all settle to the bottom of the bowl.
Still my kids loved them and devoured all but six of the little frittatas so that makes it a win in my book.

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Sunset Sunday-Coming home

November 6, 2011
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Every Sunday when we pick up my husband we get to see the sunset from the airport. Last weekend as I got out of the car I noticed what a neat shot it would be to get the angles of the building with the sunset in the background. And then I remembered, hello you have your phone on you, why not just take a picture with that! 
And so I did.
Waiting for the hubs and watching the sun go down
A view from the terminal. Love the curvature of the building.
Mirror shot, let’s go home!
Stay Adventurous and I have teamed up to help spread the joy of Sunset Sunday’s.
If you have a photo you’d like to share we’d love for you to link up so we can visit you and spread some Sunset Sunday love!

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Finding hidden treasures in your drafts folder

November 3, 2011
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Every once in a while I try to go through my drafts folder and clean it out. Yesterday I was doing just that when I came across one from late 2008 with no subject. Curious I opened it and man did it bring back memories. 








Looking back at these photos brings a smile to my face and makes me think wow how they grow so fast and boy things have changed in the span of three years.
Just a few examples:
2008 – Back then no one was old enough to be in school. 
2011 – Now the older two are in school.
2008 – Little man wasn’t walking yet. 
2011 – Now he runs, skips, jumps and occasionally walks. He’s three 😉
2008 – Baby girl was barely talking and had only been walking for just under a year.
2011 – Now she sings, dances, run, talks in full sentences and loves to learn.
2008 – My husband had hair.
2011 – Now he’s bald (by choice). Although right now it’s a bit longer, okay not long, more like a bit shaggy, but still I think it’s cute.
2008 – Little man had no hair! He had that little bit on top and that was about it.
2011 – Now the boy has awesome curls. 
Now I am wondering what other treasures lay hiding in my drafts folder. Have you come across any drafts that made you read it and smile and wonder why didn’t I ever publish this?
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Wordless Wednesday-Halloween fun

November 2, 2011
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 Pre Halloween Fun. Nothing like helping in a class party. Seeing all those smiling kids, it’s so much fun.

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Sunset Sunday-Fire in the sky

October 30, 2011
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I don’t believe I ever shared these photos on my blog. Back when we lived in California the kids and I were at my parents house and for some reason or another my I walked outside and all I could see was red. As I run/walk out to the backyard my sister comes running out with me. We were like little kids in a candy store with our cameras. 
We must have spent forty-five minutes out there just snapping away. It was fun being out there just my sister and I taking pictures and goofing off making each other laugh. Fun times right there and now a good memory.

Craig from Stay Adventurous and I have teamed up to help spread the joy of Sunset Sunday’s.
If you have a photo you’d like to share we’d love for you to link up so we can visit you and spread some Sunset Sunday love!

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Mediterranean Wrap Recipe

October 28, 2011
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When we first moved here my father in law introduced us to Jasons Deli. Me being the lover of all things food, was instantly in love. If you’ve never eaten there they are not like a traditional deli. They are mainly a sandwich and wrap restaurant but they also have soup, pasta dishes and a great salad bar. One thing the kids enjoy about eating there is they do have a deli counter where they make your food,  so they enjoy watching that aspect of the restaurant. FYI they have the absolute best broccoli cheese soup I have ever had. 

When we eat there I usually get the Mediterranean Wrap. I loved the idea that instead of mayo or mustard or dressings being used in it’s place was hummus. And the combination of the vegetables, meat & hummus was delish. So what does one do when they find a dish they love? Recreate it of course. 

Shanamama’s Mediterranean Wrap

Wrap (you can use flavor you’d like, I just chose the original light)
Turkey or chicken lunch meat
Onion
Tomato
Bell Pepper
Green olives
Kalamata olives
Lettuce blend (I like to mix it up between sweet baby green & bold baby greens)
Roasted red pepper hummus

Chop all your veggies except the lettuce. I like mine pretty thin so I can layer them and still be able to close the wrap.


Spread on a thin (or thick if you want more flavor or just love hummus) layer of hummus onto the wrap
Next layer on your vegetable. I do the olives on the bottom so they don’t roll out while eating the wrap











Now it’s time to put your lunch meat on. If it’s cut rather thin I would use about 6-8 pieces. For thicker cuts use about half that. My favorite part, the lettuce. Pile that on thick. You can never have to much lettuce.
 

And that’s it. Roll it up and chow down. I made the one pictured below for my husband so it’s a bit thicker so I had to stick it with a few tooth picks to keep it shut. 
Also, they store well in the fridge for a few hours if you make your lunches in the morning.



*I was not asked to write this post, I was simply inspired by a dish I loved & felt compelled to try my hand at recreating it. Additionally I was not compensated in any way for writing this post, although if Jasons Deli were to offer me a years supply of Broccoli Cheese soup I do not think I could turn them down.*
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Wordless Wednesday-Possbile Halloween decoration

October 26, 2011
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Seeing as Halloween is only five days away I figured this picture would be appropriate. Especially since this spider was freakishly huge and it scared the shiznit out of me. Does make for a good all natural Halloween decoration though huh?
For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:
The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don’t forget to link your own photo stories.

Don’t forget to link up your Wordless Wednesday post!

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