Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year




Its been a long December and there's reason to believe,
Maybe this year will be better than the last,
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself,
to hold onto these moments as they pass.

To all of my readers, old and new...thanks for sharing with me and bearing with me as I tread the waters both here and at Mommy's Multiple Mayhem, and here's wishing 2010 to be the best ever! Be safe, be merry, be wise...enjoy your family and loved ones tonight. I'll be thinking of you as I keep watch over my hospitalized patients tonight........till next year!


Multiple Blessings to You and Yours


Celebrate New Year's 2010 With Cookies


Orange-Glazed Cookies
It's the last day of 2009, why not celebrate with cookies? Here's one to try: Orange-Glazed Cookies, which happen to be hubster's favorite.


Makes 60 Total Time: 3hr 00m 
 

Ingredients: Basic Sugar Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the cookies
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions for Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
  3. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk and (unless otherwise specified in an individual recipe) refrigerate, wrapped, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. 
 

Directions

  1. Divide the basic sugar cookie dough in half and form into 1-by-1½-inch rectangular logs (do not substitute slice-and-bake dough). Refrigerate until firm. Slice ¼ inch thick.
  2. Bake at 350° F on parchment-lined baking sheets until just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  4. Dip tops of cooled cookies in a mixture of 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Best Bubbly Picks for a BYOB New Year's Bash

When the clock strikes midnight, pop open one of these affordable bottles of bubbly.



 Italian Zardetto Prosecco Brut is a crowd-pleaser. Fresh and lively with just a hint of sweetness, it has a fruity taste and a tangy, slightly mineral finish. It goes as well with prosciutto and oil-cured olives as it does with takeout Thai. To buy: $13, astorwines.com.


 Spanish sparkler Poema Cava Brut has an Old World soul: You can taste the stony soil in its tiny bubbles, but they’re wrapped in green apple, bright lemon, and white peach flavors. Made in the expensive Champagne tradition (the second fermentation that produces the bubbles happens right in the bottle, not a big tank), Cava is the real deal. Serve it with these festive Spanish appetizers. To buy: $11, binnys.com.


When you’re ready to splurge, make it real Champagne. Deutz Brut Classic Champagne is vibrant and creamy―full of gentle lemon blossoms, pears, hints of stone fruit, and a touch of caramel apple. Delicious with crab or shrimp. To buy: $40, binnys.com


Gruet Blanc de Noirs, a delicious pale pink wine from New Mexico, dances with the flavors of wild strawberries, bright cherries, and creamy citrus. Grapefruit and intriguing herbs give it a tiny edge, making it a lively match for hors d’oeuvres like chicken skewers and baked Camembert To buy: $14, astorwines.com.


 

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fashionable Holiday Handbags for Busy Moms – Coach Giveaway!


Coach has partnered with The Fashionable Housewife  and Fashionable Gals for an amazing giveaway! These two fabulous blogs are each part of Coach’s 30 favorite bloggers and have partnered with them for their Holiday Blog-a-Day promotion this year!

The Fashionable Housewife blog is so excited to be a part of such an amazing group of bloggers and have the opportunity to show their readers a few pieces from the Coach Holiday collection, and give one lucky reader the chance to win the fabulous Amethyst Texture Metallic Audrey Shoulderbag!!!

Coach Audrey Textured Metallic
  
The winner on  The Fashionable Housewife blog  will receive the Amethyst Texture Metallic Audrey Shoulderbag as shown above ( ARV $398 )



The Fashionable Gals blog is also very excited to be a part of such an amazing group of bloggers and have the opportunity to show their readers a few pieces from the Coach Holiday collection, and give one lucky reader the chance to win the fabulous Poppy Sequins Mini Flap!!!
poppy mini flap

The winner on Fashionable Gals blog will receive the Poppy Sequins Mini Flap  as shown above     ( ARV $138)


If you visit www.coach.com/holidayblog each day during the promotion, you can read what read what this group of truly talented fashionistas have to say about Coach, including giveaways, reviews, pictorials and more!

The Fashionable Housewife: 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza

The Fashionable Housewife
is celebrating the Christmas season
with their first annual
12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!
The first annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza started December 1 and will feature a new giveaway each day until December 12th. You’ll have a chance to enter each giveaway once a day until Dec 20th, 2009.



All giveaways end December 20th at 11:59pm ET.
Click on each link and follow the rules to enter each giveaway. You have from now until December 20th to enter all the giveaways listed above on The Fashionable Housewife Blog.

Day 12 – HP Envy 13 Laptop with Windows 7

Sarah-Jean, the fashion forward editor from The Fashionable Housewife blog has partnered with HP for the last and final day of their 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!

One lucky reader will receive the NEW HP Envy 13 valued at $1,899.99!!


HP Envy


❝The HP Envy 13 is super thin, weighs about 3.74 lbs. and is less than 1″ thin, and features a 13.1″ HD Radiance display with up to 410 nit/82% color gamut which is twice as bright as other notebook displays in its class, BluRay and Beats Audio make it an ideal device for experiencing music and video...❞

To learn more about this fabulous and totally fashionable laptop, visit www.hp.com/go/envy. Click here for more info about Windows 7.  

 Thanks to The Fashionable Housewife Blog and to HP

and all of the 12 days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza Sponsors!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza

【ツ】8 BlogHers try Tassimo and give you 1 of 8 chances to win your own Tassimo Brewer!

*The following review was excerpted from BlogHer.com for your viewing and winning pleasure. Sadly, I was NOT compensated for this post, but I really like  L❤VE   BlogHer.com & thought you might, too*


When everyone gets what they want, people come together. That’s the thinking behind Tassimo, the only home brewing system that gives everyone the drink they want. From coffees and teas to rich cappuccinos and lattes. Even hot chocolate. Tassimo offers more than 40 beverage and flavor varieties to satisfy everyone—from brands you know, like Gevalia, Maxwell House, Twinings and more. Tassimo even satisfies your premium coffee cravings with a great variety of Starbucks offerings -- including Starbucks Breakfast Blend and House Blend varieties.
Tassimo is able to produce more types of drinks through simple bar code technology. Each T Disc—the little round guys that hold the coffee—has a bar code on its back that tells the brewer the exact temperature, pressure and time it takes to brew a perfect drink. With the press of one button, you can make a whole crowd of people happy. Whether they’re into macchiatos or chai lattes, or just a good cup of joe, it’s that simple to turn your kitchen into the new gathering place.

There's more!  Tassiomo gave 8 BlogHers a brand new brewer and coffee flavors to try.  Read each review below and see what beverages they made.  After you read the reviews, follow the instructions on each blog and enter to win your own Tassimo brewer and variety of beverage flavors!
Tarrant, from Retro Food, considers her Tassimo “very cost efficient when you break it down by cup and consider the no waste, no mess, and no special dishes to wash part.” She’s already ordered refills.

Sheila, from Xiaolin Mama, had “20 guests at a party this past weekend and the Tassimo churned out drinks like a champ.” She was able to offer an array of hot drinks without any waste.

Megan, from Megan’s Minute, is looking forward to using her Tassimo during the holidays “because it'll be nice to be able to offer a variety of coffee blends depending on the tastes of my guests”.


Rhoda, from Southern Hospitality, “always thought having one of these machines around the house would be loads of fun!” She’s looking forward to having her guests “order up a special drink with dessert”.
Stephanie, from A Year of Slow Cooking, loves the simplicity of using her Tassimo and the water filtration system keeps her assured that her kids receive a freshly-purified cup of hot chocolate.
When Kim, from Petroville, made her first cup of cappuccino, she “felt like a barista as the machine steamed” and her milk foamed…see what her Thanksgiving guests thought too.
Grace, from More Women, thought in order to find “another nifty twist for a home appliance,” her Tassimo “would make the perfect gift for the workplace.” See what features her husband enjoyed the most.
Check back next week for one more review and another chance to win!

No purchase required. The sweepstakes runs from December 10, 2009 to December 31, 2009 and is only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older; one entry per person and per email address. Please be sure that your email address is up-to-date in your BlogHer profile so that we can contact you if you win! Click here to read the official rules.
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【ツ】BlogHers take the LOFT style challenge and give you 1 of 16 chances to win a $200 LOFT gift card!

*The following review was excerpted from BlogHer.com for your viewing and winning pleasure. Sadly, I was NOT compensated for this post, but I really like  L❤VE   BlogHer.com & thought you might, too*



LOFT is all about stylish advice for everyday, beyond the closet and into real life. We understand how women with a casual lifestyle live, and how you like to dress. We provide you with feminine, versatile, effortless pieces, and offer great style advice and ideas. We want to make your style aspirations attainable.
Live. Love. LOFT.
LOFT invited 14 BlogHers to visit the store for a LOFT shopping party and take a style challenge.  Read each review below and see what holiday looks they loved and how they enjoyed their shopping experience.  After you read each review post, follow instructions and enter to win a $200 LOFT gift card!
LOFT is also giving you two more chances to win.  Visit the LOFT website here.  Then tell us in the comment section below what your favorite look is, or what you would like to give as a holiday gift.  Two winners will be randomly selected, good luck! 
“From the time I stepped in to the store and for the hours after the event that I petted the pretty things I brought home, I was in heaven.” - Said Jessica from Sassafrass.
Serena, from Zip n Tizzy said, “I readily turned myself over to the stylist, Hailey, telling her that I wanted to break out of my “Mom Jeans”  See how it worked out!
Olivia, a confirmed shopaholic, stepped in for Gen Pink to appease her addiction.  Read about all the fun she had during her style challenge.
Steece’s Pieces said,  “I'm tellin' ya, girlfriends---look no further! LOFT is exactly what I was looking for and caters to all the many different aspects of a woman's life.”

“Everyone should shop at LOFT because it will make you feel good about yourself (and more than a dozen chocolate doughnuts ever could)” - Said Leah from A Girl and A Boy.
See what looks the fabulous stylist helped Kari from The Karianna Spectrum come up with!
Holly, from Caleigh's Corner said, “I had an amazing time at LOFT. The stylists were wonderful and they totally helped little 'ole me out of a fashion funk.”  Check out her new looks!
Michelle, from Honest and Truly, loved the star treatment she received “I got to dress up in my perfect party outfit”.
During her shopping challenge, Sheila from Xiaolin Mama, picked up several shopping tips.  Check them out!
Julie from The Calm Before The Stork, stepped out of her comfort zone and tried the LOFT skinny jeans.  Check out what other new trendy looks she tried.

“Nothing pleased me more than when I came out of my dressing room in a look that I had styled and the stylist exclaimed “Look at her- she doesn’t even need me!” -Said Slynnro.
Kelly, from Mocha Momma said,  “Thanks to a personal stylist, I got to mix and match and use jewelry and scarves and belts and things that normally I wouldn’t pick up.”
“My first outfit was chosen as a holiday casual look, with the winter white color scheme offset by the shimmery gold blouse and faux fur neck warmer.”  See how it looked on Devin, from Mom’s Happy Handful.

New to LOFT, Jamie from Oh! How Lovely was drawn to all of the colors and was hooked as soon as she walked into the store.


Wait there is more, exclusively for BlogHer readers, save 20% off your next full-price purchase at LOFT! Click here for the coupon!
Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. You must be registered at BlogHer, and be logged in to the site, to enter this promotion. If you are not registered, it's free and easy! Simply click on the "Join Us" button in the box at the top right of this page, then come back to this page to enter your comment.
This sweepstakes runs from December 10, 2009 to December 25, 2009 and is only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older; one entry per person and per email address. Please be sure that your email address is up-to-date in your BlogHer profile so that we can contact you if you win! Click here to read the official rules. Good luck!
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