I'm baaack......

Hey everyone!  Welcome to 2011!  I wanted to extend me personal thanks for allowing Andrea and I the opportunity to take last week off for the holidays and traveling.  Speaking for myself only (Andrea is still traveling...ahem), I had an awesome holiday!  I'm hoping each of you did as well.

I thought a nice way to start the year would be to share some pictures of us from the holiday season.  In reality, today snuck up on me and I haven't sat down to write anything else (shh, don't tell okay).  I'm hoping to get things back on track around Wednesday.  For the next couple of days things will still be crazy around my house.  Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

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The ONE recipe my whole family wants...

Okay, have you ever heard of a Peanut Butter Log?  Maybe?  Well, how about Potato Candy?  Yeah, I thought so.  Most people have a general idea of what potato candy is, but a peanut butter log they don't.  I make several pounds of this stuff every Christmas.  It's what I'm *known for* in our family. 

I will let everyone in on a little secret.  It's NOT my recipe.  It's my aunts.  She just stopped making it several years ago and I picked up where she left off (and she lives a state away...lol). 

So, what's the recipe? 

2 lbs. confectioner sugar

1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter/margarine (softened to room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla

milk to make it nice and doughy

1 jar of creamy peanut butter

In a large bowl, pour in the confectioner sugar and butter.  Blend together using your hands.  Add in the vanilla and continue blending.  To make "dough" come together, add in milk, a little at a time.  This will be a sticky dough.

Place 2 large sheets of wax paper on a flat surface.  Place the dough onto the wax paper.  Cover the dough with another sheet of wax paper and roll it out thin like a pie crust.  Pull off the top layer of wax paper and spread peanut butter onto the dough.  Starting alone the longest edge, roll the dough into a log shape.  Use a very sharp knife or string to cut into bite sized pieces. 

I know this may sound wordy and seem like a long process, but I can do a log in around 10 minutes.  I make around 3 to 4 logs for each Christmas holiday.  Oh, and I KNOW there aren't any potatoes in my candy.  I have seen recipes that call for a small potato, but mine doesn't. 

I also can no longer eat this particular holiday treat.  I have made so much of it for so many years that I taste it to make sure it tastes right.  I just no longer enjoy eating a piece just to have some.  Does anyone else have that issue with something they make?  I sometimes think I'm weird.

Hallmark.com review and GIVEAWAY! *Closed, winner announcement on Monday*

Have you ever ordered invitations, cards or announcements online?  Have they met your expectations?  I will be honest and let you know that I have ordered cards online before and was let down with the results.  That was until I started planning CS's 3rd birthday party.  That all changed when I ordered our invitations at Hallmark.com.

Hallmark.com is an awesome website!  They have all kinds of invitations to choose from.  I picked the card below for CS's invitations.  It was the cutest invitation ever.  I had so many compliments on it and when they ask me where I got them, I said Hallmark.com.   I loved how easy it was to personalize it!  The back of the invitation can be personalized as well.  I used the back to put a few ideas for gifts and list her clothing size, so family/friends didn't feel like they had no idea what to get her.  Although, the first line on the back stated that "no gifts are necessary", I'm also realistic and knew they would want to get her something.



 Now, the part I am really loving on the site is the Christmas and Holiday selection of items.  With 3 kids and a few more obligations than I care to mention, I was thinking of not even sending Christmas cards this year.  That idea has since been pushed out because I fully intend on using Hallmark.com for my Christmas cards!  I mean, how easy is it to choose a card design, plug in some cute kid pictures, type in some addresses and the date I want them mailed?  Trust me, I'm a lot faster at typing than handwriting each card.  The best part is that THEY MAIL THEM FOR YOU!!!  No kidding!  You CAN have them sent to you and then you mail them out, but why?  Stamps cost the same no matter how you slice it.  I'd much rather allow Hallmark to mail the cards and give me one less item on my holiday to-do list.  So, which card(s) am I loving?  Well....



I love this one!  It has a retro feel to it and I can place more than one picture on it!  Yet, there is another card I am planning on purchasing for those people who live across the miles that we don't see quite as often as we'd like.  For them, I'm thinking the card below will work perfectly! 



Hallmark.com's newest arrival is their Personalized Baby Announcement section.  In it you will find baby announcements, shower invitations, plates and even thank-you cards.  All of these can have pictures put into them.  Plus the added convenience of making them from home...woot!  I know I would have LOVED this as a new, tired, half asleep Mom!  If I could go back in time and pick out the baby announcements we did for A, I would have chosen the one below.  It is so cute!!  I love the pink roses in the corners and that more than one photo can be used! 



Now, why am I sharing all this information with you about Hallmark.com and their cute cards?  Well, it's because I have a $50 gift card to giveaway for the Hallmark.com website!  How awesome is that?!?

The ways to enter are as follows:

1.  "Like" Mommy Confessions Blog AND Hallmark on Facebook. (You must like both for the entry to count)

2.  Tweet:@MomConfess is giving away a $50 GC to Hallmark.com http://bit.ly/dlCBMz #mommyconfessionsblog

3.  Subscribe to Mommy Confessions Blog (If you already subscribe, just tell us in a comment below)

4.  Go check out Hallmark.com and let me know which invite/card/postcard/etc. you like the best.

5.  Share the giveaway info. on your Facebook wall and then leave a comment below letting us know you did it.

6.  Join in on our daily questions on the Mommy Confessions Blog Facebook page.

As usual,leave a separate comment for each entry.  This giveaway is only open to US residents (Since the personalized greetings are only available in the US at this time.)

This giveaway will end on Friday, November 19 at 11 P.M. EST. 

I will use random.org to choose the winner based on the number of entries received.  The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Thanks and Good Luck!!

 

***Dear FTC:  Andrea and I received a gift card to Hallmark.com to use for the event/holiday of our choice.  The opinions stated above are my own.  I really, really loved the party invitations I made on Hallmark.com and would recommend their site to anyone.  ***

Our Christmas gift philosophy

Well, since Christmas is 15 days away I thought I'd share a little about our family's Christmas present philosophy. I know many people may have heard of this before and we found the idea in a magazine many years ago. When hubby and I got married we waited for several years to have the kiddos, 3 to be exact. During that time we talked and made decisions about raising our kids because we both want to be on the same page. Among those decisions was one about Christmas.

In a nutshell, our kids only get 3 gifts for Christmas from us.(shock I know). This is the first year that I've had to actually explain it to one of them. Our oldest is a very inquisitive 3 year old (almost 4) and wanted to know why. We explained to her that Baby Jesus only received 3 gifts on his birthday, so she and our other ones will only get 3 gifts, like Baby Jesus. Surprisingly, she got it!! She usually tells the younger two how things are in the world, so she immediately went and informed them of our gift giving theory. They basically kept playing, but at least she can explain it.

Now, I will make one disclaimer. The 3 gift idea is only on gifts from Mommy and Daddy. Santa brings each kid one toy (and it's usually a big one) and then they have a stocking that may have a couple of tiny things in it, but that's it from us.

It's great for several reasons. One, they can't argue with the idea. Two, although it is just the way things are right now, in time we hope it will make them think more about what they really want instead of a case of the "give mes". Last, it helps them remember that amidst all the twinkling lights and fun surrounding the holidays that there is a reason for the celebration and it should be more about loved ones, family, and friends than the gifts. But, explain that to a 3,2, and 1 year old....lol.

I hope everyone is having a great time shopping and finding super bargains. I only have 4 gifts left to buy and then we are done!!!! I'm just waiting for great prices on the items though.


Happy Merry and all the Trimmings!!!
(We have a family of diverse faiths, so I try to make it all in one statement)