Christmas Gift Guide Round Up

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Good morning!  Welcome to the beginning of a 4 week blog journey that we are embarking on!  We are a part of the 12 Days of Holiday Blog Hop where 50 bloggers are coming together to give you amazing Christmas ideas and some beautiful inspiration for your 2019 Christmas season.  If you want to visit the other blog posts, click here and it will take you to the main blog post where you can visit everyone else’s blog posts!

This is the 5th annual 12 Days of Holiday Ideas event, hosted by Shirley of Intelligent Domestications  and  Erlene of My Pinterventures.  Between Nov. 11th and December 6th there will be hundreds of new ideas shared by over 55 Co-host bloggers! 

Go here  to see our kick-off collection of Holiday ideas as well as all of this years talented participating DIY and Foodie Blogs. Download this years November and December calendars with all of the topics and dates so you can make plans to watch for ideas!

The other fun thing is that there is a link-up at the end of each of the posts where you can link-up your own great ideas! I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with! I still need a few ideas for gifts for some hard to buy for people!

So to start off the 12 days, we start with a Gift Guide Round-up.  Now, I know there are a lot of different kinds of people you have to give gifts to so I will have a couple different gifts for each of the following groups of people: Gardener, Techie, Animal Lover, Baker, and Decorator.  So read along, take some notes, and see what you think!

Also, all of these will be linked to Amazon.  If you click on the link, it will take you to the product where you can purchase it.  And for each purchase, we will get a small portion of it back to us with no extra cost to you.  So enjoy!

The Gardener

The first thing I want to share is the awesome gardening set.  This set come with 20 different pieces including tools, gloves, identification tags, a spray bottle, and a tool organizer.  All of these are super nifty for if you have either a large vegetable garden or a small succulent garden.  All in all, this would be awesome for anyone who has a garden!


AOKIWO 11 Garden Tools Set Heavy Duty Aluminum Manual Garden kit, 20 Pieces, Green

The second item is this super cool 4 Tier Mini Green House.  I would love to have this for my apartment because it would add so much space for my succulents.  This is the perfect gift for someone who enjoys gardening but doesn’t have that much space.  The racks are removable which means you can put larger plants on the shelves as well.



4 Tier Mini Greenhouse with PE Cover and Roll-Up Zipper Door, Waterproof Cloche Portable Greenhouse Tent-27.25″ L X 19″ W x 63″ H, Grow Seeds & Seedlings, Tend Potted Plants (1pcs)

Techie

I have decided that this first item is on my Christmas list.  This backpack not only features a ton of pockets (because who doesn’t like pockets), but it also features a lock, a headphone jack, and a phone charging cable port.  This backpack can fit a laptop and a ton of other items.  And, it even has a strap that can attach to your suitcase handle so everything is easy to carry around.  How cool is this single backpack?!


Bertasche Business Laptop Backpack 17-17.3 Inch w/USB Charging Port Water-Resistant Canvas Backpack for Work College School Travel

The second thing I have included is a Ring Doorbell.  Now, I know that the Ring isn’t a new item but it is something that every techie would love to have.  I know my parents love having their Ring so they can see who is at their door.  But these are amazing to have at your door to make sure that nothing bad is happening at your door.  Safety is always important, don’t you think!

Ring Video Doorbell with HD Video, Motion Activated Alerts, Easy Installation – Satin Nickel

Animal Lover

We are animal lovers around here and I can confirm that it can be difficult to find something cute to give for Christmas.  So I am here to rescue you!  The first item I found are these adorable kitchen towels.  Now, they come in multiple different designs so you can pick towels for cat or dog lovers.  Some are black and white while others have color on them.  They are the perfect for someone who loves their pet!

                         

DII 100% Cotton, Everyday Basic Home Kitchen, Ultra-Absorbent, Drying, Cleaning, Pet Lover, Printed Dish Towels, 18 x 28, Set of 3-Dog, Dishtowel, (3)

The second item I wanted to show off was this adorable rose gold heart necklace.  The necklace features two small pendants, one rose gold heart and one silver paw print.  This is such a small dainty piece of jewelry that anyone would love.  It would be such a sweet gift for someone who loves their pets!

Heart Paw Print Necklace – Rose Gold Plated Silver – Dog Lover Gift, Dog Paw Jewelry

Baker

I really enjoy baking and I have gotten a lot of baking things from friends and family, but there can never be enough baking items.  So here is a group of 214 (!) baking items that would be perfect for any baker!  You get pans, spatulas, piping tips, decorating tools, and much much more.  This is not only perfect for a seasoned baker, but it’s also great for someone who is just starting off and needs a lot of supplies.  And, it’s not crazy expensive either!  How fun would this be to wrap and watch someone open?!

Cake Decorating Supplies,214 PCS Baking Set with Springform Cake Pans Set, Cake Rotating Turntable, Cake Decorating Kits, Muffin Cup Molds, Perfect Cake Baking Supplies for Beginners and Cake Lovers

What baker doesn’t need a cute apron to bake in?  Now, I’m not saying this is the only apron you should buy, but this one is adorable with the little cupcakes all over it.  HOW CUTE IS THAT!!  You don’t have to pick the cupcake apron, you can pick others that are cute, but this one is just an idea.  Who knows what you could find!

KAF Home Adult’s Hostess Extra Long Ties – Adjustable Bib Cupcake Apron-Machine Wash-Used in Kitchen, Gardening

Decorator

The first item I want to show off is this soft and fuzzy pompom edged throw blanket.  This blanket comes in multiple different colors and is super cute.  I LOVE the mustard yellow color, but it does come in some neutral colors which is great for any kind of decorator.  This is something that I would buy for myself and for my mom (yes there is a pink and a blue version of the blanket).

LOMAO Flannel Blanket with Pompom Fringe Lightweight Cozy Bed Blanket Soft Throw Blanket fit Couch Sofa Suitable for All Season (51×63) (Mustard Yellow)

Who doesn’t like a nice fuzzy pillow?  Though it can be inconvenient to store 100 regular pillows, it isn’t as inconvenient to store 100 pillow covers!  And these soft and fuzzy pillow covers would be perfect to add to your pillow cover collection.  They come in a couple different colors, but there are hundreds of options of pillow covers on Amazon.  The possibilities are endless!

Uhomy 2 Packs Home Decorative Luxury Series Super Soft Faux Fur Throw Pillow Cover Cushion Case for Sofa or Bed Gray Ombre 18×18 Inch 45×45 cm

There are so many ideas for gifts for everyone in your family!  I hope this is helpful for you and your Christmas list.  I hope that this blog post has helped you decide what to get for friends and family for Christmas!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back in a couple days to see what else we have to share! Remember you can print out the calendars here so you know what’s coming up!

Here is also the link-up so you can share your own ideas too! I am excited to see what great gift ideas you have!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Sparkle

Valentine’s Treats

Hello!  How did everyone’s week go?  Is everyone happy that it’s Friday?

This week we are getting some inspiration for Valentine’s Day sweets.  Now, I love baking and I’m getting prepared to bake a bunch of stuff for my coworkers.  So I was using this as some inspiration.  And now I’m hungry.  Enjoy!

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Chocolate Valentine’s Kiss Cookies from The Kitchen is My Playground

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Caramel Drizzle Brownie Hearts from Betty Crocker

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Cute Heart Valentine’s Treats from The Resourceful Mama

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Heart Shaped Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats from Honey and Lime

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Cupid Crunch Popcorn Mix from This Mama Loves

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Valentine’s Cake Batter Fudge from Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons

Marbled Sugar Cookies

Marbled Valentine’s Sugar Cookies from Baked by Rachel

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Easy Valentine Trifle from Making Life Blissful

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Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars from Two Sisters Crafting

Pink Peppermint Patties

Pink Peppermint Patties from Butter with a Side of Bread

Sparkle

Craftsy is Now BluPrint: And We Couldn’t Be More Excited!

Hey everyone! I don’t usually post on Wednesday, but I just got this great offer from Craftsy.  Have you been wanting to try something new or ready to take your interest to the next level? Starting today, Craftsy Unlimited is now Bluprint, and offers expanded categories like dance, fitness, yoga, art, and home decorating (plus all the original arts and crafts categories you love).

FREE 7 Day Bluprint Trial at Craftsy.com

*We are a Bluprint affiliate. If you click the links it will help out our blog at no extra cost to you.*

You can turn your inspiration into action! We’ll show you how. Through August 1, you receive a FREE 7 Day Bluprint Trial + 33% Off First 3 Months – Or – $20 Off Annual Subscription.    The regular price is just $9.99 a month or your first year for just $100. Now you get an even better deal with this promotion!

I hopped over to the site to take a look at what they offer. There are so many choices! How exciting! There are classes for cooking and baking, quilting and knitting, yoga and dance, and photo and family. For each class, you have the choice of beginner to advanced guidance. You can comment, or ask questions, and learn from experts and doers just like you.

Bluprint has fresh ideas and inspiration every day and it’s available to you 24 hours a day. Some projects will just take a few minutes and others are more labor intensive.

I looked at a few of there classes, just to see what was available. I checked out photography, For the beginner classes, they have basic photography, pets, children and several others. If you are already more advanced, there are 10 more classes, including photoshop, posing, and lenses. In the family section, there are classes for drawing, baking and crocheting. I would love to learn hand lettering and they offer a class under paper crafts!

Click here to sign up for all of this wonderfulness!

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Fun Summer Ideas To Do With Your Kids

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Good morning! Are you enjoying your summer so far? Are you keeping busy, or more importantly, keeping your kids busy? I don’t usually write too much about ideas or activities with kids, but I used this when my kids were young and it was fun and kept them busy.

I started out with some ideas I found from magazines. This was before Pinterest, so you will have a much easier time finding ideas now! I found all different types of kid-friendly ideas, from baking to crafting to playing! I printed out the ideas on individual note cards.

Summer Fun ideas for kids

Some ideas were really simple, like this one and others took a little more time or material. This one would be a great science lesson. The kids can compare the bugs by size, color or shape. If they are older, they can even look up information about the bug.

Summer Fun Ideas Index Cards

I included directions or pictures with the card when there were some. This baking idea actually starts with a pre-baked cake, but you could easily use the baking as part of the idea. I tried to use ideas that had most items I already had in my home. I didn’t want to have to go run out and purchases things just to make it work.

Summer Fun Ideas for kids bake a cake

This is always a fun activity. Any shoe box will do. Kids can take pages from magazines, or photographs, or even stickers to decorate a box. Then they can store all the special memorabilia or crafts they made over the summer.

summer fun ideas crafts

All kids love to play in the sprinkler! I included some fun games they could play while getting wet!

summer fun ideas play games

You can see I had a whole stack of cards. Some days we didn’t need them, but they sure were nice on the days where “I’m bored” was heard. I’m not sure we ever made it through all the ideas, but it was a great way to make some new memories together.

summer fun ideas stack of cards and ideas

I would love to hear from you if you use this idea or try something similar. How do you keep your kids entertained during the summer? Hope you have a great week!

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FUDGY CHOCOLATE-OATMEAL BARS

Valentine’s is getting closer and Hopefully spring is on the way, no matter what the Groundhog says! ! Ithought I would bake up a sweet treat to give to your Valentine or a whole group of Valentines!  am not sure where this recipe came from, but I have had it for a long time and it is so good.  It makes a large amount of bars, so it is a good dessert to take to a potluck or family gathering. So here is the recipe!

FUDGY CHOCOLATE-OATMEAL BARS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, divided

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla, divided

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

2 cups (12 oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sliced almonds, divided (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside 2 tbsp. of the butter. Beat the remaining butter in a large bowl on medium speed on mixer for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, beat until combined. Beat in eggs and 2 tsp. of the vanilla.  Stir together flour and baking soda in another large bowl, stir in oats. Gradually stir flour mixture into beaten mixture. Set aside.

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Combine reserved 2 tbsp. butter, the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan.  Cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the almonds and remaining 2 tsp. vanilla.

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Pour two-thirds (about 3 1/3 cups) of the oats mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly-roll pan.  Spread chocolate mixture over the oats mixture.

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Using your finger, dot remaining oats mixture over the chocolate.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup almonds.

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Bake about 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned (chocolate mixture will still look moist). Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2 x 1 inch bars. Makes about 75 bars.

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Mmmm, mmmm, good! I hope you enjoy this fudgy goodness!

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Sunshine and blessings, Pam

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