Thursdays pircure perfect deal...

The picture...

The birds of prey have been migrating all month and we have had a few beauties visit our yard looking for mice or small birds but this Merlin was special, at first I thought it was just resting but the more I watched I realized he only has one leg.  In the bird world that's not usually a big deal, UNLESS you need your feet to hunt with.  This guy, or gal, was doing just fine though, beautiful bright eyes, nice plumage and a good weight.  A good reminder of the things we can over come if we put our minds to it.

The deal...

Looking for a way to hold onto your Summer memories through the Winter?  Check out the great deal from Snapfish:  40% off one photo book using coupon code NOVBOOK40, 50% off two books using coupon code NOVBOOK50 or a huge 70% off 3 books using coupon code NOVBOOK70.  This would be a great way to get pictures together as a Christmas gift for someone far away as well.  The coupons expire November 7, 2012 so be quick.

I hope you are all having a good week and to any of my readers affected by Hurricane Sandy you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Michele

Merry Christmas!

An Irish Christmas Blessing

The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.

Merry Christmas everyone!

C.Q.

Meet me on Monday...

This week Java over at Never Growing Old is running an extended version of the Meet Me On Monday since there will be no posts on Christmas or New Years.  I wanted to that this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and beautiful New Year!


1.Wrapping paper or gift bags?
2.Real or artificial tree?
3.When do you put your tree up?
4.When do you take your tree down?
5.Do you like eggnog?
6.Do you have a nativity scene?
7.Favorite Christmas Movie?
8.Favorite Christmas cookie?
9.Where will you eat Christmas dinner?
10.Angel, bow or star on top of your tree?
11.Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
12.Do you like Fruitcake?
13.What are you most excited about the holidays?
14.Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
15.Will you still be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
____________________________________________________

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags?

This year it was all wrapping paper, which is odd since I love easy!!

2.Real or artificial tree?

We have an artificial, both a large and a small one. Only the small one is up this year since we will be out of town.

3.When do you put your tree up?

We put our little tree up a couple of days ago, if we were staying home I like to put it up the first weekend in December.

4.When do you take your tree down?

ALL decorations get taken down and put away on New Years Day.

5. Do you like eggnog?

I like the stuff from the store, I don't like it with Rum or Brandy in it.

6. Do you have a nativity scene?

I have a small Crèche from when I was little, we put it out most Christmas'

7. Favorite Christmas Movie?

That's an easy one, I just watched it today; Eloise at Christmastime

8. Favorite Christmas cookie?

Norwegian rosette cookies

9. Where will you eat Christmas dinner?

Josiah Chowning's Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg

10. Angel, bow or star on top of your tree?

When its up we have an Angel for the top

11. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

Rude people

12. Do you like Fruitcake?

I adore a good Fruitcake!!  (I know I am in the minority on this one)

13. What are you most excited about the holidays?

Going on vacation with my hubby to someplace we have never been

14. Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

Our gift is our vacation but most years its Christmas eve. (Ya, that's me in like 7th grade with braces and a fire hazard flocked tree from the 70s.)

15. Will you still be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?

Nope, I got all my shopping done a while ago and my wrapping was all done as of today.

Have a great Christmas everyone!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Looking for a little Christmas music while you are wrapping gifts?  Look no further than Amazon for free MP3 downloads of your favorites.  They have everything from the always beautiful Ave Maria by Celtic Woman to the very traditional Greensleeves by Mannheim Steamroller. 

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I love to find fellow bloggers who do amazing things!  I was blog hopping a couple of days ago and found BLYRO Books.  The author wrote the children's book Over and Under for her own daughter when she found that reading to her "precious restless toddler" was a challenge with most children's books.  The words on the pages were too long or there were simply too many of them.  The book is beautiful, the background and pictures will encourage your youngster to read along, this will help develop reading skills that will help them through their entire life.  She even made sure the type font she used would no cause confusion in young readers, like the way a "g" in type is different from the way we print it.  I am a huge advocate of reading and was thrilled to find this book for children so young, it is aimed at the 0 - 5 age range.  I am not a parent myself so when my friends and family have children I have a hard time knowing what books are best for the younger age range, this fits the bill.  As an even better bonus BLYRO is donating copies of her books to low income families, funded by sales of the book and her beautiful bookmarks.  I think that is awesome and encourage anyone who is looking for a great gift for a youngster on your holiday list to check out this gorgeous book.

Have a relaxing Sunday everyone!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Got your baking done for the season?  Well if you are done congratulations!  If not here is the worlds easiest cookie recipe, every time I make these they are gone within two days.  I grew up with my mom making these and they were always the first to go then too, funny how some things never change.

Cornflake Crisps

5 Cups Cornflakes
12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Put the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl and mix (the chips will look like they haven't melted because they will hold their form until stirred)  if you need to melt them a little more do it in 10 - 15 second bursts or you may over cook and break the chocolate making a gritty mess.  When they are done just mix in the cornflakes and coat them well.  Spoon the mixture out on wax paper or cookie sheets and let them cool.  If you live in a cold area you can always set them outside for a few minutes, that will do the trick.  If you want to present them as gifts you can spoon them out into little muffin cups.

Coupons:

$0.50 off Nestle Toll House Morsels
$1.00 off 3 Kellogg's Rice or Cocoa Krispies, Corn Flakes, or Crispix Cereal at Target

Today's no cook idea is from Restaurant.com, through 12/7 they are offering $25 gift certificates for as low as $2! Just enter the coupon code GIFT at check-out! These are great gifts for secret Santa's, stocking stuffer or a little something for yourself, also a great way to try a new place without spending a lot of cash.

Hope you are all having a great Tuesday!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

 
Tis the season to find out who's been naughty and who's been nice.  With that thought in mind and knowing how busy Santa is I thought I want share an easy way to delight your kids, grandkids, niece's, nephew's and special children in your life.  A letter from the big guy in the red suit will make their day and its so easy, you can print it off right at your home computer and slip it in your mail box.  I found a site with some great free letter templates you can personalize and special backgrounds.  Just pick the ones you like best, fill in your child's information, and when you are ready just the print the letter.  (If you want an envelope with a North Pole stamp there's an additional charge of $2.99)  If you would like to include a certificate from Santa's nice list this is a nice one that's free.

If you want to go a little further you can even include reindeer food for your child, its a very easy recipe, just mix together 1/2 cup regular oats (such as Quaker Oats), 1 Tbsp. clear decorative sugar crystals, and 1 Tbsp. red or green decorative sugar crystals, put it all in a bag and attach the Reindeer food poem.  They will have fun putting this out on the yard on Christmas Eve.

Reindeer food poem:

“Sprinkle this in your yard on Christmas Eve night. The light of the moon will make it sparkle bright. As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam, this will guide them to your home!”

Have a wonderful Sunday!

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

A couple of years ago we had an ice storm here, it was beautiful when the bad weather passed, and any breeze made the trees chime.  The down side is that all the added weight caused a lot of damage and quite a few trees to break.  Nature is fascinating, so beautiful and devastating at all at the same time.

The deal...

An amazing deal from scrapbook.com today during their 12 Days of Christmas sale, you can get a $79.99 ribbon organizer for only $9.99, you save a whopping $70.00!!  This deal is good for today only while supplies last, tomorrow they will have a different deal so be sure to sign up for their email or bookmark the site to check back a see what else they post.

I hope you are all having a great week!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

 

Tis the season to go shopping, but don't forget Fido!  Check out  Nature’s Select Super Premium Pet Foods and get a free sample for a great stocking stuffer.  Just fill out the on-line request form, please note that they currently only distribute to these states close to their local distributors: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the DC area.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far.

C.Q.