I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a superstitious freak. I read a lot into numbers, signs and messages. For the past 2 years I was on a bus in Disney when the clock turned to 10:10am on 10/10/10 and 11:11am and pm on 11/11/11. So I’m a little disappointed that I am sitting at my desk typing this on 12/12/12 – I completely missed 12:12pm this afternoon. 🙂 What does that mean? Probably nothing more than I just wish I was in Disney to witness it for the final time. 🙂 Check out some interesting facts about today’s date!

http://glo.msn.com/relationships/the-power-of-12-12-12-8819.gallery?gt1=49006

The holidays are fully upon us. And this time of year calls for our attention from all angles – but perhaps from none more than our wallets. We’re buying gifts for friends and loved ones, raiding the grocery store for parties we’re throwing, thinking of thoughtful hostess gifts for other crazy people who decide to throw parties…and let’s not forget all those decorations that make the season so bright. But all that can add up pretty quickly and, if we’re not careful, can cause us to lose sight of our other financial responsibilities. You know, like the rent/mortgage, electric bill, and other such evil necessities. Fret not, though, because Reader’s Digest has provided us with an impressive list of <a href=”http://www.rd.com/slideshows/16-easy-and-cheap-christmas-decorating-tips/#slideshow=slide17″>32 Budget-Friendly Christmas Decorating Ideas</a>. Some of it may not work for you but, rest assured, some of this stuff will have you muttering “Why didn’t <em>I</em> think of that?!” to yourself as you scroll through. It just goes to show that you really don’t have to spend a fortune to have your home looking the a winter wonderland this season! Got any other great ideas for inexpensive decorating? Share them below!

HOLIDAY EGGNOG COOKIES
Printed from COOKS.COM
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1 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. rum extract
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. nutmeg (fresh if available)
1/4 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar
Cream butter, gradually adding sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and rum extracts. Sift together flour, nutmeg and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to cream mixture. Shape into 1 inch balls or put mixture through a cookie press. Place on cookie sheet (ungreased) and bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from sheet and sprinkle with powdered sugar. A family tradition! Makes 2 dozen.

There is a song by Faith Hill, “Where are you Christmas?” that starts off with that question, and wondering why Christmas has gone away? They go on to question if they can’t feel Christmas because their world is changing and does that mean Christmas changes too? Later on in the song they realize that “If there is love in your heart and your mind you will feel Christmas all the time.”

This year more than ever my husband and I have felt very blessed in our lives and have decided that we don’t need or want for anything this Christmas. Instead of buying gifts for each other, we have decided this year that we want to give back to others. The gift of giving is one of the best ones you will ever receive. Think of all you are blessed with, and then start to think of others and see if there is anyone you can help instead of wanting that new electronic, or those diamond earrings you have been eyeing.

Is there a family that you know who may have fallen on hard times? Maybe a family member became ill, or lost a job. Maybe there was a new member added to the household and money is tight. Maybe a family member or coworker is all alone this Christmas season and a nice meal and a little gift may go a long way. How can you give back? Can you pay a bill for someone, or send a box of food for a Christmas dinner? Can you buy some clothes for a child in need, or grant a special Christmas wish?

As much as I love presents and gifts, I realized I’m pretty spoiled, or blessed if you want to think of it that way. I have fallen on hard times and have had friends and family pick me up and help me unexpectedly. How do I repay them? I pay it forward.

If you have never given of your time or resources during the holiday season, try it this year. I guarantee that you WILL find Christmas in the gift of giving!

I was visiting my mother in law last night and she was explaining how she was in charge of the holiday decorations at a fundraising event she was working this weekend. She’s normally someone who has a hard time being inspired by crafty projects but she came across the instructions for “candy trees” and thought she’d give it a try!

Here’s what you need to create some “candy trees” of your own….
<img src=”{filedir_2}candy-trees.gif” alt=”” height=”329″ width=”300″ />
1. Styrofoam cones (can be bought at a craft store)
2. Your favorite holiday candies
3. A hot glue gun
You can glue the candies on the cones however you’d like and they look beautiful as centerpieces (especially if you create a few in different sizes and colors). I was surprised how easy these were and how great they looked when she was finished!

How do you decorate during the holidays?

Our family holiday tradition is to serve Coquito, a creamy, tropical, coconut eggnog that is made with spices (and the optional white rum!) Holidays aren’t complete without this drink at the table and is a special request at Spanish holiday gatherings. My family serves it with our homemade yellow rice with pigeon peas and roast pork shoulder. It is delicious and I recommend you try it with your family this year. I guarantee it will be a big hit!

2egg yolks, beaten

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 tea spoon ground cloves

1/2 tea spoon ground cinnamon

1 tea spoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup of white rum (optional)

Directions:

1. In the top of a double boiler, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook over lightly simmering water until mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

2. Transfer mixture to a blender, and add cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum, water, cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend for about 30 seconds. Pour into glass bottles, and chill overnight.

(Please drink responsibly)

A lot of people do a lot of things for us over the course of the year – and the holidays are the perfect time to thank those people in one way or another. It’s hard to know <em>how</em> to thank someone, though! Do we send a nice card as a written thank-you? Should we slip a little cash into an envelope and leave it as a surprise? What about an actual gift? CNBC has shared their <a href=”http://finance.yahoo.com/news/holiday-tipping-guide-2012-190918182.html”>Holiday Tipping Guide 2012</a> to help eliminate the guesswork involved with this sort of thing. Some of the suggestions may not apply to you and some of them might need a little tweaking to fit your personal situation (for example, as a leasing professional at an apartment community, I speak for everyone who works on the property when I say there’s no way we’d ever accept a tip of any kind – so skip suggestion number 1!), but there seems to be something for everyone here. Got any people or tip ideas you’d like to add? Leave them here as a comment on this post – and happy holidays!

There was a time in my life where I said, “I don’t get out of bed for NOBODY at 4:00am,especially to shop!” when asked to participate in Black Friday shopping.

<img src=”{filedir_1}black_friday.jpg” alt=”black friday” height=”212″ width=”238″ />

The thought of getting out of bed to stand in line and shop at that hour was ABSURD to me.

Then the stores started opening earlier and earlier…so I started to join an already-established tradition with my in-laws, but it involved standing outside in line all night. So I actually stood by my word that I wouldn’t get out of bed at 4am to shop…now I just don’t go to bed on Thanksgiving. Crazy…I know. But there is something to be said about the thrill of the chase. The challenge of making sure we all divide and conquer to secure that most coveted “door-buster”! It’s very hard to explain, but it is actually like a game. Who can outwit, outplay and outlast all of the other shoppers while ending up with – pardon the expression – the most toys!

Last year a lot of stores advertised that they would open at midnight, but due to Massachusetts blue laws, they couldn’t open until 1:00am – unbeknownst to all of us standing in line. 2 years ago we got in line at Toys R Us at 10pm – they were opening at midnight – the line of people was already wrapped around the store, down the end of the driveway and along the neighboring sidewalk. Luckily, the store opened at 12:01 (which they can no longer do) – however -we never set foot into the store until 1:30am! That’s how long it took us to get through the line! <img src=”{filedir_1}toys_r_us.jpg” alt=”toys r us” height=”180″ width=”279″ />We grabbed our 2 purchases and then had to wait in line in the EXTREMELY small and crowded electronics department for an hour! I was literally sitting on the floor – miserable! We finally got to the register, picked up the iPod touch that came with a free $50 Toys R Us gift card, checked out and were back in the car at 2:45am! Seriously?! Then we moved on to Target – they opened at 5:00am – we stood in line there for 2 hours! We maneuvered our way through the crowd and manage to get everything we needed before a line at the registers even formed! Victory! (The year prior to that we waited in the check out line at Target for 50 minutes! and ps – I am a cranky shopper to begin with, so it wasn’t pretty!)

Regardless, after a full 12 hours of shopping and door busting, it always seems worth it because there is always a new story or two to share, lots of laughs and always happy squeals of joy when that present that they “just gotta have” is opened!

This year, there is a lot of controversy over stores now opening up on Thanksgiving night. I have to say, I refuse to give up my Thanksgiving to shop. All I can do is hope that the $179 40″ LCD tv is still available when I get there – most likely at midnight. If you are planning on door-busting, make sure you know when your stores are opening. Blue Laws still exist in MA, ME and RI.

Check out this great article in the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/us/blue-laws-curb-consumerism-where-pilgrims-gave-thanks.html?pagewanted=1

Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!!

With the holiday season on the brink of being in full swing, many people are busy cooking, travelling, shopping, and wrapping up last minute things at work preparing to be with family and friends.

Many people are looking to give back to the community by volunteering at soup kitchens, food pantries and putting together food baskets to deliver to those in need, or by contributing to charity.

A place to consider donating needed items to might also be your local Animal Refuge League. Many cats, dogs, and other animals awaiting families to adopt them need help too.

The local Animal Refuge League here in Portland has a website with their Wish-List posted right on the website. Their List does note that there are some items they cannot accept and also advises to call the League ahead of time if you have an item you’d like to donate but is not listed on their list.

http://www.arlgp.org/donations/wish-list/

An Animal Refuge League in your area might need some help through the winter and it might be a nice idea to check out their website for their Wish List. A little may go a long way in brightening an animal’s day!

Most of us by now have heard of Etsy. But did you know you could buy almost anything on Etsy? Etsy is known as a site where you can find the most handmade and vintage items for sale on the web. As I was looking for bridesmaids gifts, I found everything from wedding dresses (and pretty cheap, too!) to Louis Vuitton bedazzled pacifiers. What’s the advantage to shopping Etsy instead of eBay? There is no bidding and everything is very inexpensive! Another great thing about their site is that it’s also a social site. They have everything from blogs to wedding registries. If you haven’t started shopping on Etsy yet, I suggest you do. I’ve already purchased a few items from the site and was very pleased with how easy it was. Hello Etsy, good-bye eBay!