Christmas

  • Free Ebooks: Myth of the Garage, Favorite Christmas Cookies, Clean Food Diet, Prayer Changes Things, How to Ace Your Phone Interview, Genealogy, and more!

    The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading).  The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.

     

    Download a free copy of The Myth of the Garage by Chip Heath

    Download a free copy of Favorite Christmas Cookies by Ruth Cardello, Nina Bruhns, Donna Fasano, Rebecca York, Helen Scott Taylor, Patrice Wilton, Mona Risk, Annie Jones, Alicia Street, Mimi Barbour

    Download a free copy of Clean Food Diet: Avoid Processed Foods & Eat Clean with Few Simple Lifestyle Changes (Free Nutrition Recipes, Natural Food Recipes, Special Diet Cookbooks, Vegetarian Recipes Collection Book 4) by Jonathan Vine

    Download a free copy of Prayer Changes Things: Taking Your Life to the Next Prayer Level by Beni Jhonson, Don Nori Sr, James W. Goll, Elmer Towns, Morris Cerulla, Suzette T. Caldwell, Sue Curran, Mahesh Chavda, C. Peter Wagner

    Download a free copy of How To Ace Your Phone Interview by Peggy McKee

    Download a free copy of Best Christmas Cookie Recipes: Easy Holiday Cookies 2014 by Katie Cotton

    Download a free copy of Protect Your Tech: Your Geek-Free Guide to a Secure and Private Digital Life by Michelle Slade and Rob Dix

    Download a free copy of Genealogy – Family Tree Research Made Easy by Poppy Sure

    Download a free copy of Lemon Remedies: 50 Clever Lemon Recipes to Heal Your Skin, Revitalize Your Hair, and Cure Many Illnesses (Lemon Cure, Lemon Cleanse, Lemon Tree, Lemon Grove) by Tina Salamnca

    Download a free copy of Happiness 365: One-a-Day Inspirational Quotes for a Happy You (The Happiness 365 Inspirational Series Book 1) by Deena B. Chopra and KC Harry

  • Holiday Gift Giving: Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates

    If you a looking for a wonderful and delicious gift to give this Holiday Season check out Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates!  Everyone loves a sweet treat! It is the perfect gift and will help you check one more name off your list!

    The best news is all of my readers will receive Buy 1 lb Get 1 lb FREE of Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates when you order!  Go to Mrs. Cavanaughs to order your chocolates today!

    Promo Code: usfamily14

    There was a time when Marie Cavanaugh spent hours in her South Dakota farmhouse each Christmas season making pecan rolls and homemade chocolates for holiday gifting.  “It started when my aunt sent her pecan-rolls recipe,” Mrs. Cavanaugh recalled. “I gave the recipe my own touch and started making the yummy specialties. Then I began dipping chocolates. Our friends and neighbors loved these treats, encouraging me to start a candy business. Finally, I decided it might be a good idea.'”

    Her husband George and children Carla, Lorraine, Calvin, Colene and Genise rallied, helping Mrs. Cavanaugh fill demands for her homemade sweets.  In 1972, the family moved to Utah, leaving good friends and their beloved cattle ranch.   “It was a difficult decision, especially for George,” Mrs. Cavanaugh said. “He was excited about making our new venture, which we chose to call Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Candies, a great success. We felt Utah was blessed with good chocolates and that we would enjoy – and could compete with – those who pride themselves on making excellent chocolates.”

    Millions of pounds of chocolates later, Mrs. Cavanaugh’s candies have earned a reputation for unquestionable excellence….  Ask chocolate aficionados. They will direct those seeking the best chocolates to the popular Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Candies.

    When you go to Mrs. Cavanaughs you can get Buy 1 lb Get 1 lb FREE of Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates using the promo code: usfamily1

  • Love It – Splade

    Love It - Splade

    Jake surprised me a couple months ago with a cool and practical gift!  Love those types of gifts!  A splayd!!!  Before getting my gift I didn’t know what a splayd was and my first thought was that it was a spork (which is similar, but not the same).

    My husband had been noticing how our silverware drawers would be empty before the dishwasher needed to be run so he came up with this great utensil that would cut back on the silverware we would need to use for each meal.  Since is a combination utensil we shouldn’t need to get out both a fork and spoon for each meal.

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • Christmas Tree Ornaments

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    Thanks to my sweet cousin Renelle the girls got a cool Christmas Ornament craft this year.  Renelle sent glass ornaments and some paint so the girls could make their own Christmas tree ornaments.  They had a blast making these ornaments!  The ornaments turned out beautifully too!

    The ornaments have a tie die and swirl mix of several colors.  Brina and Karlie were so excited to have these hanging on the tree.  Both girls agree that they want  to do more of these or another Christmas tree ornament next year!

    P1070553cKarlie squeezing paint into her ornament

    Take the glass ornaments and slowly squeeze paint into them.  Add at least 2 or more colors and swirl around until the glass ornament is coated on the inside.

    P1070563cBrina making sure the paint is covering the entire glass

    After adding paint rotate the ornament around until the paint has coated the entire inside of the ornament.  The colors will start to blend as you do this which is very fascinating for the kids to watch.

    P1070558cKarlie swirling and coating the inside of her glass ornament with paint

    The colors blend together and look pretty neat together.

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    Turn the ornament upside down in a styrofoam cup or muffin pan so the extra paint can drain.

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    Every few hours flip the glass ornament the opposite direction so the paint will dry evenly inside the bulb

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    One of the glass bulbs hanging on the trees

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    Beautiful ornament made by the girls hanging on the tree

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    The girls did a fabulous job making these ornaments.

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    Colorful and looking great on the Christmas tree

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    The colors merged beautifully on their glass ornaments

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    Thanks Renelle for an amazing craft!  The girls had a craft and they turned out beautifully!

  • Gingerbread Boy Meatloaf (Diary & Egg Free Recipe)

    The girls have been asking me to bake something in the gingerbread man pan this week.  Since we have already made several different cookies (sugar, gingerbread, and shortbread) I decided that we didn’t need any more sweets so we decided to bake a gingerbread boy meatloaf for our meal. If you don’t have to worry about dairy or eggs you can use the same amount of regular milk and eggs in this recipe instead of the non-dairy and egg substitutes.

    Gingerbread Boy Meatloaf Recipe

    Topping:

    • 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 cup Ketchup
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

    Meatloaf:

    • 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
    • 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
    • 1 Garlic Clove, chopped
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
    • 1/2 cup Almond or Soy Milk
    • 2 Egg Substitutes (Ener-G Egg Replacer works awesome!)
    • 1 cup Bread Crumbs

    Preheat over to 350 F.  Spray oil into the bottom of a “Gingerbread Boy”, 8″ x 8″ dish, or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.

    Press the brown sugar evenly into the bottom of your oiled dish.  Mix together the ketchup and 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce.  Spread the mixture over the brown sugar.

    Combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Mix in the 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, non-dairy milk (almond or soy), Ener-G Egg Replacer, and bread crumbs.  Press the meat mixture into the pan shape.  If you like your meatloaf a little sweeter you can another layer of of the topping layer.

    Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through.  Once done flip the meatloaf out of the pan onto a plate or pan and serve hot.

  • Dairy & Egg Free Sugar Cookies

    3D Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

    My friend Ashley at Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life brought over some amazing Christmas cookies earlier this month.  They were delicious and they were a huge hit with our family!  We have one family member that is not eating dairy and eggs so I adjusted Ashley’s recipe a little bit and the cookies came out delicious and beautiful (you would never know they didn’t have eggs and dairy)!  My Mom gave the girls these super cute 3D Christmas trees which the girls loved decorating and putting together.  Thankful for some time to spend with the family and enjoy special treats!

    Sugar Cookies

    • 1 1/2 cups Non-Dairy Butter (soy or almond), softened
    • 2 cups Granulated Sugar
    • 4 Egg Substitutes (Ener-G Egg Replacer is our favorite and lasts a long time too)
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 5 cups All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    Cream non-dairy butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.  Place cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
    Next day:  Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.  Cool completely.
    We decorated some of the cookies with sprinkles prior to baking.  The remaining cookies we decorated with icing after cooking.
    Cookie Icing
    • 1 pound Powdered Sugar
    • 1 stick Non-Dairy Butter
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1/4 cup Non-Dairy Cream (coconut, almond, or soy milk)
    • Add Food Color or divide in multiple bowls and create a variety of colors

    Blend together all the ingredients until smooth.  Chose one food color or divide up into multiple bowls and a variety of colors.

    A batch of the girls decorated cookies

  • Merry Christmas!

    Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  May this Christmas Season be a wonderful time packed full of many amazing memories for you and your family.  We have so many things to be thankful for during this special Christmas Holiday!

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 4)

    We had a blast playing the 5 Second Rule game by Patch with extended family today!

    We just finished our fourth and final short week of  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).   It was a really busy week and I didn’t have as much time to take pictures (and a couple of the ones I took didn’t turn out).  It has been an awesome doing the daily activities and finding ways to be a blessing to those we meet.  Seriously, I feel like we walk away from an activity feeling more blessed then we did going into it because it is so much fun bringing cheer to the people around us.   What a joy it has been participating in intentional acts of kindness during the Holiday Season.

    In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.  Throughout the week we also try to find additional ways to brighten people’s days so sometimes we do multiply activities during the day.

    Our B.L.E.S.S. Activity Adventures:

    • Day 22 – went to the store to purchase a couple items for Christmas Dinner.  Spent some time talking with the cashier and person bagging our groceries, including asking them about their families and Christmas plans.   She thanked us for waiting to check out and for asking about her family.
    • Day 23 – went to church with the family and ran a few errands afterward.  We were able to run in and pick up a couple things we needed, but towards the end of our errands Jake got a phone call from work and had to head home to handle some work issues.  Every where we went we made a point to smile at everyone we met and ask them how they are doing.  A smile and kindness will go a long way during a busy day.
    • Day 24 – was able to spend some time with extended family today.  We ate a delicious dinner, played, and had the kids exchange gifts.  Thankful for our family and the opportunity to spend time together.  Sometimes the best gift or blessing you can give to others is the gift of time. 

    Shortbread cookies ready to go into the oven!

    • Day 25 – Enjoyed some time with my family.  I actually didn’t go out at all on Christmas Day so today I decided to make a special treat for my sweet, hardworking, kind, loving husband. I am thankful for him and all he does for our family.  He is my best friend and I always love my time with him.   I made him one of his favorite Christmas cookies – shortbread (with sprinkles on top)!  🙂

    It has been a lot of fun working on ways we can be a blessing to others.  This verse talked about “humility” which can be difficult at times because sometimes we want people to notice us.  We talked about why it is important to demonstrate humility.  One of the ways we decide to practice humility was by leaving gifts anonymously if we don’t know who was on the receiving end of the B.L.E.S.S. it is a lot easier to not be proud.  We all agree that leaving “surprise” gifts are one of our favorite activities because we completely leave-it-up-to-God to choose the person to get the blessing.

    It is fun be to be a blessing to others not because we anticipate any rewards or benefits from it, but because we were given the greatest gift of all.  God’s love, grace, and mercy.  He wants us to give cheerfully from the heart.

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    Below are the printable versions of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 3)

    Gifts for the girls teachers

    We are into our third week of  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).   It has been an awesome doing the daily activities and finding ways to be a blessing to those we meet.  Seriously, I feel like we walk away from an activity feeling more blessed then we did going into it because it is so much fun bringing cheer to the people around us.   What a joy it has been participating in intentional acts of kindness during the Holiday Season.

    In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.  Throughout the week we also try to find additional ways to brighten people’s days so sometimes we do multiply activities during the day.

    Karlie wanted to leave her dollar and card inside the candle holder box at the store.

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    While the little one was taking a nap the older 3 cousins did their Gingerbread and Christmas Tree Craft together

    • Day 15 – Spent time watching my two nephews while my brother worked and my sister-in-law had Christmas program practice at our church.  The girls had a blast with the boys.  We played cars, built with legos, did a craft, ate a snack, and more fun stuff during the morning they were with us.  The girls played really well and were very willing to help their cousin start to get the peels off the stickers.

    Gingerbread men goody bags to hand out to classmates

    • Day 16 – We picked  up and put together items for the girls school Christmas Party.  They will share these goodies with their classmates.  Both were very excited to share with their friends.  Some of the items they picked up were cookies, cupcakes, grapes, carrots, pencils, stencils, twizzlers, stickers, balls, and a couple other some things.

    As we were sticking a deposit in our banks night drop box with left a note and candy cane for the next person!

    • Day 17 – Since we had a make a trip to the bank on the way home from another activity we decided to spread a little cheer by sticking a note and candy cane on the night drop box to be a blessing to the next person who drove through.

    Brina placed her dollar to share in the craft section at Dollar Tree

    • Day 18 –The girls went with me for a quick trip to Dollar Tree.  On the way to the store we discussed our B.L.E.S.S. activity and prayed that it would be an encouragement to someone today.  Brina chose to leave her dollar in the craft section at Dollar Tree.  Karlie’s location surprised me a little more, she wanted to leave it in the candle section so an adult would find it.   She also decided that it would be best to leave the dollar folded so the person that found it would see the note and know that it is ok to take the dollar.

    Left a note and candy cane on the pump at the gas station

    • Day 19 –The girls and I were filling up with gas earlier this week.  They decided it would be a great place to leave a candy cane surprise for someone else.  So we taped a note and candy cane to the pump.  As we were pulling out of the gas station both girls and I each prayed that God would lead the perfect person to it when they went to fill up with gas.   (a neat side story…..the person who received the note, Mary, contacted us to say “thank you”!  What a blessing it was to find out that we were able to brighten her day!)

    Christmas goodies packed up in the box for the teacher (a picture of the outside of the boxes is at the beginning of the post)

    • Day 20 – We wrapped up some goodies to give to the teachers for Christmas.  The girls picked out some of the items they wanted to give their teachers.  They gave Hand Sanitizer, Clorox Wipes, a box of Kleenex, Glue Sticks, Fresh Citrus Christmas Potpourri, and a Christmas Card with a photo.

    Left a Christmas Card and a bundle of Fresh Citrus Christmas Potpourri for our mailman

    • Day 21 – We left a Christmas Card and gift for our mailman.  He always delivers our mail with a smile.  Whenever he has a package to bring to the front porch asks how the kids are doing and stops to pet Skipper.  We’ve had the same mailman since we moved here over 10 years ago so he has delivered a lot of items to our house!   We are thankful for the people we have gotten to know a little better over the years. 

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day 17 activity.

    With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.   – Ephesians 4:2

    It has been a lot of fun working on ways we can be a blessing to others.  This verse talked about “humility” which can be difficult at times because sometimes we want people to notice us.  We talked about why it is important to demonstrate humility.  One of the ways we decide to practice humility was by leaving gifts anonymously if we don’t know who was on the receiving end of the B.L.E.S.S. it is a lot easier to not be proud.  We all agree that leaving “surprise” gifts are one of our favorite activities because we completely leave-it-up-to-God to choose the person to get the blessing.

    Twizzlers and pencils are ready to be packed for the girls class party!

    It is fun be to be a blessing to others not because we anticipate any rewards or benefits from it, but because we were given the greatest gift of all.  God’s love, grace, and mercy.  He wants us to give cheerfully from the heart.

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    Below are the printable versions of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well: