our 2015 gingerbread houses + a cyber monday deal

Over our Thanksgiving break we made our gingerbread houses.  After all these years I've finally managed to cut my stress over this tradition.  Now I just embrace store bought supplies and the stickiness and chaos and just let them have fun with it...plus I have my own home baked house and special candies to make on a night when they're all in bed early! ;)

 

I brought our little art table into the kitchen, hot glued a few store bought houses together {if you don't use your glue gun, you're missing out!  No one really eats them anyway, right??}, put out store bought frosting and candy and just let them go to town.

They each represent their little personalities so well.  Fast as he can.  Slow and steady.  Over the top.

I wiped up the floor, put the table back where it belongs, and called it good.  Memories made.  Stress free.

And if you're looking for another way to keep your holiday stress at a minimum, I've partnered with Restaurant.com this holiday season.  See what they have to offer below for a special Cyber Monday deal!

$3 DEALS TODAY!

Restaurant.com Delivers the "Better than Best" Cyber Monday Sale

For families who want to avoid the hours of cooking and clean-up this holiday season, Restaurant.com delivers $3 for $25 Certificates with Promo Code: CYBER today only! Find places to meet, eat and be merry from 22,000 restaurants nationwide.

And if you’re traveling, feel free to take Restaurant.com on the road with you. Their mobile app makes a primary travel companion! Search for eateries by zip code and simply use the certificate from your phone at the restaurant.

Hurry - this "Better than Best" $3 Cyber Monday Sale won’t last. Restaurant.com is the trusted and valued source for connecting restaurants and diners nationwide. This offer ends Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm CT.

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diy: make a christmas gift wrap kit with hallmark

Giving pretty gifts is totally my thing.  {In case you hadn't noticed...ha}

Of course it's always what's on the inside that counts...but going the extra mile to make the outside of a package reflect the thought inside is always worth it.

So since we're on the brink of the gift-giving-est time of year, I've partnered with Hallmark to put together a simple gift wrapping kit with some essentials to have on hand.

I took a trip to my local store and {there's so much to choose from online too!} picked a few of my Christmasy faves...every year I try to go with a different theme of wrapping and this year I'm going the traditional route of red, green, and kraft.

That wool roving and reversible paper!  Christmas wrapping perfection.

I added in a few other fun details to use like glitter, twine, pencils, tape, drawstring bags, and tiny trees, and put it all in a box...get creative with what you love to use!

You could even make this the gift to a fellow pretty package lover!

This post is sponsored by Hallmark.  Of course all opinions and photos are my own.  Thanks for reading!

xoxo

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diy: glittered snowball lights

I am so excited for Christmas this year!

Here's another DIY project I put together for the Mod Podge Rocks blog...glitter snowball lights.  They're really easy to make and you probably have the materials on hand right now!  Click here for the full instructions.

xoxo

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recipe: southwestern breakfast burritos for thanksgiving morning

Thanksgiving is right around the corner...eek!

Not sure I'm completely ready with a menu and table settings and dishes and centerpieces and dessert {why do I do this to myself??}...but I can say I've got Thanksgiving morning ready to go.

So before we start our busy day of 5k turkey trots and football games in the park and watching the Macy's parade, our family needs a good...but low maintenance!...breakfast to get us through til the big meal.  One of my favorite go-tos is breakfast burritos.

They're quick.
They're easy.
They're crowd pleasers.

Any food that all six of us can agree on...winner!

To make them, you'll need:

1 package Johnsonville Naturals Breakfast Sausage

1 package refrigerated "southwestern" hashbrown potatoes
6-8 eggs {I hate leaving just an egg or two in the fridge, so I'm not exact...I use what I have.  I also sometimes use a carton of egg whites if I have one}
2-3 cups Monterey Jack {or cheddar...or whatever you like best} cheese
Flour Tortillas

Salsa {optional}

Sour cream {optional}

Start by browning the sausage in a cast iron skillet and draining any fat.

Whisk together eggs and cheese in a separate bowl.

Add potatoes to sausage in skillet and brown.

Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes.  Scramble the eggs, being careful not to 

While everything is cooking, warm up some tortillas in the microwave {15-20 seconds, or whatever the package says}.

When the eggs are finished cooking, scoop a bit into each tortilla and fold each tightly.  Then I like to wrap them in foil like little swaddled baby burritos.

I crack myself up.

But it does make keeping extras in the fridge a lot easier. :)

Johnsonville Naturals provide a clean and simple label and do not contain artificial ingredients, flavors, colors or preservatives. The line focuses on high quality, natural ingredients, such as premium cuts of meat and flavorful spices to deliver great taste people expect from America’s leading sausage brand.  

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!  I can't believe it's this time of year already!!

xoxo

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville. The opinions and text are all mine.

diy: christmas cake toppers

I know some people have really strong feelings about no Christmas before Thanksgiving...but I'm not one of them!! ;)

I can't wait for the Christmas season to get here and today I'm sharing a fun dessert topper over on DIY Candy.  Donuts, cake, cupcakes...they're a super easy craft, colorful, and fun!  Click here to see how to make them yourself.

xoxo

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diy: mini felt fall banners

Loving the look of felt banners as much as I am right now??

See how I made these for Thanksgiving on DIY Candy today.  Click here for all the details!

xoxo

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