Countdown to Christmas: 5 Days of Giveaways! Day 3

The Countdown to Christmas continues with another giveaway!

'Tis the season for holiday baking... fruitcakes, Buche de Noel, gingerbread men and more! Here's a recipe box full of Christmas confections...

The adorable box also includes a pack of holiday recipes, blank recipe cards and recipe divider cards.

To enter:

• Leave a comment here, telling me your favorite holiday dessert.

• AND visit Angie and Jane to see what else is up for grabs today!

Remember: you must comment on all three daily blog posts to be eligible for that day's giveaway! Winners will be announced December 7th. Good luck... and happy holidays!

Countdown to Christmas: 5 Days of Giveaways! Day 2

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Time for another giveaway!

December has just begun, and some of you may have already decked your halls and trimmed your trees.

How about decorating yourself with this charming necklace?

Yum Yum Pendants has offered their adorable "Colorful Ornament" Scrabble tile pendant (and 18" ball chain) for today's giveaway!*

To enter:

• Visit Yum Yum Pendants... then come back here and let me know another pendant you like. And be sure to take a good look around their shop... Yum Yum Pendants is offering a "Buy 2 Get 1 Free!" sale through December 31st! Wow!

• AND visit Angie and Jane to see what else is offered for today's giveaway!

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Remember: you must comment on all three blog posts in order to be eligible for the daily prizes! Winners will be announced December 7th. Good luck... and happy holidays!

*Many thanks, Ela!

Countdown to Christmas: 5 Days of Giveaways! Day 1

Christmas is just around the corner (OK, seriously... how did the end of the year get here so fast?! Wasn't it *just* August?!)

To help make your holiday merry and bright... Angie, Jane and I have teamed up to bring you:

Each day this week will feature a new giveaway! Angie, Jane and I will each post one item for that day's giveaway... the three items will tie in together somehow, and one lucky reader will win all three items for that day! But in order to win, you must visit and comment on each of our blogs.

For today's giveaway, I have a bottle of Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple shower gel...

To enter today's giveaway:

• comment on this post, letting me know: what is your favorite way to pamper yourself?

• AND visit Angie & Jane to see what else is up for grabs today!

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Remember: you must comment on all three blog posts in order to be eligible for that day's prizes! Winners will be announced December 7th. Good luck... and happy holidays!

Giving Back.

A recent report from the USDA states 16 percent of American households are "food insecure"... an increase of 13 million people over the previous year. Sadly, more Americans than ever are going hungry.

Mind-boggling, isn't it? The United States is supposed to be the "richest country in the world", "the land of opportunity". How is it possible that over 49 million people across this country face hunger?

So what can we do to help?

• Donate to Feeding America. For every $1 donation, Feeding America helps provide 7 meals to men, women and children who are facing hunger in the U.S.

• Support your local food bank. Food pantry shelves all over this country are running low.

I, personally, am holding my own "Comments for Cans" (thanks, Em.)

For every comment left on this post through Sunday night (11/29), I will donate one canned good item to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

Angie and Jane are also participating in this endeavor with me. We challenge you to do the same. Write your own "Comments for Cans" post on your blog and donate to your local food bank. I firmly believe that every little bit helps.

Now, let the comments commence!

Giving Thanks.

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies.

Lord, of all to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

~Folliott S. Pierpoint

Lost in Austen

Of the tasks I've done so far as part of the Everything Austen Challenge, watching "Lost in Austen" has been my favorite.

The adorable Jemima Rooper plays Amanda Price, a modern Londoner who longs for the romance and elegance of the Austen era. Amanda gets her wish one night when she and Elizabeth Bennet trade places; Amanda finds herself in the 19th century, while Elizabeth stays in the 21st.

I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries! Austen purists probably hate it, since it strays from the book quite a bit a lot. There are so many plot twists and characters who are basically unrecognizable... but that's what I loved about it! Seeing a whole different side of Wickham... relationships that came out of nowhere... the happy ending, albeit one that is very different from Pride and Prejudice.

Also? Elliot Cowan positively smolders as Mr. Darcy. Case in point:

Now that is what was missing from the "Colin Firth lake scene"... a wetter (and therefore, clingier) shirt. Ahem.

I found "Lost in Austen" clever, funny and very entertaining! Two thumbs up!

Gobble, Gobble

...turkey... mashed potatoes... stuffing... cranberry sauce... green bean casserole...

what's your favorite part about Thanksgiving dinner?

Yet another example of sisterly love.

Hannah woke up Saturday morning with a fever and said she felt dizzy when she got out of bed. After taking her temperature and finding it to be 101, Shane said to Hannah, "I think maybe you should go to the doctor."

"Why?", Hannah asked.

"Just to be sure you don't have the flu", was Shane's reply.

Overhearing the conversation, Michaela had this to say to her sister:

"No, not the flu! Stay away from me, you're deadly!"

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I did take Hannah to the doctor that morning... both flu and strep tests came back negative. She apparently just had a viral infection. Which of course nothing can be done about... so there goes that office visit co-pay.