Tag Archives: Christmas

Shop Pear Tree Greetings For Unique, Creative Christmas/Holiday Photo Cards!!! $40 Gift Code Giveaway!!!

pear tree logo #PearTreeGreetings

After Halloween I think it really hits that even though we may not believe it, that it’s time to start planning for the holidays. If you send Holiday Cards to your family and friends it’s time to start shopping!  I love taking photos and so I have sent photo cards to my friends and family ever since my oldest was born.  I love seeing how many options are available now. How I wish when my first three were younger that we had all the photo editing options and the ability to use multiple photos on cards.  My life would have been so much easier!  At least now with our family of 7, the endless array of options for colors, font, design, text and more make it easy to create a card that is unique, special and includes many photos of our family.

I recently created some Christmas Cards at Pear Tree Greetings and even ordered some coordinating photo address labels.  Their selection of cards is spectacular, and the search options make it easy to find a card that has the features you need.  If you normally write a holiday newsletter they have cards with stories and newsletters built right in.   What a great look to have the card read like a story of the last year to share with family and friends.  I chose the Stripes and Stories Creative Photo Christmas Card.

Stripes And Stories Photo Card #PearTreeGreetings

 

I was able to test several other options and save them until I found one that I was sure would be perfect for us.

Five Panel Argyle Holiday Card #PearTreeGreetings Soft White Lights Christmas Card #PearTreeGreetings Sparkle & Shine Trifold Letter #PearTreeGreetings

Stocking Stuffers Holiday Card #PearTreeGreetings Christmas Gift Tags #PearTreeGreetings

The card I chose had a Christmas Cookie recipe but I swapped it out for a snippet of A Charlie Brown Christmas where Linus explains what Christmas is about.  That is very special to my family for various reasons but especially since our son Luke was born on Christmas Eve and his sister declared that after seeing that scene, we should name him Luke.  We were contemplating between Luke and Jacob and could not decide on which to use for his first name.  She called the hospital a few hours after his birth and said she had just watched A Charlie Brown Christmas and after hearing Linus recite Luke 2:8-14 KJV that his name should be Luke.  The funniest thing is that Luke became a huge blanket baby just like Linus.

In another panel in the card I was able to add a custom Christmas and New Year message.  All the photos had little plaques that we could customize with our kid’s ages, where or when a photo was taken or anything else we wanted.

I was also able to create a coordinated look by ordering photo address labels that tied everything together.  It was simple and easy and there are even easy editing options right on the site when you are making your card that will allow you to convert your color photo to black and white in one click as well as other tweaks to make your photos look their best.

Chevron Cheer Address Label #PearTreeGreetings Festive Framework Address Label #PearTreeGreetings

Pear Tree Greetings is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!  One lucky blog reader will win a $40 Gift Code to use at PearTreeGreetings.com!  Thank you Pear Tree Greetings for the review code and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

Pear Tree Greetings $40 Gift Code Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

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Ornaments With Love Christmas & Holiday Personalized Ornaments Review & Giveaway!!! #HolidayGiftGuide

Ornaments With Love

We are kicking off the start of Mommy Ramblings’ 2013 Holiday Gift Guide Posts with Ornaments With Love!  Ornaments with Love is a family run company that has been in the retail gift business for over 50 years.  This great company has so many great styles of ornaments and tabletop decorations for the holidays that can be personalized.

These unique ornaments make great gifts and will become treasured keepsakes that will evoke great memories each season when they are unboxed and displayed.  As a mom of many, I really like that they have ornaments that go beyond 2.5 children and even included pets. This year we ordered a festive, Christmas Train decoration with a car that was adorned for each family member with their name.  The detail and quality on the ornament is superb and my little ones were so excited when it arrived.  They were busy finding everyone’s car and had such fun seeing there was a train car for everyone.  The extensive ornament selection will let you find the perfect ornament for anyone, check out some of the available styles below and to see them all visit the website.

So many ornaments for grandparents, grandmas and grandpas

So many ornaments for grandparents, grandmas and grandpas

 

 

Ornaments for Teachers!

Ornaments for Teachers!

Special Ornaments for Service Men and Women!

Special Ornaments for Service Men and Women!

 

Daycare Provider and Babysitter Ornaments!

Daycare Provider and Babysitter Ornaments!

 

Great Ornaments for Photographers!

Great Ornaments for Photographers!

 

Lots of New Baby and Baby's First Christmas Ornaments!

Lots of New Baby and Baby’s First Christmas Ornaments!

Hanukkah Ornaments!

Hanukkah Ornaments!

 

Ornaments for Multiples!

Ornaments for Multiples!

 

Ornaments for musicians and so many other hobbies!

Ornaments for musicians and so many other hobbies!

Oranments With Love Train

Oranments With Love Train Merry Christmas

Oranments With Love Train Luke

Would you like a chance to win one of these great ornaments?  Ornaments with Love is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One luck blog winner will win an ornament of their choice from Ornaments with Love!  Thank you Ornaments with love for the beautiful review ornament and for sponsoring this spectacular giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

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Fa La La Christmas Board Book by Leslie Patricelli Review and Giveaway!!!

I have another Christmas book for you that will let you celebrate the magic of the season with even the littlest ones and not fear for ripped pages or drool causing any strife.  Fa La La is in board book format so it is sturdy and ready to take on babies, toddlers, preschoolers, road trips, being tossed and passed about.  Inside you will find the parents on a season long adventure with their little one from choosing the tree, decorating the tree, making gingerbread houses, making presents,  visiting Santa, greeting Carolers, the wait for Christmas morning, opening presents and then finally some well deserved family time together.

Candlewick Press is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Fa La La by Leslie Patricelli!  Thank you Candlewick Press for this great review book and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.

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“Adventures of Bailey: Christmas Hero” DVD Review & Giveaway!!! 3 Winners!!!

THIS NOVEMBER, JOIN THE BELOVED POOCH ON AN ADVENTURE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY IN A HEARTWARMING ‘TAIL’ IN THE TRADITION OF SANTA BUDDIES AND THE DOG WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS

 

ADVENTURES OF BAILEY: CHRISTMAS HERO

 

It’s Christmas time at the Baker household and Bailey is at it again in this new Dove-approved family friendly live-action holiday film that’ll have kids ho-ho-ho-ing with glee when it arrives on DVD this November!

Worried that he won’t get any presents from Santa because he’s been a bad doggie,Bailey learns of a mysterious Native American Indian brave who may be able to make his Christmas wishes come true. With visions of tennis balls, squeaky toys and dog bones dancing in his head, Bailey sets out to find this legend in the woods. But when his misguided actions threaten the Baker family’s Christmas plans,Bailey must make a decision that helps him finally understand the “true” meaning of Christmas.

My little ones love movies with dogs in them, so when they saw this come in the mail, we could not get it on fast enough.  Christmas, furry friends and a great message about the true meaning of Christmas this is a great film to put on to just relax during the holiday season and have a family movie night.

E One Entertainment is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings.  Three lucky blog readers will win their own Adventures of Bailey: Christmas Hero DVD!  Thank you E One Entertainment for the review DVD and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!!  Open to US residents.
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The Santa Story

 

Okay well, last Saturday after Jimi got home, Alexandra, Jimi, me, Ethan and Luke headed out to Binghamton to see Santa.  The boys slept on the way and we thought that was great.  Luke did not wake up until we parked at the mall.  We got the twin stroller out and everyone in and all was good.  Jimi got a business call that he thought would take a second but it did not.  So we headed off to find Santa and he was behind us.   Well, we were lucky, there was Santa and no line but we needed to wait for Jimi.  In the meantime I got the boys’ jackets off and washed their faces and then Luke saw his bottle.  He fell asleep the minute we were on the road so he missed his nap time bottle and it would have been no problem but I packed empty bottles since we were picking up milk along the way and well, when we got it Luke was asleep so we just filled Ethan’s sippy cup he had on the way and left the container in the car.  Well, just waking up and wanting the bottle, normally “laid back Luke” started to freak.  By this time Jimi was there, we thought he would just take the picture because Ethan was having a great time with Santa, Santa was singing to Ethan and Ethan was telling him he wanted trucks and a guitar.  Luke wanted nothing but his bottle and so he was miserable and it will look like he is crying because he was scared of  Santa when that is not the case at all.  It is just a case of really bad timing.  The woman who was taking the pictures was not such a jolly elf and so it was really awkward and right after that Jimi ran out and got the milk which transformed Luke into the jolly little kid he always is.  We just could not believe it because it was so  unlike Luke and of all days the day of the picture with Santa.  What can you do though, right?


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Christmas Cookies Everywhere!!!

Well, yesterday we took the little ones to see Santa.  I will post about that by itself.  We also shopped a bit, had dinner and got home very late.  So I was really enjoying a day home to bake.  I had made two doughs the other day and they were chilling.  The first cookie I made was PB & J Thumbprints.  but I only managed to get a dozen and a half into the freezer, they were so good.  Next, I made my spritz dough and made several dozen and got just about everyone in the freezer because I worked fast!  Then I wrapped a ton of presents while the babies napped.  Got another burst of inspiration and took out my chilled gingerbread dough and cut out some men, women and children.  I have them decorated and cooling completely and they will be packed away in the freezer as well.  The other night I made the two sheet cake layers for Luke’s birthday cake and I made cupcakes.  I froze them all to decorate on the eve of the 23rd.   So a pretty good day for baking and wrapping.  Christmas is coming up on us so fast, I cannot believe it.  Well, I better get those Gingerpersons in the freezer before they get eaten.  Hope everyone is getting everything they need to do done and not getting stressed out and forgetting the reason for the season.


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A rainy December Sunday to remember.

Well, the heavy rain has washed away all our snow and the mild temps feel rather balmy.  It did give us the opportunity to tighten up the deck for the real snow.  We did have things secure but someone left one of the gates on the deck opened as I may have mentioned and a couple of  bulldogs had a field day with our patio furniture cover.  By the time the new one came there were a couple of inches of snow covering everything.  However, with today’s mild temps and warm heavy rain we are reset and were able to start again.  It was a clean slate in which to work and for that I am thankful to God and  his divine grace to help us reset.

It is such a busy time of year and I am thankful for the day to stay home and just try to get things ready for the celebrations soon to come.  I cannot believe my baby boy will soon be 2 and on the Holy Night no less!!!  Where did the time go?  I cannot believe it and yet I am so very grateful that we sit here almost two years later after a very traumatic birth and a baby that did not cry for 2 days.  Then the days of hospitalization after we had been released for his jaundice combined with the Winter storms made for a very chaotic first few days.  When I look at him now, with his sweet voice that calls to me, “Hi Mommy” I almost forget that but then I reflect and once again am reminded of God’s grace that blessed us and I am in awe.

As everyone is rushing around,  shopping, cooking, baking, and decorating, let us all take note of the reason for this very blessed of seasons.  Let’s remember what is important and be thankful for all we have been blessed with.  I wish you all the healthiest, happiest and most love filled Christmas Season.  God Bless us every one!!!

 


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Gingerbread Perfection!!!

Today the little boys had such a fun time decorating the gingerbread house.  Like I said in my previous post, I did not go into it with any expectations of perfection.  I set up the island with various small bowls and containers with different colored candies.  I put the assembled gingerbread frame house in the middle.  Made some fresh royal icing in the VitaMix and put it into a piping bag.  We put the boys high chairs up to  the island and they were at a perfect height to get started.  I started piping the icing but Ethan soon took over and you know what??? I did not sweat it.  It went very well, he loved piping the icing, he had a few of his own techniques but you know, it worked.  The roof got the most decorations and that was just fine.  He and Luke had a good system.  Ethan would put some icing on and tell Luke to stick the candy.  Ethan said he was “working” it was very funny and they had a great time and despite the sugar rush they both took a very good nap afterward.  When I look at the completed house with all its splendor, that is when it occurs to me, it is definitely perfection!!!


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Gingerbread Dreams, Sugarplum Wishes!!!

Well, as I type my fingers are still sticky with royal icing.  I just finished assembling  the cottage structure of the gingerbread house, so that tomorrow it will be nice and sturdy for little hands to decorate with a multitude of colored, sweet and tangy candies.  I am not going in with expectations of a perfectly decorated gingerbread cottage that would grace the pages of “Good Housekeeping.”  I am well aware that with having  1 and 3-year-old designers, perfection is not what we are going for.  We will be going for perfectly imperfect.  I imagine between the sugar rush and their little fingers that the finished product will be lucky to come away with all four walls and the roof still attached.  I want to create the memories my children will carry with them as they grow and one day have their own families.  I think those things are so much more important than material things.  So late at night I fumble with the piping bags of sticky icing and mutter under my breath as it takes me a few tries to get the structure standing.   Tomorrow I will be whipping up another batch of the sticky stuff  to use as glue for the decorations.

Visions of chubby little hands sneaking tastes of the sticky sweet stuff and thinking that it is the greatest thing in the world to be decorating with the vast array of treats.  I am sure they will be in Gum Drop Heaven, with all the colors and textures and tastes.   It will be a lot of messy fun and I am looking forward to capturing their little faces on camera.  Those are the memories I want to keep long after the cookie house has crumbled away.  I love seeing the joy of the season through little eyes just discovering  things for the first time.  To see the wonder and the amazement of the season in their faces is so incredible.  I am so blessed to be able to go through this again as my it just goes by in a blink as I know with my older kids.  God was so great to have blessed me with the opportunity to experience it again.  I am so very grateful.


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