Spreading the Merry... plus Holiday Gift Ideas for the Family

It all kicked off this week, after an amazing community Thanksgiving dinner with my church family on Saturday evening, the Holidays are here - and our hearts are filled with gladness.  Never in the almost 5 years my husband and I have been married has he ever been the first one to put on Christmas music, but Sunday morning I woke to the smell of hot coffee brewing, and classic Christmas music (plus he was doing the dishes...huge indicator that he was in a great mood).

There is something beautiful about collective thankfulness.  When you hear the stories of what God has done and is doing in people's lives all around you - you catch a greater glimpse of His wonder and beauty and faithfulness.  And then, no matter what struggles or challenges you are currently facing, you recognize that He is good, and He is working for good in all of our lives.  We've been pretty much enjoying elevated moods and hearts full of joy as we look forward to our holiday season.

Tomorrow we take a road trip to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws, it will be the first time in 2 years that Zion has been there to see the whole family.  She is so excited to go on a road trip and to visit Grandma & Grandpa at their house.  Jerry and I are equally thrilled.  We anticipate bellies full of the Mom & Dad's good cooking, lots of movie watching, tons of laughter and cheer and warm reunions with family we don't see as much as we'd like.  Saturday will be spent cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes as they demolish their rival that shall not be named or given mention on my blog.  Finally, Monday we will depart early to return to our home.

But the holiday cheer will just continue to build as I host my first Ladies Christmas Social over the weekend.  I've invited my favorite ladies to come spend a couple hours enjoying warm drinks and sweet and savory treats while socializing one last time before I leave NYC to head home.  And that brings me to my big travel adventure - Zion and I will be heading to Seattle to stay with my family the first week of December, through New Year's!  I can't even begin to tell you the excitement and anticipation there.  Over three weeks of time spent enjoying my family and visiting with my sisters who I miss like crazy.  Of course Jerry will join us a couple weeks later, for Christmas and the rest of the fun.  Yep, my heart has so much to look forward to in the coming weeks, and yet so much I'm already incredibly grateful for in the present moment.  I love this time of year!!

Now onto this year's gift wish lists as well as a fun chance to win some Amazon giftcodes to help you in your holiday shopping!

1.  Parka 2. WurkinStiffs Power Stays 3. New Shoes 4. Gaming System

1. Gloves 2. Puffy Coat 3. Boots 4. Makeup 5. Polish 6. Small Purse

1. Wood Educational Toys 2. Play Kitchen 3. Basketball Hoop 4. Music Instruments 5. Doctor Set

And now for your chance to win some Amazon giftcodes for your holiday purchases via BabyHuddle!

To win some extra holiday cash to use via Amazon - simply do the following:

1. Create a profile on Babyhuddle US and make sure you include a profile picture.
2. Create at least one list with a list description and 7 products in the list with product annotations (note on what you like about the product).  You can see my examples here and here!
3. Share your lists with your friends & networks to get "helpful" votes.

Participants will have the chance to win one of three Amazon vouchers for creating the best list. A list must include a description and at least 7 products with product annotations. The list with the most helpful votes will win the prizes:

1. List with the most helpful votes wins $50
2. List with the 2nd most helpful votes wins $30
3. LIst with the 3rd most helpful votes wins $10

Also there is the added bonus that the user who creates the first list automatically wins a $10 Amazon voucher.

ENTER HERE!

Good Luck & Happy Entering!! Share your list with me in the comments below and I'll visit and give you a helpful vote!!

Terms and Conditions:

• Contest will last for 2 weeks only and end on December 4, 2012.
• Winners will be chosen in order of participants with most helpful votes. In a tie situation the winner will be determined by Babyhuddle.
• All participants must create a profile on Babyhuddle US using this unique link (http://us.babyhuddle.com/account/signup/?cid=Baxtron) and include a profile picture. They must create at least one list with a list description and 7 products in the list with product annotations.
• Participants must be based in the United States of America.
• First participant to create an account on Babyhuddle US with a profile picture and create a list with a list description and inclusive of at least 7 products with product annotations will automatically win a $10 Amazon voucher.
• All Amazon vouchers cannot be traded for cash.

Avoid the 'Nightmare Before Christmas' With Early Holiday Shopping

We all know the last minute Christmas shopping routine by now-- Rush out of the house at 10 a.m. with your coffee, wait forever to find a parking space at Target or Walmart and hope to come back home with gifts sometime before 10 p.m.! Late shoppers, why torture yourself by wasting an entire day among hoards of other last-minute shopping “crazies” and risk trampling injuries? Do yourself a favor and start a little earlier this year, not a day or a week early, but two whole months early and look forward to an organized “Christmas Countdown.” Start your Christmas shopping in October, and you will be amazed at how enjoyable it can be. Here's why:

More Time to Prepare for the Holiday

The best thing about doing holiday shopping in October is that with the task out of the way, you'll be able focus your energy on preparations for the coming season. You'll also have plenty of time to exchange or return gifts or decorations if needed, and you can assemble everything in a timely manner. Instead of spontaneously grabbing any holiday card in site from the row of greeting cards at the pharmacy, do something out of the ordinary. Find a specialty card from a holiday store or create your own greeting. For example, Minted.com holiday cards give you the option of incorporating your own photos in the greeting, making for a highly personable and crafty creation. With early shopping, you'll also be left with time to make other crafts like dinner table centerpieces and around-the-house decorations that will dazzle your home and win over your guests.

Shorter Check Out Lines

There's nothing like navigating through the store with a full shopping cart to find a clear checkout line and a cashier that doesn't look like he or she is having a nervous breakdown. If you do your holiday shopping as early as October, you'll be able to take advantage of time flexibility and better store conditions. You'll have less of a chance of having to deal with long lines of impatient shoppers, refunds and checkout errors. Online shopping is another option that is easier to do early in the season and will alleviate the need for trips to the store altogether. With the hefty amount of time ahead of you, you can compare gift prices online to find the most affordable purchases. There are resources like Cyber Monday that can be helpful, as they list all the best deals and coupons for major retail outlets.

Peace of Mind

I don't know about you, but for me there's something about last-minute holiday shopping and the knowledge that everyone's in the store for the same reason that kind of gets under my skin. Maybe it's the relentless passer-by chatter of “Welp, it's that time of year again, huh?” Or maybe it's the fact that last-minute shoppers are stressed and frantic and sometimes flat-out mean. A store full of procrastinating shoppers has a certain chaotic, angry feel to it. Why go shopping for happy holiday gifts in an unhappy and stressful environment? Starting your holiday shopping in October is a much smoother alternative, allowing for more focus and peace of mind. It can be inspiring and fun to go browsing for holiday gifts before Halloween even starts.

If you methodically plot out your holiday shopping well in advance, you can have a stress-free holiday season. With all of the craziness that ensues in that special month, why would anyone want to add more craziness by doing your shopping last minute? December should be spent with your family, relatives and friends. It should be enjoyed to max and taken one day at a time with winter trips, ice skating in the park, taking long romantic walks with your special someone and preparing delicious dinners. You should be making sure you and your loved ones are having the time of your lives... Not waiting in lines for hours at department stores!

Contributed by:

Heather Wood

Heather is a blogger and Twitter fanatic who follows anything that has to do with home interiors.

Escape from the City, 4 My 31st Birthday

And then, there was Mystic.  I fell in love with Mystic earlier this year when Jerry surprised me with a romantic one-night getaway for our anniversary.  Our time spent their in June felt like a bit of a tease compared to our several hours spent on this perfect Summer evening.

 ^^ The Sea Swirl is known for its clam strips - and now I know why! Best I've ever had!

^^ Zion sucking on a Lemon - she loves them (weirdo :P)

 
 

We had to visit Mystic Pizza while we were here this time.  We split a Pizza - I totally forgot what toppings we chose for our half - my in-laws got creative and made theirs pastrami and onion - loved it!

 ^^ One thing you should know about me - I hardly go a day without ice cream and never a day without coffee!  The flavors I chose above were: Kahlua Mocha Fudge & Chocolate Reese's PB Cup

   

We finished our day as the sun began setting over Mystic Seaport.  If you've never been to Mystic - there is something just magical about the whole area.  Its beautiful, its warm, inviting, friendly...we had such a great time.

 

 Zion sure loves her Grandma & Grandpa.  <3

Our adventure for the weekend ended as we cruised on home - miraculously avoiding any major traffic!  Such a great birthday weekend/holiday/visit with family.  <3

Read Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3

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Escape from the City, 2 My 31st Birthday

We left Vermont Saturday, around 11:30 or so and hopped on the road in hopes of making it on a boat by 4pm.  We made a couple of stops along the way to stretch, but regrettably didn't stop for a substantial meal (in hindsight this was a critical error!)  We did however stop for a car charger for our i-devices - you know - way more important than eating at the time. Ha!  We arrived at our motel for check-in right around 3pm, and needed a break.  We unloaded the car, changed clothes and rested - then we were off to grab a ferry.

 Zion's First Boat Ride!

 Oh Hey there yacht with a helicopter on it!

We all were really excited to get to Martha's Vineyard, the weather was simply stunning, we had a great boat ride - Zion's first ever, but halfway there (all of us hungry and tired) we were told our boat was being re-routed to Vineyard Haven instead of Oak Bluffs.  Big huge bummer - as it turns out Vineyard Haven shuts down very early.  We ended up settling on a restaurant none of us really were sure about (which turned out to be much pricier than we had wanted to spend) and then the food was just totally subpar.  Probably the worse seafood we've ever eaten - shame on you Black Dog Tavern!

We never fully recovered from the let down of being brought to a different location- that was totally dead - (plus our disappointing dinner)-even with attempting to sweeten the visit by having a scoop at Mad Martha's ice cream.  We spent the rest of our time waiting for the next boat to take us back, ending up stuck on the outside, freezing in our summer clothes in the dark.  A bit defeated we headed back to the motel, and one by one crashed into our night's rest.

Read Part 1 Here.

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Escape from the City, 1 My 31st Birthday

Labor Day weekend we celebrated my 31st birthday (September 1st).  My wonderful in-laws drove from Columbus, Ohio on Friday, and we prepped to leave early the next day for our road trip to Vermont, Martha's Vineyard and Mystic.  Life has been beyond chaos in the weeks following our trip. so I'm finally getting around to share the pictures from our road trip.  Zion did great the whole time (we made sure to plan our drives with her in mind - having the ipad helped too!)

 

Our first stop, was Starbucks, hehe - I had to capitalize on my "Any drink you want" free birthday drink, and so I grabbed the behemoth venti green tea frap.  Not long after we were on our way to our first destination, little lady had passed out next to me.  Our whole purpose of going to Vermont was so that we could essentially check it off the list of states my Mother & Father-in-law have been (they've been to almost every single one!)  My MIL had her heart set on picking up some authentic Vermont Maple Syrup.  Our first drive was 4 hours (a straight Northern journey from NYC).  We left at 5:30am!  And arrived to Vermont just in time for the Brattleboro Farmer's Market.

^^ Scallion Pancake with Farm Fresh Egg

^^ Maple Birch Soda - best soda I've had in my life - this stuff is incredible!

We spent a few hours in Vermont before hopping back on the road - we aimed to reach Martha's Vineyard by early evening.  (Another 4+ hour drive).  It's tricky getting their with Ferry's only running every 30-45 minutes and the last ferry returning to the mainland around 9/10pm.  We hoped we'd make it there with enough time to see a few sites, visit a BBQ Restaurant my MIL wanted to go to for dinner, and still make it back to our hotel at a reasonable hour so Zion could get a good night's sleep.

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