Another Freebie

GMA showed another worthwhile freebie this morning that my mom passed on to me. Snapfish is offering a free flip book, you pay shipping, from now until December 13th. Just enter the coupon code GMAFREE when ordering. You can find more information on the website by clicking on the Good Morning America link on the home page.

Also, I missed the free Christmas card offer I wrote about before since we weren't scheduled to take family pictures until after the deadline. I searched around and found the best deals, by far, at Sams Club. I got 100 cards for $25! This includes the foil-lined envelope.

I've been busy, but I'll be back soon with more...

Unique Advent Calendars

Someone on my baby board mentioned Cookie Sheet Advent Calendars, and I had to Google them. Wow, are they precious! This would be such a fun project that you can absolutely personalize. Check some of them out below:

Craftzine
Christmas Countdown on Flickr
Scrapscene
Tater Tots and Jello
Little Miss Scrapalicious
Photobucket pic with magnetic tins filled with goodies for each day

Great Product and Giveaway

I LOVE this idea. My sister, Amy, suggests on her blog that this would be a great necessity for transitioning Hannah to her big girl room in preparation for her baby brother. I completely agree. Go to Adam and Andrew's blog to learn more.

Christmas Card Freebie

This is an offer too good to miss - 50 free photo cards. Make sure you order by November 30th!

Great new product

What an awesome idea! I saw these the other day and wanted to pass it on to you. These are called McCormick's Recipe Inspirations. It's a recipe card with all of the pre-measured seasonings on the front. They come in a wide variety of recipes using pork, chicken, beef, and vegetables. Yum, and easy! I can't seem to find them online, but our local grocery stores carry them. Hope these will be helpful for the holidays!

Outta the fryin' pan

I guess since I live in Texas I should be adept at fryin' stuff. Our State Fair hosts the biggest array of fried foods you can find; fried oreos, fried cheesecake, fried Snickers, and even fried butter. Surprisingly last week was the first time I'd ever fried anything. I wasn't sure how they'd turn out, but it was a huge hit, so I thought I'd share. We were having sirloin on the grill, and I was in the mood for potato chips or steak fries to go with them. Seeing how small the bottom-of-the-bag potatoes were, I chose the former.

Alicia's Homemade Potato Chips

handful of potatoes, washed and dried

oil (I used canola because that's all we had)

1/4 Tablespoon seasoning salt

1/4 Tablespoon salt

1/4 tsp powdered garlic

1/2 Tablespoon white sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

a dash of cayenne pepper

In a small bowl, mix all of the spices and sugar. Fill a pan about 1-2 inches full of oil, and heat over medium heat. While the oil is heating, use a mandolin to thinly slice your potatoes. Use one slice to test the oil. It should bubble up around the edges of the potato if it is hot enough. When it's heated, add a handful of potatoes. Turn them after 2 or 3 minutes. They'll take a total of about 5-7 minutes at this temperature, but fry them to your desired doneness. Scoop them out of the oil and onto a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle generously with the spice mixture.

These will last a day or so in an airtight container, but they're best fresh. Enjoy!

Yum

This is a great idea! It would be perfect for a Fall get together or even a yummy snack for game day.