Make the Holidays a Littler Merrier with Disney

September 29, 2009 By

I know I have mentioned several times how much I love to decorate for the holidays and how my family loves to read cherished holiday books year after year. But I don’t think I mentioned how much my family LOVES holiday shows and movies. We have a huge holiday collection of DVDs and VHS tapes. From Easter through Christmas, with Christmas being the biggest part of the collection.

Some movies are traditions in our home. For example, on Thanksgiving day we must watch “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”. We also MUST watch “A Christmas Story” as many times as we can on Christmas Eve.

Every Halloween we watch an ancient VHS tape with shows on it like “Fat Albert Halloween”, “Rusty & Buttons” and one of our favorites, “The Pumpkin Who Couldn’t Smile” starring Raggedy Ann & Andy.

We have two new holiday movies to add to our collection. Both are from Disney and are officially released today, September 29, 2009.

Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving comes with a collectible (and adorable!) mini Christmas stocking in celebration of the movies 10th Anniversary.

I love Winnie the Pooh and all his friends in the 100 Acre Wood. I even have a Honey pot tattoo because I adore Pooh and his friends so much.

Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving is a MUST have DVD for the holiday season. If you are a fan of Winnie the Pooh then you will love this DVD. Cute! Cute! Cute!

Due to some missing calendar pages Winnie the Pooh and friend think they missed Winter and should be celebrating Groundhog day. The only way to find out what happened to Winter and the holidays they must find a Groundhog and ask him what happened to their favorite season. Thinking that it’s Spring time the friends go on to do Spring cleaning and plant their gardens, not realizing that it’s almost Winter.

In the next vignette the friends of the 100 Acre Woods prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving. I love this episode because it features Christopher Robin and I love Pooh’s Thanksgiving song. The monster Turkey is funny too!

In the Thanksgiving episode you learn that the holidays are not about the food and the decorations but rather being with your friends and family. That is what is most important about the holidays.

The Christmas episode really put me in the holiday mood. Awww! So cute! Rabbit finds himself with an unexpected guest for the holiday. We also learn that Pooh doesn’t make the best babysitter (ha ha). Although this episode is sort of sad too.

This DVD has a lot of great bonus features too including two short movies. One is called The Magic Earmuffs. I love their game of “Ice Cookie”. LOL! In this episode the 100 Acre Friends try and teach their friend Piglet how to ice skate.

Another bonus episode, Wishing Bear, Pooh learns to make a wish on a star but when he forgets how to make the wish his friends try and help him to figure it out.

There are also two games on the DVD. One is where you can decorate your own Christmas tree which is really cute. The other is a coloring activity where you can “color” different holiday pictures. My only “issue” with the coloring activity is that it doesn’t really allow you to color the objects what you want. For example you can ONLY color the tree green. If you wanted a pink tree the game won’t let you.
Other then that it’s cute.

The other great movie which is released today, September 29, 2009, is Mickey’s Christmas Carol. This movie is based on the classic story of the Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, about Ebenezer Scrooge and how he learns the real meaning of the season. I forget the ducks name, but a duck plays the character of Ebenezer and Mickey is Bob Cratchit. Mickey’s Christmas Carol is great for everyone at any age.

Goofy makes a great ghost. He’s so silly!

Mickey’s Christmas Carol also features other classic Disney short films.

The Small One is a very sweet short film based upon the the Nativity and the birth of baby Jesus. A young boy has to sell his best friend, a donkey named Small One. All the people in town are either too cruel or not the right home for Small One. That is until they meet a gentle man and his pregnant wife who offer to take Small One and give him a good home. Of course you know the new owners are Joseph and Mary. This is a very sweet story. I loved it.

Pluto’s Christmas Tree is a very short story (less then 7 minutes). Chip & Dale’s home is chopped down by Mickey to be their Christmas tree. Pluto knows they are in the tree and tries to get rid of them but not without Chip & Dale getting the better of him.

Santa’s Workshop is another short movie (a little over 6 minutes). This is really cute! The characters are not typical Disney characters. It’s all about what goes on at Santa’s Workshop before the “big day”. It’s cute to see the elves making the toys.

This would also be the perfect DVD for your holiday collection.

Both Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving are available TODAY where ever DVDs are sold.

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*We received both copies of these movies free to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
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Beauty Tip of the Day

September 29, 2009 By

Don’t forget to check out the Beauty Tip of the Day. I know the one on the left side bar is small but I put the “widget” at the bottom of my web site so you can see a larger view.

I’m loving all the great tips! My favorite has to be using the Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on my lips. My lips are starting to get dry already and there is nothing worst then when they crack in the corners. I have been using Q-Tips to apply a little to my lips a few times a day and it’s doing wonders on my lips. They are nice and soft again.

The Vaseline Petroleum Jelly is great for removing waterproof mascara too!

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The Swine Flu hits the 100 Acre Woods

September 28, 2009 By
Sorry… I couldn’t resist. My brother sent this to me and I thought it was funny.
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Share Your Smiles with SmileShow

September 28, 2009 By

Fall is here and we all know what is waiting for us around the corner…the holidays! Many of us will have our little children dressing up as Ghosts and Gobblins for Halloween. Some of us are even making plans on whose house to host the family Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t forget about Christmas either. My daughter already has her “Wish List” ready (LOL).

There are so many moments in our lives that you just want to capture and treasure forever. There are also family members and friends you would love to share these moments with but for whatever reason they cannot be there with you. Thankfully most people have cameras to capture these cherished moments, and others have video cameras. We are able to share moments with friends and family using those methods.

Instead of just e-mailing your friends and family random photos or videos of your family’s precious moments, why not take it a step further and send them a DVD created especially for you that can capture the moments forever. A special DVD that can be viewed over and over again on any DVD player or computer with DVD capabilities.

Introducing Smileshow (www.SmileshowDVD.com), by YesVideo. You can easily upload photos and videos up on the web site and have them turn your memories into a DVD you can share with family and friends.

With the new Smileshow from YesVideo you can even have music added. The really fun thing about the Smileshow is that you get different viewing options. You can view the images and video in a “Scrapbook” mode. Or you can view it as a movie. My personal favorite are the three music videos that come along with the Smileshow. You can watch your images dance around on screen with different types of music.

I tried out the Smileshow myself. I used roughly about 75 images and I was surprised when I received the Smileshow back that the “movie” lasted for about 20 minutes! WOW!

I shared out Smileshow with my kid’s grandparents and they LOVED it. We don’t get to see them often so they miss out on a lot of things with the kids. They were so appreciative that they were able to “be there” for many of the moments that they missed out on. They also love that it can be played on the laptop because they travel to the Wales a lot to visit relatives and they can’t wait to show them the Smileshow of my family the next time they go.

The Smileshow is really affordable too! They are only $4.95 for the first 50 photos. After that it’s .05 cents for each additional photo. Video clips are .05 cents each too. You get to choose all the other features you want too!

You can get extra copies of your Smileshow for only $4 each and shipping is just $1.99!

With the holidays coming up a Smileshow would make a great gift for someone special in your life. It’s also a great way to preserve this year’s holiday memories that you can watch over and over again for many years to come.

To learn more about Smileshow or to get started making your Smileshow today visit www.SmileshowDVD.com and click on the “Get Started” button.

*I received a few sample of the Smile Show DVD to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
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Holiday Morning French Toast – Oh So Good!

September 27, 2009 By

I just had to share this recipe with you. My step-mother made it today for our son’s birthday “brunch”. It was SO GOOD! WOW! And very filling too. I plan on making this again as soon as I can gather up the ingredients. This is perfect year round, just not on the holidays. The great thing is that you can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven the next morning.

The picture is not the greatest. My step-mother’s looked a lot more appetizing.

The recipe comes from the McCormick web site (http://www.mccormick.com/).

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 teaspoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground, divided
3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 loaf Italian or French bread, cut into 1-inch slices
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix brown sugar, butter and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in 13×9-inch baking dish. Add apples and cranberries; stir to coat well. Spread evenly in bottom of baking dish. Arrange slices of bread on top.

2. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon until well blended. Pour mixture over bread, soaking bread completely. Cover with foil. Refrigerate 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. For an eye-catching presentation, loosen edges with small knife. Invert onto large serving platter.

Makes 12 servings.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Refrigerate Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 50 minutes

There are more great recipes on the McCormick site (www.McCormick.com). I was not asked to promote them in any way. I just went to the site to find the recipe so I could bookmark it and found that they had a lot of very delicious recipes on their site.

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Sabra Review & Giveaway

September 27, 2009 By

Hummus, Hummus, Hummus… I hear a lot of people these days raving about Hummus. I honestly had no clue what it was. I was thinking it was those sprout like things that people eat. I finally had to look it up to see that it’s made with Chickpeas, which is awesome because my kids actually love Chickpeas.

I’m always looking for was to make sure my family is eating healthy by making better educated choices about what foods I serve them.

Sabra (www.Sabra.com) makes a variety of delicious sounding Hummus products as well as dips and other goodies. I was actually very impressed when I visited the web site and saw just how many varieties they offer. Even though I have never tasted Hummus before some of the available flavors made my mouth water just reading about them.

Sabra sent me some coupons to try out their products. YUMMY! And it was perfect timing too since it was my son’s birthday this past Friday and we were having a family get together/party for my son today (Sunday). We usually bring up a veggie platter when we get together with my family so I did it one step further. I brought up some Sabra products for us all to try out.

I found Sabra in the appetizer section of my local grocery store. The appetizers were found right by the deli. I easily found the Sabra products. I decided to try out the Hummus with Roasted Pine Nuts (I love Pine Nuts), Garlic & Herb dip and the Sauteed Onion dip. They looked so good I wanted to open them up then and there and check them out.

For the past few days I kept the products in my fridge, anxious to give them a try. I showed the Hummus with Roasted Pine Nuts to my family and they were a bit put off by it at first but when I told the kids it was like “creamed Chickpeas” they were interested in tasting it since they love Chickpeas. My husband on the other hand was not sold on the idea. LOL!

I took the Hummus and dips up to my father’s house today for our family get together and party for our son, thinking it was going to be the usual chips, dips, pizza and cake, only to find out that they opted for a brunch instead. Uh-oh! Here I am with Hummus and dips and my step-mother made stuffed French Toast, Belgium Waffles, bacon, and other brunch/breakfast goodies. There was not a chip to be seen!

So here I was all prepared to whip out the Sabra products for my family to try out, only to have them change plans on us. I figured it was an ideal situation to find out what a lot of people thought about the products, take pictures and give a really great review.

As the day went on and after we had cake I mentioned my plan for having everyone try the dips and Hummus. Most of my family was too full and passed on trying them out for me (ugh!) but my Step-mother, ex-sister-in-law and brother in law offered to try them out with me. Yeah!

We first tried the dips using it as a spread on some crackers. The verdict – FRESH! Everyone, including myself, felt that the dips tasted really fresh, as if they were made right then and there. It didn’t taste like a store bought dip but rather one that was made at home using fresh ingredients. The dips were thick and creamy and really tasty. I honestly think they were the best dips I have ever tasted. I didn’t have a favorite because I like them both. I can think of some other good descriptive words to describe the Sabra dips but the best one would have to be FRESH.

I also tried the Hummus. Only my step-mother and my brother-in-law were willing to give it a try. I admit it doesn’t look appetizing (as I’m sure all Hummus looks the same) but let me tell you something – I’m HOOKED! WOW! I have never had Hummus before and I have to say it is really tasty! It was great on crackers but I could see myself just grabbing a spoon and eating it that way too. I wonder how it tastes on bread? Yummy!

Did you know that Hummus is a great source of protein and iron? WOW! Seeing as how I suffer from severe Anemia I think I should consider eating Hummus on a regular basis to help supplement my iron. Hummus is also a great source of fiber and is cholesterol free.

As it was with the dips the Sabra Hummus tasted really fresh. It didn’t taste like it was from a can or a jar. I am really impressed with the freshness of the Sabra products.

And guess what? My kids tried it and they liked it too! Yeah! They were a bit iffy at first because it doesn’t look very appealing but they tried it and they liked it, although they both said they could do without the Pine Nuts. I told them we will try another kind without extra flavorings. Sabra has a Hummus with Pretzels package. I have to see if I can find that. I think that would make a tasty lunch for the kids instead of the usual PB&J sandwiches.

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I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures of the “taste testing”. It was very impromptu seeing as how we never expected to find breakfast waiting for us when we arrived.

To learn more about Sabra products you can visit their official site at www.Sabra.com.

How would you like to have Sabra products at YOUR next party? The great people at Sabra want to give one lucky She Scribes reader coupons for four FREE products AND a $25 gift card so you can pick up plenty of goodies for your next party (Sabra, crackers, chips…whatever you’d like). With the holidays coming this would be great to have on hand.

To enter please visit the Sabra site at www.Sabra.com. Look around then come back here and comment on which Sabra product you would like to try if you won. They have so many yummy sounding varieties I’m sure you won’t be able to chose just one. While you are there check out the great recipes.

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each that you have done.

- Blog about this review/giveaway and please link back to both this post and Sabra (www.Sabra.com). Please provide the URL of the post.

- Subscribe and/or Follow She Scribes. Both options are found on the right side bar.

- Tweet about this review/giveaway on Twitter and please be sure to include @She_Scribes in the tweet so I can see it too.

- Promote this review/giveaway in other ways (Facebook, Digg, Technorati…). Just be sure to tell me what you did and if possible provide a URL or name.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on October 11, 2009 at 11:59 PM (EST).

The winner will be chosen from all eligible entries using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail and will have three days to reply with their name and mailing address (no PO Boxes please) or a new winner will be chosen.

Don’t forget to check out the other great giveaways currently available on the right side bar under “Win It”.

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*I received some coupons free to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
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