Thanksgiving Dinner Made Easy #HoneyBakedHoliday Giveaway #sponsored

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Do you serve turkey or ham or both on Thanksgiving? For my family, it usually depends on how many people we're hosting for our Thanksgiving dinner. Whether we're hosting a large crowd of friends and family, or just celebrating as an empty-nest couple, I'm especially thankful that HoneyBaked Ham makes Thanksgiving simple for me.

HoneyBaked Ham's turkey breast and boneless ham allow me to serve a perfect meal that looks fantastic and tastes even better. Their turkey breasts are gently-roasted in a sweet-glazed and their cured hams are smoked for hours in a secret marinade, and I didn't have to do anything other than warm them up just before we eat.

My Thanksgiving dinner always features HoneyBaked Ham's delicious side dishes too. With over a dozen choices, I can choose the sides that I know my family loves. All I have to do is bake them for about an hour and then put them on the Thanksgiving table!

HoneyBaked Ham sides for Thanksgiving include a creamy Green Bean Casserole, a perfectly seasoned Dressing, and mouthwatering Sweet Potatoes. There are so many delicious HoneyBaked Ham sides that it's often hard to choose which ones to serve my family!

HoneyBaked Ham also offers lots of dessert choices, including pies, cakes, and cheesecakes. Their Cinnamon Apples are sold as a side dish, but are delicious enough to be considered a dessert. Wouldn't you rather spend an hour in the kitchen this Thanksgiving, instead of seven hours in the kitchen?

My local HoneyBaked Ham store is in Austin Texas on Research Boulevard and the employees are so friendly and helpful. Find your local HoneyBaked Ham store and see how easy it is to create the perfect Thanksgiving meal for your family!

www.honeybaked.com

From now until 1/11/15 you can enter to win a $25,000 HoneyBaked Kitchen Makeover when you buy a Ham and Turkey Breast bundle. Check out this amazing limited time coupon for $8.00 off any Bone-in Ham and Turkey Breast or Boneless Ham and Turkey Breast from HoneyBaked Ham to help you make your holiday dinner easy and delicious! (This offer is valid only at the following locations: Rolling Meadows, Orland Park, Villa Park, Morton Grove, Naperville, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Mesquite, Hurst, Lewisville, Houston, Austin, Spring, Clear Lake, Sugar Land, Indianapolis, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Roseville, Birmingham, Troy, West Bloomfield, Livonia, Flint, Dearborn Heights, Sterling Heights, Taylor, Ann Arbor, Canton Township, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Mechanicsburg, Monroeville, San Antonio, Bellevue, and Lynnwood. For store addresses click here.)

HoneyBaked Ham is giving away $500 in Gift Cards to some of your favorite places!
You can enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway! Kitchen Curry Master - Indian Food Spices and Cookbook

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

The Kitchen Curry Master is a complete kit that can help you create fresh, authentic Indian food. This amazing kit includes all the spices in a beautiful spice box, plus a cooking guide that will lead you through every step.

Indian food is delicious but it's challenging to find a good restaurant here in Texas and I had no clue how to make it myself or even where to find the right spices. Neena, the creator of Kitchen Curry Master, saw this dilemma for many people, which inspired her to make creating Indian food simple.

The cooking guide is fantastic, filled with some of the most popular curry dishes. The recipes tell you exactly what you'll need from your kitchen and from your Kitchen Curry Master spice box, and then walks you step-by-step through the recipe to create amazing meals.

This traditional spice box is simply beautiful. It's a large round container with an airtight lid and inside are brushed stainless steel spice cups, one large cup for the mixed spices, and seven smaller cups for the individual spices.

The spices arrive in sealed bags and all I had to do was open up the bags and fill the cups to create a beautiful, aromatic spice box. The spices include Black Mustard Seeds, Chili Powder, Cumin Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds, Garam Masala, Ground Cumin and Coriander, Turmeric Powder, and Mixed Spices of Cinnamon Sticks, Green Cardamom, Cloves, Star Anise, and Peppercorns.

The Kitchen Curry Master online spice shop also sells each of the spices in individual packages, so you can easily refill your spice box when you start running low. The website also offers video guides for recipes, plus you can submit your own curry recipes creations!

Kitchen Curry Master provides all the tools you need to create delicious curry dishes like Spicy Rice, Potato Curry, Spicy Shrimp Curry, Grilled Chicken Masala, Lamb Madras, Ground Beef Kebabs, Red Chutney, and many more!

Visit www.kitchencurrymaster.com to order Kitchen Curry Master for your own kitchen, or surprise someone with it for the holidays. It makes a beautiful gift. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, then enter below to win Kitchen Curry Master!

NOTE: Kitchen Curry Master is running a special offer for November which is $59.99 including shipping!

Win Kitchen Curry Master!
One winner. To enter, fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US residents, ages 18 and up. Giveaway ends on 11/30/2014. Good luck!

Enter my other giveaways HERE!
Follow me on Facebook HERE!

Cellessence Anti-Aging Duo - Review and Giveaway plus Discount Code

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Starting to see wrinkles and fine lines? Me too. I've been using Cellessence Anti-Aging Face Cream and NuvaCell Wrinkle Repair Eye Serum and I'm seeing fantastic results. After using them for the past few weeks, my skin looks better and feels better. I've also noticed the wrinkles around my eyes and mouth are less noticeable. I'm always a bit nervous about trying new products on my face, in case I have a bad reaction, but Cellessence has been wonderful to my skin.

Cellessence Anti-Aging Face Cream helps skin cells repair damage to DNA. It actually revitalizes the stem cells in facial skin and helps to improve regeneration. By reinforcing the skin barrier with the ingredients Epidermosil, Roxisomes, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Licorice Root Extract, Vitamins C and E, Vitasource, Synovea HR, RenovageTM, and DMAE, it reduces wrinkles and redness while boosting skin radiance.

NuvaCell Wrinkle Repair Eye Serum also helps regenerate healthy skin cells. Since the skin around the eyes is thinner, it shows wrinkles before any other part of the face. NuvaCell hydrates the skin and even helps to reduce dark circles and puffiness, using the ingredients Alpha Lipoic Acid, DMAE, NET-STG, Vitasource, Eyeseryl, Epidermosyl, and Algisium C. I'm thrilled with the results that I'm getting!

Try the Cellessence Anti-Aging Duo! Get it at www.buycellessence.com and use this special discount code to get 50% off your entire order plus free shipping: 50LISA

 www.buycellessence.com

Win the Cellessence Anti-Aging Duo!
To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the USA. Giveaway is open until midnight on 11/30/2014. Good luck!

Enter my other giveaways HERE!
Follow me on Facebook HERE!

Just Released! SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad #tech

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

SanDisk has just released the iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad! I'm SO excited about the iXpand because this compact little tech gadget solves several issues for me. Mobile users take more photos on phones than ever before. According to the IDC, 71% of all images today are captured on mobile devices. Transferring my mobile phone photos to my PC usually means emailing them to myself or waiting until I get home to hook up my phone to my laptop with a cord. The other issue I struggle with is limited space for images, especially if I'm using my iPhone's video function.

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive is the easiest way to transfer my photos and videos between my iPhone and iPad to my PC. It also works on Mac computers. It uses the iXpand flash drive app, called iXpand Sync, which I can set up to automatically sync when the drive is connected. It's small enough to carry in my pocket, even smaller than my iPhone, and all I have to do is plug it into my iPhone to save my photos, then later plug it into my USB drive on my laptop. It works 3 times faster than other portable mobile storage devices in its class.

The iXpand is stylish and durable, with a metal housing, a flexible connector, and a protective USB cap. The connector even works with most iPhone and iPad protective cases, so I don't have to take my case off to use it. No more worries about cables, internet availability, bandwidth, account limits, or data/storage plan fees! It will even play movies and music directly from the drive. You can also password protect your files on the iXpand.

I really wish I'd had the SanDisk iXpand in my pocket when I went on a trip to Utah in October. I was taking lots of photos in a beautiful desert valley with my iPhone, and then discovered my photo roll on my phone was full. I had to stand there and delete photos before I could take any more! The iXpand would have quickly transferred photos to its drive so that I could have saved them all. The iXpand comes with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities. Since I already trust the SanDisk brand, I know this product will perform well for me for a long time to come.

The SanDisk iXpand has performed perfectly for me and I definitely recommend it. You can find out more about it at http://www.sandisk.com/. It would be the perfect holiday gift for anyone in your life who uses their iPhone or iPad to take pictures!

Have you seen these tech reviews?

Joco Cups - Reusable Recyclable Glass Coffee Cups - Review and Recipes

Tis the season for holiday drinks! This year, use Joco Cups for the best taste and to protect the environment! Joco Cups are glass reusable coffee cups that help you retain the best coffee flavor and eliminate environmental waste. They are also perfect for tea!

Available in great colors and a variety of sizes, Joco Cups are tough, lightweight, and heat-resistant. They are also dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe. The glass used in Joco Cups is all-natural borosilicate glass.

The splash-proof silicone lid ensures that you'll be drinking your delicious coffee or tea, instead of wearing it. Joco Cups are 100% BPA-free and lead-free. It's a much smarter choice than paper or plastic!

Modeled after standard barista-style cups, Joco Cups come in 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz sizes, and even feature the popular wrap-around holder to make holding it safer and more comfortable. Joco Cups are also recyclable and reusable. My morning coffee has never tasted better!

Get Joco Cups at www.jococups.com! Put them on your holiday wish list and pick up a few for your favorite coffee and tea lovers. Don't miss the delicious Joco Cup recipes below for some delightful holiday drink recipes!

Chai Tea

1 cup water
1 cup whole milk
1 Earl Grey tea bag
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
Pinch cardamom
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch ginger
In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Strain into 2 JOCO cups and top with a pinch of nutmeg. For a ‘naughty’ addition, stir 1 ounce brandy into each cup.

Coffee Dulce
1 cup hot, strong brewed coffee
2 tablespoons Dulce de leche
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine in your JOCO cup. Stir to blend. If desired, top with whipped cream and add a pinch of shaved dark chocolate. For a ‘naughty’ addition, stir in 1 ounce spiced rum.

www.jococups.com

November 13 is International #Tempranillo Day

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Raise your glass! Today is the fourth annual International Tempranillo Day and the wonderful flavors and impressive versatility of the Tempranillo grape aren’t the only reasons to celebrate this year. A study conducted at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has put the spotlight on the grape’s healthy attributes, which include higher quantities of antioxidants and dietary fiber compared to white varieties, factors which reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Tempranillo is a true toast to your health!

The Freixenet Group is especially excited to celebrate this year, with a newly released Tempranillo wine by Spanish winemaker Gloria Collell, Mia Red 2012 ($10 SRP), as well as the newest vintages of Tempranillos from Spain’s most well-known regions. Mia Red 2012, an unoaked Tempranillo, showcases ripe and juicy fruit flavors of plum and berry. The newest vintage from the Ferrer family’s prestigious Heredad Collection, Valdubon Cosecha 2012 ($15 SRP) provides spicy quality and uses grapes from the region of Ribera del Duero. Another newly released vintage from the Heredad Collection, VAZA Crianza 2011 ($15 SRP) from the celebrated region of Rioja, is an aromatic wine with hints of vanilla.

Established in 2011 by TAPAS (Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society), International Tempranillo Day encourages the growing appreciation for this adaptable grape that has piqued the interest of winemakers and wine drinkers alike. I'll be celebrating with all three of these delectable wines today!

Join the conversation on heart-healthy Tempranillos online with the hashtag

#TempranilloDay or #Tempranillo

to share the great news with Mia Wines fans on Facebook, 

and those who enjoy The Freixenet Group’s Valdubon Cosecha

or Vaza Crianza on Twitter to generate a truly healthy buzz. Cheers!

Weekly Giveaway Linky! Wednesday Wealth (November 12-18)

Got giveaways? Link 'em up!

Love giveaways? Enter to win!

Giveaway! LEILA Jewelry - Round Em Up Giveaway Hop Event

Welcome to the Round Em Up Giveaway Hop Event

Hosted by LeahSay's Views and Planet Weidknecht

This event runs November 12th - 22nd, 2104.
Please visit each of the blogs listed in the linky below.
Each blogger will be hosting a giveaway valued at a minimum of $25.
Good Luck!

My prize is the
Impressions Garden Necklace
from LEILA Jewelry
(value $80)

This stunning piece of artful jewelry features a beautiful garden design on a one-inch pendant. The chain is 18" long and has a lobster closure. This 18k gold plated necklace shows beautifully, especially against a solid colored top or dress. The Impressions Garden Necklace is the perfect fashion accessory for ladies of all ages. The flowers on the pendant are textured, giving it depth and interest. The photo below shows a bit of darkening around the flowers, but that's simply shadows; the pendant is a very shiny gold. It's a wonderful way to keep the beauty of summer in your fall and winter wardrobe. I absolutely love it and am so excited that I get to give one away! Just enter below to win! If you simply cannot wait to win it, go buy one for yourself or for your favorite lady at www.leila.com. 

www.leila.com
on Facebook ~~ on Twitter
on Pinterest ~~ on Instagram

Win the LEILA Impressions Garden Necklace!

To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US residents ages 18 and up. Giveaway ends at midnight EST on 11/22/2014. Good luck!

Check out my other giveaways HERE!

Follow me on Facebook HERE!

November Paper Pumpkin Craft Kit Reveal and Giveaway #DIY #crafts

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

I get so excited when my monthly Paper Pumpkin Craft Kit arrives! I just got my November kit and guess what it is? It's a paper pumpkin pie! This month's kit is actually called Sweet As Pie and it's got everything I need to create a darling pie of gift boxes.

What a great centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table! Each little box can hold treats for the guests at your table. Looking at the completed picture, I was worried it was going to be really complicated, but like always Paper Pumpkin came through with an easy-to-create craft that just takes a few minutes.

Inside the November box is enough yarn to create eight adorable pom-poms to go on top of the eight pie piece gift boxes. There is even a cardboard template to wrap the yarn around to make the pom-poms easily.

There are also eight pre-cut cardstock pieces to make the pie gift boxes. They are already scored right where they need to be folded! Even better, the adhesive is already attached so there's no messy gluing and I don't make a mistake trying to put them together.

There are self-adhesive gift tags in the November kit that can be stamped with Thanksgiving messages, then attached to the top of each paper pie piece to hold it together until it's ready to be opened.

The kit also includes the Thanksgiving stamps, a Stampin' Up ink pad, plus adhesive dots for the die cut leaves and the pom-poms that go on top of each paper pie piece. I'm always so impressed that Paper Pumpkin thinks of everything! All I needed was my scissors!

The die cut leaves come in lots of colors so I can add varying color combinations to each piece just to make them all look a bit different. The best part about Paper Pumpkin kits is the complete, step by step instructions that come in the kit. I can even watch the tutorial online if I want to!

It took me just five minutes to create one complete piece of my Sweet As Pie craft. That's about 40 minutes for an entire craft that I can use as my Thanksgiving centerpiece or to share little gifts with neighbors this holiday season. Sign up HERE today to start getting Paper Pumpkin craft kits delivered in your mailbox.

Win the November Sweet As Pie Paper Pumpkin Kit!
To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the US. Giveaway ends at midnight on November 22, 2014. Good luck!

Enter my other giveaways HERE.
Follow me on Facebook HERE.

Iesodo The Joy of Christmas CD plus a Giveaway

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Iesodo The Joy of Christmas is a wonderful music CD that will help you and your children get into the Christmas mood. Filled with new songs and familiar traditional songs with a bit of a playful twist, Iesodo and his friends celebrate the season through delightful music. I enjoyed listening to it and it got me into the Christmas spirit. It includes the Iesodo Theme Song, Something From the Heart, We Three Owls, Molly's Song of Praise, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, For Unto Us, On This Day, I-E-S-O-D-O, and Iesodo Instrumental Theme Song. I visited the Iesodo website to see what they offered there and it's filled with stories, videos, activities and more. Your children will love the music in this wholesome music CD! Find out more and shop for wonderful holiday gifts at www.familychristian.com.

Win a $10 Gift Certificate to Family Christian Stores!
To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You could use the gift certificate to purchase Iesodo The Joy of Christmas! Open to US residents, ages 18 and up. Giveaway ends on 11/30/2014. Good luck!

Enter my other giveaways HERE.
Follow me on Facebook HERE.

Laundry Room Renovation DIY Home Improvement - Before and After

The Laundry Room renovation is complete! Below is the realtor pic of the laundry room. The washer and dryer in the first photo left with the sellers (no problem, we had our own anyway). What they left us was vinyl tiles stuck to a linoleum floor that had peeled up from the concrete, dirty yellow walls, and a single shelf. 

Note: Links in this post will take you to products we used.

It took us all of five minutes to remove the flooring. It was so loose that we only needed to fold it in half and drag it out. Underneath was lots of glue and paper, which my husband removed with several hours of scrubbing with stinky chemicals.

We also removed the shelf and patched a hole above the light switches. The paint was likely the original color and you can see how dirty the wall was around the switches and along the wall next to the door frame. It's a small laundry room, but I wanted it to make a real statement.

I spent five hours painting the laundry room a beautiful bright Gem Turquoise color from Behr (color 500B-4). I used the Behr Premium-Plus Ultra Stain-Blocking Paint and Primer in one and, fortunately for me, it only took one coat to cover the walls.

Once the walls were dry, my husband began the process of laying the ceramic tiles. We used the same tile that we used in our bathroom renovation, Navajo Sand 12x12. Laying ceramic tiles is not for sissies. It's a tough, multiple-day project, laying tiles out properly on the cement, letting the tiles set, grouting between the tiles, and cleaning. My husband did a beautiful job on the floor.

After installing the baseboards and sealing the edges with caulk, the cabinet-building was next. We hung the two bright white cabinets in the corners of the wall and cut a melamine board to create two shelves to hang between them. I simply adore the scroll look of the shelf brackets and the beadboard look of the cabinet fronts!

With all the renovations complete, we moved the washer and dryer back in the laundry room! I upcycled an old, large soup jar to to store my laundry soap pods. I made a "Laundry Soap" label for the jar with a chalkboard label and permanent chalk marker.

I bought a turquoise and white ribbon to string through a wire basket I had, where I will store my dryer sheets. The flower pot was one my daughter made for me in an art class some ten years ago. Some of the mosaic pieces are turquoise so it goes perfectly in my new laundry room. I bought a piece of dry foam and cut it to fit inside the flower pot, then added some faux daisies to the pot.

I am beyond delighted with my laundry room renovation! The cabinets give me more space to store extra laundry supplies and other things. It's now bright and cheerful in a room where drudgery used to be the rule. What do you think of our renovation?

See my other renovations here.

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