Jolly Mom: Recipes | Crafts | Atlanta Mom Blogger | Brand Ambassador | Product Reviews

Link up your giveaways!

Please make sure to link directly to the giveaway and list the name of the giveaway along with the expiration date. Don't forget to stop by Go Graham Go to link up over there as well!

You guys know that I love to cook and bake and that for the most part--I am not a huge fan of prepackaged foods, but seriously...Little Debbie snack cakes are like a little slice of heaven, aren't they?! Especially now that they've introduced their new Chocolate Cupcakes with creme in the center! I got the very welcome opportunity to try them out and oh man. Delicious. Seriously.

Little Debbie has been working on these cupcakes for THREE YEARS. There were 119 variations of the cupcake during the development process. Plus, they tested each component--the cake part, frosting, creme, and even the squiggle on top--over and over in test kitchens. Even hundreds of consumers were asked to test them out. Whatever they did. Little Debbie got it right. After all the holiday baking, I am kind of done with being in the kitchen for a little while. These sweet little cupcakes are just the thing to have laying around to enjoy with a cup of coffee, as a quick treat for unexpected guests, or just...because.

Want It: Little Debbie Chocolate Cupcakes come in a package of eight cupcakes and retail for $3.09. For a coupon, click HERE.



The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

A couple of months ago I reviewed and raved about The Cake Bakery by JAKKS Pacific. If you've never heard of the Cake Bakery it is like the ultimate baking toy for kids! It allows kids to bake and decorate their own mini tiered fondant cakes--just like in a real bakery {well...almost LOL}! The best part is that the entire process can be done by kids--from baking the cakes in the microwave to the decorating.


The Cake Bakery literally comes with everything that you and your kids will need to bake up some beautiful cakes. The set includes the following:

• Cake bakery unit and Cake mixes
• 4 color fondant mixes and 1 bag of rainbow sprinkles
• 1 tube of white icing plus Icing decorator
• Decorating wheel & Microwave baker
• Mixing bowl & Cake mold
• Measuring spoon plus Tray
• Spatula & Fondant cutters
• Utensil holder & Working mat
• Rolling pin & Icing cartridges
• Cartridge cleaning brush
• Recipe cards and instructions
  

The Cake Bakery is a collaboration between Jakks Pacific and one of my favorite chefs--Duff Goldman, of Charm City Cakes and one of my favorite shows--Ace of Cakes.


Thanks to Jakks Pacific I have a very cool giveaway for you guys!





I was not compensated in any way for this post. It is just a COOL giveaway for my readers! All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday weekend! I have to say that this has to be my favorite Christmas of all and that's saying a lot since I am a total kid at heart when it comes to the holidays LOL. Seeing Lucas really understand what was going on was priceless. Mike and I wanted to make sure that we really did a lot of fun Christmas events this year and we definitely did that!

The fun began the weekend before Christmas. On Sunday, we hosted a holiday brunch. The whole family--both sides came over--including my younger brother who has been away at boot camp for the Army. We hadn't seen him in 4 weeks so it was great to have him home!

On Monday, we went to a Stone Mountain Christmas where Lucas had a lot of firsts. He met Santa Claus for the first time. Wrote Santa a letter. Rode a train for the first time. Met a Snow Angel. Saw a fireworks display. And so much more! If you are ever in Georgia for the holidays you should definitely check Stone Mountain Christmas out. It is a truly magical event!

On Wednesday I cooked and baked for my parents Christmas Eve party. On the menu--spanikopita, zuccotta, French apple tart, caulifower gratin, and homemade creamed corn {recipes on all coming very soon!}. I even managed to bake the neighbors some pumpkin bread. By the end of the day, I was totally wiped, but then we packed some snacks and coffee and the three of us hopped in the car to check out the Christmas lights around town. I couldn't believe how into it Lucas was. Every time he saw lights, he would say, "Mama look! Wiiiites {aka lights}!"

On Thursday the three of us went to breakfast and when we came back home--we decorated Christmas cookies for Santa Claus.

That night, Mike's parents came over to give Lucas their special Christmas present. A train table. I can't tell you guys how much Lucas loves this thing!

Afterwords, we all headed to my parents annual Christmas Eve party. As always, it was awesome. Good food. Good company. Good times. We didn't get home until 1 am!

When we got home, Lucas put out the cookies we baked for Santa and of course--we also left Santa some milk and even put out carrots for the reindeer! Mike and I--of course--still has a lot to do after Lucas finally went to bed. We had to get all of the presents from the basement and put them under the tree.

Friday--Christmas morning was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. We actually ALL woke up pretty late--almost 10 am! The first thing Lucas remembered when he woke up was Santa's cookies. He wanted to check if "Santa Craws eat coooeeeeesss n milll" yet. We went downstairs to check and he forgot all about the cookies and milk when he saw all the presents under the tree! He literally squealed with delight LOL. After building a fire and baking some biscuits, we took our time opening presents. Lucas was really good--he opened a couple and then played with his new toys while Mommy and Daddy opened their presents.We went back and forth like that for hours--it literally took hours to open all the presents LOL.

Mike was very happy because Mrs. Claus {aka ME--his lovely wife} got him a blu-ray dvd player and a bunch of blu-ray dvds! I didn't put the box under the tree. I hid it. In a little gift bag, I placed a teeny note that said, "If you want this gift, you will have to find it." No clue or anything. He just had to search LOL. It was hidden under a couch in the living room. I also used some of Lucas' artwork as a gift tag.

And, I got some awesome gifts too! A canning set, a bunch of specialty baking supplies, enameled cast iron cookware set {SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!}, a bunch of new cooking and craft books, a cozy chenille wrap, and more. One of my favorite gifts are these awesome embroidery kits by Sublime Stitching. I have always wanted to learn to embroider and these are just the thing to get me started! Honestly, I have been embroidering all weekend LOL. It is so much fun!

I can't believe this Christmas has come and gone. Time passes so quickly. Too quickly. By next week it will be 2010. Amazing.

This week we will be spending it trying to get ready for the new year. We will be cleaning and organizing. Out with the old to make room for the new so to speak. I will be blogging for the most part--limited at times since there is so much to do and I want--as much as possible--to enjoy these last few days of 2009 with Lucas and Mike and maybe even a little bit of embroidery LOL.

Thank you to Lori from Moms by Heart for compiling the best deals at CVS this week! For the full list, please make sure you stop by Moms By Heart!

Dawn Dish Soap $.99
-$.25 from 12/27 PG
Final Price: $.74

Revlon Cosmetics B1G1 free
-$2 from 12/13 SS, use two
Final price: as low as FREE wyb two items for $4 each

Natures Bounty or Flex-A-Min B1G1 FREE
-$3 ECB wyb two
-$2 from 11/15 RP (valid thru 12/31) - Natures Bounty
-$6 from 11/15 RP (valid thru 12/29) - Flex-A-Min Joint

Colgate Total Toothpaste $2.99
-$2 ECB
-$1 printable HERE
Final Price: FREE

Coke 2L Soda 3/$3
-$1 ECB on three
Final Price: $.66 each

Corn Flakes $2.50
- $1.50/2 printable HERE
Final Price: $1.75

South Beach Living Bars 3/$10
-$5 ECB on three
- $1 printable HERE
Final Price: 3/$2

Betty Crocker Warm Delights, $1.50
-$.50 printable HERE
Final Price: $1

Olay Pro X Get $5 ECB w/purchase
-$5 from 12/27 PG
*Submit for rebate HERE. $20 back when you spend $50 (valid thru 12/31)

Olay Regenerist Scrub 6.5 oz $8.49 - buy two
-$3 from 11/29 PG, use two (valid thru 12/31)
-submit for $15 rebate on two Regenerist products HERE
Final Price: $4.02 overage!

Gillette Fusion Razor $8.99
-$4 ECB
-$4 from 11/29 PG (valid thru 12/31)
Final Price:$.99

Pampers Cruisers $21.99
-FREE Venus razor with purchase (in-store promotion)
-$2 from 12/27 PG
Final Price: both for $19.99

Old Spice or Secret Deodorant 2/$5 or $2.50 each
-$1 ECB on two
-$1 from 11/29 PG – Old Spice (valid thru 12/31)
-B2G1 free from 11/1 PG – for Secret (valid thru 12/31)
Final Price: as low as $1

Scope Outlast mouth rinse or toothpaste $3.49
-$1 ECB
-$1 from 11/29 PG or $.75 from 12/27 PG
Final Price: As low as $1.49

Just for Men Hair Color $6.99
-$2 printable HERE
-full mail-in rebate HERE
Final Price: FREE

Aussie Hair Stylers $2.88
-$1 from 12/27 PG
Final Price: $1.88

Efferdent Denture Cleanser $4.99
-$3 ECB
-$1 from 6/14 SS
Final Price: $.99

Thermacare Heat Wraps 2/$13.98
- $3 printable HERE
-$3 ECB on two
Final Price: two for $3.98

Abreva Cold Sore Treatment cream, pump, or On-The-Go tube
-$5 ECB
-$3 from 12/13 RP

Pantene 2/$7
-$2 RR on two
-$3/2 from 12/27 PG
Final Price: $1 each!



The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

"T'was the night before Christmas when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads..."

I remember being a kid on Christmas Eve. The excitement. Anticipation. Sleeping was the last thing on my mind. However, we all know how important it is for kids to get their rest--if they don't what you usually get are cranky, sleepy kids. And nobody wants that on Christmas! Plus, Santa can't make his appearance until the kids are sleeping in bed! The Sprout Channel has parents covered though.

The third annual Snooze-a-Thon, featuring 12 uninterrupted hours of “keep ‘em asleep” programming starts at 6:00 pm ET on Christmas Eve straight through to 6:00 am ET Christmas morning.

Link up your giveaways!

Please make sure to link directly to the giveaway and list the name of the giveaway along with the expiration date. Don't forget to stop by Go Graham Go to link up over there as well!

First time meeting Santa Claus. Or...as Lucas would say...Santa Craws. I really thought he would cry, but he didn't shed one tear. He hugged Santa and said, "Santa Craws...Luuueee...red bike." This is code for Santa Claus, please bring Lucas a red bike. LOL

If you've been looking for a green way to get your house clean and don't want to spend the money on expensive eco-friendly cleaners then you should check out the Shark Portable Steam Pocket. Euro-Pro sent me one to try out and review and we've been using it for a little over a month now. We love it. Not only will it save you money on cleaners, but steam is truly one of the best ways of cleaning and disinfecting.

The Shark Portable Steam Pocket is designed to clean pretty much every area of the home--kitchen, bathrooms, furniture, and so on. Weighing in at only three pounds makes it easy to carry around the house. What I love about it is that it heats up really fast and gets really hot. Meaning I don't have to wait and it gets the job done. It also comes loaded with attachments. It comes with two cylinder shaped pads {one for dusting and another for cleaning} and a large wedge shaped cleaning pad. Between both pads, you can clean and/or reach most areas--even tight spaces. You also get a 30" extension hose, a crevice tool, a scrub tip, a small pad, and a squeegee. As if that wasn't enough, there is even a garment attachment, which allows you to steam clothing or curtains, linens, and more! I have only used the garment attachment once on a tablecloth {that was already on the table} and it worked really well--much easier than ironing! The only thing that I do wish is that it came with some sort of carrier or holder for all the attachments, but that is easily remedied. We put all of our attachments in a small bag that we keep right next to the steamer.

Now, I will say that even though I love this steamer, it is not a miracle cleaning product. I mean--steam will clean really tough areas--the grime in between bathroom tiles, kitchen spills, and other tough jobs, but it still takes some elbow grease and some jobs are still too tough for this machine and others like it {i.e. years old dirty grout, mold, etc}. However, it does get the regular jobs done quickly and effectively--much better, safer, and greener than chemicals and cleaning products. Not to mention that it makes those jobs flat out easier and more manageable. For instance, my favorite attachment is the wedge--I use it to quickly deep clean my kitchen cabinets, furniture, bathtubs, showers, refrigerator, and more.

Features:
* Item Style: Hand Held
* Features: Quick Release Hand Tools
* Includes: Mop Pad - Cylinder Shape, Steam Dusting Pad - Cylinder Shape, Mop Pad - Wedge Shape, Mop Head - Wedge Shape, Mop Head - Cylinder Shape, 30" Extension Hose, Scrubbing Brushes, Owner's Manual
* Cleaning Surface Type: Multi-Purpose
* Water Tank Capacity: 1.5 Cup
* Cord Length: 20.0 '
* Power Source: Electric
* Power Amp/V/HP Required: 120.0 V
* Power Wattage Required: 1500 Watts
* Warranty Description: 1 Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty
* Cleaning Path Width: 8.0 "
* Dimensions: Height: 10.0 "; Width: 10.75 "; Depth: 4.75 "
* Product Weight: 3.0 Lb.


Want It: Buy it at Target for $79.99.



The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.