Embrace God's best for your finances, home, and life.
I cannot wait to try these yummy Cookie Dough Truffles for myself! Mmm, I love me some cookie dough. This is a safe, egg- free, way to indulge in yummy cookie dough with the added goodness of a chocolate coating. I really need to make these soon. Let me know what you think of the recipe. 🙂
Here are my top ten time saving tips for holiday entertaining. I hope they will help you save time and make your holidays more enjoyable!
10.) Set your table the day before your party. This is a huge time saver and you’ll now have more time to get ready and relax yourself. Remember it’s you that ultimately sets the mood for your party.
9.) Avoid making multiple last-minute grocery trips by stocking up on cooking and baking ingredients early.
8.) Make ahead meals are great for holiday parties. There is less mess involved for clean up and you won’t be stuck in the kitchen cooking during the party.
7.) Buy a pie instead of making one. I know some of you are gasping at this but Mrs. Smith’s pies are hard to beat (and a LOT quicker)!
6.) With a little creativity you can mix homemade and store-bought foods to save a ton of time.
5.) Assign a teen or tween to the door to greet and gather coats as they come. Have them take the coats to a pre-cleaned out closet or to lay gently on a bed.
4.) Let guests who want to help do so. They will feel good that they could contribute and that is one less side dish or dessert that you’ll have to fix.
3.) The night before the party lay out each serving dish with it’s appropriate utensils and label what does in it. The labels will be a great asset to your party volunteers and will allow you to focus on more important things.
2.) Clear dishes and load them in the dishwasher as you go. This will save you from an enormous pile later on.
1.) Avoid the late night gift wrapping crunch by wrapping gifts soon after you buy them. If you don’t have time to immediately decorate the packages with ribbon and bows label the gifts with sticky notes.
Do you have any time saving tips that you swear by?
My husband and I are always questioning whether something is worth our time or not. Sometimes we would rather pay a little more to avoid the hassle of wasting our time. Time has value and it’s important to figure out what it’s worth to you. Family time is more important than saving a few dollars, am I right?
Time Saving Tips for the Holidays:
– Set your table the day before your party. This is a huge time saver and you’ll now have more time to get ready and relax yourself. Remember it’s you that ultimately sets the mood for your party.
– Make ahead meals are great for holiday parties. There is less mess involved for clean up and you won’t be stuck in the kitchen cooking during the party.
– Buy a pie instead of making one. I know some of you are gasping at this but Mrs. Smith’s pies are hard to beat (and a LOT quicker)!
Check our the rest of our Time Saving Tips for Holiday Entertaining.
Time Saving Tips for Banking:
Bank on the go: It’s easy to set up mobile banking and secure access to your money wherever you are. Download the mobile banking app and you can check balances, transfer money, pay bills, and locate ATMs. Sign up for text banking and you’ll be able to send a text message to get your balance instantly in a reply.
Make quick and easy deposits: Holiday means a lot of extra work, so eliminate the labor of depositing checks. With Bank of America’s Deposit Image ATMs, you simply feed checks or cash into the ATM with no envelopes or deposit slips required. You get images of your checks and a list of cash deposited on your receipt as proof. This is one of my favorite perks from Bank of America!
Save a trip to the bank: Don’t worry about making an extra stop to the bank during all of your holiday shopping. Keep track of your spending by using Bank of America’s online banking: set up alerts, check balances, and transfer money.
We do as much banking online as we can. All our of bills are paid electronically so we only buy stamps to send birthday and Christmas cards.
Giveaway:
Win a $50 pre-loaded Bank of America gift card. This contest is hosted and fulfilled solely by Embracing Beauty.
To enter, tell me what you do to save time during the holidays. (This is a mandatory entry).
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The above entry is mandatory. If you would like additional entries, you may do any or all of the following:
Contest Details: Contest ends on 12/26/2010. United States residents only. Valid email address is required. All entries without a valid email address will be disqualified. Winning email notification must be responded to within 48 hours or that winner will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be selected. Winner will be selected with Random.org. Winner will be notified via email.
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bank of America and received a Bank of America preloaded gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. 🙂 Just try to see all the beauty in every season.”
A friend of mine just posted this status on Facebook and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. Thanks Lisa for the encouragement!
Photo credit goes to woaleslieXO.
Addicted to Homes gives a great demonstration on how to use Mod Podge and Epsom Salt to create Shimmer Candles in a few short minutes. What a fun, cheap way to spruce up some cheap candles!
Do you ever wonder how often you should clean something? I sure have! I researched the items I wondered most about and I’m here to share them with you. I hope you’ll enjoy this list. If there is anything you would like to add to just leave me a message in the comments section.
Wash bath towels twice a week.
Loofahs should be washed once a week either in 1) the washing machine, 2) the dishwasher, or 3) two parts water to one part vinegar. Once the loofah has been washed it’s important to dry it with either a hair dryer or in your clothes dryer.
Cell phones should be cleaned daily. Researchers say that there are more germs on the average cell phone than on a public toilet seat. Cell phones are close to your eyes, your mouth, and 30% of viruses can transfer in your body from your fingers. Swipe your phone daily with an antibacterial wipe.
Wash your powder make up brushes four or five times a week in hot water with a dab of baby shampoo, rinse thoroughly, and lay flat to dry. I recommend washing them AT LEAST once a week (Saturdays are my brush cleaning day of choice). If you have a brush you use for liquid foundation wash it daily after use, following the instructions above.
Drip filter coffee makers should be cleaned monthly to remove hard water deposits, leftover coffee oils, and other impurities. Follow these steps for a clean coffee maker:
Clean your humidifier every week to prevent mold and bacteria growth. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to clean your specific brand and model.
You should vacuum once or twice a week. For best results, slowly move the vacuum over the carpet several times.
Now is the time of year that many people are thinking about weight loss (or at least trying not to gain a few more pounds!). I think it’s true that everyone wants to look good and more importantly feel good. While I’m not a fan of fad diet after fad diet there is this new procedure that intrigues me. Have you ever heard of CoolSculpting? Me neither, not until I heard about this giveaway they are running.
CoolSculpting is a patented, non-invasive, clinically proven procedure to selectivelyreduce fat layers in problem areas using a patented cooling technology. It is a safeprocedure cleared by the FDA that gently cools unwanted fat cells in the body toinduce a natural, controlled elimination of fat cells. This reduces bulges in treatedareas of the body without harming surrounding tissue.
CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ is offering to everyone the opportunity to win a FREE CoolSculpting procedure for yourself and a friend valued at $3,000! Want to know how to enter? It’s an easy giveaway to enter, just visit CoolSculpting to learn more about CoolSculpting and decide if it is right for you, then visit and “LIKE” CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ on their Facebook page and tell them in 100 words or less your health or fitness resolution for the New Year and how CoolSculpting can help you finally reach those goals! A weekly winner will be selected at the close of each week to receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Pretty nice, huh? When the contest ends on January 31, 2011, a grand prize winner will be chosen from the top 10 entrants based on number and quality of votes/comments quality of their essay to receive a free CoolSculpting procedure with a friend. A runner-up will receive an Apple iPad and a $200 iTunes gift card for healthy living apps to help keep those health and fitness resolutions in the New Year. By the way, if any of my readers are interested in this let me know and I’ll be sure to vote or leave a comment for each of you!
This contest started on November 15th and will end on January 31, 2011 at 11:59 pm (PST).
This is a Sponsored Post written by yours truly on behalf of MomBloggersClub.com and CoolSculpting. All opinions are 100% mine. Official rules can be found here. Contest is open to US Residents Only ages 18+.
I just read a heart warming story that came with a yummy recipe to go along with it and I want to share it with you! Visit my friend Courtney’s site, Women Living Well, to find this sweet guest post written by Janelle from Comfy in the Kitchen. You’ll be glad you did!
Right now Walmart is offering a free sample of Seattle’s Best Coffee. There are five different coffees to choose from. 🙂 Enjoy!
Sign up to receive a free sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo. Your sample should arrive within 4-6 weeks. You can also print off a coupon to save $1 on Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff shampoo.
I'm a stay at home mom to one adorable little girl and I have the most amazing husband! We're a typical family that struggles with finances, priorities, and all the other challenges that life throws our way. I’m passionate about glorifying God and making the most of each and every day here on earth. Read more
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