Finally Home and Recovering

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to write a short note explaining my absence. I was unexpectedly hospitalized a little less than two weeks ago and now am home. I do want to reach out and thank each of you that sent an email of concern with the lack of posting-it really does make me feel like we are a "family". I will return to normal posting later this week after I have a few days to readjust. Once again you guys are great-I couldn't and wouldn't do this without all of your support!

One Stop Christmas Hop

Enter using rafflecopter below to win a Ceiling Fan 

Deck The Halls Hop

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Use the rafflecopter form below to win a Hot Slings! 

Winner Wonderland Giveaway Event

Put A Little Umbrella In Your  Drink, Seeds of Life, And The Little Ones Too and 

Taking Time For Mommy. This event features giveaways with a value of $25 or more at each of the participating blogs! Check out all of the great Winner Wonderland Sponsors being featured in this event! Be sure to visit each blog from the linky below and enter for your chance to win! This event will 

close on December 4th at 11:59 pm EST.

Use Rafflecopter below to win the following prizes:
Prize pack #1: Nap BagPrize pack #2: Groovy Girl Doll, Make your own candy kit, spa making kit 

Welcome to 12 Days of Gifts Galore Giveaway Hop hosted by Tales From the Nursery, Formula Mom, and Mama on a Green Misson. There's over $5,000 in prizes offered to help you get the gifts you need this holiday season. After you are done entering our giveaway you'll want to check out everyone else's and enter here for a chance to win one of three grand prizes sponsored by Kudzoom! Each blog you stop and enter at will be another entry!

Enter using the rafflecopter form below to win the following prize pack:
Em's Kids Headphones
Little Toader's PJ's & book
True Nature gift back

Holiday Turkey Hunt

SaveAndMakeMoola.com (SAMM) is your online resource for finding the best savings to your favorite online stores. Choose from over 30,000 coupon codes and deals from our 3,000+ retail partners. Save on everything from clothing and accessories to gifts and office supplies. Don't forget to visit the Make Moola page for some great ways to earn a little extra cash.

Make sure you visit each of the participating blogs to get the secret clue. Combine all 30 clues to discover the secret pass phrase that is the required entry for the grand prize giveaway! The letters are assigned in order of bloggers, for example, the 15th letter  can be found on the 15th blog in the list.

To enter to win the Holiday Turkey Hunt Grand Prize - an XBox 360/Kinect Bundle - please visit The WiC Project and Mommy PR. Enter on both sites to double your chances of winning!

The Holiday Turky has

left a clue. The letter...M (the 29th letter)

Use rafflecopter below to win the following prize pack:

1. Sure Flap Cat Door
2. Project Iris t-shirt 

Great Holiday Gift for any fashionista!

I would like to highlight another one of our Winner Wonderland Sponsors- SmartLab Toys! The company is definitly a unique one stop shop for all the scientists and book lovers on your list. We had a chance to experience the All Natural Day Spa.

Not only does this kit encourage girls to embrace science but it also makes a great Christmas break activity for all of their friends! The kit contains chemical-free products and a party-planning guide for a perfect spa day. My daughter loved creating delicious smelling spa products with her friends and decided to use a few as holiday presents for her aunts. The kit is available on SmartLab Toys, Amazon, and other select retailers. SmartLab Toys has so many great gifts to offer including puzzles and many great science kits! Be sure to enter here to win your very own Spa kit!

Sponsor Highlight-Manhattan Toys!

Manhattan Toys comes through once again just in time for the holidays! My daughter is in major doll mode and insists on sleeping with each and every one which makes for a crowded bed and not the softest dolls! Then I found Groovy Girls-not sure how I missed these amazing dolls-both soft and very trendy. Apparently I am behind on what is "in" because my daughter and all of her friends love Groovy Girls. Here is the holiday doll Cali Candy Cane:

You have a chance to win your very own in the Winner Wonderland Prize Pack! Imagine how excited your little one will be to wake up to Cali in their stocking! My daughter loves her doll and it has been a big hit with all the kids-soft enough to fit in the barbie cars but big enough to play in the high chair and pack & play. My daughter has officially fallen in love with Cali and she takes her to bed each night which is great because I don't have to worry about her rolling over on a hard doll. We have also spot cleaned our Cali doll many times and her clothes are made to last! Don't forget to register to win your very own and order your doll just in time for the holiday season!

p.s Manhattan Toys has so many great options for kids of all ages-save yourself some time and have all your holiday toys shipped at once from a company you can trust!

Sponsor Highlight-Sureflap Cat Door

As a owner of 3 furry little kitties I cannot begin to tell you my delight in finding the SureFlap microchip cat door. The cat door is perfect for anyone who wants to allow their furbabies to come and go but keep all the other neighborhood animals out....remember the story of the women who had a raccoon come in through the cat door? Well that was my biggest fear and because I was so paranoid my cat door served basically no purpose because I would latch it closed. Thanks to the battery powered SureFlap I don't have to worry about waking up to a forest of animals in my kitchen. The door is very elegant and allows your cat to enter and exit using their current microchip. It is such a great concept and perfect for any pet owner for the holiday...don't forget to enter to win your very own during the Turkey Hop!

Home for the Holidays Event

Love the Holidays? Love home decor? Love to give gifts you have put together yourself? Love Giveaways too!? Well then YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE!! Welcome to the Home for the Holidays Event where you can enter to win some great prizes for your home and the Holidays! Hosted by Artsy Chaos , Kelly's Lucky You,  My Chaotic Ramblings, and Shopping for Savings. This event will have you visiting each blog for prizes from some amazing sponsors each valued of at least $25. Use the linky at the end of this post to hop to the next blog.

Enter using the rafflecopter form below to win the following prize pack:

I Love Grandma Because photo board book

Playhouse

Vizardz Personalized Night Light

Holiday Season is Right Around the Corner!

It is official we are in full holiday swing...I personally do not get excited until after Halloween-after all that is my favorite holiday! This year we are doing a little something different with our holiday cards-making them from home! For the last few years we have spent tons getting them done and then having to pay a fortune for either the photo release or for the picture place to print our cards. This past weekend I took a bunch of fall photos of my daughter and pups playing in the leaves and we will be using that as the main photo. We have also decided to hang up a "card tree" this year. We made a big paper tree and are going to hang it on the door, then as the cards arrive our daughter can use the paper clips to decorate her tree. I figure it is a nice way to keep the cards on display without lining the doorway or having a pile on the mantel. Receiving Christmas cards has to be one of my favorite parts of the holiday-no pretending to like a crazy gift you did not want or need and they often include photos to see how everyone has changed. As more people in out family extend their family I will be excited to see how the babies grow from holiday to holiday! Anyway we have decide to use Tiny Prints this year-it really will be nice to have everything delivered to my door! Last year the photo place took forever to get the prints done and half looked smeared so I am more than excited to simply select a card, add the photo, and done-the prints will arrive looking fabulous at my door! Here is the card we are most certainly going to use-there is such a large selection of cards for every season and personality type-I would love to hear the card you have selected for your family!

Let's Not forget Thanksgiving-super cute dress for little miss!

Now Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I realized that little miss has no themed Thanksgiving clothes. This year her school will be having a "finger food Thanksgiving feast" and I really wanted her to be in the holiday spirit. It is so easy to find Christmas, snowman themed, red/green clothes, but Thanksgiving was a bit of a chore. I also really love pillowcase dresses because my daughter can wear them as a dress and a shirt as she grows so I began to hunt and found- KootieZ. She has some of the most amazing and creative pillow case dresses I have seen in a long time...not to mention the adorable ruffle pants that are beyond adorable! Here is the Thanksgiving dress we have for little miss:

The dress is very true to size and I know that she will be able to match it with leggings and a turtle neck next fall and maybe even have a turkey shirt the year after. The dress arrived very fast so you have time to get your perfect Thanksgiving dress...as a bonus anyone who says they were referred by free & frugal mommy of one will receive 10% off at the etsy store or at the website. Not a big Thanksgiving fan? Well then there are a ton of holiday outfits available and you won't have to worry about buying something that your little special person already owns! I love getting something from small shops for my daughter for the holidays-it really makes me feel like the person goes the extra mile and put some thought into what they were going to purchase. Here is one of the holiday dresses-happy shopping!

Sponsor Highlight: Vizardz Personalized Nightlight

Here is one of my favorite ideas on the gift guide-Vizardz Personalized Nightlights! The completed product is beyond breathtaking....we had my daughter's first day of school with her kitty turned into a night light and I was amazingly impressed. The picture is in color and just lights up the bathroom with the right amount of light. As little miss continues to get up in the night to go potty we find the nightlight to be the perfect amount of light without waking her up and she finds the personal picture very comforting. She loves her Cooper (our cat) and doesn't feel alone in the dark...we went through a very bad afraid of the dark phase not very long ago so this is a huge plus. Not sure a nightlight is a must for the holidays? Consider a personalized light box or ornament. I know that the distance between our families makes holiday time a little stressful so I love to give the grandparents something personal....just think every time they walk into their bathroom they can see their grandchild's smiling face. I cannot stress enough what a great gift idea the nightlight would make (and it is so unique!) plus turn around time is amazing with stellar customer service. Here is an example of the night light:

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Here are a few of my favorite things-great companies & great gift ideas! 

Trendy Children Clothes & Accessories: Cuddle A Children's Boutique

Great Stocking Stuffer-My True Nature

For those hard to buy for: Snorg Tees

For hours of fun & creativity-Easy Playhouse

Another great stocking stuffer-Real Kids Shades

      

Something Unique-"cupcake" onsies & shirts by Davey Cakes  

Custom Jewelry from The Pretty Peacock 

Rain boots, coats, umbrella's-Kidorable

Custom Night Light & Shadow Boxes-Vizardz

Yule Trees Pillowcase Dress & ruffle pants-KootieZ

Spread the Warmth Charity Event

Spread the Warmth Charity Event-check out this great event here. Register to win one of 90 prizes and help out a great cause! 

 

 

More from the website:

We have well $3500 in prizes lined up for you to win! There will be 90 WINNERS! 

Minimum prize value is $10 but some are worth over $100.

All you have to is make a donation to Embrace Infant Warmers and you are entered to win!

(Donation minimum is $10 - see details below)

About Embrace Infant Warmers:

Embrace is a social enterprise that aims to help millions of vulnerable babies through a low cost infant warmer. Unlike traditional incubators that cost up to $20,000, the Embrace Infant Warmer costs 1% of this price. The device can work with or without electricity, is portable, safe and intuitive to use.

Who Embrace Helps:

Story of Ayesha: Ayesha is a beautiful baby girl who weighed only 1100 grams at birth. Her mother and father had already lost two previous children after birth due to lack of proper medical care. They saved every penny so that Ayesha could be born in a city hospital, a four-hour walk from their village. Ayesha had a very low chance of survival and was kept in an incubator under constant observation for 10 days. However, as her parent’s savings ran out it was not possible to keep her in the NICU any longer. It was at this point that Ayesha was placed in an Embrace Infant Warmer for thermal support.

Ayesha went home with her mom and dad after about a month, and has been putting on weight and doing well. Without the thermal support of the Embrace Infant Warmer, it is unlikely that Ayesha would have survived.

Empowering Doctors to Save Babies: Embrace is impowering doctors in resource-poor settings to provide better care for babies. Recently one doctor, who runs a birthing center in a small town, was given and Embrace warmer. The entire town only has two NICU centers that receive babies from a 50-100 mile radius. During our visit, we were shocked to see that the clinics two radiant warmers had NO temperature control and could get hot enough to cause severe burns. The doctor told us about a baby who had almost gotten burnt when a nurse accidentally turned on the unit. It is in innumerable places like these where Embrace can and will really make an impact.

How Can You Help?

By making a donation into the charity raffle giveaway event today, your money will go directly to support Embrace's Programs in India and soon across the world.

Sponsor Highlight-Barbamel Books

Looking for a unique gift idea for the holidays? Check out these "I love daddy because" books! Now the books are not limited to daddy-there is a mommy edition, and a grandma and grandpa edition (coming soon a brother & sister edition). The books are perfect for any little one especially those that are far from the ones they love. The book has photo spots for your own 4x6 pictures so it is easy to personalize and become a one of a kind adventure. The board books are very sturdy and have withstood my daughter spilling her cereal and using it as a surf board-of course not recommend but she loves to make her books multi purpose :)  In our case my husband works long hours and travels a ton and we are far from family. It is nice for my daughter to have a book that has pictures of her and her family so she can remember everyone and be with them while they are far away. The pages and ideas of the book are simplistic and classic so it is easy to fit your photo into the story and bring the book to life. My daughter likes to "read" her book to her bear and tell him about daddy's book. Not only are the books fantastic but I have had a chance to meet the author and she is amazing-one of the sweetest business owner's I have met in a long time! She really does care about the success of her company and adds a personal touch to the overwhelming book market. While Barbamel Books are just beginning their US journey the books are sold in a wide variety of stores-find books near you here or you can order online. These books are sure to be a great success-especially around the holidays! Order now for your special little one and watch their delight when they open a book all about them!

Nutrisystem Week #7

So this week was a little different than the rest of my weeks on Nutrisystem because I actually stuck to the plan! As you have read we are in the final stages of the adoption procedure and I was so nervous and stressed I just wanted to eat everything in sight but I resisted. Instead I went for a walk, took a nice hot bath, played a game with my daughter. I know that you gain weight pound and by pound and if I am not careful the weight will sneak up on me again. The life savor this week has been the meal plan book and the online forum. My fellow Nutrisystem friends put up great recipes-for example I really wanted ice cream and one of the ladies posted a great way to make a banana into this light fluffy ice cream...it was delicious! The book also has a great guide on how to eat out without undoing all of your hard work. Next week I have Lasiks so I know that I will not be able to sweat for a week so it will be a new adventure. Just remember everything you put in your mouth effects your body and your mood. Sure you won't see the effects right away but it will show up in family photos and the mirror eventually. We also have our holiday card photo planned for two weeks from now-I cannot wait to see how far I will come in two more weeks!
A big thank you to Nutrisystem for providing me with my food in exchange for my honest opinion of the program.

Join the Mother's Day Gift Ideas Carnival Event-Sign Ups Now Open!

It is a perfect time to find what gifts you would like to give to your mother. Makobi Scribe is proud to present Mother’s Day Gift Ideas Carnival Event from May 10 12:01 PM EST to May 18  at 12:01 PM EST and is accepting signups now.

Under the Tree Giveaway Event

Welcome to the Under the Tree Giveaway Event hosted by Life With Two Boys and Mommy's Reviews and Giveaways. This is a child-themed event and the perfect opportunity for you to enter to win some gifts to put under your tree this Christmas. Be sure to hop around to all of the participating blogs before 11:59 pm on November 14th to see the awesome prizes they have to offer.

Prize Pack:

Handstand Kids Cookbook Chinese Set
SolPals

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Sharing for Christmas Charity Giveaway Event

Hauling and Trucking & Makobi Scribe present Sharing For Christmas where we gathered together to donate to Parker’s Pals, which is an organization that helps children who are diagnosed with cancer under the age of three. The bloggers hosting the event donated just under $200 to go towards a Parker's Pail. The cost of a pail is $240 so we came really close! Please check out this worthwhile organization!

Prize Pack:

1 Karina Dress

Real Kids Shades Sun Glasses

Sponsor Highlight-Handstand Kids Cookbook

Looking for something for the kid that has everything-look no further than Hanstand Kids! This holiday season we are determined for our family to give our daughter memories or something we can do as a family instead of a ton of toys that she will forget about in a week. While at an expo last month I found the company Handstand Kids and knew it was a must have for our family. The company offers themed cookbook kits, aprons/hats, and all purpose mats. My favorite is the Chinese cookbook kit-which arrives in a take out box and includes chopsticks! The book is full of recipes and rated for different ages of children and easy to use-trust me.... take this from someone who cannot cook! I cannot wait to get my daughter the Italian set-it comes in a pizza box...how adorable! This is truly a gift that you can share with your special little someone-I cannot wait to watch little miss cook in a chef hat and apron. Not only is the cook book set something a little different for the person who has everything but it helps build little memories. I can just imagine when little miss is older remembering how we used to cook in the kitchen and make dinner for daddy-sure we may make a mess but my baby will be full grown in a blink of an eye. Handstand Kids has received many awards and has been featured in parent's magazine, people, and countless others. You can order your cookbook set online here or find them at your local Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I look forward to hearing all of your cooking adventures with your own little special someone :)

Featured Sponsor-SolPals

SolPals are the greatest invention of all time (of course completely my opinion!). Do you have children that are afraid of the dark? For my family it is not that my daughter is afraid of the dark but she is nighttime training and turning the light on in her bathroom wakes her up completely and then I am up in the middle of the night with a wide awake toddler. The SolPal is the world's first solar-powered hybrid nightlight and comes in two great designs. My daughter has the MoonBeams design which she calls her "magic sunflower". The light can be easily suctioned to any window and then easily bends through the blinds-don't worry the packaging comes with clear instructions and it is super simple to install. We live in a state that is not always "sunny" so having the option for the unit to run off of batteries is a life savor-I never have to worry about the light turning off in the middle of the night! Now why do you need a solar power night light you may ask? Think of this horrifying event-your little one is sleeping soundly when their night light sparks a fire. Chances are your night light is near your child's bed and fire moves so quickly it is incredible. I personally have a huge fear of exposed outlets. My daughter is one curious cat and so smart-I have no doubt she can easily pull out a traditional night light and stick who knows what into the socket. I am so glad I have found SolPals-what a great gift idea for anyone on your list!

Sponsor Highlight Karina Dresses

As I continue my weight loss adventure I have begun to look for clothes that really make me feel good about you I am....goodbye sweats and hoodies-hello dresses! Now I have a weird body shape so it is hard for me to find clothes that fit my large legs and smaller waist. With dresses I have a horrible time finding something for my wide shoulders and not either looking like a hanging garbage bag or being so snug all over that I can barely walk. All of the stress over finding a perfect dress ended when I discovered Karina dresses. What sold me on the dress was that it will grow with you five pounds in either direction and that there is a type for every body. I personally have the Daisy style and am amazed at how well it shows off my body while not being snug on my legs. Here is the Daisy:

Now as a mom of a toddler I do not have time to drop off dresses at the dry cleaner so when I found out that Karina dresses are made for busy moms I was thrilled. Just throw your dress in the wash, drip dry and go- the dresses never need ironing! All Karina dresses are made in the USA and have impeccable quality. Each dress truly feels like it was made special just for you-I cannot wait to grow my Karina collection!

Buckle Guard PRO-great piece of mind!

Here is my horrifying experience from a week ago-my daughter yells “look at me-I did it!” and my response (because I am driving) is “great good job”. Then she replies “I get out now” and I look in the mirror to find her messing with the seat belt. I think nothing of it and keep driving until I turned at the next major intersection and her seat tips over with her in it -I mean tips on the side and there is nothing I can do but watch horrified. Now what if I would of been in a car accident-her seat would of flown out of the car or something else terrible could of happened. Now I have seen a ton of “child proof” things for the car but my daughter can do it all-open the childproof locks, window latches, and even baby gates. So I started to hunt and find something that would outsmart my little smarty pants and prevent her from being able to “push the button”. Why on Earth would they make the release button red in the first place-they are just asking for little hands to experiment! So after searching I found something that my daughter has not mastered and it is called the Buckle Guard PRO. If your child cannot open pill bottles this is the best thing for your car. The Buckle Guard PRO is plastic unit that slips over the seat belt  to cover the release. You then put the cap on so the child cannot push the big red button to release their seat belt. The Buckle Guard PRO has received the 2011 Seal and Excellence Award from Creative Child Magazine and is under $10 dollars (available here at Amazon) . In my opinion it is worth every penny for the piece of mind it brings. Here is the Buckle Guard PRO:

Hold on Handles-great for kids who love to "walk it!"

My daughter's new favorite thing is to "walk it". At first I thought this is wonderful-no more back ache from carrying little miss everywhere but she had different plans. Apparently when we are "walking it" there is to be no hand holding which means complete chaos. Since it is not safe in parking lots or many places for that matter I had such anxiety over what to do-then I met Greater Than One Kids at media expo. The company is the greater of the product Hold on Handles which are perfect for strollers and walking. We have the dolphin set and my daughter is very happy to be "free" yet close to me without any danger. Here is a great shot of how the Hold on Handles work:

Unlike the other "child on a leash" inventions this product is just like your child holding your hand and staying close-my husband personally loves our Hold on Handles because he does not have to bend over slightly to reach her little hand anymore.  Now as I have stated we are in the process of adopting so the Hold on Handle is going to be great to attach to the stoller and still keep little miss close and safe plus when our new little gets old enough we can add another Hold on Handle to keep them both safe! The handles are availble is a hard design and a new soft ring which is perfect for the younger "explorer's". My daughter took to her Hold on Handles very quickly-I think because she uses a walking rope at school and I was not "restraining" her like some of the other leash type products. If you have a parent on your holiday list that has everything this is a great buy for thier independant little explorer.

Win a gorgeous necklace from The Pretty Peacock

Here is one of my favorite jewelry shops and a perfect addition to the holiday gift guide! The Pretty Peacock not only offers high quality pieces but they are so unique and elegant. I have one of the Longitude Latitude pieces and I have received many compliments and questions. The piece has the directions to the church that my husband & I were married and when someone notices the necklace it leads to how clever the whole idea is behind the necklace. I love the heart shaped clasp and it is very easy to dress up or dress down on a day to day basis.

The company has been featured in Pregnancy & Newborn, InStyle, Kanchi Magazine, and good Karma. If you are looking for something a little different be sure to check out the Sanskirt Wrap Bracelets. The bracelet is a multi wrapped leather bracelet with a presentation card outlining the text of the bracelet. Below is the photo of the must have Sanskirt bracelet for the holiday season:

There are so many options for the holiday season-everything from personalized cuff links to great personalized mom gifts. I am sure you will find something whether it be the charming yet simple longitude/latitude collection or the tiny touch collection perfect for any mom. Want your order by the holidays? Last day for US orders is December 4th and from now until the end of November my readers receive an extra 10% off and FREE shipping!  The discount code is FRUGAL2011. Enter below using the rafflecopter form to win a FlyLeaf Birthstone Pendant:

Win a Britax Baby Carrier! 1st gift guide feature!

I thought I would share the news-we are going to be expecting a new little in our life! My daughter is an absolute diva so we have a few months to prepare her for all of the new experiences since she has always been the baby. Now even though she is just a toddler I cannot believe how much baby gear has changed in a few short years. I knew there was one thing that I must have-a Britax baby carrier! It was a life savor with my daughter...I may have had a horrible habit of carrying her everywhere so the carrier allowed me to work while keeping her close. Now I have the privilege of owning a Britax baby carrier in tan organic and it is gorgeous! The carrier holds babies 8-32 pounds and although suggested for infants my daughter is so petite we can still use the carrier when we go for a walk. The carrier can be either inward or outward facing and is completely machine washable. That is my favorite feature-I can throw the cotton bib (included) and carrier in the wash when life happens. With my daughter I tried every sling and carrier possible before trying a Britax and it really is a life changer. The weight is distributed so nicely across the shoulders, back, and hips which means you can wear the carrier for a long time and still be comfortable. Here is a great video on the CarryLong system and the overall comfort of the product. If you know anyone expecting or a new mom I think this is a must and would make a great holiday gift!

Nutrisystem Week 6

I have officially lasted a month and a half on Nutrisystem! I have never lasted on a "diet" this long and I think that it really is because I have looked at this experience more as a life changer than a quick fix diet. That really is the great thing about the program-you are encouraged to change gradually and learn a new lifestyle in regards to portion control and exercise. I have so many pictures of my family that I don't want to put in my daughters scrap book because of the way I look-shallow I know but when I look at those pictures I think about how I think I look and how photos do not lie. So I am down a little over 12 pounds and love my pictures of us from Halloween weekend. Now I do have a ways to go-17 pounds to 150-but I am falling in love with all the small changes taking place. My arms are getting tighter and I can actually run more than a few inches without feeling like I will die. This week has been great because I have maintained my weight and not given into all the candy and cookies that come with Halloween. My husband has started to work out with me which helps me stay on task and we will both feel better in the end-I cannot wait to see next week's changes!

*Thank you nutrisystem for providing my food for the program-all opnions are my own!*

November 1 already-must finish holiday shopping!

So I can't believe it is November 1st! We had a fantastic time trick or treating last night and after a small break from the blog I am ready to come back and start the gift guide and holiday shopping ideas. Now as I have said my in laws will be the most difficult when it come to finding something they like and is practical. Have you ever heard or Amazigg? It is amazon products featured on digg that can make holiday shopping super easy! Now my brother in law likes two things-bacon & beer....we bought him a growler from one of the local breweries last year so I was thinking of doing something bacon themed. Now my idea was just to get some things for him to use on the grill until I found the bacon flavored jelly beans and a four pack of bacon flavored lip balm. What do you think-something that will be funny or it won't go over well? I figure with the col on the way everyone could use some lip balm! I will await your response and see if we should go with the "bacon basket" or stick with a growler and a beer mug. Happy shopping!