XOOM CUBES Holiday Special – FREE Shipping


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Looking for a fun game as a holiday gift? Or a game to provide entertainment for your family celebrations? XOOM CUBES Word Race Games is exactly what you need!

The fine folks at XOOM CUBES are offering FREE SHIPPING in the U.S. now through the end of December 2013! That is a great value and will allow for great savings, especially if you are ordering a few sets. You must order the games online at  XoomCubes.com and use promo code XOOM4FUN to redeem the offer. Be sure to order before December 16, 2013 to ensure delivery before Christmas.

Check out my full review here and enter the giveaway for two sets of XOOM CUBES.

Happy holidays!

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YUM! Four Cheese Spinach Artichoke Dip


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It’s pretty likely that you will be doing some holiday entertaining, or perhaps you’ll be attending a few parties and you need to bring a dish to share, or you’re office is having a potluck — whatever the case, you will want to remember this delicious, ooey-gooey, super cheesey dip.

Now, I have two pieces of advice for you in regards to this recipe: 1.) MAKE IT! and 2.) DOUBLE IT!  — Yes, it’s that good! Better than any spinach artichoke dip you order at a restaurant and I am willing to put money on that statement!

Y.U.M.M.Y.

Now, I usually don’t do any jarred sauces, not when it’s so easy to make your own; but I make an exception for this dip. The jarred Alfredo works really well, plus you’ll be doctoring it up so it really only acts as a base. Jarred is the way to go here.

Dunk in your favorite corn tortilla chips, veggies or go all out and make some tasty crostini for your dipping pleasure. This dip is also yummy as a sandwich spread or spooned over grilled chicken. So. Darn. Good.

Enjoy!

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So this is FOUR Cheese Spinach Artichoke Dip, yet I only remembered to put the cream cheese in the shot. Not quite sure how I managed to forget THREE main ingredients here, but I did. Duh, me! The cheeses missing from the shot are Asiago, Parmesan, and Mozzarella. Other ingredients include fresh garlic, chopped, frozen spinach, jarred Alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts (in water, NOT marinated) and cream cheese.

Four Cheese Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 15 Ounce Jar Alfredo Sauce
  • 1 – 8 Ounce Brick of Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 – 10 Ounce Box of Frozen Chopped Spinach
  • 1 – 14 Ounce Can of Artichoke Hearts in water, drained and roughly chopped
  • 2 – Cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Asiago Cheese
  • 1/2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan cook the garlic in the olive oil over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stirring constantly and careful not to brown or burn.
  2. Add the entire jar of Alfredo sauce to the pan and stir to incorporate the garlic and oil.
  3. Add the softened cream cheese to the Alfredo sauce. Whisk briskly until the cream cheese is smooth, and melted into the sauce.
  4. Add the paprika and blend well.
  5. Add the Asiago, Parmesan and Mozzarella to the sauce in small increments and whisk until smooth between each addition. If you put all the cheese in at once it will clump.
  6. Add the chopped spinach to the mix and stir to incorporate.
  7. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and mix them well into the dip.
  8. Allow to simmer over low heat until the dip starts to bubble a little. Be sure to stir and not let it burn on the bottom of the pan.
  9. Garnish with a dash of paprika and a sprinkle of cheese.
  10. Serve with tortilla chips, crudite, or crostini.
Deliciously dippable. Want a bite?

Deliciously dip-able. Want a bite?

Anyone Interested? Adorable Baby Girl Clothes


One of the worst things I have to do as a mama is purge my daughter’s closet. I think I have said that here before. It makes my heart ache to see her outgrown outfits, so tiny and cute, only worn a few times…if at all. Tear!

I’m trying to gauge interest of an online auction of sorts for some of her cute clothes. I’ve seen lots of people doing it on Instagram, so I thought maybe I’d give it a try if there is interest. If there is some interest I will post pictures items to the Yay Baby! Facebook page and open it up to auction. First person to comment with their pay pal address will get the item.

I took good care of all her clothes and will only post the stuff in the best condition, no tears or stains. We live in a smoke-free, pet-free home. Sizes run from 3-6 months all the way up to 18 months. Most of it is spring and summer wear but great for layering in the winter. Brands include Calvin Klein, First Impressions, H&M and lots of Harajuku Mini. The prices will be reasonable and will include shipping.

Anyone interested? Leave a comment here or on the Yay Baby Facebook page. If there is enough interest I will start posting stuff next week. Spread the word. Here is a very small sampling of the offerings.

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This leopard dress from H&M will be up for grabs. I paired it with a long-sleeved black bodysuit and black tights and she wore it last winter and by itself through the summer. SO CUTE!

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“I Love Mom” bodysuit with matching tutu skirt. I layered this with a black long-sleeved bodysuit for the cooler months.

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This will be hard for me to part with! Cutest romper set ever. Two piece set. Black and white gingham with eyelet lace ruffled bottom and red cropped shirt with “I AM CUTE” patterned on the front. Absolutely adorable on. From Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Mini line.

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Another Harajuku Mini ensemble! This one is a funky, yet precious sailor girl dress. Pink striped sleeve and embroidered anchor detail on top with blue and white polka dots on bottom. L.O.V.E this dress!

Please note: at this time I will only be able to ship to the U.S. and possibly Canada (for additional shipping cost).

Brrr! Basting and Burlap.


We have finally had a weather change here in Phoenix. No more warm sunny days of 85 degrees; it’s the end of November and it feels a bit like fall (by AZ standards at least). It’s been rainy and gloomy for three days now…brrrr! It’s so weird that one day we had the AC on and literally 12

Jax let us all sleep in yesterday until almost 11 a.m. Holy lazy! The hubs and I are night owls, normally not in bed until the wee hours of the morning so sleeping later than 8-9 a.m. is a most welcomed gift. I think we all needed that extra rest, lots of runny noses in our house. The rapid weather change can do that to ya!

I went to a really fun craft class where I learned to make a cute burlap tree that I will use as my Christmas table centerpiece. I came close to losing my patience while making said tree but I am so happy I kept going because the end result is so cute. It actually was an easy project; but my domestic capabilities end in the kitchen – I DO NOT SEW! I could barely thread the needle without dropping a few curse words in frustration. Then they kept talking about “basting,” I thought that was something you do to a turkey! But hey, you learn something new everyday – basting in terms of sewing is a loose, uneven, removable stitches.

So we had to baste yards of burlap ribbon so we could then bunch it up to make ruffles. Once that was done we wrapped it around a cone and secured it with staples! How easy is that? I really wish I was craftier, then I’d make bunches of these and give them as gifts!

I also saw Catching Fire over the weekend. Love!

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Basted Burlap Ruffles

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My tree. I had to baste 12 yards of burlap and that was a pain in the butt. But I love my tree. I need to add some finery and flair before I put it on display on my table. Cute though, right?

 

King of Christmas – Beautiful Artificial Christmas Trees


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Can you even handle that Thanksgiving is less than a week away? I certainly can’t. And Christmas is creeping up fast. Houses in our neighborhood are already decked out in their bright light, holiday best. Do you have your holiday lights and tree up already?

Have you heard of King of Christmas? It’s a fabulous site to purchase the perfect artificial Christmas tree, wreaths and holiday decor. It’s really cool because it allows you to shop by tree height, so you can get the perfect tree for your home.

I am begging my husband to let me go fake this year. He swears by real trees and they are nice and smell wonderful and all but they are so stinkin’ messy. First of all they are a pain to load and get home. Then they make a mess in your car. Then they make a mess in your house. Then you have to remember to water the darn thing and that becomes a hassle once presents get in the way. Then you have to get rid of it and make yet another mess in the process. Mess. Mess. Mess. Who has the time?

Fake is for me. I’ll just light a pine-scented candle and get the same warm fuzzies! Plus, there are some pretty realistic trees out there and you can find beautiful ones on King of Christmas.

I’m really  loving their Majestic Frasier Fir Christmas Tree. It’s pre-lit and gorgeous!

Check out King of Christmas if you’re in the market for a new artificial Christmas tree

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And be sure to enter their 2013 Christmas Giveaway. King of Christmas is giving away a a grand prize of a Cyprus Spruce Christmas Tree (valued at $279), a second prize of a $100 Apple Gift Card and a third prize of a $50 Apple Gift Card. Pretty cool! Click here to enter

I have been financially compensated to write this post. All opinions stated within are entirely my own.