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I am back with a new recipe, and I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Are you gearing up for all the holiday festivities of Christmas? I really wanted to get the house decorated the day after Thanksgiving. It took a little longer that planned, and to be honest, our tree is still not completely decorated. I am so pregnant. Plus it was 90 degrees here the day after Thanksgiving. Actually, that whole weekend was hot. Who wants hot weather at Thanksgiving? NOBODY!

That is actually one reason why I love this recipe this week because making it made our house smell like fall!!!
Remember this post where my mom canned some of the apples that she and I bought? Well I decided with the leftover ones I was going to make apple butter and can it.

I have really enjoyed getting into canning this year. I hope to bring you more canning recipes. Canning is a great way to build your food storage! It is actually a lot of fun! This recipe is so simple. Once you peel and core the apples you leave them in the crock pot for a solid 8-10 hours. I did mine overnight and then I canned when I woke up in the morning. Your whole house will smell like apple pie. You're welcome. Here are a few tips:
1. I did not chop up the apples after I peeled and cored them. Also, I didn't worry about any little bits of skin left on the apples.
2. Speaking of peeling and coring, make sure you have a good apple peeler, it makes all the difference.
3. Really pack your apples in. I just peeled and sliced until my 6 quart crock pot was full, but after ten hours it cooks down. I ended up doing two batches and got three cans out of each. I think if I had done them all together I could have gotten seven jars of apple butter. So pack those apples in there because they'll reduce down while cooking.
4. I did a water bath for the canning. Now, here are some rules about canning that I didn't follow: you are not supposed to let your jars touch the bottom of your pot. You should use a canner to keep them in place and separate. I just stuck them in the pot. Luckily, they did not break. However, be wise, and use a canner so you can be assured that all of your cans will come out of the pot and you won't have any apple butter casualties (trust me, nobody wants that.)
5. Have plenty of snacks on hand to spread on your apple butter. It's really delicious. 
6. Enjoy it! Share it with your adorable 18 month old nephew who will inhale it like apple sauce. Be in love with his cute little apple butter covered face. That's what I did and I highly recommend it.

Crockpot Apple Butter

DON'T FORGET! If you're in the Phoenix area this Saturday come see us at the Ugly Sweater Express! We'll be selling our famous Hot Cocoa Bombs! You can try them out, sign up for our email, and much much more!!

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for any purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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​     I am not a coffee drinker.  But I do love me some good hot cocoa.  And, although here in Phoenix we are still waiting for some nice chilly weather to go with the holidays, the evenings have been cool enough for me to enjoy a Hot Cocoa Bomb here and there. Right now we are in full swing getting ready for the annual Ugly Sweater Express hosted by my DIL's family each year, where we will be selling hundreds of Hot Cocoa Bombs! As I write this post, I am sipping on my newest flavor or Cocoa Bomb, Gingerbread! 
     If you haven't had a chance to go to our Etsy shop yet, you should go.  That is where you can download your own copy of our booklet telling you all about how to make Hot Cocoa Bombs! We have a bunch of flavors besides original Hot Cocoa. We have Peppermint, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Salted Caramel, Cherry Cordial, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Covered Strawberry and now this year we are adding Gingerbread!
     Because Gingerbread has molasses in it, I added brown sugar to the chocolate mixture that goes inside.  Brown sugar has molasses in it, I suggest dark brown sugar for the best flavor. I did this because I have learned from experience that liquids do not do well inside of a Hot Cocoa Bomb. Next, I put in cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  I put in quite a bit of the ginger and cloves for that extra little tangy kick that you get from gingerbread.  I wanted to find gingerbread men marshmallows, but I haven't seen any yet, but I did find some gingerbread man sprinkles to decorate with! Click on the picture gallery to see how to drink these delicious treats! 

     Sitting and drinking a cup of hot cocoa is a real stress reliever for me.  Getting ready for the craft show and getting my son ready for his mission are just a couple of the things that are keeping me busy. Thinking about de-stressing with a Hot Cocoa Bomb is what inspired me to come up with this little printable sign to hang in my kitchen for the holidays.  You can get your own copy of it by subscribing to our blog! Within a week we will send you the link to our exclusive subscriber's free printables page where you can download your own copy! 

     In order to make the frame, I found these great wooden pine plaques at Michael's for under $3! 

   
     Remember, Hot Cocoa Bombs make great gifts! If you aren't in Phoenix where you can come and buy them from me this weekend, try making them yourself! You can purchase the molds on Amazon.

Or for Christmas, these are super cute.  They have little Christmas character faces on them.  Alicia's MIL, Patricia, took some pictures for us after we made some with Alicia's mold. 

     You could even put together a Hot Cocoa Bomb kit with a mold, our booklet, some chocolate chips, Nesquik and Marshmallows! You could even add the printable above and some mugs while you are at it. 
       And while you are visiting our Etsy shop, you will see a few other things to strike your fancy, like "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" printable and Tea Towel that Alicia just added yesterday! 

     So, make some Cocoa Bombs, subscribe and get a new free printable, give some gifts and enjoy yourself through it all! 
   PS- There are still a few days left to get your advent calendars ready!  Here are some of the ideas we've shared!   
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This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for any purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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Hey guys! Alicia here with my favorite Cyber Monday deals. I am always looking for a good deal and I am always shopping online. I think this season I've had at least one package delivered a week! So Cyber Monday is a great day to go shopping. But it can be hard to sort out the actual good deals from the "fake" sales. So here is my guide for some awesome Cyber Monday Deals, including one from our own Etsy shop.

This season I have created a printable and a tea towel inspired by the printable. Both are now available in our shop! The printable is $2.00 and with that you get 4 files so you can choose which works best for you! For Cyber Monday thetowel is on sale through Tuesday for 25% off! So get yours before the price goes back up.

When I was creating my design I knew I really wanted Wonderful to stand out to remind me of all the wonderful things going on this season amid the hustle and bustle that arises. I love the idea of it on a towel that hangs in the kitchen because it can remind me that even if I've burnt the food or scalded the milk for my hot cocoa bombs, I still have so much to be thankful for and good to see. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. And when you buy it in the shop, there won't be a watermark on it.

Readers, you can save 15% off your Target.com order* MONDAY ONLY! In addition to the 15% off offer, Target.com is also hosting these great deals below!
   30% off select clothing for the family

•    All Graco on sale up to 20% 
•    Save $100 on the PlayStation GT Sport VR Bundle
•    Save up to $50 on Google Home devices
•    Save up to $100 on GoPro action camera

And my favorite thing on sale at Target for Cyber Monday is this professional 5 qt KitchenAid Mixer. Usually $449 it's $199.99 today! What!? Such a good deal.

Also check out The Lion King on Blu-ray (with DVD and digital copy) is only $15 (reg $25). The Lion King is an amazing movie and this is a good time to add it to your collection.

I may be Amazon's biggest fan. I love my Prime membership and all the benefits included with that. I also love the great deals they have got going on right now.

You can find out more about your heritage with this awesome deal on an Ancestry DNA kit, only $59 (usually $99)! You may think you know your heritage but many of my friends and family have been surprised by their results.

One of my favorite toys as a kid and an adult, is Legos. On Amazon they are up to 30% off today. Such a great deal! There's a handful of different sets in this sale, including the classic builder set! This is sure to be a treasured gift for any kid (or adult) in your life.

Also there are fantastic deals on Amazon devices. I LOVE my Fire TV Stick. I love that I can have all my streaming platforms in one easy to access place. It's very intuitive. You can use your smart phone as a remote if you misplace yours. And I love that I can access my Prime Music on the TV (the biggest speaker in my house). And I also love my Kindle Fire (we actually have 2!). It's durable and easy to use, I let my 2 year-old use it to read stories or watch his shows. And with the Amazon Underground app we get deals on apps for the whole family.

Have you jumped onto theInstant Pot craze yet? If not this might be the time to start. This is no ordinary pressure cooker, it cooks, sautes, steams, makes yogurt, and will slow cook if that's what you desire.. Instead of spending your time in the kitchen, let the Instant Pot do the work for you.

Beau-coup and Swoozie's have 25% off your orders today, along with FREE SHIPPING!

Well there you have it, my favorite deals and sales today! Enjoy your day of shopping!

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for any purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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 Happy Black Friday! 
     Do you go shopping on Black Friday? How do you feel about retailers starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day?
       For me, it kind of ruins it.  When my kids were little and I wanted to get them a major gift like a bike or a guitar or other large purchase, Black Friday saved me so much money.  I lost sleep, but I did get some good deals.  It was fun for me to wake up super early while everyone was still sleeping and sneak out for some maniac Christmas shopping.  I haven't really needed to shop like that for awhile now that my kids are older and since they put some of the best deals on Thanksgiving when I am trying to enjoy family time, I don't participate as much in Black Friday as I used to.  Besides, now in the cyber space age, we can get great gifts online and have them delivered to our door without even paying shipping. (Thank you Amazon Prime!)

     Thinking about Black Friday shopping got us all thinking about some of the favorite gifts we have received over the years.  The fun thing is that some of them were purchased items and some were homemade, but all of them touched our hearts in some way.  We thought that maybe you could be looking for just the perfect gift for someone and maybe some of our Friday Faves will give you an idea that you hadn't thought of before.  So, here goes!

Gifts Kids Can Make & Give: 

• One of the gifts Alicia remembers and still has is a poem that Lindsey wrote for her and framed. Then, she decorated the frame.  She was sad because she wrapped it before the paint was dry and that messed up her artwork.  But, Alicia didn't mind and she loved that her big sister wrote the poem for her and framed it.  Those $1.00 frames you can get at Michael's or Walmart would be perfect for this project.
• I had some left over metal beaters from an old handheld mixer.  My son Tyler, a young boy at the time, asked me if he could have them.  I gave them to him, not knowing why, but on Christmas morning I discovered that he had gotten help from his dad and turned them into a wind chime for me! I thought that was very clever! Kids could use old silverware or other items to create a work of art. Here is a similar idea using an old cheese grater!
• Maddy loves the mug Alicia decorated for her with Sharpies. 
• I have a collection of bird houses, and one of them is one my son built for me.  Later on, his own children painted some small bird houses to add to the collection.  These are favorite gifts that I have received  because they make me think of my son and his family when I look at them.
• When Madalynn was little, she took a scrap piece of wood and painted me a Nativity Scene on it. It is my favorite Nativity of all.  Her dad put a hinged stand on it so I can display it on a shelf.

• We have shared a few posts with other ideas for kids! Look at these.

Painted salad tongs and tongue depressor clip picture frames! 
Kids would love to make these adorable ornaments from Dollar Tree Toys! There is even a video to show them what to do! 

Small Gifts Kids Can Afford:

• One of the best places to take your kids shopping for Mom and Dad or siblings is to Dollar Tree.  One of the most useful gifts that I use everyday is a gift I received a number of years ago from my youngest son.  It was a pill minder to hold my meds and vitamins that I take daily.  He got me one with giant letters that we tease about because it seemed like he thought I was losing my eyesight already! There are a lot of little things like that at Dollar Tree that kids can get as meaningful gifts.
• When my oldest son was 3 years old, he got me a pair of slippers for Christmas.  He was so excited! He couldn't keep from telling me what he got me.  It was one of those memories that I will always cherish.  It is so much fun to teach your children the joys of gift giving! This time of year, slippers are easy to find at reasonable prices. Here are some at Dollar Tree! Here are a lot of choices at Target! 
• It is fun for kids to give gifts that they feel like are super beautiful and  special.  When my oldest daughter was in about 2nd grade, she found a charm bracelet watch for me that she just had to splurge on and get for me.  She was so excited to get it for me.  My husband gave me the heads up that LIndsey was super excited about the gift she had gotten for me so that I would be sure to notice her excitement when I received her gift.  So, I watched her face on Christmas morning as I opened the gift.  She was so happy when I opened it and told her how much I loved it.  What a thoughtful little girl she was to want to make her mommy so happy.  The watch doesn't fit me or work anymore, but I still treasure it in my jewelry box.   

Large Ticket item Gifts for Kids:

• Maddy remembers her Barbie Doll House with a doorbell that rang and a dog that barked! Here is a good buy for one on Amazon, not like her's, but very nice! 
• Lindsey remembers getting her keyboard (similar).  It was so much better for her to practice piano on that the little one we had before it.  She is now a wonderful pianist! So, it was a great choice! We also have gotten guitars and  harmonicas for other kids.  We always loved to encourage their talents.  Also consider art supplies and sports equipment.
• Bikes, scooters and roller blades have been received with joy! 
• A sewing machine.  Alicia still uses the one we gave her when she was in high school. There are many to choose from on Amazon, but a simple one like this is good to get a young sewer started.
• 
  

More Great Gifts for Kids of All Ages:

• Alicia pointed out to me that she always loves to get books and journals.  I think we all love books as gifts.  We have posted about some of our favorites here and books for kids here.  We even have a post dedicated to Christmas books! 
• ​Last year, my family pitched in and got me a Kitchen Aid and I have been loving it ever since! Plus, my son and DIL gave me a Cocoa Grande machine which I love! Perfect for a Hot Cocoa bomb maker like me! (Best price at Walmart, but currently out of stock.) 
• One year, my oldest son gave be an electric roaster that I use often.
• Alicia found me my favorite Christmas dishes by Debbie Mum.  I love using them every year! She also hand painted me some Christmas glasses!  They are so awesome because she knows how I love to set my table nicely for the holidays.  I could kick myself because last year I forgot to pull them out! That won't happen this year.
• Games! We love those! Here are some of our faves! 

     As we have gone through our memories to think of the favorite things we have received, I also think of the little school ornaments each child has made us, the poems they have written, the songs they have sung and my heart warms as I think of them.  I could go on and on with our favorites.  I find it kind of cool that we didn't really mention video games or other electronics, except the keyboard, on our list.  We have spent some fun family times with those things though, so I am not discounting them. It just goes to show that gifts are great and we love to give and get them, but it is the time that we spend together and the memories we make that makes Christmas special! 
      I hope our faves have given you some ideas if you have been stumped! What have your favorite past gifts to give and get been? We would love to hear your stories. And, if you are doing Black Friday shopping, have fun and good luck!