We have a winner!

We Have A Winner!!

We Have A Winner on Mommy Buzz....Viviane R from BOWquet....She has won two necklaces from Bella Bling (our jewelry sponsor), Initial monogrammed Cards, and monogrammed accessories!
Congrats!!

BOWquet, Please send me a quick e-mail and I will be in contact with you!

Thank you all for writing and blogging about Mommy Buzz. We will do another one again very soon!

This and That!

Today is the Giveaway! Don't forget it will end at 3pm. (Eastern Standard Time)

You still have time to post comments, blog, Twitter, and Facebook about it.

On to today--shall we?

It is 2 days before Christmas and 1 day before Christmas Eve and have you procrastinated on finishing those final things?

Well normally I don't but with moving this past weekend, I have been busy with unpacking and getting my house organized again.  See--Christmas Eve (tomorrow) I am having my family Christmas dinner...

AND...

It is at my house!

The family is planning on arriving around 12 noon for appetizers and then dinner will be served sometime around 6 or so.

After that we are going to open our gifts with my side of the family...

So I am sure you can imagine what a busy day it will be at my house tomorrow, but it will be fun!

We have the Wii and the Christmas movies ready to go, so hopefully between that and cooking everyone will not be bored.

So as for my question--I have procrastinated--which I hate doing, might I add. It is not part of my vocabulary or even in my normal nature but this year was an exception.

I am planning on spending this evening doing last minute Christmas Shopping--instead of being in my p.j's, in my warm house watching a Christmas movie and wrapping the final presents--I will be out with all the other crazy last minute shoppers!

(-sigh-)

I have decided that next year I am starting in the early fall, and I will buy as I see things, instead of waiting til the last minute trying to fight with a crazy shopper who is taking that last toy I want. I am Just kidding! I would NEVER do that... Seriously! I wouldn't!

(I am not the fighting type)

--So that is a lesson learned--

Don't wait til the last minute b/c waiting until the last minute really STINKS!!!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also wanted to tell you that since my sweet hubby is taking his vacation from Christmas Eve until New Years I am going to do the same. We have some fun family things planned during this time and as much I love writing to you all, I am going to take another blogging vacation.

I need to spend some time with the family and my hubby!!!

I am sure you understand but please don't forget about Mommy Buzz in the mean time!

Keep checking back b/c you never know if I will sneak a post in on you or do a quick 1 day giveaway between now and then. Because I do have some things to still give away!

So check back!

I will be back Monday January 4th.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

{Tell All Tuesday}

 I have two things to share with you today:

Ornaments on our tree and two amazing Cheesecake recipes!

I thought I would share with you some of my favorite ornaments on our Christmas Tree:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

And I just had these pillows made...AND I LOVE THEM!!!

Can you tell I like, Red?

The Recipes~

 A few years back I bought one of Paula Deen's Christmas Magazines...since it had some wonderful recipes in it, I thought it would be a great choice to add to my dessert collection.

That year, I did make the Key Lime Mouse Cheesecake and it was a huge hit.

I was told I should have made more... Well that made me feel good because I stayed up really late on Christmas Eve making it!

(actually I should add--my husband stayed up and helped me. What a great husband I have!)

 Then....

Last night as I was going through my recipes I ran across these two cheesecake recipes that I had made in the past. I decided that this Christmas I was going to make both of them again.

I took a picture of the cake in the magazine so you could see how yummy they really look!

Key Lime Mouse Cheesecake

White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

 

Don't they look amazing?

White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 (4-ounce) bar white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2 cups fresh cranberries (optional)
1/4 cup cranberry preserves, melted (optional)

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook cranberry sauce, 35 minutes, stirring frequently, or until reduced to 1 cup. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter.
Press firmly on bottom and 1-inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in melted chocolate.
Spoon 1/2 of batter into prepared pan. Spread reduced cranberry sauce over batter. Top with remaining batter. Bake 45 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. Chill 8 hours before serving. Garnish with fresh cranberries, and brush with melted preserves, if desired. Cheesecake can be made ahead and frozen up to 1 month.

  

 Key Lime Mouse Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
6 Tbs. fresh Key lime juice (can use bottled)
1 1/4-ounce package (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
10 (1 oz) squares white chocolate, chopped, plus 1-
1.5 oz, grated or shaved into curls
3 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened.
1 cup sugar
1/5 Tbs. lime zest

For crust, mix together cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press into the bottom of a 10 in. spring-form pan and 1 in. up the sides. Set aside.

For filling, squeeze or pour lime juice into a bowl and sprinkle gelatin in to soften. Bring 1/2 cup heavy cream to a simmer in a saucepan, remove from heat and add 10 oz. white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Stir in gelatin and lime juice and allow to cool. Using an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese, sugar, and lime zest. Slowly beat cooled white chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture. Using clean, dry beaters, beat remaining 2 cups heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold into white chocolate mixture; then pour into pie crust. Cover and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer and run a sharp knife around inside of spring-form pan to help loosen cake. Release spring-form ring from pan, move cake to a serving plate, and grate or curl the 1-1.5 oz. white chocolate over cake. Cut into wedges with a knife that has been dipped into hot water.

Enjoy!

{Giveaway Monday}

~Good Morning Monday~

This morning we are going to have a giveaway!

And....

Since it is the week of Christmas it is bigger then our previous giveaways....

So first off I want to thank Bella Bling who is sponsoring the jewelry giveaway...
One Winner will receive all the gifts below!
This lovely heart shaped locket necklace

This turquoise and blue beaded necklace

They have some really cute bling on there site so check them out!

Click Here to visit Bella Bling 

And....

 I am personally adding these cute little monogrammed initial cards, and accessories. (Similar to the ones below)

 (they will have the winner initials on them)

So-- Now you ask--  what do I do to enter?

All you have to do to enter is see below and one person will have a chance to win ALL these fun and adorable items.

This giveaway will end Wednesday December 23th at 3 pm. (Eastern Time)

Here's how to enter:

1. Subscribe to Mommy Buzz (found on the left hand side of the blog)
If you have already subscribed then you are one step ahead!
2. Leave a comment on any post of your choice (1 extra entry for each article you comment on)

Big Bonus: (5 Entry Points)
Facebook or Blog about this giveaway and include links to Mommy Buzz 
and comment with a link saying you blogged about it.

And that is it!! It is as simple as that!

Merry Christmas!!

~Keeping Christ in Christmas~

~Keeping Christ In Christmas~

I know many of us have already been reminded this year about keeping Christ in Christmas but I have not had a chance to write about it and share with you!

With Christmas being 7 days away, I know we are all making mad dashes to finish up with everything we need to do before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

But are we taking time to dwell on Christ and the true reason for why we celebrate Christmas?

Let me start out by saying:

I love the Christmas Story- The birth of our Saviour.

Reading God's word never gets old or tiring. There is always something new to learn from God's Word.

Here are two main places you can find the Christmas Story:

Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-15

Luke 1:5-2:38

The Nativity story is found in Luke 2:1-38

These will get you started if you have not had a chance to read the Birth of Christ. 

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1: 21)

 

During the Christmas season we are surrounded by reminders of Christ.  The manger scene at the corner church, the greeting cards adorned with angels and the carols playing in every store. Being surrounded by all the decor, and music it should cause us to stop and worship.  Yet often we don’t stop.

See-- sometimes as busy women we can get so caught up in the externals of the season that Christmas can be a dry time for us spiritually.  We rush around baking, visiting, decorating and shopping, hoping to create the best Christmas season ever.  Yet these externals don’t satisfy the deep longings of our hearts.  Like the Psalmist, our spirits cry out,

“my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63: 1

 In the midst of this busy season or anytime for that matter, the Lord invites us to, “Be still and know that I am God.”  His Spirit calls out to us to quench our thirsty souls in Christ.

We need to be reminded of the Gospel of grace daily.

That the baby in the manger was,“Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.”

Every family has its own set of holiday traditions.  Traditions can be wonderful and cause you to look forward to a special holiday of bringing the family together.  But we have to be careful to not let the holiday or tradition take away from the real reason of why we celebrate Christmas.

I know when I was little each Christmas Eve my mom would make cinnamon rolls and my dad would sit down in the living room and read us all the Christmas Story. I have such fond memories of singing Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas morning and pondering on why we celebrate Christmas.

But think about traditions for a minute.....

We can go can from one extreme to the other.

You may be continuing year after year with a tradition that was only meant for a "season".  Or perhaps you’d like to try something new, but your Christmas season is already overflowing with activities that you are simply doing it for old time’s sake.  Well, slowly, over time, you can become a slave to your traditions, which may leave you busy, tired and frazzled. 

This is Satan' plan, Isn’t it? 

He loves to keep us so busy that we’re too distracted to fulfill our godly purpose?

You know-- this past year I have been giving a lot of thought as to why we start certain traditions? 

I am not saying there is anything wrong with them but we need to make sure it isn't consuming us or our time and leaving God out.

Because after-all---Christmas is about Christ and His birth. 

Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of Christ.  Yet year after year we see less of Christ in Christmas and more of-- it’s all about me, my family, the shopping and all the stuff.

God has given us the best, most expensive and powerful gift of all:  His Son Jesus. 

Just remember this as you go through the next week. Christmas is just 7 days away. Make sure you keep Christ in Christmas and that your traditions are done for the right reasons.

So take time this busy holiday season.

Pause and meditate on who Christ is.  

Think on Him as you read your devotions, praying that the Lord will minister to you through the songs and Scriptures presented. 

Have a blessed Christ-centered Christmas.

Ornament Wreath's

To give you an idea of what they look like I am attaching pictures of ornament wreaths to the post. See below for the directions in making this wreath. 

By Eddie Ross (above)

 

 

 

 

 

I recently saw these ornament wreath's and absolutely loved them. I thought it was a creative, and fun way to express your personality and colors through a wreath.

It can be inexpensive and such a neat little project to do on your own or with friends. 

As most of you know, this past Monday we had a guest writer on Mommy Buzz.

Taylor from Perfectly Talor'd

Well on her blog she has a post where she and some friends made these ornament wreath's. I really enjoyed reading and seeing the fun that they had while putting all the work into the wreaths.

So I thought I would share with you all how to make this and let you try it for yourself!

Now, I have to give all the credit for the idea to Eddie Ross .

 He made the wreath at the top of this post last year and it got a ton of talk.  See the picture below for his 1 page article.

But it is easy enough for you (the readers from home) to make....

You don't have to have a huge Christmas Decorating budget to do this either. You can find ornament packages from the Dollar Store, Target, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Micheal's, etc. to start this project.

I also think this is a GREAT idea to give as a gift to friends and family, or take as a house warming present during the Christmas season; or give as a hosting gift.

Now, I know you are wondering what supplies do I need for this and how do I do it?

Supplies needed:

Newspaper to spread your work on

A glue gun

A container of ornaments

 (these were my choice-above-the large ornament where in a container behind the small ones, I got them at target)

A wire hanger

Matching ribbon

I will let the expert explain the steps in making this adorable wreath:

Click here for Eddie Ross' tutorial

Also you can see the ornament challenge, for this years wreaths, on his site and choose for yourself which wreath you like.

Ornament Challenge

If you make one of these, please comment and let us know you made one.

Have fun!

12 Days of Cookies

I thought I would share with you Food Networks 12 days of Cookies. I realize that some of you have probably read the recipes or have tried to cook these but I thought I would share them with you anyway.

I know I have said before that sweets are definitely a weakness for me. Each Christmas (if time allows) I make these tins full of sweet and hand them out to family and friends. Last year, since I was 8 months pregnant, I did not do this. I just couldn't spend a lot of time on my feet baking in the kitchen (even though I wanted to.) Now this year-- I would love to do that but with everything else going on I am not for sure time will allow.

Don't you hate that? I do... Running of out of time--that is... There always seems to not be enough time in the day.

Hopefully this will help with your cookie recipe collection and you will be able to find some good ones to add to your family favorites.

So for those of you ladies who have not seen these recipes yet here they are: 
 the recipes include 

Gingerbread Cookie  
Cherry and Almond Cookie  
Butter Cookie  
Linzer Cookie  
Cinnamon Chocolate Cookie  
Citrus Butter Dipping Cookie  
Oatmeal Cream Cheese Butterscotch bars  
Orange Current and Polenta Cookie  
Mexican Wedding Cookie  
Peanut Butter S'more Bites  
Shortbread Cookie  
Peppermint Snowballs

{Tell All Tuesday}

Today's post is going to be pretty short. There is no rhyme or reason, I just  have 1 short idea for you today.....

Since it is {Tell All Tuesday}I thought you could finish these two sentences for me. Maybe there is something in the past week you wished you would have done differently or something you are sooo glad you did.
So......
Today--finish your thought on these:

Can you finish this sentence?
I wish I would have......
I am so glad I .................

I look forward to seeing how each of you finish these!!

Don't forget to post an answer--you can even do it anonymously if you don't want people to know who you are...

{Good Morning Mondays- Guest Writer: Taylor Garrison}

{Good Morning Monday}

This morning we have a guest writer: Taylor Garrison

This morning she is going to show you how you can Decorate for Less in December!

Hope you enjoy!

Decorating For Less In December

 

When I tell people that my husband and I don't decorate much for Christmas they usually gasp in disapproval. They are reacting that way for two reasons, one, because I am in school for interior design (so I should jump at any chance to decorate!) and, two, because it just isn't typical for someone to not fill their home with Christmas/ Holiday decor this time of year. I would say that my reasoning comes from a strong belief that the reason for celebrating December 25th is something that can and should be honored all year. I think all holidays should be held in that perspective. A home should be lovely and inviting year round just as our hearts should be too. That doesn't mean to completely leave out some special decorating though! I decided to purchase one yard of fabric to see what I could do to snazz up the little table in our kitchen.

 

 

Next, I gathered up Christmas cards, a tray, a cute little plate, a tiny Christmas book, paper whites in a pot -all from other areas in my home. I folded and ironed the plaid fabric into a runner and laid it over the table first. You can't beat having a brand-new runner for less than $5! I didn't sew it yet, but even if you want to have a hem and can't sew, you can always use an adhesive iron-on hem.

 

 Then I began to position the other items around it. Most of the decor in my home is blue and white. The fun thing about plaid is that you don't have to get matchy-matchy with it. Have some fun and blend items you already own with any new decor that is specifically seasonal. This will help you keep costs down as well.

Small books are wonderful because they add whimsy. If you have small children that are learning to read, placing a fun story specific to the season on a table can be an easy way to encourage them to read.

 

 

 

As I looked at all the beautiful faces gracing the fronts of the cards, I thought of some pictures I recently had developed that a relative took a long time ago. A lot of the pictures she took included family members that have since passed away. I wanted to somehow include them with the cards so I found an appropriate frame and put it front and center. It is nice to have a special reminder of people I love, even if they are no longer on this earth. You could also showcase your own family's Christmas card in a special way by framing it too.

 

 

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make a holiday table. A little old and a little new can mix together to provide a beautiful showcase of the things you cherish most this Christmas. Decorating isn't hard if it comes from the heart.

 

 

I'll leave you with one more creative idea that I haven't done because I don't have any little ones yet:) You can purchase a big blank canvas (or several smaller ones) at your local craft store (there range from $10-$25) along with some fun paint that matches your Christmas decor. Have (or help) your child(ren) make a "masterpiece" to be hung in your home every December. You could paint the canvas(es) one color all over if you wanted and then ask them to paint shapes of things that remind them of Christmas. If they are too young to come up with shapes, help them use their hands and feet! Make sure it is signed with names and the year. That would be a fun way of keeping track of how big they are each Christmas, and how much they have developed artistically too.

I enjoyed visiting on Mommy Buzz today! You can follow me every day over at Perfectly Taylor'd

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

{Taylor}

 

*How To*

This is a "How To" from Brittany Hedrick

She is planning on sharing a new "How To" with you every couple of weeks.

I hope that you enjoy what she has to share!
 

How to:

Keepsake Children’s Hand-print

Unique Ways to Keepsake Your Child’s Hand print…….

When I had my first son I was kind of obsessed with figuring out different way to put
Carson’s fingerprint on everything. After all, there hand is only small once and I wanted to capture it as many different times and ways as possible.

So I thought up some neat ideas that I would like to share with you..

 *Hanging Fingerprints*

*Hanging Fingerprints*

I went to my local craft store and bought a few canvases (make sure they are the same size.. mine were 5x5 but you can use whatever size works for you!) and then I covered it with fabric I had left over. You staple the fabric (of your choice) to the back of the canvas. Make sure you pull the fabric you are using tight so there aren’t any bubbles and that you use small enough staples so it does not go through the frame. I used thick polka dot paper for my main design and ivory paper for his hand print. Taped them all together and decorated it with two different types of ribbon and added vertical dots on the side. Now you have the foundation for your child’s personalized fingerprints.

Play with it, have fun, and be creative…

Materials Needed For Hanging Fingerprints:

• Two matching canvases
• Fabric
• Staple gun & staples
• 1 sheet of a solid color paper
• 1 sheet of fun styled paper
• Black Ink pad
• Markers (optional)
• 2 different types of ribbon
• Glue or two sided tape (tape works best)

*Clay Plaques*

*Clay Plaques*

With the clay plaques I used molding clay from my local craft store.

**All craft stores do not carry a large supply of clay so you should call around for the exact type you want.**

The shells are wooden and have a dip in the middle. If using a flattened wood your mold will not be flesh with the wood and could possibly fall off when hung on the wall. After painting the wood brown I put the (GRAY) colored clay in the center. I mixed the clay before hand in a bowl then poured it into my mold. You should put the hand or foot in the clay almost immediate before it becomes too hard to press.. This does all depends on the amount of water you used to mix your clay to begin with. If runny, add more clay so it is stiff when you press the imprint in.

Set aside to dry a good 24 hours and that’s it!

Materials Needed For Clay Plaques:

• Gray Clay2 wooden plaques
• Paint (thick paint works best) or Stain
• The hand or foot you will be molding 

                  I hope you enjoy these tips and can benefit from them.

Just remember to have fun with it!

Brittany Hedrick

Choosing Thomas

 Choosing Thomas

(video link below)

I have been thinking about this video recently and wanted to share it with you.  I saw it back at Thanksgiving and had to pull myself together after watching this video. It is about a families decision to choose life after finding out there unborn son had a genetic disorder called, Trisomy 13 a rare DNA abnormality. Most of these babies only live hours or days if they survive birth at all. 

I will warn you it is a very emotional video and if you have kids you will probably want to do 2 things: First, have them leave the room if they are young, Second, you will probably go and hug them after viewing this video and thank the Lord for them.

This is such an amazing testimony that these people showed on choosing life, even if only for a short time. 

Click Here to see the video

Julie and Julia

 

 Before I start about this movie let me tell you the story leading up to watching the movie...

Last night my husband made a quick run to Publix for me.When he came home he said,"I brought something home for you." He had brought home the movie Julie and Julia.. We have both wanted to see this movie for a while and he thought last night would be a good night to watch it. Well he forgot that the finale of the "Biggest Loser" was coming on. But he was trying to surprise me and I didn't want to hurt his feelings and so we stayed up until midnight watching Julie and Julia after the biggest loser. It did make for a late night but the movie was really cute.

~~~~~~~~~~~

So these are some scenes from the movie. If you have not seen it then I don't want to give the story away to you but I do want to talk a little bit about it.

Now, I am not one for talking or writing for that matter about movies. This doesn't have anything to do with the topics I normally discuss but I thought I would make an exception. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Julia Child was a lady who could not have children. She desperately wanted to have something to do in her life that could fill that void that I think she had. She tried hat making, bridge, and a numerous of other things before she found her love for cooking. She loved to eat and she loved great tasting food.

That is when she came up with the idea of attending a cooking school.

So she decided to enroll in a class at Le Cordon Bleu. Her goal was to teach and eventually have a French cookbook published in English.

She did later achieve that goal along with other cookbooks and a cooking show.

This is definitely a cute movie to watch and when it is over you will feel inspired and believe it or not you will want to cook a meal.

Or at least that is how I felt. I was getting hungry as the show went on and when it was over I had a million ideas running through my head about food and recipes. (Not a very good thing to have at midnight.)

 ~~~~~~~~

Now on the other hand, Julie, was a young women who wanted to set a goal for herself and commit to finishing something that she started. She decided she would for 1 year cook through Julia Child's cookbook and she would blog about it.

She did have some obstacles to face with eating certain items and of coarse cooking lobster (seen below) but

she did finish her 1 year and her last recipe with de-boning and cooking a chicken. (seen in a picture below.)

Blogging about it ended up getting her book published and later this movie was made from her story.

~~~~~~~~~

I thought it would be neat to include a French recipe for you. So I have included two. One recipe is (courtesy of Julia Child) Beef Bourguignon and the other is from Le Cordon Bleu. (See below for recipes)

~~~~~~~~~

 

Julie talking with her husband about Julia Child.

 

Always excited about food!

 

Cooking Class at Le Cordon Bleu

 

 Julie's attempt at cooking Lobster

 

 Julie's last meal

 

 Bon Appetit