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Well, December is actually here and along with it came the craziness.  No internet on and off last week, every time I went to post my blog – no link to the world wide web!!!  Never mind – I’ll add an extra recipe at the bottom to make up for it.  This entry has now been added to over the two weeks and so had comments before and after some of the events!!

We have the Advent Calendar (very hard to teach a 2yo to only open one each day!!), our tiny little tree is up and seems to be surviving the inquisitive little fingers that can’t resist the pretty decorations.  We’ve been making our Christmas presents and the excitement in building.

Tomorrow a girlfriend and I are off to have our children’s photographs taken with Santa Claus.  It will be very interesting – it will be Georgia, my little girl’s first Christmas and visit with Santa, and Joshua’s 3r d time.  That doesn’t mean it won’t be without tears because he’s decided to be afraid, or a drama because he doesn’t want to share Santa’s lap with his sister!!  I never can tell which way it might go – but it will be exciting none the less.  [ This day was a total success – little Joshua was allowed in a toy store (and free to roam, out of the pram) for the first time in his little life – what an excitement!!!!  The santa photo was gorgeous. Georgia was perplexed – but very cool about the whole thing...  Be sure to check out the pic.  I love Santa photos!!!]

I’ve started trialling some of the tasty treats in my books – not such a good start to the season with regards to my waistline!!  Joshua and I made some sugar cookies this week – FANTASTIC – we ate them all in a couple of days.  Crisp and light all the way through – it was the perfect biscuit recipe.  Also a perfect activity for a little 2yo who loves to get into the kitchen.  He’s quite a pro with the cookie cutter and loves the different animals and shapes we have.   It’s also more fun for him as he can then watch them cook (they only take a few minutes, so his attention span can cope) and then eat them.  Playdough doesn’t have the same appeal any more….

I went off to Ikea to help Santa with the last of the children’s gifts over the weekend, so happy to say – my gift shopping is complete!!! YAY!!!!   Needless to say it’s time to start working on the food for Christmas day.   Joshua, Georgia & I have Santa together first up then they’re off to see their Dad, while I’m off to do some charity work and spread some joy for others.  I’m really looking forward to giving back a little something this year.

Anyway, now that I’ve raved on about how much fun we’re having with our preparations and told you about the perfect cookie recipe (Mary’s Sugar Cookies) – I’d love to hear back with any interesting activities you have been undertaking in preparation for Christmas.

I hope you’re all enjoying this fun time of year.

Mary’s Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
granulated sugar

Mix together sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; mix well. Blend in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 375 F. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into desired shapes; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown on edges.

ANGEL FOOD COOKIES

1 cup of butter or margarine
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of flour, sifted
1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of coconut

Cream the butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll dough into balls using 1 teaspoon per cookie. Dip in water, then in granulated sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!!

For more fantastic cookie recipes go to http://www.digitallifeinformation.com/family-occasions/homemade/

Also, check out our great range of ebooks and audio programs designed to give you information on health, wealth, happiness, lifestyle, hobbies, fitness and diet.

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Live, laugh and learn!

Warmest wishes,

Lisa

Christmas is now only 6 weeks away.

I can’t believe how quickly it snuck up on me this year.  No doubt you are also feeling the same way, or starting to make plans.

I’ve started to purchase a number of my gifts and I love to shop online.  Lately however, it feels like I’m always hearing stories about things going wrong – and it doesn’t have to be that way.

It’s no secret that browsing and buying online can save you time, money, and effort.

Here are 5 quick steps to take before every purchase:

1.            Know who you’re dealing with.

Anyone can set up shop online. Confirm an online seller’s physical address and phone number in case you need to get in touch with them. If you get an email or pop-up message from the seller while you’re browsing that   asks for financial information, don’t reply or click on the link in the message.

Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via email or pop-ups.

2.            Read between the lines.

Read the seller’s description of the product closely, especially the fine print

Words like “refurbished,” “vintage,” or “close-out” may indicate that the

product is in less-than-mint condition; name-brand items with “too good to be true” prices could be counterfeits.

3.            Calculate the costs.

Check out websites that offer price comparisons and then, compare “apples to apples.” Factor shipping and handling into the total cost of the order.

Then, stack these costs against your budget and needs.

4.            Pay by PayPal, credit or charge card.

Do not send cash under any circumstances. Pay by credit or charge card online – better still use PayPal wherever possible.  PayPal give you great security – the seller never knows your personal details and you have great support if your item doesn’t arrive or is faulty.

5.            Check a company’s privacy policy before doing business.

It should let you know what personal information the website operators are collecting, why, and how they’re going to use it. If you can’t find a privacy policy — or if you can’t understand it — consider taking your business to another site that’s more security-conscious and customer-friendly.

Want to learn more?  http://www.digitallifeinformation.com/family-occasions/shop/

Oh – try this recipe…

I’ll send you another one each week until Chrissy.  (Start testing now so you know which ones you want to share with your family on Christmas Day!!)

Cinnamon Christmas Logs

1 cup of butter

5 tablespoons of sugar

A dash of salt

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon of almond extract

1/4 cup of sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

Mix first 6 ingredients.

Roll into 2 inch length logs.

Bake at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool.

Roll logs in a sugar and cinnamon mixture.

YUM!!!

For more fantastic cookie recipes go to http://www.digitallifeinformation.com/family-occasions/cookies/

Also, check out our great range of ebooks and audio programs designed to give you information on health, wealth, happiness, lifestyle, hobbies, fitness and diet.

Click Here for more Information

Live, laugh and learn!

Warmest wishes,

Lisa

A wedding is probably going to be the biggest event that you will ever plan in your lifetime. When you are making such a commitment to the person that you love and plan to spend the rest of your life with, you will want everything to go just perfectly.

And there are plenty of other Special Occasions you want to plan for and “CREATE that are just as memorable too.

Join our Virtual Social Network to chat with other like-minded people about creating memorable celebrations – it's Fun and it's Free!

Also, check out our great range of ebooks and audio programs designed to help you save time, save money and “CREATE special, memorable occasions

Click Here for more Information