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Saturday, November 8, 2014

Christmas Party Planning: Reviewing Invitations

It's time to get planning for those Christmas parties. It makes sense to plan your party in several steps. First, the date, then the guest list. Next up is getting your invitations. So let's review some holiday party invitations for different kinds of events.

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party

One of those fun traditions is ugly sweaters for Christmas. How

many of us have those kind of sweaters tucked into our closets? I have a number of them myself. Of course, that tradition gave rise to a party theme. Ugly sweater parties are that chance to wear your most outrageous holiday sweater.

I have been awarded the Ugliest Sweater prize at several parties over the years. All due to my sweet Aunt Charlotte and the completely outlandish Christmas tree sweater she knitted for me years ago. I had no idea how valuable it would turn out to be!

Holiday Cocktail Party

The holidays are busy for most of us. Sometimes a full evening event just doesn't fit into either our or our guests schedule. That's when something more simple like a cocktail party is in order. A holiday cocktail party is limited in time and works great to serve appetizers only.

Your guests can attend your party then head off for another party or for that evening they wanted to just spend at home to relax. Even for your busy schedule, a cocktail party takes less work. But, getting started with getting your invitations ordered is a big help.

Elegant Christmas Party

Of course, there are times when you want that fancy or elegant holiday party. Maybe a full sit-down meal, maybe an event where you have reserved a hall or banquet room. Those are the times to choose elegant Christmas party invitations.

You want your guests to know what to expect, how to dress and how to plan for attending your party. Choosing invitations that set the tone for a more elegant event will help your guests know this.

Planning with Party Invitations

Since I use the party invitations to help me with themes, decor and even menus, I like to choose and order my invitations as early as possible. Personally, the invites from Zazzle.com are my favorite. I have so many choices for styles, sizes and customization that I've never gone wrong. All the Christmas party invitations reviewed on this page are from Zazzle.

If you know of other great holiday party invitations, please include them in a comment below. I would love to review more.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Friday, November 7, 2014

The Thanksgiving Turkey ~ Part I of Thanksgiving Recipes

CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ~ Photo by Julie on Flickr.com

I absolutely love Thanksgiving and all of the Thanksgiving dinner recipes! For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has been a family gathering time.

My mother and I always prepare our traditional Thanksgiving recipes in anticipation of the family members flying, driving or riding in for the Thanksgiving holiday. We never know exactly what to expect or what will happen when everyone is together, but we know what we will eat.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

The week before Thanksgiving, I go to the grocery store with my list. The holidays are probably the only time of the year that I really enjoy grocery shopping. Not because of the food I am buying, but because I know that food will be prepared for the holiday celebration and the people who make it all worthwhile.


My Grandmother & Brother ~ Holidays Past

Sometimes things get hectic and I get a little stressed, but I do try very hard to make the holidays easier by adhering to my own advice offered in my article, Ten Ways to Make the Holiday Easier.

I want to enjoy the time I get to spend with my whole family and I want to have wonderful memories to reflect on throughout the years. I also want them to enjoy the holidays in our home and to have fond, pleasant memories of time well spent.

The Main Course

When I was growing up, my grandmother and mother prepared the Thanksgiving meal. Now, my mother and I cook the dinner. Occasionally, my sister or one of my sisters-in-law will arrive in town early enough to help. That is always guaranteed to be amusing and entertaining!

It is my job to prepare and cook the turkey. I try to beat everyone else out of bed so I can shower and dress for the day. By the time I am in the kitchen to start washing the turkey, Mom and Dad are usually here to chat with me while I get started. Once the turkey is in the oven, Mom joins me and we work together for hours of cooking, laughing, cutting up and sometimes just talking. It is a fabulous day. I have always maintained that it is my favorite day of the year. Sure, we get tired, but I wouldn't change a thing.

I share my recipe and tips for How to Bake a Turkey here: Cooking for the Holidays

What's Next

Now that we have the turkey out of the way, be sure to join us here again next week. We will be sharing the side dishes and desserts for the Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes Menu on Review This!

Be sure to check out additional Thanksgiving tips on Traveling Food - Holidays and Potlucks

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Photographing in the Early Morning- A Beautiful Time of Day

misty fog above the water photo by mbgphoto

On a recent fall morning, my husband and I took an early morning drive out to August A Busch Memorial Conservation area. We are fortunate to live only a few miles from this great recreation area. This area is a great place for hiking, biking, fishing and hunting. It has 32 lakes and miles of trails. It is also a great place for a photographer. On this particular morning we arrived just after sunrise and I was delighted to see a heavy misty fog floating just above the water. The wind was calm so the waters were still and it was great for reflections of the fall colors.

In the photo above I used the lone tree for a focal point with just the tips of the trees basked in the early morning sun.

fog above the water surrounded by trees photo by mbgphoto

At the second lake we stopped at there was an aluminum boat tied on the shore but the early morning sun was giving it a golden glow. I crouched down low on the shoreline so I could capture the colorful brush in the foreground and the boat and reflection behind it.

misty fog above lake surrounded by trees and grass photo by mbgphoto

The next lake had a marshy area with lots of grasses. I again got down low and photographed this area with the misty lake behind it.

Creative Processing

When I got back home I loaded my photos into the computer and tried some creative presets on the photos using my Lightroom program. I like the way the lone tree looked in this black and white preset.

black and white misty fog above the water photo by mbgphoto

Zazzle Cards and Products

Stop by my Zazzle store to see some of my photgraphs on different cards and products. www.zazzle.com/mbgphoto

Fog on the Lake by mbgphoto
Create card designs on Zazzle

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Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Meet Tsu: The New Player in Social Media

On October 25, 2014, I joined Tsu.co (pronouned Sue). Tsu is a brand new social media network and it is growing by leaps and bounds. In two weeks, Tsu's Alexa rating in the US has jumped from around 11,000 to almost 3,200. That's some pretty phenomenal growth on the Internet.

UPDATE: August 2, 2016 TSU CLOSED

What's all the talk about?

You'll find that Tsu is very similar to Facebook. People share content, tell stories, and post pictures. Tsu is also very different from Facebook. Tsu shares its advertising revenue with its members. Yes, you heard me right. Tsu offers a revenue sharing program that is similar to the revenue sharing model used on YouTube.

While I think it's pretty cool that Tsu pays its users to post content, there's something that I find even cooler. From the beginning, Tsu has provided spam reporting tools to its members. Members are encouraged to report spammers because Tsu and the Tsu Community want a place that is filled with content that is unique, useful, and updated.

That's right! At Tsu, it's all about quality content and engaging readers. And in less than 2 weeks, I'm pleased with my personal results. Yes, I have a few dimes in my Tsu Bank. But more important, I have seen a significant increase in traffic to my blogs, have met some incredibly talented individuals, and people I've met at Tsu are now following me on Google+ and Pinterest.

Yes, I am having a great time, meeting new people, and regaining the enthusiasm I lost after the demise of Squidoo.

I make no guarantees about the future of Tsu. There are no guarantees on the Internet. What I do know is that their business plan is solid, they have adequate funding to finance their growth, and they are tough on spam.

Tsu isn't without its growing pains. Every evening I can expect the platform to shutdown for maintenance and during the day I may have the occasional problem posting. But these things are expected on a new site that is experiencing rapid growth. What I can say, the Tsu technical staff is dedicated to delivering a site that users will enjoy.

If you'd like to give Tsu a try, you'll need an invitation. And here is my invitation to you. Please join me on Tsu. It's a community that is fighting for a spam-free Internet, taking back control of their content, and filled with creative people.

Click Here to Join Me On Tsu

Posted by Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.

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Monday, November 3, 2014

Traveling Food - Holidays and Potlucks

Autumn Welcome by Stephanie Marrott

As soon as Halloween passes, I begin to think of travel in a slightly different way. I think of traveling with food. I do not entertain for the Holidays and I am not a good cook. On Thanksgiving, I either travel up the road to the Mister's mom and dad's home for the day or I travel back home to Indiana for my huge family reunion. Combining "bring a dish" with a one to ten hour road trip is often challenging.

When I go up the road for Thanksgiving, the Mister's mom prepares a mini-feast. We tend to help with the things she's preparing and help with cleanup. And we try to bring a little something along to add to the meal. When I go back home, the family meets together and we gorge ourselves with good food and conversation.

My dilemma is being able to prepare dishes that will travel well or that can be prepared very easily once I arrive. The biggest dilemma is that I am not good in the kitchen. I have to have reliable recipes that even I can't mess up.

I am thrilled that this year I have a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle recipe to try. Our favorite cookies are Snickerdoodles. I can usually bake cookies without incident. This year, I will likely bring these little treats along.

Last year, my Snickerdoodle Cookie Pie was a big hit. It begins with packaged cookie mix and ends in a nice and thick "pie" shape. The Mister asked me to make this over and over. It was easy enough that I was happy to oblige.

Harvest by Stephanie Marrott

The Mister and I eat quite a bit of baked yams, drizzled with a tiny bit of maple syrup and sprinkled with a pepper spice called "hot shots". I'd love to serve our yams at a gathering but could not figure out the logistics of travel and oven issues. I believe I have found the solution with this mashed yams in the slow cooker recipe. A slow cooker will allow me to serve my "hot dish" at the family reunion potluck.

Finally, I can't think about potlucks without craving a 7 layer salad. I always use the lettuce, frozen pea, and mayonnaise recipe. But you can substitute ingredients to suit your tastes. This year, I may use spinach instead.

Wherever you go and whatever you do for the upcoming holiday season, I wish you safe travels and plenty of good food and good company.

Written by Dawn Rae

Disclosure: In affiliation with AllPosters.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPosters products.

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Sunday, November 2, 2014

Your Best Days Are Ahead of You

In a world of constant change, sometimes it takes a dose of musical medicine to help us move forward with the times

Well, take 2 teaspoons of My Best Days are Ahead of Me by Danny Gokey every four hours as needed! The lyrics remind us that 'age ain't nothing but a number'...'I can be whatever I wanna be'. So you think that's cliche do ya!...well you'll enjoy this list of people who didn't 'make it' in life until after 50!

Ray Kroc founded the McDonald's Corporation when he was 52
Laura Ingalls Wilder published her Little House on the Prairie Books in her 60s
Raymond Chandler didn't publish his first novel 'The Big Sleep' until he was 51 years old
Charles Darwin published his Theory of Evolution at 50
The Inventor of the Thesaurus, Peter Roget, was 73!
KFC's Secret Recipe didn't happen until Colonel Sanders was 50
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robinson, born in 1860) gave up embroidery at 76 years old because of painful arthritis and thus began her painting career. She lived and painted for 25 years (you do the math), and in 2006, her 1943 painting called 'Sugaring Off' sold for a record $1.2 Million.

So, if you're thinking you're on your way out in terms of dreams, think again! These seven examples clearly
show us that the only cliche in life is this accurate quote: 'It ain't over til it's over.'

When we're tempted to close the door and call it quits, we should put away those debbie-downer thoughts and open a window instead. Or we could listen to what Morgan Freeman said in Shawshank Redemption, 'Get busy living or get busy dying.' Grandma Moses, sure the heck, decided to get busy living...at 76! 'You went, girl!'.

The Lyrics say it well:

"Age ain't nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder what does it really mean
Hey, I'm still putting it together
I keep getting better, if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I wanna be
My best days are ahead of me"

Here's Danny Gokey's song, enjoy!

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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Reviewing Chocolate Smoothies

Enjoying your chocolate is easy when you make it into a smoothie. Yes, I have gotten into smoothies lately. And since I can't not have chocolate as part of my day, a chocolate smoothie sounded great. So I went searching for the best recipes.

We'll start with the basic, high calorie, indulgent kind. Then move through some of the great options to make your chocolate smoothie healthy and nutritional beneficial.

Basic Chocolate Smoothie, or Dessert Time

It's Food.com that has the easiest and best basic recipe for a chocolate smoothie. Ice, yogurt and chocolate syrup all blended together.

Go even a step further to make the basic recipe into a full chocolate dessert. Instead of yogurt, add in ice cream. This chocoholic made a "Death by Chocolate" smoothie with chocolate ice cream, instant chocolate pudding mix and chocolate syrup. Delicious and high calorie.

Healthy Chocolate Smoothie

Get Lecithin here

The good thing about smoothies is that you can easily convert them from dessert style to nutritious style with just a few ingredients. SmoothieWeb has a yummy recipe for an Almond Joy chocolate smoothie. Not made with those candy bars, but with plenty of coconut and chocolate. The way this recipe is made, you end up with a healthy protein smoothie.

They also feature a great recipe called Help Me Study Smoothie. Besides chocolate, it includes strawberries, peanut butter and lecithin. Lecithin is a brain boosting nutrient that every cell in our body needs.

Power Chocolate Smoothies

So far, we have been talking about simple smoothies with few ingredients. But it's time to go with the power versions of chocolate smoothies. Healthy Smoothie HQ offers up recipes for more elaborate ingredients and more nutrient-rich results.

One of my favorites is Chocolate Blueberry Spirulina Smoothie. This one is chock full of plenty of those superfoods that we can all benefit from. Not only cacao (which is the chocolate part), blueberries and spirulina (a complete protein with plenty of other nutrients), but also avocado and tahini.

The good part about healthy smoothies is that you can basically put in any ingredients you want to end up with a powerfully nutritious and filling drink. Even if the name ends up as not truly telling what's in it, like Sexy Chocolate Smoothie, you can still enjoy the great benefits.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

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Friday, October 31, 2014

The Judge starring Robert Downey, Jr. & Robert Duvall ~ A Movie Review

A Highly Recommended, Must See Movie!

Rarely do I go to the theater to see a movie and come away feeling like I actually saw a movie worth viewing. It is especially rare for both my husband and myself to equally rave over a movie.

I didn't expect to really like The Judge. I was mostly going to be with my husband and The Judge is the movie he had selected. I should have known with a cast that included Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, Vincent D'Onofrio and Billy Bob Thornton, that the movie would be outstanding.

It was actually better than outstanding, and I can highly recommend it.

The Characters in The Judge

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a tough, hard-hitting successful defense attorney who is known for defending criminals and winning. When his mother dies, he has to go back home for the funeral for the first time in years where he almost immediately comes face to face with the past and a father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who seemed to always be disappointed in his middle son.

By GabboT [CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The oldest son, Glen, masterfully played by Vincent D'Onofrio, never moved away from their home town. He is married with children, owns a auto tire shop and has spent his life being a dependable, respectable, basically good guy.

There is also a younger brother, Dale, who is mentally handicapped and is obsessed with making home videos. Another character who is very easy to like.

Brief Synopsis of the Movie, The Judge

On the evening of their mother's funeral, a once convicted murderer who was sentenced by Judge Palmer, is killed. Judge Palmer is accused and charged with the murder. As it becomes abundantly clear that the "nice" defense attorney Judge Palmer has hired is no match for Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton), the Judge has no choice but to rely on his son, Hank, to defend him.

The Judge actually makes defending him very difficult for Hank because his wants to preserve his reputation and insure that the decisions he has made in the cases he has presided over will not be challenged.

Review of the Movie, The Judge

So many movies today are very surface. They are all about the blood and gore, sex or sensationalism.

That is simply not the case with The Judge. The movie has a real, "old fashioned" plot!

As a viewer, you feel like you actually get to know the characters. Each of these men do such a superb job of playing their roles, that you forget that they are actors on a screen and cry, scream or rant right alone with them.

There are several touching, revealing scenes in this movie. Almost like real life. You think you know someone and what makes them tick, only to find out that you were mistaken about their motivation. Why they made certain decisions and judgements. How simply reminding a person of someone we know, can alter the way we treat an individual. That is amazingly realistic.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a movie that has a real story line that may even make you question your own judgement, you will love this movie too. Personally, I always enjoy a movie that makes me introspective, one that causes me to seriously think, not just sit back and be visually stimulated.

In my opinion, "The Judge" is a 5 star, must see movie!

5 out of 5 stars

The Judge (2014) - Watch on Amazon.comCheck Price

The Judge - Purchase the DVDCheck Price

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Keep Your Camera Handy for Unexpected Moments

Have you ever been some place and saw something that would make a perfect photo and you were caught without your camera handy or with your batteries dead. I know with today's camera phones that doesn't happen as often as it use too, but still I sometimes find myself wishing for my camera.

In early October we were on a cruise ship returning from a wonderful 10 day cruise and I had all of my bags packed and ready to leave the cruise the next day. For some reason I decided to leave my camera sit out on the dresser and I was glad I did.

When I went to bed I left the drapes open on the window so I could see the lights when we arrived in New York City early the next morning. I woke up at about 5 am and we were still out at sea so I went back to bed but I now lay facing the window. At 6 am I opened my eyes to the glorious sight below. Lady Liberty was standing there right outside my window. I jumped up, grabbed my camera and stepped out onto our balcony. I was able to get off about 10 shots before this beautiful sight was out of view.

I found it quite moving to be that close to the Statue of Liberty. It is an iconic symbol of freedom in America and over the years has welcomed many immigrants to the United States. I can imagine my Grandfather coming here as a young boy and seeing her in New York's harbor.

As the ship moved on into the harbor I was able to photograph the lights of New York in the minutes before sunrise. This was one time that I was sure glad I had my camera ready and waiting!

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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Handmade Harvest-Time

Pumpkin Coasters on Etsy

It's Harvest Time, the time of year crops are traditionally harvested. This coincides with Autumn, the season of colorful leaves, cooler nights, pumpkins and apples, and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The term 'Harvest' came from England and was the name for the season between summer and winter until Autumn began to be used in the 16^th century. In Britain the season is usually considered to be from August through October and in the United States from September through November. The term 'Autumn' is also interchangeable with 'Fall', used mainly in America. Unlike the other three seasons, there does not seem to be a common word for this season in all the Indo-European languages. Autumn and Harvest-Time are my favorite terms to use.

Autumn Themed Crafts

Acorns

Custom Crochet Fall Acorn Beanie

Autumn is a favorite time of year for crafters and the Indie-artists in the fields of art and photography because the lovely harvest-related colors of orange, brown, red and yellow lend themselves to beautiful creations.

Since acorns are plentiful in the Fall, this crochet acorn hat is perfect for the season. A leaf and a small acorn adorn the top of the hat, and are attached to the stem of the acorn. Made in super soft cotton yarn, the hat is available in sizes from newborn to adult large.

Place your order for an acorn hat with Monica of Costa Mesa, California. You can find her in her Etsy Shop "Ruffle Stitch Kids." These hats make a great gift for all the 'nuts' on your list and is perfect for those Fall photos.

Pumpkins

Pumpkin Potholder and Matching Dishcloth

Pumpkins are also perfect for a harvest time decor as seen with this set of pumpkin potholder
and dishcloth combo.

In addition to sprucing up your Fall home decor, this pumpkin set makes a unique hostess gift when invited out to dinner, especially during the Harvest-Time season. Or nice for a wedding gift for a Fall wedding.

More Ideas for Handmade Harvest Time

Sylvestermouse shows us a collection of beautiful beaded cross-stitch kits with lovely Thanksgiving designs to stitch up for the most popular 'harvest holiday' – Thanksgiving Day!

Wednesday-Elf found some really fun and practical handmade harvest-related designs on Etsy by clever crafters who love to create in Autumn themes.

When you think of 'handmade harvest-time', you may consider crafts as the only field that's considered handmade. Not so, in my opinion.

Pumpkin Muffins by Mary Beth Granger

I consider cooking a handmade 'delicious delight', as you can see in this yummy pumpkin muffin recipe by mbgphoto.

And 'gardening' gives us all that wonderful homegrown food. You don't need to have a farm or even a large garden plot in your yard. As Dawn Rae shows us, you can also grow and harvest your favorite foods like squash and tomatoes in a simple container garden on your apartment balcony.

Enjoy the colors of the Autumn Leaves as you 'trick or treat' for Halloween and plan your Thanksgiving feast in a multitude of handmade ways from crafting to cooking to planning your next garden for Spring.

Have an Awesome Autumn and Harvest-time.