And then there were cookies...

I should just go jump onto the elliptical machine now. It's never too early to start making Christmas cookies... right? Well, it is too early when it's two weeks before Christmas and you are the only person in the house who eats the cookies in question. Nevertheless, my mind was playing non-stop peanut blossoms, and I could not help but start baking. I can not wait until my little bugs are old enough to start baking with me!
All of my cookbooks and recipes were lost during one of the eight moves we've done in the last few years. A google search brought me to allrecipes.com, where I chose the following recipe for Peanut Blossoms:

Ingredients

* 1 cup shortening
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 cup milk
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup white sugar for decoration
* 2 (9 ounce) bags milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and stir in the milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to12 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie. Allow to cool completely; the kiss will harden as it cools.

The cookies are delicious. In fact, my peanut-butter-loathing husband came home from work and thought they looked so delicious that he took a giant bite out of one. What followed was a reaction so over the top that you would have thought I just tried to poison him by putting arsenic in his cookie. Nonetheless, I felt guilty and stayed up late to make him a batch of peanut-free chocolate chip cookies. 'Tis the season ;)

Time is running out!

For all of you "wait until the last minute" Christmas shoppers- there's good news! All orders from my Etsy shop that are purchased by Friday will ship this weekend. Just in time for Christmas!

Vote for us to win the worst/funniest photo contest!

The blog over at EcoMom has a fantastic contest going on right now- with the opportunity to win over $600 in gift certificates! Currently, our boys are in FOURTH place-- only the top THREE get prizes! Help us win by voting for us HERE. Thank you!!!

Win a Free Bracelet!

Want to win a free bracelet from my etsy shop?? Head on over to Lauren's blog-- MidgetMomma.com to find out how!! Thank you Lauren!

Want a Free Nest Pendant?

If you are a Mom of multiples- this giveaway is for you!

Who wouldn't like a beautiful, handmade sterling silver nest pendant?

This week, Twiniversity is giving away, not one but TWO sterling silver nest pendants from my shop on Etsy!

The winners will get to choose either two or three pearls in white, green, pink, or blue! All you have to do, is join Twiniversity on bigtent.com and participate in this week's iTwins day daily discussion. Good Luck Multiple Mommies!!

Have you heard?

Have you heard about Zulily yet? One of my friend introduced me recently, and I am HOOKED! The have AMAZING daily deals (up to 70% off!). A lot of the items I see on here are not only ADORABLE, they are brands I usually shop, at a fraction of the price. Most of the stuff is for baby or child, however they also throw in a few Mommy sales as well. I've seen the most adorable line of Hurley baby clothes ever, P'kolino chairs (plllleeasse come back, I need to buy your for Christmas gifts!), and even Sanuk shoes (for me :))

It's FREE to join, so head over to Zulily and see what you're missing!

Ahhhh Where have I been?

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been stuck in a state of "I can't believe this.." because my TWINS have turned ONE!! I think for the first time, I sat back and said, 'oh my gosh, I am the mother to two children!'

Anyway, where I've really been... TEN family members came to visit the boys for their birthday. We prepared for my husband to leave for a 8 week TDY. We then planned for my husband to be around for the next eight weeks because his TDY was cancelled (woohoo!)
Throw in getting together THREE blog features, including giveaways (so stay tuned!)

Eco Mom Coupon Code for 15% off your first purchase!

If you are a Organic-loving Momma, here is a code to save 15% off your first purchase from EcoMom (including PlumOrganics baby food)! Use Code: SB004908 when you check out!

Win a Britax Blink Stroller from One Savvy Mom!

One Savvy Mom has a TON of great, active baby giveaways. The giveaways include an ErgoBaby Carrier, a Joovy Nook High Chair, and a Britax Blink Stroller! Head on over here to find out how YOU can enter to win!

Two Days Left to Enter-- Joovy Nook High Chair Giveaway!

Head over to One Savvy Mom for your chance to win a Joovy Nook Highchair. Hurry- Ends 07/21/2010!

Starla Sandal Giveaway!

Check out this giveaway to win a pair of GORGEOUS Starla Sandals via LeslieLovesVeggies!

It was hard to pick a favorite, but I went with the Turq. Stone Sandals!

Another Soda Stream Giveaway-- QUICK! Ends tomorrow!

There's another Mommy blog giving away a sodastream! Head over here to enter for your chance to win!

Mega Swagbucks Day!

I don't search with Swagbucks nearly as often as I should.... BUT I've still already earned enough points to cash in for an amazon.com giftcard! If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks... you should. You can earn points just by searching for things you search for every day.

Today is Mega Swagbucks Friday, and now is a great time to start earning. You can earn Swagbucks in increments of 10, 20, 50 and up to 100!

If you're not already a Swagbucks member, register now so you can claim 30 FREE Swagbucks!

Join Ebates-- Get $5.00!

I recently joined eBates at the request of a friend, and I have already started saving! I received $5.00 for joining, and then I get cashback everytime I shop! I used their coupon codes to get some good deals at American Eagle- and received 3% cashback for shopping there! Head over to eBates to claim your $5.00 and start saving!

New Listing...

Posted a new pair of earrings... BLUE CRUSH on etsy today. What do you think?

Have you entered this giveaway yet?

There is another giveaway of a "Nest Pendant" from my Etsy shop! I've teamed up with Water Waif, another Etsy shop owner, who runs a fantastic blog promoting handmade artists. This week, you can enter to win a nest pendant from my shop! While you are over there entering this contest, check out the other fantastic handmade giveaway's she is featuring right now!

EBates- Get $$ back when you shop.

Ok, so I recently signed up for Ebates. I've heard about it through several friends. Basically, you do the shopping you would normally do online, but do it through Ebates and you will get cash back. What's better, new customers will get $5.00 when they make their first purchase!

Right now, shop at the GAP through Ebates you will receive 20% back. Seriously. So 20% back, $5.00 bonus for your first purchase, and right now GAP has a ton of stuff at 40% off. Add it up and you could get yourself a serious deal!

Head over to Ebates and sign up today!

To All the Momma's Out There..

Have you visited this page? BabyCenter is filled with tons of useful information if you are pregnant or have a little one at home. This page is FILLED with useful coupons and special offers! Including a ton of coupons for Johnson's products, to keep those little ones fresh and clean!

Trendy Tree House Marketing Monday...

I know, it's Tuesday. Yesterday was a little crazy, spending four hours in the ER because the hubby has a corneal abrasion. Did I mention four hours in the ER with eight month old twins?! Anyway... Check out the amazing sites on the Trendy Tree House Hop!\

ECOMOM PLUM ORGANICS GIVEAWAY

There is yet another chance to win a $15.00 gift certificate to EcoMom. EcoMom proudly carriers many organic baby and toddler foods, including my personal favorite, Plum Organics. Head over to Coupons Are Great for your chance to enter and win!

Enter to win- Zuvo Water Purator!

Head over here for an awesome review and your chance to win a Zuvo water purator (Contest ends July 12, 2010)!

Your chance to win a Digital Camera!

Just found this giveaway on the BabyCenter website! All you have to do is leave a comment and you will be entered to win a Sony DSLR-330L digital camera! Hurry over to enter, the winner will be chosen on June 29!

Win A Nest Pendant!

"Nest Pendant" by Rebecca Novotny
Available at http://rebeccanovotny.etsy.com

I'm proud to announce that there will be a giveaway from my Etsy shop, hosted by Water Waif, now through July 9!

To enter, head over to WaterWaif's blog. Read the post, and follow the steps to enter to win! There are many different ways to enter. Check out her other giveaways as well, most of which support the handmade Etsy community!

My Little Seat... is awesome!

Jack in his My Little Seat at the restaurant.

With two little ones, the amount of things you need to bring along when you leave the house can quickly add up. I was thrilled when I saw the My Little Seat in this month's issue of Parent's magazine. A small, compact, light solution to a traveling high chair. I immediately went online and purchased one!

Today was our first trip since our My Little Seat's arrived and I could not wait to take the My Little Seat's out of the diaper bag. The boys sat at a table with us, with their My Little Seat's on the chairs next to us. The boys loved sitting in their seats beside us, looked absolutely adorable, and I did not have to worry about finding two clean, functioning restaurant high chairs to sit them in.

I can not even count the number of people who came over to ask where I ordered the seats from. I gave the company website to at least 5 customers and restaurant employees, who vowed that they were heading home to purchase the My Little Seat for their little ones at home! Even the friend I brought to lunch asked for the website to purchase one for the baby girl she is expecting.

Bottom line, I'm thrilled with the purchase. No bulky high chairs or booster seats. Perfect for traveling. Perfect for when you are at a friend or relatives house and high chair is not available.
Machine Washable (we had a sweet pea accident at lunch that will be easily cleaned right off). Small enough that I can fit them both in my diaper bag!

Cons: I'll let you know when I find one!

Here are some more pics of the boys testing out their new seats. (Apology for the quality, they were taken with my phone!)

Jace in his My Little Seat at the restaurant.

Jace in his My Little Seat in our kitchen.

My Little Seat!

I ordered two "My Little Seat"'s to use on an upcoming trip. I got them today and they look ADORABLE! Can not wait to try them out with my little boys! Will try them out and post pics tomorrow!

Another Hop-- w/Giveaways!

Head over here to the Thursday Friends and Giveaways blog hop! The hop is hosted by Deb and Tammy. There's a pretty big Giveaway link-up as well!

Keepin' Company Thursday Blog Hop!

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Thank you to the hosts of this blog hop (and my first...) Traci66 and Heck of a Bunch! If you'd like to join this blog hop or find out how it works-- just head over here!

Thank you to everyone for participating!

"Not Ghana Happen" T-shirts-- Team USA!

Soccer fans-- head on over to a friend of mine's website and order your shirt to support Team USA this Saturday! I just picked up one for my husband. Tell your friends!

EcoMom Plum Organics Giveaway-New One!

There is another EcoMom Plum Organics Giveaway going on right now! Head on over to bassgiraffe's blog and read her review about Plum Organics baby food. Then, you can leave a comment and be entered to win $20.00 to try it out yourself!

ERGO BABY GIVEAWAY!

You need to head over to the Takin' Care of Twins blog for your chance to win an Ergo Baby Carrier! The retail value of this carrier is around $130. Takin' Care of Twins gives the Ergo Baby Carrier a pretty thorough trial test and review, and concluded that this carrier is fantastic!

Head over here for your chance to win!

EcoMom Plum Organics Giveaway!

I try to feed my boys organic (whenever possible..) Head over to MidgetMomma's blog to read her review about Plum Organics baby food. You can also enter to win $15.00 worth of baby food to test it out yourself!

new for facebook fans...

New for Facebook Fans-- Featured Item of the Day

Ok, so I'll admit that with two babies and two dogs... it's pretty impossible for me to regularly keep up with a blog, a website, and facebook. BUT it's my goal to begin to do so.

So I've decided to start by adding something to my facebook fan page... we have started a featured item of the day!

Each morning, when I sit down to have my coffee, I will be choosing an item from my Etsy shop to post as a featured item. Any person who purchases the featured item on the day will receive 10% cash back on their total purchase in my shop.

Head over to Rebecca Novotny Designs on Facebook to find out more...