December already?

Time sure does fly! I have been an absolute fail at blogging this year. Work, school, motherhood, and attempting a social life have kept me pretty busy. I am desperately hoping to find some balance and be here more often. I miss writing here and interacting with my readers.

Anyway, I want to say happy first of December to you all! While bustling around preparing for Christmas, I am trying to spread joy and kindness every day, not just the 25th. There is nothing quite like bringing a smile to a stranger's lips. After seeing some of the disgusting news reports about people behaving so terribly during Black Friday shopping, I realized we need more kindness in this world. I mean, I knew this, but that drove it home.

So, watch this video. It will give you the warm fuzzies and maybe bring a tear to your eye. I want to be one of these kind of people, not the ones snatching sale deals out of the hands of babes.


Have a blessed night, y'all!

Happy Holidays?

Image via Wikipedia

The holidays bring joy, family togetherness, and a delightful spirit of giving. They also tend to bring blues to a great many. I've had my share of holiday depression, remembering loved ones who are no longer with us and such. But, those memories can easily be changed to all the great memories of past Christmases shared, making them a little easier to handle. For me, this Christmas is different.

I store all our Christmas ornaments in a large black bin. Going through them this year was heart breaking. I opened it several times and quickly closed it, unable to face the contents. Little Miss and my Mom ended up trimming the tree this year, something I both hated and was thankful for. Now I'm faced with what to do with the ornaments that I can't even type about without tears coming to my eyes. The engraved heart with our names engraved on it, given to me before marriage even seemed a possibility. The tiny framed ornament that holds our first family portrait, with a tiny Little Man in my arms. What do I do with these things? These small items represent more than a decade of memories and I honestly don't know what to do with them. We were a family, there was love, there were good times. Do I box them up and forget about them? I can't bear to toss out pictures that have my children in them. Perhaps I'll pack them away with the wedding pictures, items that I can't face, can't get rid of, and just don't know how to handle. I seriously have a box that is labeled "I just don't know".

I cannot really explain all the emotions these items and photographs bring up. I don't miss him, but it's still very new, trying to come to grips with the fact life will never be as it once as. I am just beginning to take baby steps toward living life alone, while he is already engaged. I need a copy of "Moving on After Divorce for Dummies". I am trying very hard to look at it as an adventure. Having married at 17, this is the first time I've been on my own as an adult. Single parenthood is difficult, but a journey I'm figuring out. The being separated from Little Man is the part I struggle with daily. One step at a time and a lot of prayer, that's all I know to do. Even with all the difficult adjustments, there is no doubt in my mind that I'm stronger than I was even six months ago.

Those of you who have "been there, done that" any tips on surviving the first holiday season after divorce?

Holiday Heroes

Image via Wikipedia

During the holiday season, please remember to give to those who are less fortunate. I know that so many of us are having a really hard time financially this year, but even a small toy donated to your local Toys for Tots program will help delight a child on Christmas morning. If you can't afford to give anything financially, why not give your time? Tristen has been helping with our local Santa's helpers and having a ball doing it.

There are multiple ways you can help others and give from the heart. Wish Upon A Hero is a great website that connects those who both truly need things and those with wants, to folks willing to help. I've granted several wishes in the time I've been a member. Last year, we were blessed with help from the site in getting the kids some much needed shoes when we were between paychecks. They helped when we had no other way to help ourselves. The wishes you will find there range from food, toys, clothes, blankets, etc. So many folks are having a hard tiem making it right now. You could even just be a card hero, there are lots of lonely folks looking for nothing more than a holiday greeting to brighten their day. So, this might be a group you want to check out.

I know that it is very close to Christmas. But, there are a lot of people out there hoping their Christmas wish will come true. Please think of them as you finish up your holiday shopping.

No, this is not a sponsored post or anything of the sort. Just something I believe in and wanted to share with y'all.

Happy holidays!

Holiday Gift Guide: Charm Girls Club Pajama Party Wii

Back in the day I loved a good slumber party. Me and a few of my best gal pals just watching videos, listening to music, painting our nails, gossiping about boys. Oh and all the dancing, giggling, and pillow fighting....what memories! Now I have a little girl of my own and she loves slumber parties just as much as I did. Girls are so fun!

Anyway, someone over at EA Games knows what girls and pajama parties are all about! Their game Charm Girls Club Pajama Party is a hit with the tween set. You get to make your own character then start playing a ton of fun games. This video game offers lots of mini games that your girl is sure to enjoy. You can jump on the bed, style your hair, and all sorts of other cool stuff. Your character goes around collecting charms and having fun. My 10 year old loves it!

This game is great for girls to play on their own or with a group. I can only imagine what a hit it would be for a slumber party. We may just have to try that soon. Anyway, we enjoyed the game. It kept Ashley entertained for hours. I really liked that it was an enjoyable game made for girls, as I feel there aren't too many of those around. So, definitely keep it in mind this holiday season.

Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Let's Talk Toys

Rebecca Gray, Divisional Merchandise Manager from Hayneedle.com talks toys for the holiday season. Remeber my post a couple of days ago about this great site? She offers some great suggestions for the hard to buy for kids in your life. I need all the advice I can get on this subject myself. Thanks Ms. Gray for sharing this information with us.

What do you see as this years "hottest" toys?

We carry traditional, timeless toys such as rocking horses and dollhouses. These are the items parents and grandparents buy because they had one too. Playkitchens and petal cars are great for imaginations and are offer years of play.

What do you recommend to parents for those hard-to-buy for kids?

Personalized items are always great…we have toy boxes, table and chair sets and dollhouses that can all have a child’s name added for a unique, special gift.

Where do you look for/get the toys you recommend?

We work with several toy manufacturers and have an in-house product development team.

Hayneedle deals with uniqueness...Do you think kids want to stand out from the crowd or have something truly one-of-a-kind?

Both, it’s important to have the latest game for the Wi/dsl that all your friends have but I think they really enjoy a special, unique gift too.

In your opinion do kids appreciate the one-of-a-kind item?

Yes, Hayneedle has great selection of items kids won’t see in the stores.

Anything else you'd like to add?

We offer great gifts for kids that they can have for along time and can grow with them. Our activity table offers 2 table heights so that the furniture can be adjusted as the child grows. (LFY065 and LFY019)

Holiday Gift Guide: Tortuga Rum Cakes

Tortuga Rum Cakes are a great idea for the holiday season. I was sent two of their wonderful cakes to review, a key lime cake and the golden original. Upon opening the box the wonderful aroma of rum greets you. Now, I am a rum fan, so to me a rum cake is a little piece of heaven. The key lime cake was a lovely balance of crisp, tart lime and sweet rum. It made me think of a tropical escape. The original is a delicious rum flavored, sweet, rich treat. Both were fantastic!


The thing ingredient that sets these rum cakes apart from all others is the generous dose of Tortuga Gold Rum in each cake. This rum is five years old and oak barrel aged. Every cake Tortuga produces is hand glazed with this tasty rum before being packaged. The unopened cakes have a shelf life of about 6 months and will keep in the fridge or freezer for quite awhile longer. That way, you can enjoy them whenever you feel like it.

Tortuga Rum Cakes would make a great gift this holiday season. The small ones would be excellent stocking stuffers.


Tortuga also offers, candies, gift baskets, coffees, and even sauces as well. All would delight the foodie in your life. I was very impressed with the product and highly recommend this wonderful company.


Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Don’t Go Broke This Christmas!

I am so excited to share this wonderful guest post with you today! Nadia Crum is from the blog A-B-C Frugality. It's a great frugal resource full of tons of information. I urge you to stop over and visit her. Today she brings us some sound advice on how to survive the holidays without going broke. Nadia, thanks so much for sharing wit my readers. You are welcome back anytime!

Don’t Go Broke This Christmas!

Part of the "101 Ways to Save Money During the Holidays and Start the New Year Ahead of The Game" series written by Nadia Crum of A-B-C Frugality. Visit our site to discover hundreds more ways to save this holiday season!

1. Treat December like any other month. Set a budget and stick to it, following your usual pattern of trimming excess spending from flexible expense categories like groceries and entertainment. Include a budget for overall Christmas spending. Account for things like decorations, gifts, excess food and utility costs if you’ll be having guests for an extended stay, gasoline for traveling to and from Holiday events, additional clothing costs if the children will need new outfits for Christmas day, and other miscellaneous costs that would otherwise be assimilated into the “extra spending” category of your budget. If you know exactly how much you have to spend, it will be much easier to stay within your budget.

2. Make a list and check it twice. Decide if there are people that you really need to shop for, and try to pare down your list to only your closest friends and family. Make your list of people to shop for and assign a dollar amount if you haven’t already shopped for them. If you have been shopping throughout the year at sales and clearance events and already have a supply of generic gifts built up, write the assigned gift next to the person’s name along with a brief description of how you plan to personalize the generic gift for that individual. A bath gift basket with free soaps and lotions (from CVS and Walgreens, of course) can easily be personalized for a teenaged niece by throwing in some glitter lipgloss and a nice handmade card; the same basket for your Aunt might be better suited with a candle and a blank journal.

3. Remember to buy yourself a present, too. This may seem counterproductive to many frugalists out there. But research shows that often when we see something we would really like to have, yet deny ourselves, that item often gets purchased regardless and given to someone else because of our impulses. Remembering to treat yourself during this stressful season is important. It doesn’t have to be something big or expensive. A $2.00-after-coupons eyeshadow compact may not be something we’d normally purchase because of the price (my makeup stockpile price is always around $1.00 or less, depending on item/brand), but during the holidays, go a little crazy with that $2.00 and you just might save $50 on impulse mall purchases.

4. Budget your time as well as your money. Not allowing enough time to prepare something or do something can often lead to convenience purchases, which can cost you a lot during the marked-up holiday buying season. For instance, not allowing yourself enough time to make the candied yams from scratch (costing $2.00 total) might lead to sending your husband out to buy a frozen, throw in the oven yam casserole dish, costing $8.00.

5. Don’t overlook the value of intangible gifts. If your budget is tight this season, as many of ours are, consider giving intangible gifts such as babysitting or yardwork help. Handmade gift certificates are a nice way to give the recipient something tangible to open that is representative of your gift of services.

6. Shop prices, not sales. By watching the price of individual items rather than simply running out and purchasing that item because it’s “on sale,” you can save yourself a pretty penny. Sale signs are everywhere this time of the year as a ploy to get you to purchase more, but often, the sale price is only a few pennies less than the regular price of the item. A “sale price” at one store may very well be more expensive than the regular price of that same item at a different store.

7. What’s in it for me? Consider giving charitable donations in the name of the recipient instead of buying them another item that will just clutter a landfill in 6 months. You’ll restore some meaning of Christmas, help the recipient feel honored and charitable, and you’ll get the tax deduction for charitable giving. Just be sure to get the appropriate tax receipt from the organization you donate to.

8. Buy last year’s model. Especially with items like baby gear, manufacturers are pushing the next year’s models of equipment like strollers and play yards beginning in December, so the “last year’s model,” which are indistinguishable from the new models save fabric color or another minute detail, are marked down to 30-40% of the original price.

9. Send postcards instead of cards. Sign up at Vistaprint.com and wait…once or twice a week they have a sale where you can get 100 postcard printed double-sided for only the cost of shipping (usually around $5 or so). While you’re cutting Christmas card costs, consider paring down your card list to only those family and friends whom you regularly stay in touch with. Those in your address book whom you don’t keep in close contact with will be just as happy with an eCard updating them on your family activities.

10. Plastic belongs in the form of a cookie cutter, not a card! Make it a point to shop only with cash. Better still, once you’ve decided on your Christmas gift budget amount, take that amount out of the bank in cash and keep it in an envelope. More people on your list than cash in your envelope? You’ll just have to get creative with gifts. Avoid using credit at all costs, and the only bill you’ll be receiving in January is a “bill of frugal health.”

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Nadia is a young Army wife and mother of two small children who enjoys shopping for the hottest deals and researching ways to save her readers $1000s of dollars each and every month. Her family lives a fun frugal lifestyle and she is pursuing her degree in Education while her husband bravely serves our country. To find out more about a frugal and fun lifestyle of abundance, visit her blog at A-B-C Frugality.

Holiday Gift Guide: The Big Popper Review & Giveaway

Popcorn is one of my all time favorite snacks. The whole family greatly enjoys it, so when our 2 gallon traditional 3-way popcorn tin arrived from The Big Popper, the whole household was super excited. Movie nights are so much better with a huge container of popcorn in the mix.

The Big Popper has some of the most delicious gourmet popcorn I've ever eaten. Tristen devoured the butter, Ashley the cheese popcorn, and Dan and I tried to share the caramel. All three flavors were excellent. The tin contained nicely flavored, big pieces of popcorn. This company does not skimp on quality.

If you are thinking of sending popcorn gifts this holiday season, I would highly recommend The Big Popper. The quality is fantastic and the prices reasonable. They have three adorable tins available for the holidays. Two of these cute designs can be personalized with your own greetings and pictures. A personalized popcorn tin would make a great gift!
Would you like a 2 gallon traditional 3-way popcorn tin for yourself? All you have to do to win is visit The Big Popper, then come back here and tell me your favorite popcorn flavor. This is mandatory for entry!

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Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.