The Sewing Mom

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

I can’t believe it, but it’s here, time to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome in not only a new year, but a new decade beginning with 2010! I say, bring it on!

Now, if I had truly done some planning for this evenings celebration, I probably would have included a customized and personalized version of Jones Soda to serve up to my guests. Seriously, this is very cool. With myJones custom soda I can pick my own flavor and would probably choose a strawberry lime which is one of my favorites. And, since it would have been for our New Years celebration, I probably would have provided a graphic like the one above to be on the bottle label. I think it is pretty festive, don’t you? Besides a graphic or photo on the front label, I can put my own text on the back too and probably would’ve simply said “Happy New Year from our family to yours”.

Now I know I’m too late for New Years, but I could go ahead and do something similar for my daughter’s upcoming birthday. Her friends would certainly think she’s very cool if she had a soda pop named after her and maybe even with her own picture on it! Or, we could include a picture of the dog and name it after her, Plinko Pop!

I can get a 12 pack of myJones custom soda for less than $30, so I think it’s a definite possibility and I need to place my order now so I don’t forget!

While I’m off placing my order, I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alice.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

My daughter has been out of school all this week and I feel like I’ve been running her around town, shopping for last minute gifts, working and trying to get the house ready for Christmas and not having too much time for myself. That may sound a bit greedy, but I really do need some downtime and so, I’ve decided that I’m going to take today and tomorrow off from pretty much everything!

This time of year is really all about family and friends, and yet, it can get so hectic that we can forget to step back and simply enjoy the holiday. I did quite a bit of my holiday shopping online which saves wear and tear on me, but did you know you can also shop online for things besides gifts? I’m thankful for Alice.com, a free website that allows me to keep up with my everyday household shopping, even at the most hectic time of year!

I can purchase all my regular grocery items like laundry detergent, bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies, and paper goods without ever having to leave my house. In fact, Alice.com allows me to set up my account for free and send myself reminders of when I might be running out of items like toilet paper. The site is so easy to use and includes automatic coupons so I don’t have to spend time clipping from the newspaper, yet another time saver! Their shipping is free as long as you order the minimum number of items and their prices are competitive with any grocery or big box store.

Alice.com also has a Refer a Friend program (located under the “My Account” section on Alice.com). This is an affiliate program where users can give their readers $10 off once $50 is spent on the site, and then they get 3% back of the purchases for a year.

Alice.com has saved me time, money and allowed me to stay within my monthly budget, not to mention, it’s allowing me today to take time off rather than go out into the heavy traffic and deal with all those frantic people at the grocery store the day before Christmas!  If you’re looking for a great, easy way to save on your household budget and save time, you should definitely check out Alice.com.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Just a reminder to enter my giveaway! There will be 2 lucky winners announced on Saturday so don’t hesitate to to leave a comment here telling me your favorite handmade gift that you’ve ever received or given.

The prize is a free eBook download filled with wonderful tips, ideas and instructions from www.youcanmakethis.com

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

My cupboards are just about empty and I haven’t had the energy to go grocery shopping. So, I’m making use of what I have by looking for ingredients in my pantry. I found a couple of cans of tuna fish and some pasta, so, tonight we’re having tuna casserole for dinner!

I tried a number of tuna casserole recipes before coming across this one in a cookbook my sister had given me years ago. The reason I tried so many was that I couldn’t seem to find a recipe that included tuna that my daughter would eat. They were either too dry or too mushy, too spicy or too bland. This one is so simple and yet, so tasty. I always seem to have the ingredients I need on hand and it doesn’t take long to make, even more reason to like it!

Now, if you’re pregnant, you may be concerned about eating tuna, but, according to ongoing research and studies, eating an average of just 2 ounces of fish per day while pregnant, can actually increase developmental scores in infants and young children. Of course, pregnant women should stay away from those fish known to have high mercury levels such as shark, mackerel, swordfish and tilefish. The FDA has actually recommended that women of childbearing age and pregnant women can safely eat up to 12 ounces of healthy tuna and other low level mercury fish like salmon and shrimp per week. Good news for all us moms who enjoy a good tuna casserole, pregnant or not!

So, here is my tuna casserole recipe, hope you enjoy it!

4 oz. uncooked macaroni noodles
3 oz. cream cheese (I use light cream cheese for fewer calories)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tuna (I use tuna in water)
1 tsp. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
2 T melted butter

Use a mixer to blend cream cheese and soup together. Combine with remaining ingredients in a small casserole dish except for bread crumbs and butter. Mix bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake for 50 minutes at 375 F.

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Last year I decided I wanted to utilize my sewing skills to create items I could use in decorating my home for the Christmas holiday. I had discovered an applique/quilt designer by the name of Nancy Halverson and I really enjoy the designs she creates and decided to give it a try.

I began by purchasing fabric and the pattern book, “The 12 Days of Christmas”.

From the numerous patterns in the book, I chose to make the “Countdown to Christmas”. These are individual quilt blocks created along with raw edge applique. I prefer the raw edge for decorative blocks, mainly because it is a faster applique technique (I don’t have to turn under the edges!). My sewing machine has a blanket stitch, so I am able to do most of the stitching by machine. I’ve added the loops to each block in order to hang them individually.

The completed project appears on the shelves in our family room, near our Christmas tree and I change the number panels each day as we “countdown to Christmas”!

For more ideas on decorating for the Holidays, please feel free to continue your blog hop by visiting: A Second Cup and don’t forget to visit the host of this blog hop, The Frugal Housewife