Easy Christmas Cocoa Gift Idea

A quick and easy gift idea using hot chocolate and this religious Christmas printable poem.  So easy!

With the Christmas season upon us, it seems to be there is never enough time to make all the gifts for everyone on our lists.  At least I find that happening.  All too often, I'm thinking about our sweet bus driver who waits for my kids in the snow so they don't have to stand outside in yucky weather; the mailman who always has a kind word even when bringing those nasty bills, and the ladies at my local dry cleaners who know me by name and ask after my dad's health scare.  I have great intentions of making these great Christmas gifts for them, but run out of time and energy.


So I'm starting before the "last minute" this year and plan to have a bunch of these Easy Christmas cocoa gifts in my purse.  That way, I won't forget anyone as I'm out and about running errands and remember someone else who has made my day a little brighter.

In case you feel the need to say an extra Christmas Merry Christmas too, all you need is:

4" x 10" Candy Treat Bags
Starbucks® Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix
Emerald Green Curling Ribbon
Christmas Cocoa Printable

Start by printing out the Christmas Cocoa poem at the bottom of the page onto good card stock.  You will need to right click on the picture and save it to your computer.  Then you can print it out using your computer's print program.  There are three Christmas cocoas to a page.  I wish I could take credit for this beautiful program, but I don't know who wrote it as I've had it for MANY years.  So if anyone knows, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

I used some good Starbucks® Hot Cocoa Mix in peppermint and toasted marshmallow flavors.  I found this brand at my local grocery store, so you can probably pick it up anywhere or even at Amazon.

Simply add the hot chocolate to a 4" x 10" Candy Treat Bags and then the Christmas cocoa poem.  I tied mine with a bow using Emerald Green Curling Ribbon  to accent the green in the poinsettia leaves on the poem.  Now you have some easy Christmas cocoa gifts for everyone on your Christmas list too!

November Reading List on Off-Topic Tuesday

I love to read.  To escape into a book and enjoy the trials and ultimate success of the characters is my favorite way to spend an afternoon.  I read so many books each month that it's hard to keep them all straight in my memory when I want to go back and revisit some of my favorite characters.  So I've decided to start a list of each of the books I read each month and share them with you.  Maybe you will want to visit my new friends too.

Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

I enjoyed the sequel to Unraveling so much that I had to pick it up mere days after finishing the first book.  It was a little slow getting started but I guess we has to see the consequences in full force of societies melt down after the end of the first book.  I admit I spent much of the book thinking there would be a way to fix the deaths and results of the first book and was a little sad when that didn't happen.  So I guess I shouldn't have been too suprizes to see it happen at the end of this book too.  But work a happy ending coming a little like an ads on, I'm okay with it and glad I read it.

The Forgotten Locket by Lisa magnum 

This was the final book to the Hourglass door series.  I struggled in the beginning to get into it after reading so many other books between the series.  Once I did, I read almost straight through trying to discover the happy ending when there was so much chaos in the timeline.  I didn't see the end fight coming, although really I should have if you think about it.  I guess that was a sign that I wnjoyed the book too much to worry about trying to figure it out.  The was that Abby and Dante fixed the time line was a little strange bit if you're willing to just go with it, it was a sweet ending.  I will miss the characters in this series and hope that someday Leo will get his happy ending and we can meet up with the characters again.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I spent the first half of this book trying to decide if I liked it or not.  It was such a different form of romance than what I'm used to reading that it took me a while to get into it.  But once I decided it was good and the plot started to reveal itself, I enjoyed it.  The "romance" scenes were totally skipped over so much that if you weren't catching it clearing, you would probably not have guessed what had happend.  I am a fan of historical fiction and so enjoyed that aspect of the story.  It wasn't my favorite of all the books so far this month, but I'll probably pick up the second "Dark Triumph" and third book before long.

The False Prince by Jennifer Neilson

This book is the story of 3 orphans chosen to impersonate the lost prince.  Or at least I assume so.  I got about 10 chapters in and just didn't enjoy the story.  I'm not sure if it was the slow pace of the book or just that I didn't really enjoy the story at all.  I finally put myself out of my misery and returned the book.  Then I moved on.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

This book really caught me by suprise.  I had put it last to read because I just didn't think I'd like it.  But I really, really enjoyed it.  In the beginning of this book, Mia and her family are in a car accident.  Everyone dies but her.  While she decides whether she's going to fight to live or give up, the story tells about her past and her family.  It was very well written and despite the fact that it all happens in a hospital room with flashbacks, I loved it.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I enjoyed "If I Stay" so much that I ran out and got the sequel right away.  This book happens 4 years later and is from Adam's (Mia's boyfriend in the first book) point of view.  It tells of the results of Mia's choice and Adam's struggle to let go.  I'm not going to tell you too much since I don't want to ruin the first book, but I will tell you that there is a happy ending and a very good story to be told.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

This is the third book in the Divergent series.  I was super excited to read it when it first came out since I absolutetly loved Divergent and like Insurgent.  But after seeing all the one star reviews on Amazon about it, I got nervous so did a little searching and read some spoilers.  Knowing what happend in the end of the book, made me very leary to read it, but knew I had to finish the series.  I enjoyed it for the most part and am sad about the way it ended, but it's good to remember that one life can make a big difference if we just keep moving on despite the hard sacrifices and troubles of life.

I think the book was worth reading just for one quote that stood out to me above all the others.  "I fell in love with him.  But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or dissapoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me."  (Allegiant, p. 372)

Entwined by Heather Dixon

From Amazon review: "Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.  The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late."

This was a simple yet sweet book about healing and the power of love.  I was unsure at first and almost put it down a few times.  Yet something kept me coming back until the end when the story picked up, then I couldn't put it down.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

From Amazon review: "Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king--a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young. Most of the chosen do."

What I loved most about this book what that Elisa wasn't the perfect heroine at the beginning of the book.  She's not considered beautiful. She's not strong.  She's not sure of herself.  But through the trials of the book, she learns to become an amazing heroine and we can see the changes as they happen. I enjoyed this book and am glad to see there are a few sequels to add to my reading list.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

From Amazon review: "What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button? 

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out."

I read this book in about 5 hours and must say I enjoyed every one of them.  I found it pretty funny to see these two kids try to understand and figure out Facebook from the past.  It really makes you realize how much our way of life has changed with the interenet, facebook, and blogs being such a prominet part.  But it was also interesting to see how these two kids tried to change their futures based on small snipets of our internet posts.

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin Trilogy)

From Amazon review:  "Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy."

While the first book in His Fair Assassins trilogy had a good deal of focus on the problems facing the realm, Sybella's book is a more personal story withtthe problems being on the edges of the book. I did like that as you got to see the trials that went into making her the hand of justice that she is.  It wasn't an amazing book, but as part of the trilogy, I enjoyed the read.

10 Funny Elf on the Shelf Ideas

We don't have an Elf on the Shelf and probably won't be getting one since Mini Me is on the verge of not believing in Santa anymore, but I love the fun ideas that come out every year about this time.  These are a few funny Elf on the Shelf ideas that made me chuckle and wish we had an elf playing jokes at our house.

1. by the Fancy Stanton

2. by Momma Melly

3. by Dump A Day

4. by Dr. Farrior

5. by Gavin Hay Photography

6. by Picklehead Soup

7. by Raining Hot Coupons

8. by Skinny Mom

9. by Ruby and Myrtle

10. Real Elf on Shelf (by Unknown)

Easily Save Money at the Grocery Store

Why you should try the new Favado app and how to get the best shopping deals at the Grocery Store using it.

I have always been into couponing and trying to find the best deals.  I get such a good feeling when I know I've saved money and have a stocked pantry or a party on the cheap.  I feel like I can weather any storm that comes my way when I have the things my family needs at a good price.  While I wish I could be as good at saving money at the grocery store as those on the TLC Extreme Couponing show, after years of doing coupons, it really isn't possible to do what they do for tv.





I remember years ago when I was teaching a class on how to save money at the grocery store, there were several ladies that asked how to get the best deals when they didn't have time to search them all out and keep up on the sales and coupons needed.  At the time, there weren't a lot of ways to do this other than good online couponing sites and message boards.

But recently, I discovered a way to get all the best shopping deals without all the hassle.  I was so excited the first time I took the Favado app out shopping I wanted to share it with everyone at the store!  (I'm sure that wouldn't have been super weird.)  So I decided to share it with my friendly, neighborhood readers instead.

So now, I just have to tell you how amazing the new Favado app is!  And how wonderfully easy it is to use!  And how much I absolutely LOVE it!  (Can you tell how excited I am about this little app?)

All you need to do is go to the Favado website and sign up for the app.  After you download and sign in, you will need to select the grocery stores you want to search.  I live in a very small town so don't have that many stores to compare.  You can only compare up to five stores at a time, but you can have as many stores as you need in your que.

Once you have your stores set up, you can start checking the local shopping deals and Sales.  You can choose from the "Best" of all the sales in your selected grocery stores, your "Faves" (items that you want to keep an eye on), and "All" the sales in the stores.

Once you've found an item that you need, you can click on the link to show you the details of the sale.  Favado will show you the item, the size, the store it's on sale at, the dates of the sale, the price or details of the sale, and if you're really lucky a pretty red paper clip.  The paper clip means that there are coupons you can use to help you get the best of this deal.

If you click on the paper clip, Favado will show you any printable or clipable coupons you can use--with a link to print them out or where to find the coupon (whether it's from All You magazine, Smart Source, or wherever.)

You can click the blue "Add to List" button at the top and then email yourself the list when you're done.  It will send you the links so you can print the coupons as soon as you get near your printer.  Although to be honest, I just check where they are from and usually go to Swagbucks or My Points and use their coupon printer so I can get the extra reward points when I redeem the coupons.

When you are out grocery shopping and find yourself at a certain store, you can pull up your Shopping List on the app and it will sort the deals by store.  This way, you will never miss a great deal!

I can't tell you how much the Favado Shopping App has saved me in both time and money.  I love that I don't have to scour the deal websites to find stores in my area and with products I actually use.  I love that it helps me to know where to go to print out the coupons that I need to get the deal, and I love how it sorts them all by store so I don't miss any of the best shopping deals when I'm out and about.

As the holidays are approaching and you find yourself needing to stock up for the BIG Christmas dinner, I hope you'll check out Favado.  We all can use a little extra help to make the dollars stretch this time of year.

Santa Express Train

For years, one of my favorite books has been the The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.  We would read it every Christmas eve to the kids and even have six large bells on our Christmas tree that the kids get to hang and remember to believe each year.  So imagine my great joy when we moved to Colorado and found the Santa Express train right in our own backyard.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is a beautiful ride through the mountains of Colorado based out of Canon City.  During the holiday months, the train dresses up to become the Santa Express to take you and your children to the North Pole and back.

When we first boarded the train, we were greeted by these wonderfully helpful train entertainers.  (Why, yes, that IS Drama Queen in her very first official job!)  They helped us find our seats and as we started, they brought us a dark, rich cup of Hot Chocolate and a soft, sweet Sugar Cookie to enjoy on our way to the North Pole.

On our way through the mountains, we enjoyed the treats.  We sang Christmas carols (sometimes at the top of our lungs), we listened to Christmas stories, wrote letters to Santa, and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.

We finally arrived at the North Pole to see Santa and his elves at a fun, lighted Christmas village.  Santa boarded the train and made his way through the cars to visit with each of the children.  He visited with us and gave each of the kids a fun Christmas gift to take home with them.

We really had a good time on the Santa Express Train.  I highly recommend you take a trip and visit Canon City to bring a little extra holiday joy to your season!

This post was not sponsored or requested in any way.  I am a big fan of supporting local businesses and enjoyed our trip on the Santa Express Train, so I had to share!