'Owl' Always Smile When I Hang This Ornament on Our Christmas Tree! #cbias

As a blogger, it is easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of Holiday features throughout the fall season.  It's exciting to introduce our readers to gift ideas, new products, and to give some of those products away.  As Christmas approaches, I am looking forward to that whirlwind settling so that I can take the time to appreciate the things about the Holidays that make this time of year joyous for me.

One of the things that makes the Holidays special for me online (aside from shopping) is the community.  I am only a member of an extremely small number of blogging communities and am an active member in just two.  One of these communities is Social Fabric run by Collective Bias, who is in large part responsible for helping me to improve my blog's content over the past year and a half or so.

Another benefit of being part of a supportive community like Social Fabric is that I have had the chance to cross paths with a great number of bloggers who were never on my radar before.  One of these bloggers is Heather of Girl Gone Mom.  If you've never visited her parenting lifestyle blog, I highly recommend that you do.  As part of this year's Social Fabric Ornament Exchange, Heather sent me this adorable owl tree ornament and this lovely Holiday card.  If you follow me on Pinterest or Twitter, then you know that I am infatuated with owls.  I have been for quite some time and it is hard to believe that this is my very first owl ornament.

Thank you Heather!!  I'll always smile when I hang this ornament on our little tree every year!

Febreze Delivered $10,000 plus Special Holiday Memories of Home This Christmas Eve

In early November, I had shared a Holiday contest with you hosted by Febreze on Facebook, where one lucky winner would receive $10,000 plus the opportunity to surprise a loved one who could not be home for Christmas with special Holiday memories from home.  Well on December 24th, Febreze delivered this amazing surprise to a dad who could not be home with his family.  You can watch the heartwarming video here and leave your thoughtful comments here.

I thought that Febreze did a great job choosing a winner.  There is nothing harder than having no other choice but to be away from one's family during the Holidays, especially for those with young children.  It certainly makes me feel especially lucky to have had my whole family together for Christmas this year.


I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Febreze. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Share Your Most Memorable Holiday Memories with Febreze

Through December 17th, Febreze will continue to post a new question daily asking about some of your most memorable Holiday memories.  Today's question is about your "most memorable outfits from Holidays past."  I'm not sure if I would have an answer for this question because I have managed to block out how my parents used to dress me before I was old enough to choose my own clothes.  How would you answer this question?  The "most memorable toy from Holidays past" is a much easier question to answer.  That would be my Cheryl Ladd fashion doll!

Visit Febreze on Facebook to view all the latest questions and see how others have answered them.  Then submit your answers to the questions that spark a favorite memory of yours.  After all the questions have been posted, Febreze will be sharing the Top 10 Best Holiday Memories collect from their Facebook fans between 12/3 and 12/17.  Will one of your favorite memories be included on this list?


I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Febreze. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Win $10,000 and More in the "Febreze Seasons Giveaway" on Facebook

There used to be a time when all my relatives, which consisted of 6 other families besides my parents, my sister, and myself, would come together every Thanksgiving and Christmas without fail.  Now that my cousins and I are all grown up and have families of our own and many of my relatives have moved out of state, I cannot count on seeing everyone during the Holidays.  Some years, a few of our relatives return to Boston to spend the Holidays, but it is different each year.

Throughout the years, I have gotten to know quite a few of my readers, many of who have grown children, siblings, or parents that live in another state or, in some cases, another country.  It is these readers that come to mind as I share the Febreze Seasons Giveaway with you . . .

Febreze would like you to tell your story about a loved one who cannot be home for the Holidays this year.  One lucky winner will receive $10,000 plus all the special memories of being home during the Holidays.  So head over to Facebook to tell Febreze about someone you know who deserves a little happiness this year.

The contest has already started and will run though November 27th, 2012.  Click here to read the official contest rules.


I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Febreze. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Depression Around the Holidays

All year round, but especially around the holidays, more people seem to suffer from depression or their existing depressed state worsens.  There could be many causes . . .  stress about lack of money, less daylight hours, loneliness, a chemical imbalance, or something else.  Online I know several women who suffer from depression year round because I belong to an online community mostly comprised of women.  In real life, however, I have to say that I know more men who seem to suffer from signs of depression than women.

Like with many other things, men seem more reluctant to seek out help with depression.  It seems to be harder for a man to go to a professional and admit that he may be depressed, perhaps because it may be construed as a sign of weakness?  How many men must suffer silently and just hope that something will turn around and they will just feel better one day?  I wonder if such men would benefit from depression forums, such as Depression Connect?  It is always easier to open up on a forum where there is some anonymity.  I am not suggesting that a forum could replace professional help, but it may provide enough support for men to take the next step and make that appointment to talk to someone.

If you have any experience with online support for depression, I would love for you to share your experiences (provided you feel comfortable).  Other 3G2S readers could benefit from your first hand knowledge.

Making a Holiday & Birthday Wish List is a Must for My Children

For the second year in a row, I am using the Amazon Universal Wish List to put together lists of items my three children would want and need for Christmas and birthday gifts. As their parent, I feel like I know best about what my children's interests are and what items gift buyers should avoid. Since our children's birthdays all fall in January, you can imagine how high the risk of duplicate gifts may be. I have even added the "Add To Wish List" button to my toolbar, so I can add any item I see from whatever website on which I happen to be browsing. I usually add items in a variety of price ranges and it seems to work out well for everybody.

I just added this Sandwich Making Set by Melissa & Doug to my 3 year old son's wish list, which I came across on GrowsUp.com . This site was recently brought to my attention and I wish I had found it sooner. GrowsUp.com contains micro boutiques from some of my favorite children's brands, such as Melissa & Doug, KidKraft, Green Toys, and more. The site even sells one of my favorite items ever . . . the Teagan & Mack Pearl Bracelet my daughter has been wearing since September. In fact, I have seen many items I own on this site, which just proves to me that the collection of brands represented on GrowsUp.com is a perfect fit for my family. If you are a one-stop-shop kind of person, then I highly recommend you check it out for yourself.

Valentine's Day and the Year of the Tiger

This year, two holidays land on the same day. February 14th, 2010 is both Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year!

It is the Year of the Tiger. Are any of you tigers out there? You're a tiger if you were born in any of the following years . . . 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, or 2010.

Whether you are only celebrating one holiday or both this year, I wanted to wish all my readers a Happy Valentine's Day, as well as a Happy Chinese New Year!

Christmas 2009: Dinner and Gifts at My Cousin's House

It's been a tradition for many years that our relatives would all gather at my cousin's house for Christmas dinner. Since some of the families and individuals have moved away, they still manage to come back to Massachusetts every few years to visit, which is always a treat.

It is always a very relaxed atmosphere with great food and company. This year, Jake was old enough to hang out with the older children. As a result, the twins enjoyed all the extra attention.

This is my cousin who worked on one of our favorite films Disney Pixar's UP . . .

They may be twins, but their taste in music are polar opposites . . .

Every year before dessert, the children get to open their gifts. Even though there were only six children there, it seemed like there were twenty. My cousin had a great idea for next year, which is for all the families to draw names. That way, each family would only buy for two children rather than six.

That's it for Christmas 2009 posts! If you've missed any, you can find more photos here . . .

Weekly Winners (W/E 12-26-09)

Christmas Eve at the In-Law's

Christmas Morning

3 Very Stuffed Stockings

Lunch and Gifts at My Sister's & BIL's House

Christmas 2009: Christmas Eve at the In-Law's

On Christmas Eve, we made the two-hour drive to my in-law's for presents and an early dinner. The children had a great time, but were all exhausted after a few hours. In fact, we were all exhausted and I have no idea how my dear husband made the long drive home without dosing off.

There were too many gifts. Each child received several rather than just one or two. Needless to say, they were loving it. Luckily they enjoyed giving their gifts to Grammy and Grandpa almost as much as receiving.

Christmas Morning

3 Very Stuffed Stockings

Lunch and Gifts at My Sister's & BIL's House

Christmas Dinner at My Cousin's House

A Solution for Last Minute Holiday Shoppers

I do not consider myself to be a last minute shopper, but sometimes being a last minute shopper is out of my control. What happens when someone sends you a gift out of the blue a week before Christmas and you want to reciprocate?

An obvious solution is to run out and buy something or to order a gift online and use expedited shipping by a carrier like FedEx. Another solution you may not be aware of is that FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinkos) offers custom printed gifts, such as photo calendars for wall or desktop display. For holiday 2009, you can place your order for custom photo calendars or stationary as late as December 20th to receive a free 3-day rush on your order, which would allow your order to be delivered in time for Christmas. You can do so by visiting FedEx online or by making a trip to your local FedEx store.

Visit Out of Office, FedEx's new blog, to learn about cost-effective ways to get your gifts to their destinations. For help with packing and shipping your gifts, visit your local FedEx office, where you will receive assistance with packing your gifts in a way that is safe, secure, and minimizes the size and weight of your package.

For a limited time, anyone who signs up for a free FedEx account can enter to win 1 of 5 iPod Touch units. Simply sign up on FedEx.com and then enter your first name, FedEx account confirmation number, and your contact email here to be included in the random drawing.

This post was written as part of the FedEx Blog Tour for Mom Central and I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation.

Giveaway: Nancy's Easy Appetizers [CLOSED]

Not too long ago, I published a review of Nancy's Petite Quiche revealing how well they went over during our intimate Thanksgiving dinner. Now I am going to give one of my readers the chance to try Nancy's easy appetizers for themselves.

I had tried Nancy's in the past, but I never realized how extensive Nancy's selection of prepared foods was, especially Nancy's appetizers. As a person who has been known to order appetizers in place of her meal at restaurants, this knowledge could be dangerous.

I wrote the mentioned review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nancy’s Appetizers and received 1 coupon to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate plus 1 coupon to use as a contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a voucher for one Nancy's Appetizer product.


Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.


How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of Nancy's appetizers. Then leave a comment telling me which one variety of Nancy's appetizers would you most want to try. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND Nancys.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Red Delicious!

To get us into the holiday spirit, here are some Christmas cookies we received from Hickory Farms. The ones in the top photo were my favorite and the sugar cookies with the sugar crystals were my husband's favorite. They were all delicious actually and provided plenty of red for my Ruby Tuesday photos.

If you'd like to see more Ruby Tuesday photos, go visit Mary at Work of the Poet!

For Better or For Worse: Lighting Up

Our pre-lit Christmas tree is about 7 or 8 years old. Ever since the first year, there has been one section that won't light up. It's not even always the same section. I usually fiddle with it for a half an hour or so and then ask my husband for help. He usually manages to configure the six billion plugs so that all the sections light up somehow.

Well, last week we put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving. Since I was busy baking cupcakes, my husband took on the job of assembling the tree and tackling the lights. As predicted, one section would not light up again. After trying all possible configurations of the plugs, he concluded that we must be missing a bulb or at least have a loose one. I don't know how he had the patience, but he went through each bulb on each branch one at a time. I think I would have thrown the tree out the window before I got through half of them.


Well, thank goodness for my husband's patience. Look how pretty our tree looks!