Christmas Traditions!

I absolutely love the holidays. I love the family, the warm generous feeling in your heart, the music, the food, the decorating, the traditions, and so much more!

A big Christmas tradition in my family is our countdown calendar. We would always try to be the first to move the little mouse the next day closer to Christmas. Silly but so important to us!

One of my favorite things is the Christmas tree. I like having a real tree with colorful lights (some NEED to be blinking!) and lots of random meaningful ornaments. Ornaments are very important in my family. Each year my mother gets us a couple to represent ourselves and the year we have had. I can’t wait to pass this on to our children. There are also a few ornaments that have traditions within themselves! My mom has one of a turtle sleeping in its shell and it has a little tag that says do not open till Christmas. On Christmas day you better believe we hunt that thing down on the tree just to open it!

After getting married we have started quite a few new traditions and I can’t wait to share them with our kids. Although I would love to go to Christmas eve mass, we always go to my husband’s grandma’s house and celebrate. It is a lot of fun. Afterwards, we get hot chocolate and drive around aimlessly counting how many houses with lights we see and of course we need to listen to Christmas music!

Some traditions I hope to share with our kids:

•  Ornaments & Decorating the tree together
• Counting Christmas lights
• Advent Calendar & Wreath
• The Giving Tree or Toys for Tots
• Baking cookies for Santa!
• Breakfast on Christmas Day
• Pistachios in your stocking toe
• Spending Christmas Eve with family
• Wrapping Paper Wars!
• Elf on the shelf

I’m linking up this week with Growing Up Geeky for Toddle Along Tuesday! Come link up and share some of your favorite traditions!

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty Giveaway is Back!

 

Remember the Terrific Twenty Giveaway? Well now it's back! Melissa & Doug are doing another round of giveaways everyday till December 19th right on their facebook page! Be sure to go check it out and try to win a Terrific Twenty Gift yourself!

Slow Cooked Beef Minestrone

I was hesitant making this because of the ingredients (My household is so picky!) but I tried it at work one day and it was fantastic! I got the recipe off the Wegmans.com website.

Ingredients:
- About 1.6 lbs Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Pan Searing Flour
- 2 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil
- 16 oz Cleaned & Cut Minestrone Soup Vegetables (Potatoes, carrots, zucchini, etc.)
- Salt and pepper
- 32 oz Beef Culinary Stock
- 14.5 oz Italian-Style Diced Tomatoes (I did not add these)
- 24 oz Seasoned Tomato Sauce (I used homemade sauce, I'm sure jar sauce would be just as good)
- 1/2 cup dry Ditalini Soup Pasta
- 15.5 oz Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 oz Baby Spinach

Step 1) Dust beef with pan searing flour.
Step 2) Heat oil pn medium-high heat, add beef and sear for about 10 minutes until all sides are browned
Step 3) Transfer beef to slow cooker, leaving drippings in pan.
Step 4) Add vegetables into pan drippings, season with salt & pepper, cook while stirring approximately 3 minutes and then add to slow cooker.
Step 5) Add stock, tomatoes, and sauce to slow cooker, cover, and cook 4 1/2-6 hours on high or 8-10 on low.
Step 6) Add pasta and beans 30 minutes before end of cooking on high. Step 7) Add spinach and stir well to blend about 2 minutes.
We also added cheese on top! Yummm!

Happy Birthday Walt!!

Today is a very important day. Not only in Disney terms but in my own life as well. My grandfather passed away 10 years ago today and I really miss him. It amazes me that today I had a doctors appointment and even though so much heartache has been associated with today I got to hear the little heartbeat that will bring new life to my family. Sounds silly but it was amazing to me.

Anyway, in Disney news I found out that Netflix is now able to stream Disney movies...yay! And oh, who could forget...it's Walt's Birthday!!! :]

Be sure to link up and show Walt some birthday love today!!

Mickey Mouse!!

This week's Wordless Wednesday is all about the Mouse that started it all! Love him! Happy birthday Mickey!! Be sure to link up with Focused on the Magic and show us all your favorite Mickey shots!

Treat.com!

Have you heard of Treat.com? I am officially obsessed. Treat is Shutterfly’s all new greeting card brand that makes sending cards that are one of a kind and totally personalized one step easier. They are perfect for the holidays approaching, special thank yous, birthdays, and so much more!

 

I mean how cute is that? I plan to make a special owl one for my Mom. Treat is also offering you to create and send a one-of-a-kind card of your own for free! Just use the code TREATBLOGR (only good 11/19 & 11/20) Have fun creating and be sure to let me know what you used your card for! Was it a thank you, an I love you, a Happy Thanksgiving? Let me know!

Brought to you by the letter G!

This week's Disney Wordless Wednesday Theme is the letter G! I admit, I couldn't think of much with G but I did think of Good ole Goofy!! Also, don't forget to enter our giveaway to win a Melissa & Doug Trunki!!

Don't forget to link up and show us your favorite Disney G's!

Melissa & Doug Giveaway!

I'm back! With an awesome giveaway opportunity from Melissa & Doug! Remember how I posted about the Terrific Twenty list? Well they are generously offering a Trunki to one of you lovely readers!

From the Melissa And Doug website: Our new limited-edition tie-dye Trunki looks great on the go! Each one is unique--just like your little traveler. About Trunki: Carry on-approved Trunki ride-on suitcases feature fast-moving wheels and an extra-wide base to keep family travel rolling smoothly. Kids can pull Trunki all by themselves, or hop on board for a ride while a grown-up does the pulling!

To enter simply follow the rafflecopter below! Also, don't forget to check the Melissa And Doug Facebook page for a chance to win another great toy on the Terrific Twenty List!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

Do you love Melissa & Doug toys? I know I do! They now have their Terrific Twenty list out for this holiday season with some great deals to go along with it! Every day they will be giving away an awesome product from the Terrific Twenty list right on their facebook page.

Go ahead and head over here and like their page for your chance to enter and win! Not only will they be giving away a product on their facebook page but I will also have the opportunity to do a giveaway for one of you lucky readers! Check back soon for your chance to win!

Fruit Pizza!

I made this for a friend and it was fantastic. Well...at least I thought so! Found on the Pillsbury website.

**Don't forget to enter our Tiny Prints giveaway below! Only 2 days left!!**

Ingredients:
- 1 roll of refrigerated cookie dough (but I'm sure homemade would be just as good!)
- 1 package of cream cheese (8 oz)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup peach slices
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup apple jelly

(The measurements for the last four things are kind of estimates, I didn't use that much)

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350, grease pan (I used a pie dish but a pizza pan is good too)
2) Break up the cookie dough and press evenly on bottom to form crust
3) Bake according to directions (I baked it a little longer about 12 minutes) and let cool completely
4) Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar. Then spread mixture over crust
5) Arrange fruit on top of cream cheese and spread or brush jelly over fruit
6) Refrigerate at least an hour and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

I know it’s a tad bit silly but I’m already thinking about our holiday cards this year. I would love to include a bump picture considering this is our first baby and our last Christmas as just the two of us! Therefore a photo card is a must have. I immediately thought of Tiny Prints! We got our wedding Thank Yous there and they have so many beautiful designs for Holiday Cards that sometimes it’s overwhelming! Here are some of the ones I'm considering. Which is your favorite??

They have some great specials going on right now so you can get a head start (on cards or gifts!) You can also keep an eye on all the things Tiny Prints has going on by following them on any one of there social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: Tiny Prints, Pinterest, Google+, and on their blog. Tiny Prints has also generously offered to do a giveaway for a $50 credit to one lucky Onna Wanna Deal reader! Enter with the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Note: This is a sponsored post from Tiny Prints. All opinions are my own.

Tell me a Story!

It's been quite some time I have participated in a Disney Wordless Wednesday but I am really trying to get back to blogging so even though I'm a day late, this weeks theme is Disney Storytelling! I personally think that Disney does a fantastic job with this. It seems almost every little detail has a story behind it. From the names on windows to the way they portray a story through a ride or a show, they truly know how to tell a story! This week I'm sharing some photos from Storybook Land!

Nutella!

 These nutella cookies are absolutely fantastic in my opinion. They are so chewy and soft and yum! This recipe was found at Lovin' From The Oven.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup Nutella
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Mix together butter and sugars, then add egg, vanilla, and nutella
3) Add flour, baking soda, and salt, then add chocolate chips
4) Bake for 6-7 minutes

My top 5 favorite fall fashions!

Let's talk fall fashion shall we? I am obsessed. The weather is becoming crisp. The leaves are changing. For some reason there's just something about fall. Maybe it's the apples? I do love me some Honeycrisp!

Some reasons I love fall fashion:
1) Scarves. Guilty. I absolutely love wearing scarves.

Source: dressinterest.com via Layne on Pinterest

2) Sweaters & hoodies. They're just too dang comfy.

Source: polyvore.com via Onna on Pinterest

3) Dark nail polish. The reds, purples, browns. Currently rocking a dark red/purple color myself.

Source: realsimple.com via Onna on Pinterest

4) Leggings. I'm guilty of loving these as well. I really need to get one of those cute winter pairs.

Source: polyvore.com via Onna on Pinterest

5) Boots! I couldn't live without my boots. Generally in fall and winter, this is my go-to look. Black shirt, scarf, jeggings, and black boots.

Source: polyvore.com via Onna on Pinterest

So...what are some of your favorite fall fashions and what is your fall fashion staple you can't live without?

20 Week Bumpdate!

Hopefully this will become a weekly thing...this should have been posted on Saturday!

How far along? 20 weeks!

How big is baby? A banana!

Weight? Up 4 pounds from start

Maternity clothes? I have been wearing a pair of maternity pants for work. Other than that everything is regular clothes still.

Stretch marks? Haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary, lots of bright blue veins though!

Sleep:  I wake up early every morning to use the bathroom and I have horrible pain in my back/butt that makes it hard to be comfortable.
Best moment this week: Watching baby kick my phone resting on my belly.
Miss Anything? I would love pink lemonade with vodka.
Movement: Totally a mover and shaker.
Food cravings: lots of things. ha.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat. I just have not wanted it.

Gender: We will not know till February! A lot of people are saying girl though…

Belly Button in or out? Depends on how I’m sitting or standing! Haha.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Mood:  Anxious

Feeling: Tired
Looking forward to: Spending time with family.