Friday Favorites {December Edition} + $250 Target Giftcard Giveaway!

Yay! It's Friday!

Today I'm linking up with Friday Favorites!

Hosted by: Andrea, Erika & Narci

I have 10 favorites to share today! 

Here we go......

{ONE}

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year.

Family, Friends, Football & Food. What's not to love?

And, if you are in the Larson family, add in the horse races to that equation.
Thanksgiving Day Food is my favorite.

I eat 2 meals on Thanksgiving....Brunch & then Thanksgiving Dinner.
For Brunch at the races, I always get the Eggs Benedict, sausage, bacon & hashbrowns.

 And, a bloody Mary, because it's a holiday!

Tradition is also my favorite....and for over 50 years, Kevin's family has been going to the horse races at Golden Gate Fields on Thanksgiving Day.

There is a race in our honor every year, so we get to go down & meet the winning jockey of our race & get our photo taken with him.

 
It was a beautiful California day!
That was the winning horse & the jockey we got to meet:
At the races I watch the Thanksgiving football games on the individual TV's on our tables:

After the races, we head to my parents for dinner. 

Thanksgiving dinner for the win. YUM.

I made the Sweet Potato Casserole & also Pumpkin Cheesecake that we had for dessert. 

YUM!

{TWO}

Erin Condren planners are my favorite!

 My 2016 planner arrived & I love it!

Click HERE to check out all the awesome designs!
Love a fresh new planner!

 
{THREE}

Making Christmas Cookies is my favorite!

Every December my girls and I do a TON of baking. 

We bake cookies for friends, neighbors & teachers.

Here is a round up of some of my FAVORITE Christmas Cookie Recipes!

Warning......there are a ton that I am posting :)

Candy Cane Kisses {Recipe HERE}

Fudge {Recipe HERE} 

Ultimate Ginger Cookie {Recipe HERE} 

Christmas Monster Cookies {Recipe HERE}

Christmas Tree Brownies {Recipe HERE} 

Cranberry Cookie Bars {Recipe HERE} 

Snickerdoodles {Recipe HERE}

Peanut Butter Blossoms {Recipe HERE}

Here are some other fun Christmas treats we make (that aren't cookies!)

Donut Snowmen {Recipe HERE}

 

Donut Reindeer {Recipe HERE}

 Peppermint Ice Cream Cake {Recipe HERE}

Preztel Hugs {Recipe HERE}

 Ritzies {Recipe HERE} 

{FOUR}

Christmas Crafting is also my favorite!

Here are some Christmas craft ideas:

Homemade Snow Globe Gift Card Holder
Instructions {HERE}
Christmas Cookies in a Jar (and free printable) 

Get the instructions & printable {HERE}

Holiday Peeps Smores & free printable {HERE}

We love passing out goodies & gifts to our friends during December :)

{FIVE}

Hallmark Christmas movies are my favorite.
Here is my DVR:

 So many Hallmark Christmas movies!

 Sorry Kevin. I've taken over the DVR. Hahaha!

Anyone else addicted to cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies? They are the best!

{SIX}

Microderm paste is my favorite....especially during the winter months! It's a game changer!

 

I apologize ahead of time for getting the song stuck in your head, but I truly am ALL ABOUT THIS PASTE!
R+F Micro-dermabrasion Paste will be your best friend... Not only does the jar seem to last forever, but the uses are endless!
The gentle exfoliation can be used a couple times a week on your face to help cell turnover and improve skin tone and texture.
Its also great for rough spots like knees, elbows and heels!! You don't want to go through winter without it!

Exfoliation is key to glowing skin!
If you want radiant skin you NEED our Micro-Dermabrasion paste.
I LOVE it and one jar lasts me about 6 months.

I use it 2-3 times a week at night to wash my face.
Our Micro-Dermabrasion Paste is a high-glide, oil-free formula designed to promote maximum gentle exfoliation, featuring vitamins C and E.
Use it 1-3 times per week on dry skin in place of your cleanser to refresh and renew the skin’s surface  & then follow with your skincare routine (one of our Regimens!) Helps to enhance cell turnover and improve your skin tone and texture.
It smoothes away the rough spots.

Right now it is a life saver for my skin because we are having cold weather during the day for California (50's & 60's), the temperature drops to the 30's & 40s at night & we are running our heater.
All those drastic temperature changes can be rough on your skin and dry you out, but I swear our paste is saving my skin!
I use it on my face, arms & legs 2-3 times a week. 

I know so many friends who are IN LOVE with our Microdermabrasion Paste AND our Foaming Sunless Tanner, so I am placing a BULK order next FRIDAY.

I am offering these at a discounted PRICE!

Microdermabrasion Paste-$68
Foaming Tanner- $20

I will pay the tax & shipping.
Send me an email if you want to order!
melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

{SEVEN}

My mom got Luke some Magnformers for his birthday.
He got THIS set:

He LOVES them! In fact, all 3 of my kids play with Luke's magformers!
They have so many different sets!
These are cute:

Love THIS set:

My kids are getting more for Christmas!

Luke will sit and play with them for 20-30 minutes!!

{EIGHT}

Stitch Fix is my favorite!
My December fix is scheduled to arrive today. I requested Holiday dresses for this fix. We have our a few Christmas parties this year, so I thought it would be fun to wear a new dress for at least one of them. I can't WAIT to see what arrives!
If you haven't done Stitch Fix before, I recommend it. I've been doing it since May 2014...every month it's like Christmas when your box arrives. You don't have to get one every month, you can do every other month, every 3 months, etc.
Did you know you can also give the gift of a Stitch Fix gift card?
Or, you can ASK for a Stitch Fix gift card.
Click the photo below for the gift cards:

{NINE}

Running has become a favorite! I ran 12 miles last weekend because 1 week from tomorrow is my 1/2 marathon! EEK. I seriously can't believe I am running another one. ACK!
I am running for Team World Vision & have a goal of raising $1310...$100 for every mile I run. If you want to donate (it's 100% tax deductible!) 
You can donate HERE on my Fundraising Page.

Tomorrow Kevin & I have a morning date.
We are running in a Christmas 5K with some friends & neighbors. People wear fun things...check out our outfits for the race:

I've never run a 5k in an ugly Christmas sweater...it should be fun :)


 {TEN}
 TARGET is my favorite!
Last night I went to Target at 10pm..by myself...no kids...no crowds...it was glorious!!!

It was nice to wander the isles & pick up some stocking stuffers & Christmas presents!
I saw this meme the other day.....Is this perfect or what?!?!

Hahaha!

Guess what?!?!?!  It's your lucky day....I am giving away a $250 Target Gift Card!!!!

Perfect to get Christmas presents, stocking stuffers, winter clothes, etc!
Giveaway ends next Friday!
To enter, use the Rafflecopter below & comment with what you would buy if you won!

Happy Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon + Cranberries

I don't know about you, but growing up I didn't like brussel sprouts.

It wasn't until a few years ago that I started to like them.

I realized the key to delicious brussel sprouts is roasting them.

And, adding other goodies to them also enhances the flavor. 

Here is a delicious brussel sprouts recipe that is perfect for this time of year...it has balsamic, bacon & cranberries!

Here is what you need:

 - 2 lbs of brussel sprouts

- 6 pieces of Bacon (I use Hormel!)

- 1 cup of FROZEN cranberies

- 1 T olive oil

-3 T balsamic vinegar

- 1 cup sliced almonds

Cut the brussel spouts in half, lengthwise:

Add them to a gallon ziplock bag & add the olive oil & balsamic vinegar:

 Shake the bag so that the oil & vinegar coat the brussel sprouts.

Add the frozen cranberries to the bag & shake it again:

Cut your bacon into small pieces:

 Spray a baking pan with cooking spray & then put the brussel spouts & cranberries on the baking sheet. Add the chopped bacon to the top along with the sliced almonds:

It's so pretty. Love the green & red. Perfect for Christmas :)

Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  

Yum.

 This recipe is super easy to make & it's healthy.....bacon is healthy, right? ;)

 Sometimes I add more almonds to the top of each serving. 

Are you a fan of brussel sprouts?

If so, I think you will really like this recipe! 

Enjoy!

Giving Tuesday

Did you know that today, Tuesday December 1st is #GivingTuesday?
What is #GivingTuesday?
From the #GivingTuesday Website:
We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Black Friday & Cyber Monday. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 1st, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.

I love the idea of Giving Tuesday. It was started 4 years ago.
I think it is awesome and a great way to enter the Christmas Season.
One way I like to enter the Christmas Season is that every year on the first day of Advent, I watch a video from Advent Conspiracy as a way to prepare my heart for the Christmas Season.

I encourage you to watch it {turn the volume on for full impact}

 When I first watched an Advent Conspiracy video 8 years ago, it struck a cord and made me re-think Christmas.
Do I think gifts & Christmas gifts are bad? No.
Do I like to shop? Yes.
 But, I have changed the way I view gift giving.
The amount of money Americans spend on Christmas makes me sick to my stomach.

In years past, we used to exchange gifts with all my nieces & nephews.
It was ridiculous buying & exchanging gifts with all 9 kids.
My kids don't need that many presents & neither do their cousins.
So,  a few years ago, we changed how we did Christmas. Each kid would pull a name & get a gift for 1 cousin. Much more reasonable than getting gifts for 9 cousins.

Several years ago, my sisters & I decided to stop giving each other gifts.
We don't need anymore "Stuff"
Now we do something fun together.
For the past few years we have gotten tickets to see a musical or Broadway show with my mom and having a girls day in San Francisco.
Spending time together is much more fun than getting a random sweater or purse.
 This year we also adopted a family.

I also tell my sisters to NOT give my girls Christmas presents.
Instead, I told them to take my girls on dates so they could have one on one time with them for a few hours.
Spending time with their Aunties is much better than a random toy.

I encourage you to watch the video & see how you can turn your Christmas upside down.

And, in honor of #GivingTuesday, I have a list of organizations that we support and things we have done to give back:



Charity:Water - a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations fund water projects. Charity:Water is the organization we used for Project 320 in 2009 & 2010 & we were able to fund 3 wells in Africa. Kevin's high school small group funded a well in the Spring through Charity:Water during our church's Kingdom Assignment Outreach. 
 
Heifer Project (donate an animal to give a family a source of food for a year. A few years ago, one of my students donated a goat in my name.Best Christmas present from a student. EVER.

Team World Vision:  Last week I blogged about my Running Journey and that on December 12th I am running another 1/2 marathon, but this time I am running for a cause. I am running for Team World Vision. My goal is to raise $100 per mile I run....my goal is $1,310.

If you would like to donate, it is 100% tax deductible. 
Any amount helps....$5, $10, $25, $50, $100!
Thank you for your support!

Compassion International - This is another awesome organization. You can sponsor a kid for $38 a month to give them food, shelter, education, health care and the opportunity to learn about Jesus in a neighborhood church program.
Kevin and I have sponsored Compassion children since before we were married. We currently sponsor 3 Compassion kids, 2 girls and a boy. The girls have the same birthdays as my girls and the boy has the same birthday as Luke. If you search the Compassion website you can pick your own child to sponsor & search by birthdate. My kids love that their Compassion kids have the same birthday as them :)
 
 Other ideas you can do for Giving Tuesday or this Holiday Season:

Every year we go to San Francisco during December to check out the Christmas decoration & go to my sister's work party at the Embarcaderro Ice Skating Rink. If you have been to SF before, you know there is a big homeless population. So, when we go, I bring "Blessing Bags"
You can put whatever you want in your Blessing Bags.
I fill them with a $5 gift card to McDonalds, a granola bar, peanut butter crackers, fig newtons & a juice box & a new pair of socks. (You can also put in gloves/bottled water, hand sanitizer, etc)
 A little thing for us to do & a big difference to those who receive it.

Adopt a Family, Feed the homeless, Make a Blessing Bag
 Angel Tree, Operation Christmas Child,
 Donate cans to a Food Bank.




Do Something this Giving Tuesday & this Christmas Season.

It's not about the gifts. It's about the birth of Christ.
It's about loving others.

Make this CHRISTmas meaningful.
Spend Less and Give More this Christmas Season. 
Happy Giving Tuesday!