Start New Holiday Traditions with the TreeMendous Ornament Decorator!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

That time will be here soon....the time where we start to think about Christmas and decorating our houses and trees with all things Christmas!

This year, my family will be decorating our own Christmas tree decorations with the TreeMendous Ornament Decorator.

Homemade ornaments become treasures that capture a moment in time. TreeMendous uses a patent pending design to let children, within minutes, craft a beautiful ball with colorful spirals, stripes, and zigzags! Hang it on the tree or gift it as a sweet memento for someone else’s holiday décor. Check out the video below to see how it works!

Kids of all ages can craft perfect, hand-decorated tree ornaments by inserting one of the included, blank white ornaments into the TreeMendous holder. Flip the switch to get it spinning and then use the enclosed non-toxic markers to start coloring beautiful, vibrant lines. No matter how un-steady small hands are, the lines always turn out perfectly straight because the ornament is always spinning!

And the best part – there's absolutely no mess. The marker colors dry almost instantly so grownups can simply remove the ornament from the spinner and immediately hang it up on the tree.

I love that you can even get an ornament refill pack like the one below! My children can make multiple ornaments and decorate our entire tree with homemade ornaments!

TreeMendous makes a perfect present as it’s an ideal activity for kids and their grandparents, cousins and parents alike. Start a new Christmas tradition in your house - decorating Christmas ornaments together as a family with TreeMendous!

Buy It:

You can purchase the TreeMendous for $29.99 from their website.

Disclosure: A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Book Review: God Bless Us Every One

A book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

About the book:

Charlene Dixon---called Charlie by family and friends---is devastated at the recent loss of her job.

For the last five years, the twenty-seven-year-old has blossomed as the activities director of an exclusive all-girls school. But when a misunderstanding with the headmistress leads to a pink slip right before the holidays, Charlie packs up her dreams and returns to her grandmother, Sis, who raised Charlie as her own in the mountains of North Carolina.

When Charlie arrives---broken and confused---Sis immediately puts her granddaughter to work behind the scenes of the local school's Christmas play, A Christmas Carol. Charlie prickles at working with Dustin Kennedy, the drama teacher and her old crush from schooldays, but is even more put out at that the choice of the Dickens' classic for the holiday performance. When she discovers her estranged father's involvement her world turns on its head once more. But when Sis and Dustin encourage her to take a deeper look at the story behind A Christmas Carol, Charlie learns about trust, faith, and forgiveness and the needs of people in their own community.

About the author:

Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning speaker and author of The Road to Testament, Things Left Unspoken, This Fine Life, Chasing Sunsets, Waiting for Sunrise, Slow Moon Rising, and The Potluck Club series (with Linda Evans Shepherd). She is the president of Word Weavers International, Inc., a member of AWSA, ACFW, RWA, the director of Florida Christian Writer's Conference, and the contest director for Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer's Conference. She and her husband make their home in Casselberry, Florida.

My Opinion

The holidays are coming up quickly and the weather is turning colder. There is no better time to snuggle up with a good book.

This Fall, grab God Bless Us Every One by Everson. It's the perfect book for getting in the holiday mood and snuggling up under a blanket.

It's a great book about forgiveness and a look into the famous A Christmas Carol. I really enjoyed watching Charlie's journey of love and forgiveness and it will really get you in the giving spirit.

Buy It:

You can purchase God Bless Us Every One for $10.60 from Amazon.com 

* Disclosure - This book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

We LOVE Ornaments with Love!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

As I have said in the past, every year we order a personalized ornament to hang on our Christmas tree to help us remember down the road who was in our family at each year. We love looking back over the last couple of years at each ornament and remember the memories from that holiday season! Every year, we LOVE ordering from our favorite Christmas ornament site: Ornaments with Love! They always impress us with their great designs, their great creations and the quality of their work!

This year is no different for us! We ordered two great ornaments this year - one as a gift and one for our family. And we LOVE both! They will be timeless gifts that will be treasured forever!

So Why Do We Choose Ornaments with Love Every Year?

Well, first of all their ordering process is quick, easy and user friendly. Best of all, their orders ship within 1 to 2 days and arrived really quickly! I couldn't believe how fast my ornaments came in the mail! Plus, Ornaments with Love personalizes the ornaments for free!

Check out the two awesome ornaments we received this year:

Personalized Snow Couple Christmas Ornament with Flakes- Red & Green Table Decoration

How much happier could Grandma and Grandpa be than to be surrounded by all of their loved ones! Dressed warmly with red coats, green scarves and mittens and standing in front of a fence, these snow couple grandparents smile as they think about the joys and love that their family has given them. I love that this is a little different of an ornament: it is a tabletop decoration that brings the beauty and magic of Christmas into their home. 

You can personalize up to 10 names on the lower snowflakes. The higher snowflakes are for Grandma and Grandpa or whatever names they are called. Grandma's hat is the banner and the middle flake is to document the year. They insert hearts if there are not enough names. This adorable grandparent tabletop decoration will keep the Christmas tradition going for the grandparents as well as the rest of the family.

This tabletop decoration is made of resin and measures 7 " wide by 5 " high. This personalized Snow Couple Christmas ornament is made of resin.

Personalized House Family Christmas Ornament with 5 People

This is the super cute ornament we received for our family tree this year. It is perfect for our family this year because we are moving into a new house next month and this cute house ornament represents that - so we will always remember this is the year we moved! It even has our new address on it!

This personalized ornament measures 4.5" x 3.5" and is made of resin.

Once again, Ornaments with Love has come through for us and made memorable ornaments for our family to cherish for many, many years to come!

Buy It: 

You can purchase all personalized Ornaments with Love from the Ornaments with Love website.

* Thank you to Ornaments with Love for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Tadpole and Lily

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

If you are looking to dress your child up for the holidays, let me recommend the cute accessories from Tadpole & Lily!

Inspired to create the perfect touch to any outfit, Tadpole and Lily offers stylish headbands for girls and handsome ties for boys. Great for every occasion, wear their accessories when keeping it casual or getting all dressed up. You won't want to leave the house without them!

Comfortable and chic, each piece is made in the United States. Tadpole and Lily products are truly handmade with kids in mind. Each handcrafted piece is the cherry on top to every outfit.

My favorite boy's tie is the Blue Argyle The Harris Necktie. Classic at it's best. A two piece necktie that your mister can wear for years. Adjustable in length and around the neck. I love that it arrives already tied but it is a "big boy" tie because it can really be tied like a men's tie!

The Avery Headband in red is perfect for Christmas! Stitched piece by piece, it is a handcrafted headband for girls of all ages.

I don't like how much fabric is on the back - it makes it stick up really high and awkward on my daughter's head. However, maybe when she has a little more hair, it will not stick out so high.

Buy It: You can purchase the headbands and ties from Tadpole and Lily's website.

* Thank you to Tadpole & Lily for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

NEW "Merry Christmas To You" CD from Sidewalk Prophets

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

SIDEWALK PROPHETS RELEASED

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ON SEPTEMBER 24!

Ok, I am sure many of you will hate me for this but....I have been listening to Christmas music since the beginning of September!!!! I just LOVE Christmas music and I am always searching for new, beautiful Christmas music to listen to soothe my soul, give me happy, holiday spirit, and give me some great music to sing and dance to with my children!

Lately, my family and I have been listening to the new Christmas album from one of our favorite Christian bands, Sidewalk Prophets! I love this album - it is fun and upbeat but also features some of the classic Christmas favorites!

 The 41st Annual Dove Awards’ “New Artist of the Year,” Sidewalk Prophets, will release Merry Christmas To You on September 24. The 12-track album is comprised of both classics and some newly-penned tunes. In addition to releasing their first Christmas album, the band will join Matthew West and Jason Castro on West’s “Into The Light Tour” which kicks off on September 26 in Carlsbad, NM. The tour runs through November 17 and is scheduled to visit over 30 cities throughout the U.S. Included in Sidewalk Prophets’ set will be their No. 1 hit single, “Live Like That,” their last single, “Help Me Find It,” which climbed to No. 2 and their new single, “Keep Making Me,” which goes for adds at radio on September 27. On October 15, the band will also make an appearance at the 44th Dove Awards in Nashville, TN, as “Live Like That” is nominated for “Song of the Year.”

Merry Christmas To You, produced by Jonathan Smith, Casey Brown and Ian Eskelin, includes such classics as “White Christmas” (feat. Francesca Battistelli), “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “What Child Is This” and “Silent Night.” In addition, the iTunes version will offer two bonus tracks “Don’t Forget the Star” and “O Holy Night.”

Merry Christmas To You Track Listing:

1. What A Glorious Night

2. White Christmas (featuring Francesca Battistelli)

3. Give Me Christmas

4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

5. Hey Moon

6. Merry Christmas To You

7. Holly Jolly Christmas

8. What Child Is This

9. That Spirit Of Christmas

10. Silent Night

11. Hope Was Born This Night (Bonus)

12. Because It's Christmas (Bonus)

13. Don't Forget The Star (iTunes bonus song)

14. O Holy Night (iTunes bonus song)

In 2012, Sidewalk Prophets released their sophomore effort, Live Like That, on Fervent Records. The band first rode to popularity with their debut release, These Simple Truths, which spawned the hit single, “The Words I Would Say,” and led to the Dove Award for “New Artist of the Year” and a nomination for “Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year” in 2010. Live Like That is produced by fellow Dove Award winner Ian Eskelin and features the #1 song “Live Like That.” Sidewalk Prophets have toured with on the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular with TobyMac and Red and the Rock and Worship Roadshow alongside MercyMe and Francesca Battistelli. In addition to their Dove Award nominations for their debut release, they were also nominated for the Dove Awards in 2011 for “Group of the Year” and in 2013 for “Song of the Year” for their No. 1 smash hit “Live Like That.” For more information and a complete listing of tour dates please visit www.sidewalkprophets.com

Buy It: You can purchase the Merry Christmas to You CD for only $9.99 from the Sidewalk Prophets online store.

* Thank you to Sidewalk Prophets for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Pansy Pie Christmas Tutu Outfit & Giveaway

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

One of my favorite things about being a mother to little children is that I get to dress them up however I want! :) My daughter has been especially fun because there are fun things like tutus to dress her up in! :) Her first pictures are of her in a tutu and now this Christmas I get to dress her up in a super cute Tutu outfit from Pansy Pie!

They specialize in Boutique Tutus and Tutu Outifts for babies and toddlers and her Tutus and Tutu outfits are designed and created with lots of love. They use only the highest quality products in their creations and strive to make the BEST product for customers.

Each and every tutu is handmade in the US with the finest American made tulle and they pride themselves on making the "World's Poofiest Tutus". No skimpy tutus here! These tutu sets make the perfect gifts for Holidays, Birthdays, Photoshoots, Baby Showers, & Dress-up and their tee graphics are custom designed to coordinate with many of the tutus, making them fun to "mix n' match".

My daughter received the fun 2 piece Merry Christmas Set and I can not wait until Christmas now for her to show it off!!

Your little sweetie will feel like a princess too on Christmas in one of these signature-tied tutus. This “Christmas Blend” tutu is a festive blend of red, white, and green Christmas colors which is sure to put a smile on your little girl's face for the holidays.

My daughter had fun trying on this outfit! At first she was a little freaked out about the tutu (because it is really full!) but after a couple minutes she was dancing and prancing and showing off the tutu set like a pro!

And then....she was spent! :)

My son also had to get in on the fun! He thought the tutu looked so fun so I let him try it too!

If you are looking for a fun outfit to dress your daughter in this holiday season (or ANY season!), then check out all the cute tutu and tutu outfits from Pansy Pie!

Buy It: You can purchase all the handmade tutu sets at www.pansypie.com.

And make sure to use coupon code ReviewStew for 40% off anything on the Pansy Pie website!!

Win It: Pansy Pie is generously offering (1) Handmade Christmas Tutu to a lucky winner!

Enter here for a chance to win:

(1) Handmade Christmas Tutu
from Pansy Pie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Thank you to Pansy Pie for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Christmas in July???

Yes, I am sure you are really confused and maybe telling me in your head (or shouting at the screen!) to not even talk about winter and Christmas in the middle of July...but reality must hit sometime. Christmas is less than FIVE months away!!

I personally like to plan ahead for what gifts I am giving so I have already started collecting some presents for Christmas! I hate that feeling of last minute shopping and rushing around when the stores are filled with crabby customers and last minute shoppers! So stressful!!!

Maybe the reason I think about Christmas all year round is because I have a tradition of saving Christmas cards that people send, especially the photo cards, and I hang them on the fridge all year long. Once Christmas comes again, I will replace the ones we have on the fridge right now with the new ones we receive.

I love saving these photo Christmas cards because that way we think about all our friends and family all year long and it has also been a great way to teach my son our family's and friends' names! He can look at their pictures and learn their names!

I am already trying to think of when and where and what picture we will use for our family photo Christmas card this year! I will probably use a picture from our family vacation in South Dakota! I will definitely be heading to Storkie.com when it is time to pick out perfect photo card! They have so many choices and I bought our Christmas Photo cards (shown above) from them last year and they turned out great!!!

Buying and choosing our Christmas cards every year is one of my favorite parts of Christmas and I can't wait to do it again this year! It is coming up quickly!!

What are your Christmas traditions? 

Do you send out a Christmas card every year? 

If so, what kind of Christmas card do you send out??

* This post is brought to you by Storkie.com. All opinions are 100% mine!*