Dickies Clothing for the Whole Family

Most of us think of Dickies and we think of work wear. I know that I love the Dickies Nursing Scrubs and that my husband likes to wear the Dickies pants for work. The thing is, there is so much more to the Dickies brand than just the clothing that we love to wear to work. Personally I have found the Dickies brand of scrubs to be very comfortable and easy to move in. My husband feels the same way about the pants, they are easy to bend and move around in, which with both of us, we do a lot of! I know that when I find a brand that I know is durable and will allow me to move and get the work done, then that is a brand that I will stick with and recommend, and Dickies is a brand that I love, trust and recommend all of the time! Recently I was given the chance to review some Dickies clothing for my entire family, yes the entire family!! We were each sent clothes that we can wear for everyday use, not just work. I went with the Women's Plaid Shirt Jacket. I love that I can wear this jacket either as a shirt or a jacket. Like when I go out in the mornings to take care of patients, I can wear this over my scrubs and stay warm and comfortable!

For my husband, he loves to lounge in overalls on his off days. He is so country, lol. The thing is, it is not very easy to find overalls in his size. He is a big and tall man, and finding clothes for him can be a task, but I know that with Dickies I can find pants for him to wear to work, so when I realized that Dickies sold overalls, I knew that I had to get him a pair! I went with the Zip Pocket Bib Overalls for my husband. These are great for when I put him to work around the house, or when he goes to help his buddies work on their cars and such. He also finds them great and very comfortable to wear for everyday tasks, which I find great, since it is so hard to find clothes for him that fit and are comfortable!! Another item I got for my husband was the Industrial Patterned Long Sleeve Shirt. My husband is always needing shirts for work, and the shirts from Dickies are his favorite. He loves the fit and how comfortable they are, he also loves how great they look as well. They are perfect for when he is out working on a clients computer or for his current job search when he goes to interviews!

Now I said that they make clothes for the entire family, and I meant it! I was also able to get my kids some really great clothes. For my daughter we were sent the Girls' FlexWaist Flat Front Pants in Black and a Girls' Hooded Softshell Jacket in Raspberry. The pants and this jacket are perfect for wearing to school and she loves both because they are so easy to move in and play in. She can participate in sports at school with out any issues. After looking through the selection of kids clothes I noticed that the line of Dickies kids clothes would be perfect for anyone who has to get uniforms for their kids, they not only have a great selection, but they are very affordable as well!!

For my son I went with a Boys' FlexWaist Double Knee Multi Use Packet Pant in a Dessert Sand and a Boys' Preschool Long Sleeve Interlock Polo Shirt in Navy! This outfit for my son is perfect for when we go out, I also know that when he starts Pre-K next year, this will be a great outfit for him to wear to school as well. He looks nice and he can play, be a boy and get rough and tough without having to worry about his clothes not moving with him!

In all, I loved that I can clothe my whole family under one brand, in comfortable clothing that they can wear for everyday use, for work use or for school use, and I can do all of this at a very affordable price. Next time when you are out shopping for the kids, for yourself or for your husband, whether it is for work or daily wear, check out the amazing line of clothing from Dickies!
Also check out Dickies on Facebook!

This was not a paid post and honest/original opinions were used and they are my own. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review.

THE MUPPETS - Holiday Coloring Sheets

Happy Holidays from The Muppets! Here is a coloring sheet you can print off to share with your kids this holiday!!

Recipes for a Tuscan-inspired Holiday Feast + Coupon!!

Whether you are entertaining a large crowd or serving up a small family-style dinner, this Tuscan Roast Turkey will be the centerpiece of your holiday table. The juicy flavors and crisp, golden brown skin come from a Tuscan Herb Paste made with fresh herbs and a blend of olive oils.

After you’ve tried Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes, you may never want to go back to plain mashed potatoes again.  For another amazing side dish, try sweet and salty Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto.

For more recipes that will turn any meal into an unforgettable feast visit www.carapelliusa.com. Carapelli is also offering an online coupon for $1.00 off any one bottle of Carapelli Olive Oil, 17 oz. or larger.

Tuscan Roast Turkey

Serving Size: 16

1 16-pound young turkey

Kosher salt, to taste

1 cup Tuscan Herb Paste

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

2 teaspoons celery salt

3 fennel stalks with fronds, rough

chopped

3 onions, large dice

1 stalk celery, small dice

2 1/4 quarts chicken stock

3 ounces all-purpose flour

Remove giblets from turkey’s cavity, rinse cavity and pat dry, set aside. Season turkey inside and out with Kosher salt.

Mix Tuscan Herb Paste with crushed fennel seeds and celery salt. Starting at the neck of the bird, slip your hand between the meat and the skin to loosen.

Rub half the paste mix under skin, and rub remaining paste inside the cavity and over the rest of the turkey.

Season all over with kosher salt.

Place two-thirds of the chopped onion and fennel stalks inside cavity. Truss bird.

Place turkey in a roasting pan. Roast at 400°F for 30 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 325°F and continue cooking the turkey to an internal temperature of 160°F, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Baste turkey often during cooking with juices from pan. If turkey begins to overbrown, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

As turkey roasts, simmer giblets (neck, heart and gizzard), the other one-third of the fennel stalk, onion mix and diced celery in 1 quart chicken stock until tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

When turkey is done, remove from roasting pan and set aside to rest. Degrease roasting pan,

reserving 3 ounces of fat to make a roux.

Deglaze pan with a small amount of chicken stock. Transfer stock to a saucepot, and add remaining stock and broth from giblets. Bring to a simmer and degrease.

Make a blond roux with reserved fat and flour. Add roux to the liquid, whisking well to prevent lumps. Simmer 15 minutes. Strain gravy through a fine-meshed strainer. Adjust seasoning.

Tuscan Herb Paste

Yield: 2 1/4 cups

3/4 cup Carapelli Extra Light in Taste Olive Oil

1 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon fresh basil

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

1/2 packed cup fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 tablespoons fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Blend herbs and crushed red pepper with light olive oil using a blender or food processor, then stir in extra virgin olive oil.

Serving Ideas: Rub under the skin of turkey for Tuscan Roast Turkey. Use to flavor vegetables for grilling and mushrooms for roasting.

Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes

Serving Size: 12

10 8-ounce potatoes, (about 5 pounds)

peeled and cut in half

3/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 cup Tuscan Herb paste

1/2 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

Boil potatoes in salted water. When cooked tender, mash potatoes. Mix salt and pepper with Tuscan Herb Paste, olive oil and warm heavy cream. Fold into potatoes.

Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto

Serving Size: 12

2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, blanched,

quartered

4 tablespoons Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, julienned

1 1/2 ounces prosciutto, sliced into 1/2-inch strips

4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Trim stem end of Brussels sprouts. Discard wilted outside leaves. Boil in salted water until cooked through (about 7 minutes) until just tender. Shock in ice water. Quarter the cooled sprouts.

In large skillet over medium high heat, caramelize onions in olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring

frequently. Remove from pan. Place in bowl, mix with prosciutto.

In the same skillet, over high heat, lightly brown Brussels sprouts. Add onion-prosciutto mix, toss.

Deglaze by adding white balsamic vinegar and scraping bottom of pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Skype Offers Free WiFi to Travelers

Weather delays have you stuck in the airport with crying kids on Christmas Eve? Use Skype to call grandma and make the kids smile. And to make it even easier, Skype is offering free WiFi in participating airports across the country from December 21^st-27^th. 

·         Skype is providing one FREE hour of Skype WiFi internet access to travelers at more than 50 major airports in the U.S. including major hubs such as New York JFK, San Francisco International and Chicago O’Hare.  A full list of airports can be viewed here: http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/12/skypeholidaywifi.html

·         Skype WiFi enable travelers to call loved one’s on landlines or mobiles around the globe through voice or video call through their PC, Mac or iOS devices.

Wordless Wednesday...

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!!

This picture was taken by Kristin Orr from It's My Shot Photography!!

Holiday Treats For Gift Giving!

I love to bake and the holidays are my excuse to bake up a storm. It seems that no one complains, in fact the goods I make get eaten just as fast as I plate them by our various neighbors who just have to come by and see what smells so good. But that is the joy of baking, so others can enjoy what you have created, and if we did not have friends coming over to snack on what I put out then I probably would not bake so much. Another reason for my obsessive baking over the holidays is, baked goods make for perfect gifts over the holidays. With just a few ingredients I can bake up a very nice holiday gift pack to give to friends and family! Ever since I can remember, my family has had a tradition of what we tend to call Haber Cookies that we give out. The tradition started by some friends of my grandparents who were the Habers, and Mrs.Haber would make a tin full of cookies for everyone every Christmas. After my grandparents passed away, my mom and my aunt continued the tradition by making their own "Haber" cookies to give out to family and friends. Well that tradition has continued in my home and I find that not only do they make a great gift, but when you are on a budget, you cant afford to get everyone gifts, so the homemade desserts are great for gift giving. Besides they are truly made with love and care, because you want everyone to enjoy the treats you have made them. One of my favorite traditions from the Haber collection are the tassies! I love tassies and they seem to be one of the favorites among many of our friends and family as well. This week is my baking week. I started yesterday and I probably will not finish until Thursday, or at least that is the plan. My main dessert that everyone has requested are the tassies and today has been a tassie day! I have made too many to even count today and I promised that I would share my recipes for my chocolate cherry tassies and my pecan pie tassies!  Well first you need to make your pie crusts for your tassies. If you use a traditional pie crust, I find that the tassies will fall apart so I use this recipe for the crust: Since we are in the holidays, my kids decided to add some food coloring in the crust mix!!

For 24 chocolate cherry tassies you will need:

1/2

cup butter, softened

1

package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

1

cup all-purpose flour

1/8

teaspoon salt

1

cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

24

large maraschino cherries, drained

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour and salt until dough forms.
3. Shape dough into 24 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Press in bottoms and up sides of muffin cups. Fill each cup with about 2 teaspoons chocolate chips. Top each with a cherry.
4. Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until edges of cups are golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from muffin cups to cooling rack; cool completely.

For the 24 Pecan Pie Tassies you will use the same recipe for the crust you used for the Chocolate Cherry Tassies.
Then for the filling you will need:

3 eggs 1 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a medium bowl, gently beat eggs. Stir in sugar and flour, then the syrup, butter and vanilla. Fold in pecans. Pour mixture into tassie shells, (there will probably be a little left over). Bake for 10-15 minutes, eyeball them, they may need a little longer.

A little thing that I learned when making the pastry shells is to put your dough between some parchment paper then roll it out, that way it does not stick!! Once they are done let them cool before packaging them for gifts, or put them out for everyone to enjoy!! They do go fast so as a little FYI you might want to make more than just one tray of each!!!! Happy holidays everyone and I would love to see any recipes you might have that I can add to our Haber Cookie tins this year!! Please share in a comment below!!!!!!!!

Hasbro Boys Toys For The Holidays

The countdown to Christmas has left us with just a few days left to get that holiday shopping done. I know that it seems like right here at the end, you get one or two people on your list that you remember you still need to shop for. Or for people like my friends, their kids just gave them their holiday wish lists this past weekend, so like many others out there, they are in a shopping frenzy trying to get everything together for the holidays. With my friends, they have four boys, and yes they have gotten the boys a few items here and there but the two oldest could not make up their minds on what they wanted for Christmas, and over the weekend they finished their lists and gave them to their parents. To help out with some of the holiday shopping for their boys as well as for many other families that are in the same boat, I suggested they take a look at some of the great products from Hasbro that are perfect for boys! In fact I was sent some of these items so they were able to see them first hand before heading out to the stores this week! A couple of the items I was sent were from the movie Thor, a movie that I know my son and their boys all loved. So when they saw the Thor The Mighty Avenger Hammer and the Thor Helmet, they agreed with me that it would be great to get all of their boys the same set!! Boys will love the Thor Lightning Hammer as it lights up and makes rumbling thunder sounds, to give them the power just like the super hero Thor! Then with the Thor Helmet, boys can become Thor and complete the Thor look! With the Thor Hammer and Helmet, your Thor fans will be complete and they can help save the world in their own little Thor adventures!!!!

Another great toy that I know my husband loves being able to share with our son is the GI Joe!! Yes they still make them, I guess since I am a girl, I never really knew too much about GI Joe except for the fact that all of my guy friends growing up had them. I know that this year, along with my son, our friends boys will also be enjoying their new GI Joe toys when they get them for Christmas this year! I must admit, the GI Joe toys are pretty cool. The one I was sent for review is a GI Joe Army Paratrooper and he has a parachute that really open up. So when your boys throw him up in the air, his parachute will open up so he can have a safe landing during those special missions!!!!

This year as you are out scrambling to get that last minute shopping done, check out the selection of toys from Hasbro!!!


This was not a paid post and honest/original opinions were used and they are my own. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review.

Water For Elephants #Giveaway CLOSED!

Devastated by the sudden death of his parents at the height of The Depression, a young dreamer from the wrong side of the tracks, Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson), abandons his veterinary studies at Cornell University. With no other family, no house, and no money, Jacob stows away on a train carrying the circus performers of The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  Hired as a veterinarian to care for the troupe’s animals, Jacob is temporarily filled with the promise of an exciting life that comes with a traveling circus troupe. However, as he builds a rapport and falls in love with the star of the show, Marlena (Witherspoon), they become prey to the circus’s owner, Marlena’s violent and abusive husband August (Waltz). As the circus begins to crumble from within and against all odds, Jacob and Marlena come together and fall in love through their compassion for a special elephant. With their love on the line, Jacob and Marlena come to a crossroads that will forever change their destiny.

I loved this movie, a great romantic drama that is just one of those movies you have to see! Since the holidays are upon us, the wonderful people from Fox would like to give one of my amazing readers a copy of Water for Elephants on DVD!!

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This giveaway is open to US residents. This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on January 5,2012. Winner will be chosen at random.org and will be given 48 hours before another winner will be chosen. All products for reviews and giveaways are given as a sample from the companies. All opinions in reviews I conduct are my own. I was not paid to say anything or review any products.