The Pleated Poppy

I just love Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy and today she's showing us her Christmas decorations. You must go check them out!

Here's a sneak peek..................

She's my total blog crush!

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

My husband loves chicken pot pie and was on me for ages to make it. Well, I tried a number of recipes - everything from using puff pastry to a recipe with a million ingredients ( I swear!). All of them were very time consuming and never tasted exactly right.

Finally, I turned to my faithful friend Paula Deen and she supplied the best recipe ever! It's so quick and easy that I can even make it after work during the week (as long as I have the chicken cooked and shredded ahead of time). Best of all? My husband loves it! Enjoy!

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup instant biscuit mix

1 cup milk

1 stick melted butter

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper, optional

1/2 cup frozen green peas ( I add more peas and carrots)

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

2 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (I shred mine)

1 cup chicken broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

S'Mores Kit

Wouldn't these be a cute gift for that friend who has everything?




From Twig and Thistle

Peppermint Pretzel Wands

How adorable are these? They just may find their way on my baking list for next weekend!

Peppermint Pretzel Wands

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen.

Ingredients
· 10 oz. vanilla candy coating
· 9-oz. package of large stick pretzels (about 8 1/2
· red and green mint candies, crushed

Preparation
Melt candy coating in a microwave-safe 2-cup measuring cup on high power (100%) one to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Dip each pretzel into candy coating to cover half of pretzel. Sprinkle with crushed candies. Stand each pretzel, coated side up, in a glass until candy coating hardens.

Thanksgiving at Disney World

We spent our second Thanksgiving in a row at the Happiest Place on Earth, thanks to a wonderful Christmas present we received. If you know us, you know we're huge Disney fans and love to go! We didn't think we would be able to this year, so it was a huge blessing to be able to take Brady on one last vacation as an only child. Next time, Beckett will be along for the ride!

We stayed at our favorite resort, Pop Century!

The weather was gorgeous - 78F and sunny almost the entire week. Everything was decorated for Christmas and in true Disney fashion, absolutely magical. It was hard to be in the holiday spirit with palm trees and such warm weather, but that's just why I couldn't live there full time. I like a little seasonal weather throughout the year. But for our vacation, it was perfection! Brady even got to swim!

We made it a very laid back trip since I'm 6 months pregnant. I sat on a lot of benches and ate a lot of snacks while the boys rode rides that I couldn't ride. My doctor just didn't want me going on Space Mountain. I can't imagine why! Ha!

We did a few different things this time, including playing mini golf at WinterSummerland. We played the Winter side, which was a Christmas theme!

The boys eating ice cream in Epcot

And playing a crazy game of Twister! (I did not particpate in this! )

It was a wonderful, wonderful trip and I can't wait to go back with our little family of four.

Our 2010 Christmas Card!

Swirling Ornaments Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

It's November 18th. Have you ordered your Christmas cards yet?

It’s November 18th. Have you ordered your Christmas cards yet? I have not, mostly because I’m waiting to see if I get an awesome family picture on our vacation next week to Disney World (Disney World! I’m so excited!). But I have been scoping out my options and I think Shutterfly is going to have exactly what I want!

Choosing the perfect Christmas card is a big part of my Christmas planning. Shutterfly has awesome cards and so many choices, so you’re bound to find the perfect card that best describes you and your family. They truly have an option for everyone, including people like me who insist on a card that says “Merry Christmas.”

Feeling more serious? Or elegant? Here you go!

Whimsical?


Is it all about the kids this year?



We also love to do photo gifts for the grandparents and great-grandparents. My grandmother loves to get a calendar and my mother-in-law will love a photo book made from our vacation to Hilton Head earlier this year.

And I was beyond excited to find out that Shutterfly was offering 50 free Christmas cards for bloggers! One of my goals this year is to simplify and save money, and this will definitely help the saving money goal!

So start thinking about your Christmas cards! Time is running out! Merry Christmas!