Cyber Funday!

Did you survive Thanksgiving? Black Friday? Small Business Saturday?

We at the Bean household held it down, inlaws and all! Phew! 

We had a lovely dinner, plenty of crazy kiddo play time, and good long naps. 

We avoided Black Friday altogether in favor of my very favorite 

almost Christmas tradition, Cyber Monday! 

I've been stockpiling emails from my favorite retailers and bookmarking coupon codes, as well as creating some of my own! Here's one you can use for 15% off any purchase in my shop through tomorrow! Personalized stationery makes a great stocking stuffer, as does a membership to my Card of the Month club! "What's that?" you say? Buy a membership as a gift and your mom or sister or bestie will receive one handmade card with postage each month! Awesome sauce:)

Visit the Shop!

Fell free to Pin or Facebook or otherwise share this code with all of your buddies! 

What other great deals will you be hitting up tomorrow?

Thanksgiving for Dummies: REDUX

Yet again, I have been slipping seriously on the blog front. Thanks to that dastardly Hurricane Sandy, a house full of guests living in our home for a week, gas lines, a sick kid, and a new day care buddy to prep for, I've been too busy to even remember I have a blog. I have been crafting and cooking, and occasionally taking actual photos of these things. Writing about them is a challenge I still don't have time for though! Especially since we are hosting dinner for Thanksgiving this year. I have a few days left to prep, which has me looking back... Thankfully, I already have this list, so I just have to write out the food list:) Here's the perfect prep list and plan for your holiday dinner, copied from two years ago!


Thanksgiving for Dummies:

Monday (Crap, that's today. Get your butt in gear!): 

• Make your list, check it twice, then go shopping. Have everything you need ready to go by checking this list against your fridge and pantry contents and your recipes. You do not want to be running off to the store in the middle of prep.
• Make sure you delegated the appetizers to someone else. And a salad. And maybe some desserts. This isn't a soup kitchen.

Tuesday: 

• This may sound silly, but figure out what baking/serving dishes you'll need for each dish. It sucks to have a pan full of something ready to bake and have no empty baking dish to put it in. This was my first lesson from Germany. I baked stuffing in a lid. Yup.
• Make My Aunt Cynthia's Party Potatoes. These are quick, easy, and crowd pleasing, not to mention sinfully delicious. Wrap them in foil and stick them in the fridge.
• Make Cranberry Citrus Relish.

Wednesday:

• Prep your vegetables for my Roasted Root Vegetables with Herbs de Provençal by peeling and cutting everything. Toss them into a baking dish, wrap with foil and stick it in the fridge.
• Mix up your turkey rub from My Favorite Roast Turkey. Guess where you should stick it?
• Make dessert. My mom's crazy amazing Frosted Apple Squares should do the trick. These actually don't need refrigeration, so just lay them on your serving platter and wrap well with plastic wrap.
• Need something a little more decadent? Make  this Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake. Stupid delicious. Stick it in the fridge.
• Pull out and clean a cooler. This will save your sanity whether or not you have big drinkers. You'll need that fridge space, so beers, juice, and soda can chill in a cooler so that people will stay out of your way :) 
• Set your table. I'm serious.

Thursday:

• In the morning: Take the butter mixture for your turkey out of the fridge to soften. Eat an apple square for sustenance. Put on a pair of stretch pants and some makeup. You're all class.
• 2-3 hours before dinner: Finish workin' on that bird and stick it in the oven. Have a glass of wine. 
• 1.5 hours before dinner: Make dressing. I love this Savory Mushroom Dressing recipe. My mom always did stuffing inside the turkey, but I think it's a messy pain in the ass. I use apricot or pear nectar in place of the cognac (save your pennies for the good wine). Have a glass of wine. 
• 45 minutes before dinner: Finish the veggies and stick them in the oven. Refill your glass of wine while you set out all of the accouterments, like cranberry relish, rolls, and the good ol' pickle tray. 
• 30 minutes before dinner: Grab your potatoes from the fridge. Stick them in the oven.
• Done. Eat, drink, and be merry. Be thankful for those stretch pants. And the wine.

Now for those of you who are insane and also want to take on some fun crafty things in the midst of the week's business, here you go. Tasty links for funsies you can do with your kids or delegate to your kids to keep them out of your hair:

Printable Blessings Tags from Whipperberry. Use them for seating cards, let kids create their own blessings tree or board, whatevs.

More Free Printables from It Is What It Is. Love the colors on these!

Pom Pom Turkeys from Martha. For adventurous folk or independently crafty kidlets. 

Mod Podge Pumpkins from Simple Mommy Secrets. An awesome way to use those baby pumpkins you may still have sitting around from Halloween. I do.

Bottom Line? Enjoy yourself, even if you need to medicate to handle your family. Be thankful that you get to do this at all, and say a little prayer for those who can't. That's what it's all about anyway.

This post is linked to:

Hearth an Soul Blog Hop

Tuesday Night Supper Club

Tasty Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesdays at Beauty and Bedlam