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Insta-Thanksgiving: Turkey Flavored Popcorn and Apple Pie Juice

November 17, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 50 Comments

I received product for purposes of this review. All comments here are all my own.

Are you too busy this Thanksgiving to cook up a beautiful bird, stuffing and the works?

Or is everyone got some much on their plate (pun intended) that they don’t have time to come home and enjoy the American holiday?

Or are you watching that waistline, but are craving just one bite of fresh baked apple pie?

Don’t worry we’ve got the solution for you and we aren’t talking catering or a non-fat version of pie.

Nope.

And it’s better than mashed potato flakes, too.

Gourmet popcorn in all the flavors of Thanksgiving.

KingOfPop.com “popcorn-ized” the big meal this year via the Thanksgiving Popcorn Feast – nine flavors of popcorn combined to give you every taste of a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Flavors include: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, apple pie, pumpkin pie and strawberry cheesecake. This would be a creative hostess gift, or a real surprise for kids at the feast who expected to yawn their
way through another Thanksgiving. Available at GourmetGiftBaskets.com for $34.99.

While I didn’t pop open the sides, I did eagerly dive into a bag of Pumpkin Pie popcorn and it fit the bill. So I went ahead and finished it off, much like I’d like to do a Thanksgiving except this time it’s one kernel at time.

Right after Thanksgiving, GourmetGiftBaskets.com is offering the Holiday Gourmet Popcorn Sampler, which includes: Gingerbread, Dark Chocolate Orange, Eggnog, Holiday Anise Cookie, Cinnamon Bun, Dark Chocolate Peppermint, White Chocolate Peppermint, Tuxedo, and Strawberry Cheesecake-flavored popcorns ($39.99).

But we haven’t just popcorned Thanksgiving…they’ve juiced it, too.

Old Orchard Brands, just introduced a new line of limited-edition fruit juice cocktails to celebrate the iconic flavors of fall. Apple Pie, Caramel Apple and Apple Cherry Cobbler fruit juice cocktails are available in stores beginning in November and are the perfect additions to the season. Sweetened naturally and are made with real fruit juice, the three cocktails contain no artificial colors or preservatives. Apple Pie features hints of cinnamon, vanilla bean and nutmeg. Caramel Apple’s creamy caramel taste complements the flavor of crisp fall apples. Apple Cherry Cobbler features a blend of late summer cherries, a hint of lemon and the sweetness of juicy red apple. For a list of retailers featuring the Old Orchard limited-edition fall cocktail juices, visit

Best of all, pretty sure you won’t turn into a blueberry or be wheeled out for juicing if you take a taste.

But I would suggest brushing your teeth after munching on the Roasted Vegetables popcorn.

Wanna try the three Old Orchard Juice blends?

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Christmas Hot List: Disney’s Big Hero 6

November 10, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: I was provided with some of the Big Hero 6 for purposes of this review. However, comments here are all my own. Affiliate links included.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be sad if our Frozen DVD would stop working for just a day or two.

I’ve been trying for a couple of months to get a break (after the Frozen-themed birthday party and no Halloween), so thankfully Disney released another movie for us to get excited about with Big Hero 6.

Inspired by the Marvel comic book, the movie follows Hiro and his inflatable robot Baymax build their own gang so they can take onaa kabuki-masked villain. Featured voices in the film include Damon Wayans Jr., Maya Rudolph, and Ryan Potter.

While we didn’t make it out for opening weekend, I counted their request at more than 10 times to go.

So until then we watched the trailer…also about 10 times.

Taking them to the movies wasn’t really on the to-do list, but they weren’t about to be put off by another home viewing of Frozen.

But toys can be a good distraction.

Big Hero 6 Baymax Rocket Fist and Mask Role Play Combo Pack

Retail $20.99

Of course, every little boy wants another mask, especially when it has a flying fist. Thankfully this one is soft and styrofoam lined.

Big Hero 6 11″ Deluxe Flying Baymax with 4.5″ Hiro Action Figures

Retail $37.99

Baymax flies, makes noise and more. You’ll hate this toy, but your kids will LOVE it.

These will be on the hot list for holiday especially for the boys, so better to snag these up when you find them.

Remember Frozen toys about six months ago?

Junior League of Arlington’s The Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake

November 7, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

Junior League of Arlington’s The Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. flour
1 sp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon cider vinegar to 1 cup milk)
½ c. brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
½ c. walnuts

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup sugar ½ brown sugar with butter.
Add eggs until well blended.
In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Stir dry ingredients into dough.
Add buttermilk and nuts until well blended.
Pour mixture into 9 X 13 inch dish.
In third bowl, combine ½ c brown sugar, 4 tsps. cinnamon to create crumble topping.
Spring mixture on top of bread.
Refrigerate overnight.
When you wake Christmas morning, bake bread at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
Serve with coffee and hot cocoa!

Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

November 7, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

8 slices bread
1 lb. ham, sausage or any meat/veggies
1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sharp
5 eggs
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp dry mustard
¾ cup half and half
1 2/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

Slice bread and decrust.
Line bread in pan.
Layer cooked meat and cheese in pan.
In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
Cover meat and cheese with mixture.
Then add cheese for garnish.
Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning cook 30 – 40 minutes at 350 F.

Relive Family Memories Today with YesVideo

November 2, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

This is a sponsored post. #MyMemoryLane

Growing up we didn’t have a video or photo camera, so many memories of my childhood are only the visions I’ve played (or heard) over and over again in my head. So after the traumatic first months of my son’s life, my parents gifted us a video camera. We had all learned first-hand that life is too precious to just let go by, especially when you might only have a few days to create memories. No longer would we have to try to remember the moments of our children’s childhood, we could capture them for the future to remember and relive again and again.

Since then several years of videos have been recorded, but hadn’t been played back. The videos were full of Christmas mornings, school concerts and birthday candles and since my kids are still young and I could remember the memories, it didn’t seem necessary to press play – only record. Until I watched them (with the help of YesVideo.)

During our family’s young history, we’ve had lost two grandmothers, one great grandfather, my beautiful aunt and many friends had left us. And while none of my videos weren’t of those beloved family members, they were during the times they were still alive.

Like the second Christmas of my son where grandma and grandpa both were on the “first row” to see their kids, grandkids and great grandkids open up their gifts. Now watching the video, we can relive the moment of the two of them together – especially for grandma who now has to experience Christmas holding on to our hands instead of grandpa’s.

While our video skills have thankfully gotten better since these videos, just being able to relive the sounds, the sights and the memory, is sometimes exactly what you need to have another moment with someone you didn’t know you wouldn’t have. For 15 years YesVideo has helped families protect and share generations of memories, and we are now the largest and most trusted home movies transfer service worldwide. You can have your VHS tapes, camcorder tapes, movie film reels and 35mm slides converted to video by placing your order directly online or at the photo counter of any Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart or CVS/pharmacy. And you can also send a part of your video to family and friends as a Hallmark Moment video or Facebook. The process is super easy using YesVideo: YesVideo’s process is very safe and secure. They handle customers’ memories as if they were their own. Their Memory Factory contains surveillance cameras at every stage, and digital copies of the transferred videos are archived for added security. Home movie memories make a special and unique holiday gift. While orders typically take 3-4 weeks to complete, please allow extra time as Holiday season is a very busy time in the Memory Factory. Holiday ordering deadline for receiving is Dec. 3 to have your DVDs by Dec. 24. Share the joy of the holidays by sharing your family memories this Christmas with YesVideo.

Four Ways to Dress Up Your Little Black Dress (LBD) for the Holidays

October 29, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

Last week, legendary fashion designer Nicole Miller, hosted an in-store holiday event at JCPenney Stonebriar Centre. North Dallasites (and several fashionistas from downtown) made their way to the superb suburb to feast their eyes on the new nicole by Nicole Miller holiday collection and hear first hand from Nicole Miller’s top tips for holiday styling and entertaining.

While the full crowd enjoyed a first-look on her Holiday Collection available at JCPenney, it was the tips to make the most out of those few key pieces, rather than creating a new wardrobe that really caught my ear. And there’s nothing more staple for that special occasion than the LBD (little black dress.) But even according to this designer, there’s no need to go crazy to create a new look with the one piece.

How to Style the LBD:

Jewelry is the perfect way to accessorize a LBD
Bling, crystals with gold, mixed metals, black chain detailing, pearl accents
Faux fur vest would be a great addition to a LBD
Studded or snakeskin bags add an edgier touch

However, I think even the LBD can be modified. For instance, the jumpsuit like this one featured at the fashion presentation, is versatile for flexible any occasion with the right accessories and a great pair of shoes. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one and pair it with the fur vest above and a beautiful reptile skin handbag.

Here’s another jumpsuit option that will be flying off the rack for the holidays, especially New Year’s as soon as it is released November 21 on JCPenney.com!

What’s your go-to piece for your holiday style?

Pumpkin Honey Butter

October 22, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

Need a little pumpkin in your life? Sure you do!(As seen on Good Morning Texas.)

This pumpkin pie butter with your toast at breakfast or your dinner roll at supper to ensure you are getting your daily dose of pumpkin in your life. It takes about 5 minutes and is a lot less calories than a pumpkin pie!

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Pumpkin Pie Butter

Print Recipe

Description

Makes a great gift when a baked good for the holidays.

Ingredients

Scale

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
3 Tablespoons of pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Beat the butter with a mixer until smooth.
Add pumpkin pie spice and then 1/2 pumpkin puree until combined. Add remaining puree and mix until smooth.
Add honey and vanilla then beat until thick and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Keep refrigerated in a sealed container until ready to use.

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Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 22, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

I can’t say anything but these are worth suspending your diet plan for the week. That, and they taste best warm out of the oven. I promise if you aren’t married, you will be if you make these for your beloved because they will love you for how good these taste.

That’s pumpkin love at work.

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Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 + 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 semi-sweet/dark chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) bag of Kraft Caramels (for hard, chewy middles), unwrapped

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer beat the butter and 1 cup sugar together on medium speed 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and vanilla beat on low 2 more minutes.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and beat on low just until combined. Then add chocolate chips until mixed. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Then scoop up very slightly rounded tablespoons of the dough, stick a caramel in the center and roll into a ball.
Place onto parchment lined pan.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons cinnamon in a wide, shallow bowl.
Working in batches, roll the cookies in the cinnamon sugar and bake 2 inches apart for 14 minutes. Don’t let dough get warm between batches.
After 14 minutes, take out cookies to warm to the touch and remove from pan. Enjoy!

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:

Sleeping Beauty Princess Spa Day Party

October 13, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 27 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DisneyBeauties #CollectiveBias

Since the first time my eyes spotted the beautiful sweet lips of my little princess, I was ready to celebrate all things princess. Princess tea party, princess dress up party, princess spa party…we were going to have fun enjoying being a princess as long as she would let me. So when Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition DVD Gift Set came out just last week we had the perfect reason to celebrate with a Princess Spa and Watching Party for my little gal and all her friends!

With just a little planning and one easy trip to Walmart for the DVD, the decor from and royal fare, I had everything I needed for the Princess Party.

PrincessSpaPartyChecklist#DisneyBeauties#Cbias#Shop

Download Your Princess Spa Party Checklist PDF | Google Doc

FORMULATE

Just look at how cute these invitations are from American Greetings line called DesignWare? They even include the thank you notes, too, so must love a twofer!

I couldn’t get over how cute the decor options that were available including everything you need for a party like napkins, plates, utensils, balloons, tablecloths and SO much more like chandeliers, window decor and even beautiful princesses to bring the table, floors, and walls to life!

And of course, a Sleeping Beauty Party wouldn’t be complete without a Sleeping Beauty dress for my gal! All the girls were also invited to wear their favorite princess dresses, but just in case, we also had a little dress up corner if any of the girls felt the need for a dress change (and like many girls at a special event, they did!)

FUN

With the invitations, decor and the dress out of the way, I was ready to put together the plan for the evening’s activities. In addition to watching the movie (many of the girls had never seen it) and the refreshments, we had some spa fun to be had. The biggest goal of the evening was to emphasize that every girl was beautiful, so we made use of a mirror and using Crayola Window Markers (also purchased at Walmart), I wrote “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…” and made sure each little girl knew how beautiful she was with positive reinforcement from everyone. It was such a great way to get the evening started so they felt good about themselves!

The two-hour party was broken into stations:

Glass Slipper Pedicure with Cinderella’s Pumpkin Foot Scrub, Happily Ever After Lotion and Sparkle Polish (part of the favor bag.)
Fairest of All Facial with Snow White’s Apple Scrub, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) Lipgloss (part of the favor bag)
Be the Belle of the Ball with Belle’s Up-dos along with tiaras and magic wands
Jasmine’s Jewels with the rest of the favor bags available for the girls to pick up their DesignWare necklaces, rings, etc. for their favor bags

Glass Slipper Pedicure

For this station, I purchased travel scrubbies, towels, dish buckets, sparkle polish and lotion I found ironically named “Happily Ever After.”

I also whipped up this super easy Cinderella’s Pumpkin Foot Scrub sure to make any foot soft and smooth enough to slide into any shoe!

Cinderella’s All-Natural Pumpkin Foot Scrub for Princess Spa Party

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients together for a foot scrub sure to make any foot soft and smooth enough to slide into any shoe!

Fairest of All Facial

Combining a little Snow White & Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, we did a little fun to put their best face forward! First we applied the apple facial, then the girls were asked to lay down while we laid cucumbers over their eyelids for effect (which they loved and took off in 1-2 minutes), and we rubbed their arms with apple lotion while they relaxed watching the movie. After 10 minutes, each princess facial was removed with a warm washcloth. Then each girl selected their own lip gloss for application and then put it in her favor bag to take home!

Be the Belle of the Ball Hair Station

All princesses have beautiful hair already, but we just added a little something extra shiny to make the girls stand out with tiaras and sparkle spray! Since it was Halloween it was easy to find sparkles spray and a run through the favor aisle and for under $1 a piece, each girl had her own tiara and wand! We did add some curls, braids and clips to make each of their dos complete, but we opted not to use any brushes to avoid hair issues like tangles or worse!

Jasmine’s Jewels

No princess look would be complete without jewels! Taking a cue from Jasmine, each girl was able to select her own bag of jewels from DesignWare to wear for the evening or keep for later princess adventures!

FOOD

Since this was an evening of royal treatment, I couldn’t forget the princess touches on dinner! Everything took about 5 minutes to complete, so this dinner was easier than the one I make for my family on most nights!

Princess Spa Party Dinner Menu:

Princess Sandwiches made with bread, cheese, turkey and cut with a princess tiara cookie cutter!
Princess Wands made by skewering grapes to a kabob/dowel rod and adding a star-shaped pineapple slice from a horizontally-sliced fresh pineapple.
Disney Princess Fruit snacks I found at Walmart in the fruit snack aisle!
Princess Pink Cupcakes spotted at the Walmart bakery and added a bag of silver favor rings found in the party section for $1!
Princess Juice discovered on the water/juice aisle at Walmart with tops so there were no spills as the girls traveled to each station.

When the night was over at just about bedtime, we were all sad to see the fairy tale come to an end! But all princesses need their beauty sleep, so each left with their bag of jewels, tiara and wonderful memories of the evening with her princess friends!

Go Boo then Get Sauced with Go Go squeeZ

September 16, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

I am a proud ambassador for Go Go squeeZ! #squeezsquad

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year (not just because it’s my birthday), but the fun you can have being a little bit naughty for the fun of it!

My little tricks and treats last all month and not necessarily are they meant just for the kids! However, while everyone enjoys candy, I just can’t let myself give out tons of sugar to kids to take home and ruin themselves with. However, I do try to take healthier options and make them fun to give out (I don’t want to be that mom with the reputation that you don’t stop at her house because she gives out toothpaste.)

So take the good stuff and make it better with a little love and Go Go squeeZ!

Go Go squeeZ is all-natural with no gluten, no dairy, no fat and best of all no fuss! So you don’t have to worry about special diets and you can enjoy apples (+ any of the other 11 apple blends) without any messes!

Here’s a great trick or treat idea – and best of all, the kids get a healthy treat and you get a little treat for mom, too with a few magic spells we whipped up using a few of your kid’s Go Go squeeZ! (Make sure to keep on scrolling for your treat, mama!)

Just click on the photo for your own free Go Go Boo Go Go squeeZ printables and you’ll be the hit of Halloween!

But when all the fun of Halloween is over, don’t you just want a moment to relax? That’s when you’re treat comes into the picture!

While Go Go squeeZ is good for many things, including adding to your muffins, pancakes and more for an added healthy kick, Go Go squeeZ is also good for a unique cocktail! I actually have three recipes I’m sure you’ll love for Halloween (or maybe just a Thursday night!)

Have a Halloween with Go Go squeeZ and don’t forget to share your Go Go Boo fun on social media with @gogosqueeZ #squeeZsquad!

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Insta-Thanksgiving: Turkey Flavored Popcorn and Apple Pie Juice

Christmas Hot List: Disney’s Big Hero 6

Junior League of Arlington’s The Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake

Junior League of Arlington’s The Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

Instructions

Relive Family Memories Today with YesVideo

Four Ways to Dress Up Your Little Black Dress (LBD) for the Holidays

Pumpkin Honey Butter

Need a little pumpkin in your life? Sure you do!(As seen on Good Morning Texas.)

Pumpkin Pie Butter

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:

Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:

Sleeping Beauty Princess Spa Day Party

Cinderella’s All-Natural Pumpkin Foot Scrub for Princess Spa Party

Ingredients

Instructions

Go Boo then Get Sauced with Go Go squeeZ

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