Give the Gift of Togetherness

{via Pottery Barn Kids}

Last year, my husband's aunt gave us the most wonderful housewarming gift...an advent calendar! But it wasn't just any old advent calendar, it is in the shape of a home, made out of wood, and has a little drawer for each day of advent. It came with a bunch of trinkets and candies to put in each drawer, BUT his aunt asked that I throw those away and to do as her family does, which is to fill each drawer with a little piece of paper that encourages the family to do something together. I was so honored that his aunt decided to share this family tradition with us and look forward to taking our advent calendar out this year and starting the tradition in our home. I know my daughter is going to LOVE it!

I am in the midst of putting together all the family activities for our calendar now. Please share any that you might think of. Here's what I've got so far...

• Pull out the Christmas cds and sing some Christmas songs together
  
• Bake Christmas cookies
  
• Set up our nativity
  
• Read a Christmas story together
  
• Watch Frosty the Snowman together
  
• Cut down a tree
  
• Decorate the tree
  
• Make a special ornament for our tree
• Cut paper snowflakes to hang on the windows
• Go ice-skating or sledding together
  

Any more suggestions???

Cookies & Milk?...Yes, Please!

{via Love & Lavender}

I absolutely LOVE cookies and milk. In fact, my husband refers to me as "his cookie monster," so when I saw this idea for a Cookies & Milk wedding shower on Kara's Party Ideas, I immediately started brainstorming complementary gift ideas. Here's what I came up with so far...

Pink silicon baking sheet from Target+


Love Dish Towel from Spoon Sisters+

Sugar Cookies Book from Amazon+



Wrapped together in clear cello and LOTS and LOTS of ribbon with these
heart-shaped measuring spoons from Spoon Sisters hanging down from the ribbons!

And if you are looking for a less traditional gift, then you might consider surprising this lovely couple with a plate of freshly baked cookies and fresh milk one night on their honeymoon. Who doesn't like a little midnight snack???

Calling All Bakers, Big and Small

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, why not include your children in the preparation process with some of these FABULOUS baking kits from www.bitesizechef.com? Your guests are sure to love ALL of these tasty, fun treats, and your children will undoubtedly be more engaged in the special day because they know that they contributed something extra special.

Even better, the owner of bitesizechef has offered a special coupon to all Gift Cow readers. Be sure to enter the coupon code: BSC10OFF50 for $10 off any purchase of $50 or more.

Happy Shopping!!!

Pulled Pork, Anyone?

My husband's birthday was yesterday. As usual, thinking of an extra-special gift was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, though, he happen to mention last weekend how much he enjoyed one of our friend's pulled pork sandwiches and that's when I had my AH-HA moment...

There is NOTHING my husband enjoys more than watching football on Sunday with his closest friends and family, while chowing down on some tasty snacks. So, I got him a slow-cooker, emailed our friend for her pulled pork recipe (see below), and invited a bunch of our friends over to enjoy pulled pork sandwiches and the games. The whole night was a HUGE HIT!

Pulled Pork Birthday Sandwiches
(serves 14 adults)

8 lb. pork roast on the bone (assume 1/2 lb./person)
1.5 (18 oz.) bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 medium sized onions, sliced thin
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1.5 tablespoons of brown sugar

Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with one sliced onion and garlic. Wash and pat dry the meat. Lay the roast in the slow-cooker on top of the onions and garlic. Mix the brown sugar and bbq sauce together in separate bowl, then pour mixture over the roast in the slow-cooker. Cover top of roast with second, thinly sliced onion. Cover cooker and program to cook for 6 hours ON HIGH. Then, take roast out. Remove some of the fat from the roast, then use a fork to pull meat off bone. Return to cooker for another 2 hours ON HIGH. Enjoy!

Nothing's Better than Barefoot

I simply LOVE Barefoot Contessa. I discovered her years ago when my husband's aunt gave me one of her cookbooks for Christmas. It didn't take me long to realize that literally EVERY recipe in her cookbooks is a sure guarantee. Needless to say, I now own almost all of Barefoot's cookbooks (with the exception of Barefoot In Paris) including her newest addition, how easy is that?

Because I enjoy her books and recipes so much, I often like to incorporate her books into my gifts. They work for any occasion if the recipient enjoying entertaining, cooking, and/or baking. To top it off, Barefoot is currently on tour, so you could even add a little extra spunk to your gift with an autographed copy!

One of my favorite Barefoot Contessa's gifts is...

PIZZA PARTY: Parties Cookbook (see page 43) and a pizza stone wrapped in clear cello with lots of colorful ribbon, a tag that says "Pizza Party, p. 43," and an ice cream scoop hanging down from the ribbons.

Any other gift ideas from fellow Barefoot fans???