First Christmas Bento Of the Season & MMS Freebie

I have been a huge slacker on my bento  making. I have been making my girls school lunches of course, but they have been simple, uninspired lunches. Life  has just been so busy and especially since C has started taking the bus to school, we have less time in the mornings.

So I am hoping the holiday cheer will help inspire me once again to create super cute lunches for my girls. I know how much they enjoy them, and apparently so do all the teachers in the lunch room...lol So packed in our Easy LunchBoxes container is a salami sami, baby carrots, gingerbread marshmallows, string cheese button skewer and a checkered apple.

Our Thanksgiving 2011

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Ours was nice and quiet. I cooked, the girls played. I did not do the big dinner I normally do. After years of realizing I am the only one who eats or at least tries every dish made, I decided to make it easier on myself and cook only what I knew for sure everyone would eat!

So this year we I did the traditional roasted turkey with a rosemary garlic butter under the skin, parsley, bacon and buttermilk mashed potatoes, green been casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, gravy and fresh bread. Normally I make a sage sausage and apple stuffing, but again I am the only one who eats it so I made a box of Stove Top for myself..lol

It was a lovely, tasty dinner and everyone enjoyed it. For dessert I made an apple fie using the Pie Filling I canned a few months back and topping it with a Walnut Oatmeal Crumble. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.

So who decided to brave the Black Friday crowds? 

My digital scrapbooking pages were made using the kit "Let's Talk Turkey" by Just So Scrappy. MyMemories Suite just launched Version 3 of their digital scrapbooking software and it's pretty awesome! Use this coupon code STMMMS82547 and save 10% on Version 3 today! In addition to that awesome deal you will also receive a $10 coupon for the MyMemories Store! That is a $20 value!

MyMemories Suite Review and Giveaway!

Years ago before kids and when I actually had time, I used to scrapbook. I bought everything. The paper, the scissors, the templates with cutters, the pens, stickers, sticky tape squares...everything! Hundreds of dollars in product. Then the girls came and it was just impossible. 

There was no way I could sit in front of the tv with all my product and pictures spread out and have a toddler running around through it. So I boxed up all my stuff and still to this day it sits. Every time I pass the box of scrapbooking product or backup pictures of my girls, I feel guilty. Guilty that months and then years go by and all I have is a external drive full of pictures. When my girls are older what do I want to pass on to them? A hard drive full of unorganized pictures, or an album I so lovingly created and printed just for them?

When I first started blogging I was introduced to digital scrapbooking. I was amazed at how awesome the pages looked but assumed it was too over my head, too complicated or that I just didn't have the time. I am here to say I was terribly wrong on all accounts!

This was my very first page thanks to an amazing digital scrapbooking software called MyMemories Suite v2. I was so excited to download my digital software and get started that I told my husband he was on dinner duty that night for him and the girls.

I figured it was going to take me all night to understand how to use the software and the digital scrapbooking kits, but once again I was wrong. I decided to watch the easy tutorial on getting started (which I normally never do) and literally in just a few minutes I had this beautiful page. I was so giddy and proud of myself, I stayed up almost all night creating pages for our family album. Be warned though, when you start using MyMemories scrapbooking software, you will be hooked! I have had mine since Sept and I am still as excited today when I finish a page as I was the very first day.

MyMemories is a one stop shop. Not only do they have scrapbooking software but the have fabulous designers who create lovely papers and embellishments. MyMemories also has Weekly Deals, Freebies, the Design Club and much more. Speaking of, the Design Club is fabulous. For only $5.99 a month you get 5 exclusive new kits every month (not sold in their store) and 5% off every order. I look forward to my email the first of each month to see what the new kits are.

One of the best parts of MyMemories is that I can do it quick and easy on my computer. Everything is self contained. No massive box full of papers, scissors, stickers, ect. And lets face it, how much money will I save not having to purchase more of that stuff when I run out. Once you buy a scrapbooking kit (some for less than what you'd pay for scrapbooking paper at Michael's), you use it again and again! It never runs out!

The MyMemories Suite v2 software is only limited by your imagination, so have fun with it!!

To purchase your own My Memories Suite v2 today use coupon code "STMMMS82547" and save 10%! In addition to that awesome deal you will also receive a $10 coupon for the MyMemories Store! That is a $20 value!

Or if your feeling lucky...enter to win it FREE here!!

** FYI - When MyMemories Facebook page reaches 10,000 Fans, they will holding a giveaway for a FREE iPad! So keep an eye out for that, they are almost at their goal! **

How To Enter:


Mandatory Entry: Head over to My Memories and take a look around. Come back here and comment telling me what your favorite digital scrapbooking paper pack or layout is. Please make sure if you do not have a valid email address on your blog or profile, add it to your comment so I can contact you easily. NOTE: If you skip the mandatory entry, none of your entries will count for the giveaway.


Extra Entries: (leave separate comment for each extra entry)


* Become a follower of this blog via GFC (or tell me you already are) (1 entry)


* Follow My Memories Blog on GFC. (1 entry)


* Become a fan of My Memories on Facebook. (1 entry)


* Follow Me and My Memories on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway..OR use the Tweet Button at the bottom of this post. (Please leave the status link in your comment) (2 entries)


Giveaway closes Nov 11th 2011 @ 11:59pm (EST) Winner will be picked Nov 12th by Random.org and notified by email. A post will follow on my Facebook Page. Winners have 72 hours to reply to my email otherwise a new winner will be picked.


Disclaimer: I was contacted my MyMemories to write a review and host a giveaway. In exchange I was given product from the MyMemories store free of charge.  I received no monitory compensation. All opinions are mine and mine alone and are unbiased.






Use coupon code "STMMMS82547" and save 10%! In addition to that awesome deal you will also receive a $10 coupon for the MyMemories Store! That is a $20 value!

Trick Or Treat Scrap Challenge

Today I am joining in on MyMemories Trick or Treat scrap challenge. The above picture I used for this page was of my girls with their new school mates on Halloween. They were waiting patiently in the hay wagon ready to go get their candy on. Realizing now that I should have taken off their jackets for the pictures, but it was so darn cold (it snowed a foot 2 days before), and they are so stick thin, then poor babes would have frozen into popsicles..lol

I made this page using the MyMemories Suite v2. I love this program and all the kits from the fabulous designers I could gush of hours, but I'll do one better. Come back tomorrow for my Review and GIVEAWAY from MyMemories! Wahoo!