ohitsunshine

I will be interested to see how the online sale will work - I love Kohls on a normal day, but the checkout process is a nightmare and I cannot bring myself to stand there for an hour!

I think it depends what you are really looking for - for me it works great. My 13 yr old has been wanting only the T3i for over a year, and as a "youtuber" she is constantly comparing what others are using and why. I think the lenses included will be great for her to try out and learn from - we would have spent that much to just buy the body with an 18-55 lens so I figured why not? I think she will be happy with the abundance of "stuff" to try out that essential comes free above and beyond what she was asking for. To me - if I was going to shoot videos I would ask for a video camera, but this kid is insistent on getting this for making videos and taking pics. I am not a big refurb buyer - I know there are some amazing deals out there going that route but I am too chicken! I think with my luck the refurb I purchase will lead me to a future of RMA's and downtime with no product. But that is just me - not saying that it's a bad route to go for all! Besides...I'm a nikon lover anyways!

Picked this up today http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0ZS0FT6020 $628 This Everything You Need Kit includes: - Canon EOS REBEL T3i Black 18 MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm IS II Lens - Replacement LP-E8 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack - Replacement LP-E8 Home/Travel Charger - 32GB SD Memory Card - Full Size Photo Tripod - 67'' Aluminum Monopod - Medium Camera Case - All In One SD Card Reader - 3 Piece Filter Kit (Ultra Violet, Circular Polarizer, and Fluorescent Filter) - x2 Telephoto Lens - .45x Wide Angle Lens - Soft Rubber Lens Hood - Tulip Flower Hard Lens Hood - Flexible Mini Tabletop Tripod, Bottle of Lens Cleaning Solution, Cleaning Cloth, Squeegee Card, 5 Cotton Swabs

Definitely interested myself. My 13 year old has asked for this camera as basically her one gift! We try to stick to a $500 per child budget, and it kills me that it will be really all that she gets. She is ok knowing that...today. Hope she feels the same way Christmas morning! At any rate, anything under $600 would be a great deal!!

I made this last year and am not a great cook - can follow directions. It was AMAZING. So good! Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake http://pinterest.com/pin/29343835041691946/

The rush of getting a great deal and the people you meet while waiting!

We have similar traditions- we do new PJs unwrapped for everyone on Christmas Eve and we always buy one new movie and they unwrap that to watch. Once they go to bed - my husband and I always share some wine and wait to put the gifts out!

Done!

My husband also got an email with his gift card credit- he only lost out on a game so no biggie here. But it does stink if the item is hard to replace and maybe more expensive!

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/december/361317/Best-Buy-unable-to-fill-some-online-orders They weren't the customers camping out for Black Friday, but that doesn't mean they didn't have some stiff competition for those big ticket items online. Hundreds of customers may be hitting the stores anyway as the retailer announces they will not be able to fill some online orders. From cameras to laptops to consoles, Best Buy is backing out of countless orders, just days before Christmas. Customers are venting on the company's official community forum, claiming the gifts they'd paid for they thought they could check off their shopping lists were backordered and ultimately canceled. Best Buy released this statement on the matter: "Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers' online orders. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and we have notified the affected customers. On Best Buy's website, they are still trying to attract buyers, with special prices revealed in a sale at Midnight. They say if you order online before 3 p.m. Christmas Eve, you can get free same day store pickup with Guaranteed Christmas Delivery. No doubt the online overload means many of those customers will be now be in the store, scouring the shelves for last-minute replacements or substitutes.

That is a really good idea! Thanks for letting me know what you changed. I think I may have to try that!

I will have to try that kahlua recipe! What modifications did you make to it?

You're welcome! I love trying new things, and I too was a little bummed that our thread was lacking this year!

Another fun cookie we always made growing up were "church windows". You just melt chocolate chips with butter. Then pour over colored marshmallows. You can roll all of that in chopped nuts, or coconut. Then roll into a log in wax paper and refrigerate. Once hardened you slice cookies off of the log and the mix between the chocolate and colored marshmallows looks like a stained glass window. They are cheap and easy, and kids love them!

No problem! Here are the others! Grinch Cookies INGREDIENTS: 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract 6 to 8 drops green food color 1 egg 1 cup creme de menthe baking chips 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks. 2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. 3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature. Santa's Bottom Red Velvet Peppermint Crinkle Cookies makes about 36 1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake 6 T butter 2 eggs 1 tsp peppermint extract 1/2 C crushed peppermint or candy canes 1 C powdered sugar 1 tsp cornstarch Preheat the oven to 375°. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the cooled butter, cake mix, eggs and peppermint extract. Add in the crushed peppermint and stir. In a shallow dish, mix together the powdered sugar and cornstarch with a fork. Form dough into balls (this was really tricky, it does not form...I used a tablespoon full of dough and used a spoon to dish it out into the powdered sugar). Drop into the powdered sugar. Cook for 9 minutes. They still look a little doughy, but they are perfect after setting for a few minutes! Lemon Drop 1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix 2 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners' sugar. Roll them around until they're lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.

I can't find it online, but here it is- from the Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook 1 cup heavy cream 4 tbs melted unsalted butter 2 tbs corn syrup 1 pound semi sweet chocolate, plus another 12 ounces for dipping (I used 16) 1/4 cup nutella 2 1/2 cups chopped toasted hazelnuts for rolling 1. Make ganache: In small saucepan bring cream, butter and corn syrup to boil. Turn off heat. Add 1 pound of chocolate but do not stir. Gently swirl pan to cover the chocolate with the cream. Let stand 5 minutes and then slowly wisk until combined. Add the nutella at this point, wisking in slowly. 2. Transfer mixture to large bowl and place in fridge. Stir every 15 minutes. After 45 minutes then stir every 3-5 until thick enough to scoop with spoon. Consistency should be similar to pudding. 3. Using 2 spoons or scoop form 1" balls and transfer to parchment lined sheet. Refrigerate until firm but not hard- about 10 minutes. Remove, squeeze with fingers to soften gently, reshape and then back into fridge until ready to dip. 4. Fill saucepan 1/4 full of water, bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Place the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate in med heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir until melted, remove from heat let cool slightly. 5. Have another sheet lined with parchment. Remove truffle balls from fridge. Using one hand dip the ball into the melted chocolate and roll hand evenly to coat. Let excess drip back into bowl. Drop ball into chopped hazelnuts. Let sit in bowl about 20 seconds, pick up and roll in hand to coat evenly. 6. Set prepared truffle on parchment lined sheet. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. I pretty much followed this to a T except we left the ganache in the fridge a little longer than anticipated so it was a little harder than expected but it softened up really quickly. They came out great!

Sure! I found almost all of these on pinterest! Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies Adapted from: Sweetest Kitchen Ingredients 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour Approx. 1/4 cup Nutella Directions Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Drizzle Nutella on top of the dough then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife. Chill dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll into balls by hand. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down the balls to flatten slightly. Bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 10 minutes). Allow to rest 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring cookies to a cooling rack. Cookie Dough Truffles chocolate chip cookie dough truffles Makes approx. 3-4 dozen. Recipe from Love and Olive Oil. ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup milk or soy milk 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 14 oz dark chocolate candy coating directions: Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour. When dough is firm enough to handle, form dough into 1″ balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate candy coating in microwave according to package directions. Using toothpicks as a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Tap on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The other truffle was from a Martha Stewart cookbook I have, let me see if I can find it online!

I made a lot of new cookies this year! These are red velvet crinkles or something, but I renamed them Santa's Bottom...looks like he fell in the snow! Red velvet and peppermint! http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/388575_2780352757304_1512746408_32815800_855644105_a.jpg Grinch cookies- mint chocolate chip http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384634_2780354197340_1512746408_32815802_841135057_n.jpg Nutella Peanut Butter Swirls http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/383679_2780354357344_1512746408_32815803_1087647552_n.jpg Lemon Drop http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/387563_2780354437346_1512746408_32815804_754989828_n.jpg Homemade Nutella/Hazelnut Truffles- first time making truffles! http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392228_2780355717378_1512746408_32815808_1842101896_n.jpg Cookie Dough truffles...sooooo good! http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/387321_2780355917383_1512746408_32815809_316276036_n.jpg If you want the recipe for any, let me know!

I need to get maybe 1-2 small things for the older two kids, and a couple of things for my husband. Then I will be DONE!

I too was amazed at the amount of kids out! We let our 15 year old go out with us this year, and that is the first time any of our kids were allowed to go. She was so excited and the younger two were really jealous. We decided to make that a right of passage. When they turn 15 they will get to tag along too!

Gotta add my thank you as well! This has always been my go to site when looking for any kind of deal. Thanks!

Well I do know that I am getting the Kindle Fire (hopefully it should be delivered Tuesday!) and I am really excited for that. I booked a cruise for my husband's gift, so I kind of get the bonus there! Other than that, I just love all of the things the kids pick out for me...they are always so interesting! I would love a new chain to replace one that my husband got me last year- it broke and I have been meaning to get a new one. Now if it was just a wish list...I would love a new mixer, a new head unit for my car and anything from VS. But we usually keep gifts between us small so we can focus on the kids!

I am picturing (for me anyways!) the etching stuff dripping out of the sides of the stencil or something if I am using a paper or cardstock weight stencil. How do you keep it from going outside of it? Sorry - I am really interested in trying this, but just picturing a huge mess by the time I'm done!

I was just about to ask the same thing! I would love to know as well!

Thank you guys- I have never noticed the cards I get from others like that! I think I might try matting them, or using the scrap book paper. Great ideas, thank you!