Lian Dolan's Blog, page 35

Lian & Queen Edna go to TJ Maxx! See our Holiday Decorations & Comment for a Chance to Win a Gift Card

Neither  hurricane-force wind, nor rain, nor LA traffic could deter me from my Holiday Mission: Take my mom, Edna Dolan the Maxxinista, to her neighborhood TJ Maxx for some home decor shopping. Thanks to the lovely people at TJ Maxx who saw my last blog about my mother's  Thanksgiving haul, we were invited to the Santa Monica store to bedeck our halls for Christmas. To my mother, this was tantamount to a royal invitation.

And frankly, she was treated like royalty.

When I introduced myself to Richard the Manager, his eyes went right past me and lit up when he saw Queen Edna, "Hello, how are you? So good to see you!" My mother received his attention with quiet dignity, then lead me to the elevators where the holiday treasures awaited on the second floor. In her element, Queen Edna ruled the aisles.

My plans this holiday season include inviting some of the young neighbor children over to see our tree. (Now that my boys are teenagers, I feel the need to be around little ones who truly appreciate my carol-barking dogs and my Russian Santas.) My mom seized this idea with zeal. I was looking to bring a little whimsy and fun to my holiday decorating, maybe with a touch of sparkle and non-traditional colors. My mother is Old School and was drawn immediately to the Red & Green Spode Christmas Tree -themed items. But once we took in all the inspiration that TJ Maxx had to offer, we settled on a bright and cheery Hot Chocolate  Party theme.

I'll let the photos tell the story from here, but make sure to read all the way through for your chance to win a $50 gift card to TJ Maxx or Marshalls, furnished by TJ Maxx.

Ready for our Holiday Shopping. I, in my leopard print poncho and Queen Edna in her heavy wool sweater and scarf. It was 70 degrees.

The inspiration! I spied these hot-chocolate filled snowmen and the whole theme came together. Loved the bright colors and the sweet faces.

Once we settled on Hot Chocolate and Snowmen, Queen Edna worked quickly, filling our cart with sparkle, shine and white placemats.

Our adorable blue & white snowmen-filled cart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in Pasadena, I quickly get to work staging the Hot Chocolate Party. The white placemats pull the whole thing together. I love the little snowman filled with white hot chocolate powder. Party favor!

According to Queen Edna, Every Party Needs Poppers. We always put our poppers for a Dolan family Christmas. Love these modern, fun poppers.

The day of the party, the mugs will be filled with Hot Chocolate and the platter will be covered in cookies. Check out my sparkling trees!

This little guy makes me happy. My little guests will love taking him home.

Thanks to TJ Maxx for making us feel so at home in your fantastic Santa Monica store. And, for providing three $50 gift cards for the Chaos Chronicles audience. Three lucky winners will be able to snap up their own Holiday items at either TJ Maxx or Marshalls. To enter to win the gift cards, please leave a comment here on the blog. I'll pick three random winners on December 8th at 9 am PST and announce them on the Chaos Chronicles podcast that day.

Let's share our holiday know-how. Answer this question in your comments:  What's your favorite Hostess Gift to give this time of year?

Embracing my Chaos, Lian

More chances to win!

Holiday Dessert Recipes and a chance to win a Stand-up mixer: makinglifebetter.com's 31 Days of Confection Perfection is on! It's not too late to get in on the recipes and the sweepstakes. Click here.

Holiday Wish List:  Lian recommends books, audiobooks, games and stationery. Comment to win a copy of Lisa Scottoline's new audio book, Best Friends, Occasional Enemies. Click here.

Books, Audio Books, Games, Stationery & More to put on your Holiday Wish List

Putting together your Holiday Wish List for friends and family? Or maybe you're the gift gatherer  in search of some fun items for under the tree? I've put together a list of books,  audio books, games, stationery and more. Some are are my wish list, too!

For the cook:

Recipes, techniques and great information for all levels of cooks.

When I saw the title of this new cookbook at a publishing event, I declared, "Hey, my middle name is All About Roasting!" The publisher rep didn't laugh but he did let me flip through Molly Stevens new title.  I promptly went to my local bookstore Vromans and picked up a copy of this wonderful cookbook. Go Beyond Roasted Asparagus with a huge range of roasting recipes to warm up your winter.  And, Molly doesn't stop with recipes like Garlic-Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes, Capers and Feta. She includes basic and advanced techniques, step-by-step carving instructions and tips for all levels of cooks. Click here for Molly Steven's website and more information about All About Roasting.

 

For the Funny:

Satellite Sisters listeners will love this audio book. Keep reading for your chance to win a copy!

Put this in your cd player for your holiday road trip with your mother or daughter:  Fans of Satellite Sisters, here is an audio book for you!  Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life as a Mother & Daughter . Written by best-selling author Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Francesca Serritella with warmth, familiarity and a huge dollop of  humor. The authors read their own work ( brave, brave souls!) and they bring that family feeling to the audio book that will be familiar if you have either a mother or a daughter!  Great audio book inspired by their weekly column "Chick Wit." See below for a chance to win a copy of Best Friends, Occasional Enemies furnished by MacMillan Audio.

This is one title on my wish list. Hint, hint,  family! Merrill Markoe, comedy writer, novelist and dog owner is back with a book of essays that let us into her beginnings as a funny girl. I think the title, "Cool, Calm and Contentious" says it ll about this Emmy-winning  (former) Letterman writer.  Can't wait to read it. Here's the link to Cool, Calm & Contentious at amazon.com .

 

For the Kids:

This special gift set features a book and cd for under ten bucks!

William Steig and Meryl Streep together in one fantastic gift for the younger set: a special book and CD set that features the inspiring adventure of Brave Irene read by Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep. Frankly, when I listened to this classic story of one little girls determined trip to deliver a dress to a duchess story, it was hard to determine who was having more fun: me or Ms. Streep. This special, affordable set ($10!) features a read-along track as well. Click here to find the audio book gift set of Brave Irene at amazon.com .

For the Risk-Takers:

Roll the Dice and Add'em Up.Easy, Fun and Family-friendly.

 

Planing on some gaming this holiday? Hey, hey– let's Farkle. It's a classic, but now there are about 20 different version from Party Farkle to Travel Farkle. It's a super easy, family- friendly game that might actually teach some math skills along the way. And, everyone can roll dice, right? FARKLE!

 

Yes, Mommy, you do need a card with your name, the kids' name and all your many contact digits.

 

For new moms and anyone else who needs a calling card:

I love the idea of "business cards" for moms. How chic, fun and so much sassier than a post-it hastily written in crayon with your name and number! Erin Condren designs great look stationary, cards, invites and these wonderful Call Me Cards. You can get the new mom on your list ( Or anyone else who needs a card for a home-based business) a gift card and they can pick their own designs. Cost runs about $75 for 100 personalized Call Me Cards. Call me crazy, but that's a deal, Erin Condren.

 

Want to win a copy fo the audio book Best Friends, Occasional Enemies by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella? Yes, please. Leave a comment below with the answer to this question: What audiobook is on your wishlist this season?

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for providing this copy of Best Friends, Occasional Enemies for give-away. Winner will be drawn from available comments on Wednesday, December 7 at noon PST.

Embracing my Chaos, Lian

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