Merry Christmas!

Although life has been so very busy over the last few months and I haven't been able to blog much, I didn't want December to pass by without me wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Gift Idea For Your Budding Artist

Reese absolutely loves art and last year I got her the best gift- a set of 5 how-to-draw books along with a personalized sketch book from Harptoons.

Want to get your kids away from the video games and iPod and start using their imaginations? Then you really need to check out this series of how-to-draw books. Start with a number or letter, add a line here, a shape there andvoila, an animal, monster, or cartoon sea creature. These drawing books are super easy to use and a great way to get your kids involved in creating something from their imaginations. 

These books are amazing and so much fun! One of the neatest features of the set is that the artist/author, Steve Harpster, personalizes your purchases for you.

Here is the cover of Reese's sketch book. 

And the inside cover.

 Inside each how-to book, Steve does a special drawing for your child and adds a special message for them. Reese thought this was the coolest part.

Here is a monster she recently drew for me from his Spiderbite book. 

And I prefer the baby animals book myself..... they are so cute! I drew these for her. (Note: I am about as far from an artist as you can be, but you can see with his step-by-step instructions, I was able to draw some pretty cute stuff!)

I think this set, or any books from Steve, would make a great Christmas present!

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose here. I am just a satisfied customer and wanted to pass on!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes..... Gluten Free!

In 2010, I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes with a recipe from the blog Kevin and Amanda. They turned out amazing (definitely dessert contest material) and once I found out I needed to eat gluten free I went to work modifying because I knew this was a recipe I still wanted to be able to make.

Here's the finished product. Everyone from my kids to my coworkers agreed they were delicious.

Betty Crocker makes a GF yellow cake mix that is pretty easy to find in places like Walmart or Target.It's a standard mix that you add water and eggs to, along with some gluten free vanilla extract.

I found this GF cookie dough at my local organic grocer- they were a bit expensive at $5 for 12 cookies, but I only used 6 for the recipe since I cut each cookie dough ball in half to get enough for 12 cupcakes.

I topped the cupcakes with Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Milk Chocolate frosting since it's GF. It's so nice to find that some everyday products are already GF!

Luckily I am finding that having to eat GF is not all that bad. It is definitely an adjustment and requires quite a bit of pre-planning, but I am finding it do-able!

Christmas Library

I am so ready to get out my collection of Christmas books for the kids! I love reading to them at bedtime, and I especially enjoy reading holiday-themed books this time of year. Here's a list of our family favorites.

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas - Nancy is a family favorite, and this book doesn't disappoint. This book is heavy on family and traditions, and the illustrations are delightful. It always fun to look closely at the pictures and see what we can discover

Merry Christmas, Curious George - I have loved Curious George as long as I can remember, and this book is a favorite in my collection. George is as adorable as ever.

Mater Saves Christmas - Such a cute story- Santa is a car of course, and his reindeer cars use special fuel that helps them fly. Chick Hicks is stealing the fuel, in hopes of using it to finally beat Lightning in race. Mater saves the day!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - Such a holiday classic- and Dr. Seuss stories are such fun to read.

The Night Before Christmas - I've already got a more traditional copy of this story, but I just ordered Mary Englebreit's illustrated version today- it looks beautiful!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Of all our Christmas books, this is my favorite. The story is funny, easy to read, and touching. Some of the references are dated, but my kids still enjoy it. We also got the movie last year and they absolutely love it.

Do you have a favorite book we need to add to the Sasha Family collection?

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

Yay for Christmas Music!

Last night we noticed a house in our neighborhood had their Christmas lights not only up, but on, and the kids were so excited. I think that means it's time to pull out the Christmas music!

If you have been a Sasha Says readers for a while, I am sure you know about our love for the Suzy Bogguss song "Two Step Around the Christmas Tree". I actually have to hide this CD in January every year because I really think the kids would listen to it year-round if I would let them! Suzy's entire album, called Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, is a great holiday offering.  

A favorite of mine is Michael Buble's album Christmas. That dreamy voice! Amazing.

  

And of course I own Blake Shelton's Cheers, it's Christmas. The whole family loves Blake, and there's even a special shout-out to Oklahoma beer on one song: "I've even got a six pack of 3.2". Ha!  

New for us this year is Duck the Halls: a Robertson Family Christmas. It should arrive at our door today and I'm excited. It's got great reviews and since my family loves the Robertsons, I am sure this will be a big hit.

  

I think no matter how old the kids gets, Curious George will always be a favorite. Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas is absolutely darling and the songs are so fun! Back in 2009, we were having trouble figuring out some lyrics, so I left a comment on George's Facebook page, and they posted the words for us! The kids thought that was pretty neat!

I think I will get Kelly Clarkson's Wrapped in Red. Does anyone have this? It looks like it has great reviews.

GDA: Complete Full House Series for $55

Amazon has the complete Full House series for $55! Wish I had gotten it for that good of a deal! We love this show and especially love that we can watch it as a family. I love me some Uncle Jesse. This would make a great Christmas present!

Sasha Goes Gluten Free

Well, I got some test results on Monday that I'm certainly not excited about..... looks like I have Celiac Disease. It actually explains a lot.... I haven't felt right since I got an infection in my liver 4 years ago, but it was still a diagnosis I was hoping not to get.

Any info you can share would be great- favorite gluten-free foods, places to eat, books to read, etc. Bring on the info!

I'm Running Again! Review: THORLO Experia Crew sock

The kind folks at THORLO recently contacted me to see if I wanted to try out their newest product- The Experia Crew. Although I'm not known for being on-trend with style, I did note that they said their Experia Crew was taller than their other offerings- specifically made for fashion-forward trend setters now wearing lengthier sock products. And then, like when you learn a new word and immediately hear it in 5 conversations and TV shows, I noticed longer socks were all over- especially with the pre-teen boy set. Almost all of P's friends are wearing the taller socks with their shoes these days. (I was going to throw in a joke referencing the episode of Friends where Ross tells the pizza girl he *likes* 12 year old boys, but I thought it might fall flat.)

I was familiar with THORLO from my college days spent working in a Athletes Foot store. They were always good sellers and I've worn the shorter Experia socks myself for running thru the years and always liked them.

And look! They sent me the PINK! I LOVE them! With cool weather finally here, I know I will put these to good use for my morning runs. I have worn them three times so far and they felt amazing. They wash well too- I washed with my normal loads and laid them out to dry. 

I wear a 6.5 in running shoes and was sent the size made for womens 5-6.5, and they fit perfect. It looks like there is one size smaller than that, sized for kids sizes 3-4.5, and all of the unisex sizes retail for approximately $17.

Experia is known for its aero-dynamic fit as well as its “protection without weight.” Because it’s made with a higher percentage of COOLMAX® than any other sock product, feet remain cool and comfortable, as moisture is wicked away from your skin.

The new product—“the Experia Crew” -- is a part of The Jet Black Collection, a set that includes 8 black crew padded socks, each differentiated by highlighted accents in your choice of pink, white, red, green, orange, turquoise, berry, and royal blue.

I Hope This Is Still Funny in 2022

L to R

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th

If you don't know the backstory, we accidentally dressed P in the same shirt for 1st and 2nd grade pics. We decided to run with it and keep doing blue and white striped shirts for school pics. He actually asked about it this year to make sure we were going to continue!

Hoping our silly sense of humor is still funny when he is a senior!

20 Year Ago

We are headed to our alma mater's Homecoming celebration this weekend- they are recognizing the 1993 football team that Mr. Sasha played on because that was the year they won the National Championship in our division! So excited for him to get to see all his friends and re-live the glory days! It was an amazing season!

This pic is labeled Homecoming weekend in October 1993 and I am pondering the fact that I am wearing earmuffs and gloves! So strange....

#TimeForACure!

Today I did my morning run with pink lipstick on, just for my friend Danica (Chic Runner)! She's hosting a giveaway in honor of her mother, who passed away 7 years ago after battling breast cancer.

Visit her blog today to find out how to enter to win a PINK Timex Easy Trainer GPS watch.

It's Fall Y'all!

Although it's still getting up in the 80s during the day, our mornings are SO nice right now! Fall is here and I am loving it.

Last night I made Taco Cornbread Waffles, a twist on a recipe I saw from Mix and Match Mama. She put chili over her cornbread waffle, but I decided that taco meat would be divine.

I mixed the cornbread mix as directed and cooked it in my waffle iron, topped it with taco meat and cheese. Mr. Sasha added some salsa to his and commented that it would be good with shredded lettuce and tomatoes too. If you've never had the combo of taco meat and cornbread, you don't know what you are missing! It's so good together!

Taco Cornbread Waffles

She's Crafty!

Hold on to your hats.... look what I made!

On Saturday I went to a fun fall-themed Pinterest Party where we all made the cutest fall letters for our front door. I cannot do this party justice- it was amazing! My friend Brianna is so creative and talented- you'll have to visit her blog to see how she set this party up.