There are many different ways to celebrate Pi Day; some mathematicians, teachers, museum directors, math students and well-rounded geeks celebrate by baking and eating pies and having pie-eating contests. Some people take that tradition quite literally, creating Pi pies, like this one created by Flickr member megpi.
For those of you out there planning on donning your baker’s hat for Pi Day, you may want to fully indulge in the holiday and serve your pies in this Pi Dish ($24.95) that features the pi symbol in the center and is trimmed with the first few dozen digits of the ratio. This is definitely a dish that no mathematically-inclined baker could pass up.
If you want to be a complete rebel and still enjoy Pi Day, bake some cookies! But don’t forget to use this extremely awesome Pi Cookie Cutter ($12.95). You could also create some really great pie embellishments or even pocket pies with the Pi Cookie Cutter; the possibilities here are virtually endless!
This giveaway is closed.
Walmart has put together an awesome site to help you through getting through the holidays in one piece without breaking your budget. The cost of food has continued to rise throughout the past few months and with the holidays right around the corner, you can be sure that people are spending more than they can really afford to put together their holiday feasts. Luckily, Walmart has put together a shopping list that will let you get everything you need for your Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners for a jaw-dropping price.
Co-star of the Food Network’s new series, Chefs vs. City, Chef Aarón Sánchez has created a spin on traditional holiday meals for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, including Ham with Mango Jalapeno Glaze, Chipotle Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean & Mushroom Picadillo, Coquito Egg Nog, Blue Cheese Stuffed Rolls and Dulce de Leche Sauce for Pumpkin Pie; these recipes are sure to create memorable holiday memories for you and your family. Be sure to check out Walmart’s Holiday Meals website for recipes from Chef Aarón Sánchez and more ideas for holiday entertaining.
Walmart’s Christmas Dinner for 8 for as Low as $30
Your Christmas feast for 8 for as low as $30 at Walmart starts with key, family-favorite ingredients, including:
- One 10-pound spiral cut half-ham
- Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
- One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
- One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
- One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie
This is an incredible amount of food to buy for as low as just $30, especially since that is less than $4 per person; less than you’ll pay for most fast food!
Walmart’s New Year’s Eve Dinner for 10 for as Low as $40
Your New Year’s Ever feast for 10 for as low at $40 at Walmart starts with these festive and delicious ingredients, including:
- Shrimp Tray (5 servings)
- Vegetable Tray (10 servings)
- Hillshire Farms Little Smokies (8 servings)
- Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (6 servings)
- Land O’ Lakes Egg Nog (8 servings)
- Red Velvet Cake
The holidays are such a great time for spending time and making new memories with your family; it is also a great time to reflect on memories you hold dear from past years or even when you were a child and that in itself costs nothing! But because the holidays have warped into such a consumer-ridden holiday, this year more and more families are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing the quality of the meals they are feeding their families.
My biggest money-saving tip for this holiday season would definitely be to shop with coupons, the holidays are a great time to spot some really awesome deals in your newspaper or weekly coupon magazines because a lot of companies are hoping you’re shopping closer to the holidays to get what you need for the big day. So look for coupons and shop on sale! Also, be sure to find out if your local grocery store has a store card because I’ve found that if you consistently use your grocery store card, you will accumulate so many points, but there are also a lot of deals going on company-to-company that you don’t know about. Every time I go shopping and use my grocery card, I find out I save between $15 and $20 a trip and every little bit you save helps a ton!
Giveaway
Thanks to Mom Central, we have the opportunity to pass on the Walmart holiday meals love to two lucky people who will win a $30 Walmart gift card.
To win a $30 Walmart gift card, share one of your favorite holiday money-saving tips! [REQUIRED]
For extra entries:
Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.
This contest ends Tuesday, December 22nd at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18. The winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond with their necessary information. If no action is taken, another winner will be picked.
Contest Disclaimer
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.
Members of my family are pretty scattered throughout the country, but I remember on quite a few occasions when a group of them would come to visit for some dinner, holiday or other special occasion, there would be a kids table present.
Having a table especially for the children for any holiday meal is a great idea. Kids won’t be very interested in the grown up conversation happening at the main table and it also gives children a great opportunity to bond with the other children in their families. But even with a table especially for the kids, they are likely to get bored, which is why it is always a great idea to put some activities on their table.
Here is some great kids table inspiration. I love that the tablecloth is just a sheet of butcher paper that can be drawn on and I especially love the drawn placemats! Put some crayons in a few cups or small pot holders and let the kids go to town on the placemats while they eat their holiday dinner. Cleanup will be a breeze, too!
Are you a savvy, seasoned dinner party hostess? Planning a business brunch or having your family as well as your in-laws over for the holidays and want to impress the whole lot of them with something small, simple and elegant decorating the table? Or are you just a chronic note-leaver (honey do lists, anyone?) or need a fabulous yet practical housewarming gift? Placetile Designs really got my head buzzing about the many different uses for place cards, especially since these place cards aren’t your average paper throw-aways and really have a whole flurry of great uses.
Placetile Designs did not start out as a budding business that women flocked to in order to get the perfect place cards or table accessories; they were actually created by Kristin Bowen for her wedding where her guests were actually stealing each other’s place cards. 
And the reason why they were able to steal each other’s place cards and not feel weird about bringing them home and using them with someone else’s name written on them is because these place cards are erasable ceramic place cards! Of course she didn’t know it at first, but her elegant and resourceful wedding table accessory turned into a great business with a ton of practical placetiles to suit any woman’s lifestyle!
Of course, I have a holiday-track mind, with Thanksgiving just a little over a week away and Christmas a little over a month away and for the holidays, Placetile Designs has a whole slew of great products for the holidays that will look great on your table, but be warned, you may have your guests begging to take their placetiles home.
I really, really love Placetile Designs and their prices are incredibly reasonable, especially since you will get a ton of use out of them. They are a definite must-have for holiday meals, dinner parties that you’ll hold all year ’round, baby and bridal showers and they are also a great, fashionable touch for weddings.
What are you doing to celebrate Halloween this year?
We don’t usually do too much so this year I am baking a Pillsbury Halloween funfetti cake and we are staying in, watching tons of scary Halloween movies!
Are you taking the kids trick-or-treating, attending or hosting a Halloween party, or staying in and having a quiet night? Let us know!
On Monday November 2, 2009, Urban Girl Squad will host a Wine Tasting Class with Specialty Food Pairings at Maslow 6 Wine Shop in Tribeca. This unique event will be from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.
Join Urban Girl Squad and Maslow 6, the new Tribeca wine shop, for a special introduction class to Old World and New World wines. You’ll taste six different wines at the event; three will be from the Old World (Europe) and three will be from the New World (US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.) Maslow 6 shop owner Keri Kunzle will teach us how to taste and experience the wines! With each wine, Flatiron Kitchen, a new boutique catering company in NYC, will provide specially paired h’ors doeuvres to eat.
Any wine you want to buy that night will be 10% off. This is a seated tasting where space is very limited and advanced payment is required!
Past Urban Girl Squad events include wine tastings, salsa dancing, beauty nights, nutritional seminars, private shopping events, happy hours and jazz shows.
This event on November 2nd will be with Maslow 6, a wine shop and community that brings people together who share a love of wine, who want to expand their knowledge and possibly their cellars, and who want to meet and greet other like-minded individuals. They provide a wide variety of wines from all over the world, enabling you to discover a new producer that you adore and learn about a new wine region of the world and how to really taste so you can appreciate what you drink even more.
About Urban Girl Squad
Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for lively, bright and friendly women in their 20s and 30s in New York City, in January 2008 when she noticed that many young women in the city were quietly but eagerly seeking friendships with like-minded women in the city. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to meet each other during monthly events that take advantage of New York City. Urban Girl Squad partners with exclusive, new, or unique locations to offer perks like meeting store owners and designers, tasting gourmet food and drinks, receiving individualized attention from popular venues, and more–often at a reduced price (and with gift bags!) The welcoming atmosphere at events gives women an opportunity to spend time with friends, meet new people and to try exciting activities that they may not try on their own.
Come on your own or bring friends and meet amazing New York women while learning about various wines and enjoying exquisite food.
Buy your ticket to this luxe event today!
Fast Facts
Date: Monday, November 2, 2009
Location:
Maslow 6
211b West Broadway
New York, NY 10013
Time: 7:00-9:00PM
Purchase Ticket: http://winetastingwithmaslow6.eventbrite.com/
Info: Urban Girl Squad
Cost: $34 per ticket
On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, Urban Girl Squad will host an Aztec-themed chocolate tasting with Vosges Haut-Chocolate at Vosges’ Chocolate Boutique in Soho. This exclusive night of decadent chocolate will be from 7:00 to 8:30PM.
The event will have five chocolate stations where you can taste Aztec-themed truffles paired with a small bite of food or something delicious to smell, and enjoy a red-fire martini between stations. You will meet friendly new women in New York City and receive:
- Red-fire martinis all night and 5 exotic, delicious chocolate truffles
- A gift bag with tasting notes, a mini exotic candy bar, and two truffles
- Entry to a raffle where the main prize is $75 worth of Vosges chocolate
- 10% discount off anything you buy or order that night
Past Urban Girl Squad events include wine tastings, salsa dancing, beauty nights, nutritional seminars, private shopping events, happy hours, and jazz shows.
This chocolate tasting on September 23rd will be with Vosges Haut-Chocolate, the chocolate company known for their inventive truffles. Vosges’ mission is to create a luxury chocolate experience rooted in a sensory journey of bringing about awareness to indigenous cultures through the exploration of spices, herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, nuts, chocolate and the obscure. They create a way to learn about a culture, person or object through eating.
About Urban Girl Squad
Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for lively, bright and friendly women int he 20s and 30s in New York City, in January 2008 when she noticed that many young women in the city were quietly but eagerly seeking friendships with like-minded women in the city. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to meet each other during exclusive monthly events that take advantage of New York City. Urban Girl Squad partners with exclusive, new, or unique locations to offer perks like meeting store owners and designers, tasting gourmet food and drinks, receiving individualized attention from popular venues, and more–often at a reduced price (and with gift bags!) The welcoming atmosphere at events gives women an opportunity to spend time with friends, meet new people, and to try exciting activities that they may not try on their own.
Come on your own or bring friends and meet amazing New York women while experiencing the luxurious world of chocolate!
Fast Facts
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Location: Vosges Haut-Chocolate
132 Spring Street (between Greene & Wooster)
New York, NY 10012
Time: 7:00-8:30PM
Buy Ticket At http://aztecchocolate.eventbrite.com
Info: http://urbangirlsquad.com
Cost: $40 per ticket
Summer is full of special, one of a kind, photo-worthy events and while you’ll definitely be taking pictures of the events you want to remember, there is an exciting alternative that will catch (and keep) the attention of everyone who sees them.
Everyone has, at one point or another, either seen or been in a photo booth and the photos taken in a photo booth are eccentric and photos you’ve undoubtedly kept years after having them taken. Portland Photo Booth Rentals give you the option of renting your very own photo booth for that special occasion in your life. Photo booths are exciting and something that no one at your event will expect, but will most definitely have a blast using! Photo booths are gaining in popularity and because people are so used to seeing photo booths at malls and amusement parks, they will remember them from these places, and head right on over to your rented photo booth to have their photos taken. Even better, photo booths allow those guests and friends that would otherwise become shy in front of a camera to use a photo booth where the curtain is drawn and they are alone and free to be themselves and take a photo of themselves that reflects who they are and what you love about them.
By reading more about Portland Photobooth Services you will find all the reasons you need why it is so important for you to rent a photobooth for your next special occasion and truly reflect what a great time your guests and loved ones had!
Are you a fan of Cranium, Loaded Questions and beer pong? Then you will love Partini!
Partini is a laugh-out-loud, multi-player game great for parties or small gatherings. Get some friends together, pair up into teams and compete in six games all rolled into one. One of the games in Partini is called Bouncers, where you bounce ping pong balls into cups; just like beer pong. That explains the suggested age for the game being eighteen. Other games include something called Straight Up, where you declare funny truths or myths about your teammates. Add a few martinis and you’re sure to get the party rockin’ and rollin’ in no time–And embarrass a few friends in the process.
My boyfriend and I used to frequently go to a friend’s house where we would get a little more than a handful of people together and play various different games and always had a ball. This game would have been an excellent addition to one of our game nights.
Now that we’re seeing the weather get colder and colder, instead of going out at night with friends, why not have a fun night in? Get some pizza, chips and other party food, of course the makings for martinis, because what’s Partini without martinis, and you’ve got the makings for a great night full of laughs.
There are a lot of people who absolute love to entertain; when buying a house, they make sure that there is ample room in order to throw dinner and cocktail parties or intimate gatherings of friends and family. I have never been one of those people and I’ll tell you the main reason why–I hate planning something out meticulously. I really wouldn’t have a clue where to start when planning the execution of a dinner party or even a small get together; I can’t even have all parts of dinner done at the same time night after night and I have had a lot of practice with it and just can’t seem to get the timing right. I believe that there are a select few out there who can plan the perfect party and have it pan out the exact way that they had planned and if there are people out there who love throwing parties but can’t plan it out, they hire party planners. I have never had a small fortunate laying around to hire a party planner, either, so I figured I was simply out of luck.
That is, until I found out about PartyBluPrints.
PartyBluPrints gives you the luxury of not having to worry about planning a party and not knowing where to start or even coming up with the theme that is just right for your gathering. They outline your blue print to success starting with the key elements of a party; the menu, cocktails, music, favors, activities and invitations. Not only do that go in order with what you need to start and then to finish, they give you ideas and inspiration to take with you and best of all, their blue prints are all in PDF form, not prone to getting lost or ruined in the midst of your party, but conveniently on your computer at all times to consult.
Their website is often updated with holiday ideas and also a few free guides, this season’s being an Election Party and Girls Night In. Other parties they have planned are ready for you to dig in to are a holiday parties, wine tasting parties, sports parties and a few different exciting themes specifically for women and that coveted “girl time” that is so hard to make time for sometimes.
When choosing a party plan of my liking, I went for A Night in Venice, with a festival, cosmopolitan, radiant and harmonious vibe.
As I took my first glance through my PartyBluPrint, the first thing I thought was “Wow!” They did not miss a beat when it came to planning the perfect party to encompass the entire vibe and not only that, but they include a little background history on, in my case, Venice, and while taking some ideas from history and from the place itself, they tune your entire party to that theme and it is amazing, really.
My PartyBluPrint started with the invitation and how to make it appear its absolute best. It then went on to not only the cocktail and meal menus but also the recipes and the preparation for each item, which I was pleasantly surprised with, as I need a recipe for soup! If you are planning your party ahead of time, they also include websites where you can buy the exact ingredients for the menu right online, making it convenient and super easy.
We all know that any gathering is not complete without ambiance and PartyBluPrints even thought of that! Giving you an overall idea and also distinct instructions, they make it a cinch to turn your home into a luxurious, magical place where the theme of the party greets your guests as soon as they step through your door.
While the Eparty plans PartyBluPrints have set up are remarkable in their entirety, the very best aspect of their party plan is that they give you an entire shopping list for your party in a list format with little boxes next to the items to ensure sufficiency in your party planning, making sure you have everything you need for a remarkable evening with your guests. For people like me who, like I said, cannot plan dinner to be done at the same time, they give you a step by step guide right down to time measurements, making sure that everything is completed and you’re ready for your guests when they start to arrive.
PartyBluPrints offers an exceptional service to party planning newbies and offers ideas and inspiration to those comfortable with throwing a gathering of any size. I would definitely recommend them for any type of party you are thinking about planning in the future, you cannot get more efficient or aesthetically pleasing.
