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Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue!
The Hall of Presidents in The Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square framed by Wishes fireworks. Happy Independence Day, America!
Photo ©Vanessa Guzan
Confession: I had a blogging identity crisis. Right in the middle of Walt Disney World.
Readers of ZannaLand may have noticed the not-so-subtle shift from Disney posts to more me/personal/generic posts. This happened both because I combined the MainStreet.Zannaland.com posts here and I really wanted to venture out into the world of Mom Blogs and hopefully get more involved with other bloggers, product reviews and blogging opportunities. I thought – “I can be a REAL blogging mom!” There was only one problem…I had no idea what to blog about. Read the rest of this entry
Ever since first hearing about the famous little Virginia and her letter in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun, it’s become a part of my annual holiday heart string-pulling. I cling to it more closely this year, when my 9 year-old daughter is at the age where she questions the veracity of Jolly Old Saint Nick. It’s hard in this day and age to keep that particular bit of magic alive, in a time when commercials are touting “Christmas for less!” and blatantly showing parents relieved to get presents for their children at discount prices. “Why do you have to go shopping?” she asks smugly. “How does he get to every house in one night anyway??” and “People at school say he’s not real and there’s no such thing as Santa Claus.” Telling her I still believe doesn’t seem to work as well.
With the exception of the Super Bowl, there are few times as exciting in the world of television commercials as the holiday season. There are some that stick with us for years, good or bad. I thought I’d share some of my favorites for 2009 as well as the ones that bug me the most!
Love the Island of Misfit Toys Verizon commercial. Poor iPhone!
What better way to brighten up this holiday season than with a beautiful arrangement from 1-800-flowers.com and giving back with a donation to Toys for Tots? In order to make others’ holiday season brighter, 1-800-flowers.com has created a Secret Santa program on Facebook as part of a fundraiser for Toys for Tots. By using the Secret Santa application on Facebook, you can send a free ‘Warm Fuzzy‘ to as many friends and family members as you like, and both you and the recipient will also receive a 15% off discount code. The recipient won’t know who their Secret Santa is until December 21st. If 10,000 Warm Fuzzies are sent, 1-800-flowers.com will donate $5000 to Toys for Tots!
In addition, 1-800-flowers.com is giving 10% of net proceeds from their Toys for Tots collection back to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Just pick an arrangement or gift from their exclusive collection and enter code TOYS at checkout.
Be sure to become a Facebook fan of 1-800-flowers.com for more news and great deals for the season!
I have to admit up front, I was hoping we’d have some better news on J’s job front by now, but am confident next week will bring something wonderful. The truth is, it would be so easy to focus on the negative and not even write a post like this detailing the things for which I am thankful…times are tough for sure, and so many times in instances of strife like this, we resort to phrases like, “Why me?” However, I came to an understanding a long time ago that the best answer to that question is, “Why not me?”
Who are we to choose who takes the easy road while others take the hard? And who’s to say someone isn’t (and they usually are) suffering ten times more than you are right now? Why not us? Who would we rather push this hardship onto? No one that I know, certainly. Again, not to say what we are going through is so unbearable or even the worst struggle we’ve experienced, but this has been given to us and we will come through it stronger than ever. Why not us?
…
It’s pretty obvious what my blessings are this year, I could rattle off my husband and children and mom and of course the amazing friends I’ve made recently. I am thankful for those things each and every day. In addition, I’d like to add some other things that make me pause, take a deep breath, and smile – from the inside out.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Of course there is much more for which I am thankful…and will be listing those things off tomorrow, but for today, I’m thankful for FINALLY making the perfect cheesecake with NO cracks!! 
(We’ll see what it looks like sliced tomorrow!! Wish me luck!)
The recipe is Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake and was the dessert I made when I cooked my first Thanksgiving, 12 years ago! (There were many cracks in it that year!)
And yes, I know this is yet another NON-Wordless Wednesday from me! 
Thanksgiving Table Crafts
Inspired by some of my fellow bloggers as well as my favorite, Family Fun magazine, I thought I’d share my family’s top Turkey Day crafts! I have to admit, almost all of the crafts my children have done over the years are thanks to their amazing grandmother, my mom. She has an agenda when it comes to the holidays and always makes sure the kids get to create something new each year and feel like a big part of the festivities. I have come up with a few of my own over the years though, so this list combines both.
An outtake of our holiday card photo from last November...EVERYone looks different today! These little people have my ♥!
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