You know how on those cold winter days, when nothing sounds better than a hot mug of Cocoa.  You would have to heat up the water or milk over a stove or in a microwave.  And if you were making multiple cups for others, you would be at the microwave for what seemed like hours, heating and stirring and heating and stirring.  After all that work of stirring, it was never good enough, there were clumps and it never tasted like the Hot Cocoa you would get in a cafe.  Even though it wasn’t quite the best, we did it any way, those were our options for Hot Chocolate made at home.  But now, lucky for us Hot Chocolate lovers, they have finally invented the Dream Machine and it’s called the Bialletti Hot Chocolate Pot and it’s exclusively from Williams-Sonoma.

Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot

You will absolutely love this Hot Chocolate Pot.  It is so easy to use and makes the best tasting hot chocolate. All you do is add your milk, shaved chocolate or favorite cocoa, and then sit back and watch as the pot creates a perfect blended mixture. The best part is that it creates a rich foam and creamy froth.  So this winter and holiday season you can sit back and enjoy in your own home, great tasting hot chocolate.  What more could you want?

Right now the Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot is on sale, was $99.95 and now $79.99.  So it is a little pricey, but well worth it.  For those frugal shoppers I did find three similar items.  They all got great reviews.

The first one is found at Target.  Called The Bodum Hot Chocolate Frother for $39.99

Bodum Hot Chocolate

The second one is found at Bed Bath & Beyond. Called The Back To Basics Cocoa Latte for $29.99

Back To Basics Cocoa Latte

And the third one is found at Walmart.  Called The Mr. Coffee Cocomotion for $23.84

Mr. Coffe Cocomotion

They all accomplish the same thing which is,  automatically heating and mixing hot chocolate into a frothy, creamy, tasty drink.  So which ever one you choose from, the Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot or the ones I found at the other retailers, you will be pleasantly happy with your purchase.  Chocolate has never been Hotter!

Image Sources: William-Sonoma, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, and flickr.com

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Jewelry for your ears, neck, fingers, and wrists and a super cute stand to hang them on when they’re not on you!Little Birch Jewelry Stand $32.00

Animal Print Earrings $19.00

Crystal and Glass Pearl Filigree Pendant $37.40

Clear Rock Ring $12.00

Journey Bracelet $19.00

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Black ankle boots are a perfect way to stay stylish and yet cover up those tootsies during these cold winter months. But look around before you splurge on the first designer brand that catches your eye. You could save yourself plenty of Christmas shopping money!

Christian Louboutin available at Neiman Marcus

$795.00

*OR*

I was at the mall and bought these at Charlotte Russe

for just $24.99

CR has a “2nd Pair for $10″ deal, so I threw these in too for a $40 TOTAL.

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* See Image Source Below

Every year my family and I do as much as we can to give during the holidays. There are many different ways we choose to give back to the community and others. One of my favorites is Toys For Tots. I love the idea of it all, that every kid should be able to open a brand new toy on Christmas.  I love that during the holiday season I see all the Marines helping assist in making this happen.  It is a joy to witness all the boxes filling up with toys over the few months of October through December, knowing how many kids will be touched by the gift of others. I just love it.

Toys For Tots began in 1947. It was the idea of of the wife of Colonel William L. Hendricks, Diane. She had made a Raggedy Ann doll and asked her husband Bill to deliver it to an organization in Los Angeles, that would give it to needy children during the Christmas Season. When Bill discovered that no organization like that existed, Diane encouraged her husband to create one. And so Toys For Tots was created. In 1948 the Marine Corps adopted the idea. From there it grew into a nationwide organization. Over the last 59 years, Toys For Tots has distributed more than 370 million toys to more than 173 million needy children. It is an very inspiring story from how it was created to what it has become over the years. To read more about Toys For Tots story click here.

So this was the first year that my boys really got into it. They are both 4 years old. They picked out the toys that they would love to give, and even though we had to explain it a few times they seemed to understand and enjoy it. It was so sweet to see them hand over the toys to the Marines and shake their hands. When we were walking away, I told them how proud I was of them. Both of my boys looked up and said, “Mom, when can we do it again?” It made me so happy that they enjoyed it so much, I told them we can do it again real soon.

I look forward to doing Toys For Tots every year with my boys, among other things that involve giving and sharing. I love this holiday season so much.  I really do believe when you give, you can’t help, but feel you received something greater than the gifts you give. Especially seeing the examples we are showing our children. Teaching them the gift of giving.

For more information and Toy Drop-Off Locations for Toys For Tots, visit them at ToysForTots.org.

* Image Source: Bridgestone Americas

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Chocolate is sometimes considered sinful. We are encouraged to stay away from it-resist it and the calories it gives you. Women especially are tempted by it’s sweetness and what it does for the soul, even though it’s not always great for our bodies. Well thanks to Compartes Chocolatier out of Los Angeles, you can be your own advocate and cancel out the sin by doing good when you treat yourself (or others-although personally I have a very difficult time sharing my chocolate) to their yummy chocolate goodness. Purchase their limited edition Chocolates For A Cause and your money will go towards funding the only women’s center in Darfur through Relief International. Compartes has teamed up with Relief Beads to provide this opportunity through chocolate bracelets. So now you can team up with chocolate and indulge in your cravings or satisfy that person on your Christmas list without guilt by doing GOOD!

Images: Officedog.co.uk and Compartes.com

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