Edwards Créme Pies Review and Giveaway

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Edwards for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Do you eat pies during the holidays?  It's pretty much the only time my family eats pies.  I don't know why.  I guess I'm too lazy to make them and too cheap to buy them during the rest of the year.  That's ok though, pies symbolize the holidays for us.
This year, I might be a bit lazy again and buy Edwards Crème pies for our Christmas celebration.  Ok, maybe lazy isn't the word--I'm just too busy to make them this year!  Luckily Edwards has the perfect pies for my family.   I was able to try the Hershey®'s Créme pie and it's not as good as my mom's, it's better (shhhh...)!
Wanna know another reason I think I'll buy Edwards Créme pies for Christmas?  For every Edwards dessert product purchased during the month of December, $1 will be donated to Toys for Tots!!  It's the perfect way to treat your family and a family in need!

Speaking of family, Edwards wants to help you stay in touch with your family this season.  They've developed a micro site where you can create and send a holiday e-card to anyone you want!  The best part about sharing their holiday e-cards?  You'll each (sender and reciever) get a $1 off coupon toward a pie!  I sent a card to my parents.  It was quick and easy.

So let's get this straight--you visit the micro site and make a holiday e-card, you and your reciever get a $1 off coupon, you buy a pie, and Edwards gives $1 to Toys for Tots.  You can't beat that!

But wait, I'm not done!!

One lucky Toys In The Dryer reader will win a coupon for a free pie and will get $20 donated to Toys for Tots in their name! 

To enter use the Rafflecopter form below--leave a comment telling us what Edwards Dessert you would try and why.  Other entries include tweeting this giveaway and liking Edwards Desserts on Facebook. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pinned it, Did it---Snowday Ice Cream

This post was actually written last winter and for some odd reason we never published it.  We found Snowday Ice Cream on Pinterest but have since lost the original pin.  Here's our take on it though :)  Yes, the lack of snow continues this year! 

Where we live (the frozen tundra) we normally have a surplus of snow for this tasty treat. Notice I said "normally?" Yeah well this year, not so much...in fact this year was the first year I can remember in my 30-something years where we had a brown Christmas. Well we finally got a little bit of snow (just barely enough to cover the ground) and I can finally share this tasty treat with you.

Here is what you will need:
8 cups of CLEAN snow- steer clear of the yellow snow, for obvious reasons
1 can of sweetened condensed  milk
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (or almond is great too!)
sprinkles (because who doesn't like sprinkles)

Grab your largest bowl and fill it with the fresh snow that has just fallen.
Estimate 8 cups (give or take a little) and pour the sweetened condensed milk and flavoring into the snow and mix well. When you are done add some sprinkles, whipped cream, a cherry on top, or whatever else you like on ice cream and ENJOY!

*the only bummer thing is that this "ice cream" doesn't keep well....so don't bother trying to freeze the left overs because you won't enjoy it the second day.

Christmas Morning Sticky Buns

Last year I shared a post about our family tradition of eating Ice Box Pudding on Christmas Eve.  This year, I bring you a tradition my mom started for us--Christmas Morning Sticky Buns. 

To be honest, I have no clue what the real name of these tasty morning treats are.  My mom found the recipe in a church cook book years ago.  When she started making them every year for Christmas morning, they became known as Christmas Morning Sticky Buns in my family.  Funny thing is, though, we eat them on Easter and Thanksgiving morning too!
Below is the recipe of you want to try them with your family.  Plan ahead though, these take time and are usually made the day before we eat them.

1)  In a large bowl, measure 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Add 2 packages of dry yeast.

2)  In a saucepan, measure:
      3/4 cup milk
      1/2 cup water
      1/4 cup margarine
      1/4 cup sugar
      1 tsp salt
Stirring constantly, heat until warm (120-130 degrees)

3)  Once warm, pour into the flour/yeast mixture

4)  Add 1 egg and beat with a mixer for 3 minutes, scraping the side of the bowl as you mix

5)  By hand, add 1 1/2 cup flour

6)  Cover the dough and let rise.

7)  Meanwhile, prepare the topping:
      3/4 cup butter or margarine
      1 cup brown sugar
      3/4 cup sliced almonds
      1 tsp cinnamon
      1 tsp pancake syrup
      1 Tbsp water

8)  Spread the topping in a 9x13 in pan

9)  Beat down the dough then drop by spoonfuls over the topping.

10)  Let it rise again

11)  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
The only thing I can say is YUMMY!  This is another family tradition I will pass onto my girls!
What family traditions do you have?

SimplyFun®--Family Connections and Learning Through Play

How often do you play games with your family?  Growing up, my family played games together all the time, especially around the holidays.  My husband and I play games with our girls as often as we can too.  It's fun to sit by the fire, "unplug" and have family time in the winter.  In the summer, our air conditioned basement is the perfect place to unwind and play a game after a day of fun in the sun.


SimplyFun® is a company that promotes family connections via game playing with your kids.  They believe "play must be a priority for all families."  Their mission statement says, "Play allows important human connections to take root, to grow, and to flourish. It allows us to share with each other...It relieves stress and creates joyful memories...Play keeps our families connected!"

When SimplyFun® contacted us to do a review of some of their games, we jumped at the opportunity!  After all, at Toys In The Dryer, we believe the same things they do.  Our site is all about spending time quality time with your children.

Here's the kicker though, not only does SimplyFun® promote spending quality time with your children, they also promote learning through play!  Each and every one of their games has a educational element to them.  However, they are so fun, you kids won't even know they're learning while playing and spending time with you!

Jamie--I chose to review the Treasure Trot game.  Ever since Nutty's birthday, the girls have been into horses.  Plus, this game looked girly and has two sides (hard and easy).  I was impressed with the quality of the box, game board, and pieces.  This is not a flimsy game and will last through hundreds of uses!  My girls and I found the game a bit hard to understand at first but once we figured it out, it was a lot of fun.  My 4 year old needed some help but I expected that because it's meant for 5 and up.  My 6 year old (and her friend) could easily play both sides of the board once we figured out how to play it.  They play the game every time they get together!  Though "girly," my husband didn't mind playing it with the girls too.   


Lindsi--I chose to review Bee Alert game. Let me be honest, my husband isn't a fan of board games so I was surprised when I came home from the store to find him sitting on the floor playing Bee Alert with our kids. He actually said "this game is great! This game is perfect for all ages, I can even see playing this with adults." No kidding!!! The game pieces are quality made and sturdy. My favorite part of this game is that it works well with all ages and challenges. My son (one of the twins) is a HUGE perfectionist and he was rockin' this game, big time! My daughter (the other twin) doesn't have the same patience level as her brothers and she really got into this game. All in all I'd say this was a "win" and will likely remain a favorite in our home for quite some time.

The board games from SimplyFun® make the perfect Christmas gift for children in your family!  Hurry and order though because the deadline to guarantee delivery before Christmas is December 15th!

You can find SimplyFun® via their website, Facebook, and Twitter.  For more information on becoming a SimplyFun® consultant, please visit their website.

Do you play games with your children?  How often?

SimplyFun® is a consultant based company.  We were asked by the headquarters of SimplyFun® to review the games.  This review is NOT linked to any specific consultant and the links within the post go to the general website.  We were given games to review and keep.  The opinions expressed are 100% our own.

Christmas Tree Bunting

Some of you may remember my Bunny Bunting Banner I made last spring for Easter. If not be sure to HOP over and check it out (sorry, I couldn't help myself).  I loved the way it turned out so much that I decided to make one for Christmas this year, except put a spin on it. Instead of using colorful paper (which you can still totally do) I decided to use Christmas colored fabrics and make little trees! I am SO excited with how it turned out and I thought I'd share it with you for a little inspiration as well.

Gather enough fabric to make several trees. Cut and stitch them each, leaving the bottom open for turning right side out and for stuffing and adding the tree stump.
*If your kids are good with scissors, they can help you cut the trees out.

My least favorite part of sewing is making sure my corners (or points) are nice and precise. My grandma was a stickler for perfect sewing so I kind of feel like I would be letting her down if I gave it half of my effort. Using a small scissors or a knitting needle (or even a chopstick) carefully push out the three corners so that they come to a nice point.
*If you trust your children not to poke through the fabric, have them help you push out the corners.

Stuff each tree and blanket stitch (here's a link to how to blanket stitch) each tree shut, don't forget to add in the tree stump too!
*This step your kids can definitely do and they'll love it too!

Attach all of your trees to a pretty ribbon and hang! I am in love with how it turned out. Whatcha' think?

Do you let your kids help you with sewing projects?