A few weeks ago I shared with you that I was hosting a Pillsbury Potluck Party and asked you to vote on the recipe that I should bring to the party.  It was pretty much a landslide that everyone thought that I should bring Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars.  This suggestion was right on the money!  It was everyone’s favorite of all of the recipes shared that evening.  The combination of the chocolate chip cookie dough and creamcheese was divine.  I mean, who doesn’t love cheesecake?  It was so easy to make and so delicious that this will be something that I bring to holiday parties from here on out!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bar Recipe

Prep Time: 10 Min

Total Time: 3 Hr 20 Min

Makes: 16 bars

INGREDIENTS
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut, if desired
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in coconut. 2 In ungreased, 9- or 8-inch square pan, break up half of cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of dough over cream cheese mixture. 3 Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving (1 Bar)

Calories 200
(Calories from Fat 90),

Total Fat 10g  (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g, Trans Fat 1g),
Cholesterol 35mg;
Sodium 135mg;
Total Carbohydrate 25g
(Dietary Fiber 0g,
Sugars 18g),
Protein 2g;

My Pillsbury Potluck Party

I hosted my party at my in-laws house because everyone there loves to cook and share recipes.  I thought that this would be such a fun way for the whole family, including my husband’s extended family and brothers, to get together and share food, fun and family.   Plus I was able to prove to my in-laws that I can cook… occasionally.  Well desserts at least!  Below is a video I made that features my family, the recipes shared and the great time we had together during the Pillsbury Potluck.

It’s Not Too Late to Host Your Own Pillsbury Potluck Party – Coupons Anyone?

If you need tons of great recipes or inspiration to create your own masterpiece be sure to check out the Ideas Made Easy on Pillsbury.com.  From appetizers to desserts you will be sure to find great ideas that are perfect for any party, potluck or even as a hostess gift!

Plus you can read reviews and get tips from other members of the Pillsbury community before you make the recipe so you needn’t worry if the dish will be a hit or a miss with your guests.

Don’t forget that you can connect with Pillsbury for great recipe ideas everyday by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Get your coupons and get inspired today!

Disclosure: The Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Dear children of the eighties, you may have grown up, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun with your accessories! If you were a fan of Swatches back in the day, Modify Watches are the newest way to make your watch fit your personality and outfit for the day.

I recently received an original size Modify watch to review with both the green band, a grey band and a black pinstripe watch face. Unlike the Swatches of old, Modify watches simply snap together, no more trying to slide bands onto the watch face. The watches are extremely comfortable too.  I loved how easy it was to interchange the bands, but the watch itself felt a bit chunky for my tastes. Luckily, they also offer a mini version, which would be the way I would go if I buy another one.  I think that they would be the perfect size for me.

Below is a picture of what I was sent.  You can see the size of the watch on my wrist.

30% off Plus Free 3 Day Shipping on Select Aprons, 12/15 Only, code Holly30

Looking for a great gift for mom or grandma?  What about a great hostess gift?  Flirty Aprons is sure to please!  I LOVE my Flirty Apron and use it all the time.  It truly is one size fits all and any woman that loves chic and modern accessories will love this apron.  Today is a great day to take advantage of an awesome deal for a gift for her with 30% off plus free 3 day shipping!

Sale Details:

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Additional Sale Details

• 30% Off & Free 3-Day Shipping (when coupon code Holly30 is applied)
  
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There are some classic gifts that I always like to put under the tree.  Crayola is one of them!  Crayola has so many wonderfully creative ideas that bring out the imagination in children.  Some of my favorite “Santa” presents to get for the kids are from Crayola.  Each year Crayola comes out with fantastic new products in addition to the classics and I am so excited to share some of them with you!  Any of these would make great gifts for the kids on your list this year.

 

Crayola Jewelry Boutique

With the new Crayola Jewelry Boutique, kids can become their own jewelry designers! Crayola put a unique “spin” on jewelry making with a special “jewelry spinner” that creates multi-colored beads using Crayola Model Magic. As kids spin their beads into shapes, they can string them together to create original bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and pendants that reflect their own personal style. Let the designing begin!

• By combining eye-popping colors to create unique beads with the Jewelry Boutique “spinner,” the amount of fun and creativity is endless because no two beads turn out exactly the same!

 

• For a dazzling finish, coat designs with bead glaze. For even more sparkle and pizzazz, add gems, and interchangeable pendant and bracelet charms!

Recommended for children ages 6+, each Jewelry Boutique kit includes 8 packs of Crayola Model Magic to mold 160 beads, 5 bracelet charms, 3 pendant charms, 2 shape cutters, a bead dryer rack, 5 toggle sets, 4 earring posts and ear wires, a bead punch, 18 gems, 2 necklace cords, 1 elastic cord, bead glaze, and the Jewelry Boutique Spinner with storage areas and retails for $24.99.

 

Crayola Glow Book

Let your kids’ imaginations run free this holiday season while creating glowing, moving art with the Crayola Glow Book. Turn the lights out and watch their artwork come alive on each page and appear as if it is actually moving!

Using special glowing-ink markers to draw on each of the four clear pages, kids can choose one of the four tracing guides to create original scenes, signs and messages, and arrange them in their desired order. Then, just hit the lights and allow your kids to wow you with wildly colorful, glowing animated scenes. Variable light settings create colorful, multi-layered effects. The Crayola Glow Book wipes off easily so kids can use their imaginations to create endless glowing artwork! A simple wet cloth will do.

Recommended for children ages 6+, the kit includes one Glow Book with 4 clear pages, 4 animation tracing guides and 6 glow markers and retails for $24.99.

 

Crayola’s Telescoping Crayon Tower and Ultimate Art Supply Case

For everyday inspiration and creativity, be sure to keep Crayola’s Telescoping Crayon Tower and all-inclusive Ultimate Art Supplies case handy, so they’re can always be prepared to create! Filled with crayons and all of the classic art tools for drawing and painting, kids can share their creativity through colorful works of art! The Telescoping Crayon Tower and Ultimate Art Supplies casemake great gifts every child can use to jumpstart their creativity.

• The Telescoping Crayon Tower puts limitless color at kids’ fingertips and compacts neatly for storage with 150 Crayola Crayons and a built-in sharpener for extra convenience.

• There are no limits to a child’s imagination with the all-in-one, portable Ultimate Art Supply Kit.

Recommended for children 4+, the Ultimate Art Supply Kit contains 24 crayons, 8 washable broad line markers, 12 colored pencils, 8 washable watercolors, 1 paint brush, school glue, scissors, and colored paper and retails for $16.99. The Crayon Tower retails for $17.99.

My boys had so much fun playing with the Crayola products. The only thing I set aside was the Jewelry Boutique because the product is more on the feminine side.  I am definitely saving it though to pass on to my 7 year old niece as one of her Christmas presents from us this year.  I know that she will have so much fun making her own jewelry.

For some reason my sons are all enamored by markers- which I hate.  I like crayons better because they don’t run or leak and you don’t have to worry about them drying out.  I have had the hardest time selling crayons to the boys to use until they got the Crayon Tower.  All of sudden crayons are cool again!  They think that its great how it goes up and down and they love to see the crayons in tower form.  My three year old is really trying to figure out the crayon sharpener though.  We all thought that the inclusion of the metallic and glitter crayons are awesome to color with.  I am a bit jealous that I didn’t have these cool crayons when I was growing up!

The Ultimate Art Supply Case has everything your child could need to create a work of art.  I love that its all contained in a handy case that can easily be taken to grandma’s too.   Everything has its place and doesn’t fall loose when contained.  I will admit that the case can be a bit tricky to open but even if one of the sides falls out the contents are contained.  My only suggestion for the kit would be to include some white paper in addition to construction paper.  I love pictures drawn on white paper sometimes too.

If you need some new ideas for coloring pages be sure to check out Crayola.com?StoryStudio because they have a great tool called the Story Studio.  You can upload pictures from your digital camera and then the studio transforms them into coloring pages!  This would make such a great gift for grandma!  You could print out a great picture of grandma and the kids and then have them color them.  Once done you can have them framed and give Grandma a piece of artwork that will pull at her heartstrings!  Very affordable and thoughtful.

My husband’s birthday was last week and my sons all got together and used the kit and the tower to create their very own special birthday card for their Dad.  My oldest two drew a picture of themselves with their Dad and my youngest scribbled and doodled but insisted on multiple pages and that we glue them together so his creation was very unique.  Below are pictures of each of them with their card.

Even though they are all different ages its nice to see that they all enjoy the creativity that Crayola brings to the table.  I love seeing them share ideas and get their creative juices flowing.  The cards they made definitely put a smile on their Daddy’s face as well as their own.

Crayola has so many great kits and activities out.  My boys loved the Crayon Tower so much that Santa is bringing them a Marker Tower too!  I only mentioned a handful of products offered so be sure to check out the Crayola Holiday Gift Guide and see all the options available for what will fit the personalities and ages of the children on your list.

Don’t forget to follow Crayola on Facebook and on Twitter for all the latest Crayola ideas and innovations.

Win It!

One lucky Pretty Pink Momma reader will win a Crayola Prize Pack!  The prize pack will include one of each of the products mentioned above:

• Crayon Tower
• Glow Book
• Ultimate Art Supply Kit
• Jewelry Boutique

Mandatory entry for this giveaway will be to leave a comment on this post telling me which of these products from Crayola would you most like to give as a gift to a special child in your life to inspire creativity, and why?

Entry is easy.  After you leave a comment on the post be sure to click “I did this” on the Rafflecopter widget below.  Don’t forget about the extra entries too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: The Crayola Innovative Holiday prize pack, product information and prize pack for giveaway have been provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark.

 Great Sales and Free Shipping From MomAgenda!!!

*This Post Includes Affiliate Links

One of our favorite things to do as a family is watch movies.  Over the last year we have all really enjoyed having a family movie day on Sundays.  Its our day to veg out and just eat and hang out together.  Prior to Sunday my husband and I check out all the great movies that are on demand via our cable provider to plot out what we are going to watch that weekend.  Actually we really like to pick out two movies, one for the whole family on Sunday and one just for us that we can watch in our bedroom on Friday or Saturday night sans children.  There are so many new releases each week and because we don’t often get out to the theater there is usually something that one or both of us really want to see.

Movies On Demand are so convenient and easy – I just love it!  I really like that there isn’t a need for a debit card or anything like that, it just simply gets added to my monthly cable bill.  It’s fun and affordable family entertainment and something that we do much more of during the holiday season while the kids are on winter break.

One of my guiltiest pleasures is watching movies from the comfort of my bed.  I love watching movies with my husband too but I confess that if there are chick flicks that I know for certain that he will not want to see I watch them by myself when he is gone at work. I may have to pause it a million times from the boys interrupting me but its still one of my favorite ways to relax after a rough morning.

If you are still not convinced that Movies On Demand are as awesome as I think it is check out this video that points out some great reasons why you should take advantage of it.

I am always watching shows and movies on demand and every day I see movie critic Leonard Maltin sharing his top picks that week for Movies On Demand.  He always has interesting picks and shares some great insight about each movie that he recommends.

As I mentioned earlier, Movies On Demand has great new releases each week.  Today, 12/6, Movies On Demand released Cowboys & Aliens, The Hangover 2 and The Help.  I haven’t seen Cowboys & Aliens but the trailer looks good.  I have seen the the other two but my husband hasn’t seen The Help and even though it seems like a chick flick its really a movie for everyone to see.  I would definitely order that on Demand just so he could watch it and I would love to see it again.

On Friday, 12/9, Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom is set to release.  This was a such a fun family movie to see and if you haven’t seen it yet getting it On Demand this weekend would be a great way to share some family fun in between all the frantic holiday shopping and planning.

Also, if you want to see new trailers, interviews and more you can visit the Movies On Demand YouTube Channel.  I just say a trailer for Sarah’s Key and it looks so good that I think I will recommend it to my husband for this weekend.

For more fun Movies On Demand new releases and to stay up to date with what’s going on be sure to “like” their facebook page.  There is also a Holiday Movies tab too so you can see what movies are available to watch with your family this holiday season.  While your visiting their page be sure to check out some fun apps like List it! or Click Your Flick and share them with your friends.

List It! is a sweepstakes widget that allows you to list your top five movie picks from the list inspired by The Hangover 2.  By submitting your list you are automatically entered in a daily drawing for a $5 Movies On Demand credit and for the grand prize of a brand new 46″3D TV.  Talk about a Merry Christmas!

Click Your Flick is a great way to help you decide which movie you most want to see – and if you still can’t decide you can ask your friends to weigh in!  How cool is that?  The app asks you to choose from two movies and with each selection it narrows down what you would rather see based on the answers you give.  Then it ultimately gives you the two options to choose from.  If you still can’t decide post it on your wall and leave it up to your friends to help.  It was really cool to play with and there were descriptions of lots of movies that I know I would have skimmed over based on their title but reading the description and seeing a picture helped to get me interested in some new movies.

Win a Movies On Demand Visa Gift Card Prize Pack!

One Pretty Pink Momma reader will win a $25 Visa Gift Card, a Fast Five T-shirt, and a Movies on Demand tote bag!  What a great way to get started on enjoying your favorite Movies On Demand for the holidays!

Entry is easy.  Simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.  For the mandatory entry simply tell me which new release this week are you most likely to rent: Cowboys & Aliens, The Help, The Hangover 2 or Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom.

*This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. Thoughts are my own.

Being online majority of the time and surfing various websites we all remember to protect our PC’s from threats and malware that can completely destroy our files.  I had an instance once that I nearly lost all of my digital photos from the last five years.  Thankfully I was able to get them before they were lost forever.

Now I know that most of go to great lengths to protect our computer files but what about our actual homes?  Does your home have security monitoring?  I have gotten into some debates about the value of home security systems with many of my friends.  Most of them take the stance that the monthly cost to have security monitoring isn’t worth the expense, especially if you live in a great neighborhood.

I on the other hand have a different point of view.  I grew up with a system in my childhood home and when I purchased my own home in a new neighborhood it seemed like a great idea.  I enjoy peace of mind and all the extras that come with security monitoring like smoke detection, motion sensors and remote arming.  I just like the feeling of being protected and find it worth the monthly fee.

I have to say that since moving out of my home and into a rental home without a security system it has been an adjustment.  I find that I am jumpier about strange sounds and I worry if I forgot to lock the door – which is something that I am not used to worrying about.

My tenants in my home chose to keep the system that we had in place and also enjoy the benefits of it.  They were considering cancelling it due to budget issues and when I cancelled the monitoring I was surprised at the lengths that the company went to keep my business.  They offered three months of free service and then they cut the bill in half from $42 to only $20 per month!  My tenants were so happy with the deal that they agreed to keep the service.

Deciding to have a security system is a personal choice but if you do decide to go for it make sure that you shop around for the best bang for your buck.  Many companies offer free installation and include lots of freebies for signing with them.  Some reputable companies include ADT, Brinks, Monitronics and Vivint security.  I just learned that Vivint has some really cool features and I think that the next time I get a system I am definitely going to check into them.  What cool features does Vivint home automation have do you ask?  Features like when armed it will dim the lights, turn down the thermostat and lock the deadbolt.  Upon returning home and disarming the system it automatically turns up the lights and the heat.  You can even remotely arm or disarm, unlock the deadbolt and change the thermostat with you smartphone!

There are definitely some awesome upgraded features out now that I had no idea about.  I would love to be able to control a security system from my iPhone one day, that would be so cool!

So what about you? Where do you weigh in on the home security system debate?

The first day of December is here!  I, like many of you, are still feverishly shopping for those on my holiday gift list.  I have some great gift ideas here so please look around the site and see what I have reviewed in the past because you might just find that great idea that you have been looking for.  I also have several things lined up over the next couple of weeks too so keep an eye out!

I had a minor set back this past week over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I ate lots, had a great time visiting my friends and family in Seattle and after enduring the long six hour car ride home I was exhausted.  And on Monday morning I discovered that I had thrown my back out too.  So my posting schedule has been delayed a bit and I apologize for that.  The time delay has pushed back some reviews and giveaways and in order to fulfill my commitments I don’t know if I can focus on finishing my Holiday Gift Guide in time.

So this year, instead of a guide, I will be featuring fun reviews and giveaways as usual, and if I have the time I will put just my very favorite ideas in my gift guide and link to it from my sidebar.

Now that I am feeling a little more like myself, and my back pain has finally let up, I will be playing tons of catch up.  There will be a posting frenzy as I get all caught up – enjoy!

The countdown is on!!