About House & Home: Holiday Feasting, Shopping & Celebrating

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor This weekend is often considered the true start of the holiday season, a time when family and friends get together for food, fun and for some of us, a little Black Friday shopping. Ideas for Your Thanksgiving Table In our house, the holiday table is often decorated at the very last minute. I tend to spend most of my time cooking, often forgetting that my table's beauty should reflect the amount of work and love I put into preparing each Thanksgiving dish. So, this year I'm turning to this incredible gallery of ideas for my holiday table. Tips for a Good Feng Shui Thanksgiving If you're looking for some last-minute inspiration to help you through the holiday season, then this is the only guide you need. With tips and suggestions for creating a balanced and calm space, not only will your guests feel welcomed, but any stress will quickly melt away. Holiday Shopping Survival Guide Just last week our 20-year old television blew up and because we'll be hosting a family get-together this weekend, we finally ventured into our local mall to see what we could find. Since then we've discovered that the craziness of holiday shopping can be mediated if you know how to prepare, plan and find the best deals - and it's all right here in this easy to use guide to surviving holiday shopping. Black Friday Shopping Tips Speaking of surviving, a friend once said that she'd rather go through six hours of dental surgery than one hour of Black Friday shopping regardless of the great deals. But she didn't know what I now know after reading this article. Like how to find the best deals before you even leave the house. House & Home Ads Thanksgiving Recipes Holiday Party Thanksgiving Turkey Holiday Gifts Christmas Shopping Featured Articles Energy-saving Holiday Lights Pet Emergencies During the Holidays Create an Inexpensive Coat Rack Wonders of Ancient Egypt Portable Heater Safety Tips Pine Cone Bird Feeders   More from About.com Thanksgiving Recipes Herb-roasted turkey with cornbread stuffing, cranberry relish and roasted squash, sweet and tart fruit pies, and many more. More> Choose the Perfect Gift Whether you're looking for teens, teachers, grandparents or even pets, we have suggestions to make shopping easier. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: Thanksgiving Crafts for the Whole Family

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor If you read last week's newsletter, I mentioned the amazing idea from our Entertaining Guide who suggested getting the kids involved in Thanksgiving decorating. So, this week we're sending you some fun projects that the whole family can be part of. Projects so fun that before you know it, your house will be ready for the holiday celebration - decorated with care and love. Thanksgiving Scrapbook Page Ideas A few years ago I had to spend the holidays away from my family. I was fortunate that a friend invited me for dinner, and when my friend saw that I was missing being home, she pulled out a scrapbook and gave it to me, one she made after our two families had spent a holiday together. I spent an hour pouring through the pages and in that moment I felt connected again. Scrapbooking is a great way to preserve and share memories and something even small children can help with. Pumpkin Tea Light Holders If you haven't tried making these pumpkin tea holders, you must! They're perfect for a Thanksgiving table or to decorate a hearth or to accent a buffet table. And they're so easy to make that the whole family can get involved. Free Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities For all you parents who aren't quite sure how to keep kids entertained during the holiday, this guide is just what you need. With a gazillion craft ideas (well, almost that many), your kids will have enough to keep them busy through to the new year. Holiday Table Runner Pattern If you want your holiday table to be the center of the celebration, then this is the pattern for you. With easy-to-follow instructions, from choosing the fabrics to final design, this runner will become a holiday favorite. House & Home Ads Thanksgiving Kids Crafts Turkey Fun Crafts Crafts Ideas Art and Crafts Featured Articles Grow Indoor Flowers Recognizing Arthritis in Dogs Thanksgiving Postcard Gallery Winter Auto Maintenance Checklist 10 Green Remodeling Myths Super-simple Indoor Gardening   More from About.com Thanksgiving Recipes Herb-roasted turkey with cornbread stuffing, cranberry relish and roasted squash, sweet and tart fruit pies, and many more. More> Choose the Perfect Gift Whether you're looking for teens, teachers, grandparents or even pets, we have suggestions to make shopping easier. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: Get Started on Your Holiday Entertaining

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor This year the stores seem to be promoting holiday cheer even earlier than before with Christmas tree displays taking up every corner of the local mall. And because of this early display, I keep putting off my holiday planning, thinking I have more time than I actually do. But now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I better start preparing. Get Started on Your Holiday Entertaining I'm so grateful for this guide to holiday entertaining, which offers great suggestions for this year's celebration, like getting kids involved in decorating the holiday table. Such a great idea considering I'm not exactly the crafty type. Plus, it reminds me what the season is all about - family and friends coming together. Budget Decorating for the Holidays Speaking of decorating, I'm on a really tight budget this year, with very few funds set aside for holiday decor. But my family also likes a festive home, so this article provides the perfect combination to make both my family and wallet happy. Holiday Organizing Guide We're heading out of town for the holidays, so I figured I wouldn't need to think about getting our house organized. But then my in-laws announced their arrival for early December along with several cousins. Needless to say, I'm now scrambling to get our house in order so I can host a pre-holiday get-together. Help! Have a Debt-Free Holiday This is a must for anyone who hopes to make it through the holidays unscathed (monetarily-speaking). My favorite part is the list of affordable gifts for the whole family, which are not only easy on the budget, but also innovative and unique. Just what Santa ordered. House & Home Ads Holiday Fall Decorating Holiday Card Ideas Wedding Decorating Holiday with Kids Featured Articles Christmas Rising Star Quilt Block Pattern Dog Adoption Guide 10 Tips for Decorating With Rugs Deep Fryer Safety Tips November in the Garden Holiday Stain Removal Guide   More from About.com Is it a Cold or the Flu? Knowing whether you have a cold or the flu can help you treat your symptoms more effectively. More > Concerned About Your Drinking? This short quiz can help you identify whether or not you have a drinking problem. Take the quiz now >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: How to Stay Warm This Winter

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor Now that November is here, it's time to start thinking about the chills the coming winter will bring and how to fend off the cold without breaking the household budget. And the place to start is to go through our home winterizing checklist, one step at a time. Easy Home Winterizing Checklist I did this checklist over the weekend and found our chimney needed attention and that our furnace hadn't been serviced for quite a while, both of which I remedied with some quick phone calls. Now when I light a fire or turn up the heat, I know that our home is not only safe from potential hazards, but is being as energy efficient as it can possibly be. Heat Your Home With Wood We have a wood fireplace and at first when we moved in I wanted to replace it with a gas-burning unit. But my husband convinced me to use it for one winter to see if our home heating bills could be reduced. And they were. By quite a bit, too. Read more about wood heating options for your home. Baseboard Heater Planning Guide Electrical heaters are another way to cut heating costs, but only if you buy the right one and install it in the right place in your home. Find out which heaters are the best fit and where to place them in order to maximize their efficiency, by checking out this guide to baseboard heaters. Knit Some Cozy Mittens There are some things I love about winter and mittens rank at the top of my list. Especially these cozy fleece knits which make a great gift or stocking stuffer. Plus, they're easy to knit even for beginners (like me). House & Home Ads Gas Heaters Winter Weather Outside Wood Heaters Winter Hats Winter Efteling Featured Articles Types of Home Heating Systems The Dangers of Soap Fall Seeding How to Stop Hoarding What are Stress Bars? Grow an Indoor Herb Garden   More from About.com Is it a Cold or the Flu? Knowing whether you have a cold or the flu can help you treat your symptoms more effectively. More > Concerned About Your Drinking? This short quiz can help you identify whether or not you have a drinking problem. Take the quiz now >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement