MelissaStuff

If you're looking for a unique way to celebrate Christmas this year, you should consider having Tea with the Angels at the Degolyer Estate inside the Dallas Arboretum. I had the chance to visit this week - and the DeGolyer Estate is decorated gorgeously with over 500 different angels on loan from the Dallas Pi Beta Phi Alumnae group. In addition to enjoying the holiday decor throughout the historic home, it was fun to try to spot all of the angels in their various places throughout. You can tour the home now through the end of December from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Right now you can get a  two discounted tickets for just $14  that will give you entrance to the Arboretum and specifically into the DeGolyer Estate. Through the 22nd of December, you will be able to meet Santa and at least one of the reindeer on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. During this same time frame Frosty and Rudolph will also be around to greet the children and take pictures. However, the

This last week my entire household dressed up and headed over to the Watters Creek shopping center in Allen to see Santa. There was no wait when we went and we were able to walk up, climb directly into Santa's lap . . . and ask for an iPhone 5. Yep, seriously. My six-year-old who has to this point been considering options that include Silly Slippez , PS3 games and LEGOs chose that moment to bust out with the biggest wish he could think of - an iPhone5. The adults all had to laugh when Santa's response was, "Well, son, that's the one thing we DON'T make at the North Pole." Interestingly enough, this is the child who had a horrible day at school that very same day. Horrible enough that I had spent almost an entire hour on the phone with his teacher after school. So when Santa said, "Be Good!" Momma had to take the moment to point out that if his days continued to be like they were that day, Santa would be bringing coal and not toys. Then, said c

Hurry - go right now and download your FREE passes to see Disney's new movie, Frozen, before it comes out in the theaters. Monday, November 25 th  at 7:30PM Cinemark West Plano 3800 Dallas Pkwy Plano, TX 75093 Remember these screenings are first come, first served - so grab your ti ck ets immediately and plan to come early enough to reserve seats on Monday night. Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” presents “Frozen,” a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.   Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to

Since everyone is starting their shopping for the holiday season, I'd thought I'd share a few of the fun offers I've been working on  . . . and purchasing! And for a limited time use code  PD_BOXTOPS and get an additional 20% off any of them. For Her: Just $15: All-Natural Soy Candle + Hidden Ring Inside Valued Between $10-$5,000 HOME AND GARDEN Seriously this is THE best gift for any of the ladies on your shopping list. You get a candle that smells great - and is made of soy - AND a ring worth $10 to $5,000 ! On top of that, you can purchase up to 5 of these with vouchers. So you get each of them for $15 and then pay just $9.99 to ship ALL of them to you. You can't beat that. For Him: Men's Health Feature: Every Man Jack Grooming Products for Hair, Body, Skin and Shave This is a company I love - Every Man Jack . They carry a full line of hair, body, and shave products for the men in your life. Their product pricing is very reasonab

This past weekend we took our household - currently consisting of 3 adults and 4 children - to attend the DREAM Fund Chili and Rib Cook Off. The event was small but interestingly enough our whole crew had a blast.  DREAM - which stands for Dedicating Resources to Employees of Advertising and Media - is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting the community of advertising, public relations and media professionals across the Southwest. They provide assistance to colleagues in media – throughout Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana – by providing financial assistance and emotional support during times of personal crisis. Since 1991, DREAM Fund has gifted over $1,500,000 to individuals facing illness, medical emergencies and other unexpected hardship. The Chili and Rib Cook Off is a fundraiser to help establish the fund so that the financial support is there when it is needed. All of the adults had a great time going from booth to booth trying out the food and

This week I had the best time when I went to a special Black Friday preview at Grapevine Mills Mall. We started by having dinner and drinks at the AMC theater there - that's right a full meal and bar at a movie theater. They did an awesome job and I would absolutely eat there again in the future. (If you know me well by now, you'll know I was quite impressed by the fact that the server checked the glasses for spots before filling it for me . . . and actually rejected the first glass and got a new one!) From there we went on a highlight tour of the mall. They've updated their bathrooms in the food court and Chili's Express has a whole new look to it. Several of the stores have new glass fronts and updated lighting. Several more will be updated or even moved to larger locations in the mall early next year. The Nike outlet store is actually an outlet and had some good deals on workout clothes, Nike brand clothing and shoes. There is a new yogurt shop - Wild Berry

If you're looking for a good way to celebrate the holidays with your kid, Legoland and Sea Life Aquarium have lots of fun holiday activities you can participate in. Scuba Santa will be at Sea Life Aquarium at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and 18 and Saturday Dec. 14 and 21. You can also write and mail Santa a letter at Sea Life Aquarium from 12 - 2 p.m. on those same dates. LEGOland also has amazing events planned - you can join in a scavenger hunt through Miniland to find Saint Nick. There are actually 11 Lego Santas hidden throughout the 1.5 million Lego bricks in Miniland from December 11 - 25. You can also write and mail a letter to Santa while enjoying free milk and cookies in the cafe (while supplies last) - on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. One of my boys favorite activities was the LEGO ornament build. For a minimum donation of just $1 to Merlin's Magic Wand, your child can also build their very own LEGO ornament to hang on the LEGOland Disc

Woo-hoo! It's that time of year . . . Starbucks is bringing back their incredibly popular  Buy One, Get One Free Holiday Drinks  offer again this week. From 2 to 5 p.m. on November 13-17, 2013, you can  get a free Holiday Beverage when you purchase another Holiday Beverage . The qualifying holiday drinks are: Caramel Brulée Latte Peppermint Mocha Gingerbread Latte Eggnog Latte Thanks,  Coupon Cravings !

I just got the official message that I am going to the @ShopGrapevine event at the Grapevine Mills Mall tomorrow night. It's the kick off of their Christmas shopping season and I can't wait to come back and share all the fun things going on there. In fact . . . we just attended the Legoland and Sea Life Discover Holiday Kickoff last week and there will be a post up later today with all of the fun there. Sounds like it's a good time to pack up the family and head over to Grapevine Mills Mall - eat, shop, play - they literally have it all!

Last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Gattitown in Frisco. We had been to the smaller location in Mckinney, but I didn't know what to expect from the larger Frisco location. My boys were excited the minute we walked in the door. I was quite glad that the food was the first thing we encountered because I'm pretty sure if not, we would never have gotten them back to sit down and eat. We ate first. The salad bar was very well-equipped and my boys - both big and little - were pleased with the pizzas, including the dessert. You can request your own type of pizza and we, of course, had to test that out. The only thing that was slightly disappointing in the food area was that there were two Icee machines, but neither one worked. However, the disappointment was short-lived as we left the food area and entered the game midway. Since all of the boys are 7 and under, we have spent many hours in Chuck E Cheese and the like . . . I dread those visits and can't leav