7th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Zoe Elmore
Published December 4, 2011
NOTE: Be sure to join my cyber friend Candace Cameron Bure for her TV movie airing tonight called The Heart Of Christmas at 7 & 9pm EST on GMC TV (consult your local guide or call your cable provider for channel information) and check out her new online magazine called Roomag. I am blessed to be a monthly contributor there. 
It is day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!
You may comment on each day’s post to be put in the drawing for that particular prize.
Then, one gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the grand prize. (You can scroll down below to day one to see it.)
Comment on any post until midnight EST, Sunday December 11th.
All winners announced Monday, December 12th.
Now, here to guest post is the fabulous Zoe Elmore!
I’m an ADD girly girl who LOVES anything and everything that sparkles and shines. Bling is my middle name and I’ve “bedazzled” most everything I own (including our dog).
Being married to the finest, man I know for 32 years is one of my life’s biggest and best blessings.
Our kids Joe, Josh and his beautiful, precious, adorable, delightful wife Kelsey (yep, I think she’s fabulous!) not only keep us grounded by adding an enthusiastic dose of humor to our lives, they are three of most generous young adults I’ve ever known. The Lord outdid Himself with these kids; I don’t think I could have handpicked any better.
I count it an honor to serve on the speaker team with Karen, and can I just mention that the entire Proverbs 31 team is made up of some of God’s best girls ever? I’m just giddy to have been asked to join Karen and Amy Carroll in the ministry extension Next Step Speaker Services.
If you’re looking for individual help to sharpen your speaking skills and to learn more about marketing tools check out www.nextstepspeakerservices.org If you’d like to get to know me better check out my current site www.zoeelmore.com We’re busy hot gluing the final shiny objects on my refreshed and renewed website getting it ready for its February15, 2012 launch.
Now, for my Christmas idea:
I host an annual ornament exchange and partner that with a food drive to benefit a local charity in our community. Each lady who attends brings one ornament to exchange in a fun and playful game as well as a few items of non-perishable food items. Each year the ladies try to “out give” the previous year’s total by bringing an ever-increasing amount of food for the needy.
Here are the two most requested Dip recipes I serve at the annual Ornament Exchange/Food Drive
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (Use a roasted chicken from the grocery for added ease or even canned chicken – drained)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing (Original Hidden Valley Ranch® Dressing from scratch. I make it at least one day in advance)
3/4 cup pepper sauce (Frank’s Red Hot®)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 5 inch pieces or assorted crackers.
Directions:
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Continue to stir over medium heat until they are blended well and warmed through. Add in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker/crock pot. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks or crackers.
Serves 20
Creamy Sausage Dip
Ingredients:
3 pounds breakfast sausage (Cooked and drained)
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 (10 ounce) Diced tomatoes with chilies (Original RoTel®)
(Drain most of the liquid)
Directions:
Heat cream cheese in a saucepan. Add cooked and drained sausage and the drained RoTel®
Put all ingredients in an oven safe dish and heat at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.
Serve with crostini (crusty bread) or crackers.
Serves 10
Now for my giveaway:
I want to lend a hand in getting you ready for Christmas by offering:
~ Tote bag
~ Acrylic napkin holder with napkins
~ Bar of Christmas Soap
~ Six mini candles
~ Journal
~ Christmas Note pad
~ Stretch Bracelets
~ “Fun 2 Clean” household gloves
So, to enter to win leave a comment telling us your biggest Christmas task yet to do–shopping for gifts? Baking and cooking? Sending out your cards or Christmas letters? Wrapping? Cleaning for company?
If time is tight just say, “On Dasher!”
Be sure to join us for our remaining 5 days this week!
Oh yeah, and…..just three weeks til Christmas!!!!!
472 Responses to 7th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Zoe Elmore
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My Family
I still have MANY gifts to buy and make!
gifts and Chirstmas cards
Hi Karen and Zoe,
Thank you for this giveaway! My biggest task ahead of me is baking and that will be done next Saturday. I am looking forward to it!!
I still have my candy to make and cookies to bake to give to friends and family. I absolutely love it and can’t wait to start filling my tins. I’m waiting for my sons to get home from college before I start. I want them to be able to enjoy all that I make. They love walking in the door and seeing all the tins on the table. =)
I have some gifts for teachers and other special people that I still need to make. Looking forward to working on them with my kids!!
Oh Honey… all of the above. I still have to take down Thanksgiving decorations! The Christmas letter is my biggest task. Your recipes sound soooo yummy. I will use them both this year. I just bought a 5 lb pack of sausage last night, so I know where most of it will be going. Have a blessed Sunday.
I have the Christmas Cards to do as well as the baking!
Definitely shopping. I never have a huge hunk of money (or time) to do it all at once, so I’m shopping here-and-there throughout the month. I do have a goal to be done by the week before, though, because I’ve spent WAY too many Christmas Eves with my last-minute-shopper dad at the mall, trying to find his gift for my mother while other shoppers walk around like bleary-eyed zombies. No thank you!
Wow! I am impressed that so many are so “together”! I have my tree up and 1 gift purchased! Woot! I did want to share something we try to do every year…… we host a gathering of moms and kids and ask all to bring food or drink to share and a dozen cookies to give away. Then after we enjoy our time together, we take the dozens and dozens of cookies to wherever we feel it is needed that year. After 911, it was fire departments…sometimes it is nursing homes, hospitals, homeless shelters, etc. Enjoy your Sunday!
My biggest Christmas task yet…”Letting Go of Perfect”. Taking time to relax and enjoy and forcing myself to simplify this year. Much of the hustle and bustle is being abandoned this year. The decorating will be less, but my heart is going to enjoy more. Truly this thought hit me the most from reading LeAnn’s story in your book, “Untangling Christmas”. In letting go of everything else the most important thing will remain…Jesus. Letting go of perfect, will let me embrace the Perfect One who’s birthday we celebrate. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” Isaiah 9:6
Resting in Him,
Joy
Well, we have almost finished the shopping other than a couple of things to be ordered. The house is decorated and I am simplifying the cooking this year. We still have to find a night at home to do our family setting up of the nativity and I have to buy/make teacher gifts. What is really stressing me out is that we have begun the process of adoption during this time of the year and all the “doing” related to that just might send me over the edge!
Cleaning and baking to do.
My biggest task is cleaning my home. UGH!!!
I have bought all but two gifts for Christmas, the decorations are up. My son and I did Christmas Cards for the soldiers overseas and for recovering soldiers in a hospital in Washington, but I do have to do ones for friends and family. Baking is probably the biggest task, but I absolutely love it and look forward to it. Really none of it seems like a work to me. I enjoy it all! Love Christmas!!!
Shopping and Baking! Also the Christmas cards have decided againest the annual letter……
I still have everything left to do….baking, cards, putting up the tree!
I’ve finished shopping. I’m in the midst of baking right now – then there’s delivering all the baked goods to friends & family! Still have to wrap all the gifts!
Oh, those recipes sound so great. My biggest task is just getting through the next three weeks of work and getting ready for my girls to come home from college. I am so excited to start baking and I’ve sent out all my Christmas cards (which is my favorite part of Christmas….sending out Christmas cards! but I seriously dislike wrapping presents. I am a terrible wrapper and that is what gives me the most stress during the holidays.
Merry Christmas!
The most daunting task left is writing the Christmas letters and sending out the cards. Then, for some inexplicable reason, I decided to paint the bathroom now. One of those brain-freeze moments. LOL
Can I just say all of the above? LOL. O am in a pretty good place as far as shopping and cleaning go but still trying to capture that “perfect” card pose and then on to the design,, print and addressing! This is my last week to get it together because starting next week, all the dance and school parties begin. I do love it though. I love giving!
Thanks!
Tracy
I still have way too many things to do!!!
Well, I must say “all of the above” since I still have Christmas gifts to buy, Christmas cards to send, AND cookies to bake. BUT, I’m using my Untangling Christmas planner so I won’t get frazzled thinking about all of the tasks!! Day by day, Lord, and I want to keep my focus where it belongs, especially during this Advent season……….on Him
I love your giveaway items today!! The tote is too cute!! Can’t wait to try the dips!! I make the Buffalo Chicken Dip, but I haven’t put it in a crockpot….that’s an awesome way to keep it warm!!
Shop! With 6 kids, it takes awhile to get it all done. Haha
Wow, there are so many, shopping, cleaning, cooking, putting up the tree. We are quite behind this year! But my biggest Christmas task this year is finishing the fingerpuppet nativity sets that I want to make for the kids. Reading the 12 days has really inspired me to focus on Jesus’ birthday, that is really what matters most!
I still have to shop for gifts for the family. I work two jobs so I gotta do it next weekend
Loving the spirit of the holiday season. My children just love to give and that makes my heart happy. The little things that bring sparkle to their eyes, advent and elf on the shelf, my one daughter who is 10 actually picked out her own gifts this year and is so excited; each year uncovers something new….that makes the holiday meaningful. Our biggest task is to finish our “Blessing Boxes” for all our friends and family – we are so excited about this gift. – saw it on a website. Print a bible verse with their name inserted. The template had 100 verses. SO, SO, excited. And…amidst all of this – make sure we keep our eyes focused on the true meaning of this holiday!!!
Let the baking cookie baking begin!!!
My biggest task is to write our Christmas letter. We send an annual ‘Round Robin’ just to keep our friends updated with our news. This year my husband has been signed off sick for the last six months. It has been really hard so at the moment, even though he is now improving, we still don’t know when he can get back to work – he is a pilot so has to pass his medical checks and then retrain. It is the mental effort of wondering what to write which I find daunting – so the cleaning, decorating, card writing and shopping seems a breeze by comparison!
“On Dasher!”
On dasher! I’m a bit behind schedule as my mom had surgery last week and my sis has surgery this week. Please pray for my sis, Kathy~ not really sure what to expect with this surgery and we’re believing in God not its nothing! If you wouldn’t mind please pray for my mom, Margaret, she had a cancerous mass removed from her leg, they got it all but surgery at 86 is not easy! Thanks for the uplifting posts!
Lots to do-finish decorating, address Christmas cards and shop, shop, shop!
I haven’t finished decorating, have not finished shopping, haven’t addressed a single card. Yikes!
With ya! This post alone is stressing me out!
Where to start?
Well, shopping is not finished, card are yet to be addressed, baking has not even begun… so… however, the house is decorated.
On dasher! Still have everything to do. Today is decorating tree and outside lights
I hate to admit it but I am behind schedule this year. I still have to decorate, which I hope ot get done today. And I haven’t baked anything. 3 weeks? Gotta go!
Finish shopping, never done cleaning and start making Christmas cookies. House has been decorated since Sat after Thanksgiving and will remain until Jan 1 St.
Shopping and planning what I’m going to make for the meal.
“On Dasher!” Blessings
Wow, I have so much left to do. My most daunting task is decorating and getting the tree up. Every year we put up a 12 foot tree and it seems to take me longer every year to decorate.
On Dasher……..
I still need to go get a tree and put it up. My mom is sending me money to go shopping for my kids(cheaper then sending gifts) so I have to wait for that to come in the mail.
This week I face the daunting task of baking 5 dozen cookies or desserts by Tuesday that have to stay fresh until Thursday night for the Christmas show at school. I also have to get 5 packages mailed by Tuesday. Oh dear! After that it looks like smooth sailing until Christmas…….relatively speaking
.
Definitely gift shopping… I haven’t started yet! Thank you so much for offering such a fun and generous giveaway.
Christmas cards and picking up gift cards!
I still have to bake all of my kids favorite cookies. I love to do this with them and for them so I usually save it for last.
I think with the help of my “Untangling Christmas” planner, I am organized and on task. So my biggest task right now is to not worry that I’ve forgotten something. I have baking and wrapping to do, but I have a plan of when to do them. I am loving this Christmas season, and feel that you and the people who respond to these blogs are my friends. So I don’t feel alone in any of the Christmas season. Thanks Karen.
To say that I love Christmas is an understatement. So, I have my cards mailed and gifts bought and wrapped already! The hard part is waiting til Christmas morning to give them! Now, the is easy for me to say since I don’t have a family of my own yet, but even when I do, my guess is I’ll probably still be getting ready for Christmas sometime in October
My biggest thing to do yet is cooking and cleaning for some family gatherings. This year I’ve tackled my first solo pie (crust and all) and hope to keep learning more tips and recipes from my mom!!
The dips are two of our favorites, too. I still have the shopping, the baking and the cards. I’m enjoying the pace this year though… Untangling Christmas was a huge help to me with planning.
On dasher ! I guess I’d better get busy
Getting the rest of the decorations up and wrapping…oh yes, addressing all the Christmas cards…Got kind of a late start this year…
I have lots of baking to do! I give out Pumpkin Raisin Cookies as christmas presents & they love them. But this year, I don’t have to bake them until after Christmas. Hubby is on-call Christmas weekend & we are stuck at home…3 hrs away from our family. So its a quiet little family Christmas for us this year:)
nicolepipkin{AT}gmail{DOT}com
Great exchange idea Zoe AND the receipes. Many thanks. Hanging lights on the two story house — think Dasher could fly over and help out! The gift offering is awesome — all the things I like and use. Blessings, Allison
Our Christmas letter!
-Colleen G.
My biggest task left to do is the writing and sending of Christmas letters and cards. I love doing it, but it is truly a large task, requiring diligence and discipline! Of course, I also need to finish getting the house decorated, inside and out! My daughter usually helps me, but she is newly married and living in Chicago, so I’m on my own!
I still have to bake. Every year I bake over 30 dozen cookies for work, holiday parties, gifts for coworkers etc.
I made 4 knitted hats and a laprobe for some patientss at the local nursing home, then for the great grands 6 knitted sock monkeys. I have 3 dresses to finish and 2 dolls to go, than the mad rush to get them mailed out on time.
Its a busy time of the year but a happy one, because I know that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Due to a recent mild heart attack, I’m trying to pace myself and get something done every day. In trying to maintain heart-healthy eating, I’m staying away from the cookies!
Great posting. The sausage dip as we call it has been a family staple for gatherings for a few years. My girlfriend shared the receipe and we’ve enjoyed it ever since. I look forward to making the buffalo chicken dip. My big to do this year was our Women’s Christmas Dinner, we just had on Friday. Potluck type event, singing of Christmas carols, we played the ornament exchange where you read a story and it’s Susie Right and Billy Right and Left all their money at home, etc. you pass the ornament based on right or left in the story. We had a lot of fun with it. Our mission was hats, gloves, mittens and scarves for our shop with a deputy program in the county our church resides. Over 67 sets were collected! I hope everyone has a successful December shopping month full of events celebrating the birth of Our Lord!
Yet to do will be more baking (I love to bake), and traveling. I don’t look forward to traveling as much. But top at the to-do is to forget all the to-dos and just concentrate on Him!
I still have to address and send out my Christmas cards. In another week or two I’ll wrap gifts to take with me out of town and to mail.
Shopping and cleaning… now where did i put those cleaning gloves again?!
Hi!
Your recipes look wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
My biggest task to do yet is two-fold…clean up to find a place to put up my little tree and to finish the crochet gifts I am giving to family! I could use another month or two…..lol.
ALL of it lol…..On Dasher!!
Have the Christmas pictures made! That is all the grandparents ask for. Sooooo thankful for Portrait Innovations same day printing as I have procrastinated with this task.
These recipes look delicious!! Can’t wait to make them!
My biggest tasks before Christmas is all of those you mentioned! Shopping, baking, cleaning, cards, shall I go on? SO……..I think in the midst of all these “to dos” I want my biggest thing to accomplish is having Peace and keeping my eyes on the Star and His Light! It’s easy to get overwhelmed and loose perspective! THanks for a great blog!
Oh my the biggest task is finishing the shopping and wrapping everything! I love it but sometimes it gets overwhelming.
Left to do? All of the above…. haven’t started yet…OH DASHER!
Our pastor’s sermons this Christmas season have been based on the book “Advent Conspiracy” – realizing what is important, and not getting caught up in the “worldly” view of Christmas. I have so appreciated it. Thank you also for the reminder of “letting go fo perfect”. We went to a staff party where the home was so beautifully decorated for Christmas. I was in awe and know mine will never look the same as their home. God looks at my heart and may it remain fully devoted to Him this season. I LOVE baking and cooking, but not cleaning up the mess. Today I finish the cooking/baking; tomorrow I clean before our family comes for St. Nicholas celebrations on Tuesday. Oh the cleaning – YIKES!!
I have everything left to do with the exception of five gifts bought, wrapped, and ready to be mailed. If I had to pick one thing though, it would be cleaning my house.
Oh Dasher! In the midst of the christmas craziness, our deaf friend’s husband passed away on friday & it’s so sad…….so our time right now is diverted in ministering to our friend. My husband & I are part of a deaf SS class ministry……yes, we’re both deaf too. Please pray for her. She’s in shock, very upset & her world has turned upside down. We’re all worried about her. I’m sooooo glad we already have our tree up & some presents bought/wrapped, plus I’ve handmade my christmas cards. I still have to address them & buy some more gifts when the next paycheck comes in as money is very tight! Love the recipes & thanks for sharing!!!!!
Oh Dasher!!!! Where do I begin!!! I still have everything to do–every year I say I am going to get it done early!!! hahaha Thanks and blessings, Barb
I do have quite a bit of my shopping done but nothing wrapped and most of everything else still left to be done. Fortunately, I seem to work best under pressure.
On Dasher! I have yet to finish wrapping and just one gift left to buy!!
Cleaning and organizing! Also, I need to order my husbands gift. I need to make a photo calendar and this will take some time. Thanks!
Baking and wrapping. I always try to think of the perfect thing to bake and give as gifts to neighbors and friends. I’m still searching for that signature baked good. Christmas Blessings!
we’ve been a bit short on money as of late and have completed MAYBE 2% of our shopping so my biggest task at this moment is shopping for gifts!! next in line are the Christmas cards followed by the holiday baking, though i can’t say it will definitely happen!
On Dasher!!!!
Shopping and homemade candy making. But my really biggest task is finding the right family to help out this season. I usually pick a single mother or a family who really is just down on their luck. But I pick one that falls through the cracks and isn’t getting help from anywhere else. Usually b/c they know there are others having a hard time and they feel like they are doing okay and don’t feel like they should ask for help when there are so many unfortunate. Yet, I know a little blessing of help will be greatly appreciated and needed for them.
On Dasher!
I shop throughout the year, and just got cards and decorating done, so the only thing I really have to do aside from wrapping gifts and mailing a few is to BAKE! I love to cook, so this isn’t stressful. I’ve made ginger snaps so far, and still plan to make pizzelles, gingerbread men (for the kids to decorate), snickerdoodles, and family recipe holiday cookies.
I’m with Barb Wall — short of the decorating, I still have everything to do. On Dasher!
I need to finish wrapping and baking
.
The biggest task I have left to do is start shopping for CHRISTmas. I never weight this long. But this year is alittle different so I am waiting for a check to come that I set aside for shopping instead of putting it on the credit card. The end of this week I should be already to start.
decorating the outside of the house
Done with a majority of gifts, but no decorating, wrapping, or baking done at all.
Wrapping gifts and preparing cards, notes/letters to mail.
Putting up the tree and shopping!
Still need to do most all my shopping…
Shopping is all done, but I have a ton of wrapping left to do!
I have ten page research paper to write, five exams and two projects. (Please pray for me!)
Then I’ll need to finish shopping for gifts and sending out cards, lol. I am stumped on buying gifts for my parents and 20 year old brother. We live in a culture where we have everything we need and more.
Shopping! I’m not even half way done!!
This has been a busy day with church activities, so I must say, “Oh, Dasher”! I do love the ornament idea in connection with the food pantry. Each of you ladies have given me much to think about doing in the future to help out others.
Still have much baking to do!
All I have to say is “YES” to each and every one. I have shopping for gifts and since I have twin daughters born on the 15th, hubby on the 25th and granddaughter on 27th, I have extras to purchase. I cook most of the Christmas dinner and we celebrate hubby’s on the 24th…so we have that one also. Then since Christmas is on Sunday, hubby is music director at our church, we have extras for the choir!!! Baking for cookie exchange, gifts to make. I guess I really need to get busy, I don’t have anything done!!!
I still have to get my Christmas cards out and also getting some “goodies” made for my family & friends.
Baking and sending packages to my children and grandchildren who live far away! Thanks for the recipes!
Definitely Christmas cards. My husband was working toward ordering our picture cards today (sale ends tomorrow), and we were going through our list to see how many we need. It’s not cheap, but I really enjoy it!
My biggest Christmas task yet to do Is shopping for gifts, then Wrapping them ALL.! My husband is working out of town alot this year & since I can’t drive, Don’t Know when We will Even get the gifts.(I’ll probably have to RUSH Wrap them too)
Pausing for ten minutes each day to reflect on the wonderful advent of our Saviour and reading the Bible’s account in Luke brings quiet reflections on the sacredness of this season. Too many projects, gifts and cards can distract me from the reality of having a heart that is at peace and filled with His spirit. Right now I feel compelled to write a poem for my Christmas cards that describes the wondrous gift of God’s Son.. Too often I put demands on myself that submerge my desire to write the words that will inspire and encourage others.
I still have shopping and baking to do!
My Christmas to-do list isn’t too bad. It’s my daughter’s 1st birthday party we’re having on the 18th that I’m totally unprepared for! Invites have yet to go out in the mail because I don’t even know where or at what time we’re having the party! Usually I have things like this planned down to the very last detail months ahead of time – so we’ll see how I pull this one off, LOL! As far as Christmas goes, I just need to pick up a few gifts and find a couple stockings for my 2 kids. Not stressing about Christmas at all and I’m so excited for it!
I am way behind. I still have it all to do thanks to a severe cold the past few days–clean, put up the tree and decorate, Christmas cards, baking, finishing the shopping and all of the wrapping. It will get done–as it always does but somehow I thought I would be farther along than this after a three-day weekend. At least I was sick while I was off and didn’t have to miss any work!!