Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but any opinions are my own. #usapears

This is one of my favorite desserts of all time. Pear crisp is really simple to make, although it does take some time to peel and slice the pears.  Totally worth it when you taste each delicious bite. ​

Warm pear filling with crunchy, buttery sweet topping, it doesn't get much better than this. Unless of course you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream.

I love cooking with pears, especially when it's cold outside and warm desserts are the most comforting. This pear crisp will be the hit of your Christmas festivities, but make sure you get some before it's all gone. I made this pear crisp  several times this fall for potlucks and the pan was emptied each time. 

Ingredients:
4 pounds pears
1 tsp. dried orange peel (sold in spices) or some zest of a fresh orange
2 tablespoons orange juice or apple juice
Juice and zest of a lime
1/2 cup granulated sugar*
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar*
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold butter, cubed (2 sticks)

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 X 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.  (A 9 X 13 rectangular baking dish will work just fine too.)

2.  Peel, core, and slice the pears.  Combine the pears with the zests, juices, sugar, and cinnamon.  Pour into your buttered baking dish.

3.  To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in a large bowl.  Use a pastry blender or two butter knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the pears.

4.  Bake for about an hour or until the filling bubbles and the crisp topping is golden brown.  

​*I usually substitute coconut sugar for some of the granulated sugar.  

Visit www.usapears.org to learn more about cooking with pears. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my affiliate links, I will be compensated.

A couple of years ago I wrote a popular post...The Best Gifts for Foodies, Moms, and Bloggers. There is still a lot of great stuff in that post, but I have some new things to add for moms. So here goes.

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So this post comes from my 43 year old perspective of wants, likes, needs and won’t appeal to everyone, but these are all things I love and hopefully you’ll find something of value here. Some of my favorite things...

Every mom needs a great pair of jeans, and these are great jeans. I have practically lived in these jeans since I first reviewed them on my blog in 2016. Yes I still wear the pair I reviewed and a second pair I asked for at Christmas time a year later. I have two pair of prAna jeans and they are my most worn wardrobe items by far. I have a pair of Kayla jeans and a pair of Kara jeans. Both are wonderful. The Kayla jeans have a mid-rise waist so they sit just below the natural waistline which means you won't have to pull them up at the waist.  The Kara jeans are a lower waist and so comfortable. I ordered a new pair of Kayla jeans to gift myself under our tree this year, but I ordered them in midnight and the fabric is not my favorite (not exactly denim) so they are on their way back to amazon.  I already ordered a new pair in denim this week since my other prAna jeans are so loved (worn) and I would like a fresh new pair. Read this post for my completely honest review of prAna clothing.

I love my Pact Organic socks! Everyone needs socks, yes even moms and these are the softest, sturdiest socks. I first found out about Pact organic from a blog review I wrote a few years ago and I have loved them ever since. In fact I am wearing my favorite Pact organic lounge pants and some of their socks right now as I type this poolside at swim practice. Their underwear is great too. My husband and I both have their underwear and it’s his absolute favorite brand of underwear. I have already bought some Christmas sock gift boxes for gifts and yes there is one for Santa to put under our tree for me. I get one every year since they are my favorite cozy socks. They also have great sales this time of year and if you order through my link you will save 20%. They have been offering free shipping too. You can read my full review of Pact Organic here.

As many of you know we used to live in Murray, Ky. There is a wonderful women owned small business from Murray called Farmhouse 31. They make the cutest Christian themed shirts in what I would call a trendy modern farmhouse style. Ten percent of all of their sales go to charity and they sometimes offer an item for sale with 100% of the profits going to charity. I recently became an ambassador for Farmhouse 31, so if you make an order, use my coupon code FAITH10 to save 10% off your first order. I follow Farmhouse 31 on instagram and they have been having daily Christmas sales worth checking out. 

I have been wearing this “Merry and Bright” Christmas shirt for a couple of weeks and I love it. It is made of the softest cotton blend. I have this shirt in size small and while it feels great on, I generally like my shirts a little looser around the waistline so as not to accentuate my “work in progress” tummy. I have a farmhouse 31 logo shirt in medium and it fits well too without being too loose around the waist. I would probably get this shirt in a medium next time, but it is really comfy and I wear it all over town (even with it being a little snug in the waistline). They have so many cute and comfy styles and designs to choose from which would make the perfect gift for the women in your life. You can also follow Farmhouse 31 on facebook.

I am tall which makes shopping for long sleeve shirts a bit of a challenge. I actually order most of my long sleeve tops online so that I can get tall sizes. For several years, I have been a big fan of Land’s End. I know that I can consistently order small tall tops and they will always fit. I have several Land’s End sweaters which are so cozy in cold weather and four of their flannel shirts. My new favorite is the flannel tunic (pictured above) which I just recently purchased. I loved my first one so much that I ordered a second. This top is so easy to wear with jeans or leggings for a casual look. I even wore one to church last week. I love their tall dresses too. I can order timeless dresses that actually go to my knees. I have several everyday dresses that I wear all the time in the summer. And if you are not on the tall side they have regular and petite sizes too.

Another thing I love about Land’s End is the sales. I think I paid $10 for each of my new flannel tunics. Since I love Land’s End so much, I subscribe to their email list so I get emails with great coupon codes quite frequently. I always order through Rakuten and get cash back then I use my coupon codes from my email combined with my Rakuten cash back. You can read all about how I use Rakuten here. I usually get 50% off my order with free shipping. They always have free shipping on orders over $75, but they occasionally have coupon codes for free shipping with no minimum. They also have a great “on the counter” section with last call clearance items.

Moms need to feel pretty, but tend to not spend much time and money on themselves. Honestly, I don't spend much time getting ready because time is precious and I just don't have much spare time, but I do use a handful of products that help me feel more put together. I have a couple of recommendations for the 40+ moms in your life. I have recommended this before, but it is still my favorite cosmetic product that I use and although it is expensive, it is worth every penny. I started using Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in light 2 vanilla when I had my 20th high school reunion in 2014. Since then I switched to Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer in light 2 vanilla which is a little thicker for more coverage. I do use a makeup brush to apply my concealer. I originally wrote about how I found this concealer (which my sister now uses too), here if you are interested. My Favorite Gifts for Foodies, Moms, and Bloggers (Updated)

​As I have gotten older I have noticed that my skin needs more moisture than it used to.  I have made it part of my daily routine to moisturize with a good skin cream and have tried several over the years. I generally try to use more natural products and look for creams with vitamins C and E. This fall I started using Trim Healthy Mama Orange Silk Hydrating Cream, which my sister got me for my birthday. This is the ingredient list: Aloe Vera Gel, Infused Olive Oil, Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Orange Essential Oil, Calendula, Plantain, St. John’s Wort, Goldenseal, Myrrh Gum, Tea Tree Oil, Vitamin E, Safflower Seed Oil, Xanthan, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid.  

I love this moisturizing cream. I use it everyday and it makes my skin feel healthy and smooth even in the colder weather. It smells good too.  My husband asked me why I smelled so good the other day and finally I figured out that he liked the scent of my orange silk hydrating cream when he said I smelled like fruit. ​

Another great gift idea is simply a gift card to her favorite salon or store. So often moms don't buy things or do things for themselves because their priorities are their families and they are too busy with work and taking care of others to put much thought into themselves. 

I hope you all find the perfect gifts for your loved ones and have time to enjoy the Christmas season and celebrate God's greatest gift, Jesus.  Merry Christmas!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary product in exchange for an honest review.

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You may remember I reviewed a set of these dinosaur pajamas last May.  See my post: Just Like Clark Griswold in My New Dinosaur Pajamas and Enter to Win Your Favorite PJ's! ​They are still my comfiest, coziest pj's so when I was asked if I wanted to review something for the Christmas season, I decided my husband could use a matching set. Now our three year old thinks we are the coolest parents in the universe in our matching dinosaur pj's. 

Remember the attic scene in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation when Clark got stuck in the attic wearing these dinosaur pajamas.  National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is one of our favorite Christmas movies of all time and now we have our own dinosaur pajamas just like Clark Griswold!  I haven't watched it yet this year.  I can't wait to snuggle in my new pj's and watch the best Christmas movie ever, National Lampoons of course.  

My husband ordered extra large and they seem to fit him well.  He loves his new pj's and wears them all the time.  Mine are medium, but the small probably would have fit just fine.  I am on the tall side so I wanted the extra length of a medium.  These are made from soft velour fabric.  The pants are elastic at the waist and the top is button front.  These are super comfy, the coziest pajamas!  

You too can be as cool as us in our Clark Griswold dinosaur pj selfie.  LOL.  Find these pj's and many more fun Christmas themed pajamas and sweaters at UglyChristmasSweater.com.

Want to win your own favorite pajamas from UglyChristmasSweater.com?  Winner's choice!

Disclosure: This post contains referral links. If you make a purchase through my referral links, I will be compensated. 

I don't usually share this kind of thing, but I am sharing my favorite cash back shopping site with you since today is cyber Monday and the deals are too good not to share. I started using Rakuten last year when I was doing my online Christmas shopping. It used to be called ebates. It is really easy to use. Simply go to Rakuten and sign up. If you sign up through my referral link, you will receive $10 when you make your first purchase of $25 at one of your favorite stores in addition to your cash back. I get the Rakuten emails which helps remind me to shop through their site for cash back.

Each time I shop online I go to Rakuten first and see if the store I am going to shop has a cash back offer that day. I click on the link for the store and shop as usual. After I make a purchase, I receive an email from Rakuten with the amount of my cash back.  So far, I have earned $33.63 cash back. 

Since it is Cyber Monday, the cash back amounts are huge today. Some stores are 20%! My favorite stores that use Rakuten cash back are Land's End, Walmart, Shoes.com, Gap, and Amazon.