Election Day Party Food Ideas

The second most patriotic day on the calendar is Election Day. It is a day when most of us choose to exercise our rights, a time to participate in one of the most revered traditions in our nation's history. If you are planning a get-together in honor of this extraordinary privilege that we as Americans have, make sure to serve the right food. Election-themed food can be sarcastic or serious and tailored to your guests tastes. However, it should always be good to eat.

Election Day Drinks

The drink selection can be as easy as a blue fruit juice or a fruit punch for a party with children to a more specialized drink for adult fun. You can combine flavored drink mixes with a carbonated soda instead of water for a distinctive "Election Elixir" and make it the theme drink. If you are on the all-American theme, consider a lemonade and then maybe a spiked version for adults. Whatever drinks you choose, they should blend well with the food and not look out of place.


Election Day Food

Bring back thoughts of long summer days with a good old-fashioned cook out. Serve hot dogs and hamburgers with chili, coleslaw, potato salad and chips. It is a simple menu that guests can adapt to their own tastes and does not cause you to be in the kitchen for the whole party. If you are partial to a specific political party, make things from that candidate's home state or make their favorite foods. Even ordinary foods can have election themed names, such as campaign trail mix and "right" wings.

Election Day Deserts

A regular sheet cake can be turned into an American flag with remarkably little time and effort. Simply ice a sheet cake with white icing and blue icing to make a square in the upper left corner. With red icing, make lines and use white icing or candies for the stars. It does not have to be perfect, but it should demonstrate respect to the flag. Some other ideas could be cupcakes with white icing and blue and red sprinkles; red, blue and clear gelatin squares; star-shaped cookies with red, white and blue icing; cherry pie or blueberry cobbler. Also, everyone knows there is nothing more American than apple pie.

 

Battle Ground Village
http://www.bgvillage.com
Visit out Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/BGVillage

 

Reference EHow.com

BATTLE GROUND VILLAGE HOSTS HOLIDAY SHOPPE & BAZAAR

BATTLE GROUND VILLAGE HOSTS HOLIDAY SHOPPE & BAZAAR

Local artisans have an opportunity to sell to holiday shoppers

Battle Ground Village is hosting a Holiday Shoppe & Bazaar this 2012 holiday season. The Shoppe, located next door to Bold Training and across from the center park pavilion, will be offering a wide variety of quality, handmade products including wooden toys and furniture, jewelry, paintings, specialty foods, memory books, and treats, such as roasted nuts.  

This is the second year Battle Ground Village has opened its doors to a retail-type Holiday Shoppe. Last year, the Shoppe was a huge hit with customers, as well as the vendors. The Shoppe is open between 10am – 5pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, beginning November 8^th, running through December 15^th. The Shoppe will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

“I am so thrilled to be participating in the Shoppe again this year,” exclaims Don Clark, woodcrafter and vendor at the BGVillage outdoor market. “Before the store opens, the vendors join together and decorate the space. I believe the customers appreciate the warm, inviting atmosphere where they don’t have the frantic mall crowds and they can spend time finding that special gift.”

Battle Ground Village has many retail gift shops and restaurants that attract customers from all over the area, and now customers will have another “shoppe” to visit, filled with unique holiday gifts for their friends and family.

Bethany Froes, from Amintire Memory Books, says “As the full-time cashiers for the Shoppe last year, my design partner, Melissa, and I had the pleasure to meet many customers. It was fun to see the excitement of a young child getting their first tutu or a thankful husband finding that perfect piece of jewelry for his wife. Melissa and I will be cashiering again this year and hope to see many return customers, as well as new faces.”

The Shoppe will be decorated for the holidays, with lights, garland, and fun ornaments. “It’s not every day that local artists and craftsmen have a chance to run their own shop,” says Carmen Villarma, Battle Ground Village developer. “The vendors can accept their own payment, or there is a central cashier accepting most forms of payment, including credit card. We tried to make it as easy and stress-free for the customers and vendors to enjoy their holiday shopping experience at Battle Ground Village.”

# # #

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Carmen Villarma, please call Jennifer Riddle at 360-397-0334 or email at: Jennifer.Riddle@TMGnorthwest.com

Posted by Joanne Vanderhoef
Marketing and Media Specialist

Battle Ground Village
http://www.bgvillage.com
Visit out Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/BGVillage
 

5 Holiday Shopping Tips That Will Save You Money

With Black Friday within reach and Christmas right around the corner, many people are starting to think about holiday shopping. Whether or not you plan to brave the storm this Friday, here are some tips to help you come out on top this holiday shopping season.

1. Create a holiday shopping budget.
Hopefully, you have been saving up for the holidays. If not, don't worry, just do your best this year and plan to do better the next. Whether or not you have money earmarked for gifts, you should create a holiday shopping budget. Make a list of people that you want to present with a gift and write down the gift ideas along with the amount you want to spend for each person. Be realistic with what you can afford! Now tally everything up and you’ll have your total cost. If the total is too high, either scale back on all the gifts, or make the tough decision of giving to fewer people this year. Whatever you do, create a realistic budget that you won't regret after the holiday season is over.

2. Scout out your gifts.
If you can afford to, buying locally is a great way to put money back into your community. However, you might not be able to find what you want locally, or the price might be so high that you want to make your purchase elsewhere. Whether you are planning to buy locally or online, you should first check out online coupon sites to see if you can find coupon codes and discount promotions for your purchases.

These sites sometimes offer discounts that stores do not advertise and have deals that could save you significant amounts of money.

3. Comparison shop.
Don't take the first "good deal" that you stumble across. Suppress your impulse to grab the deal right away and check out a few other sites or stores to see if you can find an even better deal elsewhere. Be sure to also check out items similar to the one that you intended to buy. Occasionally, you will find significantly better deal without sacrificing too much on features and functionality — this is especially true for computers and electronics purchases.

4. Buy with a credit card.
Credit card use is not right for everyone, so if it is not for you, don't use it! If you can handle credit cards without much trouble, use them. Credit card companies usually provide additional warranty on your purchases and offer you a level of protection against damaged and/or defective products. Moreover, you can get cash reward on your purchases. For instance, Discover Card is currently offering a great promotion. It includes: 5 percent cash-back bonus in department stores and clothing stores, and a double cash-back bonus on up to $1,000 in online purchases through the end of the year. That is an excellent way to save a little more money on top of everything else.

5. Understand the price protection policy.
Be sure to ask about the price protection policy that each store offers. Some stores do not offer this protection, buy a few do. The protection period varies from store to store, but it is typically between 15 to 30 days. With price protection, you can demand a refund of the difference if the store reduces the price on the item you purchase inside the protected period.

For the power shoppers, you may even want to wait on your purchases so that the price protection period ends a few days after Christmas. This way, if the store offers an "After Christmas Sale" you can try to get some money back.

Good luck with your holiday shopping!

Reference My Money



Posted by Joanne Vanderhoef
Marketing and Media Specialist

Battle Ground Village
http://www.bgvillage.com
Visit out Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/BGVillage

Jewelry at a GREAT price just in time for the holidays!

Jewelry just in time for the holidays!


This Holiday Season Only! Distinctively Home will be offering a beautiful, quality collection of jewelry and scarves. Show off that new Holiday dress or sweater with a silver bead and stone necklace and earring set, or be classically "charm-ing" with a stunning bracelet. The entire collection is well-crafted and eye-catching, yet reasonably priced. Find that special gift for your sister, mother or best friend. Husbands and sons will discover how easy gift giving is this season at Distinctively Home!

         

Posted by Joanne Vanderhoef
Marketing and Media Specialist

Distinctively Home Interiors
http://www.distinctivelyhome.com
Visit out Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/distinctivelyhome

Need a last minute Halloween costume idea?

Halloween is almost here and you still don't have a costume ... What to do? While you could go to the pop-up Halloween store in the mall and rummage through whatever is left, we found some great costumes for all ages that will ensure a spooktacular Halloween.

1.) A Little Bearded Garden Gnome - Your kids may already have the clothes. You'll just need to make a simple hat and beard.
2.) Bag of Jelly Beans - You'll need a clear trash bag and set of strong lungs to make this sweet costume
3.) Catch of the Day - This is a "reel" easy costume to put together and fits in well with the Florida landscape.
4.) Quarterback - This punny costume is quick and easy to make.
5.) Spaghetti and Meatballs - Use a red and white tablecloth and a pot to make this saucy costume.
6.) Lego - This costume is easy to build using a cardboard box, paper bowls and spray paint.
7.) Baby Octopus - A great way to use those mismatched socks left in the dryer.

FREE Health and Fitness Seminar by Bold Training!

Susan owns and operates "Susan McCarthy Acupuncture LAC" in Downtown Vancouver. In addition she will cover; sports injuries, performance, immune enhancement and more. Questions will be answered at the end of the hour. 

 Date: November 6, 2012

Time: 7-8pm

Location: BOLD TRAINING

Battle Ground Village

BATTLE GROUND VILLAGE

819 SE 14th Loop, Suite 101

Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-2230

Email: karen@boldtrainingonline.com

www.boldtrainingonline.com

Distinctively Home Holiday Open House!

Browse holiday gifts, decor and more at our holiday open house! 

November 9 & 10

Libations and Appetizers start at 4pm! 

Visit our website for an exclusive coupon!

http://www.distinctivelyhome.com