I love decorating for the Christmas season, but I like to stick to a budget when making purchases that add holiday cheer to my home and I have my staple stores that I hit every year. I know from experience that they are going to provide me with a large selection of stylish and quality items at affordable prices.  This year I am adding The Home Depot to my list or preferred places to shop for Christmas decorations.  Did you know that The Home Depot carries a wide selection of decorating items for inside and outside the home?

My daughter and I planned our whole afternoon around our Home Depot trip last Sunday.  First, we stopped for hot cocoa, of course!  We hadn’t even gone into the store when I spotted two things that I love – Christmas trees and poinsettas. The live Christmas tree area was set up in the parking lot and it was busy! Since we already had our tree, I opted for two miniature trees instead. These trees are perfect for adding that holiday charm to other rooms in your home or for greeting your holiday guests at your front door. By the way, I was trying to carry the two mini trees, which were a bit heavy considering they were small, to a cart.  I must have looked like I needed help - a very helpful employee brought me a cart, nice!

Right next to the minature Christmas trees I found my next “must have” item – a potted poinsettia plant. I LOVE the poinsettia, or flor de nochebuena, because they remind me of many Christmas celebrations spent in Mexico.  The flower is everywhere this time of year in Mexico, including my abuelita's courtyard!  Did you know that this popular holiday flower was discovered in Mexico and that the Aztecs prized them for their curative properties and red pigment? Joel Roberto Poinsett (1770-1851),U.S.’s ambassador to Mexico following Mexico´s Independence from Spain, is responsible for introducing this beautiful flower to the US and for making it a symbol of Christmastime! Ok, but I digress with the history lesson…..Seeing the poinsettias in such abundance at the store brought back a wonderful sense of nostalgia from my childhood, so my daughter and I picked this one to decorate our home.

Next, we finally made it inside the store and immediatley we were greeted with the tunes of the season over the speakers - gotta love that Christmas music!  And more poinsettias and my other favorite flower - the amaryllis, so pretty!

We made our way past the large assortment of artificial trees in pretty much any size, shape and style you could want.  Then we headed to the lights, but stopped and checked out the ornaments first! Wow, what a selection! The Martha Stewart brand caught my attention right away - you can pull together a very lovely and coordinated look with ornaments from the Woodland, Celebrate and North Pole collections, all very nice but different to suite any taste.

Ok, on to the lights.  The store had a HUGE selection! My daughter and I browsed for about 15 minutes before settling on some super stylish Martha Stewart lighted garland and mini LED lights for my tree. In my quest to keep things "green" around our home,  I made sure that the lights we pruchased this year were LED.  Did you know that LED lights help save on energy costs, last longer than incandescent bulbs, and are cool to the touch when lit (super important for me because I have young kids)?   The Home Depot had a very large sign above the light section outlining the different types of lights they sold, clearly comparing the various kinds, which was very helpful in guiding my purchase.

We found our lights, now on to fill a missing element in our home - holiday scent! That's right, I LOVE the rich aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint and vanilla that fill the air, so I was very excited to find a large selection of holiday scented candles and air fresheners.  My daughter loved the vanilla Glade scents, so we stocked up for season!

Now that we had all that we needed we browsed the store for quite some time.  I didn't know that I could buy stockings, doormats and tree skirts too!   I made a mental note that next year I need to start my decorating shopping at The Home Depot.  Then I spotted the perfect gift for my husband - yay!  He reads my blog, so I won't say what I bought!

I thought my daughter and I would be in and out of the store in about 30 minutes, but the trip took us 1.5 hours -  there was just that much to check out!  I was very impressed with their selection of decorating items, and the prices were definitely budget friendly.

So, would you like to check out The Home Depot too this holiday season too?   Enter our contest below to win a (1) $50 gift card!

GIVEAWAY: (1) $50 Home Depot Gift Card 

• visit www.homedepot.com/holiday and comment on this post below with something you learned by visiting the site.
• Follow The Home Depot on Twitter: @HomeDepot
• Like The Home Depot on Facebook
• Giveaway is open to US entries only for residents 18 and up.
• Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 11 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
• Winner will be emailed within 6 hours and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Prize is provided by The Home Depot.

This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and The Home Depot. The Home Depot works with bloggers such as myself to conduct product reviews. They do not tell bloggers what to say about their products or how to say it. The Home Depot fundamentally believes that people should be free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot often provides product - free of charge - to bloggers for review as they did for this post. The Home Depot's policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The Home Depot provided me with a gift card to shop for the holidays and post my experience. All opinions expressed in this article are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

The Little Masters of the Glass Half Full Photo Album/"El Album de Los Maestritos del Vasito Medio Llenito"

Facebook Photo Contest

Today we are announcing the start of a contest!   The prizes are AMAZING and entering to win is super easy.   Last week I announced that vidacoco.com proudly became a Positivity Ambassador because I believe in the many health benefits that milk can provide us and our families.   With the help of the “Master of the Glass Half Full,” (aka the milk guru) we will be posting a series of posts between now and the end of the year on how we can incorporate milk into our healthy lifestyle….and I’m am loving the positive attitude that the Master of the Glass Half Full brings to the campaign!   So, would you like to win a new fridge, bike or a year’s supply of milk?   Check out the contest details below and enter today, but first read the letter from Master of the Glass Half Full to Vidacoco fans.

The details:

Starting October 3^rd through October 21st the Master of the Glass Half Full will hold a Facebook photo contest.  It’s fun and super easy to enter! Simply submit pictures of your child/children holding a glass half full of milk, like the milk Master likes do to do.   The best picture imitating the Master will win!

Photo submissions will be accepted from October 3^rd through October 21^st, followed by on-line voting from October 24-28^th. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 31^st. You may submit pictures and learn more about the contest here. The Master of the Glass Half Full is always looking to spread his love of milk and positive attitude - find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out my kids with their impressions!

The PRIZES!

Grand Prize/1^st Place: French door stainless steel refrigerator with a year’s supply of milk

2^nd Place: Bicycle with a front child seat and a year’s supply of milk

3^rd Place: Professional blender with a year’s supply of milk

As a side note, one of the things that I am enjoying about working on this campaign is it’s focus on staying positive with the help of The Master of the Glass Half Full and his daily dose of positivity. This got me thinking…For years my husband has told me that so much of life and what we can make of it begins with PMA – a positive mental attitude.   Yes, it’s a little corny and easer said than done, but it’s true!   I admire my husband and his daily dose of PMA – he inspires me to look at the glass half full.  I think that his PMA inspires and motivates others too.   Who inspires you to do the same?   Are you that person that inspires a positive attitude in others?   I certainly need to work on this :)

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor’s Board and Latina Mom Bloggers.

The summer is here! This means fun, family gatherings and some relaxation (hopefully)! One of the things that I enjoy doing during the summer is trying out new recipes for the grill to share with family and friends, since I tend to have more free time.

This summer I want to experiment with different flavor combinations for grilling, like pairing fruit with rich spices and chilies with grilled veggies.  I was excited to come across Chef Johnny Hernandez’s receipe (from San Antonio’s La Gloria restaurant) for Ancho Adobo Tacos de Bistec with Grilled Corn & Tomatillo Salsa - it’s the prefect combo I was looking for in flavors! The recipe incorporates spices from McCormick’s 2011 Flavor Forecast – a brief report on the top flavors and trends for this summer’s grilling season.

So next time you feel like grilling this summer, skip the hotdogs and burgers and check out the delicious recipe below.  Try the recipe with chicken, it works well too. Also, enter our contest to win a basket from McCormick!   The basket has a $50+ value and has all the spices you need for the featured Ancho Adobe Bistec recipe!

Ancho Adobo Bistec Tacos with Roasted Corn & Tomatillo Salsa

Bistec (beef) tacos get fiery heat with an adobo or marinade of garlic, cilantro, lime juice and three peppers – smoky ancho, sweet paprika and crushed red pepper. Serve the tacos with a refreshing salsa of roasted corn, tomatillos and cilantro.

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Refrigerate 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

Roasted Corn & Tomatillo Salsa:

• 3 to 4 ears fresh corn
• 3 fresh tomatillos, papery skin removed, rinsed well and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 green onion, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 radish, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Diced Jalapeño Peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Ancho Adobo Steak:
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Ancho Chile Pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Paprika
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Coarse Ground Black Pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin steak
• 3 boiler onions, halved
• 12 corn tortillas (5 1/2-inch)

FOR THE SALSA, remove husks and silk strands from corn. Soak in water for 15 minutes.

Grill corn over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until tender and lightly charred, turning occasionally. Cut kernels off cobs (about 2 cups). Mix corn, tomatillos, cilantro, green onion, radish, red onion, lime juice, oil, jalapeño peppers and salt in large bowl until well blended. Cover. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes to blend flavors.

FOR THE STEAK, place garlic, cilantro, lime juice, water and seasonings in food processor. Cover. Process until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons. Place steak in glass dish. Add remaining adobo; turn to coat well. Cover. Refrigerate 15 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Remove steak from adobo. Discard any remaining adobo.

GRILL steak over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until desired doneness, brushing with reserved 2 tablespoons adobo. Grill onions 2 to 3 minutes per side or until slightly charred. Grill tortillas 1 minute per side or until warmed.

SLICE steak into thin slices. Slice onions into thin strips. Serve steak and onions in tortillas. Top with Salsa.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 399 Calories, Fat 11g, Protein 31g, Carbohydrates 44g, Cholesterol 39mg, Sodium 800mg, Fiber 5g

Test Kitchen Tip: Boiler onions are small onions with a sweet, pungent flavor. They are often used whole in recipes for stews, kabobs and roasts. If unavailable, substitute cippolini or small sweet onions.

CONTEST - WIN THIS BASKET!!!

Would you like to win the basket pictured here?   It's inspired by the above featured recipe based on the Flavor Forecast by McCormick.

It's simple, here are the rules:

• We have one $50+ basket for a giveaway.
• Your name will be entered once when you "Like" Vidacoco on facebook.com
• Your name will be entered a 2nd time when “Like” facebook.com/McCormickSpice
• Your name can be entered a 3rd time when you Follow @AsandoSabroso - http://twitter.com/#!/AsandoSabros.
• Let us know when you have "liked" the pages and followed on Twitter and we'll enter you accordingly.
• Contest closes on July 8th at midnight!
• Good luck!