Best Pizza in McKinney, TX at Amato's Restaurant

Amato's Restaurant located on Virginia Parkway in McKinney, TX has the best sicilian pizza in McKinney and North Texas. Scott Amato is from New York and this is true NY style sicilian pizza. We usually order a large and take home the leftovers. The best way to reheat the leftover pizza and keep the crust crispy is to use a pizza stone in the oven.

Amato's also serves delicious Italian meals and sandwiches. Great food and great service!

New York City - Here we come!

I am so excited to be headed to New York City with my 2 sisters, niece and nephew next weekend. I love the city especially during the holiday season. I love all of the decorations and holiday spirit in the air. We will only be staying in the city for one night on this trip. However, we can cover alot ground in 36 hours.

We are staying at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. We like staying at this hotel which is located in the middle of the theater district and close to the subway, Bryant Park and within walking distance to Rockefeller Center. This is my nephew's first visit to the City and we plan on taking the double decker bus tour which is also a great way to get around the city.

Other places we plan to visit are the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center, Macy's Herald Square, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park, and many stores and street vendors for some shopping. We also will spend some time in Little Italy and Chinatown.

I am looking forward to seeing my sisters and having a great time in New York.

Be Green with Holiday Gift Wrap

In my attempt to live a life that is more green, I am no longer buying gift wrap. Don't get me wrong, I love beautiful gift wrap. However, wrapping paper is another area where you cannot only save money for the holidays but also where you could live more green.

Most of us have newspapers, ads, magazines, and tissue paper that could be reused creatively to wrap gifts. Use your imagination. You could go for a black and white theme using newspaper offset by beautiful red curling ribbon. Or you could go for more colorful wrapping paper using advertisement inserts from the Sunday paper. You could also use plain white paper and create your own patterned gift wrap.

Rather than buy new gift cards, consider using your old holiday cards to add a special touch to your packages.

Save money, live green and show your creativity!

Save on Holiday Gift Giving

This past year I have been working hard at simplifying my life. And now I am working to simplify holiday shopping. Rather than buy new gifts, I am going through my house and rounding up things that are in good condition but no longer needed by me or my family. I have a collection of jewelry, candles, books, sweaters, and home accessories that I will be regifting this year to. It supports my objective to live more green, while also saving money.

I would love to hear about your regifting experiences and other ways that your are simplifying the holidays.

Holiday Cards for Troops-Holiday Mail for Heroes

Are you and your family looking for a way to give back this holiday season? You should consider sending holiday cards to the troops. Created by the Red Cross, Holiday Mail for Heroes allows people to mail Christmas cards and personal greetings to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines overseas and at home to veterans and family members of deployed active duty military members.

More info is available at: redcross.org/holiday mail

I gathered up all my extra holiday cards and started writing messages while watching TV. I also plan to take in extra cards to work on Monday so that I can gather up additional holiday messages for our troops.

This is an easy, inexpensive way for your family to give back for the holidays!

Walt Disney World Souvenirs are Cheaper at Wal-Mart

On a recent trip to Walt Disney World, we rented a car so that we could eat offsite and visit other attractions in the Orlando area. One of the best cost savings opportunities we found was on a visit to a nearby Wal-Mart. We had looked at Disney souvenirs at Downtown Disney but had not yet bought anything. Good thing we didn't. Wal-Mart had a large selection of Disney frames, tshirts, beach towels, and other knick knacks for a fraction of the price offered onsite at Disney. The quality of these items was just as good or near as good as those offered on-site at Disney but were significantly cheaper. So it does pay to venture outside of Walt Disney World if you have a car and are interested in saving a few dollars!

Disney's All Star Resort is a winner for Families!

We picked the Disney All Star Resort for our stay at Walt Disney World. It is one of the economy or value resorts and it was really worth it. The hotel rooms were large enough with 2 double beds, a small table, drawers and TV and small but manageable bathroom. We also rented a small refrigerator for drinks and snacks.


Our room was near to the main pool area which was very nice and clean. There were more than enough chaise lounges and restroom facilities nearby. Lifeguards kept a watchful eye over the pool to ensure safety first.


The snack bar restaurant area was much better than expected with a large menu at reasonable prices. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and ice cream are offered most of the day. I recommend that people eat breakfast at the hotel before heading to the park.


The Disney transportation buses offer a ride to and from all of the parks, Downtown Disney, etc. They do not go to every hotel though. So if you are planning a visit to another hotel you will need to transfer buses at Downtown Disney. So plan enough time if you a booked a reservation for a character breakfast at another hotel. The concierge can provide assistance on gettting to another location via the transportation system.

Although the higher priced Disneyworld hotels are beautiful and offer upgraded amenities, if you are on a budget the All Star Resort is a great choice!