Sweet!

My friend Amanda is so thoughtful. 

She gave these little gift bags to all of her homeschool mom friends.

 

 

The 3 verses she typed out are good ones to have handy when homeschooling!

 

This summer, at the 5 Day Club Picnic we celebrated 3 years of friendship.  We met at the 5 Day Club Picnic back when we were both pregnant with our fourth babies.

The Annual Gift-O-Rama Post--2011 Edition!

I'm sorry to say that I don't have pictures of the gifts this year!  It's getting harder and harder to make sure that the pics are hidden from the kids and that they won't see them while I'm blogging or when my hubby reads my blog, so I'll be explaining the gifts we're giving to the kids instead of showing them.  So, you'll have to be satisfied with this funny pic of little Katri.

I'm writing about the gifts we are giving with the intention of inspiring my readers and giving you ideas for your own kids, not to flaunt our wealth/posessions.  I want to be sensitive to those who may read this blog and come from a variety of countries/situations/cultures, etc.  While some of my friends spend 7 times more on each kid than we do, I'm still very aware that compared to most people in the world, we have SO MUCH!

Here is what our kids are getting this year:

Combined gift for the boys:

The DVD Cars 2

(I confess I love Cars almost as much as my kids!  I snagged this with a 30% off coupon.)

Little treats for their stockings:

GIANT lollipops, some little racecar candy doodads, chocolate gold coins, and shark fruit snacks.  We'll probably throw an orange in there too!

Alathia:

A little Holly Shiftwell car for her stocking

A little stuffed dog in her stocking

6 new dress-up outfits that I found for $3-$5 each after Halloween (bride, princess of the sea, midnight butterfly, ballerina, bumble bee fairy, )  After I purchased these, unbenownst to Ali, she told me she wanted new dress-ups for Christmas!  Yay!  My kids play with dress-ups every day, and that is the #1 thing Ali's friends want to play with when they come over!

Jessie and Bullseye Pajamas (Cyber Monday sale, 50% off with free shipping!)

Jeremiah:

A little Finn McMissile car in his stocking

8 new Hot Wheels cars

(These were on a Black Friday deal for $5--Don't you love it when you ask your kid for gift ideas and they ask for something inexpensive?)

A cowboy costume (from the same after-Halloween clearance where I got Ali's stuff)

A little motorcycle toy from the thrift store

Buzz Lightyear pajamas (same sale where I bought Ali's PJs)

Justus:

A little Lightning McQueen car in his stocking

8 new Hot Wheels cars

(Justy loves to copy Jer, so by getting them the same toys, it will help with fighting/jealousy stuff on Christmas Day!)

A superman costume

A Tow-Mater toy from the thrift store

Lightning McQueen toy (the main thing he wanted)

Katrielle:

A pink Nalgene sippy cup (we now have one for each kid, in their own color!  They're still my all-time favorites!)

Some little pink racecars for babies (since she loves to copy her big brothers, I knew she would want their Hot Wheels cars--so now she'll have some baby-safe ones of her own.)

A pretty crocheted hat (A friend made her a soft little winter hat from chenille yarn with a pink crocheted flower on it.)

A package of baby snacks for her stocking

2 of the cutest little dress-up outfits I've ever seen!  A little pink cowgirl outfit and a pirate princess dress (size 2T) purchased from the same after-Halloween clearance as the other kids'.

As usual, I blessed my friends with a morning off from mom-duty to shop or wrap gifts or just enjoy a morning of peace.  I threw a "Birthday Party for Jesus" and had 8 kids total here; we made Christmas suncatchers and celebrated the Savior's birth.  We packed hats for the homeless and decorated a tree for a friend in need.  It was really fun! 

I made 5 different kinds of muffins to take to our retired neighbors next-door who regularly snow-blow our walk and are always so sweet to us.  With the leftovers I was able to put together some muffin packages for friends who blessed us with goodies this year.  I made a couple of fruit baskets from Bountiful Basket produce to thank a special Sunday School Teacher and another nice neighbor.

Last year most of my gifts were hand-made and very creative.  This year I kept things really simple and didn't touch my sewing machine....not even once!  This is one of the ways I'm keeping Christmas simple this year!

If you blogged about your kids' gifts this year, I'd love to read your posts to get ideas.  Share your links in the comments!

30 Minute Skirt

Let's face it, most moms don't have a lot of free time or energy to sew.  That is why quick and simple projects are ideal for this season of life!  I was excited to whip a skirt out for Ali in exactly 30 minutes using one of my t-shirts that didn't fit well.

After holding the shirt up next to Ali to see how long it would need to be, I cut the shirt just under the arms.

The bottom part of the shirt will become the skirt and is already sewed and hemmed.

I cut a yoke from the top half of the shirt and sewed the sides up (with right sides together).

Turn right side out and fold in half.  This is your yoke.

The bottom half of the shirt becomes the skirt.  To make it fit the yoke I hand-basted around the top edge and pulled the thread to make it gather a little bit.  Then I pinned the yoke to the skirt with right sides together, sewed around it two times, and then zig-zagged around the edge twice to make it look more finished.

From some scraps from the top portion of the shirt I cut two thin strips to make a tie.  I quickly sewed them together to make one longer strip.

I cut two small slits in the yoke (no need to finish them or to hem the long strip).  I threaded the strip through the holes to make a waist tie.

Tie a simple knot in the end of each tie hanging out.  Ali then tried on the skirt and I tied the waist tie in a bow to make it snug.  I apologize for the poor pic quality in this tutorial.  I was timing this tutorial and thus doing it quickly and my daughter was not in a good mood and didn't want pics of the final results!

I decided to do a matching hair bow.  This took an additional 20 minutes.  I cut two blue felt circles and about 20 tiny circles from t-shirt scraps.  I hand-sewed each circle (scrunched up) onto the felt circle in a few layers to create a pretty cloth flower.

The back pre-hot glue

I hot glued a clip onto the back of the felt and then topped it with the second blue circle for a clean finish.

I love it! 

The skirt is comfortable, durable, and really cute, especially with leggings and a white or green t-shirt.  It's hard to find simple, but stylish and modest clothing for little girls Ali's age so I was happy to see that I could fill this need in just 30 minutes!  Now she wants me to make her a t-shirt circle skirt in yellow!

A Frugal Gift...

Baby gift for a new baby (and his big brother) in our church

(My finger is covering my last name)

Cute Crafts

I'm so blessed to have a really creative friend!  Actually, I have LOTS of creative friends, but my friend Amanda is especially creative with paper/cards/scrapbooking type stuff.  The other day my mom asked me if I wanted to make some little gifty things for some volunteers at her school and I immediately called Amanda, because she is the queen of all things gifty and crafty.  Here's what she came up with!  We had so much fun making these!

 We took tiny paper sacks and glued a half circle on each side and then strips of paper for handles.  To make a large circle pattern just trace around a large bowl in your kitchen.  Jazz them up with ribbon and buttons.

 The local plant shop didn't have small flowers in bloom so we filled them with chocolate candies.  But you could put a petunia or pansy or anything in them for a mother's day gift or make them for May Day baskets to  leave on your neighbor's doorsteps.

Amanda also makes gorgeous cards, which she sells at craft fairs and things.  When I'm looking for extra-special cards I go to her, because they are so much prettier than what I can find in the store, and cheaper too!

Appreciating the Grass You Have

The other day some friends and I were chatting about husbands and gifts.  It seems that a lot of husbands out there like to lavish humongous gifts upon their wives.  Huge bouquets of roses, fancy exercise equipment, large, elaborate homes, new vehicles, electronic gadgets, exotic vacations, diamond jewelry, dates at nice restaurants, etc.

Being that gifts are one of my love languages (with chocolate being my main love language *teehee*), a part of me sighed and thought inside, "That would be so nice!  If my husband was into giving me gifts like that I'd already have my nice camera that I've been working so hard for and saving for months to buy."

I also felt myself wondering.

Is my worth found in the number or cost of gifts given?

Of course my head knows the correct answer. 

No.

But sometimes in our culture of idolatry, where celebrities are exalted and money is treasured above all else by so many around us, it can be easy to think so.

Where many friends spent thousands on engagement rings, mine cost $130.

Where some gals got to go to exotic restaurants for their first date, our first date ever, as in my first date with my first ever boyfriend, who is now my husband, was at Burger King.

Does this mean I'm not worth more than that?

The conversation went on, and I told them that my husband was the kind of guy who will only pay cash for what he buys me.

Surprisingly, everyone began saying,

"I wish my husband was like that!"

  "I wish we were debt free!"

  "I wish I didn't have to get the huge credit card bill at the end of the month

after my hubby has splurged on me."

So, it would seem that everything is a trade-off.

You may have a husband who likes to go all out and treat you like a princess.

But you'll feel the pinch financially.

You may have a husband who doesn't splurge at all. 

But you'll feel secure in knowing there's money to pay the bills.

What if the way my husband shows me love is in being careful with our money so that I can stay home and not have to worry how we're going to pay the bills?  What if the way he shows me love is in seeing that our needs are taken care of first and saving for emergencies? 

What if the sacrifices that seem small to the world are huge to him, when he grew up eating out at McDonalds about once a year?

I'm thankful for the ways my frugal hubby shows me love. 

He may have only spent $6 on me for Valentine's day but he picked out a snack and movie rental that I would like, gave me a little box of conversation hearts and a lovely handmade Valentine with sweet little somethings written on it.  He often gives me shoulder rubs and neck massages and helps put the kids to bed.  And because he is so tight with money and careful, we have food to eat, a roof over our heads, heat in the winter, life insurance, water, health coverage, and money to share with those in need.  This is far more than most people in the world have and I don't deserve a bit of it, or the love he shows me each and every day.

And as I've been saving for a nice camera, he's been doing hours and hours of research for me, even though he isn't into photography, because he wants me to get the best possible deal. I was going to go with the cheapest model but he's convinced I need to get the best deal for the money and spend a little more to get twice the camera. He's planning to give me some tax refund money to help out my own savings and he wants to buy me a nicer lens than I would have gotten for myself.

The world tempts me to believe that worth is found in material expressions of love or amount or cost of posessions.  But I have a husband who doesn't "buy" that.  He shows me old-fashioned, honest, sacrificial love.

I'm blessed!

The grass may look greener on the other side, but I know that it's not.  I have the yard that is just right for me and I'm thankful for it!

The Annual Gift-o-Rama Post!

My goal was to do a Handcrafted Gifts series throughout the month of December to highlight lots of wonderful ideas I had for children's homemade gifts.  However, goals die fast when you have a new baby!

So, I'm just now getting around to posting what I'm giving my kids for Christmas.  I like to do this every year as I am greatly inspired by seeing other folks' gift ideas and want to do the same for you!  I had plans to make these snazzy capes for my kids for Christmas, and possibly matching ones for my nephews too, but never got around to it.  Maybe next year!  They love to dress up so I know they would use them!

 My kids don't own any beanbags and they are a fun, classic toy that is easy to make!  I just made a square template on a piece of paper and cut 4 squares from each fabric.  Rather than using denim, or a heavy fabric, I doubled the fabric up so that I could use some of the really cute fabric I had on hand in my stash.  So, each of our 3 oldest kids will get 4 beanbags in their stocking!

 I remembered that my friend Heather had done a post on how to make a Go-Fish Game a couple of years ago and I decided to make one for each of our boys.  I used binding tape instead of string as I had visions of my boys strangling each other with yarn or string!  It's harder to strangle with binding tape and it's harder to eat the magnet at the end of the line if it's inside a felt hook!

I know Justus will like this game as I once caught him "fishing" in the toilet using one of his sister's belts as his fishing pole.

 I had planned to put binkies in Katri's stocking but alas, she is not a binky baby!  I got her a book she can enjoy in a year or two from a clearance sale at christianbook.com and when Robeez were on sale for $11 at diapers.com with free shipping I snagged these darling little ones for when she is a toddler.  I can't even make them for that considering the time I spend making them.  What a steal!  The first pair of new Robeez I've ever purchased for my kids!

Forgot to rotate this one before I posted.  Ooops!  My kids absolutely LOVED Toy Story 3 and for days after watching it they would only answer to their favorite character from the movie.  So, I knew they would LOVE these as their special surprise gift under the tree on Christmas morning.  (Sidenote:  We don't do the Santa Claus thing but we do something similar--Daddy and I fill the stockings and leave a special gift under the tree, unwrapped, for them to find on Christmas morning). 

I was able to use a 30% off coupon each of these toys, making them very affordable!  Ali will get Jessie, Jer will get Buzz, and Justus will get Mr. Potato Head.

 I made a fabric book for our 1-year-old nephew

I didn't get a picture of our 4 year-old nephew's gift before Ali wrapped it, but we made him a rice tub with little pebbles and jewels and coins in it and he can dig in it with scoops we put in there.  Our kids love our rice tub so we thought it would be a nice, educational toy for him.

In addition to what you see pictured, Ali got a new baby doll that looks just like her, Jer got some new Duplos (this is the #1 toy at our house which all 3 kids play with every single day!), Justus got a xylophone, and Ali got some new slippers.  We try to keep Christmas pretty simple, but sometimes it's hard because it's just soooo fun to give gifts to our kids! 

Absolutely Delicious Cocoa

A lot of homemade cocoa mixes I've tried just haven't been too tasty.  And as a hot cocoa lover, I want my cocoa to be rich and creamy.  I found this recipe this year, which I LOVE!

 These darling felt-topped pencils were made by my friend Amanda, who sold them at a local craft fair for $1.  Soooo cute!

A perfect gift for Sunday School teachers, neighbors, or girl friends!

A Sweet Gift

Remember my friend who made me a wonderful meal and brought it by the day I started labor?  Her name is Lora and she is my "Martha Stewart friend."  She cooks amazing, gourmet, organic meals, decorates beautifully, and is very crafty and organized as well.  I met her at the park 2.5 years ago and knew even before she told me that she was a fellow Christian mom, and we've been friends ever since. 

Sadly, she is moving away in a week.  I'm glad that she will now have more opportunities to see her husband (his job in Spokane won't take him away from home anymore) and be closer to her family but we will miss them a lot!

The other day she gave me her couch they no longer wanted (which happens to be really huge and comfy and match perfectly with our living room), a lovely entryway rug, some pretty houseplants, and tons of wonderful food from their freezer, including organic berries and veggies, butter, fish, and lots of elk meat!  Yum!

She also gave me this sweet little basket purse with a hand-made scarf and card.

I love gifts that have special meanings behind them, like this one.

Lora bought this scarf from an older lady who is a dear friend of her family and an adopted grandma to her boys.  She has no grandchildren of her own and lost her daughter to ovarian cancer when she was only 30.  She makes these scarves to sell at craft shows for a scholarship fund they set up in their daughter's name.

 The daughter who died of cancer was "a wonderful Christian example, always speaking of the Gospel and Jesus' love with all those around her up to the day she died." 

Lora wrote, "I like to think of ladies I know who share her attitude, love of others, and faith and share the Gospel by example to those around them to give the scarves to."

(Pardon my super-fatigued look. 

All photos of myself are scary these days,

but that's what happens when you are on the no-sleep plan!)

I can scarcely read the card without tearing up.

I have far to go in being a godly example,

but the legacy of that young Christian woman

who inspired the scarves will live on

as I'm reminded to be like her when I wear it.

And the sweet words that accompanied the scarf will remind me of a friendship that hopefully will carry on in spite of the miles between us.

Thank you Lora!

May Day Cookies

Blessing Others Through Celebration--The Gift Stash

I love my gift stash! 

A good gift stash is the key to staying on top of all of the gifts

that a busy mom needs throughout the year!

I've labeled the various components of my gift stash. (Click on the pic to see it bigger if you have trouble reading the labels).

Throughout the year I will pick up things that are great deals that I think my family, friends,

extended family, etc. will like and keep them in one of these boxes.  If the gift doesn't fit in one of the boxes, it will probably go in the lower part of the closet or under my bed.

The Christmas box also tends to hold adult gifts.

Since I only get to a Bath n' Body works once a year, I may stock up and keep things like little lotions or pretty stationary from the Dollar Tree in the Christmas box, but these things can be used for friend's birthdays or bridal shower prizes, etc.  My favorite places to stock up on gift stash stuff:  the Target dollar section, Health Food Store clearances, Dollar Tree, Yard Sales.

My hubby's side of the closet, which contains the remainder of the gift stash.

The kid gift box contains little gifts that I pick up with my kids or their friends in mind (usually on clearance or new from yard sales).  There are usually crayons, markers (from super-cheap back-to-school sales), notebooks, sunglasses, craft kits, books, etc.  If we get invited to a last-minute party, we have a gift ready!  We usually let our kids help us buy or make a gift for their closest friends but then we add something from this stash that we know they would like also.  This stash is really handy for special surprises to bless one of my kids that has been especially good or for grabbing some little things to wrap up for long trips in the car to MN, etc.

When guys we know from MN come out snowmobiling in the winter, I often grab little gifts out of here to send back with them for my nephews just to spoil them!

I save the many large paintings that Ali does and keep them handy for wrapping paper.

My gift bag stash!  I save all of the gift bags others give us and because I was running low recently, I bought some from the dollar store (2 for $1) and also from Walmart (10 for $5) to beef up my stash.

I have about 6-8 showers/parties coming up in the next couple of months.  I've never seen such a baby boom as this year!  So, I put all of the gifts together the other day and got them all wrapped and ready.  Here they sit, on the top of my dresser, awaiting their delivery.  A few that I'll be giving this week sit next to my night stand by my bed.

An extra-large empty formula can I had in my container stash becomes an interesting way to wrap a baby boy's gift!

My container stash sits in the pantry next to a stack of shoeboxes, which I also use for gift-giving

I save all kinds of little containers.  Blueberry boxes, frappiccino bottles, jelly jars, tins, etc.

Some of the larger containers that go on top of the box pictured above

A wedding gift for a friend's upcoming bridal shower, containing a marriage devotional book, some shower gel and body wash, massage oil, etc.

If I have a lot of weddings coming up I will stock up on a favorite marriage book (like Love and Respect) or some Taste of Home cookbooks (which can be found for excellent deals online) and throughout the year I look for lingerie clearances and bodywash that can be obtained for free with coupons!  One of my favorite things to tuck into a Lingerie Shower gift is a pregnancy test from the Dollar Tree.  Funny thing is, my roommate from college just sent the test I gave her for her shower back to me in a ziploc bag, with a positive test result!  She's due one day after me!  She included a note that said, "Here's the test you gave me for my wedding shower.  It worked!"

From my baby gift stash:

I stock up on winter hats when they are on 75% sales at the end of the season.  Little boys can be hard to buy for, but these make really cute, personalized gifts!  I made my own boys some a couple of years ago and we love them!  When I'm unsure of what to get a baby boy, I go with one of these hats and some wet wipes, diapers, or a little outfit.

Little girl hats were also on a good sale!

Throughout the year I pick up really cute clothing at rock-bottom sale prices or new-with-tags at yard sales or the thrift store.  I have a nice collection of baby outfits (although the fact that I know 42 gals having babies in 2010, 21 of whom I will be giving gifts, is depleting it rapidly!) and baby things to choose from.  Some people think that shopping from a gift stash isn't very personal and is tacky.  But if you stop to consider how few options we have anyway in our rural area, my "baby store" in my closet is probably better stocked than the local Pamida and Alco, with higher-quality products, a better deal for the recipient, at excellent prices for me, a better deal for me!  When I'm putting together a gift, I honestly consider what outfit would look best on the baby, what fits the family's style, and I don't give something that I wouldn't be thrilled to receive myself.  Certain products I have loved as a mom, like Huggies Sensitive Wet Wipes, or mesh baby feeders, or Sandra Boynton books, or Aveeno lotion are things I look for deals on so that I can stock up my baby stash with things that I can highly recommend to any new mom.  And I can't resist buying darling little Easter and Christmas dresses on $1-$3 clearance at the end of the season to await the next friend that has a little girl!

How to Start Building a Gift Stash

Yard Sale season is almost here!  Take $5 a week and hit up a few yard sales, particularly ones that advertise baby clothing.  If you don't find anything, go by the Dollar Tree or Target, if you have one in your area, and pick up a few packages of notecards, coloring books for kids, etc.  Each time you are shopping, check the store's clearance racks and buy a few things that are great deals.  If you continually add to your "store at home" by only spending $3-$5 a week, you will find it a snap to put together gifts for others throughout the year.  If you don't have the time to add little by little, my advice would be to take about $200 and place a large order on http://www.amazon.com/  or http://www.christianbook.com/ stocking up on favorite marriage books,  cookbooks, favorite children's stories, devotionals or journals, and favorite board books for babies.  If you have the money to spend, this is a hassle-free way to make sure you always have gifts ready for a variety of occasions!

Another way to beef up a gift stash, if you like crafting, is to take a day or two to craft and sew and make all kinds of gifts to put in your stash.  Some ideas include:

Hair bows and hair puffs

Bead Socks

Ruffle Socks

Ruffle Skirts

Aprons

Pillowcases

Crocheted dishrags

Tote bags

Cloth books

Scrunchies

Rice bags

Fleece scarves, hats, socks, and mittens

Leather baby shoes

Rag quilts

Fleece tie quilts

Skirts

Purses

Boxer shorts

To see the rest of the series on Blessing Others Through Celebration, go here.