Adoption Gift

Our precious Baby Boy that we have been babysitting for almost a year just had his first birthday.

And not only were we celebrating his birthday but also the finalization of his adoption which took place on July 25th!

We wanted to give a meaningful gift to commemorate his adoption but also have it double as a birthday gift since the party was a celebration of both!

One year olds usually get so many toys and things that I was pretty sure his parents wouldn't mind something else.

I started looking online and on Pinterest for appropriate gift ideas and finally decided on this.

It was in our budget and a printable so we wouldn't have to wait for shipping, giving us ample time to get it printed elsewhere. Also, his mommy had this pinned on her adoption board so I knew she would like it!

Alison from Ten Tiny Toes Designs was awesome! The printable file appeared in my email approx. 40 minutes after ordering!

We chose to have this printed at Wal-mart as a mounted print. We had a coupon too! We love how it turned out.

I had such fun  making these cards the other day so I used the same technique to decorate wrapping paper and a matching card for this gift. I love decorating paper bags!:-)

Just wanted to share this if any of you are looking for a nice adoption gift!

Pinned It, Made It: Pocket Handwarmers

One of my goals for this year is to make and give more handmade gifts and to work on them all year and not just right before I need them!

I found this pin for pocket handwarmers and thought they were so cute. Plus a good way to use up some of my fabric scraps--I made mine a bit smaller than the tutorial to accommodate more scraps! I had everything on hand so this was a free project!

I started making them and after a few sewing sessions and a couple of days later, realized I'd made 12 sets! Now they are in my gift drawer waiting to be given away! (I might snag a set for myself too!)

These are a very easy sewing project--perfect for beginners.

**This post is part of Pinned It, Made It Monday over at Country Girl At Home.

A Bushel Of Pumpkins And A Giveaway!

Remember these pumpkins I made last year?

I recently whipped up a big batch of them and they are in my shop. 

But for fun, I'm also offering up a set of 3 pumpkins as a giveaway here on the blog!

The giveaway will be open all week and I'll draw a winner on Saturday, October 20.

To enter: Simply leave a comment on this post for a chance to win! Make sure you leave a name and a way to get in touch with you if you win--an email address, link back to your profile or blog that includes an email, etc. I can't give the prize to Anonymous or to someone that I have no way of getting in touch with!:-)

For additional entries:

(Leave a separate comment for each one.)

• Leave a comment stating what you love the most about fall!
• Leave a comment stating your favorite cool weather or fall food to cook or eat. 
• Leave a comment sharing your favorite fall activity! 

Happy Fall! 

Pinned It, Made It: Band-Aid Get Well Cards

I pinned this get well card idea a long time ago because they were so cute and hysterical! Recently, I needed a get well card and thought of this which was perfect for the recipient!

Ok, so these could technically be a kid's craft but so funny and I know many adults who would get a kick out of these! So when I got out the supplies to make a card, I made several to add to my card box.

Super fun and simple!

I added some of my own touches such as little stick figure arms and legs and even tried to come up with my own band-aid jokes and puns.

I may not have done so well with the latter. But it was fun!

**This post is part of Pinned It, Made It Monday at Country Girl at Home. 

**My intention was to post this Monday but as you can see that didn't happen! Happy Wednesday everyone!

Time To Fill Your Shoeboxes!

It's that time again.

Time to start thinking about what you want to pack in your shoe boxes.

Collection week is about 2 months away: November 12-19, 2012!

I've been squirreling a few things away all year but just today pulled out the boxes and sorted the items into each one. Now I know what I need to fill them in!

And as usual, our girl box is already much fuller than the boy box! Always seems to happen that way--maybe because I love buying girly stuff?!!

 **If you'd like, you can see this video I did last year about filling our shoeboxes. 

Inexpensive Pans For Sharing Meals

I find it a joy when I have the opportunity to share a meal with others.

Those opportunities don't come around that often it seems. One reason may be that there are few people having babies within our church and social circles!

But this week, I had two opportunities--one friend just had surgery and another friend's grandfather passed away.

I'm super practical so I try to mostly use disposable pans when gifting a meal. Dollar Tree is my go-to source for inexpensive foil pans. The 9x13's come in a 2-pack for $1 and the smaller pans are a 3-pack for $1. What I love about those small ones is that they come with a lid so they can be stacked and are also the perfect size for 2-3 people.

I like keeping a small stack of these pans on hand so I'm ready to share when the opportunity presents itself!

Cake Mix Cookie Bars

Use these 4 ingredients...

To make these yummy cookie bars!

Alright, so these Cake Mix Cookie Bars are not at all healthy or real food (except for the butter and egg). But sometimes, a quick dessert is needed. I've found since we've moved to a more low grain diet, we just don't have a good stock of baking ingredients on hand since I hardly ever bake anymore! So when I want to whip up some cookies or something, what used to be a quick thing is now a big deal. 

My sister-in-law made these yummy bars while we all were at the beach and since they are super yummy and only take 4 ingredients, I wrote down the recipe. I've been keeping these ingredients on hand for when I want to make something sweet to share. Perfect for hospitality!

Easy Cake Mix Cookie Bars

1 cake mix**

1 stick butter, melted

1 egg

1 bag chocolate chips (This amount could be reduced but which is worse-- extra chocolatey cookies or an open bag of chocolate chips in the house? It's quite the predicament, I tell you!)

Mix ingredients together. Spread and press into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

**Pretty much any combination of cake mix and chips could be used: chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips, red velvet cake mix with white chips, yellow cake mix with chocolate chips, chocolate cake mix with mint chips, chocolate with chocolate... can you tell I love chocolate?!!

Enjoy!

Scrapbook

Today, while packing for our upcoming move, I came across this scrapbook that I had made for someone else back in 1992 when I was 15-16 years old.

That was 20 years ago, folks!!!

The young girls in our church  had decided at the beginning of the year to do what we called "Secret Grandmothers". We put the names of all the older ladies in our church in a  pot and each drew one. The idea was that each girl would give an anonymous gift about once a month or so to their "secret grandmother" during that year. Then at the end of the year, we would have what we called a "Revealing Party" (hahaha) and the grandmothers would get to find out who had been their secret granddaughter all this time!

Once the ladies found out what was going on, they began to eagerly look forward to this! And they would speculate who they thought had their name! It was humorous at times. Many of these women were also widows and lived alone so this was another source of joy and encouragement to them. This simple activity  helped to bridge the gap between the young and the old and lasting friendships were made.

The lady whose name I drew this particular year was named Blanche. She was one of my own Grandma's close friends. Mom helped me come up with the idea of making a scrapbook for her, giving the scrapbook and a completed page or two at the beginning of the year and then adding to it each month. I also gave other gifts here and there but the scrapbook was the main one.

This was really before the whole photo album scrapbooks became so popular so this was a more "old fashioned" model. Truly, a scrap book! I cut pictures and poems from magazines, used stencils and stickers and pretty paper from wrapping paper and wall paper to create this book. Blanche loved to read, quilt, garden and cook so I made special pages that reflected these interests.

I had a wonderful time making this book and Blanche really enjoyed it, too!

The "great reveal"-- isn't this a hoot! Complete with fabric padded frame--I got a huge kick out of this!

Blanche passed away a few years ago and her family passed this album on to my mom to give to me. At first, I wondered what I would do with it and put it up with our photo albums. But today as I pulled it out, I realized what a nice memory this was to have and how many of the pictures, poems and stories,etc. reflect my interests and who I am as a person even now! I also thought the littles would enjoy looking at these pictures!

Have you ever made a scrapbook?

Inexpensive Photo Album Gifts

Since we got a camera that takes better pictures, I've enjoyed taking pictures of the littles throughout the year and then compiling them into a small album for their birthdays.

Not only is it a pretty easy gift but also one that parents really love and appreciate! And all littles love to look at pictures of themselves.

Last year for Toddler Girl's 1st birthday, I had a coupon code for a free Shutterfly photo book. It turned out beautifully and I only had to pay shipping.

Without a coupon code, however, photo books are a little out of my gift budget so I began thinking of a simpler option for Baby Boy's 1st birthday in March and Toddler Girl's birthday in April.

I found that by purchasing small basic "brag book' type albums at Dollar Tree  for $1 each and then getting about 20-30 photos printed, my cost was around $5 per album. Less than shipping for a free photo book!

But...these cheap little albums are boring and the selection of covers was lacking. Hmmm... I noticed  that I could replace the cover art with pictures or my own art to personalize it, so that's what I did!

I used a combination of scrapbook paper, fabric and a little Heat and Bond adhesive (glue if using paper) to create cute monogrammed covers.

Not only are these albums inexpensive but they're a super easy and personalized gift too!

**This post is a part of Frugal Fridays!

This Year's Handmade Christmas Gifts

Now that family members have all opened their Christmas gifts from us, I can share some of the gifts here! I didn't make as many of my gifts this year but still did manage to come up with a few.

I really like making gifts. It's part of who I am. And if I don't make gifts, I still enjoy picking out and creatively putting things together to create a fun gift! I think it's safe to say that gift giving (and receiving) is probably my main love language.

A few of the gift mixes.

For the ladies-moms and sisters:

• Homemade laundry soap. Packaged in recycled small jars and large spice bottles. 
• Homemade spice blends-- Our favorite Rotisserie-Style Chicken Spice Rub and my homemade Southwestern Seasoning Blend- my own variation of this. Packaged in baby food jars.
• Homemade Apple Butter. 

For my sister:

• 2 bags freshly ground whole wheat flour-- Using my grain mill and wheat I have on hand. She bakes a lot for her family and doesn't have a grain mill so a practical and appreciated gift!

For grandparents and great-aunt: 

• Rice Heating Bags. Made 3 of these similar to this one and loosely following these instructions. Forgot to take pictures!

For my youngest niece: 

• Felt food-- a doughnut, cupcake, cinnamon roll and a chocolate chip cookie. Making small objects out of felt is very addicting. It's unbelievable how much fun I had with this! These fit perfectly stacked in a small oatmeal container covered with scrapbook paper. My niece (2 1/2 years) loved the food and these fit perfectly on the plates of her new tin tea set which was a gift from her grandparents!

Wrapping ideas: 

• Lids covered with scrapbook paper. This was so easy and used supplies I had in my stash. 
• Covering jar lids with a newspaper 'pointed star'. I recycled some tissue paper I had which was also cute.
• Covered oatmeal container. And other ideas for recycled packaging!
• Recycled gift wrap. One goal for this year was to use primarily recycled items for gift wrap. Other than also using a few new brown paper lunch bags, we succeeded! So fun --I'm already thinking of ideas for next year!

Did you give or receive any handmade gifts this year?

Merry Swap

It's been fun to once again join in with the Sisters Shoebox Swaps hosted by Monica and Carrie! The theme for this swap was Merry and my swap partner was Kim.

Kim doesn't have a blog but we emailed a bit back and forth in order to get to know each other better! She is a super sweet lady and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her a little and creating a box for her.

I was blown away by all that Kim packed into my box and the thought and care that went into it!So much fun! She included lots of red which I love!

 

Packed into a beautiful Christmas box(which you see at the back of this picture) was:

• Set of 3 red and white kitchen towels.
• Peppermint tea light candles.
• Metal Merry Christmas sign.
• An adorable nativity--love nativities and apparently am starting a small collection!
• Ghiradelli chocolate bars.
• Coffee.
• Candy Cane Lane tea.
• Mug that says -"This Home Believes" and has a nativity picture.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lip balm. How fun is that!?!
• "Silver Spruce" potpourri sachet.
• Chris Tomlin CD--Glory In the Highest.
• Candy cane ornament.
• Nativity ornaments made of olive wood from the Holy Lands.

 Isn't this a sweet nativity--look at those cute faces!

The Merry Christmas sign.

 

What I sent to Kim:

• Christmas garland--printed from here.
• A compilation of some of our favorite Christmas tunes.
• Cozy Christmas socks.
• Bag of treats for her dogs Chip and Mattie from our dog Rock.
• Handmade little stocking filled with candy. I looked at these directions for basic how-to's but drew my own pattern and made it quite small.
• Hot cocoa mix.--Just combined the dry ingredients and included instructions.
• Handmade felt ornaments like these. 
• Apple cinnamon candle. 
• Merry Christmas tin(which I packed the cocoa mix in). 

**Go to Carrie's blog for more Merry swap show and tell!

A Peek At Our OCC Shoeboxes

This week (November 14-21, 2011) is Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child's shoebox projects. In this video or vlog, as they say, I share what we put into our boxes this year. My hope is that this will encourage more people to participate in this worthwhile project and maybe give some ideas of what kinds of things to put into your box(es)!

Related posts:

How To Pack A Shoebox by mary bailey. Cute!
Operation Christmas Child--Meryl's Story by Passionate Homemaking. This is super awesome!

Find out all the details at the Operation Christmas Child website!

$4 Off Vick's Nature Fusion

Head on over to Vocalpoint and reserve your $4 Vick's Nature Fusion coupon! You will receive this coupon by mail.

This is a high dollar coupon that should make for a really good deal combined with a sale!

Get Well Care Package

My dad suffered a stroke about a month ago. Being so far away, I really wanted to be able to do something but wasn't sure what to do.

I prayed about it and God gave me some great ideas for a care package. In fact, I got so many ideas, there was no way I could use all of them! I hope that by sharing this, you will glean some inspiration for how to bless those in similar situations!

It was so much fun to put together a little package for him.

• A portable CD player with headphones to be able to listen to music without disturbing his roommate.
• A small flip book with a collection of verses focusing on healing and strength. **His whole right side was affected to various degrees affecting his speech, use of right arm/hand and his walking. I made this little book from plain gift tags and attached them with a book ring and decorated with stickers.
• A microwaveable/freezable rice bag to use for aches and pains or as a heating pad.
• Some sugar-free Lifesavers. Dad has diabetes and while I wasn't sure if he could have many of these, I thought they would also be fun to share with his guests and therapists at the rehab center.
• A fast food gift card for my Mom and brother. Since I can't be there to cook a meal for them, this was the next best solution to take a little of the stress away.

** The verses included in the flip book. There were so many good ones that I and some of my Facebook friends found ! I could probably make another book and still not use them all!

• Isaiah 40:29-31: "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord. "
• Psalm 30:2: "O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me."
• Isaiah 40: 29-31: " He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. they will walk and not faint."
• 2 Corinthians 12:9: " But he said to me, "My strength is sufficient for you, for my power is amde perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
• Nehemiah 8:10b: "For the joy of the Lord is your strength."
• Psalm 103:1-3,5: " Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Prasie the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases...who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
• Exodus 15:26b: "I am the Lord who heals you."
• Psalm 18:32,36: " He makes my feet  like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights... You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn."
• Habakkuk 3:19: "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."
• Ephesians 3: 20-21:  "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in he church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

 ***My dad is scheduled to go home from the rehab center this Wednesday. His speech has improved dramatically as has his walking. He is able to walk up stairs some with a pronged cane and has been able to get in and out of his wheelchair by himself some. He is also able to be more independent with his self-care and can run his wheelchair with just one arm. Continue to pray for his full recovery and for strength and movement to return to his right arm and hand.

What are some ideas that you have for Get Well baskets or care packages?

4th Of July Crafts

Looking for some fun and safe patriotic crafts for the kidlets? Look no further!

In response to my Planning Monday post this week, Lillibeth emailed me with a link to her "Matchless" Fireworks post. The shiny sparklers look really pretty and fun!

We had a very good time making these Salt-Absorbing Fireworks this week from I Can Teach My Child.

I Can Teach My Child also shares this cute Old Glory craft made with popsicle sticks. How cute are these? We're planning to make some tomorrow!

Make your own 4th of July Confetti Popper Rockets from Alphamom. Had these on my list but don't think we'll actually get around to making them for this year. They do look really fun!

Happy 4th of July!

Free Hair Products

If you haven't already signed up, Pantene, Aussie and Herbal Essences are all giving away coupons for a FREE full-sized product today when you 'Like' them on Facebook.

I'm always excited to receive coupons for FREE products, either to use for myself or donate.  I like to hold on to these coupons and use them on B1G1 deals at the drugstores or use them to bump my before coupon total up if I have a $ off a certain purchase amount coupon.

**Be patient. The sites are running rather slow.

And for those of you who don't do Facebook because of privacy concerns, Jenny of Southern Savers shares how to create a blank Facebook profile to use for taking advantage of special Facebook offers such as these.

Getting Started On Our Shoeboxes!

One of our favorite Christmas activities is packing our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. We always have a really fun time picking out toys and other fun and practical items to share with children who have so little.

And the best part of all is that when the shoe boxes are presented to the children, they also have an opportunity to hear how much Jesus loves them. And many have accepted Christ into their hearts as a result. I love this story of Oksana, who received a shoe box gift as a young girl.

Collection week for the boxes isn't until November, but I was determined to work on them all year and get a head start this year! I thought if I committed to adding something each month, the boxes will be nicely filled by November and I won't be rushing around at the last minute.

January- Purchased shoe boxes. Plastic boxes are nice as they are durable and useful and many children will use them for carrying water.
February- Added some nearly free toothpaste.

I also had a few items leftover from last year's boxes.

We like to pack one box for each person in our family so that means we do two. One girl; one boy. So far we've always picked the 5-9 age group. 

Starting now will give me plenty of time to find stuff at good prices as well as make a few handmade gifts.

I keep the boxes on my closet shelf and just keep adding! It's fun to see them fill up and helps me to remember to keep an eye out for appropriate items.

What do you like to pack in your shoe boxes?

Linky Love

 Some good reads around the blogosphere! Enjoy.

But That Doesn't Work for Me at Heavenly Homemakers. We all know how I love my menu plans. And well, planning in general. A great read about loving and serving our families using our own God-given strengths and not comparing ourselves with what other bloggers seem to be doing.

Roku-Or How We Watch TV at If You Do Stuff, Stuff Gets Done.  Don't you just love that blog name? We were very interested in Rhonda's experience with the Roku box since we're looking into our options for less expensive TV once our satellite subscription ends at the end of this year.

Choosing The Important Stuff at Life Your Way. A helpful article on priorities and deciding what is truly important to each of us.

10 Ways To Simplify Without Becoming A Minimalist at Small Notebook. I've been in  major organizing and decluttering mode since January. My yard sale pile is HUGE! Again. Seriously, how does this happen!?! Nevertheless, I get to the point where I see so much that we do not use or need. And we're enjoying the extra space that's been created.

Hand Towel Apron

Apparently, I am really into making aprons out of towels!

Andy's grandmother requested that I make her a towel apron for Christmas as hers are wearing out. I found this tutorial online and thought this was much cuter than some terrycloth towel aprons I've seen previously. I hope she likes it!

The fabric I used for the ruffle and ties is from a thrifted sheet.  Love the fabric! The "ruffle" turned out too thick to successfully gather it into a nice ruffle so after the second time of the thread breaking and my temper already being quite short (it was not a good day!), I made the decision to pleat it instead. I do like how it turned out this way, though. Using a bit lighter weight fabric would work better for the gathers.

The ties also turned out too short, but she is a lot skinnier than I am so it should work!

I liked modeling this apron so much that I might make myself one. The towel part would be really great for drying my hands while washing dishes.

And yes, this was a Christmas present and I just finished it. In February. We weren't planning to do gifts until January since we were planning to visit them in January but with my trip to Oregon and all, that never happened, so... Merry Valentine's Day to all!

Homemade Valentines

I enjoy sending cards with little notes to family members for holidays throughout the year. Sometimes I make the cards and sometimes they are purchased from the store.

This does take some effort on my part and unfortunately, I usually wait until the last minute to mail them so they do not always arrive on or before the holiday.

Sure, it would be cheaper and less wasteful to send e-cards or email,  but there is something so personal and special about receiving a real card in the mailbox via snail-mail. Besides, at least half of the recipients of my cards do not have email. :-) Handwritten letters are always well-received and looked forward to so I do try to include a short note detailing our recent adventures, no matter how dull and routine they may seem to us.I know the simple words will brighten someone else's day.

This Valentines Day, I created cards from magazine pictures I'd collected. I find the cutting, arranging and pasting and picking out the right card for each person or family when I'm finished very relaxing and enjoyable. They are nothing fancy but created and sent with love!

Keeping in touch by sending little cards and letters seem to shorten the distance between us all and is a special ritual that I don't do nearly often enough!