Christmas Planning - 1 Week & Counting

Photo by krisdecurtis

Man are the days flying by! It blew me away yesterday morning at church to realize that next Sunday, the 21st is our big Christmas service! Wow is December moving right along!!!

Christmas Goals 12/15 -12/21

• relax & not sweat anything...haven't been super happy with any potential Christmas card pics, and that may mean that we forgo cards this year... I haven't completely made my mind up yet, but I'm just not going to let it stress me out! That, I do know!
  
• a little stitching left to do
  

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced (and replaced & replaced)
  
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A - stitched and done!
• one possible Christmas pic - may try again this week...not sure yet
• tree decorated, stockings hung
• found present I was looking for on Craig's List @ Sam's on mega clearance - woo hoo!
• outside decorations up
• wrapping in progress - I only have 1 thing that we have purchased not wrapped - yea!
• amazon order
  

From here on out, my goal is really to just enjoy the season...we'll probably do a little impromptu baking around the house, hope to see some nice Christmas lights on an evening or two, watch a few Christmas movies, keep the house straightened up...mostly just enjoy Christmas and all the great family time around it!

We are privileged to serve at an amazing church and we'll hold 3 services at our Greenville campus on Sun the 21st - both Brad and I are pumped to get to be a part of it and to help make it easier for people to meet Jesus that day. It just doesn't get better than that!

Toffee Popcorn - A Great Christmas Gift

Several years ago at Christmas, when the budget was *really* tight, we decided to make toffee popcorn to give as gifts...and what a hit it turned out to be! We made the popcorn and then packaged it in ziploc bags decorated with stickers...it's actually been requested by several family members in years since! It's a fairly simple recipe, and I wanted to pass it along - hope you'll enjoy as much as we have!

Ingredients:

• 1 c sugar
• 1 c butter, softened
• 1/3 c water
• popped popcorn (about the equivalent of 2 bags of microwave popcorn)

My husband typically pops the popcorn while I work on the toffee part of the recipe - I recommend dumping the popcorn into one bowl after popping and then transferring by hand to another to ensure that you can eliminate as many unpopped/partially popped kernels as possible. We've used both microwave & air pop popcorn, and both work fine, though my husband was a bigger fan of microwave in this application.

Bring butter and water to a boil over medium heat. Add sugar and stir constantly. I've tried using a candy thermometer with this recipe, but find that keeping a close eye on the mixture is the best method (at least for me!) The candy will boil & thicken and then begin to darken in color and reduce in volume. You're looking for a nice caramel color - if you let it go too long, it will burn. Once your toffee has reached a pretty caramel color, remove it from the heat and pour over the popcorn. Use 2 spoons to toss & mix the popcorn to achieve good coverage. Before the popcorn begins to set, spread it on wax paper to cool.

Be careful at this point - I have burned many a tastebud in my impatience to taste the finished product! And be careful who you invite into the kitchen while you're working...on more than one occasion, we've had...ahem..."spectators" who've eaten at a rate almost equal to our ability to cook the toffee!

For an even more delectable treat, melt chocolate chips in a ziploc bag in the microwave, snip off a corner and drizzle over the toffee popcorn - super delish!

For other great holiday food gift ideas, head on over to Vintage Mommy and check out the other links to delectable holiday goodies - I know there are several I already have on my list to try!

Christmas Planning - 2 Weeks & Counting

Photo by Mannequin-

Even though I've been preparing for Christmas for weeks now, I continue to be amazed at how quickly the time has flown! We've really been enjoying our Christmas decorations this past week and I feel like the benefits of planning are really beginning to show! Brad and I spent a little time looking around this weekend for a few Christmas odds and ends and neither of us could believe how relaxed we felt...must continue to stay on track with planning next year!

Christmas Goals 12/8 -12/14

• still struggling with my dish towels...have moved on to plan B, hope to get some work done there this week, though I'm not holding my breath ;)
  
• buy Christmas stamps - I evidently have a mental block with the PO right now
  
• print Christmas card labels
• print Christmas cards & mail
  
• one last Amazon.com order
  

Thinking Forward

• think about decorations I'd like to change up/add next year, make list so I can watch before/after Christmas sales - I had wanted to add some garland this year, but have decided that project would add more stress than I would like...so I've got it in mind for next year...we also would like to add some berries or berry garland to our tree, and while we found some we like, at $15 for a 4 ft strand, we're just not willing to pay it...so we'll keep our eyes open, and maybe find some for next year after the holidays!
  

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced (and replaced & replaced)
  
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A - stitched and done!
• one possible Christmas pic - may try again this week...not sure yet
• tree decorated, stockings hung
• found present I was looking for on Craig's List @ Sam's on mega clearance - woo hoo!
• outside decorations up
• wrapping in progress - I only have 1 thing that we have purchased not wrapped - yea!
  

Hope your Christmas plan is coming together nicely - remember, it's never too late to get started!! And if you're not as far along as you'd like...check out a few posts on Small Notebook - there's one on simpler gift-giving and Christmas without the Frenzy. It's way too easy to get caught up in somebody else's idea of the perfect holiday - while Dec 25th will be here before we all know it, don't let it stress you out. Relax, destress & enjoy - don't let the hustle & bustle destroy your Christmas!

Planning for next year while you're decorating this year...

So just a quick thought - but as you're unpacking your Christmas decorations this year and beginning to enjoy them...think through anything you might be missing...and then put it on your list to keep an eye out for, especially during close-to-Christmas sales & after-Christmas sales. Until last year, we've never had a "real" Christmas tree skirt...we either couldn't find one that we liked, or they were more expensive than we were okay with....so we'd always used a piece of inexpensive Christmas fabric draped around the base of the tree. It was okay...but just okay. Then last year, close to Christmas, we went to Home Depot and ended up looking through their Christmas goodies (which were very picked over)...and wouldn't you know, there was a great tree skirt at a great price. We used it such a short amount of time last year that I couldn't even remember what it looked like, and had almost forgotten we bought it - when I pulled it out over the weekend, I was delightfully surprised and loved it just as much as I did when we bought it last year. Woo hoo!

I'm loving the idea of doing a Jesse Tree with Walker next year, which utilizes ornaments that have OT significance...I'm hoping to be able to find some of those after Christmas this year so that I'll have a jump on next year! So keep in mind where you might have a few holes in your decorations and use the after-Christmas sales to fill in those gaps - much better than paying full retail price!!!

Christmas Planning - 3 Weeks & Counting

Happy December everyone! Can you believe that it's here and that 2008 is almost gone? Blowing my mind! We made some great Christmas progress here at our house this past week...things are feeling very relaxed and I'm not stressing at all! Hope your Christmas plans are coming along nicely - Enjoy!!

Christmas Goals 12/1 -12/7

• gather Christmas craft/wrapping - still need to hit a few more places
• make major progress on Christmas dish towels - didn't make it on this one; may have to punt!
  
• buy Christmas stamps
• put up outside Christmas decorations - had hoped to do it over the weekend, but it was too wet & rainy (& cold) to even try
• start wrapping
• print Christmas card labels
  

Thinking Forward

• think through Christmas "schedule"

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A - stitched and done!
• one possible Christmas pic - may try again this week...not sure yet
• tree decorated, stockings hung
• found present I was looking for on Craig's List @ Sam's on mega clearance - woo hoo!
  

Got so distracted with Thanksgiving thoughts last week when I was doing my post that I totally forgot to include decorating our tree...thankfully, though, we didn't forget in real time! We pulled out the decorations over the weekend...spent some *more* time locating some burnt out bulbs that were causing a few strand outages on our tree...and got decorated. I'm enjoying the tree with decorations so much - love it! Have a wonderful & productive week!

Take the Challenge?

Christians can [still] change the world. This year, Give Presence.

Christmas Planning - 4 Weeks & Counting

Photo by krisdecurtis
Yikes - not much happened Christmas related around here last week at all...guess that's what happens when you have a 2 year old, a business, embroider on the side and try to keep a house straight! Truth be told - last week was just a tiring week...B has been waking up most mornings between 4 & 5 and is then out the door sometime between 5 & 6 - even going to bed at 9:30 several nights didn't seem to be enough sleep for me! However...I'll give it another goal this week!

Christmas Goals 11/24 -11/30

• gather Christmas craft/wrapping - still need to hit a few more places
• keep an eye on Craig's List for 2 possible presents - I've actually been doing this consistently, just haven't found anything I'm happy with yet!
• make major progress on Christmas dish towels - this is go week for this one!
  
• sew W & A Christmas tees
• try Christmas pic
• buy Christmas stamps
  

Thinking Forward

• think through decorations - where to hang garland
  
• think through Christmas "schedule"

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A - both planned
  

I expect this week to be somewhat hectic with Thanksgiving taking place, however for our business, that should (fingers crossed) also slow things down a bit, so I'm hoping that will leave me room to get lots of other stuff done. We'll see! Have a wonderful & productive week!

Embroider even if you don't have a fancy-schmancy machine!

Applique has been around for a long time - many of our mothers and grandmothers were using the technique long before "embroidery-specific" machines were available on the market. The old-school embroidery look is very popular right now (just take a look around etsy), and is fairly simple to do - you can stitch it by hand or with a regular sewing machine - either way, the technique is very simple. If you have any questions - please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments or drop me an email - this technique can also be used with an embroidery machine and one of your favorite applique designs (with a few tweaks) - I'll be more than happy to share that with you too!


Unless you're super artistic/creative, I recommend starting out by creating a template - you can hand-draw one, copy a simple clip art, stitch one out, it really doesn't matter, you just need to have a starting point. I'm not much of an artist, so a simple template is a must for me! I stitched out my candy cane template and then trimmed it down leaving roughly a 1/8" allowance around the stitching.


Next, choose a fabric that you'd like to use for your applique. I chose this stripey one as it does remind me of candy canes!


Next cut a square of fabric that will comfortably encompass your template. I hate to waste fabric so I tend to cut the absolute smallest square possible, but sometimes that means it really is too small - so don't overly kill yourself trying to cut the perfect piece of fabric - my theory is it's better for it to be a little wasteful rather than to definitely be wasteful when I have to cut a second piece! Also - if your fabric has a "direction" - make sure that you cut it so that you can orient your template the desired direction on the fabric.


Now cut a piece of iron-on adhesive- I used this HeatnBond that I found at Walmart (make sure you get the kind that is sewable - not all of them are). Cut it the same size as your fabric & iron it onto the WRONG side of the fabric (leaving the paper backing on the adhesive) according to manufacturer instructions.


I usually keep a piece of paper on my ironing board so that if there's any excess adhesive (my 2 squares are never the exact same size) it gets stuck to the paper and not my board.


Now trim your piece of applique fabric (with adhesive paper attached) to your template. I'm not super artistic, so a template is a necessity for me...but if you are, you can also freehand your shape at this point...just remember that the more intricate your shape is, the more intricate your stitching will be. For me, simple is best.


Next, place your trimmed fabric on the item you want to applique - you can use a onesie or tee, dish towel, pillowcase, tote - the possibilities are really endless! For this project, I chose a pillowcase. Again following manufacturer directions, iron your applique fabric onto your item.


Next place your item on your machine and stitch the applique fabric down taking into account the fabric allowance you added earlier (I used 1/8"). The adhesive will help keep the fabric from fraying, but stitching inside the 1/8th inch also helps keep the fabric completely adhered to the item.


At this point, your item is appliqued - feel free to embellish it with ribbon, buttons, ric rac, etc. After looking at my pic I realized that you couldn't really see the red stitching holding the candy cane down, so I went back and restitched it in black.


I am fortunate enough to have an embroidery machine, so I am adding my little guy's name so that he'll have a festive Christmas pillowcase to use now that he's moved to a big boy bed.

I don't want to give away too much, as I'm giving embroidered items as several gifts, but here are a few of my other Christmas embroidery projects:


Santa with dangly feet (legs made of ribbon)


Christmas truck with tree - I need to get buttons sewn on in the middle of the wheels, but haven't gotten around to it yet! I think that would make it even cuter!


Santa frog - he's one of my favorites!

Hope your handmade Christmas is coming along nicely...for more great ideas, head on over to check out *holidays by hand* - this week almostfrugal is hosting!

Christmas Planning - 5 Weeks & Counting

Photo by tanakawho

Just over 5 weeks to Christmas - last week flew by and I didn't get much of anything Christmas-y done. Brad has been stuck on a jobsite for the past two weeks so that has greatly impacted the flow of things both here on the homefront & in the office. I have big plans for today & this week, however - and hope to get a lot accomplished!

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A - both planned
  

Christmas Goals 11/17 -11/23

• gather Christmas craft/wrapping - still need to hit a few more places
• keep an eye on Craig's List for one possible present - still looking!
• make major progress on Christmas dish towels
• sew W & A Christmas tees
• try Christmas pic
• buy Christmas stamps
  

Thinking Forward

• think through decorations - where to hang garland
  
• think through Christmas "schedule"
  

As Thanksgiving approaches, are you redirecting your holiday energy to turkey day and away from Christmas, or are you balancing between the 2? Let me know how you're doing!

WFMW - Live Within Your Harvest

Photo by tanakawho

As the Christmas season approaches, I think it's super easy for all of us to get a little glassy-eyed and caught up in the rush of the season and overspend ourselves into a deep hole, that we then spend some large portion of next year climbing out of. Let this year be different!

I've always heard the term "live within your means" - I recently saw a plaque with a phrase I like even better "live within your harvest" - what a beautiful picture! The American culture teaches us to always want MORE, MORE, MORE (hello consumerism) but to be a good steward of what we have, we've all got to learn to say NO and to live within the boundaries of our individual lives, whatever they may be! It's okay to try and enlarge those boundaries (within reason), but if you never get your spending under control, you'll always want more, no matter if you make $20,000 $200,000 or $2,000,000. It's easy to say that if you made $150,000 a year you'd be satisfied, but the truth is, there are a lot of people making $150,000 that spend $175,000 every year and have a big pile of credit card debt to make up the difference!

So this year, especially with the flurry of Christmas spending that is already/getting ready to take place, I encourage you to set some guidelines for yourself:

• set a reasonable Christmas budget and abide by it (beyond Christmas, make a monthly budget - Dave Ramsey is a great resource!)
• stay away from certain stores where self-control/restraint is difficult (ie the mall -I literally probably go to the mall less than 5 times a year, and 2 of those times are to get my engagement ring inspected)
  
• shop online - use online tools to find the best deals and bargains - Meg has a great WFMW post on this very issue today - couldn't have said it better myself!
• get creative & go homemade for Christmas - several bloggers are working together on the "holidays by hand" festival - check it out and get inspired!
• tell your kids (or other relatives) NO - kids don't have to have 10 presents to have a great Christmas - I know several families whose kids get 3 presents, just like Jesus did - what a great model!
• use coupons - I've bought many a Christmas present using Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons - this year I've bought at least 1 gift from ACMoore using a 55% off coupon they had in the paper a few weeks back
  
• do a family name swap with your extended family and buy for 1 family member instead of 12
• do all cash for Christmas - refuse to use the plastic - you'll thank me in January (and on into the rest of the year) when you don't have a big pile of debt to recover from
• don't believe the lies that Hollywood & advertising try to sell us - you don't need a pair of $250 boots to prove your worth - when you see commercials, print ads, etc. think about and through the lies that the advertisers are selling and then DON'T BUY THEM! We use a DVR for most shows that we watch, so we see few commercials to begin with- certainly helps cut down on the "wants"! (Start challenging your kids to see through it too - I know a family who plays "Spot the Lie" with their kids when a commercial comes on TV "Kids - what are they telling us?" "that abc cereal will make me happy" "Does abc cereal make you a happy person?" etc.)
  

These are just a few ways to live within your harvest this holiday season - I'd love to hear any ideas you have too! For other great WFMW ideas, head on over to Shannon's place! SimpleMom also has a post out today along these same lines dealing with house fever - make sure to check it out! I also plan a follow-up post to this one later this week/weekend talking more about the concept of living within your harvest outside of Christmas so be sure to come back (or subscribe) so that you don't miss it! Have a great week!

Christmas Planning - 6 Weeks & Counting

Photo by galfred

Just over 6 weeks to Christmas - the last few weeks have just slipped by, but six weeks starts to feel very real!

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
  
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
  
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced
  
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A - both planned - now I just need to start sewing!
  

Christmas Goals 11/10-11/16

• gather Christmas craft supplies - still need to hit a few more places
  
• pick up additional wrapping supplies (tissue paper, ribbon)
  
• keep an eye on Craig's List for one possible present - still looking!
  
• make major progress on Christmas dish towels
• sew W & A Christmas tees
  

Thinking Forward

• Christmas card pic
• Christmas stamps
  
• think through decorations
• think through Christmas "schedule"

Hope your Christmas plan is coming together nicely! I'd love to hear about it!

Christmas Giveaway Alert

As I've been reading along, I've run across several great giveaways (both current & ongoing) right now and wanted to pass the word along! 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting an entire Christmas Giveaway Event with 25+ giveaways during the month of November. If you don't already subscribe to their feed, go over and check them out - they will do individual posts throughout the month for each individual contest - you can also check out this post for both the contest rules and an updated list of all the contests they add as they get added (you have to scroll down to the very end to see the list...) Now on to some other great looking giveaways!

I will have to admit (and anyone who knows me can further attest) - I've never been super into fashion...part of it is that I'm fairly frugal and just can't see spending tons of $$ for clothes, quality or not. I have been trying to upgrade my image a bit lately, however, and for whatever reason would love to have a pair of red heels (probably too many episodes of 'What Not to Wear'!) - my feet, however, love comfort, so my shoes must also be tres comfy! When I ran across a giveaway for these new High Fashion Crocs, my heart melted...until I saw the pricetag! Yikes - $150 for a pair of heels? $250 for a pair of boots? Not looking likely in my immediate future, however they are beautiful to look at! so that I will enjoy! If you'd like to see the rest of the line, head on over to the You by Crocs website and take a look around - they do have some summer selections on sale (I'm personally hoping that these babies make it to the next seasonal sale! LOL) Better yet - maybe I'll win a pair or maybe it'll be you! Kailani is hosting a giveaway for two pairs and 5 Minutes for Mom has a giveaway for 2 more going. Believe you me - I'm entering both! :)
I am definitely a bit of a tech junkie - I love looking around in office stores, love seeing the new gadgets people are talking about. This Epson looks fantastic! I don't think I've actually ever had an Epson, but believe you me...if I won this guy, I would definitely give them a try! SimpleMom has been given one to give away - so if you're up for a little printer fun...head on over and jump in this giveaway as well! I can't even remember the last time I printed photos (sorry MiMi & MaMa, maybe ya'll should enter for me as well?? LOL) - but having a nifty printer at home that could turn out high quality ones should certainly help, right?

So there you go - a few lovely giveaways going on! Of course, I'd love to win any of these, but if it can't be me...maybe it can be you! So go - go enter now! And enjoy some giveaway magic leading up to the Christmas season!

WFMW - Toys Worth Buying Edition

Our little guy is 2, and like so many, we've bought & received many toys that seem to fade quickly from the limelight - we have 2 right now, though, that are big hits and I think will be for some time (and will pass on quite easily to the next child, too!)

My husband and I have always been big fans of Radio Flyer - I remember their products from my childhood and we have loved the idea of our children playing with them as well!

We looked at a lot of tricycles before settling in on this one, but we've been thrilled with our choice! It goes from ages 2-5 and has an adjustable seat to make that really work. We got it for Walker just before he turned 2 and while he's just now tall enough to start to really be able to pedal with it, he's still had a great time sitting on it, being pushed around & pushing it himself. Probably the biggest selling point for us, though, was the "Co-Pilot" feature that allows a parent to both push & steer. It's helped make the trike lots of fun even before Walker could pedal himself - and I have to admit, he also enjoys pushing it and steering from behind, also helping to teach him the cause and effect of steering, which I'm a huge fan of! The handle easily attaches/detaches for whatever situation best suits at the time. I have fond memories of the metal plate at the back of my old tricycle that you could stand on while pushing the tricycle, however Walker loves the yellow bin on the back of this trike - in fact, lots of times when "Lovey" is missing, I can find him lovingly "shoved" in the bin for safe keeping. I know that this trike is going to continue to get lots of love for a very long time at our house - it's certainly been a great purchase!

Back before heading to the beach this year, with 2 almost 2 year olds in tow (my son & niece were born 3 days apart) we decided to buy a wagon to haul them & our gear to the beach and back each day. We did lots of looking and comparing and ended up with the Ultimate Family Wagon, again from Radio Flyer. I am super in love with this wagon and both kiddos loved it too! The seats are extremely flexible - 2 kids can face each other, both face forward, or the child in the back can transform the front seat into a desk. The seats also fold flat so that you can carry a sleeping/laying down infant or more gear. Both W & A were super interested as we put the wagon together and then crawled in and out of it and pushed it back and forth in the house before it ever set wheel onto the beach. It now lives in our garage and W is trying to climb into it every chance he gets. There's a nifty little "extra" compartment behind the back seat - a great place to stick a tote bag and/or other goodies and keep them away from little hands. Built-in seatbelts work wonderfully to keep little guys seated. There are 2 adult cup holders up front and then 2 more in the wagon floor for kids. The handle also folds flat for easy storage and/or transport. I also love that this model came with a UV canopy - it folds up neatly and stores in it's own handy dandy bag, but is also super easy to whip out and use on a sunny day.

All-in-all, we've been delighted with both of these guys and look forward to using them for years to come! For more great toy ideas, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer!

Sewing up a Homemade Holiday

A few years back when we were first starting our business and on a strict budget, we did some homemade Christmas gifts out of necessity - since then, in the pursuit of a more simple lifestyle, we've come to value those homemade gifts as special in and of themselves. This year I have several ideas up my sleeve and wanted to share a few. SimpleMom is hosting sewing ideas for a homemade Christmas, so be sure to head over to her site for more great ideas!

In thinking through homemade gifts - remember that they don't have to be fancy to still be a great gift and even if you aren't a super skilled seamstress, you can still jump in and give a homemade Christmas a try!



Handtowels/dishtowels make great gifts because they are clutter-free items that people can really use...and festive holiday towels can really help make the Christmas season all the more special! Think outside the box, and you can come up with some great towel ideas - and a great deal of sewing expertise isn't necessary either!


Ribbon is a great way to embellish a dishtowel - you can use a wide piece or several narrow pieces -you can even combine using a piece of fabric & ribbon. You can go with a Christmas-specific ribbon or if you stick with a single color ribbon (like red) the towel will also go work well year round as well as for Valentine's Day! You can also use buttons in conjunction with ribbon or all by themselves - remember, this doesn't have to be complicated to be a nice gift! (I haven't tried it, but you could use buttons to form a monogram initial for the gift recipient - definitely a unique look!)


Embroidery is another great option to decorate a towel and while machine embroidery does require a special machine - you can also do old fashioned embroidery either by hand or by cutting out fabric and then machine stitching around the fabric freehand (a look which is super popular right now!)


I also have a friend who just had a little girl, and instead of a traditional baby gift, I'm making Christmas tees for both her kiddos instead...and again, while I used my machine on this gingerbread cutie, it's a simple design that would be easy to freehand (or trace a similar design), cut out and piece by hand. Depending on the age of the child, buttons are a great additional embellishment on tees for kids, but for a baby, a bit of a choking hazard, so I stuck with the pink star in the middle on this little guy.


At the end of the day - you don't have to be a great seamstress to come up with some super cute, simple homemade gift ideas for Christmas...think outside the box - use ribbon, fabric & buttons and you can come up with some super cute goodies! And if you're stuck for ideas, head on over to Etsy and take a look around - lots of great inspiration there, for sure! Check out the other great themes Almost Frugal has coming up for other great Holidays by Hand ideas this year. How about you - do you have any plans to incorporate homemade items into your family's Christmas this year?

Christmas Planning - Seven Weeks & Counting

Photo by krisdecurtis

Just over 7 weeks to Christmas - doesn't time just fly? I hope that you've already started thinking about the Christmas season and that it is making you smile and not causing feelings of panic or stress! No matter what you have or haven't done - jump in and get started or keep going...progress today is such a great thing! For someone who is totally a procrastinator at heart, I have been thrilled with the feeling of accomplishment that working on Christmas already has given me - this will definitely have to become a yearly tradition! :)

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased
  
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we unfortunately did need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
  
• moved Trigger downstairs
• work on Christmas card list - finally (though it will probably still have some tweaks!)
• tree up - burnt out lights replaced
  
• gather Christmas craft supplies - partial
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies
  

Christmas Goals 10/27-11/2

• gather Christmas craft supplies - still need to hit a few more places
  
• design Christmas tee for W & A (think I've figured his out, hers...not so much)
  
• pick up additional wrapping supplies (tissue paper, ribbon)
  
• keep an eye on Craig's List for one possible present
• get started on Christmas dish towels
  

Thinking Forward

• Christmas card pic
• Christmas stamps
  
• think through decorations
• think through Christmas "schedule"

So what do you say - are you ready to get started this week? or have you already? Let me know - I'd love to hear how your Christmas plan is coming! I've also got several more Christmas posts planned for today, including a link to a post where you can win your own Christmas card design, so check it out!

Christmas Giveaway Alert

Head on over to SimpleMom for a chance to win your very own personalized Christmas cards! And that's not all...you can also win personalized postage stamps to mail them out with! So what are you waiting for? The SimpleMom blog is what really helped me start thinking about Christmas early this year, and boy am I thankful for that! Now if I could just come up with the "perfect" picture to put on those Christmas cards! Best Wishes!

Christmas Planning - Eight Weeks & Counting

photo by Sister72

Just over 8 weeks to Christmas - are you making your list & checking it twice? I don't mind telling you - while I didn't get 100% of my list accomplished this past week, I did make good progress and with that I am very happy! In reflecting this past weekend, it absolutely astounds me that it's still Oct and I am making significant progress towards my family having a peaceful Christmas this year - definitely not the typical me! :)

If you haven't gotten started yet - don't fret - it's not too late! Grab a piece of paper and start jotting down a list - what do you want Christmas to look like for your family this year? What do you need to do to make that happen? How can you break it down over the next 8 weeks to make it doable? Progress today = accomplishment for tomorrow...jump in & get started! Christmas is coming, ready or not!

Christmas Accomplishments

• gift list made - several gifts purchased (6 more this week!)
• holiday budget tweaked
• purchased replacement Christmas tree lights (that we hope we don't need) LOL
• purchased gift cards & World Vision gifts on Christmas list
  
• moved Trigger downstairs
  

Christmas Goals 10/27-11/2

• work on Christmas card list (oops - never got to this one last week!)
  
• put tree up on Sat - (we love the lights on the tree, so we often put it up around the beginning of Nov and enjoy it with just lights until we decorate after Thanksgiving - just seems to make Nov a little more homey & festive)
• gather Christmas craft supplies
• design Christmas tee for W & A
• transfer Christmas Club $$ into Savings Account so that it doesn't get mixed into regular spending
• keep an eye on Craig's List for one possible present
• get recipe for Fruit Cake cookies from MaMa
• check wrapping supplies - what needs restocking?
  

Thinking Forward

• Christmas card pic
• Christmas stamps
  
• think through decorations
• think through Christmas "schedule"
• Christmas dish towels

So what do you say - are you ready to get started this week? or have you already? Let me know - I'd love to hear how your Christmas plan is coming!

give a gift that keeps on giving

We all have people in our lives who seem to have everything - people that no gift seems to be a good fit for - for several years, we struggled with what to do for those loved ones for Christmas. Then a few years ago we found the answer... the World Vision Christmas Gift Catalog.

Before we were married, Brad sponsored a child through World Vision for me - a little girl in Guatemala who we continue to support today. It's been a gift that has kept on giving over the years! The more we've learned about World Vision, the more we love the organization. 86% of monies donated to WV go to help those in need - few charities are that efficient.
Goats have been a favorite gift over the years - this year chickens are of appeal, as Walker loves eggs and eats several for breakfast each morning. The thought of providing an impoverished family with livestock that can change their lives - it's a gift for both the recipient and the giver! There are 7 gifts priced under $20 - so don't feel like you have to spend a ton to help someone in need. You also have the option to purchase a "share" of a larger item if that's of greater appeal to you.


He's not quite there yet, but we can't wait until Walker is old enough to pick out gifts with us. What a great way to help your children learn more about giving and helping those in need. So if you have someone on your Christmas list who doesn't "need" anything - give the World Vision Gift Catalog a look!

WFMW - Blogging - The Accountability Factor

Photo by blucassidy

Everyone who blogs has a little bit different reason...I've been thinking lately about blogging for me - why I like it, how often I do it and what its purpose in my life is. It's a great place to keep family & friends up-to-date on what's going on with Walker and the new baby, but for me, I've realized it's also more than that. Blogging for me, provides accountability.

As you may remember, I've been working on getting my life together for awhile now - in this post, I talked about my quest to get things in order around here before our little girl is born in January. I shared several pics of my desk...some that were looking good, others that showed some of the work-in-progress! I'm pleased to report that I have continued to make progress - my desk is looking pretty good and has been for the last couple of weeks (which for me, is a huge accomplishment!)

I believe we all need accountability in our lives - and while it comes in many different forms, we need to identify what works best for us. I'm accountable to my husband and that is definitely a motivator for me. Especially as my children grow older, I will also be accountable to them, though that's not as much of an issue right now. I'm accountable to extended family and friends - but what I've also come to realize is that I don't have any super-close girl friends right now that I get to see on a regular basis. I have several great friendships...we just either live far apart or don't get to see each other often enough. We've changed churches within the last year, and while I've begun to cultivate some friendships there, none of them are to the super-deep friendship level yet. We don't live in a neighborhood - we're out in the country, so it's not easy to see a friend on a weekly (or even monthly) basis unless I do see them at church...let's face it...all of us are busy these days and it takes dedication & commitment to see folks outside of an ongoing, scheduled commitment (like church) on a regular basis.

Photo by tatianasapateiro

I have come to realize that blogging provides some of that form of "friendship accountability" for me. Not only has blogging provided me the accountability to continue forward getting my life in order, but has also spurred me on to think about and more importantly be consistent with exercise. I have decided that I'd like to exercise at least 4 times a week, and have started posting my exercise list in my blog side bar - and let me tell you...I'm just on week 3 of this plan, but already have had 2 successful weeks and am well on my way this week as well! When we got up last Sat, I told Brad we had to go for a walk or some type of exercise that day, because I wasn't missing my exercise goal for the week - without posting here...that would never have happened!


Photo by kris decurtis

I'm also using this space to make sure that Christmas is more peaceful and enjoyable for our family this year. W is 2 and can really start to participate in some Christmas festivities and traditions and we want to make sure that we are creating traditions that we want for our family. Every year I have the best of intentions, but let time get away from me, and before I know it...it's Dec 22nd and I still have WAY TOO MUCH TO DO!!! Definitely destroys any prospect of a peaceful holiday. This year I'm determined that Christmas will not sneak up on me! I'm already making my list and checking it twice and will continue to do so here on Mondays between now and Christmas...do you realize that as of tomorrow Christmas is 9 weeks away? Does that blow your mind, freak you out or do you already have a plan in place? I am so thankful that I am the latter this year!



Photo by notsogoodphotography

So as you're continuing on your blogging journey - don't forget to utilize the accountability factor! Blogs give us the ability to benefit from community and that creates the perfect environment for accountability. Enjoy the journey, but make sure that it's helping to better you along the way! Any areas where you could benefit from some additional accountability these days? Accountability through blogging certainly works for me - head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for other great WFMW ideas! And head back over here on Monday - let's enjoy a peaceful, memorable Christmas together this year - remember, it's 9 weeks and counting!

Christmas Planning - 9 Weeks and Counting

Photo by Arquera

In the continued effort to "get my life together" it is my goal this year to have an enjoyable non-last minute Christmas - which would definitely be a first for me! One of the most important things in making that happen is the decision to have a plan and use it! In my earlier post I threw out a couple of ideas/ways to get started and am now working to continue that. Each Monday, I'm going to share my accomplishments from the past week as well as what I have before me in the upcoming week and I'd love to have you jump in and join me! So how about you - are you thinking about Christmas already? Do you have a plan brewing? Let me know - I'd love to hear where you are in the process!

Christmas Accomplishments

• several gifts purchased
• gift list made
• started working on holiday budget

Christmas Goals 10/20-10/26

• fine tune/finish holiday budget
• pick up replacement Christmas tree lights
• work on Christmas card list
• pick up gift cards on holiday gift list
• pick out World Vision gifts and order
• move Trigger downstairs to make room for tree
  

Thinking Forward

• Christmas card pic
• think through decorations
• think through Christmas "schedule"