1983, the "Year Of The Paper Christmas Tree" is a Christmas I will treasure for the rest of my life. It is both one of the saddest and funniest Christmases I have experienced (so far). It started a few weeks before Christmas when we went to pick out our "fresh cut" Christmas tree. It was perfect! In the weeks leading up to Christmas our perfect tree began to lose some needles, but what real tree doesn't lose a few needles-right? Christmas Eve brought a terrible snow storm and some of the coldest temps on record. It also brought a sound, then a site, that horrified my mom... She awoke to what she thought was the sound of running water. She followed the sound into the living room where she witnessed what she calls "a shower of pine needles". Almost every needle was falling off our Christmas tree in one big cascade. She had never seen anything like it before. My sister and I woke shortly after my mom and freaked out when we saw what was left of our beautiful … [Read more...]
Holiday Soap
Ever notice how the price of hand soap is more when it's put in a festive container? Solution-------- do it yourself! Here is what you will need: Hand soap Stickers Carefully peel off the manufacture labels from the hand soap (and shhhhh, don't tell them you are doing this) Remove and excess goop left behind and simply place stickers on the bottles. My kids think these are fancy shmancy soaps from the store...little do they know it cost me all of $2.00 (soap and stickers). *a little edit for ya- I also like to add a few drops of my favorite essential oil-peppermint to make them smell festive!* … [Read more...]
Make your own ornaments
Something my mom and I used to do a lot when I was younger (and pre-kids) was paint Christmas ornaments. It's really simple to do and MUCH cheaper than some of those fancy shmancy ones you can purchase. Here is what you need: GLASS ornaments (trust me the plastic ones don't work) Acrylic paint Add a few drops of paint to the inside of each ornament Roll the ornaments carefully around to get the paint to cover the entire inside Allow each ornament to dry upside down and the excess paint to drip out You can stop there and hang them or you can glue pretty ribbon to the tops of the ornaments...it's really up to you! … [Read more...]
Ice Box Pudding
Don't let the title fool you...this is NOT pudding! It's a desert made by layering Lady Fingers with rich chocolate filling and served with whipped cream. Ice Box Pudding has been a family tradition since well before I was born. It's been handed down from my Great-Great-Grandma, to my Great-Grandma, to my Grandma, to my dad mom, and now to me. Traditionally the desert served for the men's birthdays (instead of cake), in my immediate family, it is the desert served on Christmas Eve. You see, my dad's birthday is Christmas Eve. My Grandma was adamant that on Christmas Eve they celebrated my dad's birthday and not Christmas. Thus Ice Box Pudding is served on Christmas Eve. Somewhere my mom has the recipe written in my Great-Grandma's handwriting but unfortunately, she couldn't find it in time for this post. Above is the recipe that was handed down to me. Written in my mom's handwriting, laminated, and ringed into a small book full of other family recipes. For such … [Read more...]
Magic Reindeer Food
Are your kids worried that Santa doesn't know how to find their house? Do they feel bad that Santa gets sweet cookies and milk but his reindeer get carrots? Try this fun Magic Reindeer Food activity to help ease their minds! I was introduced to Magic Reindeer Food last year by a parent from Nutty's swimming lessons. She was giving it out as an advertisement for her photography business and I thought it was so cute! My girls had a ton of fun sprinkling it on the snow Christmas Eve too! Here's what you'll need: 1/4 cup raw, uncooked oatmeal 1/4 cup sugar A sprinkle or two (or more) of red, green, or silver sugar crystals (for cake decorating) Small plastic baggies Paper (preferably cardstock) Printer or markers to make your own tag Stapler with staples or ribbon 1) Make a tag that labels the reindeer food and has the instruction poem on it (make your own, find one on the internet, or attempt to download mine--sorry, I don't know how to make it … [Read more...]
Thrifty Christmas Shopping
Today we have the great privilege of guest hosting Ruby and Macy from Real Housewives of Minnesota! We met Ruby and Macy at the Minnesota Blogger Conference and were immediately drawn to them because they are awesome girls, they are a blogging duo just like us and, they blog about being thrifty! In this post they talk about saving money while shopping for Christmas presents. Without further ado... How To Be Thrifty When ChristmasShopping When it comes to holiday shopping, it’s easy to spend oodles! But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of ways to save when doing your Christmas shopping. Here are some thrifty tips to keep your pocketbook safe this holiday season. Photo by armadillo444First off, prepare your list. Take a moment to sit and write out who you have to buy gifts for. Think hard now, and be sure to include any teachers, nannies, coaches, etc. Be sure to cover all your bases before you move on to the next step. Now that you’ve made your list, stick … [Read more...]
