I don't know about you but Hubby and I love wine and we drink it frequently. I have saved all of my corks, thinking one day I will make something out of them. I have an entire large box full and have yet to do anything with them until now!I saw this super cute cork reindeer on Pinterest and thought this was perfect for my girls to make and a perfect use of some of my corks!The original post does not have any directions so I had to guess a bit. We also didn't have the same things on hand so we improvised... We quickly discovered that regular glue just won't work so we used our hot glue gun which worked much better!Two and a half corks, some pipe cleaners, "google eyes" as my girls call them, and a pink jewel (because we didn't have red) and we've got a cork reindeer!Ours vs theirs..what do you think?P.S. The original post has some other super cute things to make for Christmas out of corks so I highly suggest you check it out! … [Read more...]
Minty Chocolate Love
One of my favorite "seasonal" beverages is a Ho Ho Mocha. Kind of a silly name but a fabulous drink for the chilly air! This beverage contains two of my favorite flavors: mint and chocolate. I have finished decorating for Christmas (yup...I'm that person) and I was thinking up some new ways to enjoy the tastes of the season.What you will need:mini candy caneswax paperdark chocolate chips (you can use milk or white too)festive sprinklesLay out your unwrapped candy canes on the wax paper in a heart shape, making sure to leave space between each heart.Melt your chocolate chips in a microwave safe container in 30 second intervals...stir between each 30 seconds. Pour the melted chocolate into a plastic bag and snip off a TINY piece of the corner to allow the chocolate to be squeezed through (like a piping bag).Fill each heart with chocolate and add sprinkles. Let the candy hearts set (this should take about an hour) without being disturbed until the chocolate hardens again.Remove from the … [Read more...]
The Spirit of Giving With Your Kids
The holiday season is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family and create teachable moments of giving. There are so many opportunities to give back, especially during the holidays. Below are just some ideas on how to start a holiday giving tradition in your family.You can begin by thinking about the interests of your family and research ways to give to related organizations. There are organizations related to literacy, animals, homelessness and so much more. You may want to reference my recent post on finding a legitimate charity to support. You could also ask older kids to research their own organizations and present them to the family for a vote.Here are a few specific suggestions for giving during the holidays:· Frequently local social service agencies offer an opportunity to adopt a family or a child during the holidays. · Donate toys your kids no longer use to Second Chance Toysor a local organization serving children.· Donate gently … [Read more...]
Advent Calendar Making
I remember when I was a kid that I had an awesome felt Advent Calendar to use every year during the month of December. My grandma made it for her kids when they were young and it was passed down to me. Sadly, I have no idea where the calendar ended up (I sure wish I knew). I was thinking to myself that it would be fun to have one for my kids to use every year....and maybe pass it down to their kids. So I got to work!I Google-searched 24 images of items I wanted for the calendar and printed them out on paper, then cut them out and used them as templates for the ornaments.I made 2-3 ornaments each week during the summer and really tried to add as much detail as possible to the ornaments to make them extra special. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. What do you think???I made a stocking for each one of the kidsSanta, Christmas bag, Cardinal (for my grandma), Candy CaneChristmas Tree, Hot Cocoa, Gift, BellGingerbread Man, Ice Skate, Baby Jesus, HollyPoinsettia, Snowflake, Light, … [Read more...]
Operation Christmas Child
"Mom, I want to respect the world.""What do you mean?""I want to help poor people mom."That was a true conversation I had with Nutty just a few days ago. I'm not sure where it came from, but I am so glad she wants to give back, and I had just the thing to help her "respect the world."I discovered Operation Christmas Child a few months ago. It is a non-profit organization that inspires people to pack shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for children in developing countries around the world. Filling a shoe box is the perfect way to teach your children values such as compassion, kindness, and generosity. After telling Nutty and Tottie about the shoe box gifts, and showing them some Operation Christmas Child videos (because they just couldn't quite understand it with a simple explanation), they were all excited about packing their first box! We ran to our local Dollar Store and Target to find some gifts that not only would fit in a shoe box, but also that my girls would love to have for … [Read more...]
Halloween Costume Disappointment
For the past 6 years I have either bought my girls' Halloween costumes used from Craigslist or from the thrift store, or have made their costumes. I tend not to spend a lot of money on costumes that the girls will only wear for a few hours max. This year is no exception for Tottie. My sweet, little 4 year old wants to be a zombie. Where she got the idea from is beyond me, but that's what she wants to be. Sooo...I took a pair of her old pjs, ripped them up, and sewed some red fabric behind the tears. I then took them outside and stomped them in the mud. To finalize the costume I will spray some fake blood on the pjs, put Tottie's hair in crooked pigtails, cover her face in grey makeup, and put a gash tattoo on her cheek. She can't wait to see the final look and neither can I!!Nutty, however, is a different story this year. After being undecided on what she wants to be and searching through multiple used costumes for ideas, we ended up buying the above costume new this evening at … [Read more...]
