These stackers are a gift for my 2 year old daughter. They still need to be sealed with beeswax but I'm so happy with how they have turned out. I bought plain, unfinished stackers from Clickity Clack Collectibles on Etsy. Then I painted with with diluted watercolors. I'm having a hard time keeping them for Christmas! I think she'll have so much fun!
A few evenings ago the girls and I sat down to make some treats for our feathered friends. Just in time too, we have our first measurable snowfall on the ground this morning!!
We gathered our materials...
Spread the pine cones with peanut butter and then rolled them in bird seed...
And then took them out to hang on the tree :-) (I forgot to take a picture of that, so here are the finished feeders!)
It was a quick, fun little project that the girls really enjoyed. We keep watching for visitors but haven't spotted any yet!
I had hoped to get a fabric version of the paper chain done for this year but that just didn't happen. Instead we'll have to use a simple paper one.
I didn't want to incorporate toys or candy into Advent so I was looking for an alternative to the commercial calendars that are available. Our countdown chain includes scripture inside the links. My plans are to include some sort of candle lighting with the daily reading/discussing of each passage. I know that's not traditional but I think it will be something nice to start with the girls.
Here is the chain in progress (please excuse my beat up computer desk!)..
This is the finished chain, I'll have to help my older daughter take a link off every day but it's up high enough so that the younger girl can't help herself! ;-)
And a peek at the scripture inside each link.
I love these stars! I stumbled across a great tutorial at The Magic Onions and decided to try it out.
Disclaimer: I am using my actual budget numbers. I know some people consider it tacky to share specific financials but I like having something to compare to when I'm reading a blog/article and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Now.. My budget for Christmas giving this year is about $1000. We have an average list (I would say) of people to buy for...
our 2 children
----------------------
my mom and dad
niece/nephew (TBD via name draw)
niece/nephew (same)
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DH's mom
DH's brother
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DH's dad and step mom
nephew
nephew
step sister
step sister
So, 14 people not including each other. Broken down by the different family gatherings we attend. Should be doable, right? Then why do I just want to hide?
I really don't like shopping. Really. Especially when I have the pressure of selecting that perfect gift to suit the giftee.
And I'm really stumped when it comes to my own kids!! They don't need anything. We are in the process of cleaning and decluttering their room right now. Once that is done they are getting bunk beds. Maybe other stuff for their room? Matching bedding? My older DD looked at the Magic Cabin catalog and picked out a few things but, honestly, I'm hesitant to buy her anything ($$$) because she doesn't value the play things she has now. I hate that. We've set a poor example about our material possessions being disposable.
Not to mention the fact that I feel incredibly guilty for not making gifts. I always have big plans and then they never materialize.
Swagbucks update: I am waiting on the code for my first Amazon gift card! :-)
If you haven't signed up for this program you should. I'm always very skeptical of things that promise "free money" but after reading many blog posts about people that were happy and satisfied with Swagbucks I decided to go ahead and try it out.
I've been doing it for a little over a week and nearly have enough bucks to get a $5 Amazon gift card. I know people that do much better than this but (when I'm not sick!) I'm out of the house 10+ hours per day. I have yet to receive any spam.
The concept is simple. You just use Swagbucks as your search engine. From what I've gathered the search results come from Google and Ask. I've also downloaded the tool bar and added the widget to the bottom of the blog to have a better chance of grabbing Swagcodes. Sharing Swagcodes will get your account closed but you can help others out by letting them know where to look.
Go ahead and try it!!
My girls are loving the gnome set I've been working on. I think for Christmas I'm going to make a largish needle felted playmat to go with it and will probably include some small wooden accessories.
My needle felting supplies came today! Perfect timing since I was stuck on the couch with a sick 2 year old most of the day. She enjoyed watching me play and create :) . These certainly aren't magnificent works of art like you can find on Etsy, but I don't think they are too bad for a first try.
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