Blogmas Day 20: Last Minute Gift Ideas

 

I have a quick spell to check in and try to get a little blogmas time before some family arrive. I should have more time to catch up tomorrow and will go around and catch up with everyone and I also have some pics from a nice luncheon I hosted yesterday (& fun recipe to share), so please come visit me tomorrow!

 

For today what came to mind for quick last minute gifts is probably the most obvious: gift cards of some kind. I think a really fun one to give is for a movie theater and you put the card in a popcorn bucket with some movie candy!

 

Of course making up homemade certificates is always sweet. You could make a little booklet for a friend offering to babysit their kiddos. Or for a  loved one make "coupons" they can redeem for a back rub or chores around the house.

 

Here's a fun thing that popped in my head and I remember doing for someone. Make some homemade hot buttered rum mix (yummy!) This recipe is from Taste of Home

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT (for each serving):
• 3/4 cup boiling water
•  Directions
  • 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the ice cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and extract. Transfer to a freezer container; freeze overnight. Makes 3-1/2 cups mix.
  • 2. To prepare hot drink: Dissolve 3-4 tablespoons of mix in boiling water; stir well. Yield: 14-18 servings
   
  You can give the mix in a little plastic container or bucket (that can go in freezer) and wrap up some fun Christmas mugs to go with it.

Just a few quick ideas! Time to run but I will visit everyone tomorrow and have a post up again then!

Linking with Sandra from Diary of a SAHM


Blogmas Day 19: Preparing for Christmas

 

Well the first thing that comes to mind when one says to prepare for Christmas is cooking and baking!! And next would be cleaning! Lol Yep, now I begin the season of hosting several Christmas gatherings at our home - so I'm on full speed ahead. I begin this afternoon having a lunch for some relatives. I will try to remember to take some photos of the table when it's all set. No matter how on the ball I think I am I always spend these final days cooking up a storm, last minute shopping and cleaning.  Sigh. It's what we do I guess. I really do take time to sit and enjoy as well.

 

 

But the most important part about preparing for this season, in my opinion, is making sure I take time with the Lord to reflect and pray and think about what this season is about.

 

 

 

 

This is what prepare really means to me.

 

 

I will be busy these next few days with some family gatherings, as well as some final sports my kiddos participate in before Christmas.  I don't think I'll make Blogmas tomorrow, but will try to check in whenever I'm able! I've been loving it so much. Thanks Sandra!! And I appreciate folks stopping by and leaving nice comments when I know everyone is as busy as I am! Lol

 

God bless!! xo

 

Linking for Blogmas Day 19 with Sandra from Diary of a SAHM

Blogmas Day 18: Stocking Stuffer suggestions

 

I'm sorry I missed out on yesterdays blogmas fun, but it was a crazy busy day around here. Here's a peek at some of what was going on:

 

 

My Mom and I were baking up a storm all day! Lots of sugared pecans, faux turtles, reindeer cookies, mini eggnog bread loaves, chocolate covered spoons and pretzels.

 

 

I don't have photos of them, but we did lots of pretty containers of sugared pecans. We also did up goodie plates like the one above. Then we put together cute little bags with the mini eggnog bread & tied on chocolate covered spoons for coffee or cocoa.

 

Then we had lots of this:

 

We had a pile of boxes of gifts to ship and homemade cards to go with them. So we took a break from cookies and spent some time at the post office.

 

Then last night was my daughter's Christmas concert at church for her religious education class:

 

My Girl in the burgundy sweater

 Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Angels (I love that Joe is holding Jesus)

 

 

 

Santa & the Mrs. stopped by to visit

 Santa handed out treats to all the kiddos

 

Sorry - these are phone pics so not as clear. But it was a very sweet concert. The birth of Jesus Christmas story was narrated and in between each different class would stand up and sing a song pertaining to that part of the story. Then at the end Santa & Mrs. Claus came to visit and hand out candy to all the kiddos. So basically it was a big day and long night, but another one full of fun memories for the books!

 

Anyway, thanks for letting me show you my day and my excuse for missing yesterday. Here's my scoop on the STOCKING STUFFERS for today though! 

 

Santa always brings our kiddos some candy each year. Different kinds each year and some years unique candy shows up depending on what can be found. Then usually some new ornament also shows up for each kiddo. This is a neat thing to do I think as the kids love talking about their memory of that ornament each year when they put it on the tree. The ornaments are so different from one year to the next as the kiddos are into different things each year. An example for this year is that my son is getting a replica of a stadium chair ornament of his favorite Canadian hockey team.

 

Then the gifts we do vary each year depending on what we find also. I always like to do some things that are unique and different and not found in big box stores. So several years ago I found a neat local toy store that only has unique and different specialty gifts and that's where I find goodies each year. An example is hand made wood jewelry that's also hand painted and then they'll personalize it with your child's name. And my son is a teenager and knows the Santa deal, but it's fun(& nice for his sis) how he plays along. Well Santa is teasing him in his stocking this year with a unique portable/foldable mustache comb  (he's getting some fuzz on his lip now) Lol

 

If you don't have a fun specialty store like that I recommend Hearthsong online or through their catalog for neat unique gift alternatives. Here are some fun suggestions I found at Hearthsong:

these holiday "hatch 'ems" are cute and unique

 

So are these eye spy motion activated voice recorders

 

I can't wait to get back to blogging life today and visit my friends out there to see what I missed yesterday and what you've got to share today!

 

Linking for Blogmas Day 18 with Sandra from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

 

 



Blogmas Day 16: Christmas Tree Reveal

I think there was a mix up with Sandra's Blogmas list as I see today she did Xmas from her home country. I think on her icons list this was her order but on the original order list she put out Christmas tree reveal was next so that's what I had already done my post on. I don't really have a home country to share so I will just keep my reveal today and will share it again another day if needed.

 

I just love Christmas trees! They are such fun to be creative with and decorate in many different styles. I LOVE a real Christmas tree - the look, that wonderful smell!! However, several years ago when we still had kitties...they would obsess over the tree and wouldn't leave it alone, drank all the water all the time and made the tree smell like, well CAT. So I found an artificial I really liked and we switched and it's been so CLEAN and convenient ever since we never went back (even though both my kitties are in heaven now).

 

I can't wait to go around and see everyone's trees later but I'll get to sharing mine:

 

 

I have 2 trees. I started this tradition in the past few years as I decided that I wanted more of theme tree to my décor and colors in the more formal upstairs living room. However, we hang out in the media room (where the big t.v. is- Lol) quite a bit so I added a tree down there and that one could then have all of our usual traditional memory ornaments through the years. This was a pic of my living room tree I took a few weeks ago.

 

This is what it looks like today:

 

Getting loaded with lots of gifts for many different family members.  And if you look in the background you'll see this happened yesterday:

We got a nice coating of some pretty snow covering everything again - so we're back to a world of white!

 

 

Here's some pics of it at night:

 

I like doing this tree with woodland accents, brown and gold ribbon, cream flowers and all of those kinds of colors that match my home décor.

 

Here's a few favorite ornaments:

Mr. Owl

My Little Polish Girl

My Dragonfly ornaments

These pics show some of the flowers I use in the tree. I love how realistic the branches look on this tree.

 

Now for the downstairs tree. I'll also show you a few decorations from that room since I didn't get to yesterday.

 

These are some daylight photos, and this room is on a lower level of the house so it's not quite a basement but you can see ground level from part of it. This tree is so fun to decorate with the kiddos as we go down memory lane over every ornament! So fun!

 

Here's some night time pics of this tree:

These are views from my comfy leather recliner! Lol

 

Here's a few other decorations from around the media room:

 

 I love this angel decoration! The colors of her dress swirl around and change colors:

 

I never really got into collecting a village of any kind. These were gifted to me and I like to use them in the window sills of the small windows down there.  I never collected any extra pieces though.

 

So those are my Christmas trees to reveal!! I will end with a full shot of my kitchen and living room as I had happened to take a couple like that and will give you even more of a peek of my cozy north woods cottage.

 

 

Sending you warmest Christmas wishes! I can't wait to see everyone else's trees today.

 

I'm linking for Blogmas Day 16 with Sandra from Diary of a SAHM