Give great gifts! (#5)

Photo credit: here

Pancakes – it’s not just what’s for breakfast … it’s also the central part of today’s gift idea! I figured that I need to share a gift that revolves around food, because – hey, we’re Americans. We like to eat!

I think this idea could be used for wedding, Christmas, birthday, or other occasion gifts – I’ve also used it as part of a payment to someone for babysitting the kiddos. Translation = very versatile gift.

This gift involves several different pancake mixes and syrups arranged in a fun basket. Pick out a few of your favorite homemade pancake recipes (or search for some on allrecipes.com) One of my favorites to use is this recipe for Grain and Nut Whole Wheat Pancakes. Once you’ve decided on your pancakes of choice, mix up the dry ingredients in small clear bags – I use party favor bags from the party section at Wal-Mart. I tend to label each bag by sticking an address label with the pancake name on it. Arrange the 2 bags, along with a few fun pancake syrups and recipes of each mix on recipe cards in the basket. You can fill in the extra space with raffia or tissue paper to pretty it up a bit. That’s it – you’re done!

Be creative – you could come up with countless different versions of this gift … in the past, I have made up a breakfast-themed baskets by including homemade granola, pancake mix, and some teas or coffee. The different variations are endless!

I will be sharing just a few more gift ideas in the upcoming days, then would love to hear your ideas – get ready to share (c’mon, don’t hold out on us!).

 

Give great gifts! (#4)

This isn’t a posting heralding all the things I love about the magazine, Real Simple (although it is my favorite magazine to date!), but it does have to do with magazines … oh, and also with giving great gifts!

This gift idea one doesn’t take a ton of craftiness or time like a few of the other ideas I have already shared, which might be a relief to some of you. So, if you’ve written off this whole gift series as “not your thing” because you’re not the “crafty type,” please … reconsider things and come back!

This idea is a frugal, fun, and different kind of gift idea … it’s a magazine subscription! I realize that you maybe only think about subscribing to magazines when the neighbor kid (or your own) has a fundraiser in which s/he is selling subscriptions, but it’s not just for fundraisers!

When Shun-Luoi and I got married, we were on a really tight budget, but also wanted to get our bridal party something fun and useful to thank them for being an important part of our big day. So, each groomsman got, among a few other things, a magazine subscription personally picked out for him. Did you know that you can go to Amazon.com and search different magazine subscriptions? You can! Go to the drop-down menu where you choose the area you want to search within and “magazine subscriptions” is one of the areas you can choose. You then can choose within different themes or from lowest from highest price, thus helping you find something that is affordable and meets the gift recipient’s interest. Several groomsmen got magazines about current trends/thought in technology, another got one about snowboarding, etc. – and each for $10 or under! As another example, a few Christmases ago, Shun-Luoi and I set a $5 limit for Christmas presents for each other – the guy somehow got a $5 subscription to House Beautiful for me in order to inspire me re: decorating our living area (something that doesn’t come easily to me). Brilliant idea! (and cheap … ahem … frugal!) As you can see, it’s not just the junk magazines you could potentially find for cheap, but good ones.

So, check it out … and give the gift of fun, year-round reading!

Give great gifts! (#3)

I will get to the gift idea, but first – feast your eyes on this!

I know it’s a bit big, but the smaller picture just didn’t do it justice. This is the scene from our recent family vacation – we just returned last evening from 5 days away … we stayed in a motel for a few nights, camped for a few nights, took in beautiful scenes like this, and enjoyed the changing colors of the aspens in western Colorado. This particular scene was basically what we would wake up to after rolling out of our tent in the morning while camping near Crested Butte, CO. And it’s just a taste of what we saw! This, my friends, is part of the reason why we love living in Colorado.

We had a great time, but are glad to be back. And I’m excited to share the next gift idea!

Today’s idea is for a baby gift. It’s simple, but practical, and should hopefully take some pressure off of the mom you are giving the gift to. I don’t know about you, but as a mom, it’s easy to feel pressure to keep a running log of each new and fantastic thing that your child does every … single … day. And then if you don’t do it one day or you miss recording one milestone, then you get behind and then it snowballs and then … you feel like a bad mom. I have realized that, while I want to record milestones and pictures of my children, I more than that want to live life and make memories with them, not spend all of my time writing down things about their lives.

So – I heard this idea from a friend that you get a journal and commit to journaling one time each month and to help you remember to do so, it’s done on the date that is the child’s “birth” date. For example, Abigail was born on December 13th, so on the 13th of each month, I would get out the journal and jot down some things she’s been doing lately or just thoughts in general about her life. This idea has helped take the pressure off me tremendously – I now have a journal for each child and try to journal once a month, although I throw in milestones here and there in between those times of journaling. It’s not that you are bound to just journaling one time each month, but it’s the minimum amount and everything above and beyond is a bonus.

I now like to pass along the idea to new moms, especially first-time moms. I will buy a fun journal with colors/a pattern based on the sex of the baby (if known), and label the front with a piece of cardstock (or just by writing in the area that some journals supply), “Baby __________’s journal.” Inside the card I give, I share the above idea.

The end. Simple, huh? And it’s so much more than a gift of a journal … it’s the gift of taking the pressure off of new mamas. And that is a good thing.

Some humor for your day

No gift idea for today – just something that is sure to make you laugh, especially if you have been or are a parent to small children! (sorry for the one swear word).

Happy Friday!

Give great gifts! (#2)

I read about day today’s gift idea at a friend’s blog (who got it from another blog). It’s a really awesome dry-erase board, personalized to match whatever room you want it to be in!

*photo credit: Lydia H.

You could use any kind of frame, but I have used simple, 12×12 frames from Hobby Lobby. All you do is buy a frame, buy a 12×12 individual sheet of scrapbooking paper, put the paper in the frame, buy a dry-erase marker, and viola’! A fashionable dry-erase board! You could buy the hardware to hang it up, but I think it could work out just as well lying flat on a countertop, etc.

When Hobby Lobby had a sale of 50% off most frames (which happens every other week, I’m pretty sure), I excitedly ran over and got 2 frames and 2 different patterns of paper. Well … although I loved both of them, we didn’t really have a place for them yet, so I ended up giving them away; one as a house-warming gift and one as a prize for a game I organized at a get-together with some friends. People seem to love it as a gift, so I wanted to share it with you … the cost for each was less than $6!

I think they could be a great gift for different age groups, for different occasions, or to be used in different ways. Go crazy! One idea I had for such a dry-erase board was to use it to hang in the kids’ rooms with different activity ideas written on it for those times I get in a rut and wonder what to be doing with the kids. You could also use it to keep a grocery list, meal-planning for the week, to share inspirational quotes, etc. Love it!

(Thanks to my friend Lydia for this great idea … and great gift idea!)

Give great gifts!

I really enjoy giving gifts. And more than that, I really enjoy giving creative gifts. Now, don’t get me wrong – from time to time, I will actually buy something off a registry, if the occasion calls for one. However, I tend to look at the registry to look at what someone has chosen out of curiosity … and then put together my own gift. 🙂 I’ve realized in the past that it comes down to the enjoyment of creatively (and frugally, if possible) communicating with others … I love putting together packages, writing letters/cards, and giving gifts that communicate love, care, and fun!

In light of that, in the next week or two, I will be sharing some of my favorite creative gift ideas to give … I hope that the ideas may come in handy for you or inspire you to creatively come up with your own gifts (not that following the registry is all bad, mind you).

The first gift idea is a wedding gift, and one of my very favorite to put together. For this gift, you will be giving the couple date ideas, then supplying the items they will need to carry out some of the dates.

First, come up with some date ideas that are fairly low-cost. Make sure to come up with some in which you can include the items to make that date happen. Actually, this may be easier if I just go ahead and share some of the date ideas I give …

Date example #1: Plan an evening of culinary adventure! Research the foods of each of your nationalities, then create a menu that includes food items from both backgrounds. Enjoy a feast and learn more about each others’ culinary backgrounds. (I would not buy any gifts to go along with this date idea).

Date example #2: Show off your artistic ability (or lack thereof). Open gifts #1 and #2 and then head outside to some area that you both consider very picturesque. Create masterpieces and have fun making memories (and possibly laughing at your “art”) of the setting you chose to recreate in your art. (I would then buy a pad of drawing/painting paper and either some watercolor paints or pastels. I wrap them up separately, the label each present with the number(s) that correspond with the date idea).

Date example #3: Open gifts #3 and #4. After dinner some evening, enjoy an after-dinner mint and curl up with the book, while reading out loud to/with each other. (Gifts #3 and 4 would include a big box of Jr. Mints and a book. A fun book that I once included was the first book Shun-Luoi and I read together, Marley and Me.)

I include around ten date ideas. I type them up, mount each on a brightly-colored piece of cardstock paper, then enclose them all in an envelope that is marked to be the first thing the couple will open. I then wrap up each gift and mark it with the number that corresponds to the date idea each accompanies. About half of my date ideas will include gifts while the others will not. Some include gifts that total about $1-2, other gifts will cost around $5-10. You can do some really great date ideas and gifts for under $20 and the couple will really enjoy opening each gift. Have fun with it and give the gift of great dates! The couple will thank you for it.

 

Whining in my head

I am pretty tired these days.

You know the kind of tired where you feel physically ill because you’re so exhausted? That’s how I’ve felt lately.

Having sick kids for the last 3 weeks and getting sleep schedules all “off” is what has done it to me. Whew!

I didn’t realize I was being an internal whiner about my exhaustion, though. I really didn’t. However, I now realize I have been just that.

A week ago, I was talking with some friends about the kids being sick and made the comment that I’m pretty sure I had “put in my time” and that we should now be good to go for the winter (with good health). I know that’s not true, but I just wanted to believe it just for a few minutes to make myself feel better. The husband remarked that there is no such thing as “putting in your time” when it comes to sick kids and I told him that I knew that, but I just wanted to live in my world of delusion just a bit longer. And then it hit me …

I have been whining in my head about my kids’ sickness and subsequent lack of sleep. I have been waiting for a full night of sleep because then things would “be all right.” If I could just have more sleep, I would be motivated to get things done around the house, I would be more patient with the kids, and I would enjoy being a mother more overall right now (you moms know that it can be challenging when you’re sleep-deprived to find as much joy as you want to in being a mom). But, you know what? It could be weeks more before I get that full night’s sleep … I really can’t wait for that night to come before I do the things that I need to do and be the kind of wife/mom/person I want to be and was created by God to be.

I need to stop whining.

I need to move forward and live. If I spent the time I spend focused on myself and how tired I am doing the things that need to be done and that are the most important, then my house would be in better shape and I would be loving my kids and husband better (the 2 things that are way more important than the house anyway … however, having a picked-up house is a little piece of sanity for me!). I do really believe that God can give the grace needed to do the things that I need to be doing each day (according to Him rather than according to me). Now I have to live like I believe it rather than waiting for that perfect night of sleep (which I’m pretty sure may not come for years now that I have small children) or depending on my own strength to pull myself through.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think it’s wrong to admit that I’m tired. I don’t think it’s wrong to take naps and try to catch up on sleep when I can. However, I don’t want to be a whiner about my tiredness, either internally or out-loud. I really do desire to live life fully in spite of whatever circumstances I find myself in.

How about you? Have you been a whiner lately? You may want to think about doing something about that … care to join me in doing the same?

Letting our kids be blessings

Since having kids, I have thought off and on about this subject …

I sometimes think it is hard to allow our kids to be blessings to those around us.

We are so busy trying to keep them still, keep them obedient, keep them from breaking things, (you get the picture) that I think we forget that many people love kiddos, understand that they’re kids, and just are blessed by being around them.

Take our neighbor for example. “Mr. Brian” really likes Elijah even though one of our first times saying “hi” to him at his house while on a walk, he (Elijah) wandered up onto the front porch of his house and wandered back our way holding a hand-saw (!). Most people might have been slightly irritated at my son for getting into their things, but not Mr. Brian. He was first concerned for Elijah’s safety and then just marveled at Elijah’s sense of adventure and curiosity. We see Mr. Brian often and I’m serious when I say that I’m pretty sure he enjoys Elijah’s company more than mine … and I’m ok with that. Elijah is a blessing to us and I love that he is a blessing to others. However, I also see that I could easily squash that by not allowing people to see who my kids really are, disobedience and all. This is not to say that I allow my kids (well, one child – Abigail cannot yet walk!) to wreak havoc on my neighbors’ hand-saw and other belonging and let them run wild on others’ properties. In fact, we talk a lot these days about respecting other peoples’ property and about being kind toward others. However, I also try not to squash his active, silly little boy personality when we’re around others.

And Abigail …

How could you not be blessed by this girl … and those pig-tails?! We get so many comments from strangers about her pig-tails – they love them! We know they’re cute when teenage boys make comments to us … and that has happened multiple times. And sure, sometimes we’re in public and she cries and she gets antsy, but that’s part of her being a baby and despite that, people love being around her … and I need to remember that.

Our kids are gifts not only to us, but to those around us … let’s allow them to be just that.

What kind of a friend are you?

A few months back, my husband and I were talking with our pastor, Doug, about a few things. During the conversation, Doug said some hard statements to me regarding some character issues; things I needed to hear and that someone other than my husband needed to say to me, although they weren’t all that enjoyable to hear. Ouch! He apologized for having to be the one to say them, but I thanked him because I needed to hear those words.

Later, I was thinking about our conversation, and realized yes, I was grateful that Doug had said what he had to me. But I also realized that it shouldn’t just be my pastor who is willing to say them, but my closest friends. Do I really have friends like that? And am I really that kind of friend? The kind of friend who will also say the hard things when the hard things need to be said? Or am I a “yes man” who merely says things others want to hear?

I’m not saying that we should be going around pointing out peoples’ character flaws, etc. to everyone we see. But … I am saying that, if we are the kind of friends that the Bible says we ought to be with our closest friends, things will get messy because our crap (sin) will come up and affect each other. If we are those kinds of friends, we’ll be so open and honest with each other that character issues that need to be pointed out and worked on will show up.  And yes, sometimes we will have to say the hard, but loving thing, if needbe. And why would we say it?

Because we love our friend(s) more than we love to not “stir the pot.”

Because the friendship means more to us than self-protection.

Because we are more about someone else’s well-being than what they might think about us.

But do we/are we … really?

And if not, why not?

We do not need to be best friends with everyone (nor could we be), but I do think that each of us has (or has the potential of) a few people around us whom we could potentially be really great friends with. The kind of friends who don’t just go out and do fun activities with each other, but who also talk deeply about life; about struggles, joys, and pain. The kind of friends who you “let your hair down with” and allow to see not only the best parts of you, but also the worst parts of you. The kinds of friends who you actually invite to speak the hard words into your life, either by a verbal invitation or merely the humble, teachable attitude by which you live. We were designed to live this way; in close relationship with others.

Do you have any of those kinds of friends? And are you that kind of friend? Am I?

This is an awesome post on friendship written by Noelle Piper, the wife of a prominent Christian pastor. Check it out – even if you are not a Christian, I would encourage you to read it with an open mind and learn from her; she is very raw about her own experiences and some great things to say about friendship. Don’t just read her thoughts on friendship, though – think about your own and ask yourself the hard questions about what kind of friend you are and the kinds of friends you have.

A recipe tribute to my husband …

My husband is quite the guy.

Months ago, he surprised me by buying 2 tickets to see the Broadway production of Les Miserables in Denver (he did so despite me once pronouncing Jean Valjean’s name as “Jeen Val-jeen.” Oops – sorry, honey. You married a theatrically ignorant woman!). The show was last night and unfortunately, due to Abigail’s illness, we had to sell the tickets and couldn’t go. However, what a great idea for a date – thanks, Shun-Luoi!

Then, last night, Abigail was up and crying inconsolably at 2 am. He offered to take her for a bit and although I protested, he insisted on taking a turn with her. I found out this morning that he ended up taking her for a car ride at that time of night in order to get her to relax and fall asleep. Poor guy, but he definitely won the “Dad of the middle of the night” award for that one – wow! (as a side note, he managed to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts while out with Abigail … and that made me laugh!)

Because of him being such a great husband and dad, I decided to choose one of his favorite recipes to feature today. Besides, I have offered some fairly “girly” fare this week, and figure I owe you all a good “man recipe!” It’s another soup – but hey, did I not mention I was in the mood for soup? I warned you …

Taco soup (recipe from Melody Huskerson)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground hamburger or turkey, browned and drained
• 1 can each of black, pinto, kidney, and chili beans (drain and rinse all but the chili beans)
• 1 can of kernel corn (drain), creamed corn, diced tomatoes (or Rotel), and tomato sauce
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I use 3-4 Tbsp. of this homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 cup water

Directions:

• Combine all together in a large soup pot and stir. Simmer until heated through. Another option is to combine all ingredients in the crock-pot in the morning, stir, then heat on low until supper.
• Serve with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and/or sour cream on top of it.
• Another suggestion: make this cornbread to go with it. It’s so moist, unlike many cornbreads. (I need to find a way to make it a bit healthier, but have not taken the time to play around with the recipe yet.)

As you can see, the hardest thing about this recipe is the need to open so many cans. It’s so worth it, though, and is so, so easy! It makes a big pot of soup (a great recipe for a large crowd!) and it’s very hearty, thus lasting quite awhile because of the need to eat less of it at one time. My only warning to you is that, because the soup contains a lot of beans, it may take some time for your digestive system to get used to all the fiber! Consider yourself given the heads-up on that …

It’s been a fun 5 days of sharing fall recipes – I hope you have seen 1 or 2 that you may be interested in trying! So, now it’s your turn … what are your favorite fall recipes? Mention them and/or share the recipe with the rest of us by leaving a comment!

And by the way, how are your 30-day goals going? And if you haven’t made any, why not? I have loved reading consistently everyday now for 8 days and as for my pop goal, well … it’s been tough at times, particularly because we’ve had some short nights around here due to recent illness. However, I’m glad that I have cut it out for now and look forward to drinking it in a more moderate way if I do in fact return to it once October comes.

Happy Friday – have a great weekend!