from a dear friend

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I will be celebrating a birthday soon.  I don't like birthdays.  Never have.  I do not enjoy being the center of attention that having a birthday brings. 

 

I do however have wonderful friends and family who take the time to wish me the best, send and give gifts or spend some time visiting with me.  I appreciate it all ..... every little bit.

 

 

 

I have a dear friend whom I never met in person.  We met on a frugal website forum and there the friendship began.  We swap stories, dreams and sorrows.  I have 'watched' her oldest grandson grow through the years and 'witnessed' another one being born.  Now she has a third grandchild on the way and I am so excited for her! 

 

She enjoys so many of the same things I do ..... crafting, gardening and living simply.  Although for now our friendship consists of emails, messages and phone calls.  One day I am sure, we will meet in person and it will be as if we had never met.  We call each other our 'kindred sister'.

 

 

Deannie was ever so thoughtful and sent me a lovely birthday present.  Amazingly Deannie does not know what outfits I like to wear or my style BUT she could not have picked a better present.  Actually she had the present MADE especially for me by one of her co-workers.

 

 

Isn't it gorgeous?! I just LOVE it!!!  When I chose something to wear for work, I like to incorporate scarves into my outfit.  I can wear the same outfit a whole week (I don't, but I could! LOL) and it wouldn't look the same just by changing the scarf, accessories and footwear.  So this present was a PERFECT thoughtful gift!

 

 

Thanks Deannie and please give those grandbabies Liam and Rio a huge hug and kiss for me!!  Talk to you soon my friend.

 

Have a wonderful day and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

 

One Thousand Gifts

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What a book.  Have you ever the pleasure of picking it up?  

"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  

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When I first grabbed it from the library and began reading I wasn't impressed, but then I realized I was reading too fast which I tend to do quite often so I was missing the 'essence'.  I stopped, closed the book, took a breath, opened it and began reading once again but more mindful and slowly, letting each word sink into my consciousness.

Now I need a copy for myself....for my personal library.  This is the type of book I will pick up again and again, referring to it when I need to draw some strength from something positive.

As in the book, I have taken the challenge of listing a 1000 gifts to be thankful for in my daily life.  Eucharisteo.  My daily journal travels with me wherever I go enabling me to jot down a gift when I see or experience it.  Wanting a journal that had a wire binding was important to me and I found a perfect one at a local store just before Christmas.  This type of binding will allow it to lay flat on my bedside table or on the kitchen counter-top as I prepare meals.  

I will 'Dare to Live Fully Right Where I Am'.  Eucharisteo.  Thanksgiving.  If you are looking to discover 'joy', I urge you to pick up this book and read it.  It is amazing.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

The Ninja!

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Whoot!  One of my most favorite gifts for Christmas from hubby was ... the NINJA .... perfect for my kitchen!  Now this thing is the King Daddy of food processors according to him.

              

This machine does it all!  It juices, it mixes dough, it blends and it processes!!!  I have been cautiously giving it a try....the easy steps first.  Blending ... no problem .... chopping .... well except for an incident with some onions, it has been good!  Mixing dough and smoothies will need some work.  I am a tad apprehensive giving those a try.

I envision many treats, slushies, smoothies, meals and homemade goodness in our future with the help of this thing.  Do you own one or know someone who does?  I would love tips and tricks that you might have learned along the way.  Off to read my manual .... I want smoothies for breakfast!  Remember to give your loved ones a hug and thanks again honey!

Holiday Dough

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Between hubby and I we only have 3 nieces and nephews .... on hubby's side, one niece (who has a son and daughter of her own so a great niece and a great nephew for us as well) and on my side of the family, two nephews.

Hubby's niece always gets something homemade by me for Christmas.  She is close to my age and we are very casual in gift giving.  She usually asks for a knitted hat, a knitted cowl, homemade jam/jelly or a crocheted afghan which I am more than happy to make for her and her husband.   Her son and daughter and  my brother's two boys are always given cash now that they are older.  Years ago we limited the gifts to $20 so it would be a burden for any of us and it has worked well for many years  BUT  I try to find clever ways in giving the $20 so the gift is a little bit different each year.  I have wrapped the bill in toilet paper rolls so the gift looks like a holiday cracker, I have placed the bill in a small box, which was then placed in a larger box, and then another larger box .... etc until there was one big honking box, I have put the bill in an old CD case to try and fool them ... so each year, I spend more time devising a plan on how to wrap the $20 than I do earning the $20!!!

Well this year, I found a fun and easy way to give them their $20.  I spotted this idea pinned to a friends board on Pinterest and knew I just had to do it!!!

Saving my one dollar bills was actually easier than I thought it was going to be and I didn't even notice the money missing from my budget which was a bonus!

Once I had gathered enough dollar bills, I rolled each bill and tied them individually with a festive ribbon.  Next I typed up the little saying on my computer and finding a clip art gingerbread man on Google images, I printed everything out.  Sorry, for some reason the red candy cane border will not show up around the saying .... ugh, computers!

Gingerbread men with yummy icing,

Are oh so good and extremely enticing

I set out to make a dozen or two,

But ran out of time, oh what do I do?

So instead of the cookies, I tied with a bow,

Your own personal serving of Holiday Dough!

Merry Christmas!!

I filled each Ziploc baggie with 20 - $1 bills, sealed the baggies and stapled the saying and the gingerbread man on each baggie.

I think they turned out ADORABLE and the baggie sure looks like it is holding more than $20!

Now only if a secret Santa would do the same for me but use $100 bills.  Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Homemade Printed Pillows

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Fabric, pictures and pillows.  That is something I have been working with lately.  Being just a tad bit behind on my homemade Christmas gifts, I started with the easiest of them all.  

I have been checking out Pinterest and other blogs that have been using the trick of printing pictures on fabric.  There are a gazillion tutorials out there and trying to find just one that was easy to follow and cost effective was an enormous task.

All I wanted was to make a pillow out of this picture ...

I had taken it this summer when I was visiting with Lucas and Sarah.  It was Sarah's first time in a lake and she was quite apprehensive.  I think the shot is quite touching. 

So I continued with the hunt and found a tutorial that Monique posted over at Pocketful of Whimsy a year ago!  Here directions were clear and simple and the best part was the only item I needed to buy was the freezer paper.  Therefore it was quite frugal. 

First I searched through my stash for some plain white cotton fabric ... found some.  Then for a suitable homespun fabric that would match their decor ... found it.  Now for the scary part.

Ripping off a piece of freezer paper .....

 

I then ironed my piece of freezer paper to the back of my white cotton fabric.  The fabric was roughly 10 inches by 12 inches.  I didn't measure it but made sure it was larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

After the freezer paper was ironed onto the fabric, I then trimmed them to fit into my printer.  8 1/2 by 11 inches .... a standard size piece of printer paper.  Taking a deep breath I placed it face up in my printer so the picture would be printed onto the FABRIC, not the freezer paper.  After two tries ( the printer did not seem to want to grab the fabric ), I gently guided the fabric through and it then worked great.

Watching the fabric come through the printer and looking good was exciting.  It actually turned out better than I expected!

Peeling off the freezer paper was easy and I had my picture for the pillow printed on fabric! 

Cutting the homespun cotton I had chosen to a generous size of 15 by 18 inches, I carefully trimmed the photo portion and sewed it all together.  

Being short of time, I didn't piece the fabrics together, instead I ironed over the edges of the picture and sewed the picture to the center of the front piece of fabric.

Adding a blanket stitch to the edges of the photo fabric in a coordinating thread color and choosing a vintage button, finished the pillow off nicely.  

I think it will be cute addition to their little living room.

I enjoyed doing this project and can see limitless possibilities that I will be playing around with in the future.  If you like sewing, give this a try.  You won't be disappointed.  Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

The Eve of December 5th

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The eve of December 5th.  An exciting night around here I'll tell ya!  My Mother who was born in the Netherlands, carried over the tradition of Sinterklaas when my brother and I were growing up.  For those of you who are not familiar with Sinterklaas, well here he is ....

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Sinterklaas visits good little Dutch boys and girls on the eve of December 5th and brings them ....

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goodies!  Candy and fruit is the norm and maybe a few coins.  Being that it was such fun and helped to pacify us until Christmas Eve, I carried on the tradition with my son when he was little.

Each December 5th, Lucas would put his wooden shoes (yes, we each have our own pair of wooden shoes) by the door with a carrot gently placed inside (for Sinterklaas' white horse of course), hoping to find something in them in the morning of the 6th.  If he had been naughty that year, he knew that he could expect a lump of coal (from Sinterklaas' helper Black Peter instead).  

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Now Black Peter must have made quite the impression on my Mother when she was a child as she still recalls hiding behind her Mother's skirt when Black Peter and Sinterklaas rode by in the parade back in the old country.  Apparently Black Peter was black from dirty chimneys that he was expected to slide down when delivering the lumps of coal to the bad children each year.

So my brother and I and now my son must all be pretty good as none of us ever received that lump of coal.  What fun it was!  Even though we are older, all of us still find wrapped under the Christmas tree each year one of these ....

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the favored chocolate letter of our first names.  These letters have to be the BEST chocolate I have ever tasted!  Some years, I even steal hubby's "B" and eat it!!!  Now this year, Sarah will find wrapped under the tree her first Dutch chocolate letter .... and so the tradition will continue.  

Do you have any fun or different holiday traditions in your family?  Ones that are carried over from years past ... maybe from before you were even born?  I would love to hear about them.  

Let's hope no one wakes to a lump of coal in the morning!  Remember to give your loved ones a hug.

Black Friday

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Today I will be too busy today doing this .....

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because of this .........

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Woo hoo!  I have my list, checked it off twice and am ready to face the crowds .... only making one stop but that's all I need!

If you are out shopping today, be careful and have fun!  Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Rice Bags

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Oooh, rice bags .... they are making waves on Pinterest right now.  I would assume it is due to the fact that the cold weather has either started to settle in around some parts or is on it's way.  

Nights have gotten chilly .... really chilly.  Rice bags are the perfect solution to this problem.  They are wonderful to heat up and place under the covers at the foot of the bed a few minutes before crawling in.

They are wonderful on the lap under the quilt that covers my legs while watching television in the evenings or when I am curled up with a good book or while I am knitting.

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Rice bags are also great pain relievers ... either warmed up or used as a freezer pack, rice bags take away aches and pains oh so very easily.  They mold nicely to the small of the back or around the neck and on the shoulders.  Best of all they make great Christmas gifts!  Easy to make and easy on the budget, rice bags are a gift that everyone will love!

Remember my huge fabric stash?  Well this is another way of slimming it down.  I have done quite a bit of searching for the easiest pattern so they would not become a chore to make and as usual, the good old internet came through once again!  Selina over at Sew We Quilt gave the fastest, easiest and had the clearest instructions.  Making six bags at a time was the perfect solution to sewing them up quickly.

Digging through the stash, I found some odd and end pieces of flannel.  I have a few people in mind to give as Christmas gifts and I was lucky enough to have flannel that suited each person's personality.  The flannel will be used as the 'outer', removable bag.  This way the 'outer' bag can be washed when needed.

Selina mentioned using only 100% cotton for the lining of the rice bags and I found it in an old, flat bed sheet!  

Perfect!  Cutting the fabric for the inner bags and the outer bags, I increased the size a bit .... I never can seem to keep to the exact patterns!  

My outer bag was cut at 24 x 8 inches and the inner bag was cut at 25 x 8 inches.  I thought that was strange the inner bag was bigger but then it dawned on me that once the rice was added, it would actually 'shrink' the bag.  Duh.  Sometimes I am slow on the uptake.

Anyhoo, I cut six outer bags and six inner bags and sewed them up.  So easy! and fast!  

Filling the inner bags was of course messy since I am a born klutz and more rice ended up on the counter top and floor than in the actual inner bag but I wasn't complaining! In under one hour, I had six bags made for three very special people on my Christmas list and I know they will be appreciated.  

How wonderful is that?  Making something homemade for the ones you love and in your heart you know that they will be used and used gladly.

Doing some more searching, I found a cute Rice Bag saying that will be printed on hardback paper and added to the bags.

 The Rice Bag                                                                    

This little pillow filled with rice                                                                                             

Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high,                                                                                  

And kiss those aches and pains goodbye

Apply it to the troubled spot,

The heat will ease the pain a lot.

Or warm those little toes so cold,

You’ll find this nice to have and hold.

Or freeze it for a little while,

And fix that boo boo up in style.

Instead of a compress made of ice,

Use this pillow filled with rice.

    

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Sinterklass

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My Mother was born in the Netherlands and the tradition is on December 6th of each year, Sinterklass would ride through the streets on a white horse with Black Peter at his side handing out candy to all the good boys and girls. If they were bad that year, then Black Peter would hand them a little bag of black coal.

We have always kept this tradition alive in our household and each evening my son Lucas would place his wooden shoes by the door in hopes that in the morning his shoes would be filled with candy.





When he was younger he would leave the horse a treat of carrots to make sure the horse had enough stamina to continue riding to each of the children. Now that he is older that part of tradition has gone by the wayside but he still looks forward to checking his wooden shoes the next morning.

This morning he awoke and found his shoes filled with his favorite candy..... Mike and Ike's Tropical flavor. As an extra special treat he even received a razor that he loves so much! He must have been extra good this year. =)

I am hoping that when Luke has children of his own, he continues the tradition. The Dutch believe that Christmas Day should be reserved for the holy aspect of Christmas thus the reason for Sinterklass to visit on December 6th.

Don't you just love traditions?

Homemade, Handmade Christmas

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There are a number of blogs I follow that I love to read each day. They are listed at the right sidebar. These women are so inspiring with all that they do and how they live. Katie over at Katidids has been talking about her family having a homemade, handmade Christmas this year. You can read about it here...
http://katididscreations.blogspot.com/2009/10/handmade-homemade-frugal-holidays-men.html

Today her topic is about men's gifts. Men are difficult not only to buy for but also to make something for but she has listed alot of great links that will help to make that special male in your life a gift that they will love and appreciate.

I, too, have decided to make more gifts this year for Christmas. We have quite a few friends that we exchange gifts with and all of them will be getting something made by me. I am quite excited about it actually. I gave much thought as to what everyone would like and have spent the last few months sewing, knitting or crocheting their gifts.

This year I also plan on wrapping all gifts with homemade wrapping paper. I will make some re-usable shopping bags as wrapping paper as well but I plan on wrapping most gifts with brown kraft paper that will be decorated with stamps, fabric and designs. Less in the landfills and easier on the pocketbook.

One of my most favorite Christmas movies was the Walton Christmas. Do you remember that one? It always brought a smile to my face that the children were happy with the gifts they received and didn't expect much. Those were the good, old days. Now children want a room full of gifts, the most expensive and still don't seem satisfied. It scares me to think that these younger children are growing up believing that material possessions bring happiness.

If you plan on making more homemade gifts this year, I would suggest getting started now if you haven't already. To me a homemade gift is one from the heart. Anyone can walk into a department store and pick something out but when it is made my the giver's own hands, then they must think the world of that person.

If the whole handmade idea is intimidating, start small. Bake some cookies to give to a neighbor or mailman. It is a beginning and you will notice how much joy it brings to you to see how much it is appreciated. A warning however, once you start it is hard to stop.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug! =)