A Christmas Cookie Swap

Mmmm sounds good already! Every year I am always trying to think of something new to do for my friends. Something I want to make fun yet personal, thoughtful yet festive. Well...what about a cookie swap? You throw a party at your house and everyone brings a plate of a dozen cookies. At the end of the night you go home with a plate of cookies that are different from the ones you brought. Christmas these days can get really spendy so what a fun way to do something that won't break the bank and that everyone can enjoy! Besides...who doesn't like cookies?

Above are some pictures I found of some Holiday cookies. You can make them as festive as you want! Another great idea for your kids to join in and help!

This month we'll be having great Christmas idea's and some give aways as well! Check back often, leave us comments and maybe you will win some great stuff!

Clapping my hands in excitement!

Ok. Everyone who knows me knows that I love Christmas. LOVE IT! Love to shop for it. Love to bake for it. Love to hang out with the family. Love to decorate for it! In anticipation for that great day of decorating, who everyone knows IS really as soon as the turkey is off the table, I may even let the family finish eating it. I've been working on a few little things to decorate the house with this holiday season and I thought that I would share a few with you to get you in the holiday mood too!
This is soo easy! I already had the candles and the ribbon was 50% off at Michaels so it wasn't much at all. Look how cute the candles are now with just a little ribbon to jazz them up with. This is going to be a present for my daughters teacher. Mrs. Baillie if your looking, keep your eyes closed for this part!

This one is supposed to be finished but hubby's promise of the wood scrap I need to put the "days til Christmas" on is still missing. I'll bug him again today to get on that! I'd just do it myself but if you've seen his mans land, it's just not pretty.

THESE! Soooo stinking simple I'm kicking myself for not doing these before now. Someone said you could pick up the glass stones at the Dollar Store but I couldn't find any clear enough at mine so I got mine at Joanns. They were around 3 dollar for like 25 stones. I got a pack of 50 magnets at Walmart for 3 dollars too and of course had the scrapbook paper. Not bad if I do say so myself. Look how pretty they are. They will make someone fridge very elegant!

I picked up this sled at a flea market back in May, with the thought of turning it into, of course, a Christmas decoration . I'm not sure I like the bow though. I may change that. I just shopped around in my Christmas stuff till I found some things that worked.

Dollar asle at Walmart! Had the Christmas ribbon. I'm going to fill it up with some goodies for friends. It's so easy your kids can make this.

These books are where I've been finding some really great recipes. YUM!

So aren't you all excited for Christmas now? We'll be taking next week off for Thanksgiving but we'll be back on the 30th and we'll be having lot's of fun ideas and tips for the Christmas season!

Gobble Gobble

This Thanksgiving we'll be going to my parent's house for dinner. My mom makes an excellent dinner and we always top it off with her homemade pies! Mmmm...I love dessert! This year I want to help contribute but in a different sort of way. I found this idea on Familyfun.com and I love it! Not only is this a cute idea to help celebrate Thanksgiving but its also super easy! Not to mention its something you can do with the kids and I'm sure they would love to help you make something like this! This is what I'll be contributing this year!

So what are some delicious things you bring to dinner?

Believe

I guess you probably noticed that there was no post yesterday. Oops! It was me. I'm sorry. I really have no excuse other than, well...I don't have one! I've just been busy with finishing up our remodel, basketball, scouts, YW and all the other fun things that come with having a family. I also took on this craft project with my mil that we are doing at church, that has kept me sanding and sanding, and sanding till I felt like my arms were going to fall off.

I've confessed before that I am a blog stalker. I admit it. I am! I can't help it though. There are so many great ideas and talented ladies out there. That is how I found my latest project. I found this while surfing Tip Junkie If you've never looked at her site you should! Lot's of awesome tips and ideas.

Isn't this a terrific project? And it would make a great gift for someone too. You can find the originally idea here. I love the idea of using the candle for the letter L. It gives the project that little extra something special don't you think? I used the word Welcome for my daughters teacher's Christmas gift and put the word home on the candle. Like I said, the ideas can be unlimited. It's also fairly simple. We just cut a 2x4 into the size blocks we wanted. We cut 7 1/2 6 1/2 and 5 1/2 sized blocks but, you can make them any size that you want. We'll paint them (any color I think would look great too but, we picked black. It goes with everything!) and add the letters and your done. No more than an hour for sure!

Don't forget to check back wednesday for Alycia's terrific post and on friday we have another guest poster who is going to share some awesome tips on how to get the most out of your money this holiday season.

We also have some really fun give aways starting after Thanksgiving so be ready!

Traveling with Children (otherwise known as insanity)

Traveling with kids is always a challenge. Big or small, kids bore easily and finding ways to keep them occupied is no easy feat. When you lock them up in a car or airplane where they can’t move around freely the challenge becomes even greater. But I’m here to hand out some (hopefully) helpful tips.

I’ve been traveling with my kids, now 3 and 7, from one side of the US to the other and from Europe to the US for the past 7 years. I’ve done quite a few of both the domestic and international trips solo as well. The reason I’m still alive to tell the tale is preparation and whole lot of goodies. My best tip is packing for any possibility. I like to use JuJuBe Be Quicks to keep all my items organized. That way I can see exactly what I need based upon the color or design of the pouch.

Along with a spare shirt and diapers (if needed) be sure to pack lots of snacks that will survive the trip. Things like crackers, cereal, dried fruit and the occasional gummy bear are wonderful for keeping kids busy. In this case I think you can’t have enough snacks. There have been many times where our plane has been delayed and I’ve been saved by having food my kids like at my fingertips. I keep to non-messy snacks and generally pack them in small containers versus baggies so they don’t get crushed. I also prefer to travel with water instead of juice to avoid stains. I dedicate one JJB Pouch to food.

For activities I like to always include crayons or colored pencils, a small spiral notebook (pocket sized are good or school composition books), coloring books and some stickers. Just be sure to supervise kids with these items or your car may end up with a new interior! There are several great workbooks with activities related to travel. Rand McNally makes one my 7 year old has really liked in the past. It’s filled with dot-to-dots, color by number and hidden picture puzzles. You can find items like this at your local bookstore or online. I keep all the coloring items in another pouch so it’s easy to grab from the bag when I need it.

One thing I’ve learned when traveling by plane is insisting on being allowed to board first if you have small children. This varies by airline, some only grant this to those with children under five years old but internationally most airlines will request families with children to board first, a wonderful stress saver. The stroller will have to be folded and left behind and lugging a baby, a carseat and a bag is a slow process. How many of you have had to install a carseat on a plane? It’s no easy feat. Ask for bulkhead seating which will allow you more room to move around and give the kids a place to play after take-off if allowed by the airline (most are fairly flexible). Be sure to confirm your bulkhead seat reservation and remind the agent when you check in. Know however that on occasion even though you requested the seat won’t always get them. If you need help during the flight, warming a bottle for instance, just ask.

I like to pack any additional items in another pouch (and don’t forget to include a parent pouch – music player, headache medicine and other items you might need). Items such as bandaids, tissues, wet wipes and a plastic baggie or two for either motion sickness or a wet shirt come in handy. I also carry a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer (remember limits of liquids if traveling by plane. You can go to the TSA website for specifics – TSA Liquid Rules) My son carries his own backpack which has the things he likes to do; handheld game, spare batteries, headphones, toy cars and a few books.

My experience traveling with kids definitely favors travel by plane but these same items can be packed for a car. The kids can play games such as spotting different state license plates or colors of cars. No matter what you pack and prepare for inevitably there will be some small thing you didn’t bring. I’ve learned to just take it in stride and move on!

I’m a mom of 2 children living life in the wilds of Philadelphia. I write for a literary magazine and surf the internet in my spare time. I blog at Blogging Mama.

Keeping Kids Entertained

How does your Thanksgiving dinner go? Do you have a separate dinner table where all the kiddos sit or do you all sit together? How about this year doing something different. Put the kids all at one table but instead of a table cloth down, try using some butcher paper so the kids can color on it and it'll keep them entertained! I found this awesome idea from this website: http://www.parents.com/holiday/thanksgiving/crafts/simple-thanksgiving-day-crafts/?page=2
They have a little more for the kids to do but you can make it as simple or as complicated as you would like. I think its important for us adults to have a nice Thanksgiving meal and enjoy the company of our family and friends and its a fun way for the kids to be creative and be entertained while we do so.

Thanksgiving place cards

So I'm sure I mentioned that I was hosting Thanksgiving this year. I have so, so, so much to be thankful for. My family is all healthy and happy. I still have my grandma around. I think it's just awesome that my kids can visit with their great grandparents. Hubby has a grandpa and a grandma still alive. They tell the best stories and my kids are always asking questions.
Anyway, like I said, I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house. It's really just my parents coming over so nothing too stressful, but I want things to look fun and festive. Now my big holiday to go all out for is Christmas and I don't have too many fallish things to use and I wanted the table to look really pretty. Yes! Another thing to be thankful for is that we can actually use our table again! It's been tucked away in the corner of our family room for almost a year while we remodeled our house. It was more of a pain to use so most of the time it was eating on the TV trays. I was looking about the house wondering what I could use to spice things up and then I spied these babies. They had these at Walmart for 1 cent. Yes. You read that right. ONE penny! Can you believe it? I couldn't. I had to ask someone and they assured me I didn't need glasses. I already had a few already but I bought a few more. About 5.

Now, I'm no Martha Stewart but I thought this idea would work and it was pretty easy too, once I decided on what colors to use. I know I've seen this many times in a ton of variations and this is how I did mine.

First, grab your scrapbook stash. Here is just a small, small, small bit of mine. :) I am a messy person when I am doing some project as you can tell.
I started with some card stock. I felt that it would hold up the best. I added a name and then some background paper and a little bow, some ribbon and a button.

Then I took my knife and slit into the stem of the little pumpkin. Be careful and don't slip...um, just in case.... I'm just saying. Then you place your little card into the slit and look! You have a cute little place card to put in front of your place setting.

So there you have it. A quick, easy, and cute way to dress up your table for Thanksgiving. Don't forget to check back soon. We are going to have some great tips coming up on how to travel with kids and some great ways to save during the holidays.

What I'm Thankful For...

I know I've already said it but I'm gonna say it again, I love this time of year! Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I can't wait! I love Thanksgiving! I babysit a little girl that's almost 2 and I've been searching for some Thanksgiving projects that we could do. In my search I came across something pretty cool. We all know what Thanksgiving is about and what we are thankful for but do we ever put it down on paper? If your like me then the answer is NO! (I try to journal but I'm not very regular with it). Last year I was pregnant and we had the opportunity to spend it with our family and I had so much to be thankful for. This year I feel I have so much more to be thankful for! So this year I'm going to start a new Seely family tradition! We are going to write down what we are thankful for and then every year from now on we are going to do the same! For a few years it'll only be my hubby (yes I'm going to make him, hehe) and I but before we know our daughter will be writing down things too!

This is what we'll be writing on this year, who knows in the years to come but check it out! Maybe you could start it too or another new tradition during the Holidays!!

http://a.dolimg.com/familyfun/assets/cms/large-files/pdfs/printables/1106b_thankfulleaves.pdf

Thanksgiving, and a project

If anyone knows me I am a big list maker. I like to know what is going on and be prepared, lest I forget something. lol Although I have also been known to jot down a few things on my list and then leave it in the car! Anyway, this year I'm in charge of Thanksgiving. For some weird reason I actually volunteered to have my parents over this Thanksgiving. Yes. I'm 35 (I mean 29 again) and I've never had to host a Thanksgiving. Luckily it's just my parents and us, so I won't have to make food for thousands, but.... it's my mom and dad! I want it to be edible you know. Perhaps even enjoyable. So in my quest for making this holiday a little special I started to make a list. Turkey, taters, gravy, rolls, you know, the usual Thanksgiving fare.

I wanted to see what spices I had and opened my spice cupboard. I was hit by the bag of marshmellows. I can't believe I'm showing you this but here goes.

This, is my spice cupboard. Notice all the things that aren't real spice like? There are some real interesting things that you can't see as well. I found a brownie scented candle, reciept for a telephone that we don't even have anymore, those wheels from the skate shoes, nail polish and a local phone book. My kitchen is almost done and after having all this new clean space, this cupboard looks real bad. And what if my mom looked in there? EEK!

This is my goal for the week. To clean out the spice cupboard. I can't believe how horrible it has gotten. So I encourage you all to go out and clean that one spot that has gotten out of control and see how much better you will feel.

Dont forget to eep checking back for some great tips, recipes and ideas for the upcoming holiday. Only 22 more days!

Where has the time gone?

Its already the 1st of November? Is anyone else is disbelief that we are nearing the end of the year already?? Once Halloween is over it seems like I just can't catch a breath until after the New Year. In 3 weeks we have Thanksgiving and then shortly after that we have Christmas. Sounds easy but November and December are such busy months! We usually travel back home to be with our families for both of these holidays which means a lot of driving, packing and stress to make sure we have everything in order before we go out of town. The question is...how can we slow down and enjoy this time of year? We need to remember the reasons why we celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving and enjoy the time we spend with our families. This season my plan is to take care of all those little things that need to get done early and try to slow down and have some fun the next couple of months! Christmas is my favorite holiday and this year its my daughter's first Christmas as well. I'm excited and plan on enjoying every minute of it! So what are your plans???

I couldn't resist putting this photo up. Cutest little pumpkin!