Christmas Gift Ideas

There are few things I love more than sentimental, time-capsule, cheesy gifts!

So if you're wondering how you can freeze Christmas 2015 or what thoughtful gift you should make for Grandma from your tot (or dog), here are some ideas.

First, absolutely, 100%, do not try to make salt dough.  Dang.  I've tried to make salt dough so many times and, well, none of these projects are made with salt dough if you get my gist.  If you're like me and you're not crafty but you'd like to make something crafty, buy the crayola air dry clay.  It's mold-able like play doh when you use it, you don't have to bake it and it dries hard.  Yessss.  Thank God!   Also, they have these perfect kits for handprints at places like buy buy baby, babies r us and I always seem to find them at tjmaxx or marshals.  These are also time savers.  

Crayola Air Dry Clay 

Baby's handprint ready-made gift set.

And now on to the ornaments and "artsy" gifts. Here are a few pointers that will make your life easier.

• When doing the hand prints or thumb prints with your little one, keep 2 wet wash cloths handy. One to wipe the hand print clean and start over when your cutie decides the paint feels good and they want to smudge it everywhere and one for your little one's hand.  
• It is so much easier to do the actual hand print if you have a friend available to lend a hand.  
• Use sharpies rather than free-hand paint whenever possible!  
• Always put the date on the ornament!

Olaf foot print Christmas gift decor or ornament.

Santa handprint Christmas gift decor or ornament 

Dog foot print Christmas gift decor or ornament 

Handprint snowman ornament 

Cute hand print and thumb print ornaments. 

And here is one of my favorite gifts for Grandma from my little one.  It's also my favorite gift to myself!!  I made this when my little one was only 6 months old and now she is 3.  I can't even tell you how many times she has put her hand against her little hand print and we have started talking about stories of her as a baby!

So here is what you need:

-small tiles from your local hardware store

-mod podge

-cute, thick paper or just white paper  

-nontoxic ink pad

-print out of name and date for back

-cute little felt sticky things (sorry for the lack of details, you'll find them!  I also line my little one's door with these so you can't hear the wood on wood when I close her door... I'll post more about this another time.)

-that cute little sponge on a stick brush

I suggest lots of layers of mod podge!!!  And you inform the recipient that these coasters are for cold drinks but not hot drinks.  I found that hot drinks will leave an imprint.  Good luck! 

First photoshop ever...

Kenzie is a "Purple Bear" at her preschool.  Well, K's teacher uses sticker charts to reward good behavior (love it!) and she said she wished she could have found a "purple bear" sticker chart online.  I have photoshop elements 11 on my mac and I decided to watch a few youtube videos and take 10 minutes to try my hand at my first photoshop chart.  Dear Lord, this is going to take a lot longer than I thought!  Whatcha think?  I can't stop laughing at it.  But I'm going to go ahead and print one for my Kenzie-Lou to use at home.  Maybe my sister can lend me a hand!  Photoshop is not very intuitive if you haven't had any training.  

Click photo to download PDF!

Update... My Mackenzie was absolutely GIDDY when she saw her new reward chart hanging up and she was desperate to do good things to earn more stickers. >insert maniacal laughter< My plan is working, sweet child. 

Why I donated my hair

Here is a little back story as to why I wanted to donate to Children with Hair Loss. When my Kenzie was about 10 months old, she got this rash called Petechia / Petechiae. If you have ever had a health scare with your innocent baby, you know the feeling of the world standing still as you wonder if something could truly happen to this purity and perfection packaged as a tiny human who is the least to deserve any kind of medical hardship or pain.  And as a parent, you instinctively know that you would do whatever it took on God's green earth to make your child "ok".

Here is my post-bath baby Mac the week petechia appeared.

Here is what the petechiae looked like on her precious little arm.  :(

So what is petechiae?  If you've ever had the flu or just thrown up violently for some other reason, you may have had petechia around your eyes. It is literally when your tiny capillaries leak blood into your skin. It doesn't lose color when you push on it. Some little ones may get petechia from straining, whether they're trying desperately to get out of their carseat or crying/throwing up violently or even from being worn in a baby carrier. None of these scenarios applied to Mackenzie and the petechiae was all over the trunk of her body, her arms and her legs. When you have post-partum anxiety and you start googling, you.just.stop.breathing. You pray. You hug, hold and kiss your child more than you ever thought you possibly could. Petechia can be a sign of meningitis or leukemia among a slew of other causes. Thank GOD, Kenzie had blood work done and her labs came back completely normal. Her petechia was most likely caused by a virus.  I will forever be grateful. Tears always well up in my eyes when I hear stories of little ones going through health scares or problems. Not only am I extremely sad for them, but I feel so indebted for being privileged to have won the lottery of health for my small human. What a true privilege to have our health (and our freedom, but that's another story).  That being said, I always want to give back in any way that I can.  

While my sweet Kenzie was going to sleep, she very softly ran her hands through my hair and said "mommy, why did you cut your hair?"  

Me: "There are little girls who get sick and lose their pretty hair.  I mailed my hair to someone who can make a wig for a little girl.  That way the little girl who is sick can wear a wig and feel her hair move when she twirls like you do.  And maybe for just a moment, she can forget she is sick."

Kenzie: "I love my long hair."

Me: "I love your hair too, baby".

Here is a picture of my Kenzie-Lou and her beautiful long hair.

Halloween 2015

Here is the site for the organization I chose for my hair donation and below are the donation requirements.  I chose them because their requirements are more lax than most places.  Unlike organizations like Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths, Children with Hair Loss accepts as little as 8+ inches, including grey and dyed hair (although natural is preferred). 

http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/

Children with Hair Loss Donation Requirements

Help us “Cover Young Heads to Heal Young Hearts.” In order to do so please follow these requirements:

• Hair should be at least 8 inches in length or longer is preferred.

• Hair must be clean and dry, pony-tailed and/or braided (this keeps the hair in one direction).

• Place rubberband or pony tail holder on each end.

• Non-chemically treated hair is preferred (but any hair in good condition will be accepted).

• Gray hair is accepted.

• Print hair donation form.

• Place donation form and hair in ziplock bag and mail to Children with Hair Loss

• Donors are given a certificate in appreciation for their kindness.

Hair donation before and after.

Holy Moly - 2008 v. 2015

Well, we're coming up on 7 years of marriage and here are a few of our engagement photos taken Fall 2008 compared with some family photos taken Fall 2015.  We may look at each other from across the room at our neighbor's house gritting our teeth and holding our hands out like we're strangling each other, but we don't have a 7 year itch!   I think the key is to put anonymous cards in the tithe bowl at church that say "pray for my marriage".  Clearly someone that is really good at praying keeps finding them ... And they probably tell their friends "there's this chick that tries to change her hand-writing but I'm on to her."  Anyways, til death.  Love you, babe!

Photo by Bobbi and Mike 

Photo by Missy Eckert Photography

Photo by Bobbi and Mike

Photo by Missy Eckert Photography