A Cute Cheap Craft

OK, well, TODAY I'm gonna solve my photo/blog dilemma... but right now I'm going out to the garage to hammer.  I have so many cute, cheap crafts to share with you guys!  But for now, I'll just share a link to one that I'm def gonna make with the kids this year...

Have you ever heard of "One Good Thing by Jillee"?  Well, you're gonna love her!

And these salt votives are so cute!

Now I know why I felt compelled to save every single blessed jar I ever emptied!

Adios Amigas.

: )

Paying for Pictures and the Family Glue

So, I've got a bit of a crisis on my hands here at the big happy nest.  Blogger has told me that I've reached my limit.  I could have already told them that!  Yep, I've reached my limit, y'all.

No more pictures for me.

Man.

Jewelry In The Making

Hi guys!  I just wanted to share a few new items that we recently listed on Etsy...  I'm having so much fun getting lots of feedback and also a few sales-- Yippee!!

Christmas Recap

 Whew!  That was fast and furious.  Yeah, I'm beat.  It's the biggest party of the year.  It takes at least a month to prepare for that one magical hour.  Now it's all over.  Now it's time to breathe.  And nap.  And eat leftovers for about a week. 

Our Favorite Christmas Cookies

Buttery spritz Christmas trees. Aren't they cute?

Considering Santa

Benjamin informed me the other day that kids who believe in Santa are lucky because they get lots of stuff.  I'm not sure what kind of stuff he was referring to.  It seems to me that he has gotten more "stuff" than he knows what to do with.  I guess he means "magical" stuff.

I'm not sure when we decided that our kids weren't going to believe in Santa.  We just never really brought it up.  We also tell them that daddy is the tooth fairy.  Pretty unimaginative, huh.

Spicy Gingerbread Men

The Vaughn family has come to a consensus...  These are the best gingerbread men we have ever baked. (and we've tried a lot of different recipes through the years)  These actually taste good!  Nice and soft, but firm enough to stack and store.
Get a bunch of cheap candy from the dollar store.  Mix up some icing.
Make a big mess and have fun!!!

So, here's the yummy recipe:

Changing Tradition

OK, so I said that I wasn't going to stress out this Christmas.
I've got less than a week.  I haven't stockpiled any cookies.  I am not done shopping.  My craft projects are still unfinished.  I still need to take seven kids to do their shopping.  Our second car's transmission bit the dust last week.  Thus, I do not have a car with which to complete these tasks.  I am not going to stress out.  I am talking to myself.  If I was a yoga person, I'd be doing yoga right now.

But I'm not, so here's my plan...

Epic Sugar Cookies

Oh, yeah, you know you want 'em!  These are super easy and turn out alot like those big, soft grocery store cookies.  Best part...no chilling or rolling.

Humble Pride

Have you ever considered taking pride in your humble circumstances?
What does that even mean???

 

This Christmas is a good opportunity for many of us to practice.  When your income stays the same, but the price of groceries practically doubles, something's gotta give.

Homemade Cards

Here's an easy project for making homemade Christmas cards.

I did this printmaking project in art class yesterday with seven 2nd and 3rd graders.  We were all pleasantly surprised by the results.

Family Glue

Have you decided on a Christmas craft project yet?  Or maybe you're way ahead of the game and you've been working on it for weeks already.  I'm impressed!  But whatever the case, I'd like to encourage you to do some crafting with your kids.  These really are the memory makers... that bonding time when you're giving your children your full attention, helping them with something that is really important to them.  And having fun together.  As you can see in this picture from last year, it is a real mess.  There's going to be piles of supplies in the corners of your kitchen and stuff drying on the windowsill.
 You might even be asked to bake some toxic-smelling stuff in your oven in between batches of cookies.

Van Moments 2

Yes, we actually put our Christmas tree INSIDE our van!  I'm not sure why, that's just the way the Captain wanted it so, there ya go.  We got a great deal at Kroger, of all places, and were starving so we bought a loaf of bread, too, and devoured it on the way home, which explains what is

Crafting With Toddlers

Here's a quick,  fun craft project that little kids really enjoy.  It's also cheap and easy to clean up, so moms can enjoy it, too!

Busy Little Elves

Hey there crafty ladies!

Yesterday at co-op, some friends were asking me about Christmas craft ideas.  The criteria was that they needed to be easy, fun and CHEAP!  Here's a fun project that works for toddlers to teens, and also makes a nice little gift for grandmas.  : )


Snowflake ornaments:

A New Perspective

Just sitting here at my mac enjoying the windchimes outside.  I think winter might finally be on its way.  Hmmm.  I can deal with that.  As long as Christmas comes with it.
It IS the most wonderful time of the year, you know.  :)

Most years, at about this time, I start making lists like a crazy person.  What to bake, Where to shop, What to buy, etc... I scour sale ads and traverse from town to town searching out the deals.  It's all pretty stressful, and not very wonderful.

Not this year, though.