Gift Giving

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas again.  I did this last year and it was a huge hit.  Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day.  Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day until Christmas.  The cost was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, however, you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    Here is what our 12 Days of Christmas includes:

    • Day 1:  Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards).
    • Day 2:  Two Music CD’s by Suzi Shelton (received CD’s from doing a review and giveaway)
    • Day 3:  DVD Veggie Tales (DVD was free, but paid a small fee for shipping)
    • Day 4: Two Giant Candy Canes, one Princess and 1 Cars (purchased with rewards)
    • Day 5:  Two Christmas Coloring Books (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 6:  Christmas Craft, painting ornaments (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 7:  Christmas Flower and Snowman (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8:  Christmas Book God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift card)
    • Day 9:  Two Christmas Headbands (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 10:  Game (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
    • Day 11:  Two Hooded Bath Towels (used a coupon and picked them up on Black Friday)
    • Day 12: PJs for each to wear Christmas Eve (picked up on sale and used a coupon)

    Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:

    • Hair Accessories
    • Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set!  If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
    • Socks or Tights
    • Chapstick
    • Socks
    • Gloves or Scarf
    • Card Game
    • Construction Paper
    • Markers or Crayons
    • Matchbox cars
    • Small Toys
    • Baby Doll Clothes
    • Christmas Underwear
    • The ideas are endless!

    Karlie & Brina excited about their 12 Days of Christmas

    I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into.  The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon.  Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons.  I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it may have been under $10 out of pocket for the entire set of 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.  We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example the craft with one being princess and the other being cars).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 2)

    Box of Candy Canes the girls shared with their class at gymnastics 

    We have entered our second week of our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday.  In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.

    Colored paper ornaments to hang on the Christmas Tree in the children’s wing at the local library

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    Gathered and donated 105 magazines to a local public library and school library

    • Day 5– Picked out and donated gifts to Country Santa which gives Christmas presents to local children who would otherwise have none at Christmas.  The girls each picked out two gifts to give to Country Santa for another child’s Christmas then we prayed for the kids that would receive these gifts for Christmas.
    • Day 6 – Gave out Silly Bandz to kids coming in and out of several local stores.  I was surprised at the different reactions we noticed while passing out silly bandz from sheer delight to total disinterest.  The girls still had fun doing the activity and sharing with kids.
    • Day 7 – Gathered and donated magazines and a stack of books to a local library and school library.   Both the school library and local library staff were excited to get some new books and magazines.  Our family loves reading so this was a fun activity for us.  We spent about 30 minutes in the local library donating items, picking out books to read, and coloring Christmas ornaments to hang on their Christmas tree.  The lady at the children’s desk was so sweet when the girls showed her the ornaments that had colored for the tree.
    • Day 8 – Bought and gave Candy Canes to all the kids in the girls gymnastics class.  We just started taking the girls to gymnastics about a month ago (we got Groupon deal from a local gymnastics school) and it has been a lot of fun watching them learn not only new skills but seeing them start new friendships.  It has been great getting to know kids (and their parents) outside of school and church that we can be a blessing to as well.
    • Day 9 – Handed out candy canes as we were running errands around town and at local stores.  It was cute seeing the excited looks on kids faces as the girls handed them a candy cane.  The girls loved doing this activity so much I had to remind them not to “rush” to the kids with a candy cane because it could startle the younger kids or their parents if they saw another child charging towards their little one. 🙂
    • Day 10 – We had a blast making and delivering Christmas goodies to our neighbors.  It was nice to spend a few minutes and catch up with the people on our street.  Taking the extra time to reach out to our neighbors has made a tremendous impact over the last few years even on our small street.  One of our neighbors lost their only child right before Christmas a few years ago so this is a tough Holiday for them.
    • Day 11 – Picked out, wrapped, and donated gifts to the Heart of Christmas for kids in our local schools who would not have gifts otherwise this Holiday Season.  Our church coordinates with the school guidance counselor to get information on these kids who are in need (naturally the names of the kids are not given just their sizes, styles, needs, etc…).

    Delivering more goodies to kiddos at another local store!

    One of Brina’s ornaments hanging on the Christmas Tree at our local library

    One of Karlie’s ornaments hanging on the Christmas Tree at the local library.

    A stack of books we donated to the school library.

    A basket full of goodies ready to be delivered to our neighbors!

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day  10 activity. 

     This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. – John 15:12

    Something as simple a sharing a little gift to say “Merry Christmas” to our neighbors has opened many opportunities to interact with them.  I think this verse really stood out to all of us this week because we don’t take the time to invest in the lives around us as often as we should.  This activity was a little longer because we made it a point to spend time socializing with each of our neighbors for a few minutes but we all walked home feeling even more blessed because of it.

    Heart of Christmas

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    Helping local kids by giving fun and practical gifts.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version of the 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Song: “Do You Have Room?” by Shawna Edwards

    I heard this song for the first time last week.  It is a beautiful song with a wonderful Christmas message.  The music is peaceful and asks an important question “Do You Have Room?”  Are we making time for what really matters this Christmas Season?  I sometimes find myself getting caught up on all the extra activities and stuff that needs to be done that I don’t take enough time to focus on the most amazing part of this Season.  The phrase that hit home with me was “There was no room for Him in the inn.  Do you have room for Him in your life?”

    Do you have room for the Savior?

    And do you seek Him anew?

    Have you a place for the One who lived and died for you?

    Are you as humble as a shepherd boy, or as wise of men of old?

    Would you have come that night?

    Would you have sought the light?

    Do you have room?

    There was no room for Him in the inn.

    Do you have room for Him in your life?

  • Song: “Tomboy In A Princess Dress” by Suzi Shelton (Music Video)

    Suzi Shelton’s newest music video has been released “Tomboy In A Princess Dress”.  Click on the video above to hear her latest hit.    Her songs are upbeat, cheerful, and enjoyable for kids and parents to listen to at home or in the car!

    To learn more about Suzi Shelton and to enter a GIVEAWAY go to Review & Giveaway: “Tomboy in a Princess Dress” by Suzi Shelton!  The winner of the giveaway will win Suzi’s newest release “Tomboy In A Princess Dress” PLUS 2 more CD’s by Suzi Shelton!  These CD’s would be perfect for your kids or to give as a gift!

  • Book: “God Gave Us Christmas” by Lisa Tawn Bergren

    I was excited a few weeks ago when God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren went on sale and we could buy this book for the girls with our Amazon Gift Cards I earned from Swagbucks to learn more about how to get started go here.  Our family has a couple other books by Lisa that the girls really enjoy (God Gave us the World,  God Gave Us Love , and God Gave Us Heaven) .  I like that the books encourage the kids to ask questions and gives the credit back to God.  Even though the girls haven’t received this book yet I read it as soon as it arrived and was thrilled to find it was written much along the same lines of the other books we enjoy from Lisa Bergren.

    This is a great children’s book that emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas.  The author created a pretty steady stream of “Questions” and “Answers” dialogue between Little Cub and her parents.  The book addresses some of the most common questions kids will ask around the Holiday Season such as “Who ‘vented Christmas? Was it Santa?”   Although Santa Claus, Frosty, and the other traditional Christmas stories are neat, it is important that our children know the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.

    God Gave Us Christmas is a wonderful book to give as a gift to children.  If you are looking at buying a Christmas book for fun or as a gift this season you should check this one out.  You can also get it from the library to read with your kids.

  • CVS: Spent $3 and $12 ECB’s Back

    Groceries, Household, Baby, Beauty and Gift Items from CVS

    I went to CVS on my way home from an appointment this week.  The CVS had a bunch of cosmetic items marked down 50% to 75% off.  I was able to get the items pictured above for $3.16 including tax and received $12.00 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.  Today I used some store, manufacturer coupons and ECB’s to help pay for the purchase.

    You can get great deals even without clipping a lot of coupons.  My receipt shows that as of December 6th I have saved over $2,000  at CVS this year (and I don’t even go every week) so you can do it without investing a lot of time into it or being an extreme couponer that empties the shelves.  Over time the savings add up and I have even taken several weeks off here and there while I have been busy or traveling or when our stock pile is full.   All of the items I purchased were on sale or clearance.  Here is what I purchased this week.

    • 1 – Cherry Candy Canes (10 count) for $1.27  (FREE plus overage after ECB’s because the Extra Care Bucks did not print when I checked so I ended up getting $2 ECB’s for this item.)
    • 1 – Ali Deep Brown Brow Definer for $1.19 (on clearance for 75% off)
    • 3 – Lip Smacker Lip Gloss (Clear) for $2.46 ($0.82 each after 75% off clearance, perfect for stocking stuffers)
    • 10 – bottles Confetti Nail Polish for $8.20 ($0.82 each after 75% off clearance, another great stocking stuffer)
    • 11 – bottles Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish for $9.02 ($0.82 each after 75% off clearance)
    • 1 – Sally Hansen Fingernail Clippers for $1.37 (after 75% off clearance)
    • 3 – Wet & Wild Mega Silk Glossy Apple for $2.97 ($0.99 each after 75% clearance)
    • 1 – Wet & Wild Mega Silk Glossy Berry Burst for $0.99 (after 75% clearance)
    • 1 – Wet & Wild Liquid Lip Color Coco for $0.99 (after 75% clearance)
    • 1 – Huggies Supreme Diapers Size 1 (40 count) for $9.49 (received a $1.00 ECB)
    • 1 – Sara Lee Whole Wheat Bread for $0.57 (on clearance)
    • 1 – Sara Lee White Bread for $0.57 (on clearance)
    • 4 – American Greetings Cards for (used store and manufacturer coupons and received $3.00 ECBs)
    • 1 – Revlon Deluxe Clipper Set for $2.99 (received $6.00 ECBs)
    • 1 – Revlon Valupak Emory Boards for $3.59 (received $6.00 ECBs)

    Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $5.00 off $20.00 Coupon from CVS Kiosk
    • Used $0.99 CVS coupon from Kiosk for a free American Greeting Card
    • Used $2.00 manufacturer coupon for American Greeting Card
    • Used $3.00 CVS coupon for Huggies
    • Used $2.00 manufacturer coupon from Huggies
    • Used $1.00 manufacturer coupon from Revlon
    • Used $5.00 CVS Beauty Club Reward Coupon
    • Used $25.99 CVS ECB’s

    I received $12.00 ECB’s back today:

    • $6.00 ECB’s for Revlon Products
    • $3.00 ECB’s for American Greeting Cards
    • $2.00 ECB’s for Candy Canes
    • $1.00 ECB’s for Huggies Products

    Today I was able to save $109.01 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.

    Here are some more up close pictures of the products I was able to pick up.

     

    CVS had a lot of cosmetic items on clearance for 50% to 75% off

    Was able to get 2 loaves of Sara Lee Bread for $0.57 each on clearance!

    When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club).  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS.  Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase.  You can pick and chose what is best for your family.

    I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!  For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.

  • Gift Giving: Cinnamon Handprint Ornaments

    Are you looking for great gifts to give but are on a tight budget?   This is a simple recipe that uses a few items from your pantry and makes a thoughtful Christmas Gift.  I posted this last year and it was a huge hit so I am sharing it again this year.  These were inexpensive, easy to do, and the girls had a lot of fun. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already.

    Cinnamon Handprint Ornaments:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Salt
    • 5 teaspoons Cinnamon
    • 3/4 cup Water

    Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir in water gradually to make dough.  If it is sticking to your hands, add more flour or if it is too crumbling add more water.  Knead dough for approximately 8 minutes until smooth.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll out dough to desired thickness (typically between 1/4 to 3/4 inches thick).

    We used a football cookie cutter for the oval (you can use a circle or anything big enough that they can fit their hands in) than lightly floured their hands before making a slight indention on the clay.  We took a stamp and pressed their first initial in the bottom of each palm to help us remember who it belonged to.  Since my girls are twins their hand sizes are almost the same!

    After making the handprint in the clay use a straw to make a hole in the top so you can hang the ornament.

    Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour.  (Thicker dough will take longer to bake).  They are done when the clay is dry, you notice a slight change in color.  Cool and add a ribbon of your choice!

    Optional: Once cooled you can use spray on polyurethane for extra shine.

    Ours still smell great even after a year.  We made more than one batch since we have a large family but you can do as many as you want.  With the extra dough we made Christmas ornaments so we could hang them on the tree.

  • Amazon: Melissa & Doug Toys 50% off – $10 each (Today Only)

    Today only (12/8/11) Amazon has a wide variety of Melissa & Doug toys for just $10

    The sale includes Wood Blocks, Food Sets, Puzzles, Educational Toys and more!

    Plus you can get FREE SHIPPING with your Amazon Mom account or Free Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

    Use your Amazon Gift Cards from Swagbucks for additional savings, to learn how to get started go here!

    Melissa & Doug toys are great gifts if you have any kids left to buy for on your Christmas list.

  • Walgreens: Spent $2 and Got $6 Back

    Groceries, Household Items, & Other Goodies from Walgreens

    I ran by Walgreens on the way home from an appointment this week to use up a couple coupons that were about ready to expire.  I spent $2.06 including tax at Walgreens this week for grocery, household, health and beauty purchases and received $6 Register Rewards back from that visit to use towards my next purchase at Walgreens.

    Here is what I got this week:

    • 4 – Nice Baking Soda for $2.00 ($0.50 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Dove Deodorants for $3.99 (received $3 Register Rewards.  Also, I was able to get 2 because there was a BONUS pack that included 2 full size deodorants in it making it an even better deal. Yay!)
    • 1 – Revlon TopSpeed Nail Polish for $3.99 (received $3 in Register Rewards back.)
    • 9 –  Snowman Tumbler Cups for $1.49 ($0.16 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Nice Wax Paper (75 feet) for $1.98 ($0.99 each after coupon)
    • 1 – Reynolds Aluminum Foil (20 feet) for $0.99 (each after coupon)
    • 4 – Wexford Tape (450 inches) for $2.38 ($0.59 each after coupon)
    • 3 – Nestle Chewy Spree Candy for $0.75 ($0.25 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Red Sharpie Markers for $0.58 ($0.29 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Green Sharpie Markers for $0.58 ($0.29 each after coupon)

    The total was over $36 with tax before using discounts & coupons.  Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Nice Baking Soda Coupons
    • Snowman Tumbler Coupons
    • Nice Wax Paper Coupons
    • Reynolds Aluminum Foil Coupons
    • Wexford Tape Coupons
    • Nestle Chewy Spree Candy Coupons
    • Sharpie Markers Coupons
    • Used $17 Register Rewards

    I received $6 Register Rewards back today:

    • $3.00 Register Rewards for Dove Product
    • $3.00 Register Rewards for Revlon Product

    Walgreen’s Register Rewards will expire two weeks from the date they are printed so you will need to make sure to use them before their expiration date.  I always keep the ones that are expiring the soonest on top of the stack to make sure to use them first.

    Another important fact regarding Walgreen’s Register Rewards you will need to know if you haven’t used them before is you can only use 1 coupon per item.  If you use a manufacturer’s coupon for every item you are purchasing you will not be able to use any Register Reward for that transaction.   If you do have a coupon for each item then check Walgreen’s weekly ad because they will have items on sale each week for pennies up to $1 that you can use as “filler” items but they won’t raise your total too much.  Once you get started using coupons and rewards you may discover, like I did, how to purchase many of your health and beauty items for nothing or very little.  Since using coupons and reward programs I rarely pay full price for any of our health and beauty items plus I usually have extra to share with guests visiting us or to give away.

    For those of you who shop regularly at Walgreens I encourage you to share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share how you saved at Walgreens (links to your blog article on how you saved are welcomed as well).

  • Organized Chaos: Organizing Our Games

    Our Family Game Closet

    Our family LOVES games!  Every year for Christmas we get a new family game to play.  It has been fun having a Family Game Night or a Game Party with friends at our house.  One of the problems with our games is we used to store them in two separate places so when guests were over we either had to show them two games storage places or try to list off all the games for them to choose from.  A couple months ago as I was cleaning out the front closet I realized several things……

    • The front coat closet is only used about 3 months a year (we live in South Carolina so we have a shorter winter season)
    • We keep the coats we use the most in other places in the house (this closet was only storing extra coats / jackets,  table linens, and our vacuum.)
    • Usually when our guests arrive the coats / jackets get laid over a chair near the closet instead of actually hanging them up in the coat closet.
    • We get into our two game closets a lot more then we get into the coat closet (with exception to take the vacuum out).
    • If we were to put our games in this closet all our games can be put into one location.
    • We could still store the vacuum (which was the only item currently in the closet that we used regularly) in the closet with our games.

    After pondering the layout for our “new” game closet I decided to see what my husband thought of the idea.  He thought it was a great idea too.  We already had some of the materials we would need leftover from re-doing the bedroom closets so we agreed to do it.

    Here is what I did:

    1. Removed everything from our front closet (donated the coats / jackets that the girls had outgrown and put the table linens in the linen cabinet with the sheets and towels).
    2. Used the leftover shelving items from re-doing the bedroom closets.
    3. Purchase a few additional shelving pieces with a gift card that we have from Home Depot.
    4. Put away all the games from the other two locations into the closet.

    I was very excited to get the shelves up and get all the games into the one closet.  The new system is both practical and perfect for our family.   It is much easier picking out a game to play when we have a family game night or when our guests are over.  Plus, there is no more trying to figure out where we put a game since they are all in one place.   I am pleased with our new game closet, just wish I it hadn’t taken me so long to figure out where to put our games!  Where do you store all your games?