Events & Holidays
Gift Giving: Kids Two Liter Surprise Gifts
Kids Two Liter Surprise Gifts
Are you looking for a unique birthday or fun gift for someone? These gifts were a big hit with our family! I had a blast brainstorming and coming up with these fun gifts for my nieces and nephews. I wanted something fun, unique, and easy to send in the mail. I recycled 2 liter bottles, stuffed them with all kinds of fun items as well as colorful shredded paper and mailed them! The kids absolutely LOVED them! 🙂
I was super excited to hear that my nieces and nephews overjoyed at getting these in the mail! I sent one 2 liter surprise gift to each family, so these four bottles were actually for 12 kids in all. This is a great way to get something special for a group of kids because they all have fun opening and discovering all the goodies in the bottle. Every bottle had a variety of items that all the kids would enjoy from candy to markers, erasers, glue sticks, paper clips, colored pencils, bouncy balls, stickers, and so much more!
View of the back of the bottles, you can see a lot of the fun items inside the bottles
I originally did these gifts for my nieces and nephews as their Christmas presents but since I have been asked by several people to duplicate these gifts I thought I would share them with you too. If you need to send a gift for an upcoming birthday, graduation, Christmas, congratulations, baby, wedding or for any occasion these would be fun to put together and bring a smile to the person receiving it! One lady in the post office wanted to know if I could put together one for each of her grandkids! 🙂 As you can see from the pictures above I did four at one time but it would be very easy to do one at a time too. The gift is unique, memorable, fun, and very affordable!
After cleaning out the 2 liter bottle I filled it with colorful shredded paper and all kinds of fun items then stuck bows to the lid, taped the address on the outside, and mailed them. They cost less postage then a box, were super fun to put together plus I got raving reviews from both those that seen them in transport and on the receiving end. I even had a postal worker from another office contact me to comment on the awesome gifts!
Once you get started and your creative juices get going the possibilities are endless with this two liter surprise gift. Here’s how I did it:
Empty and clean 2 liter bottle (I used clear and tinted bottles both worked well)
Everything you put into the bottle must got through the top opening where the cap screws onto the 2 liter. Put a little bit of colorful shredded paper in first to get some color and padding in the bottom of the 2 liter.
Gather a bunch of items that you think will fit through the 2 liter opening at the top. I like to have a lot of variety in my Two Liter Surprise Gift so here are some of the items that I put into mine. I used what I had in my stockpile from shopping sales, clearance racks, and using coupons so the entire gift was very affordable. Here are some of the items I used to get you started:
- Twist Lollipops
- Markers
- Glue Sticks
- Color Pencils
- Erasers
- Paper Clips
- Post-it Notes
- Crayons
- Highlighters
- Paint Brushes
- Mechanical Pencils
- Tattoos
- Pencils
- Stickers
- Magnets
- Balloons
- Ink Pens
- Binder Clips
- Bouncy Balls
- Small Toys
- Small Notebooks
- Decorative Bags
- And MORE!
Twist Lollipops were the surprise in the middle of the 2 liter bottle with all the other items and shredded paper packed in around them to protect them. I was glad to hear they did really well in shipping!
Filling the two liter bottle with surprises! The lollipops are wrapped inside the blue (with candy canes) tissue paper and put in the middle of the two liter for extra protection.
Packing the bottle full of goodies (another example). You can “stuff” a lot of fun items into a 2 liter bottle
I added the ribbon to the bottle and put a couple pieces of wrapping tape on it to help secure it to the lid. This bottle is a green Mountain Dew bottle with blue shredded paper in it.
Last step is to put on a label with your address and the recipents address and take it to the post office to mail out. (The addresses in the photo have been distorted on purpose for the protection of the kids to whom the gifts were sent to).
Every kid (who I am kidding every person, young & old) loves to get a special surprise in the mailbox. You will put a smile on the face of a family member or friend even though miles may separate you with this great, fun, and affordable gift!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Our family was able to spend some time in Florida, visiting friends and seeing the area! We got to go to Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, and Disney Magic Kingdom! We had a blast visiting the amazing places and spending time with our friends. Thankful for the awesome opportunities to create memories!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Connect with each family member at least once a day- Prep for Summer Break – working on it 🙂
- Read at least one book to the girls every day – didn’t do this every day we were on vacation
Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every dayPlan & go on at least one family Adventure– went on a adventure to Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, and Disney soooo much fun!Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – almost made it
Review my upcoming goals- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day- Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House – work in progress
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week – didn’t get home until the middle of the week and with everything going on so didn’t get this done
Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my deskWork on upcoming speaking engagement
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchBe a blessing to a total stranger this weekEmail the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group– emailed the updated schedule and information
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – working on it
- Save money for upcoming trips – starting it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – work in progress
- Save money for upcoming home projects – on hold temporarily
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
- Prep for Summer Break
- Read at least one book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Attend the Girls First Grade Program
- Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
- Swimming Lessons for the Kids
- Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Update my goals
- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
- Finish The Hunger Games by Susan Collins (recommended by several friends)
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group
- Feed & Serve Homeless – 1 John Ministry
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Save money for upcoming trips
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
- Save money for upcoming home projects
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
CONGRATULATIONS to Our Autographed “Born Again” CD Winner!
The name has been drawn for the giveaway!
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Enjoy listening to Your New Born Again CD!
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Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Our family had an opportunity to spend Memorial Weekend with some great friends. I am so thankful for the chance to catch up and have a fun time. My goals this week (for the most part) are the same as last week to keep it simple and moving forward.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Connect with each family member at least once a daySchedule a Date Night with JakePrep for our upcoming Family Trip- Read at least one book to the girls every day – missed a couple of days over the weekend
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day – the weekend was pretty busy so skipped a couple of days
Plan & go on at least one family AdventureSpend some extra time catching up with family and friends
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this weekReview my upcoming goals- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst – working on it
- Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close – almost done
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWork on Spring / Deep Cleaning the HouseWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekSpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – missed a couple days with the Memorial weekend activities
- Work on upcoming speaking engagement – didn’t get to it this week
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchBe a blessing to a total stranger this week- Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group – didn’t send out the email last week
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – made some headway
- Save money for upcoming trips – working on it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – starting to put more aside
- Save money for upcoming home projects – on hold temporarily
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
- Prep for Summer Break
- Read at least one book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Plan & go on at least one family Adventure
- Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Review my upcoming goals
- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
- Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
- Work on upcoming speaking engagement
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
- Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses (we finished saving up for a 3 month emergency fund so now we are working hard on getting our 6 month emergency fund established, the yard sale this past weekend was a good boost for us)
- Save money for upcoming trips
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
- Save money for upcoming home projects
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Creative Kids: Wrapping Paper Canoe
Brina and Karlie’s wrapping paper canoe
After a recent celebration at our house we had leftover wrapping paper, tissue paper, and a couple boxes. As I was cleaning up the girls asked if they could use the leftover items for a few days before we threw everything away. After a few moments of hesitation I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything to let them play with the items and get creative. They were thrilled to have such large pieces of wrapping paper and goodies to create something super special.
Once they decided what they wanted to do they took the largest piece of wrapping paper they could find and made a wrapping paper “canoe” out of it. The red tissue paper was used to create four rows of benches inside the canoe. They used some of the cardboard to make oars for their boat. I am not sure why they decided to make a canoe but they both worked together to come up with the idea and did well working together on it. I let them keep out their wrapping paper canoe for several days. I was pretty impressed with how they were able to put everything together all on their own and even made something that resembled a paddle out of cardboard.
Even though my preference would be to clean up the wrapping paper, cardboard, and tissue paper right away after the celebration I allowed myself to let go and let the girls have fun with the items. The items were trash but they had a blast creating, using the scissors and the glue to put together their wrapping paper canoe. Yes, I could have thrown all the wrapping items away as soon as the celebration was over but I would have never had the joy of watching my kids entertain themselves for hours with their handcrafted wrapping paper canoe! It is a great way to reuse the wrapping paper multiple times plus the kids have a blast too!
Cardboard paddle for their canoe
The Blessings of Motherhood!
Mother’s Day cards – can you guess who gave me which card?!
There are so many joys and rewards to being a Mom. As I reflect on the recent Mother’s Day I am once again reminded of the many blessings I have in my life. It took my husband and I several years before we had children so when I look back it on those days it reminds me of the precious gifts we have been given as well as the big responsibility of raising our girls.
Cards from Karlie and Brina with for Mother’s Day with pressed flowers
Not every day is easy nor does parenting always go perfectly for me. Somehow raising children has a way of “highlighting” the areas in my life that I need to work on. Several times over the past few months I have noticed more and more how my kids reflect my attitude, actions, and words. I have had to apologize to my kids for overreacting, saying something hurtful, or just being in a grumpy mood. Thankfully through all the successes as well as the failures my girls still love me and want to spend time with me.
Mother’s Day cards from Karlie & Brina
More than a week before Mother’s Day the girls announced that they were going to our neighbors garage sale to “shop” for a Mother’s Day gift so off they went with their little purses and money to the neighbors house. The girls and their cousin came back with bags in their hands and smiles on their faces. They were very excited to find treasures for Mother’s Day and they picked out some pretty cool stuff too. Brina got me a “Mom” necklace, pens, and lipstick and holder. Karlie got me a candle holder with candles, a mirror, and a “Mom” bracelet. The best part is that they picked it all out themselves and they put so much thought into their gifts.
Adorable note from my sweet Karlie
I was spoiled because both girls gave me 3 Mother’s Day cards too. Just reading their sweet cards brought tears to my eyes. They have grown up so much…..its hard to believe that only a few years ago they were tiny preemie babies and now they are shopping, writing their own cards, and so much more. God has richly blessed me with Brina and Karlie. I love them dearly and pray that I have wisdom from above to be the best Mom I can be for my girls.
Note and picture from my beautiful Brina
Jake is so good to me everyday but he always surprises me around Holidays. He made all the meals the entire weekend (it was a wonderful break). Jake is an amazing cook so I was really spoiled over Mother’s Day weekend. His cards always bring tears to my eyes. This year I got a brand new…..office chair from my man for Mother’s Day. Even though I don’t ever remember mentioning anything about my office chair he noticed that it was getting near its end. It has been nice having a comfy chair to work in this week! Thank you Handsome for your thoughtfulness, kindness, and love.
Mother’s Day drawing and note from my beautiful Karlie
The best part of the weekend was spending extra time with my family. It was the first weekend in a long time that it was just us hanging out together. We went on adventures, played games, read books, worked around the house, spent some time with friends, laughed, and just enjoyed our time as a family. I am thankful for the many memories and our moments together are a truly amazing gift.
Cute note in the card from my sweet Brina
Travel & Vacation: Charminar – Hyderabad, India
Jake & I in front of the Charminar – Hyderabad, India
We are actually standing on a small divider between two streets, thankfully it wasn’t during rush hour! Charminar is known as the Emerald City in Hyderabad. The Charminar was a beautiful building made of granite and marble.
Charminar – Hyderabad, India
Charminar was built in 1591 during the rule of Sulltan Muhammad Quli Autb Shah. It was built to celebrate the elimination of a plague from the city. Historians say that he prayed at this very spot for the plague to come to an end and promised to build a “masjid” mosque to remember this prayer. While building the Charminar Quli prayed “Oh Allah, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the water.” *
View from one side of Charminar
Looking out from Charminar towards a large temple in the center of Hyderabad, India
Looking down to the sidewalk below from the top of Charminar
Standing at the top of Charminar and looking across at the people on the other side. The various designs and architecture were pretty amazing!
The older part of Hyderabad that you can see from the top of Charminar
Jake and I at the top of Charminar.
It is quite funny the unintentional scene we make walking through the streets, markets, and historical places because many people had never met anyone from “The United States of America!” and they were intent on watching what we did and the really brave ones talked with us. I had to laugh looking at this picture afterward and seeing all the people standing behind us “posing” for the picture too! It was a neat experience meeting and talking with so many people on our journeys.
Our Driver was a great tour guide through this part of our trip.
This was the only location he would not let us go into alone. He came with us and we were very grateful! They people at the ticket counter would not allow us to pay for his ticket because it was not “appropriate”. He was an awesome driver, cheerful, knowledgeable, and it was neat to get to know him. We got to see the village where he lived and found out that he and his wife had their first kid, a little girl, this past November 2011.
One of the locals wanted us to put together our hands like we are holding the carving on the wall. Always an adventure!
It was so neat looking out over the city of Hyderabad
Looking at Charminar from the street
According to the local historians it has been said that one of the Charminar towers (or marinets) fell after being struck by lightening. It was repaired immediately and since then no major reconstruction has been done on the Charminar.
Charminar – Hyderabad, India
Charminar is built on four corners of the square with a tower (also called “minarets) in each of the four corners. Each side of Charminar opens to the plaza and you can see local vendors selling goods, food, and many items on the street. Every tower (minaret) is four stories high with approximate total height of 159 feet.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Chowmahalla Palace – Hyderabad, India (part 2)
This was a really neat room, it had the various weapons that had been used on display
I am continuing my pictures from our trip to the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India. Jake and I packed in several amazing events, learned a lot of great history, and toured the city of Hyderabad. This one one of the neat places we were able to see that day. In the picture above you can see a wall of weapons. It was pretty fascinating to see the various weapons on display. Many of them were made by hand and were used by royalty or famous people in India. They had two huge rooms from floor to ceiling with displays.
More weapons….ouch!
Jake had to explain to me what these seat / basket looking items were
I cannot remember the official name for these….yes there is one, but these are the chairs royalty would set on when riding on an elephant.
Garments and hats worn by royalty
It’s hard to tell from this picture but the royalty wore a lot of gold in their clothing. They would weave threads of gold throughout the pieces making them sparkle in the sun. I have noticed that the people in this area really do like brightly colored and gold items, they wear a lot of “bling-bling”.
Nizam’s Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Throne Car
It was a beautiful canary yellow car (only driven 356 miles)!
Story behind the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Car
Pretty cool car. They had someone in the display hand washing it when we were there. It is a fun and cheerful colorful, it would be cool to go for a spin in it!
Royal stables with a bunch of old carriages
Pretty flowers in the courtyard at the palace
Bright and beautiful flower at the Chowmahalla Palace, one of my favorites in India!
I had a blast touring the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India. It was filled with amazing glimpses into the history of India and it’s royalty. One piece of advice for anyone traveling to this area from USA or overseas, you will probably get stopped a lot, asked questions, pictures taken, and hands shaken.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Book & Pony Set: “Misty of Chincoteague” by Marguerite Henry
Book Misty of Chincoteague (couldn’t find a picture of “Misty” and “Phantom” that came with the girls set)
Book & Pony Set – Misty of Chincoteague (with “Misty” and “Stormy” similar to the one we got, but couldn’t find a picture of the first book with the ponies)
My girls are very different in many ways, even though they are twins, but they do have two things in common that they both love…….books and horses / ponies. While I was in India my Mom came to stay with the girls and she brought their birthday gifts. She gave the girls the book and “Misty” & “Phantom” ponies. They were so excited when I got home to show me their book and ponies that went with it. After we finished reading the current book they were going through they both agreed that the next book should be Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Every time I would read the book the girls would get out the ponies and each of them hold one while I read. They loved this story about a little boy and girl who worked hard to buy and raise these ponies. It was a cute story that our family enjoyed.
All the incidents in this story are real. They did not happen in just the order they are recorded, but they all happened at one time or another on the little island of Chincoteague. All the characters in the book Misty of Chincoteague really lived on Chincoteague Island. – Marguerite Henry
The part that was really neat about the story is it was based off a real family and event “Pony Penning Day”. After getting into the book you quickly grow to love the Beebe family. The grandparents dialogue is a little choppy to read but otherwise it was a wonderful story to share with your kids especially if they love horses or ponies!
Teaching Our Children: Spring Into Reading
Our filled reading tree
Last year I started a reading tree for the girls in the Spring and we continued to fill it with leaves through the Summer. I wanted to find a way to encourage the girls to read. They had blast adding leaves to the reading tree. It was a great visual way for them to see how much they were reading. Each member of the family had a different color leaf to hang up when a book was read. The girls also did a summer reading program through our local library and one online as well.
Spring into reading tree full of leaves!
As the school year ends in a few weeks and as summer vacation is getting closer it is now time for me to come up with another fun reading activity for the kids. I have a couple ideas for this summers reading adventure and will be sharing it with you soon. What ways do you encourage your children to read throughout the summer vacation?
