Santa's Visit

I had a few free minutes in between all our family outings so I thought I'd share a couple pics with all of you. Santa stopped by Rich's parents' house. As you can see, the two kids had completely different reactions to this. :)


Nathan wasn't too happy to see Santa this year! But he did like the present he brought...a Handy Manny Toolbox! He didn't want to open any more presents after that. And for hours all we kept hearing was, "Hop up, Jump In..." (the show's theme song.)


Kaydi had fallen asleep right before Santa showed up. So she was pretty content in seeing Santa. All she cared about was getting back to sleep!

Hope your Holiday was a great one, too! We still have one more outing to go! Then we can just stay at home and veg through the new year!

Christmas Blessings and Thank Yous

Like most of the other bloggers out there, I am going to be taking some "time off" to spend with my family. We are so blessed that Rich's work is giving him the rest of the year off for vacation. I am SO excited to have so many days to spend with him, Nathan and Kaydi. I'm sure I'll be putting some pictures on Nathan's blog of our Christmas adventures.

So, this is just a "heads-up" that the postings will be a little less than usual.

Thank you to all of you whom have sent me comments and emails since my start up in August. I cannot express enough how absolutely touching it is to hear that I have helped you in some way. I truly hope that you and your families all have a wonderful holiday season. (And I hope they all appreciate all those great deals you have found!)

So this is just me saying, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Thank You for everything!

Christmas Printable Coloring Pages

Click here to print off some Christmas coloring pages.

A little something to do together on a cold winter's day!

Inexpensive Gift Idea: Homemade Birdhouse

If you are looking for a good homemade gift for someone who has just about everything...how about a birdhouse? We picked ours up at Michael's craft store. There were sooo many varieties to choose from. Nathan had a blast painting it.

So not only do you get a great gift but your child will have a fun activity to do on a cold winter's day!

Frugal Gift: Christmas Photo Advent Calendar

I wrote this up for my guest posting on The Coupon Coup but I thought I'd share it for those of you whom didn't see it:

To create Advent Calendar, you’ll need:

~25 Envelopes
~25 Photos
~Ribbons, Pom-poms, round gift tags, etc to decorate
~Glue Sticks
~Foam Board / Push-Pins

Label each envelope from 1-25. I used round gift tags for mine. Lay them out in the shape of a Christmas tree. Decorate as you wish. Ribbons can be glued across to appear as garland. Glittery Pom-Poms make great light bulbs. And a big, red bow could be used as the tree topper. To hang it up, use push-pins and attach them to foam board. Or, you can use just tape it to the wall. These make great gifts for Mamas and Nanas! This year, I got her a special photo album to put all the pictures in.

Macy's: Discounted Glassware Set

Macy's has their Cellar Column 16-Piece Glassware Set discounted to $7.97. Shipping is $5.95 for up to 3 sets. This might be a nice little Christmas gift for someone! I noticed the reviews on the item were all 5-stars.

Side Note: The item has a label that it qualifies for their "EXTRAOFF" promo. It's currently not working, though. I may call Customer Service later to find out if it's broken or an error. Otherwise, you should get an EXTRA 15-20% off!

Christmas Gift Ideas

Jennifer, over at Sisterly Savings, has a great posting on some good, and inexpensive, Christmas gift ideas. Check it out, here!

Christmas: Can't Find Series

I can't believe how close Christmas is getting now! Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away which means...Black Friday sales coming up! I highly doubt I'll get to hit any! :)

This series is for you to post things that you are looking for as Christmas presents that you can't find. Let the other readers help track down a tricky item for you! They've been wonderfully great about ideas for me so far!

I don't have a particular item I'm looking for this week but I do have a question for all of you. What is your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget/item that you can't live without? I'm kind of looking to expand my cooking/baking world here and I thought I might put a new gadget on my list this year.

Leave a comment or a link to your blog of your favorite item.

Coupon Geek's a Guest Poster?

Jenn, over at The Coupon Coup, was so kind to ask me to be a guest poster for her 12 weeks of Christmas series. If you haven't checked out her series before, you'll definitely want to tune in. You'll get some great ideas for homemade Christmas items, baking items and possibly some new traditions.

Christmas Idea: Magazines for Little Ones

Nathan has been loving helping me get the mail lately. It's fun to carry in all those freebies/samples! So when I saw this offer, I thought it might be a good present for him--something for HIM in the mail each month!

National Wildlife Federation has three magazines that are for different age groups: Wild Animal Baby for 12 months - 4 years, Your Big Backyard for ages 3-7 yrs. and Ranger Rick for ages 7 years on up.

Right now, they are offering a FREE gift with subscription. Wild Animal Baby gets a FREE Plate set, while the other two get FREE binoculars. All subscriptions are $19.95.

I just thought I'd throw out the idea in case you were looking for a unique gift for a child. Just think, every month, they'll think of you when they get their magazine in the mail! I love subscriptions for gifts!

Christmas: Can't Find Series

Less than two months until Christmas now. It didn't seem quite real until the weather dropped yesterday and we actually saw some snow flurries. SNOW! I feel like I was just gardening yesterday. Time sure is flying by!

Well, I don't have any specific items I am looking for for Christmas. But I am stuck on ideas for the Nanas. So if you have any great ideas or some fantastic homemade gifts that will touch their hearts, PLEASE let me know.

For those of you new to this series, I usually post this on Monday/Tuesday as a place for you to ask all the readers for help in finding a Christmas item/idea. So feel free to leave a comment or a blog link.

Christmas: Can't Find Series

Believe it or not, aside from a few gift cards and 1 PSP game I have to pick up...I am all done Christmas shopping. They just need to be wrapped. I know that sounds absolutely sickening to you but it's the way it has to be this year with the baby coming so late in the season. I'll have my hands full juggling the two of them so I didn't want to worry about who I still needed to buy for!

But, I will continue to post this series, hopefully on each Monday for you. I know once it gets closer to Christmas, more of you will be looking for help finding items!

As a switch today, not only am I opening up the links to items you can't find BUT...if you have a great Christmas gift idea or a great crafty item that would make a wonderful gift, please leave your blog link or a comment. Call me old-fashioned but I truly love the homemade gifts better than the store-bought ones, overall.

Hoping to hear some great ideas from you this week! Your idea might just make my Top 5 on Friday! :)

Christmas: Can't Find Series

So here is this week's posting for the Can't Finds series. If you have any items that you are needing for Christmas presents that you are having a hard time finding, please feel free to leave your blog or a comment and we'll help you out.

This week, I am looking for something to actually put on my list. For my first Mother's Day last year, Rich surprised me with a Dell laptop computer! Since then, it's "home" has been a small wooden TV tray, which has worked until recently. I'd actually like a very small desk for it. Just something that has enough room for a mousepad and a place to set a pencil/folder holder. I haven't been able to find one that is small and under $ 70. And I don't want one more expensive than that.

Have you seen anything online or at a store that might fit this need?

Thank you to Dani and Darlene for their children's cutlery findings last week!

Make sure and post your "Can't Finds" so we can help you out, too!

Tuesday Tip: Christmas Expectations and Kids

This tip is especially for newer parents but can be useful to all. We have to be careful as new parents of what expectations we set for our children the first few Christmas seasons. If we teach them that Christmas is all about the number of presents that are under the tree, they will learn to expect that same amount of presents each year. Yes, we may have visions of the children running downstairs to the sight of the presents from floor to base of tree but quite frankly, it's a little much.

I was reading in the Tightwad Gazette about the fulfillment curve. How kids would be content with just opening a few gifts but we push them to keep opening and then their expectations change the more presents they open. I am reading an older version but it's on pgs 77-78. It might just open your eyes to what children really DO think about gift opening!

And remember, gifts aren't about the money spent. These first few years, you can get by with spending less! Buy things that they like but you needed to buy anyway, like Winnie the Pooh Toothbrushes in their stockings or Pajamas for a present to open. Wrap up things like crayons, colored pencils, coloring books--that can all be purchased very cheaply at Dollar Stores or Target's $1 bins. They will love them as much, or more, than $30 toys! You can also find books for $1 or less there, too!

Just try to keep the true meaning of Christmas alive...create some great family traditions..and if you have time, check out the fulfillment curve I mentioned. I think you'll find it interesting!

Nestle: Homemade Gift Jars

Nestle has some recipes for Homemade Gift Jars on their site. They also have the option of printing off special gift tags for them. Click here for more details.

These might come in handy for some homemade Christmas gifts!

They also have some printable baking stencils here for cakes/cupcakes.

Happy Crafting!

Christmas: Can't Find Series

The most frustrating thing about Christmas shopping can be knowing EXACTLY what you want to buy someone and not being able to find it or not being able to find a good deal on it!

So I thought I'd start up a weekly series called, "Christmas: Can't Finds" until the holidays are over. This is just a place for you to seek help from all of us on something you...well...can't find. :)

Here's mine:

When we were growing up, my mother had this miniture fork/knife/spoon set that we all loved using during mealtimes. I really wanted Nathan to have one of his own and all I can find are the ones with the plastic ends. I'd really like to get him a set he can pass down to his family later. So if any of you can recommend a set or know of somewhere that has a good one, please let me know!

Please leave your "can't finds" under Mr. Linky or in the comments field for help. Next week, if I see some unresolved, I'll put them directly in the main posting.

Happy Shopping! And Thanks for the Help!
~Jaycie

Christmas? That's Right!!

I thought I was going to freak my family out by my excessive talk of Christmas so early but the funny thing is...we are ALL on the same page! I think the Christmas spirit might be hitting a little early and it's wonderful!

Now, why am I thinking of Christmas? I am due around Thanksgiving so you can imagine the last thing I want to be doing after having a baby is shopping and wrapping! :) So I am starting to get all my ideas together and presents bought early! Rich, Nathan and I have already been blessed with the GREATEST present of all so now we get to work on everyone else's!

I wanted to give you a heads up on a series that is starting on another blog. Jenn, over at The Coupon Coup is starting up a 12 Weeks of Christmas series. She is also looking for guest bloggers to contribute. Let her know if you are interested. I think today may be her deadline? I am excited about seeing all the frugal & homemade items/decorations everyone comes up with, along with hearing about traditions etc!

So don't think it's too early to start your Christmas plans, too! Sometimes those homemade/frugal gifts take awhile to make! If you are doing crafty things, don't forget to use the Michael's coupon here.

But in the midst of all your planning, never forget the REAL meaning of Christmas!

Target Exclusive: Play-Doh Kit

If you are looking for a great birthday or Christmas gift, Target has an exclusive Play-Doh set called "Molding Mania." The kit is $7.64 and includes three cans of compound, several cookie-cutter shapes, a pop-out cutter and a Play-Doh pick-up stick. The set includes over 50 pieces. All in all, it's a good buy for the money. We picked one up for Nathan and held it for a "rainy day." I pulled it out this weekend for him and my niece to play with and they were entertained for hours!

Simple Craft: Family Art

I had read in a few baby magazines that it's good to make a photo album with family pictures to help your baby associate a name with the face. I bought one of those baby flip books but within no time, it was bent up and the pages stuck to the pictures making them hard to see. I thought of just doing a photo collage frame but I refuse to add any extra glass into the house! At around the same time, I had started to dislike a canvas painting I had picked up. So I decided to use it as my frame.

I wrapped the canvas in some brightly colored ABC fabric that I already had. I then dug through all my HUNDREDS of pictures to find a good shot of each member of our families. I had a few open spots so I filled those with my favorite pictures of Nathan. I simply glued the pictures onto the fabric. I wasn't sure if they'd fade or get messed up, but surprisingly, it looks just as good today as it did months ago when I made it!

I simply hung the canvas onto the wall with two regular nails. I also found some brightly colored foam letters at Michael's craft store ($1 each) and I picked up enough to spell out his name. They sit perfectly on top of the canvas and I've never had a problem with them falling off. (I had a 40% off coupon so the letters ended up being a great deal!)

Before we go to visit a family member, we take Nathan to the board and say, "We are going to see Aunt Jodi or Uncle Garrett etc." He seems to connect it later when we actually see them. Throughout the week, Nathan will do his little "up-up" and make us go through EVERYONE'S picture, naming them all for him. Sometimes we have to do this twice a day. :) He really seems to like his picture board.

So if you are looking for a way to teach your little one family members, this might just work out for you. Before you spend $ on a new canvas, check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift stores. You can usually find one there for $3 or under. Since you'll be covering it, it really doesn't matter what the original picture looks like. If you can't find one, hold out until Michael's/JoAnn's puts one of their 40% off coupons in their sale ads.

Happy Crafting!

Simple Craft: Peek-A-Boo! Board

I modified this Peek-a-Boo board from a suggestion I found in the Active Learning for Ones book. (This is a great series! I've only found it on Amazon or eBay, though.)

For mine, I used a smaller canvas that I got for 50% off at Michael's fabric store. I covered it with fabric. I then bought six other colors/textures of fabric for the picture flaps. You could glue these directly on, but since I wanted the freedom to switch them out for variety and in case sticky fingers came in contact, I used little round velcro pieces. The cheapest I've seen those are at Wal-Mart. I then used velvet letters for the "Peek-A-Boo!" heading across the top. (Yet another texture for them to touch.)

Under each of the fabric picture flaps, I put another piece of round velcro and I printed out pictures from Microsoft Word and covered them in contact paper. Throughout the week, I'll switch out the pictures or simply just move where they are on the board. Nathan never knows what to expect! He loves this little board! It doesn't take too long to make or maintain and it's a great tool for teaching your children a larger vocabulary. You can even put pictures of family members under there to teach them who everyone is.

Watch your sales ads for fabric stores as ours (Michael's and JoAnn's) will have 40% off any one item coupons. Typically, if you sign up for their email newsletter, they'll send you coupons that way, too. This helps keep the expense of the board down. These also make GREAT Christmas gifts if you are looking for something unique that won't kill your budget.

Happy Crafting!