Homemade Happy Meals

Just in case you  might be trying to think of a fun little surprise for your kids; or perhaps you are hosting a birthday party, and wondering just how to serve a lunch to active little ones that don't really want to sit down at the table -- I just happen to have a good solution.  This summer when my sister, Molly, was hosting a rehearsal dinner for her son's wedding, she needed an idea for the meal for younger kids as she knew that there was a good chance they would not be interested in the Indian food that she had planned.  She came up with packing individual snacks for them that would keep their interest and fill them up.

Snacks of choice included an individual fruit cup of mandarin oranges along with a spoon, Gogurt, cheese and breadsticks, string cheese, Cracker Jacks, and a box drink. 

 

 

All fit nicely into a foil pie plate that just happened to have a snap on plastic lid.

 
 

 

 

My nieces then labeled each one with the names of the kids.  This part is good because when the kids walk away, they don't have to fuss over which one belongs to them upon their return.

 

 

Of course any combination of items can be placed on the plate; but a very nice thing about doing something such as this is that it can all be done ahead of time.  And who isn't all for getting things done ahead of time.

 

Color Themed Gifts

Recently, when the time came for me to send someone a birthday gift, my daughters had the bright idea of giving a gift wherein all of the items had to do with a favorite color of the recipient.  We went with a "pink" theme, and had a great time choosing items to put in the gift:

As you can see from the picture, we had mints, candy, pink pens that even had pink ink, a pink notebook, pink nail polish, hand sanitizer, Starbucks Iced Refreshers, cute napkins, and pink Mediterranean salt. 

All of the fun items were then wrapped in pink tissue paper and tied with pink ribbon:

And wrapped in a cute pink gift bag of course:

Really, when you think about it, who wouldn't like to receive a fun gift like this.



Simple, but Nice Gifts

Christmas is drawing closer each day, and as I can imagine there are some of you really on top of things with gifts all wrapped and delivered, cookies baked, and cards written.  But I can especially relate to those of you who are still  preparing for the upcoming holiday.  I haven't even begun my baking yet, that's on the agenda for today; and I've been busily working on finishing the hand made gifts that I always seem to wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas to begin.  So just in case there is anyone out there still trying to drum up ideas for gifts, here are a couple that just might work for you.

Large acrylic drinking glasses with straws are a very fun gift to give.  And when you fill one with some of the individual cold drink mixes that are available in every grocery store, it adds just that little extra touch to makes it even that much nicer.  Costco sells a package of the drink mixes for such a reasonable price, that if you were going to make more than one of these gifts up, that is a great way to go.

And if it is cold where you live, and you would rather go the hot drink route, the insulated hot drink containers are also a great idea.  Pair one of them up with a cute tin of hot chocolate, and you are all set.

A Pre-Christmas Gift

A fun way to brighten the day of a good friend, sister, or even your mother, is to give them a pre-Christmas gift.  A little something to help them enjoy the Christmas season while they are making their preparations. 

Choose holiday labels, festive sticky sheets or note pad, and a scented candle

Place them all in a cute container, and voila, you have the perfect little hostess gift or just because gift.  You could even add a holiday CD and I can imagine the gift recipient will be wrapping gifts this year with a smile on her face.

A Thoughtful Gift

Just a couple of hours ago, I said goodbye to two of my daughters who are actually going on a wonderful vacation.  I have been very excited for them to take this trip, but nonetheless, when it comes right down to the moment of saying goodbye, it's hard to do.  Last year I experienced it when I said goodbye to another daughter when she went on a trip.  In order to make the time apart not seem so long, I had written her a note for every day of her trip and included some gifts for some of the days.  So I decided to do the same for these daughters.  Right before I passed them a little package tied up with ribbon with all of their notes inside, they presented me with a little box with this label on the top:

When I opened it up, it was filled with colorful envelopes and packages, one for each day that they will be gone.  I just love this tradition we have started.  It makes being apart much easier.

Saturday's Book Choice

Today is the first Saturday of our new year; and for some unexplained reason, I have thought that on each Saturday, it would perhaps be fun to make a book recommendation right here on my little blog.  There will be no particular method to my madness, just any book that seems to be calling out to me as the weeks go by.  This week was an easy one.  In fact my daughter passed it to me this very morning as we were eating breakfast together.  She had checked it out at the library; but just as soon as I started thumbing through it, I knew that I need to get my own copy.  You see I enjoy being on the lookout for better ways to keep a house by being organized and keeping it clean.  And especially with the new year, and resolutions still in full force, I thought you might be interested in it as well.  It is called "Express Housekeeping" by Anna Shepard.  The layout of the book is very user friendly, dividing itself into chapters from speed cleaning to decluttering.  The one thing I really liked about it is that you don't have to spend hours trying to organize your life just to fit in her particular cleaning schedule.  All of the suggestions seem very practical.  I also like her tips for using things around the house for certain types of cleaning, such as baking soda, vinegar, etc.  My daughter also had a great suggestion that it would make a wonderful bridal shower gift.  I agree wholeheartedly; and to include some microfiber dust cloths, or a special cleaner that you like with the book would certainly add that little extra to the gift to make it very useful.

Shoebox Time

When my children were very small, their grandfather would give each of them money to go buy little gifts to fill a shoebox for the Samaritan's Purse shoebox ministry.  It seemed like it would take a couple of hours for me to take all four of them through Target with their little lists in hand of the things they wanted to put in their boxes.  They loved doing it, and the time spent in the store, adding, re-adding, and adding yet once again all of the items in the cart to make sure they had stayed within their budget, was truly a blessing to me.  Seeing their little giving spirits wanting to buy gifts for children they didn't even know was a very sweet sight to see.  My kids aren't small anymore, but we still enjoy taking part in this ministry.  In the beginning we would use actual shoe boxes; however, now we use the small plastic boxes because it just seemed like it would be fun for the recipient of the box to actually have a nice container to keep all of his/her goodies in.

Some of the favorite things we like to put in ours are:  a small baby doll for a little girl, small trucks for boys, plastic farm animals, play-dough, stickers, art supplies, bracelets, hair barettes, socks, candy, toothpaste, toothbrushes, school supplies such as pens, pencils, notebooks, and erasers, hair brushes, combs, cute bandaids, lots of candy, a small stuffed animal, hats, gloves, and little rubber duckies.  When we are all finished packing the box -- which really takes a great deal of skill to make everything fit -- we then sprinkle little hard candies all around in any open spaces.

One year my youngest daughter thought it looked like such a fun gift that she said she would like one.  So that year for Christmas I put together a box just for her, and she was thrilled.

The collection week this year is November 14-21st.  If you aren't sure where to drop off your shoebox, you can look at their website to find a location near you.  And now the shipping boxes are scanned so once they have been delivered, if you would like, they can e-mail you to let you know which country your box went to.

Random Gifts of Cookies

One of my daughters recently had a birthday that fell on the same day as one of her volleyball games.  I made cookies for her so that she could hand them out to her friends after the game; however, in the rush of everyone wanting to leave after the game (it was an "away" game, and the hour had gotten late), the passing out of the cookies never happened.  So we brought home the cute little packages of cookies:

Another daughter placed them all in one of my red mixing bowls so that we would have a place to keep them until they were eaten.

I found that having the cookies pre-wrapped as little gifts was actually a wonderful thing to have around the house.  So many instances came up where a random gift of a little cute bag of cookies was the perfect thing to give someone to brighten their day. 

I had found these little plastic food container bags in the Wilton baking section of I think WalMart.  I don't know exactly how many came in the package, but there was a very generous supply.  Combined with two cookies to a bag (I used the Originial Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookie recipe), and some cute ribbon that we just happened to have, they were so easy to put together. 

I think I will be laying in a supply of these little cookie bags, and make it a now and then habit of making cookies for the sole purpose of passing them out to others just to see them smile.

New Inspiration

As I write this, I am sitting in the lobby of our local community center waiting for my daughter to finish up with one of her many activities.  Keeping me company today is the current issue of "Where Women Cook".  I am currently on page 118, not having skipped a page, and taking special notice of each beautifully created photograph.  There aren't many pages remaining, and I then plan on starting over once again to make certain I haven't missed one single thing.

I first heard about the magazine from my blog friend, Koralee, from Bluebird Notes.  She is actually featured in the magazine on pages 86-91.  When she blogged about the magazine a couple of weeks ago, she was offering a copy in a giveaway.  Of course I left a comment to be entered in the giveaway; but knowing that the odds were against me actually winning, I began to look for the magazine locally.  I first caught a glimpse of it in a Michael's store, and immediately reached for a copy; however, as soon as I saw the price, I retracted my hand in disappointment.  It is a bit expensive, and my mind wandered back to the giveaway wondering just what exactly my chances might be of winning a copy.  Thinking about it realistically for a moment, I wondered if I might be able to find a copy at Costco, which was to be my next stop.  After arriving at Costco, I half heartedly looked not expecting to see it; but lo and behold, there it was at a discounted price.  I immediately placed it in my cart, and decided that would be a treat to myself for the day.  And what a treat it has been.  The articles and photography are delightful.  Unlike some magazines that after perusing, I set down never to return to, I have even already attempted making my friend, Koralee's, cupcake liner flowers that she gives instructions for on page 90.  Mine still need a bit of tweaking to be as cute as hers; but I thought they looked just fine on a couple of very special birthday presents I recently wrapped.

Christmas and Chocolate

I don't think that there are too many things better than the combination of chocolate and Christmas. Maybe the reason they go so well together is because at Christmas we have an excuse to make the rich and creamy desserts that normally we might try to talk ourselves out of because of the extra calories, etc. Last year for Christmas, one of my daughters gave me the book, I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas by Marcel Desaulniers. What a delightful book this is!

I think that Mr. Desaulniers is one of my very favorite cookbook authors of all time. I have several of his books, and have even made a few of his recipes. The results are always out of this world delicious.

Yesterday when my youngest daughter indicated she was suffering from boredom, I suggested that she make some cookies. This was the book that she chose, and made these:

They were melt in your mouth delicious! If any of you are interested in the recipe, just leave a comment indicating so (making sure I can link back to you some way), or e-mail me (see my profile), and I will be happy to send it to you.

A Very Necessary Gift

Etsy is such a great place to do some shopping. It seems that you can find just about anything there. I find it very interesting just cruising through the different shops, and seeing the vast array of items that are available. Quite a few of the shops I have now marked as favorites, wanting to come back at a later time to just see the cuteness, or possibly buy something at a later date. One of my recent favorite shops carries something that unfortunately I don't have anyone to buy them for; but if any of you have a little girl, or know of a little girl, this would absolutely make the perfect gift for her. I can just imagine the possibilities of all the fun that could come along with one of the tutus from the Little Miss Muffets shop on Etsy.

Creative Inspiration

As a seamstress and crafter, I enjoy sitting down with a good book filled with ideas. Quite often I will check them out at the library; and if I find a particular one that I enjoy, I will splurge and buy a copy of my own. A couple of years ago I came across a new book at the library entitled, Sew Pretty Homestyle, by Tone Finnanger.

I enjoyed flipping through the pages so much that I renewed it for a second round. After that period of time was over, I came to the realization that it was time to return it to the library so that someone else could enjoy it; however, I just wasn't quite finished with it. So I turned to Amazon and purchased my very own copy. Since then, I have purchased two more of her books: Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle

and Sew Sunny Homestyle.

Now at this point I must confess that I haven't ever actually made anything out of them quite yet; but whenever I find a free moment on my hands, and want to be inspired, I reach for one of them. And besides, who could even possibly resist not wanting to make this little guy:

(you can find him in Sew Sunny Homestyle)

A Favorite Sewing Tool

A couple of years ago, my sister, Molly, gave me a most useful gift. She said that it was by far her favorite sewing tool. It was a "Purple Thang". Yes, it has a very funny name; but I have also found it to be the first sewing tool I reach for when I am working on a project. It makes turning projects extremely easy, pushing out little corners without tearing a hole in the fabric, very handy for taking a quick 1/4" measurement, using it to push stuffing into small spaces, and even finger pressing to name just a few. If you haven't tried one of these, I highly recommend it. And of course it would make the perfect stocking stuffer for a seamstress or crafter when Christmas time rolls around.

Creative Gift Giving

With Christmas fast approaching, it is time once again for me to turn my attention to gifts for family and friends. One of my favorite gifts to give, are gift baskets. They are so much fun to put together. I like to fill each one with special items that I know will bring a smile to the recipient's face.

I try to pick up various sized baskets throughout the year when the stores are having sales. The best times that I have seen are after Christmas, and in the spring when Easter is near. You can also pick up the cellophane to wrap them with during these sales as well as the shredded paper for the basket filling. But just in case you haven't stocked up earlier in the year, all of these supplies are readily available any time of year.

Baskets aren't the only vessel that can be used for gift giving. You can be very creative with how you present your gifts. A large salad or mixing bowl, a wooden crate, tote bags, pretty pots, or even cookie jars. The ideas really are endless. A great resource for some fun ideas is the book, Southern Living at Home Beautiful Containers. My sister-in-law, Jill, gave me this book as a gift this past year. It is filled with some very creative and beautiful ideas. The book itself makes a great gift, and look how cute she presented it to me:

Christmas Stitchery Patterns

I just happened upon a new blog this evening. It is called "Among the Gum Trees". At the present time they are offering a free stitchery pattern each week until Christmas. Nine very talented ladies are each contributing a design. From the looks of the first three weeks, I'm quite certain that I'm going to join in the fun, and hopefully stitch one or two of these.

Harvesting in Miniature

I have been blessed with an abundance of fruits and vegetables this year. As I write this, I literally have bowls and bowls and bowls of plums awaiting their fate (jam for most of them), a box of pears almost ripe enough to be working with, zucchini sitting ever so patiently waiting to be turned into bread, and lots of tomatoes for salsa. Even though it can seem overwhelming at times, I just love having all of this abundance around. It is the whole point of planting the garden in the spring, right? And as a sweet reminder of this blessed time, I have a miniature clay figure of a little lady standing amongst her harvest.



She is so sweet, and filled with detail. To give you something to compare her size with, here she is with a cherry tomato behind her:


I picked her up at a local craft/art show last summer; and never tire at looking at all of the amazing detail that she is comprised of. The artist is Elayne Watrus; and here is her website showing all of her creations "The Little Street Collection". Elayne didn't make it back to our yearly art show this year -- I looked for her specifically hoping to find a little friend for my sweet little gardening lady.

Watering Can Bouquet

We have a Mary Janes Farm store in town; and on a recent visit there, my daughters saw this cute watering can, and knew it was the perfect gift for me. I just love it; and also loved my daughters' idea of filling a large canning jar with water and flowers and slipping it inside the watering can to use as a vase. Perfect.

Scotty Dogs

My two oldest daughters are very talented when it comes to a needle and thread. They are also very familiar with my mother's fondness for little black scotty dogs. So when her birthday rolled around this past month, they put their fingers to work, and came up with these:

They are actually available as a free pattern over at Allsorts. Needless to say, my mom was very pleased when she received them.

A Practical Gift

Gift baskets have many possibilities. Typically they are theme oriented, which is a very fun thing to receive. But sometimes a blend of many things can be especially fun to give and receive. My sweet mom just had a birthday; and so I decided to give her a gift basket filled with practical things. It was filled with tea, cotton yarn, sugar free candy, a new dish towel, note cards, a package of colorful pens, stickers, forever stamps, and new slippers. At least that is what I can remember that went into it. I didn't get a picture after it was all wrapped up, but one of my daughters had a great idea for the wrapping. We purchased a yard of blue and a yard of purple tulle, and wrapped that around the basket. It was then tied with blue and white polka dot two inch wide ribbon. Even though you can see through the tulle around the basket, it really did make for a pretty presentation.

A New Pillowcase

In January, my daughter and I were browsing around a local quilt store, when I found some cute fabric in the clearance section. To me it just seemed to say "please make a pillowcase out of me". It is technically a Valentine's Day fabric, but what little girl doesn't need hearts on her bed all year around? I paired it with a couple of other fabrics, and followed the directions that I posted back in November. This project really does go up quickly, and makes for a fun gift.




My daughter swapped it right away for one of her flannel pillow cases. Even though we still have snow on the ground and flannel sheets on the beds, this colorful pillowcase brings a little hope that spring will get to us eventually.