2014: Make the Most of It

 

Christmas has come and gone...

The year is over,

flown by, really,

in a whirl,

as a new year begins

and the never ending theme and thought

that runs through my head is

how fast time passes.

We've all read about the unimportance of material gifts

and the ever growing importance of time,

And each year, as I get older

I realize my Christmas list gets shorter

because the things I really want

can't be bought

from a store

Or ordered online anymore.

That life means more...

This year I gave my grandma something I couldn't really create –
but only give back to her
that which she earned:
Her memories.
Her time.
Her experiences. 

Those can't be replaced or replicated any longer,
only remembered,
in old,
weathered photos,
with cracks and frays and
fancy cursive letters
written with care
by a 20,
30,
40 year old
woman, mom and grandmother
who was writing her memories there;
and how her eyes reflected the joy of those times
and her voice quivered in sharing the moments with us.

And it hit me.
And I realized,
really solidified,
that no gift I have ever gotten
or will ever receive
will replace the time and moments
I have yet
to experience.
That I have the opportunity
now,
today,
to create
those moments,
and not regret
that time is passing.
That it will pass,
whether I make something out of it,
or not.



And that the memories created
in moments like this
with kids
with family
are priceless
and can't be bought..



2014 gives us an opportunity to start fresh. To develop deeper friendships, to be intentional in the time we share and be a presence in the lives of our kids and those we love.



This year, my word for 2014 is experiences.

Make the most of it! What's your word for 2014?


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Last Minute Gift Ideas {That Keep on Giving!}

 I don't know about you, but the holidays have crept up so suddenly, I'm still trying to keep up! In fact, just when I *think* I'm done shopping, I remember one more person to shop for or one more gift I need! Does that sound familiar? And, let's face it, braving the stores this weekend is not at the top of a busy mom's list!

So here are some, hopefully easy, gift solutions for ANYONE on your list that are
1. Easy to get/give last minute
and
2. Will keep you out of the stores!!

What are these amazing ideas?

1. Coffee or Tea of the Month Club
If you have a tea or coffee lover in the family, how about a "Tea of the Month" club? Most subscriptions aren't too pricey and it gives the opportunity for your friend or family member to try out new flavors risk - free! I recently bought one from this shop that seemed to have a lot of choices for any tea lover on your list!

 Adagio Teas

2. Magazine Subscription
The possibilities are endless on this one! There are magazines for almost any interest and Magazine.com has hundreds (maybe thousands) of choices and a lot of great deals! I just got my son a Popular Mechanics subscription for only $6.99! Woot!

3. Cooking Classes
Hopefully your friend won't take this as a hint. lol Hey, they have classes for two, which would make a great date night, maybe someone would be inspired by a cake decorating or sushi class - and they even have culinary classes for kids for the budding chef in your family! Again - lots of possibilities! Sur La Table has classes all over the United States but check your area for your local cooking schools. Sometimes your local bakery may even have a monthly baking/lesson night! The best part is -- you usually get to eat what you make! Yum!

4. Give them the gift of Adventure!!
One year I got the gift to go zip lining!! It was SO much fun! I'm a firm believer that experiences are more powerful than tangible gifts sometimes. If you have an adventurous friend or family member this is the gift for them! Maybe zip lining isn't their thing - maybe it's bungee jumping, canoeing, rafting, sky diving {eek!}, stand up paddle boarding or simply anything that they've never done but always wanted to try. That's what zip lining was for me. The experience only lasted one day - but the memories will last forever!!

5. Donate to a Charity in their name
If your friend has a charity you know they support, this is the perfect opportunity to support your friend and their cause!! This is also the perfect gift for the 'person who has everything.' There are lots of charities to choose from, and if you're not sure what to choose, here are two of my favorites:

SAFE AFRICA
Supporting the education, teacher training, early childhood development and charitable needs of Malawi, Africa. (Yes, that's me in the pic from a trip there a few years ago.) :o)

Amor Ministries
Amor builds houses in rural areas of Mexico. They always welcome support too!!

If you still like your recipient to unwrap something - you could give the tea of the month club with a tin of tea, or the magazine subscription with the first issue of the magazine, or wrap a rolling pin for the cooking class!!

What do you think? Was this list helpful? Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet?

Happy Holidays!!!

Linking up here: Tatertots and Jello

For more inspiration and conversation, follow me on: Facebook/Instagram/Twitter

S’mores Fudge

Happy Holidays!
THREE exciting things are happening RIGHT NOW!
1. The winner of the Thankful for YOU giveaway is announced – read to the end of this post to find out if it’s you! {Yay!}
2. There’s still time to enter the giveaway going on at Delightful Deets with TONS of awesome prize packages! and
3. Remember yesterday how I shared my White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge? Well we saved the best fudge for last!! I promised to share my boys’ favorite fudge recipe – and this is IT!


To make S’mores Fudge you will need:

• one bag of chocolate chips
• 10 oz. container of chocolate frosting
• Enough graham crackers to line the bottom of your fudge pan. Between 4-8 {I wanted really thick fudge, so I used a 6x9 inch – approx.- pan and about 3 whole graham crackers.}
• Marshmallows on top – to taste

1. First, line the bottom of your pan with foil or butter. {mostly on the sides, since the graham crackers won’t stick to the bottom of your pan!}

2. Then, pour the fudge mix on top of the graham crackers. For the full recipe on how to make the fudge click here. Remember to substitute chocolate chips and chocolate frosting!
3. Top with lots of marshmallows!! The more the merrier!

4. Then place in the refrigerator for about an hour until the fudge is set.

~Another option is to mix the marshmallows in with the fudge

and even crumble graham crackers in the mix! Yum! ~

Either way, you’re sure to have success! Get ready to wrap this tasty treat up as gifts and share with family or friends! Although, I know it’s pretty tempting to want to eat it all yourself {cough not that I would know anything about that} so I highly recommend making TWO batches!! Enjoy!

Have you made fudge this season? Which combination is your favorite?

And of course – our lucky winner of a Jute Growth Chart AND $10 iTunes gift card is… 

{drum roll please}…

 

CHELSEA THOM


Congrats Chelsea! I’ve sent you an email with all the details!! Woo hoo! Happy Holidays!

I'm sharing this recipe at Tip Junkie and some of my favorite places!

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Christmas season is officially under way and one of my favorite things to do over the holidays is bake! I love seeing all YOUR creative recipes, re-making family favorites and trying new recipes for family and friends. This year I have been experimenting with fudge!

I used a new version of an old recipe and the result was this White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge! {Just the title had me drooling!}

This recipe is so easy I know you’ll want to make every possible version! And to make it EVEN easier to save, I made this recipe card: just right click on the image, save and print! 

What also makes this recipe so cool is it's endless variations:

You can use ANY can of cake frosting flavor you like and ANY flavor of chocolate chips! One of our family favorites: chocolate frosting with peanut butter chips! YUM! (PS: I’ve heard that using caramel chips don’t set/harden the fudge, but I’ve never tried that version myself.) This year we finally branched out and tried white chips and cream cheese frosting! I'm so glad I had some friends willing to taste test for me,{tough job, I know} and so far this fudge has been a big hit!

Oh – and if you need something to cross off your Christmas list, these wrap up into perfect little gifts. (I got the treat bags at Target!)

I’ll be packing up fudge this year for co-workers, neighbors, friends and family! 

All of the fudge versions are delicious, but there is something about the white chocolate peppermint fudge that is so festive! I hope you get a chance to make it!

Tomorrow, come back to see the fudge recipe my kids deem as THEIR absolute favorite! Are you trying new recipes this year or sticking to tried and true family favorites?

Jute Growth Chart

This month marks my nephew’s first birthday! Yay! So, doing my job as a good auntie and godmother, I felt like I needed to make him something unique, that he didn’t already have. I knew my sister didn’t have a growth chart (thanks to my stealth visit to New York this summer) and I’ve always wanted to try making one, SO seven feet of jute ribbon later – woo hoo we’ve got one! :)

{Yep, wrote those numbers in myself, by hand. No stencil. #someonePLEASEgivemeasillhouette}

I like that she can hang it up on any wall:




Or roll it up if she needs to save space.




And all it took was about an hour of time and love. {Coke Zero optional.}




Dear sis, please appreciate that I HAND STITCHED that little dowel and twine onto the jute ribbon so you can hang your growth chart. Just for you. {wink}





I think that little dowel was my favorite part – as were these cute little pins and tags I added so she can document his growth throughout the years…




There’s even room on the back of the tags if she wants to write little anecdotes about his milestones and likes/dislikes as he grows.



Happy Birthday sweet nephew! Here’s to many more years of love and growth in your life! Love, Auntie!

Linking up here this week!

End of the Year Teacher Gift

Woot! Woot! There are only 18 days left of school here until Summer!

{But who’s counting?} ;-)

If you need one last little something 

to thank that special teacher in your child’s life for the end of the year,

I have just the gift for you! 

This year we are making these Flower Paper Clips!

As a teacher myself, I am constantly clipping together assignments and papers I need. But there are SO many more uses for these little cuties!

They are perfect for bookmarks…. {I'm ALWAYS marking pages in books!}

for holding a thank you card, or drawing

or clipped to a gift card!

I love using mine as a bookmark the best!

~~~~~

Want to make your own?

All you need is…

• a set of 2” flat topped paper clips (I bought mine at Pick Your Plum but you can also find them on etsy; for example here!)

• AND any embellishments you would like to adorn them with! (I also bought the flowers from Pick Your Plum! LOVE that place! Is it a place?? lol)

• Other embellishment ideas are: buttons, ribbons, fabric flowers and scrabble letters, you name it! The possibilities are endless!

I also like the vintage look of these rosette clips. These rosette flowers I found at Michaels and were the perfect size for the tops of these paper clips!

Don’t have flat head paper clips? No worries!

Regular large paper clips tied with colorful ribbon are just as fun!

The good news is, they’ll ALL hold a card for your teacher equally well!

How about you?  Which version would you make?

{Seriously - I can't believe we're talking end of the school year already!! Crazy! 

When do your kids get out of school??}

PS -- if you need more inspiration, I posted even more Teacher gift ideas HERE!

Joining the fun at tatertots and jello