ZJ got the giggles this morning remembering something that Quayd said over the weekend and wanted me to blog about it. (I love when they tell me things that I need to blog!) Quayd had eaten more pie than all of us put together over Thanksgiving weekend and with each piece, he had about half a can of whipping cream squirted on the top! The boy LOVES whipped cream! As Quayd was finishing off the last piece of the second banana cream pie, he said, "If someone shot me today, whipped cream would be everywhere!" He's may be right!
Bright idea: Having a party? Paper bag luminaries will brighten the way for your guests'arrival. Google Luminary Images for some fun ideas! To make them, you will need white or colored or brown lunch bats (10x5-3". votive or plumbers candles and sand. Backs can be decorated before filling with sand if desired. A paper punch can be used to great a design of wholes or cut small snowflake designs along the top or sides of the bags. Keep the openings small so that wind does not blow through them. Fold the bag down about 1" for additional strength and add about 2" of sand. Place the candles in the center of the sand making sure that the candles will not touch the edge of the bag. Place 3 feet apart on sidewalks and light. Never use them below dried shrubbery. Photographed here is a tin can luminary from Salt Lake City's LDS Temple Square, one of the most beautifully lit places in the country during the holidays. (We're going for Family Home Evening next week and I hope to share lots of pix from our experience!)
Good food: Carol's toffee beats any hard toffee I've ever tasted! It's made from soda crackers, much easier to make and sure to become a holiday favorite for anyone who tries it! Go figure!
Gift idea: Open a savings accounts for the children on your Christmas list. Banks do not require children's savings accounts to have a minimum balance, so it could be opened with as little as $5. The savings passbook can be included in stockings or wrapped as a gift. It can be the beginning of something that you can add to at each event of their lives and you can encourage them to add to it in the future themselves. Children get so many toys and games from everyone around them, so here's a chance to be practical and offer a valuable lesson that could be remember far into the future.
Reason for the season:We've all been blessed in so many ways. Show your gratitude for your own abundant blessings by thanking every person that you encounter today while out and about. Thank the cashier for working hard so that you can shop. Thank your server by leaving a generous tip (an extra $5 on top of the normal tip could make their day!), write a note on the receipt that says Merry Christmas! Pay for the person in line at the drive-up window behind you at Wendy's or get in line behind a young mom at the grocery store. When the cashier rings theirs up, say, "Just add that to mine." and say, "Merry Christmas". Offer to help a senior citizen unload their cart or open their door. Offer your seat on the bus, in a plane or a crowded doctors office so that a family can sit together. And with each gift of gratitude and service, remember that wonderful gift we have all been given and celebrate on December 25th.
Sentiment:ZJ woke up extra early this morning, giggling as she told me that her teacher had played the funniest song she'd ever heard in her life... It was a song where Mommy was kissing Santa Claus and then Mommy even tickled him! She said that the other kids all thought that it was real and that Daddy would get mad but ZJ knew better because she knew that meant Mommy was just kissing Daddy so that Daddy would like it "just like you and Dad, Mom!" I found the song online and played it for her this morning and Gracie came running in from a sound sleep, "MOM!! WE heard that song in school yesterday only the Daddy was kissing Mrs. Claus!"
We started goofing around on the internet, listening to Christmas music and singing along with the Chipmunks "Please,Christmas, don't be late!" then Rocking around the Christmas Tree and so on...the fun songs. I had laundry and all of the other things that I like to get done sending them off to school. I try to do all of my list so that I can get my walk in before I shower and head to town for whatever else is on my list each day. Today, my busy Christmas to do list is bigger than normal. BUT. We sang. Not one other thing got done before school. We sang. And giggled. And my to-do list was still there.
I checked the clock and sent them off to get to their morning routine. Then, ZJ came out of her room, dressed in a shirt that was about two sizes too small. A summer shirt worn over top of a long sleeved shirt. She wore this shirt all summer long and it fit. She's grown so much and so quickly! This shirt was the perfect reminder for me... the dust and the laundry will wait until I get back this afternoon. The toilets will still be there without their morning cleaning. The poptarts, because I didn't start breakfast early enough, were just fine. I doubt the girls will remember that Mommy cleaned the toilets before school or what they had for breakfast, but they will remember that Mommy sang Christmas Songs and giggled with them. This is such a busy time of the year. Make the moments count... with memories that matter, not the ones that won't! Enough said!
Take time to smell the poinsettias!
What a great idea the luminaries are!!
Posted by: Trace | Friday, December 05, 2008 at 02:57 PM
http://www.minibite.com/christmas/hippo.htm
Play them this one! It's the best kids song ever. My 7 1/2 year old grandson asks for all the time. It's called "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas"
Enjoy!
Posted by: Ginni | Friday, December 05, 2008 at 01:15 PM