Alright, so I was trying to think of a good gift to give my mom & mother-in-law for Christmas. I wanted it to be something special, having to do with Alina since it is her first Christmas and she is the first granddaughter! :)
My idea is this:
- Make a mini scrapbook that grandmas can use as a "brag" book
- Make the mini album all about Ali
- Make the mini album holiday themed
- Make the mini album to the theme / tune of the 12 Days of Christmas
Here are my ideas so far for the 12 Days:
1st day: 1 big brother Jakey
2nd day: 2 tiny teeth
3rd day: 3 fuzzy blankies (she loves to snuggle blankets to her nose when sleepy!)
4th day: 4 slimy smooches
5th day: 5 cute cousins (or 5 silver bracelets cuz she likes her bling!)
6th day: 6 dirty diapers
7th day: 7 Ali's clapping
8th day: 8 milky bottles
9th day: 9 girly giggles
10th day: 10 building blocks
11th day: 11 dancing darling
12th day: 12 Ali's leaping
I tried to mimic them after the original 12 Days, which was hard for me to remember all of (I actually had to google it!), so that's why there are things like "leaping" or "dancing".
Any suggestions on the days?
I will definitely be using my new toys to make it! :) I can't wait to get started on it.
Does anyone have any other ideas for what I could do as a special gift for my mom & mother-in-law?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
My Big Splurge!
So, I am a very spoiled girl. My husband actually likes when I spend money on myself. This is probably because we are very good about not spending money really except on our bills and groceries. We are NOT big spenders or shoppers. We don't eat out a lot or anything like that. We've done a great job of saving money and making ourselves comfortable and for that reason, my husband likes me to splurge every once in a while. :) My splurge? Oh, I bought a cricut!!!! I can't wait to get it!
I had been watching it for quite a while now and a few months ago I saw it on HSN bundled with this other product called "Your Story" which allows you to make your own scrapbook albums however you'd like. (Kind of like what shutterfly & snapfish sites can do.) When I saw the program months ago, it was an amazing deal. I think the bundle priced out separately at over $800.00, and HSN had it for $350.00. Well, of course I didn't want to drop that much cash so I didn't order it. Nick kept telling me I should and that it wasn't a big deal because we never buy things. Well, he almost had me convinced then, but I just didn't do it. A few days later, I really thought about it and thought, well, I should get it. But by then it was sold out! :( I had been watching for it to come back in-stock on HSN, but it was out for MONTHS! Finally, it came back on the show on the 24th! I ordered it IMMEDIATELY! It is supposed to come to my house Dec. 2nd! It's already in Port Huron (I checked the tracking!), so maybe I'll get it early! How exciting! It'll be great because my sister is coming over to scrap with me one day this Christmas break, so we'll have a great time! :)
Here are some pics, in case you are wondering what I got!
I had been watching it for quite a while now and a few months ago I saw it on HSN bundled with this other product called "Your Story" which allows you to make your own scrapbook albums however you'd like. (Kind of like what shutterfly & snapfish sites can do.) When I saw the program months ago, it was an amazing deal. I think the bundle priced out separately at over $800.00, and HSN had it for $350.00. Well, of course I didn't want to drop that much cash so I didn't order it. Nick kept telling me I should and that it wasn't a big deal because we never buy things. Well, he almost had me convinced then, but I just didn't do it. A few days later, I really thought about it and thought, well, I should get it. But by then it was sold out! :( I had been watching for it to come back in-stock on HSN, but it was out for MONTHS! Finally, it came back on the show on the 24th! I ordered it IMMEDIATELY! It is supposed to come to my house Dec. 2nd! It's already in Port Huron (I checked the tracking!), so maybe I'll get it early! How exciting! It'll be great because my sister is coming over to scrap with me one day this Christmas break, so we'll have a great time! :)
Here are some pics, in case you are wondering what I got!
Ahhhh, Fall!
I love this season. I love the weather........not so cold that I hate being outside for more than 2 minutes, but not so hot outside that I melt, either!
I love this holiday. I love the whole feeling of it. This Thanksgiving was especially great for a few reasons:
- It has been 1 year since my dad's accident & he has really come a long way. Last year we didn't even have a Thanksgiving dinner with my family. It was spent in Beaumont hospital at my dad's bedside! I know that this year I've said many more prayers than I ever have in my life and I know that God is working in my life & is healing my dad.
- Our Thanksgiving dinner with my family was wonderful. The food tasted incredibly good (maybe because we were all together this year and not stressed about my dad) and all of the kids got along well. The Wii that we got my dad last year for Christmas to entertain himself while he was not allowed to put weight on his legs, has really come in handy to entertain the nephews (and even the husbands!).
- I got to see my great friend, Lisa. We went to Panera for a mid-morning coffee & snack. Lisa is one of those few, amazing friends that I have that no matter how much time has passed between when we last met up, we never miss a beat. She is a person I know I can always count on, trust, confide in, and just be myself around. She never judges me or makes me feel ridiculous, even when I know I am! :) It was so good to get to see her and I really miss our jaunts to the Raven cafe to vent about life.
- While at Panera with Lisa, we had to fend off a strange-ish Panera worker / greeter. He tried to feed Ali a pretzel..........good thing I have those cat-like mommy reflexes! And the best part was while this worker was kind of creeping us out and invading our personal space, Lisa texted me a "WTF" message. Too hilarious!
- I got almost all of my holiday shopping done on Black Friday at 4am. Sara and I braved the crowds and got some great bargains while we power-shopped. I was happy to hang out with her. She didn't think I was coming, so she was really excited that I showed up to shop with her at Younkers at 4am! :) We had a great time shopping and then had breakfast at Denny's at 5:30am. I was done by 6 am, headed to JoAnn Fabrics for a little self-reward for a job well done, and then was home by 7am, before most people were even out of bed! :)
- After Black Friday shopping, I came home and wrapped all the gifts I had bought so that no snoopy children went peeking around the house in search of gifts. Now they are all wrapped and ready to go. Just have a few more things to get for Jake, Ali, & my in-laws!
- I came up with a great idea for a special book I"m going to make for my mom & Nick's mom. More about that in a later post.
- Nick & I went to his 10-year class reunion event at Quay Street on Friday night. It was nice to get out for a few hours alone with Nick. Kind of sad that out of the 300 invitations we sent out, only about 20 people showed up to the event. I wonder what it'll be like for my 10-year reunion next year. My class only had 34! Maybe 1 or 2 will show? Yikes!
- Cheryle & I checked out the Port Huron museum to prepare for an upcoming field trip we are taking there soon. We will be taking our kids to a CSI event they will host. It should be fun! Cheryle and I had a good time there, it was really interesting and well-done!
Alright, I think I've gone into enough details about why I had a lovely break. I really enjoyed this break and got a lot done. It was relaxing to not have to be at work and be stressed out from that. Next up is the Christmas season and my last day of work is the 18th. Can't wait for that! :)
I love this holiday. I love the whole feeling of it. This Thanksgiving was especially great for a few reasons:
- It has been 1 year since my dad's accident & he has really come a long way. Last year we didn't even have a Thanksgiving dinner with my family. It was spent in Beaumont hospital at my dad's bedside! I know that this year I've said many more prayers than I ever have in my life and I know that God is working in my life & is healing my dad.
- Our Thanksgiving dinner with my family was wonderful. The food tasted incredibly good (maybe because we were all together this year and not stressed about my dad) and all of the kids got along well. The Wii that we got my dad last year for Christmas to entertain himself while he was not allowed to put weight on his legs, has really come in handy to entertain the nephews (and even the husbands!).
- I got to see my great friend, Lisa. We went to Panera for a mid-morning coffee & snack. Lisa is one of those few, amazing friends that I have that no matter how much time has passed between when we last met up, we never miss a beat. She is a person I know I can always count on, trust, confide in, and just be myself around. She never judges me or makes me feel ridiculous, even when I know I am! :) It was so good to get to see her and I really miss our jaunts to the Raven cafe to vent about life.
- While at Panera with Lisa, we had to fend off a strange-ish Panera worker / greeter. He tried to feed Ali a pretzel..........good thing I have those cat-like mommy reflexes! And the best part was while this worker was kind of creeping us out and invading our personal space, Lisa texted me a "WTF" message. Too hilarious!
- I got almost all of my holiday shopping done on Black Friday at 4am. Sara and I braved the crowds and got some great bargains while we power-shopped. I was happy to hang out with her. She didn't think I was coming, so she was really excited that I showed up to shop with her at Younkers at 4am! :) We had a great time shopping and then had breakfast at Denny's at 5:30am. I was done by 6 am, headed to JoAnn Fabrics for a little self-reward for a job well done, and then was home by 7am, before most people were even out of bed! :)
- After Black Friday shopping, I came home and wrapped all the gifts I had bought so that no snoopy children went peeking around the house in search of gifts. Now they are all wrapped and ready to go. Just have a few more things to get for Jake, Ali, & my in-laws!
- I came up with a great idea for a special book I"m going to make for my mom & Nick's mom. More about that in a later post.
- Nick & I went to his 10-year class reunion event at Quay Street on Friday night. It was nice to get out for a few hours alone with Nick. Kind of sad that out of the 300 invitations we sent out, only about 20 people showed up to the event. I wonder what it'll be like for my 10-year reunion next year. My class only had 34! Maybe 1 or 2 will show? Yikes!
- Cheryle & I checked out the Port Huron museum to prepare for an upcoming field trip we are taking there soon. We will be taking our kids to a CSI event they will host. It should be fun! Cheryle and I had a good time there, it was really interesting and well-done!
Alright, I think I've gone into enough details about why I had a lovely break. I really enjoyed this break and got a lot done. It was relaxing to not have to be at work and be stressed out from that. Next up is the Christmas season and my last day of work is the 18th. Can't wait for that! :)
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