Homemade Baby Gift

My wonderful, sweet friend Sarah made our little baby #3 a homemade gift this week.  Now that I'm starting to sew, I really appreciate things like this because I know the time and effort that goes into making them!  I've already packed the swaddlers and bunting in my hospital bag :)

 2 swaddlers, a neutral/fall bunting, and a "gobble" onesie

Cookies in a Jar

I love the idea of giving a "cookie in a jar" gift!  I wanted to do it the past few Christmases, but haven't gotten around to it!  Since the upcoming holiday is my all time favorite, I'm challenging myself to do a cookie in a jar gift for some friends for Valentines Day!  Sometimes my great intentions get swallowed up by my role as wife/mom.  I feel like if I post my intentions to my blog, I have a better success rate of following through.

When we went to Bass Pro I saw these cookies in a jar:

I hope mine turn out just as pretty!  Give me a month or so to get my act together before I blog about them :)

Unexpected Gifts

I love my group of little ones I "teach" at Mother's Morning Out.  I'm sad that I won't see them any more this month, but I'm also relieved b/c it gives me lots of time to bake and celebrate Christmas with my family.  Thursday was our last day with them for the month.  Several of the families brought me in little (unexpected) Christmas gifts!  Pictured above are some of the highlights.  I didn't own anything Thirty-One until today!  That cute little black and white bag will get lots of good use at my house!  The personalized "D" ornament came from one of my favorite little guys.  Another one of the moms brought me a Joanns giftcard!  Loved that!  I was expecting none of these gifts so I think that's what made it so fun!

Canning Gifts

I would love to have a vegetable garden.  I would also love to know how to can.  I really don't know the 1st step in learning how to do either!  Our friends, Ryan and Stephanie Sexton, dropped by our house this week with a basket full of homemade goodies.  We got stocked up on homemade salsa, peach, berry, & strawberry jelly, and red hot apple butter.  What a unique and thoughtful (and delicious) gift!  I think I need some lessons from her!  Stephanie is an amazing crocheter and she needs to teach me that too. :)

(The strawberry jelly and red hot apple butter are in use so that's why they aren't pictured! :))

Pampered Chef Pitcher

One thing to put on your Christmas list this year.... a Pampered Chef pitcher.  If you are a kool-aid, tea, or any other drink you mix drinker, you NEED this!  I have both sizes, but prefer the 2 quart to the gallon.  One thing I love about this pitcher is how you don't shake the pitcher.  I have many memories of me shaking our kool-aid pitcher when I was a kid... and the lid not being on all the way so kool-aid would go everywhere.  This has an internal stirring system and you just pump the handle up and down.  I usually put ice in mine because we're wanting to drink it as soon as it's made.  You can keep stirring it until all that ice melts and the whole pitcher is ice cold!

Secret Prayer Partner

All of the teachers in the Mothers Morning Out program have a "Secret Prayer Partner."  Every month or so, we get our prayer partner a little something, just to let them know we're thinking of them.  I was given a sheet with some things my secret partner liked, and she talked a lot about her love for the color green.  Tomorrow she will get her first gift from me...  Hope she likes it!

Small Bud Vase $2 @ Hobby Lobby + half a dozen roses @ Aldi $4 = $6 gift