Christmas is around the corner...

I've been looking forward to the Christmas season this year and looking for inspiration. I just wanted to put a quick post out there to help share some ideas.

First, I want to share an article I wrote for www.elevateyourmarriage.com  

The post is about "Avoiding the 'Last-Minuter' Approach."

"Avoiding the “Last Minuter” Approach

by KERI KITCHEN on SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 · LEAVE A COMMENT

It seems like everywhere I look these days, there are heavy debates, discouraging stories, and depressing news. Does anyone else feel exhausted just thinking about it all?? I wanted to make sure I kept this post lighthearted. So, I have a question for you all…

Are you an early-starter, after-Thanksgivinger, or last minuter?

I’m an early-starter. My Christmas shopping began months ago, just a little at a time. I’d like to share my 4 top reasons for my early-starter approach to Christmas shopping.

1. It’s easier on the budget. One of the most common sources of arguments in a marriage is money. While it’s possible that some of you readers may not need to worry about how much you spend on Christmas presents, most of us do. It’s easier to budget a little each month than it is to wait until the last minute and try to pull together the extra money (but if you don’t do your shopping early, you can still begin saving a little each month for Christmas!). Besides, last minute purchases often cost much more than planned ones!

2. It allows me to spend more time thinking of gifts that will (hopefully) really fit the recipients, rather than just buying something “good enough” to meet the gift-giving requirement of the season. WHY do you really buy gifts for Christmas, anyway? If you wait until the last minute and just try to get it in, it can be easy to forget the purpose! We are celebrating the gift of Love to earth in the form of a sweet baby named Jesus who grew up to save the world!

3. It’s less stressful than putting it off. The holiday stress of planning and errands can easily put a lot of stress on a marriage and family relationships. Starting early and spreading it out can reduce stress potential.

4. I just enjoy it! I love Christmas, and I enjoy looking for or making gifts for other people. Starting early lets me have time to do that, and can be a welcome distraction when I’m needing one. It’s refreshing to think about others when I’m stressed!

To go a step further, I’d like to discuss some Christmas gifting/shopping ideas!

1. When shopping online, always check out www.shopathome.com orwww.retailmenot.com for coupon codes. I once saved about $100 on an order of therapy toys for work!

2. Check out www.1saleaday.com … they have a new sale each day (but I guess the website address kinda tells you that, right?)

3. Mix up the dry ingredients for the BEST brownie recipe I’ve ever tried and gift it to your neighbors with the recipe!

4. Search www.pinterest.com for fun, new DIY Christmas ideas.

5. Start a tradition to buy or make an ornament for family members each year.

6. If you’re crafty, check out www.craftgawker.com for lots of creative ideas!

7. Make an audio book cd with free stories from www.storynory.com

8. Make ice candles! It’s fun and they’re pretty.

9. The Canvas People usually have a free 8×10 photo canvas (pay s/h only) or discount on larger sizes (I’ve purchased 2 from them and have been very pleased).

10. Try starting a hand-made only tradition or $10 limit on gift exchanges with family/friends. My family and I decided on hand-made gifts only some years and really enjoyed it. It encourages creativity and can help with the budget (see #s 4, 6, 7, 8…).

What ideas do you all have for reducing holiday stress on your marriage and family this year??

Keri Kitchen is a devoted wife and mother, blogger, licensed mental health counselor, and founder of The Carys Rainn Foundation. To read more about what God is doing in her life, visit her blog at www.aftertherainn.com"

The second link I'd like to share is to another blog I just stumbled upon to discover some good stocking stuffer ideas:

Super Mace: The Board Game

SUPER MACE HAS TURNED 6 YEARS OLD!!!

He and his dad have told the stories of Super Mace and Rook the Wonder Dog for years now. So, for his birthday, I decided to make him a board game of their adventures.

First, I designed a game board and box cover in photoshop, using pics of his face, his brother, and his dog to create the characters. The super hero body came from HeroMachine.

Then, I had it printed as a large poster from Vista Print (and cut it apart).

I had this game sitting in the closet for a long time. Still in the shrink-wrap. So, I decided to repurpose it.

After marking the line, I cut the poster in half and then glued it to the board. 

I have to admit... it truly only takes a little bit of glue... my first attempt had bubbles and then I accidentally tore it... so I ended up having to order it again. Big oops, right?

but I think the second attempt worked pretty well!

The Dr. Evil Kitty Face Attack Cards and Immunity Cards

(my "real" camera's battery died, so the cell phone had to work on a couple)

I was able to use part of the original poster to cover the logo on the back of the game board,
then I sprayed the back with a clear spray to cover some of the messy glue spots I
had left behind in my original struggles haha

Happy Birthday, to my adorable nephew! Can't wait to see how he likes it!

Paxton's 1st Birthday

The Party Favors

CDs with stories from www.storynory.com 

(Green awareness ribbons represent Neural Tube Defects)

Paxton's personal cake

Rain clouds over the gift table...

Ducky matching game

Ducky Rain Barrel Cake

And....

the birthday boy!

Therapy Resources

I've not posted for a while! But, I wanted to share some good resource links for my therapist-y friends out there.

 “Free Downloadable Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Worksheets, Formulations, and Self-Help Resources”

http://www.psychologytools.org/download-therapy-worksheets.html

Positive discipline handouts

http://extension.missouri.edu/search-results.html?cx=011326408287753474406%3Afpxzwyo07ji&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=building+strong+families+workbook&sa=Search

Therapy handouts blog

http://therapyworksheets.blogspot.com/

FOR THERAPIST FRIENDS AND NON-THERAPIST FRIENDS:
This link has audio files for relaxation techniques that are great... who doesn't need to relax sometimes??
http://www.allaboutdepression.com/relax/

Happy relaxing!

Christmas Decor Ideas

I was looking back through pictures from our first Christmas as a married couple and found some other decor ideas I thought I'd share. The first is the top of the entertainment center we had at the time. Along with the ornaments (some on candlestick holders), I used water jelly crystals that were left over from our wedding. Instead of buying the small packets of water jelly crystals at a craft store, I bought them from stevespanglerscience.com (interestingly enough, they are much less expensive to purchase as a science experiment rather than decor!)

The next is an ice candle... I remember mom and dad making these when I was little.

I think I used an oatmeal box for this one. I remember seeing dad use a square milk carton too, I liked the square candle. Any container that will hold the wax and then be peeled away would work. Pour melted wax into the bottom and place a wick in the middle (tie the wick to a pencil and lay across the top of the container to keep the wick straight). After it's cool, pour crushed ice into the container. After the ice, pour more melted wax to fill the container. When the wax has cooled completely (and the ice has melted), peel away the container and enjoy your candle.

While I'm sharing pics from the old apartment, here are our thumbprint pics....

...and exhibit A for why I love chalkboard paint... This was an outdated Home Interiors print, but I loved the frame... so I taped it off and sprayed it with chalkboard paint. 

Last thing to share for now... the side table. The base was an old plant stand I painted black. The top was a plain glass table top that I covered with stained glass pieces.

I wish you an inspired Christmas!

Christmas Cemetery Arrangement

For some reason, it seems like most Christmas cemetery arrangements have big poinsettias or just look generally heavy. They didn't seem fitting for my baby girl, so this is what I decided to do.

I'll need to shift a few things around when I get it to the cemetery, but I'm thinking I like it. :)

_______________________________________________________________________

update:

'Tis the Season

So, we've started decking the halls, and I just wanted to share some ideas.

Here's the tree: 

A while back, I noticed that one of the trees at work has HUGE leaves.

I picked one up and wanted to find something to do with it.
So I sprayed it gold and tucked it into the Christmas tree...
then I did the same with a few more.

I also sprayed some pine branches with pine cones and tucked in the branches, 

but I haven't added them this year.

I also have several handmade ornaments. These ornaments were made using glue, balloons, hemp cord, and paint (optional). Blow up the balloon (keep it small enough that it still looks round), dip the cord in the glue and wrap around the balloon in a random pattern. Lay it on wax paper to dry. When the cord is entirely dry, pop the balloon and pull out the pieces. If the ornament collapses, just put a new balloon into the ornament and blow it up enough to reshape, then let the air back out and remove. Paint is optional, though I love the metallic paints.

 

I made this ornament a few years ago. It was just made out of a stiff wire and clay for the head... yeah, that one was sprayed gold too.

I think I want to add some green ornaments now...