The Day After

In our house, a lot of presents are homemade like these:

I guess you'd have to play Minecraft to know what this is. My boys made it for my hubby because he loves to go mining for gold, diamonds and obsidian and of course he has to avoid zombies, creepers and spiders along the way ;D

Here Jake is giving his Dad the gift and he's got a scarf wrapped around his neck that I made for him.

Lars got a huge kick out of this gift because he LOVES this game. So even though he's dressed as the Grinch, he wasn't a grump at all. He'll have this bunch of blocks sitting on his desk at work to make him smile throughout the day.

And here's a gift that Kathryn gave to Luke. If you want to check out more of her art, pop over here.

Here's one of the photos that inspired her painting.

There were a lot more homemade gifts: food, candy, cookies, scarves, blankets, pillows, artwork, poems and more but this gives you a "taste" of what we give and get at my house.

How 'bout you? Any fun homemade gifts you got or gave?

Earth-Friendly Friday the 13th - Share the Moments of Your Life

"And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!"
- from How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

YIKES - it's Friday the 13th and time to focus on the things that matter the most in life, like the little things. And we could all learn a lesson or two from the jolly "green" guy: the Grinch.

Simplify the holidays (whether it's Christmas or Thanksgiving) and enjoy the time with your family - that's the important thing in life. Here are some tips to help you bring joy to your holidays and get rid of the stressful stuff.

It's not what you give, or what you get. The holidays are about spending time--not money.

Remember: "what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."