Earth-Friendly Friday

Make Monkey Memories and Warm Woolies for Christmas rather than buying needless things and trivial trinkets.

I made my daughter a monkey blanket. This is a useful gift-I hope-that will last for years.

We went to the fabric store and she picked out two fabrics: one side is monkeys and the other is striped - so the blanket is fun colored, cheerful and reversible.

But you could make a blanket out of old jeans, favorite shirts and skirts or any fabric you have around the house. If you don't feel ready to take on a blanket - and to be honest, it's kind of a two-person project because it's so big and heavy, it helps to have another set of hands to help feed the material through the presser foot. But you could always start with pillowcases. That's one project we used to do for Christmas when the kids were young. I'd take them to the fabric store and let them pick out fun fabrics and then we'd sew pillowcases that they still use today.

Gifts can be fun and useful without being wasteful and frivolous.

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer: They were radiator caps and homes for gauges.

They turned to decorative ornaments when the radiator caps went underneath the hood and temperature gauges moved to the dashboard.

Thought for Thursday

?: What was the original purpose of automobile hood ornaments?

Put your guess in "comments" then come back around 3:00 to see if it was correct.

THE CHOICES WE MAKE

Some choices are hard, difficult tasks that rip at our emotions and torture our souls. Others, aren't so hard.

Let me explain.

Here's a photo of me someone snapped when I totally wasn't expecting it. I don't think I could have looked worse if I tried.


He was going to post this one if I didn't supply another picture. Come on, that wasn't a hard choice to make.

I had to take another one and quick:

So, what hard choices have you made lately: peanut butter or chocolate, heck why not eat both? EZ-smeazy decision making Kim's way. :)

Magic Christmas Bars

Around the holidays, I love to bake super-Yummy recipes. Here's one I've been baking for years and the kids still ask for it.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
1 can 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups chocolate chips
1 and 1/2 cups coconut flakes
(optional: 1 cup chopped nuts)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix graham crackers and butter together and press into baking pan for the crust.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over crust.

Layer coconut and then chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes or until coconut just starts to turn golden.

Let cool for ten minutes (if you can) cut and serve. Yummy!

Santa Claws is Coming to Town

Here comes Santa Claws, Here Comes Santa Claws - right down Santa Claws Lane


The holidays are upon us and Santa Claws is Making a List
- he's checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty or mice

Santa cat is coming to town

Almost Homemade

I'm trying to make a lot of my gifts this year to help keep down costs and not contribute to the over-consumption and consumerism that has become the holidays.

I had an idea for my boys, since Jacob and Luke both like to sketch, I bought them inexpensive sketch pads and then used some art adhesive (we had sitting around the house) to glue on some of their own art to the sketchbooks.

I think it adds a personal touch and is fun. But you could do the same thing for other people. It wouldn't even have to be homemade art, it could be a photograph or a favorite saying. Just glue photos of favorite holiday meals to a notebook and give it to a cook in your life, add a couple recipes to the inside and you've got a fun, thoughtful present that didn't cost much more than some time.

You could do the same thing for the gardener is your life. Glue some favorite flower photos to a notebook, add some paper for notes and tuck away a couple seed catalogs you can pick up for free (usually) at your local garden store, and you've got another fun gift.

I'm wishing you a Happy, healthy--almost--Homemade Holiday!

It's easy to come up with ideas if you think for a minute or two.

So, if you have an idea, please share it in the comments so others can enjoy the season without breaking the bank.