Posts About holidays

non-candy easter basket ideas

March 7, 2016

Did you know that Lent is already halfway over? My spending freeze is going pretty well (only a few small infractions, mostly kid-related) and my new daily practice of reading the Bible every day has been wonderful, thanks to an app with a reading plan + devotional that I love. Currently, I’m not sure how I’m going to handle Easter with my kiddos. I’m vacillating between staying strict on the spending freeze to include not making extra purchases for them, and another of my goals for this year which is to celebrate more holidays at home, especially relating to the church calendar. Of course we do celebrate Easter already – we go to church and do an egg hunt there…
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lent

February 10, 2016

I don’t come from a liturgical church background, but this year I am observing Lent along with other church holy days. As I get older and discover more about myself and my personality (ISFJ) I have realized that traditions, holidays, liturgy, and observances really inspire me. I’m leaning in to that and hoping to bring it into my home as well. I thought and thought about how I should personally observe Lent. Some things I considered giving up were sweets, social media of some form, caffeine (that was just a passing thought), and TV. I also thought about adding in some things: exercise, family time/activities, Bible study. This is what I settled on: I am going to do daily Bible…
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halloween costume plans & free portraits

October 20, 2015

This post is sponsored by Portrait Innovations because I think this event is really cool and want to share! So, have you got your kids’ Halloween costumes figured out yet? I usually wait until the last minute just because Halloween is not a big deal to me. Sometimes it pays off (once I found an awesome costume for Meredith at Old Navy the day before for only a few bucks) but as with most things it’s much easier to plan ahead. (Especially when you’re like me and hate to pay real cash money for them.) Last year’s costumes Meredith is finally at the age where she has pretty strong opinions about what she wants to dress up as. First, she…
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my finished handmade felt heirloom advent calendar

December 5, 2014

I finished this up last weekend after Thanksgiving, just in time! I may have an addiction to felt needlepoint. New favorite craft for sure. I call this an “heirloom” advent calendar because the materials are high quality and labored over by me with love so I am definitely forcing it on one of my kids when they grow up. :) I want to give another shout out to my mother-in-law for getting this for me way back in the spring or summer (an early Christmas gift!) so that I actually had time to make it for this year. I love it so much. If you want one, you can find them here. It requires basic needlepoint, embroidery, and sewing skills. Advanced…
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homemade gift ideas

November 10, 2014

I love the idea of homemade gifts, and even though I’ve pretty much given up on the idea for this year (I can’t do it all), I did do some research and brainstorming for some ideas. There is still time to make these happen if you’re up for it! Candles – making your own candles is actually really easy! I’ve done it following this tutorial. It doesn’t take long either. Or you could do a simple drugstore candle makeover. Dip dyed placemats – I’ve never done any of my own dyeing but I hear it’s pretty simple. These are so pretty! Stained letterpress block – I’ve been meaning to do this one for awhile. A five-minute, personalized project, perfect to…
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