Gift ideas: General.

Anyone still tackling that Christmas shopping list after all the Black Friday mayhem? ;) When all else fails, here are some categories of gifts that are generally appreciated:

Books. Lately, around here, it's been anything to do with Star Wars or science or history. :) This is one of those categories where you need to know the gift recipient fairly well...but giftcards also work if you can't decide which book(s) to pick up. Oooh. And holiday books are always fun for kids. 

Games. So many games. So little time. Our game closet overflowed into a game "area" and we just keep finding more we love (probably time to purge a few of those, though, lol). You can go for classics like Monopoly or Uno or chess or go for the more obscure like Carcassonne or Robo Rally or Fluxx. (We have and recommend all of these, btw.) We'll be adding this one and this one this Christmas...I'll let you know how they go. 

Giftcards. Sure, they may seem a little impersonal. But. Let's be honest. Don't *you* love receiving a giftcard to one of your favorite places? I know I do. ;) If you want to wrap something a little more creative, you can stick it in one of these. (We received one of these a few years ago and (after I'd struggled with it for a good while) Noah had it solved in less than 5 minutes...he ingeniously grabbed a magnet to guide the little metal ball, lol.) 

Food. Again, this one might require you to know your recipient pretty well but I've yet to meet a person who didn't appreciate free food. ;) You could go the culinary route here and get fancy foods...or the junk food route and get foods you know the person loves but wouldn't normally buy for themselves...or the meal route (at home...if you have a local place that prepares meals that you freeze and then just make when ready...or out and about if you know their favorite restaurant)...or, for the starving college student, even the grocery route. ;)

Movies & Music. Somewhat obvious, admittedly. But. While shopping for that copy of Karate Kid or Despicable Me, also consider things like individual seasons of favorite shows and soundtracks to all of the above. Giftcards to theaters with offers to watch the kids are also grandly appreciated. ;)

Memberships. For families who don't need/want more "stuff," think about going the membership route. A family membership to a local museum or zoo might be a perfect gift (and, often these don't cost any more than you'd already have spent on a number of individual gifts). Watch, too, for places that offer reciprocal agreements (so you pay for the membership to that particular place but it's also good at a number of others...bonus!). (Our local Discovery Science Center, for example, offers a great annual family membership that's good not only there but at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science as well!)

Theme baskets. I love a good theme. When in doubt...try this. Just gather things that go together. For the sports fan, some goodies from his/her favorite team (a jersey, a throw, a window decal, (if you really like them) tickets to a game, an ornament)...For movie buffs, throw some microwave popcorn and a gift subscription to Netflix together (maybe some candy in a box, too, lol)...For readers, how about a nifty reading pillow and a cool book bag and one of these Thumb Things (I love these!) and a giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble? You get the idea...

Again, I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned or linked here...just sharing ideas because I love shopping for others. ;)

Black Friday and a conspiracy theory.

Did you venture out? Do you annually? I didn't and don't usually. We made an exception last year. But this year was all about being lazy and enjoying the time to just veg. Given that my voice is still M.I.A., it's probably for the best anyhow. ;) I did, though, manage a wee bit of online shopping and can see how it might be fun to wait till Black Friday to do a bunch of Christmas shopping all at once. Fortunately, I'm mostly done with my Christmas shopping so am more easily able to avoid all the temptation of great deals. ;)

Now. Here's a question for you. It's even *kinda* related to Black Friday and shopping. Have you ever gone shopping...and you *know* you put an item in your cart...and when you get home, you can't find it and it's not on your receipt? This has happened to me twice in the last couple weeks at Target. And I KNOW I put them in my cart. I wasn't paying enough attention during check out, though (will definitely work on that). And when I got home, I discovered that said item was missing and didn't show up on my receipt. 

So. Two things. First, yes, it's definitely better that at least it wasn't on my receipt. Would be much more annoying if I'd actually paid for it and then not had it.

But. Second, do you suppose it's some sort of crazy marketing campaign to surreptitiously remove an item from my cart (either while I'm shopping or at checkout) such that I have to make another trip again later? I mean, really. I know I put that darn Wii nunchuk in my cart on Monday. I remember distinctly doing so and talking to the sales guy as I was doing it. When I went to find it at home, though, it was no where to be found and didn't show up on my receipt. What gives?

I tell ya. I think those retailers are getting crafty and coming up with more ways to make us keep coming back. I can just picture the sales guy thinking to himself, "now, which of these items will she need to come back for? Ah, yes, the nunchuk...I bet her kids really want that." Risky, maybe. But chances are pretty good that I'll end up going back to get the nunchuk. ;)

Thoughts on yesterday...

...in no organized fashion because my organization mojo is plum worn out right now. ;)

- Had a fabulous Thanksgiving with family and friends...thanks to those who were here! Made it so much more special to share the day with you!

- Woke up yesterday with no voice...which made sharing Thanksgiving with family and friends more difficult. ;) Rather irritating because I had plenty to say, lol, but I'll make up for it later. 

- I'm pretty sure we cooked and carved the turkey upside down. (True story.) But. It turned out wonderfully...thank you, Pioneer Woman! The other dishes, btw, also turned out well. Feeling like we might actually be capable of preparing a decent meal, lol. Also, thankful for the lovely sides and desserts that others brought. Nothing better than food prepared by other people! ;) Yum!! Bummed, though, because I really failed in the photography department once people showed up. Darn it all. (Even after my public service announcement about that yesterday...in all fairness, though, I scheduled that post the day before while I was all optimistic and able to talk. Then, Thursday actually came and I didn't have my act together quite as planned, lol.) But. Here are a couple shots I managed to remember to take while we were prepping things the day before:

(These are the sweet potato dish and the skillet cornbread. We also made cranberry-pomegranate sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, and pumpkin muffins thanks to the Pioneer Woman's recipes.)

- The kids all seemed to enjoy themselves...playing in the basement, challenging each other on the Wii, general play and so on. Plus, they all made little ship placeholders. Remember, I was telling you that I was going to try these to coordinate with my centerpiece? Well, one, those coffee holder things are awesome. And, two, it's unrealistic, apparently, to expect boys to make Mayflower like ships when given free reign. Asher almost immediately turned his into a pirate ship and Noah's first take was a modern sailing yacht. Micah's, since I know you're wondering, was an exploration ship sporting a sail decorated with a fight scene from Star Wars, of course. And, both Asher and Micah immediately needed "cannon holes" in their hulls. Lovely. 

Here are the boys working on their first ships (over the course of Thanksgiving, they each made more than one). I love how these pictures capture each boys' personality. Micah simply set to work and had fun coming up with his own thing. Asher went to google for a picture of the "jolly roger" and set about drawing and coloring, wanting to be as true to form as possible. And Noah got out the rulers and stencils and carefully measured out his design.

I was pleasantly surprised at how excited they were over this craft, though I suppose it shouldn't come as a huge shock. An opportunity to construct a vehicle of sorts? Definitely caught their attention better than coloring a silly ol' turkey. ;) (It didn't hurt that I added caramels and butterscotch candies to each ship on Thanksgiving while they served as placeholders, lol.) Speaking of which, here are the finished ships:

- I have a whole new appreciation for dish washers. And counter space. (Man, I need more counter space.)

- I also have a whole new appreciation for just how much work goes into planning a full meal for multiple families. Oh, we've had folks over before and all, but nothing enough like yesterday to remind me of meals growing up...the kind that my parents would make that would feed 40 easily. Seriously. Hats off to you, Mom!

- I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on tv for what, I think, is the first time ever. The boys joined me and were amazed...they have a definite difference of opinion as to what makes a good big balloon character, though. In particular, they just could not figure out why there were no Star Wars characters represented. ;) (Micah thought it was fun to try to guess how many people it took to hold each balloon...sometimes the announcers would mention it.)

- Very thankful for our lovely dining room table (that made seating everyone possible) and the new plates and flatware that I scored this past month. I actually set the table, which doesn't happen often around here. ;) Isn't it pretty?

- Yay, too, for Thanksgiving providing the motivation to finally finish putting things on my poor mantel. It has been naked much of 2010 whilst I kept talking about putting up these shadow boxes (that have been sitting in my office much of 2010 as well).

- And. Did you watch the 2010 Punkin Chunkin tournament to cap off your evening? Yeah. We did. ;) (It was even hosted by Adam and Jamie from the Mythbusters...can't get much better than that in the world of my guys, lol. Well, maybe if Darth Vader hosted?)

So. How was your Thanksgiving?

Happy Turkey Day!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! Also, briefly, here's how my centerpiece came out:

Will try to take more pictures today (especially of boys and their continued "tweaking" of their smaller versions of this). More later. Must go stuff my face. ;) How are you celebrating? 

(BTW, public service announcement...make sure to take pictures with family and friends today...and make sure you're in at least some of them. Trust me.)

Gift ideas: To make.

Ready for more gift ideas? How about things to make? You can mull them over during the Thanksgiving break. ;)

I'll be honest. I haven't been feeling particularly crafty this year. I've not done much in the way of scrapbooking and if I manage to make holiday cards this year, it'll be a feat. :) But. If *you're* feeling ambitious and want to make some Christmas gifts this year, here are a few ideas I've used in the past:

Glass magnets. Simple and easy to personalize. How about pictures of your kids with their grandparents for the grandparents? Pictures of instruments for that favorite music teacher? Letters of the alphabet for that pre-schooler on your list? Here is a tutorial that I've followed before. I picked up some cute tins from this place. (Incidentally, I know from experience that it's easier to package magnets in a metal container than to leave them loose in a glass jar...just so you know.) Slap a cute ribbon around it all and call it good. ;) Here are a portion of the many I made last year:

Yes. I tend to make things in bulk. On the one hand, it covers many gifts all at once and is less expensive overall. On the other hand, man, this took a long time. If you make things in bulk, don't wait until the weekend before you plan to give the gifts out, okay? ;)

Personalized shirts. The possibilities are endless. ;) There are scads of places available for this sort of thing. Here's the one I've used most recently.

Ornaments. Oh. My. Heck. I could devote an entire blog just to ornament ideas. I won't. But I could. Places like this are great for simple kid craft ideas. Personally, I like to just browse my favorite stores and see things I like and then try to figure out how to make it myself. ;) I try to do things in themes so tend to pick something general that can then be personalized for each recipient such as little frames with pictures. Look through my blog entries in December of 2008 for many more ideas to do with your kids. ;)

Candies. Ah, candy. I've had years where I sent everyone See's lollypops or Hammond's candy canes. (Did you know that you can go tour the Hammond factory in Denver? Santa will be there Dec. 11. We've been before...good times.). Something about quality candy just appeals to me. ;) In the "things you can make" department, though...a couple years ago we made homemade chocolate suckers for our neighbors and I fondly remember making bon bons with my mom growing up. Here are the suckers:

We wrapped each tree individually in a little bag and placed them in wooden bowls from the Target dollar spot...added some mini candy canes, and voila!

Lemon bread. I don't bake much, but I can handle little gift-sized loaves of lemon bread. Mmmm. I'm sure other types of bread are good, too. :) The Target dollar spot and places like the Dollar Store make this even easier nowadays with cute little loaf pans that are perfect for gift giving. (When I did this, I wrapped the loaves in cellophane and tied with ribbon.)

Votives. I haven't actually done this but was remembering the cute jar candles that the boys made a couple years ago. Something like that would be really cute and easy for gifts, don't you think? Here's Noah's jar candle in progress:

Papergoods. Obviously, gifts made by me over the years have included great amounts of scrapbooking...mini albums, layouts to go in larger albums, works to be hung on the wall, items to be placed on one's desk, blank notecard sets, etc. Methinks going into any more detail would require a separate blog post...or a separate blog. ;) Suffice it to say, papergoods are also a lovely option for gifts you can make. 

So. What are some of your "go-to" crafts to make for gifts? (Really. I'd love to know...always looking for more ideas!)