S'more Grateful

 
So, we've been out of town enjoying our summer together as a family.  And my wonderful neighbor volunteered to take care of our yard for us while we were gone.  This is no task for the faint of heart.  I have a lot of flowers that need to be tended to and watered manually.  It's kind of a pain.  Not to mention the vegetable gardens and the grass.  I wanted to do something nice for her.  Something fun.  Something summery.

What says summer more than...s'mores?

Nothing.  That's what.  So I ran to the store.  All you need is a package of fudge graham crackers and a package of marshmallows.  I love making s'mores this way.  The chocolate is already built in!  Delicious!
Just wrap it up with a tag and a bow and you are good to go!

Thanks neighbor!  You're the best!

[The Gratitude Project] Lifesaver Challenge--Updated

I love November.  I love being reminded to slow down and be grateful.  Life is such a blessing.  We have been given so much.  We had a wonderful lesson at church today about gratitude.  Someone told of a challenge they were given as a teenager to pop a lifesaver in their mouth just before they started to pray.  And then offer a prayer of gratitude--thanking God for all their blessings until their lifesaver was gone.

That little nudge was all I needed to come up with these gratitude "matchbook" favors.  I'm calling it "The Lifesaver Challenge".  Maybe you could use it as a little hand out for a lesson at church or family home evening or whatever.  These little matchbooks are very easy to make.  Just print out a sheet of them here.  Then cut along the black lines and fold along the light grey lines.  Staple a lifesaver candy under the tab at the bottom.  Then slide the top under the flap.  Wow.  How easy was that? 

I'm going to participate in the lifesaver challenge today.  These three punks will be at the TOP of my list.  Want to do it with me?  Leave a comment about some of the things you thanked God for.  I can't wait to hear how He has blessed you!

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I'm linking up with:
Skip To My Lou 
The Party Bunch

Think to Thank

I've still got a lot of thanking to do.  I created this colorful card the other day and thought maybe you'd like to print a few too.  Happy Wednesday everyone!

Peas...and thank you!

 
I have found myself lately on the receiving end of some incredible acts of kindness.  I've been racking my brain trying to think of a clever way to show how much I appreciate the thoughtfulness. Guess what I came up with?  PEAS.  Well, of course.

Don't you just love peas?  They are one of my favorite veggies.  There are those in the world that are averse to peas.  No worries.  These are not real peas.  They are really green sixlets in disguise.  I'm pretty sure that everyone in the whole wide world loves sixlets.  So these are the perfect thank you accompaniment.

I found a large bag of green sixlets at Hobby Lobby in the wedding department.  You could probably find them at other party and wedding supply stores.  There are enough sixlets in the bag to make four or five thank you gifts, like the one I made above. Use a coupon.  Coupons are the best!  I put my peas in a clear plastic pillow box.  But a small bag or box would work just fine.  Tie it with a ribbon.  Ribbons are not optional.  Then just print out a tag  and you're gold!

Peas--they're the new chocolate!

Linking up with:

Whipperberry 
Skip To My Lou

Notes of Appreciation

Personal notes.  A whole pack of them.  Written by you and your kids.  Or a classroom of kids.  Just fill in the blanks or write a personal note right on top of the graphic or on the back.  Whatever.

What better way to say thanks to a special teacher?  The cuteness lies in the packaging.  Have you ever made your own notepad?  You are going to love this.  This is a skill that every crafter needs to have in their bag of tricks.  The options are endless.

For our intents and purposes, you will need the following:

padding compound
binder clips
piece of heavy card stock
small paint brush
cover pages and thank you notes-click here

Step One:  Print out the notes.  Just click on the link above and print away.  There should be three pages worth.  I printed mine on card stock.

Step Two:  Cut the notes out with a paper cutter.

Step Three:  Stack your notes together.  Make sure they are all facing the right direction.  Put the cover page on top on the back cover--well, on the back.  Make sure it faces out.

Step Four:  You are going to want to sandwich your notepad with a heavier card stock to prevent drips down the front or the back.  I used the back of an old steno pad.  I just cut it about the same size as my note cards.  It doesn't matter if it looks pretty.  You are going to discard these two pieces before we are done.

Step Five:  Tap your note cards (and ugly card stock) on the tabletop so the tops and sides are all aligned.  Hold them in place with binder clips.

Step Six:  You want quite a bit of pressure on your paper, so the bonding compound doesn't drip down in between.  I decided to use some thin pieces of wood to even out the pressure.  You will also want to clamp it down tight with some heavy binder clips.  My honey insisted on using the mega clamps from the wood shop.  If you've got em--use em.  If not, I'm sure binder clips will work just fine.  If you are worried about it, practice with some scratch notepads.

Step Seven:  Open your padding compound.  You can buy it here.  We inherited this vintage jar from my husbands office.  It's gotta be twenty years old.  I was a little nervous that it would be rock solid when I opened the jar.  But, after a few quick stirs, it was perfect.  I think this jar will last us about a hundred years.  You only need a tiny bit.

Step Eight:  Take a small paint brush (nothing fancy--I used my daughters watercolor brush from her crayola box).  Brush the compound across the top of your notepad.  Let it dry for thirty minutes.

Step Nine:  Remove the clamps and remove the ugly cardboard from the front and back.

Step Ten:  Have your kids fill in their memories and write little notes.  Admire everyone's work!

And now for a little surprise ending...Bank Notes!

If you want to take this little gift from great to WOW, add a few bank notes to the back of your notepad.  I chose to use one dollar bills.  You want them as crisp and clean as possible.  Don't be afraid to iron them if you need to.  It doesn't have to be much.  Five dollars?  Ten?  Twenty?  I made the note cards to be the exact same size as a dollar bill.  So, before you embark on step four, throw a few dollar bills into your stack.  You could intersperse them or put them all at the end for a little surprise.  I don't know of any teacher that couldn't use a little extra cash in their rainy day fund.  They could put it towards their classroom supplies, or happy hour at Sonic, or go to their favorite sandwich place for lunch.

Appreciation.  That's what we're talking about!

Need another teacher appreciation gift idea?  Click here!

I'm linking up with:

Skip To My Lou

Whipperberry

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Christmas Thanks

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas!  We were so blessed to spend the day with family worshiping the Savior, sharing gifts, and enjoying one another's company.  We were given so many beautiful gifts by many friends, family members and neighbors.

I wanted to encourage my children to express their thanks for the love that they were shown.  So, I whipped up this simple "check the box" thank you card.  This file will print four post cards.  Just print them out, trim them, fill in the blanks, check the appropriate boxes and sign your name.  You could add a little personal note or draw a picture on the back for that extra special touch!