Is it too late to talk about Easter baskets? (Nah – you’ve still got a weekend and a week to prep, if you need it! :))
I know they’re not for everyone, but I’ve really grown to love the opportunity they give me to highlight an important holiday in our faith, support small businesses, replenish basics at the turn of the season, and create some magic for my little ones. And personally, as a creative person, they’re just really fun for me to collect, curate, arrange, and fluff! I might enjoy them even more than the kids.
(If you’re curious, I’ve written extensively on my feelings about Easter baskets in the past – this post captures why I love them and feel they’re an important part of our faith tradition! This post covers some of my tips for keeping baskets budget-friendly.)
Onto the stuffing! Before I get into the 2022 specifics, here are a few things I consider including each year:
— A Bible or faith-based book to add to our library. I’ve rounded up some of our favorites here. (I try to buy these from a local source when possible, like Quail Ridge Books or McIntyre’s Books!) Of course, Write the Word Kids is also a perfect pick for 5-12-year-olds.
— Pajamas. These usually come from Hanna Andersson, Old Navy, or my favorite consignment sale.
Now, here’s what’s going in our little ones’ baskets this year!
Both June and Shep will have a pair of hand-me-down pajamas I set aside from the last load my sister brought over, a few bath bombs, and a matching bathing suit (reader, I could not resist – this for June, this for Shep, and this for Annie). They’ll also have a new box of chalk I couldn’t fit in either of their baskets. In addition, they’ll have a few individual items:
Annie, age 9 months, will have her bathing suit. And actually, her basket is back-ordered until May, so she will have… nothing :) But I’m sure she will be thrilled, regardless!
If you’re celebrating with baskets, what’s your favorite find for this year? Happy fluffing! :)
Contrary to appearances, I’m not the most creative mom – rather, I’m a thorough researcher, and eager to put my own twist on what I find. And Valentine’s Day, for whatever reason, brings out my peak “borrowed creativity.” With kids, I find it to be just the sweetest holiday, and working on projects together for our people has become a beloved tradition over the last few years. I know homemade classroom valentines are not for everyone, but I thought it would be fun to round up some of the designs we’ve given over the last few years, in case you’re looking to borrow a little creativity of your own! For a future year :)
Every year, I ask the kids what they’d like the theme of their valentines to be, and then I riff on that. When June was 2, it was rainbows, so I printed these little cards and she swooshed on the lines with watercolor.
Cats at age 3! I used hot pink washi tape to attach little cat toys to cards I made, then outlined the edges in pink with Super Tips.
Dogs got their day at age 4. Honestly, these ones were a beast… way too much cutting and glueing of individual pieces, ha!
We did bunnies last year, at age 5, but for some reason I don’t have a photo of them. This year, the theme was rocks! We finally found a use for her overflowing gem collection :) She chose a combination for each member of her class and then we pressed them into salt dough hearts. I wrote on the front of the tags; she wrote the to and from on the back. We tied each bag with this gorgeous yarn.
This year, at age 3, Shep got his first custom valentines! He asked for a Thomas the Tank Engine theme, so I ordered Thomas minis and designed simple cards, which he spruced up with watercolor.
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! I hope you have a great day celebrating with the ones you love.
Christmas week is here, friends! I hope you’re feeling calm, joyful, and expectant.
(And hey – I know the socially-appropriate response to a sentence like that is probably to laugh nervously, as if the idea of being calm and joyful this week is preposterous and what do I even mean with an expectation like that? But I also know that if you’re here, you just might be feeling calm this week! You probably work hard at setting boundaries and choosing what matters most and saying no to the rest. And if you’re not feeling particularly calm nor joyful going into this week, it’s not too late to adjust your plans or expectations. After all, this is a season of exceeding great joy (and peace, and hope, and love). I’m praying all of those things for you right now!)
I am feeling good about Christmas prep. My only minor stress right now is coming from blog posts I want to write and a video for one special boy I want to edit before the end of the year, but I am reminding myself those are self-imposed deadlines. Christmas cards have been sent, gifts have been purchased, teacher gifts have been given, wrapping has begun, gingerbread houses have been constructed, lights have been seen. This week, we’re doing more wrapping (with friends, tonight!), we’re making peanut butter balls, we’re giving gifts to our garbage and recycling guys, and we’re packing for our Connecticut trip, among a few other things. And we’re just trying to enjoy each other, always.
As they have for the last nine years (!), Minted has graciously gifted us our Christmas cards (even though I am probably the worst influencer they have on the books, seeing as I’m sharing this on December 20th instead of November 15th or whenever they were hoping I might post). But they really are an amazing, innovative, passionate company and I am so proud to partner with them. I love our cards this year (they always have just exactly the right designs!), and I think you’d be very happy if you choose them, too :)
Since we didn’t send birth announcements for Annie (we haven’t sent them for any of our kids!), it was fun to give a little wink to her arrival with the wording of our card. The photo on the front is from Annie’s newborn session with Graham, and the photos on the back are from a photo shoot we did at the beach with our extended family – I’ll show you a few more shots from it soon!
As always, we used our beloved newsletter to share a few details about each of the kids and a few of the big moments from the year – it was a wild one!
Always happy to have a helper :)
Friends, I wish that I could send a Christmas card to each one of you – I really, really do. I’d thank you for being here for another year and send the warmest wishes for a beautiful year ahead. Card in the mail or no, know that I’m sending you love!
June recently told me that stockings are her favorite part of Christmas morning. I’m not sure if it’s because stockings are the only thing Santa brings in our house (and thus they’re automatically more magical) or because reaching in and pulling out dozens of little gifts is just a thrilling experience, but I’m here to live up to it. After all, stockings are one of my favorite things to shop for, and I enjoy collecting things throughout the year — for June, Shep, Annie, John, and… myself. Yep! John doesn’t really “get” how I like to do stockings – his family’s growing up were pretty minimal – and so it doesn’t bother me to keep this tradition going with most of my own effort.
If you’re looking for some final ideas for your loved ones, here are a few I’ve rounded up!
