Handmade Gifts Under $5

It's no secret that money is tight-- but I firmly believe that finances do not have the power to ruin Christmas! For the last several months, I've been gathering clever, yet inexpensive gift ideas. Not only will they go under our own tree this year, but once again, the children will help make a few handmade presents for the cousin gift-exchange! All of these can be made for under $5, using items you probably already have around the house:

No.1 Wooden Disk Memory Game; No.2 Paper Mache Puppets; No.3 Box of Super-heros {or princesses}; No.4 Play Forest; No.5 Button Monogram

No.6 Baked Marble Necklaces; No.7 Bean Bag Toss; No.8 Freezer Paper Stencil Shirt; No.9 Angry Birds Bowling

Remember that often, the key to keeping costs down is to select something you already have supplies for, or  choose an idea or two and make it in bulk {for neighbors, cousins, friends, etc}. Happy creating!

For past Christmas ideas, see A Gift Guide: Little Luxuries, A Gift Guide: Handmade Gifts, A Gift Guide: Zero Cost, and A Gift Guide: For the Kids.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Good morning! Did you have a good Thanksgiving? Ours was wonderful-- plenty of food, family, and relaxing while grandparents took our kids to The Muppet Movie {they've been quoting it ever since}.  Then we hunkered down and spent the weekend living off of turkey and stuffing while filming our 4th annual Christmas Video.




Nothing ushers in the holidays like blanketing the living room in fake snow, cotton balls and tinsel, even if I will be digging it out of the crevices of the sofa for the next five weeks. :)

What about you? Did you put up the tree this weekend? Participate in Black Friday madness? Or simply relax and eat pie for breakfast? {If so, good call!}

Making Do

This morning, I noticed Little Miss C's backpack on the counter. The bottom was ripped across the entire length, rendering it useless. I asked, "How long has it been like this? How do you carry your stuff to school?" She shrugged and replied, "I wear it upside down!" That girl! She brings new meaning to the phrase, "Make do or do without."



So I dug out my old bag from college and emptied it for her to use. Among the contact sheets, photo paper, mechanical pencils and half filled binders was a stash of quarters I had hoarded for use on vending machines. Almost $10 worth! Several pounds of apples later and we're back in pie business-- just in the nick of time!



Even more cheering than fresh baked apple pie was the two-hour skype chat I had with my mom. Something about this time of year always makes me long for all the women in my life to gather for baking, movie watching, and talking while wearing high heels and aprons.



I mentioned that I switched out some of my art to make it more seasonal. Here's you're visual, mom. :)



I love the little christmas tree in a red rowboat.



And the little sailboat one reminds J of a picture he took in Nova Scotia where he's looking out at the ocean full of chunks of ice and a gigantic iceburg.



Oh, and my distraction for the day? I painted the boys room blue. A few weeks ago, I saw that Martha Stewart paint was being discontinued at Home Depot, so I snatched two gallons of Enamelware blue at a rock bottom price. It's similar to the blue on my front door {Martha Stewart's Artisan Well} but with a touch more green in it. {and that chalkboard used to be in the bathroom, but is now hiding the huge hole that J kicked in the door. Yup, still haven't gotten around to replacing it...}



Then I hung the laminated map I bought {I went with a different seller after the original admitted they couldn't/wouldn't send it in a tube}, had J help me change the twin beds into bunk beds, rearranged the furniture and gave them a mini reveal this afternoon.



It was hilarious how excited they were! Though I still have drapes to sew, pictures to hang, and {someday} carpet to rip out and replace with wood flooring, a simple paint job completely changed the look and feel of the room. {Real photos to come. This is just an iphone teaser.}



Now to tend to the rest of the house {ever notice how the entire place falls apart if you take your attention away for even a single day? I swear, laundry has overtaken the entire living room!} and then paint my mangled nails for Thanksgiving.

Have a Happy Holiday, everyone!

Thankful for Distractions

Things are quite stressed financially right now. {As in, we're digging quarters out of the sofa in order to buy apples for the pie I have to make for Thanksgiving. True story.} And it's funny, because J and I both have our coping mechanisms: J takes deep breaths and gets to work. I either become paralyzed {sleeping in later and later to avoid the day} or busy myself with creative little tasks in between baking bread and making soup out of leftovers. Anything to distract the mind.



Fortunately, I have a whole box of little projects I've been meaning to get to. First up: refurbishing this nasty tray I found at Ross for $3. Can you believe Little Miss C was appalled when she heard I was going to sand and paint over the flowers and butterfly? Sweet girl.

After sanding, priming and painting, I decided to try my hand at a few stripes for visual interest. In the past, painters tape and I have not been the best of friends. I've learned to do most projects without it, hating the cleanup involved when the paint bleeds thru. But luckily, this time it worked out well.

Now I have a tray {still unstyled-- don't judge} to corral wallets, sunglasses, candles and all that spare change we no longer have. :)

Last night J said, "Besides not being able to pay bills or buy anything, it's not like I feel poor." And I had to agree. We're not poor. I've been poor before-- it's chronic, stressful, fighting-to-survive-day-to-day living. We're just broke.

I heard once that the majority of the nation is 2 missed paychecks away from being homeless. I get that. Life is precarious. It could all change at the drop of a hat.

But being broke is not the worst thing in the world, and as Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded that the pilgrims found room in their hearts for gratitude despite poverty, illness and death.

Being broke doesn't negate the fact that I have healthy, happy children. I have a husband that I love fiercely. I can run {slowly} and not be weary. I have friends and family I can talk to and lean on. I live in a free country, never have to shovel snow, and have the gospel to give me comfort and guidance.

Even without an awesome new tray, I am lucky, lucky.

Gilbert Days 5k

I first ran the Gilbert Days 5k back in 2000, before we even had any children. At the time, we lived in a tiny apartment just down the road where the sounds of the Gilbert Days Parade would wake us from our lazy Saturday slumber. We'd watch from our balcony, then walk to The Farmhouse for omelets and waffles.



Nowadays, the 5k is my official holiday season kickoff. Despite the fact that I'm not a fast runner {and was completely smoked by a 10 year old in a sprint for the finish!} I find the race enormously fun and satisfying. The free Jamba Juice doesn't hurt, either.



Next year, Little Miss C and E want to join in for the 1 mile Fun Run. See you there?

{Shout out to Evelyn-- she's the first blog-reader to recognize me and introduce herself, and ran a great race as well!}

Indulgence

What do you do to reward yourself? {or as Tom & Donna would say, Treat Yo Self!} Snuggle up with a carton of Ben & Jerry? Watch guilty-pleasure television? Buy clothes? I have to admit, I love all those things. But lately, my favorite way to treat myself is with new nail polish.

Last week, I bought a bottle of Essie's Master Plan {a nice grey similar to Chinchilly, but with less of a purple undertone} It feels neutral and edgy at the same time. Love it. For Thanksgiving, I think I'll brush on a bit of gold glitter, like so:

Other nail trends I'm loving: a glittery french manicure...

A gradient grey manicure:

And these awesome {but expensive} chevron printed nails:

On a side note, sometime this year I officially released my death grip on silver and began to embrace gold, glitter and brass. What the what? I thought warm metals would be forever banned from my home and wardrobe! What can I say? I blame peer pressure. :)

Tandem!

On Friday, J and I borrowed his parent's tandem bike and went for a long ride. In part, we recreated our very first date; riding through the same intersections to the same park, and reminiscing about our first picnic lunch on our way to our favorite gelato shop. The weather was perfect, the air was crisp and the stars were bright. Fresh air + physical activity + ice cream = romantic, invigorating date. :)

Unfortunately, we had to come home a bit early when the babysitter called to tell us Miss C was sick and throwing up. :( Poor girl was ill all weekend, and I ended up staying home from church on Sunday to nurse her back to health. Ironically, the fact that we devoted a large portion of our weekend to the kids made our brief date all the more valuable!

How on earth did we ever survive without Friday night dates?

{image via}

Weekend

It's Friday once again!

Currently, I'm making bread, nursing my sore muscles {running 10 miles is on the agenda for tomorrow}, enjoying overcast skies, and looking forward to our date tonight {I'm thinking a gourmet bakery, window shopping and brainstorming ideas for this year's Christmas video.}

What about you? Any grand plans for {or superstitions regarding} 11-11-11? Have a happy weekend, all!

PS- I bought the Darth Vader costume for $4 on clearance, and E hasn't taken it off since. It makes me laugh to see Lord Vader lounging on my sofa whining about being bored. :)

Thanksgiving Tree

For the last week or so, E has been increasingly distressed by the fact that Christmas decorations have made an appearance in stores even though Thanksgiving has yet to be checked off the calendar. "Why is everyone skipping Thanksgiving?" he implores. "Why are we skipping Thanksgiving?" When I tried to convince him that we are not, in fact, skipping Thanksgiving, he demanded to see our Thanksgiving decorations. Apparently, a holiday isn't actually being celebrated unless decorations accompany it.



So I took him with me on some back roads and we gathered dry branches and leaves to make a Thanksgiving tree. We painted all the leaves silver, wrote things we were thankful for, and hung them on the branches to remind us for the rest of the month.



I know this isn't a new concept {My sister-in-law has been doing this for years, and I've seen it all over the blogosphere} but it was new to our household and satisfied E. {and yes, I know I misspelled binoculars. Ooops.}

How do you decorate for Thanksgiving?

Signs of Autumn

While the rest of the country is seeing signs of approaching winter, we're finally feeling the shift to Autumn. The cotton fields are ready to harvest...




The bursting seeds of fluffy whiteness make me happy.




Mornings are chill enough for me to eat steel cut oats for breakfast...




...and for the children to wear jackets when they play outside.




I won't lie: it's pretty wonderful.


PS  Look where I found L sleeping the other night:




I'm just glad the toilet was clean!!

Phoenix Art Museum

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For our Friday night date last weekend, J and I participated in First Friday. During the first Friday of every month, many of the museums in the valley are free, with a large scale Art Walk downtown that includes closed off streets, local artists, and trolleys that shuttle people to and from all the smaller art galleries.

In all the years that we've lived here, I'm ashamed to say that I've never been to the Phoenix Art Museum, so it became our number one stop on First Friday, and I was pleasantly surprised. {I loved the huge sputnik chandelier in the lobby.}

While this is a terrible photo, the installation was stunning in person. Wood from a burned out building was suspended by clear thread. The pieces would rotate slowly with drafts-- it was like standing in the midst of a Matrix-like explosion.

The Diving Lady, via

J was particularly pleased to see that the iconic Diving Lady sign from Mesa's Starlight Hotel had been restored and put on display {after crashing to the ground last year in a microburst.}

via

One of my favorite exhibits was called You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflys. It was a darkened, mirrored room with tiny, shifting LED lights suspended from the ceiling. Walking into it was like becoming weightless. It was disorienting and thrilling at the same time.

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And when we accidentally ended up downstairs, we stumbled upon a room full of pieces that examined the life of a Sister Wife. I thought the bonnets made out of needles were beautiful and complex. 

It was an exhilarating night, made more so by the rain that chased us away from the outdoor venues and into a local ice cream shop at the end of the evening. {I swear, ice cream is a Mormon couple's wine.} 

One thing is certain: I'm loving our Friday night dates. :)

Ch-ch-changes

I'm so proud of E lately. He's trying so hard to control his temper, be nicer to L, and serve as a good example. It's not easy for him-- he's a perfectionist, easily gets aggravated, and often reacts with anger in order to avoid crying.

{He's really just a big marshmallow at heart. Case in point: we were watching Labyrinth with the kids. During the scene where Baby Toby is crying in the Goblin King's castle, E became very distressed. "He wants his teddy bear!" he'd say, tears welling up in his eyes. It bothered him to no end that they would allow a baby to cry, even if it was just for a movie.}

In the last few months I've watched him come inside while his friends play football out front. He took deep breaths and explained to me that he didn't understand the rules and wanted the boys to play his way. When they refused, he came inside to 'cool down'. Just a few weeks earlier, he would have yelled and hit someone.

A while ago, he got sent to the Principal's office at school again, but this time instead of kicking and screaming uncontrollably, he seethed and proclaimed, "I can't finish my project because I'm just so fust-rated!" He was allowed to sit until his anger subsided, and then he hopped up and declared he was ready to go back to class.

After Nana gave him a dollar for going an entire day without hurting anyone, he proudly came to me after every 24 hours completed without hitting. "I got really mad today, but I didn't hurt even though it was really, really hard," he'd report.

And right now, he and L are upstairs playing some made up game involving a cribbage board and Monopoly money. They haven't yelled, teased, or exchanged insults all morning. It's so nice, that I don't even mind that they're playing instead of cleaning their room.

J and I were quite worried about our temperamental boy, but all this progress reminds me that we're here to learn, grow and develop new skills. None of us are set in stone. Change is possible. He's certainly doing that, and I find it inspiring. I wonder how much I'm capable of change if I'd just put my mind to it?

Run For Your Lives!

While researching and registering for the races I want to run in the next few months, I stumbled upon this rad run; Advertised as one part 5k, one part obstacle course, one part escaping the clutches of zombies-- and all parts awesome. I am psyched!

The closest one is scheduled for next October in San Diego. I foresee a special trip to California in order to participate. {You in, Pip?}

In the meantime, I'm feeling strong. I'm halfway through training for the 1/2 marathon in January, and I have a race every month leading up to it. {I'm planning on running in the 12k's of Christmas race for the first time, and am pretty happy about it.}

Anyone else ever run in an unusual or themed race? Do you have a favorite? I'm usually such a loner of a runner that races are kind of a new, social aspect of fitness that I'm really digging. :)

Date night

A few weeks ago, J and I decided that our marriage was in dire need of some courtship. We were in parent/provider mode all the time, and by the end of the day I was so exhausted by kids, I had no energy or inclination to connect as a couple. We hired a babysitter {no small expense on our tight budget!} and took off.

The first time, we had no idea where we were going or what we would do. We just wanted to get 'away'. We ended up at Tempe Town Lake and spontaneously rented a paddle boat for an hour. We drifted out under the lights, made out, then walked through the park to buy ice cream. It was terrific. ;)




Last Friday, we went to the Pumpkin and Chili Festival at Schnepf Farms. We went on a hayride, walked through a corn maze in the dark {and scared a bunch of teenagers by sneaking up on them}, ate chili, roasted corn and apple pie; watched the fireworks and rode a haunted train. The weather was perfectly crisp {I finally got to wear boots and a scarf!} and by the end of the night, I felt young again!

Having a regular date night feels like such a luxury and a necessity at the same time. I look forward to it all week, giddy with anticipation. However, it can get expensive. Paying a babysitter means that ideally, the date itself has to cost next to nothing in order to stay in budget.

Do you have a regular date night? Any ideas for low/no cost dates that don't involve movies?

Halloween 2011

We had a lot of fun with our costumes this year. The children started watching classic episodes of The Addams Family last year, which prompted E to ask if we could please be The Addams family this year so he could "crash model trains."

 I made my gown out of two thrifted dresses torn apart and sewn together. J had a plain black suit that we drew lines on with chalk. {Needless to say, it'll need a good dry cleaning!}

 Little Miss C really got into character. We joked that for such a sunny, princess-y type of girl, we're always forcing her into quite the macabre roles. {I also made her outfit-- out of a woman's shirtdress from Goodwill and the collar of an old boy's dress shirt. I'm quite proud of how it turned out.}

 E was originally going to be Pugsley, but changed his mind when we bought the trick lightbulb. He's actually quite fond of his newly bald head. He looks like J's mini-me. :)

 L didn't care who he was dressed as. All he wanted was lots and lots of candy. Mission accomplished.

 I had an awesome Cousin It outfit for Baby R, but he freaked out when we put him in it. So he became Baby Addams at the last minute and thoroughly enjoyed himself-- especially when given a sword or a sucker.

That's it! Adieu until next year!