Tag Archives: Christmas

I am a Cookie Exchange CHEATER! And YOU?

I am a COOKIE Exchange CHEATER!

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Bake Cookies? ME?

OK. I admit it. I am a Cookie Exchange CHEATER!

Have you been to a “Cookie Exchange”? 

You bring 1-2 dozen cookies.

You take home a variety of cookies…

as many cookies as you brought.

Here are some of the cookies made from years past:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AUIVybs91IafbDtkvVkRjnAtfnqJIhGchljvrBWewHyUgeExB8-nPHU/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/532409987183578029/

and these

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/532409987183644068/

And so…

those of you who know me…

I don’t bake…

well, I have..

I just don’t ENJOY it!

* I made a batch of persimmon cookies last weekend.

I felt I had to before the persimmons rotted.

YUCK!

Bad BAKER!

I gave them to the chickens!

And so…  What to take to the family cookie exchange?

Make it…..don’t BAKE it!

TA DA!

Enter..

NUTTER  BUTTER  REINDEER!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/95349717084620212/

Check out my COOKIE Pinterest board for MORE ideas!

And so…

Will it be a Pinterest SUCCESS?

or

A Pinterest FAIL?

Here we go!

Supplies.

Lay out the Nutter Butters.

Break the pretzels into antlers.

Mix powdered sugar into

ROYAL  FROSTING.

(It dries like CEMENT…it holds everything!)

I think ..Pinterest SUCCESS!

The grandkids LOVE them!

So was I a COOKIE EXCHANGE cheater?

Maybe. But you know what?

The smiles & hugs made it ALL worthwhile!

Merry Christmas!

How to get ready for Christmas without the STRESS!

4 Replies

I know…BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Folks..LIFE IS BUSY! Christmas time is BUSY!

Sorry to be the one to tell you that.

BUT…

30 days …from TODAY  (11.25.23)   4  SUNDAYS! 

 YES,  4 SUNDAYS…

Christmas will be here!

I  LOVE CHRISTMAS!

So??  

 How  to  get  ready??

PACE YOURSELF!

Think 

MARATHON…NOT  SPRINT!

 Where to start?

#1…..Make LISTS!

(I  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE   LISTS! )

List ALL ( YES ALL ) of the people you 

WOULD LIKE to give gifts to.

Now…

PUT A STAR next to the people you MUST give a gift to.

(I know that sounds weird..but..I would LOVE to give gifts to

EVERYONE…but…my bank account says I must prioritize).

It doesn’t mean I won’t give a gift…

just might be a “thoughtful”… not-as-costly gift.

Reality people!

If money grew on trees…

#2…..DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN DEBT FOR THE NEW YEAR!

 So…there is officially  1 more PAYCHECK until Christmas.

( Or figure out HOW many PAYCHECKS YOU have until DEC. 24 )

Take the number of gifts YOU MUST purchase 

and divide by EXTRA $$.

***If you have been SAVING for Christmas,  which you WILL DO for NEXT year,  add that too!

That tells you HOW many GIFTS you MUST purchase and the amount you have to spend.

That’s important because

 now you can begin looking for a gift

for the PERSON…not just a check-off on a list.

SLOW DOWN! Not ready to buy yet!

Now….start talking, texting, asking others…

#3…..DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE!

ASK!!!!  

 What items do the people on your list WANT…NEED…LOVE?????

Add this to your LIST!

( If for kids…ASK THEIR PARENTS…sizes, likes, ages,etc )

Now…start looking…

online? Look for FREE shipping! 

(AMAZON PRIME ..I am speed dial!)

Friends & Family …FAR AWAY???  ( Sorry )

SHIP TO THEM!

Don’t ship to YOU & then pay to ship to them!

SHIP  DIRECTLY! FREE!

STOP!

YOU HAVE NOT MADE A BUDGET YET!

#4…..Figure out what you can spend…

AFTER PAYING YOUR BILLS & feeding your family.

They always come first…don’t forget to add them to your MUST list!

Your kids COME FIRST!

And NOT going into SEVERE debt!

Only charge what YOU can pay off the next month!

NO DEBT AFTER JANUARY!

OK..then..start listing whom you will purchase for.

After you purchase…keep the receipt! 

I write the name of the person I purchased it for on the back…

RETURNS?  Easy Peasy!

After you purchase…

or  it arrives from SANTA’S HELPER

 IN THE BROWN UPS TRUCK… 🙂

WRAP IT  AND   ATTACH  A  NAME  TAG!

( This is from a Santa’s Helper…who has forgotten and was wrapping WAY TOO LATE INTO CHRISTMAS EVE! )

After Thanksgiving..

#5…..I begin to look at my 

LIST of ” WANT to purchase for”

but NOT necessarily, 

 “Must Purchase For”

on my list!

 ( Yes I keep it in a little book in my purse! )

Now I have a better idea of “extras”…

Do I need to do “homemade”….giftcards…..”I thought of you- but have no $$ left” card? 

What kinds of gifts can you give for NO MONEY?

How about a picnic at the park?   A  TEA PARTY for kids?  A trip to the library to read books?  Take a young child to the ZOO???

Gifts of “ONE TO ONE” time…ARE THE BEST!  

And you can schedule them AFTER the holidays. 

The gift that keeps on giving!

Whatever fits YOU! 

RELAX!   

NO  GUILT!  

Christmas is NOT about who can GUILT YOU the MOST!

It’s about telling the people you care about..

THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU!

Enjoy the season.

Spend time with friends & family!

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!

Make Memories!

And when JANUARY comes around..

SMILE!

(And maybe  a mani / pedi  for  yourself?)

But…remember…

Christmas is from the HEART..not the WALLET!

Have FUN!  

Elf on the Shelf… FAILURE!

Do OVER!

What do YOU do to get ready for CHRISTMAS????

YOU want to…P.P.Paint ????

1 Reply

Just hearing the 

“P A I N T”

word.

Sends shivers down my back!

I have nightmares of 

spilled water, ruined paintings,

our janitor YELLING ,

“NO!  STOP! NOT ON THE NEW CARPET!”

 Ok…NOT yelling…but  you know…”NO!”

So, I guess

24 …   6-year-olds

sitting at desks, 

painting beautiful pictures

was NOT was I thinking about!

AND

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN!

I admit…it was ALL about ME!

WHAT WILL  I  HAVE  TO “Deal With”?

And you know what?

NOTHING.

Every time we paint

(and I try to do it once a month)

THEY AMAZE  ME!

Clean, quiet, detailed, HAPPY!

They worked for about 45 minutes…

TOTALLY  ENGAGED!

(I wish some of MY lessons were SO ENGAGING!)

I start with my BFF…

PINTEREST!

I have some GREAT pins on my boards.

Check them out!

This months “painting inspiration”came from

Elyse 

@

PROUD to BE PRIMARY

And now we are…
ALL ready for JANUARY!

Here’s a few of ours!

They are sooooo cute!

AND

NO   SPILLS!

I think they are getting the HANG OF IT!

Duh…   you mean with

PRACTICE

we get BETTER!?

I wonder what wonderful teacher gave them that ADVICE???

Anyways…

we will PAINT!

And we will PAINT..a  LOT!

Next month… 

I’m thinking SNOW, and Penguins, and Nature Scenes.

Maybe some “still life”…    Hmmmm.

MONET!     DEGAS! 

Watch out WORLD OF ART…

HERE  WE  COME!

Check out pinterest for more ideas!

Charlie Brown Christmas

When Do YOU put up YOUR Christmas TREE?

1 Reply

Happy Holidays, my friends!

I just spent 2 1/2 HOURS…yes, hours…

putting up our

CHRISTMAS  TREE!

Crank up the Christmas MUSIC!

 

Wendy…

WHY SO LONG?

Because.  

My Christmas tree is NOT a 

MARTHA STEWART tree.

It doesn’t match.

It doesn’t have a “theme”.

It is MY  family’s legacy.

It is a timeline of our life.

AND I CHERISH EVERY MOMENT!

I cried.

I giggled.

I remembered moments from years past.

My hubby kept coming into the living room

wondering what was taking so long.

Then…he would look at an ornament and say..

“Do you remember…?”

Yes!  I DO!

As I look through the ornament box,

my heart swells with happiness.

THAT, my friends, is what 

CHRISTMAS is ALL about.

I collect ornaments! 

I search them out EVERYWHERE we go!

I buy them for MY kids and MY grandkids!

ALWAYS…date the back! 

Doesn’t seem important now…IT WILL BE LATER!

If you can’t find ornaments…key chains work fantastic!

Scavenge the “AFTER CHRISTMAS” sales!

Christmas boutiques, & craft sales!

It’s about a memory.

I never want to FORGET!

IN  LIFE…there is NO “DO OVER”.

There are “second chances”…but they are

DIFFERENT!

Here is a little “smattering” of my 

Christmas Tree!

A cruise hubby & I took to the Caribbean.

The first ship I had ever been on!

After 10 months on fertility drugs…BABY on the way!

This was the first ornament I ever bought with a baby on it!

We didn’t know if it was a boy or girl.

Ended up being twin boys! 

32 years ago & still cry at this one!

Happy tears!

Yes…I have the first 5 years for ALL of my kids!

We are blessed with 4 kids & 5 grandchildren.

Hubby’s FAVORITE!

JAWS FAN!

A trip to EUROPE with my mom & sisters!

4 California girls to England, Ireland, & Scotland!

We found our ancestor’s farm!

My auntie ( now 90 ) made this for me

when I was 5. ( 49 yrs ago ).

Very precious.

At the TOP of our tree.

The last remaining ornament HANDMADE by my grandmother.

My parents’ house burned to the ground 30 years ago.

In the attic were ALL of my MOM’s Christmas ornaments!

GONE!  Luckily, I had one from MY grandma.

Sniff…sniff…memories!

You think those little strings of popcorn won’t last?

Hubby’s from PRESCHOOL!

1965!

(It used to be much longer…I wrap it in tissue every year!)

For your kids…

If they play sports…get them a sports ornament

EVERY  YEAR!

There will come a day…when they won’t play!

Remember all the fun times!

KEY  CHAINS   MAKE  ORNAMENTS!

My little sis got remarried on the beach in HAWAII!  

The WHOLE family went!

We went snorkeling and saw the SEA TURTLES!

FUN TIMES!

My son’s favorite sport ( He wrote this when he was 10 ).

He is now in the US NAVY!

I wonder if ALL the practices & games helped him get ready for LIFE?

YES!

My first trip to the EAST COAST!

We toured from NEW YORK to NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Stayed at the BEST B&B in Plymouth BAY!

TEACHERS!!!!

Yes…those  “SILLY”  classroom ornaments 

DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

AND…GLITTER  MATTERS!

A plastic lid…some glitter…and  a picture!

Circa  1992.

This year we are adding AUSTIN, Texas & ALASKA!

My new ornaments will add to the happy memories

we have as a family!

So here is a “SMATTERING”

of 

MY LIFE!

It’s  PERFECT for ME!

I  just had to update with my 

NEWEST  LOVES!!!

KEYCHAINS!

I would collect Christmas ornaments on our travels.

BUT…they are HARD TO FIND IN JULY!

So…I  started collecting

KEYCHAINS!

They are the newest additions to my Christmas tree.

After our recent trip to VIRGINIA…

I came home with 8 new keychains!

I  write the date & any “memories” I can on the back!

My new TEXAS key chains will be perfect!

When I hung them on the tree…

those wonderful memories came back…with tears.

 Happy Tears. 

Remember…

IN LIFE…there is NO “DO OVER!”

Live, LAUGH, Love!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

from

1stgradefireworks 

Making Memories

Change Your MINDSET

I am a COOKIE MONSTER!

1 Reply

Yes. I admit it. 

I LOVE COOKIES!

I count points. Weight Watcher, here!

BUT… they are NOT good for my hips & thighs.

SO WHAT IS A COOKIE MONSTER TO DO?

BAKE cookies for OTHERS!

The giving plate for COOKIES!
The Giving Plate for COOKIES!

Yes. I will taste a few. And then walk on my treadmill… a LOT! 

But life is about LIVING!  MODERATION in everything! EAT THE COOKIES!

And life goes on.

I stalk Pinterest. I know there must be a 12-step program somewhere.

But for now, Pinterest has my heart. I can find ANYTHING there!

I am sharing my BEST cookie pins from my COOKIE board.

Cookies for the COOKIE MONSTER in YOU!

My CHALLENGE to you. 

Make the cookies.  Some for you… some to share.

I take a plate to the neighbors, leave a box at the fire dept., police dept., hospital, for my mail lady, and the garbage collector. 

My school does a cookie exchange & our family has a HUGE one!

Finally… freeze some for later.  The COOKIE MONSTER in you will be VERY happy AFTER the holidays!  

Enjoy my friends!

Merry Christmas, my friends. And HAPPY BAKING!

Don’t BLINK!

Family

Leave me a comment…  what is YOUR FAVORITE COOKIE?

Mine?   ANY!  🙂  

Clean up 2017

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Can you hear the song?

Here’s a link to help you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY-H2WGThc8

My NEW YEAR’S Mantra!

CLEAN UP!   CLEAN UP!

I LOVE to start the NEW YEAR with cleanliness!

NO ...I AM NOT  OCD ( quite the opposite ).

I like to start the year off with a clean slate…

doesn’t always stay that way!

So here I  go!

MY Closet! 

ICK!

Keeping these…pants together..skirts…etc

Hubby even did his shoes! 🙂

Pile to GO!
Cleaned out my closet…found my LOST slippers!

YIPPEY!
Pile of unneeded hangers!

Gave some of them away with donated clothes.
Kept some…yes..I got rid of the WIRE HANGERS!

HAHAHAHAHA

So I am DONATING 2 bags of 

“UNUSED” clothes & shoes

( Doesn’t fit, holes, haven’t worn, aren’t going to wear…)

to Goodwill.

Have you tried this COOL  closet  trick?

Take ALL of your hangers and turn them 

BACKWARDS!

As you wear something…

turn the hanger forwards.

Next year…

ANY hanger still turned backwards…

YOU HAVE NOT WORN IN ONE YEAR!

DONATE  IT to someone who will!

The Christmas Decor!

I LOVE my Christmas tree.

I turn on the lights, sit in the dark, and watch it twinkle!

But…it has been up since November.

( Yes, before THANKSGIVING!)

I didn’t have Thanksgiving at MY house..so..

UP WENT THE CHRISTMAS DECOR!

Makes me happy!

But…Time to “CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP!”

Gma loves help! Such a decorator!

It takes a LONG time to put ornaments away!

You have to touch each one…remember when or where you got it…

the memories are sometimes OVERWHELMING..

Sniff..sniff..giggle..giggle

We started this years ago…

When we travel, or have a special place…

we buy an ornament.

Check out my UPDATED post on 

“In Life…there is NO “Do OVER!”

Newest member of my snowman ornament collection.
Don’t forget the year!
Little sister got married  in HAWAII!

We were ALL there!

So FUN!

and last…

ME!

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions…

I don’t need ANOTHER thing to worry about!

But..

I have changed my eating habits!

( Lost 32  pounds …so far )

YEAH!!!

My new favorite “treat”…

APPLES & Peanut Butter!

But wait!

 Isn’t Peanut Butter FATTENING??????

Here’s my SECRET..

Slice apples ( I buy mine pre packaged & sliced ). 🙂

Put them single layer on a plate.

Put 1 Tablespoon ( Yes I measure ) peanut butter in a small zip-lock bag.

Close bag. Microwave PB ( mine about 20 seconds).

Snip ( tech term) the corner off of the bottom of the PB bag.

DRIZZLE over apples!

It’s like FROSTING the cake!

* UPDATE…  You CAN use PB.

BUT…

My newest LOVE

PB2.

Powdered Peanuts…NO  FAT!

Mix 2 TBL powder with 1 TBL  water!

PRESTO!

PB  with NO  FAT!

I LOVE LOVE  LOVE  the PB2 with CHOCOLATE!

CAN YOU SAY…  REESES???

I have it on my toast in the AM.

So…I am beginning my

CLEAN UP 

mode.

I should start on the kitchen cabinets, or the bathroom…..

I think I hear 

APPLES & PB

calling me!

Happy New Year’s,  my friends!

Cookie Exchange…cheater! ME!

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Each December our family has a cookie exchange.

You bring 1-2 dozen cookies.

You take home a variety of cookies…

as many cookies as you brought.

Here are some of the cookies made from years past:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AUIVybs91IafbDtkvVkRjnAtfnqJIhGchljvrBWewHyUgeExB8-nPHU/

and these

And so…

those of you who know me…

I don’t bake…

well, I have..

I just don’t ENJOY it!

* I made a batch of persimmon cookies last weekend.

I felt I had to before the perimmons rotted.

YUCK!

Bad BAKER!

I gave them to the chickens!

And so…  What to take to the family cookie exchange?

Make it…..don’t BAKE it!

TA DA!

Enter..

NUTTER  BUTTER  REINDEER!

Check out my COOKIE Pinterest board for MORE ideas!

And so…

Will it be a Pinterest SUCCESS?

or

A Pinterest FAIL?

Here we go!

Supplies.

Lay out the Nutter Butters.

Break the pretzels into antlers.

Mix powdered sugar into

ROYAL  FROSTING.

(It dries like CEMENT…it holds everything!)

I think ..

PINTEREST  SUCCESS!

The grandkids LOVE them!

So was I a COOKIE EXCHANGE cheater?

Maybe. But you know what?

The smiles & hugs made it ALL worth while!

Merry Christmas!

Kinder Friends GIVEAWAY!

Leave a reply

Kinder Friends GIVEAWAY

Merry CHRISTMAS!
Feliz  Navidad!
Joyeux Noël
Frohe Weihnachten
There are sooo  many ways to say
“Happy  HOLIDAYS!”
My friends and I at
Kinder Friends
are having a
DECEMBER  GIVEAWAY
We are celebrating
Holidays  Around  the  World!
We are giving away a $25 TPT card!
Raise your hand if you want one!
ME!   ME!   ME!
Here are a few of my
December    products
to help YOU
survive the month!
THAT,
my friends,
is a  UNIVERSAL  theme!
A HOLIDAY BUNDLE!
5 Packet BUNDLE!
Includes:
BABY It’s Cold Outside:
Noun Sort
FROZEN!…HFW Game
SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY…Long vowel Silent “e” Word Work
SILLY SNOWBALLS…Beginning blends word work
Color & B/W printables
Grades 1-2
Do You Want to Build A Snowman?
Place Value Activity for whole group / small group / independent practice.
Snowman “pieces” to create a snowman based on a given value.
Snowman HATS have a number. The students “build” the snowman using corresponding units. Uses base-ten blocks, expanded notation, math mountains, & ten-sticks to make numbers. Differentiate based on student needs. CCSS CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.2
Power Pronouns
25 Pocket Chart Word Cards and
Printables to help students practice using pronouns
in complete sentences.
Snow Fun
4 ELA Centers for Winter
Included:
Sight Word Snowball Fight
Partner Reading Stick Puppets ( Reading Comprehension)
How to Make a Snowman: writing
Christmas Tree “Rhyming” Chains
Available in color & B/W
Grades 1-2
This Elf is NOT on the Shelf!
32 Math Task Cards …
1 more / 1 less
10 more / 10 less
Holiday Themed
And…..
The ELVES are Working OVERTIME!
ELA centers :
Verbs…Past, present, future
Nouns…Common, Proper, plural
Digraphs
Inflectional Endings
Punctuation
Here is a FREEBIE
 from ME to YOU!
OK…my friends!
Enter  the RAFFLECOPTER
and then….
HOP  ON  OVER to my friend
PAULA at
Paula’s Preschool and Kindergarten
For MORE Goodies!
Goodbye!
Adios!
Happy Holidays to one and ALL!

In LIFE…there is NO “DO OVER”

Leave a reply

In LIFE…there is NO “DO OVER”

Happy Holidays, my friends!

I just spent 2 1/2 HOURS…yes, hours…
putting up our
CHIRSTMAS  TREE!

Wendy….
WHY SO LONG?
Because.
My Christmas tree is NOT a
MARTHA STEWART tree.
It doesn’t match.
It doesn’t have a “theme”.
It is MY  family’s legacy.
It is a timeline of our life.
AND I CHERISH EVERY MOMENT!
I cried.
I giggled.
I remembered moments from years past.
My hubby kept coming into the living room
wondering what was taking so long.
Then…he would look an an ornament and say..
“Do you remember…?”
Yes!  I DO!
As I look through the ornament box,
my heart swells with happiness.
THAT, my friends, is what
CHRISTMAS is ALL about.
I collect ornaments!
I search them out EVERYWHERE we go!
I buy them for MY kids and MY grandkids!
ALWAYS…date the back!
Doesn’t seem important now…IT WILL BE LATER!
If you can’t find ornaments…key chains work fantastic!
Scavenge the “AFTER CHRISTMAS” sales!
Christmas boutiques, & craft sales!
It’s about a memory.
I never want to FORGET!
IN  LIFE…there is NO “DO OVER”.
There are “second chances”…but they are
DIFFERENT!
Here is a little “smattering” of my
Christmas Tree!
A cruise hubby & I took to the Caribbean.
The first ship I had ever been on!
After 10 months on fertility drugs…BABY on the way!
This was the first ornament I ever bought with a baby on it!
We didn’t know if it was a boy or girl.
Ended up being twin boys!
32 years ago & still cry at this one!
Happy tears!
Yes…I have the first 5 years for ALL of my kids!
We are blessed with 4 kids & 5 grandchildren.
Hubby’s FAVORITE!
JAWS FAN!
A trip to EUROPE with my mom & sisters!
4 California girls to England, Ireland, & Scotland!
We found our ancestor’s farm!
My auntie ( now 90 ) made this for me
when I was 5. ( 48 yrs ago ).
Very precious.
At the TOP of our tree.
The last remaining ornament HANDMADE by my grandmother.
My parents house burned to the ground 30 years ago.
In the attic were ALL of my MOM’s Christmas ornaments!
GONE!  Luckily, I had one from MY grandma.
Sniff…sniff…memories!
You think those little strings of popcorn won’t last?
Hubby’s from PRESCHOOL!
1965!
(It used to be much longer…I wrap it in tissue every year!)
For your kids…
If they play sports…get them a sports ornament
EVERY  YEAR!
There will come a day…when they won’t play!
Remember all the fun times!
KEY  CHAINS   MAKE  ORNAMENTS!
My little sis got remarried on the beach in HAWAII!
The WHOLE family went!
We went snorkeling and saw the SEA TURTLES!
FUN TIMES!
My son’s favorite sport ( He wrote this when he was 10 ).
He is now in the US NAVY!
I wonder if ALL the practices & games helped him get ready for LIFE?
YES!
My first trip to the EAST COAST!
We toured from NEW YORK to NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Stayed at the BEST B&B in Plymouth BAY!
TEACHERS!!!!
Yes…those  “SILLY”  classroom ornaments
DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
AND…GLITTER  MATTERS!
A plastic lid…some glitter…and  a picture!
Circa  1992.
So here is a “SMATTERING”
of
MY LIFE!
It’s  PERFECT for ME!
Remember..
IN LIFE…there is NO “DO OVER!”
Live, LAUGH, Love!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
from
1stgradefireworks