Countdown to Christmas GIFTS

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics include a few leftovers from the weekend. (I should have some new STUFF to add tomorrow.)

RANDOMNESS #1 - I forgot about posting more Stocking Stuffers the beginning of the week. I'll make up for it today, tomorrow and Friday. I promise.

51. Travel sized games (Connect Four, Uno, etc.)

52. Gourmet spice mixes

53. Tickets for a concert

54. Kid paint set

55. Freezable teethers

56. Money clip

57. Gourmet hot chocolate packets

58. Ring holder

59. Pedometer

60. DVD

RANDOMNESS #2 - I forgot to tell you I tried another Pinterest tip Monday night. You may already do this, but if not, it works.

I hate to cook bacon in a skillet. I love the end result, but I don't like the lingering smell and the mess. Try this little tip. I did!

1. Place a sheet of wax paper OR parchment paper on the bottom of a large cookie sheet.

2. Place the bacon side by side.

3. Cover with foil.

4. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Place "baked" bacon on a paper towel to soak up the extra grease, and throw away the foil and parchment paper.

NO smell. NO mess. And light, crispy bacon. This is the only way I'll be cooking bacon from this day forward. Amen and amen!

RANDOMNESS #3 - I'm a big fan of John Croyle's devotions on building strong families. They always make sense to me. They aren't complicated. It is just common sense. I wanted to share one of them with you today.

Family Builders

Whether building a home, business, relationship or family, you have to have a sound footing and a solid foundation. For there to be a solid foundation in a business deal, there has to be a mutual feeling of trust between you and your client. Normally, where there is no solid and sound foundation, there is no successful outcome and one or both parties can suffer.

If we find ourselves in a shaky situation in our business, home building project, or client relationship, we usually sit down with our staff or associates and strategize to fix the problem or problems. We put in long, hard hours to repair what is wrong and get back on a sure footing.

Does our family get this same consideration? Do we have the same strategic planning meetings with them when things are not working between us and our mate, children or parents? Do we share with our family how special they are to us and how we need them? It is more important to work out whatever problems may arise in our family than it is to fix something wrong with our business.

We need to make our children and mate feel so important that they will never doubt they come first in our lives. They should never be in second place behind our business or anything else. This is the way to have a great family foundation.

RANDOMNESS #4 - Karman, the winner of the Whole Foods Gift Certificate from my last contest, is claiming her prize today. We are headed to Whole Foods to eat at the lovely little restaurant in the middle of the grocery store. I cannot wait.

And I think I'm finally going to buy that horned melon from Borneo today. I just can't help myself. (I'll post a pic tomorrow!)

RANDOMNESS #5 - Speaking of Whole Foods Market, I made the Lovely Melia a Whole Foods Market Bag for her birthday gift. (She has said she loves Whole Foods, too.)

Included in the gift bag were the following items:

1. Freshly squeezed... or crushed... or smashed organic chocolate peanut butter.

2. A fresh bar of citrus-mint soap straight off the slab. It was yellow and blue... Melia's favorite colors.

3. Organic milk chocolate and dark chocolate squares. (For some reason, these squares have pictures and fun facts about different kinds of bugs when you unwrap your chocolate. You know. Like a baseball card. Very interesting.)

4. A container of organic chocolate chip cookies from the bakery.

5. A perfume solid from India. My friend, Julie, and I are crazy about the "Love" scent, so that is what I bought for Melia. It is light and musky and so good.

6. And last, but not least, a Gift Certificate for the restaurant in the middle of the store.

Roxie told me she would not like this gift. Roxie told me a gift from a grocery store, no matter how "fun" a 50 year-old woman thought it might be, was not a good gift for a 20 year-old.

Melia said she liked it... a lot.

Roxie doesn't know it yet, but I'm making her a Whole Foods Market Christmas stocking. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Wednesday Wisdom - I love this. Easier said, than done... but I still love it.

Before you act, listen.
Before you react, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.

Ernest Hemingway

I would be a much better wife, mother, sister, friend, etc., etc. if I followed this wise advice.

Countdown to Christmas GIFTS

I like this idea (seen in a magazine), but I have to admit, I wouldn't try it unless I had one or two children. The Duggars could probably swing it somehow, but it would be WAY too mind boggling for me. (In case you haven't noticed, the Duggars have replaced Kate Plus Eight in my "Extremely Large Family Reality Show" slot. I know. I'm pathetic.)

Instead of the traditional Countdown to Christmas Paper Chain or Countdown to Christmas Peppermints on a Ribbon, wrap and stack 24 small gifts for the child to open each day of December.

It doesn't have to be an expensive gift. It can be a favorite candy bar, a rented movie to watch that night together as a family, a new pack of crayons, etc., but each and every morning let the child take a box from the stack and open it to mark one day closer to Christmas.

The kids LOVE this. One Mother said when she didn't plan on doing the Countdown to Christmas GIFTS tradition one year, her son told her he didn't need anything Christmas morning. He loved the Countdown.

ALTERNATIVE - I also think you could do this with a nativity set. Wrap each piece of the nativity set (the stable, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the animals, Shepherds, Wise Men, etc.). If you have less than 24 pieces, you can add extra animals, wrap the three gifts separately, etc. until you have all 24.

If you have more than one child, let them take turns each morning opening a part of the Nativity and placing it in the proper place.

After they open the first day's gift (the stable), you can let them open the other gifts in any order they want, and they can place the pieces where they belong.

Have a lovely Wednesday. Encourage someone today... by word or deed. Be kind to someone today... family, friend and stranger. Call (or text) someone you haven't spoken to in awhile today... and just catch up. (And I will do the same!)

I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. Feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page under Guestbooker. Click on "Leave a Response" and it will take your comment. You can also e-mail me at mfaulkner1306@charter.net.