Scripture verse of the day - 1 Corinthians 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Christmas Cookies

Baking a wide variety of Christmas cookies has been a tradition in our family since I was a child. I have vivid memories of me around 10 years old helping my mother bake Danish sugar cookies.

As a child I thought that this Christmas baking tradition went back generations and was surprised to find out that it was so recent that my mother originated it. Her adopted mother hated baking and it rarely happened.

I picked up this cookie baking tradition and most years manage to bake several varieties. When I have a new baby the baking might be interrupted and the arrival of the big girl with her dairy protein allergy has altered some recipes.

I'm hoping to put up pictures along with recipes as I bake the cookies, but for now here is a list of our family favorites:

Danish Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies (the traditional variety that you cut out with cookie cutters)

Pfeffernusse

Pecan Fingers

Peanut Blossoms

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Spritz

Thumbprint Cookies

Pizzelles

Holiday Fruit Drops


and also some candy

Fudge

Truffles

Peppermint Bark

Ting-a-Lings made with chow mein noodles

Peanut Brittle


Do you have favorite cookies or candies that your family makes around Christmas time?

Scripture verse of the day - Romans 12:2

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Scripture verse of the day - Proverbs 22:6

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Scripture verses of the day - John 10:27-30

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and my Father are one.

{this moment} - 11/26/2010

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Inspired by SouleMama.

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Scripture verses of the day - Psalms 95:1-9

1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the crock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(I had this post scheduled to be published in advance. I did NOT interrupt Thanksgiving cooking to write. I love y'all, but really!)

I wanted to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving!

As a practical side note I want to remind you also to save those turkey bones! If you're the chef today make sure to refrigerate them after the meal and cook up some turkey stock tomorrow. If you're a guest at another Thanksgiving meal, ask the host and hostess if they plan to use the bones. If not, volunteer to take them home.

Instructions for making stock can be found on my Cooking and canning up turkey stock post. You don't have to can the stock if you don't want to. You could also freeze it. Just pour it into glass jars (or plastic containers if you use them) and screw on the lid. When I freeze liquids I leave about 1" of headspace to allow for some expansion.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 19:14-15

14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Porcupine Meatballs

This recipe contains no dairy proteins, no artificial colors, and no artificial flavors.


No, they aren't made with porcupine meat (but I wouldn't put it past the Hubster to try and bring me a porcupine to cook with)!

The "porcupine" part is the rice. As these fun meatballs bake the rice pokes out and looks a bit like porcupine quills.

I tried this recipe Sunday night with my family and they LOVED it!

To make them take the following ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (or any mixture of ground meat)
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice (or substitute other rice, but NO minute rice)
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt

Mix them all together and form into meatballs. Place the meatballs in a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Pour over the meatballs the following ingredients:

2 pints beef stock (or 2-15oz. cans of beef broth)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350F oven for 45 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Then remove the meatballs from the pan and place them in another container. Cover and keep warm.

Pour the liquid into a saucepan. Heat on high. Add a flour slurry and make gravy.

We served the porcupine meatballs and gravy over mashed potatoes. Green beans completed the meal!





Job 23:12 "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."



This post is part of the Homemaking Link-Up at Raising Homemakers

Scripture verses of the day - Hebrews 13:15-16

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

What's in your fridge?

I was inspired by last Friday's NPR story, Food Photo Friday:What's in Your Fridge?, to do a link-up.

So...here's what's in my fridge (as of 12:24pm on Monday, November 22nd):


Refrigerator freezer contents


Refrigerator contents

We also have two small chest freezers and another refrigerator out in the garage. Those are filled with beef, turkeys, and chickens. :)

Now, what's in YOUR fridge? If you want to play along go ahead and add a link to your post with pictures of what's in your fridge.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 13:4-5

4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
5 A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

Looking for Thanksgiving Decorations?

There are many, many sites and blogs out there offering free graphic downloads with Thanksgiving themed decorations and crafts. I cannot possibly link to all of them, but I did want to show you some of my favorites today!


The Toymaker (which is a site I use for free downloadable paper craft toys as well) has their Thanksgiving Village up and running. I love the work of Marilyn Scott-Waters, the illustrator behind the site.

Here are a few of my favs from The Toymaker:


Turkey Hunt - hide these little turkeys around the house and have your kids hunt down the turkeys


Cornucopia Nut Cup - print these out and fill them with nuts or other snack foods to keep the crowd satisfied until the big meal is finished


And my final pick from The Toymaker is the Mayflower - this is a 3D version that your older kids can assemble and you can use them as table decorations or let the kiddos play with them

Be sure to visit the Thanksgiving Village for the downloads!


The second site I'd recommend is Free Pretty Things For You. Keren Dukes has all sorts of lovely graphic images that she shares with readers and I particularly like her vintage illustrations turned into clip art!


My top pick there is the Thanksgiving Garland


But I also like the Party Circles - I'm particularly fond of the turkey

Remember to visit Free Pretty Things For You for the downloads.



And my final choice is a site I've mentioned here before - The Graphics Fairy. Karen puts up two (or more) vintage graphics daily over there at The Graphics Fairy and has a lovely selection of vintage Thanksgiving images that you can print out and use as decorations or creatively add to your crafting endeavors.


This Tom Turkey is one of my favorites! He originally appeared on a postcard but I'd like to see him printed out as a Thanksgiving menu.


And these paper dolls are a great idea for the kids. They can color them in, cut them out, and play with them (meanwhile you are free to finish up your preparations in the kitchen)

And don't forget to visit The Graphics Fairy to download the images!


Do you have any Thanksgiving downloadable printables that you'd like to share? What are some of your favorite sites for free images?

Scripture verses of the day - Luke 19:12-26

12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

Scripture verses of the day - Romans 5:3-5

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Scripture verses of the day - Hebrews 6:10-12

10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

{this moment} - 11/19/2010

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Inspired by SouleMama.


A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Scripture verses of the day - Ephesians 5:15-17

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Basic Firearms Course or How to Be Safe with Firearms

It's no secret that the Hubster and I shoot guns. He's been hunting since he was a teen and I recently became interested in firearms (although I'm not ready to hunt just yet) and have enjoyed target practice out at the range.

Before I ever picked up a firearm I asked for assistance in using it safely. The Hubster showed me the parts and taught me some basic safety rules. We went to an indoor range and shot the 9mm handgun. I learned about indoor range safety. Later on he took me out to the outdoor range and I shot his .22 rifle. He also taught me the outdoor range safety rules.

Soon after that I registered for the NRA Basic Pistol course and learned from a very experienced NRA Instructor.

I firmly believe that no one should work with firearms without instruction. A good way to learn how to safely use a firearm is to work with an experienced shooter. The best way to learn how to safely use a firearm is to take a hands-on class with an experienced instructor. I think the structure of the course is very helpful. When you're working with your average hunter or shooter they can teach you all they know, but chances are they've added their own shortcuts to their routines and may not give you the comprehensive instruction that you need.

That said, the folks over at Adventures in Self Reliance have put together a very good quality online Basic Firearms tutorial. It's a four part series.

Here are the links:

Basic Firearms Part 1: Safety and Parts of a Gun

Basic Firearms Part 2: Ammunition

Basic Firearms Part 3: Long Gun Actions

Basic Firearms Part 4: Proper Sight Alignment or Sight Picture

You can use this link to find an NRA course near you.

For a fun shooting and history course you can participate in an Appleseed clinic. The Appleseed clinics assume you already have a basic understanding of firearms safety and are familiar with your particular long gun, however.

Scripture verse of the day - James 1:12

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Emergency or Camping Shower

When our family went on our week-long camping trip this past summer we enjoyed using our camping shower that we purchased from Cabela's. We have a nylon shower "tent", a cedar "floor", and a cool stainless steel tank that can be pressurized along with a sprayer.

It's the ONLY way I'll camp at wilderness sites without shower houses!

While we were camping I was thinking we really ought to have a back-up shower, but they're pricey and it really doesn't fit into our family's budget right now.

While reading an update post at Adventures in Self Reliance they linked back to their post on constructing an emergency or camping shower. This is the perfect back-up system for us and I just had to share it with you.

It has a number of uses - even if you don't camp.

Have you ever have your city work on water pipes and were unable to shower because the water was turned off? If you store water you can heat some up and put it in your emergency shower and have a nice warm shower!

For those of you with electric hot water heaters - have you ever had a power outage and found that you only had cold water? With this emergency shower you can warm up some water (outside on your camping stove or inside if you have a natural gas stove) and have a nice warm shower using your emergency shower.

Anyway, you get the idea. I think every family ought to have an emergency shower - even if they don't camp!

Scripture verses of the day - Romans 15:5-6

5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What happens when the baby girl wakes up early?

She helps her mama bake whole wheat rolls...




And she eats her breakfast wearing bunny ears and no pants...




She's a character, this girl!

How many of you have dingy torn ironing board covers?

Raise your hands. I do! And I've been putting off replacing it because I can't seem to justify the prices of replacement ironing board covers.

Yet every time I have to pull it out for a sewing project or to iron our clothing I cringe.

Jess over at Craftiness is Not Optional has a fabulous and easy tutorial for making a replacement ironing board cover.

Go check it out. I have solid plans now to pull out some fun fabric from my stash and whip up a new ironing board cover.

Scripture verses of the day - Colossians 3:9-10

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the bold man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Giveaway at Sew Can Do for FOE

Sew Can Do is offering a fabulous give-away for a $50 gift certificate from FOE Your Diaper. For those of you who don't sew your own diapers (and I'm a novice in this area only have sewn pocket diapers and some fitted diapers) FOE is shorthand for fold over elastic.

FOE is a marvelous notion and can be used for a myriad of purposes other than diaper sewing. It's the elastic you find around cuffs and necklines on many knit shirts. You can use it to finish any raw edge on a garment, in fact. Leave it completely loose to use as a trim or tighten it to use it as an elastic.

Anyway....get yourself over to Sew Can Do and enter this give-away (even if it lessens my odds of winning).

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 6:16-19

16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Thanksgiving Daily

Scripture verse of the day - Ephesians 4:25

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Scripture verse of the day - Proverbs 19:5

5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

{this moment} - 11/12/2010

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Inspired by SouleMama.


A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Scripture verse of the day - Proverbs 21:28

28 A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 25:17-18

17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.
18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

Pressure canning acorn squash - a canning tutorial

In late October we canned up the acorn squash from our garden. It was a good harvest, but not our best. We ended up with around 15 acorn squash and canned up 10 of those.

Like pumpkin, there are some safety concerns with canning acorn squash (or any winter squash). You need to only can it in smallish (1" or so) chunks and it cannot be safely canned if it's pureed. You also need to can it using a pressure canner. Canning squash in a water bath canner is not safe. For more background information about safely canning winter squash, see my post about canning pumpkin.

Follow along now and see how we can up acorn squash.

The very first step (which I did not photograph) is to carefully clean your squash. Clean produce is important as a first line defense against bacteria and toxins in your final product.

We use a vegetable brush and running water to clean off our squash.

Next we sliced the squash. We found that slicing them in half, removing the seeds, and then slicing along the ridges was the easiest method.



Slicing along the ridges allowed us to more easily peel the squash.



After peeling we then sliced the squash into chunks that were around 1" in size.



This time we actually prepared the squash one night and I canned it up another day. I do a lot of my canning this way. If I can prep the produce in one chunk of time, then the actual canning can be done fairly quickly another time. We made sure to cover the squash well and refrigerated it until I was able to can it.

On the day I was ready to can, I began by taking the acorn squash out of the refrigerator and put it in a large stockpot. I covered it with water by about 1-2" inches. I set it on the stovetop and turned the burner on high. While the squash was warming up I prepared the rest of my equipment. The squash ultimately warmed up and was boiled for two minutes.



Next I filled clean quart jars with warm water and put them in the pressure canner filled with about 1.5" of water. Warming the jars helps prevent cracking later when you fill the jars with your hot food mixture. Check your pressure canner manual to see how much water you need to fill it with. Most have a mark on the inside indicating the fill line.



I turned the heat on the burner up to high.

Next I put a small saucepan full of water on a burner and turned the heat on low. Inside I placed the canning jar lids. I stacked them with alternating sides so the lids are easier to remove. The lids need to be warmed so that they'll form a better seal on the jars.



Then I assembled my canning tools. For this job I used canning jar tongs, a magnetic lid lifter, a ladle, a slotted spoon, a canning jar funnel, a clean damp dishcloth, and canning jar rings.



When the squash had boiled for two minutes I was ready to start filling the jars. I used the canning jar tongs to remove a jar from the canner and emptied the water into the sink. Then I put the canning funnel in the jar and used the slotted spoon to carefully fill it with the hot squash. I packed the jar loosely and filled it to about 1.5" of the top of the jar.



Then I used the ladle to fill the jar with hot liquid from the stockpot full of squash and water. Again, I filled to about 1.5" of the top of the jar.



Then I removed the canning funnel from the jar. I used the magnetic lid lifter to lift one of the lids from the saucepan and centered it on the top of the jar. I then placed a ring on it and tightened the lid down with the ring.



Then I used the canning jar tongs to lift the jar back into the canner. I repeated all of the previous steps until all of the squash was in jars and the jars were in pressure canners. For this batch I ended up using both of our pressure canners. Then I fastened the lids on the canners and made sure the burners were turned up to high.

The next step was venting the canners. This is a necessary safety step. Check your pressure canner manual to see how long your canner needs to vent. One of ours vents for 7 minutes and other vents for 9 minutes.



After venting I put the weights on the canners and waited for the canners to come up to pressure. For acorn squash at our altitude using weighted pressure canners we needed 10 pounds of pressure. Gauge canners (without weights) usually need to be at 11 pounds of pressure when canning winter squash. For our altitude the squash in quart jars needed to be processed for 90 minutes.

We took advantage of that time to do a bit of schoolwork in the kitchen. It's important that you not abandon your pressure canners during processing. You need to monitor the pressure and adjust the heat on your burner when necessary to maintain the correct pressure in your canners.





After 90 minutes of processing I turned the heat off on the burners. Then I waited for the gauges to return to zero. Then I waited an additional 5 minutes before removing the lids. Again, this is a safety step. In case the gauge isn't reading accurately the extra five minutes ensures that there is no pressure inside the canner when you remove the lid.

Next I used the canning jar tongs to carefully remove the jars from the canners. We cooled them on sheets of cardboard set on our hoosier countertop.



This batch yielded 10 quarts of canned acorn squash.

After the jars cooled completely I removed the rings, wiped down the jars, and marked them with the contents and date. Then I stored them in a cool dark place until ready to use.



This post is included in the Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link-up.

Scripture verse of the day - Proverbs 19:9

9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 12:17-22

17 He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.
21 There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
22 Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

Scripture verses of the day - Romans 10:9-21

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

File Folder Games - Handmade Holiday

File folder games are simple paper games that store in file folders. They're easy to construct, easy to store (you can put them in a file folder drawer or file box), and travel well.

They're also very inexpensive to create!

Supplies needed for my version include:

- Color printer and color ink
- Laminating machine and sleeves or clear Contact paper
- File folders
- 6"x9" envelopes
- Clear packing tape
- Self-adhesive Velcro

The first step is to find a file folder game you like. There are many, many free sources available online.

Some of my favorites include:

File Folder Fun

Preschool Printables - File Folder Games (the links to the left are free downloads)

Christian Preschool Printables - Bible File Folder Games

Bible Story Printables - File Folder Games

Positively Autism - File Folder Games

Activity Village - File Folder Games

The Homeschool Hutt - File Folder Games

MormonChic - File Folder Games


To construct the file folder games the way I do you'll first print out your game sheets in color. I use regular paper, but you could use cardstock if you like.

The next step is to laminate the sheets for greater durability. I don't know about your kids, but mine are rough on games! If you don't have a laminating machine, clear contact paper works well.

Then tape your main board to the file folder using the clear packing tape. I used several loops of tape on the back to secure it to the file folder.

The next step is to cut out your playing pieces. If you're using clear contact paper you'll want to first cut out your pieces and then affix them to the contact paper. Make sure to leave an edge around the pieces. I found that with our laminating machine the pieces hold up fine without leaving an edge so I just laminate the full sheet and then cut out the pieces.

Then I tape the envelope to the the file folder. For some games I tape it to the inside of the folder and others, like the paintbrush color matching game, I need to tape it to the back of the folder.

Since the baby girl doesn't know how to open the envelope clasp I also added Velcro to the envelope to make it more user friendly for her.


The last step for us is to attach self-adhesive Velcro pieces. The furry side is placed on the game board and the rougher side is placed on the game pieces. This allows us to play with the games when we're traveling or in church and not worry about losing pieces.

Here are some of the favorites in our household right now:


Match the Mittens from MormonChic








Match the Shapes from MormonChic








Noah's Ark from MormonChic








Paint Brush Color Matching from Confessions of a Homeschooler (scroll down the page to find the link)

I modified this one slightly by printing out two jars in black-and-white and using those to hold the paint brushes. This gives the girls a neutral spot to store the paint brushes when playing the game. You can also see that the envelope needed to be mounted on the back of the folder for this game.









Do you use file folder games with your kids? Do you have any favorite online sources that I didn't mention?

Toddler alphabet book - Handmade Holiday

Last year we started a new tradition where each member of the family receives just four gifts on Christmas.

The categories established were:
1. Something you want
2. Something you need
3. Something to wear
4. Something to read

It worked really, really well for our family! We had to think very, very carefully since we knew that each present would hold a greater significance. The girls had such fun playing with their gifts because they weren't overwhelmed with many gifts.

I haven't yet decided if the alphabet book is going to be the baby girl's "something to read" gift yet or if it will end up as one of her stocking stuffers on St. Nicholas' Day.

I found the graphics over at The Graphics Fairy. To put the book together I just printed the pages out in color and laminated them. Then I punched holes in the pages and used some binder rings to hold it together.










This post is part of the link-up at The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday.