Popcorn for Breakfast!

Shhh, don't tell anyone, but my kids had pimento cheese and sea salt caramel popcorn from CaJa Popcorn for breakfast this morning - and they loved every bite!  The good news is that it's actually made to be healthier than other popular popcorn chains, so maybe it wasn't toooooo bad for breakfast!

 

One of their tins would make a lovely gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day.  It would also make a great graduation surprise, party favor or gift.  And a lot of businesses buy their blank tins so they can adhere a personalize message or company sticker for marketing gifts.  And they even do weddings!  Oh, the possibilities for popcorn!

 

If you're in Atlanta, you can get some at my friend Kevin's store.  If you're in Nashville, you can pick some up at Loveless Café.   you can also order it online at www.cajapopcorn.com.

 

Be ready for yumminess!

 

Gift Ideas for Girls

I've been working hard to get my shopping done for Christmas, and I bet you are too! Here are some more gift ideas for the little girls in your life. They are from the Jolie Fille Bowtique.

She makes beautiful Tutus for $15 - an awesome gift for little girls who like to dress up like princesses or ballerinas. And it makes a great photo opp for moms that want to capture their little ones on camera!

Her clippies and bows start at just $1.50, and they range in price according to the time she spends handcrafting each product. These are great gifts, because the girls can wear them so many times! Here are a few of her holiday products and some of my other favorites:

If you missed seeing Amanda's beautiful headbands from last week's post, make sure look at them on the Jolie Fille website. They're super cute!

Christmas ideas and deals this week

If you're thinking about Christmas, check out these great deals compiled by Kelly at Faithful Provisions:

50 Free Photo Cards (with free shipping)

Cooking Light Magazine: 1 Year Subscription Only $5

Gap, Old Navy & Banana Republic 30% off Coupon

Toys ‘R Us: Hasbro Game Deal $.56/ea!


This is also a great article with gift ideas:


Top 5 Charitable Gifts from CAbi Canary - CAbi Blog

Beautiful Headbands for Little Girls

Jolie Fille Bowtique has the cutest accessories for little girls - and they are all handmade by a sweet mommy friend of mine. If you have gifts for girls on your shopping list, take a minute to visit her website. Here are pictures and prices for her headbands, but she also has tutus, bows, beanie hats and pony-o's. They are very fairly priced and very carefully made - I think you'll love them!

Sparkle headbands $5

Crocheted with bow $6

Custom crocheted $8

Crocheted with a flower $7

Treasures I've Been Waiting to Share with You

I've been building a little treasury of posts to share with you. These women continually inspire me with their ideas!

20 Indoor Activities for Kids – besides TV from Simple Mom
Gift Ideas for Kids from Let's Explore
Chore Packs - Teaching Our Children to Work from Women Living Well Blog
Positively Speaking – Bullying from Pass The Torch
Deliciously Spiced Pumpkin Waffles from The Mother Load
Encouragement for Weary Mothers from Passionate Homemaking


For Middle Tennessee readers: Free fall fun from Ms. Cheap

I haven't abandoned the blogging world - I've just been blogging about positive child/youth development at www.TheAssetEdge.net and Twittering @TheAssetEdge. I'd love to chat with you on those sites too!

10 Ideas for a Free Photo Collage

Photo collages are so fun to make - especially when they are free! Walgreens is offering a free 8×10 Collage today only (thanks for the tip Faithful Provisions).

Here are some ways you might use your free collage:

1. capture special family memories
2. a vacation collage
3. a year of memories for your child
4. pictures of people that love your children
5. a sports collage from your child's last sport season
6. a thank you gift for Grandma or Grandpa
7. a birthday gift for a friend with friendship pictures
8. anniversary pictures to celebrate the growth of your marriage
9. an extended family portrait collage
10. quiet time collage with pictures and scriptures that remind you to spend time with God

How might you use your free collage?

Great Gift Idea - Playdough Kits

I love Aimee's idea for making playdough kits for gifts. Check out her instructions, and the cute gifts that her children made for their cousins.

Great Gifts for Kids - Lite Brite

Do you remember the lite brites that we played with when we were little? They were big bulky cubes, but they provided hours of fun for our family.

Gramma surprised my 7yr old son with a flat screen lite brite for his birthday. He loves it!

Sometimes it's challenging to get the pieces to stay in, but he really enjoys the puzzles & the creations. Since it's battery-charged, he can carry the screen into a dark closet and look at his brightly lit designs.

Cost for the fun - $9

Great Gift for Kids - Dress Up Capes

Amy from the Motherload shared lots of great gift ideas for boys last month. I especially liked this reversible Superman/Batman cape for my 3yr old son, so I put it on his Baggle wish list (if you haven't tried this free wish list service, you need to try it!).

Gramma bought it for him, and he's been wearing it ever since. So if you know a 3-6yr old who enjoys imaginary play, check this out! Walmart has their nice plastic Batman masks on sale for $1 - they have also been a big hit in our house!

They also have a princess cape set for the little girls in your lives. See this clever lady's full selection of items here.

Cost - $26
Big Bonus - easy to store!

Giving Gifts

It's time to shop for Gramma and Papa again. I love them dearly and I love giving them gifts, but they are sooooooo hard to shop for!

I'm exploring a new idea this year, after seeing the Samaratin's Purse Gift Catalog last year. Instead of cluttering their house with more stuff, I think I'll give a gift in their honor.

Here's a sampling of the gift categories you can choose from at Samaratin's Purse:

• Nine Gifts that Bless Children in the Name of Jesus - Help for orphans, hungry babies, disabled children, poor schoolchildren, heart patients, exploited children, pregnant mothers, newborns, and more
• Four Gifts that Fight Epidemic Diseases - Malaria prevention, tuberculosis treatment, HIV/AIDS ministries—and our new Epidemic Diseases Fund to make a world of difference where it’s most needed
• Six Gifts that Kids Can Give - Hot meals, warm blankets, sports gear, Gospel storybooks, Bible lessons, and musical toy lambs
• Nine Gifts that Transform Communities for the Glory of God - New houses, farm tools, fish, chickens, goats, livestock, job skills, shoe box gifts—and our new Transform Communities Fund to make a world of difference where the need is greatest

I'm sure there are other gift programs like these - I'd love to hear of any reputable programs you know about!