How many of you still have a stray Christmas decoration lurking around your house? Honestly? We still had a mini Christmas tree, a lighted Madonna, and a few Santas in our family room — with lights still hooked up to a timer that clicked on every afternoon at 3, and shut off around midnight. My [...]
Full Story »
Packing List: One country ham Corn Meal (Forgot…. throw into car!) Packs of Starbucks Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate Pears Cans of Pineapple and Cherries Ice Skates (lake is frozen!) Entire duffel bag of mittens, snowpants, gloves, scarves Extra blankets Hersey Kisses for Peanut Blossoms Source: pillsbury.com via Shauna on Pinterest Peanut Blossom Cookie Dough [...]
Full Story »
So, you’re wondering what I got in my Altoids Tins? This particular one came from the one who loves green — which explains the green highlighter used to write my treasured “Gift Tag.” He even borrowed a little ingenuity from this Origami Master Brother to make an “envelope” that was a shirt — without a tie, because [...]
Full Story »
Two summers ago, our neighbor carried a very large square “train table” out of their house and to the curb. Then the words “free” appeared on a piece of paper taped to the front. Made by the father, legs painted white, their son, about the same age as my little guys, used it as his [...]
Full Story »
When, I called home from Chicago, the boys picked up the speaker phone, which meant that I could actually hear the sound of his feet padding across the kitchen floor as he ran, breathless, to the computer to check out his Youtube video. Up in Chicago, where it was cold, I was melting with joy [...]
Full Story »
This is the 12 days of Christmas, right? This is when all of the holiday hubbub is suppossed to take place anyway. Yet, I know that, like me, you’re tired of it all, and ready to move on. And, I will — after I’ve finished with the Altoids Tin Challenges. It was getting down to [...]
Full Story »
Oh yeah. He’s back… and he’s been quite the challenge to “manage” while we’ve been working through the Great Altoids Gift Challenges. Here’s what he’s been up to this year — from my newspaper column. We can freely debate the existence of Santa in our house — but when it comes to Elf, there is [...]
Full Story »
The parts of a mini-gingerbread house fit neatly into an Altoids Tin – if you’re a bit creative. I’m not quite sure if the parts and pieces inside are enough to make a house — maybe more like a shack — or maybe even a sidewalk leading to a much bigger Gingerbread house. Who knows [...]
Full Story »
Yes… it is days before Christmas, and there is another party is scheduled at my house in just a few days, and no, we cannot squeeze yet another event into our busy days. My husband was good enough to mail the stack of Christmas cards for his family – mine was not. Yet, despite all the [...]
Full Story »
