Elf Days 21-22

Day 21: E was hiding in the office on my messy bookcase.
Day 22: Enjoying a candy cane, sitting in the tree.

Elf: Day 19-20

Day 19: Eugene decided to take a Ninja Training course. It looks like he is practicing in the kids’ bathroom.

Day 22: E stayed in the bathroom practicing his stealth/blending/camouflage while hiding in Higgins’ robe. The kids really liked the ninja costume so E stayed in it.

I had some left over black fabric from a previous project. I cut out a rough outline of the elf. It was 10:00pm when I started, so I just did some quick stitches (nothing really nice or fancy). After I finished and squeezed the elf into it, I then made his mask with another crap of fabric. He is kind of sewn into the mask, so that outfit will not last long. I may redo it in the future and plan it out better so I don’t start so late at night. 😂

Elf Days 14-18

Day 14: Elf was found in a stocking on the mantle.
Day 15: Elf didn’t move.
Day 16: Elf didn’t move. I forgot. Again. I’ve been busy baking the cookies for the neighbors and for Christmas events, plus trying to get some wrapping in before school is out, and forgot about the elf. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Day 17: Elf is hiding on the ceiling fan. It’s near the TV, so he has a good view to keep an eye on everyone and to catch his shows.

Day 18: E is hiding in the wreath.

Elf Days 11-13

Day 11: E hid in the coffee K-pods.
Day 12: Oops! Someone was too tired to move.
Day 13: Made a new friend. Doesn’t talk much though.

Christmas Time Is Coming Soon!

Oh my gosh! Christmas is in a week and a half! It's been a little crazy around here with school and life in general.  Below are my Christmas ideas for food/drinks, crafts/activities, and gifts. The majority of this post will be from previous years, but if I get caught up and have more ideas, I will update the list.

I hope the Holiday season finds you all happy and well!

ACTIVITIES & FUN:

• Christmas BINGO
• Christmas Celebration Alternatives
• Christmas Gingerbread House
• Christmas Word Scramble
• Christmas Time Word Find
• Christmas Scavenger Hunt
• Christmas Time Fun Crossword Puzzle
• My Favorite Holiday Books
• Examining Snowflakes 
• Ice Bowling 
• Icicles 

CRAFTS: 

• Happy Holiday Cards
• Tree Card Holder
• Foam Gift Bags and Tags
• Easy Christmas Napkin Rings
• Easy Christmas Light Garland
• Easy Christmas Luminaries
• Hand Print Reindeer
• The New Advent Calendar
• Reindeer Food
• Paper Snowflakes
• Golf Ball Snowman 
• Cottonball Snowman 
• Potato Stamps 
• Toilet Paper Penguin  
• Snowman Coloring Page 

ELF: Here is the link to my elf post. I update it when I get new ideas.

GIFTS:

• Here is a link to my gift idea post.

FOOD:
    DRINKS:

• Peppermint Shake (Alcohol and non-alcohol version)
• Easy Fruit Flavored Water (It tastes great, looks pretty, and is super easy!)
• Warp Corp Breach (This may be more New Year's, but it's delicious and fun!)
• Frozen Bourbon Milk Punch. (I had this in New Orleans a couple of years ago, and it is delicious!)

    SNACKS & APPETIZERS:

• Edible Snowflakes (This is more of a fun snack to make with the kids.)
• Christmas Veggie Tray
• Hanky Pankies
• Soft Twist Pretzels (Goes great with Beer Cheese!)
• Popcorn Snowmen Cups (Or make candied popcorn with red and green candy melts or chocolate drizzled for dessert!)
• Snowman On A Stick
• Bear On A Sled (Could work for a kid dessert).

         MEAL ITEMS:

• Easy Christmas Themed Lunch for kids
• Checkered Potatoes (Sweet and regular in the same dish!)
• Fondue
• Broiled Parmesan Crusted Zucchini
• Grilled Brussels Sprouts
• Cooking A Turkey
• Popovers (Great alternative to traditional rolls.)

        BREAKFAST:

• Individual Crumb Cakes
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins

    DESSERTS:

• Cookie Time! (Sugar Cookie recipe)
• Christmas Swirl Cookies
• Stained Glass Cookies
• Rice Cereal Ornament Balls
• Personal Jello Fruit Cups
• Layered Jello
• Chocolate Chip Caramel Pretzel Cookies. Although not a standard Christmas cookie, these are always a big hit!
• Turtle Sugar Cookies
• Fortune Cookies
• Hidden Surprise Pound Cake. I made this for St. Patrick's Day, but substitute a tree or star and it would be great for Christmas!
• Ice Cream Sandwiches with red, white, and green sprinkles
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Cherrios Balls
• Snow Cream (More of an activity with the kids, than an actual Christmas dessert for a big group.)
• Pie Cookies (Using Christmas themed cookie cutters)
• Rainbow Cupcakes (with red, green, and white batter)
• Easy Caramels

The Elf Day 10

The Elf has been pretty boring this year, so  I  he wanted to do something that the kids would get a kick out of.

He was hanging out under the Christmas tree (which still is not decorated), in his Lego constructed Reading Room with some snacks and a few good books. The kids didn't find him before school started. Poor Eugene didn't get found until after school, but he was a big hit.

I have been wanting to do a reading scene with the elf for awhile now, so I finally made it happen. I wrote and printed out a small book titled Eugene the Elf. It's only about six pages long. I then created two small covers for the books on his side table, titled How The Elf Saved Christmas and How To Be The Best Elf You Can Be. Maybe next year I can write some pages for those books too!

I raided the kids' Lego bin to find the pieces. The room wasn't too hard to make. However, the fireplace took awhile to get right. The picture frames are holding pictures of the kids and were pretty easy to do with the right pieces (see below). I had a Lego 4x4 Frame Plate (link to Lego) and a Lego 1x2 / 2x4 Angle Plate (link to Lego). I rested the picture on the back of the frame and used the force of clipping the angle plate onto the back of the frame plate to hold it in place.

I found a few little food type items and placed them on the side table. The side table is just a rectangular plate with a couple of bricks (2x2) underneath for the legs.

The good news is that the kids loved it. The bad news is they both want to keep it.

Elf 2019 Day 9

E headed back to Higgins’ room. He took a little break hanging out on the coat rack.

Higgins decided to give him a tissue pillow and blanket when he saw him.

Christmas Gift Ideas

I am really struggling this year with gift ideas for some of the people on my list. It seems as the kids in the families get older, the harder it is to come up with ideas! In case you need some gift ideas too, here are my gift lists:

• St. Nick's Day was 12/6, but there are a lot of stocking stuffer ideas that will work great for Christmas!
• You've Been Elf'd. Spread a little holiday cheer to your friends and neighbors. We also made and delivered cookies to our neighbors a few days before Christmas last year. They seemed to be a big hit! :)
• Life Experience Gifts. Tired of giving gifts that sit on the shelf? Try giving experience gifts!
• Gifts For Them That Help You! 
• Don't Forget Safety!
• Amazing Baking Gifts
• Don't Forget the Batteries: Tech Gifts
• My Favorite Christmas and Holiday Books
• Gifts for the Entertainer and Hostess
• Gifts of Fitness
• Remembering Others This Holiday Season
• Biking, Hiking, and Camping Gifts...Oh My!
• Woof, Meow, Bubble Bubble...Don't Forget Your Pets!
• End Of The Year Teacher Gifts. This is a list of end of the year teacher gift ideas, but many of them would work for Christmas as well.
• My Father's Day and Mother's Day posts also have some great ideas for gifts.

 
 *If you buy an item from Amazon using my links, I may receive a small commission for the referral. It does not affect your cost at all! If you want more information, please visit my Disclosure page.

Elf Days 5-8

Ok, the Elf has been pretty darn boring so far. The elf hider has been tired, but will try to do better to make it a little more exciting. 😊

Day 5: E decided to hang out in Bernardo's room, hiding in the bookcase.
Day 6: Well, this should wake Hubby up in the morning. A little creepy.
Day 7: Hanging (literally) on the mantel's garland.
Day 8: Hiding on the railing.

Elf 2019, Days 1-4

Eugene started out in the office next to a gargoyle friend. I wonder what they chatted about.
Day 2, he hung out playing basketball in the hallway. I’m not sure he knows the rules though based on his scoring techniques.
Day 3 was spent in Higgins room. He was feeling a little lousy after getting a couple of vaccinations, so E wrote him a note.
On the 4th day, he moved to the sitting/reading room and hung out in the curtains.

St. Nick's Day Is Friday!

I know we just celebrated Thanksgiving, but St. Nick's Day is right around the corner on Thursday 12/6! If you are out Christmas shopping this weekend, you may want to keep an eye out for little stocking stuffers. I have some stocking stuffer ideas and a little history on St. Nick's Day below.

I used to love St. Nick's Day when I was a kid. I remember waking on on December 6th, eager to see what my stocking of goodies contained. When I was a little older, I learned that not everyone celebrates St. Nick's Day. In the US, it seems like it is more in the German and Dutch ancestry communities. I grew up in a city with strong German roots and St. Nick's Day was always celebrated. My mom had never heard of the holiday until she came here for college. She thought it was very odd that they told her to put her shoe outside her door!

Who Was St. Nick?
St. Nicholas (St. Nick) was the model for the jolly man himself (Santa Claus). St. Nicholas was from a wealthy family and would secretly give out gifts to people. The story I remember hearing was about a father who had three daughters. He was poor and could not afford dowries for the girls, which the needed in order to get married. Without the dowries, their futures looked bleak. Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins for each daughter into the house through a window at night. (There are different stories with different times frames: 1 night, 3 nights, 3 years.)


How To Celebrate:
Growing up, we each had our own stocking that we put out in front of our bedroom door the night before St. Nick's Day. My husband's tradition was to put his Christmas List in his stocking for Santa to pick up. However, other families put out shoes instead of stockings.

The night of December 5th, place a stocking or shoe outside the children's door(s) and fill it with goodies. You could also hang or place them on the fireplace. In the morning (on December 6th), open the stockings!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas:

• "Gold" $1 coins in honor of the bags of gold coins St. Nicholas gave. (You can ask for them at the bank.)
• Candy. My favorite are the Candy Cane Tootsie Pops. The boys like getting the soda flavored jelly beans that come in a small soda bottle. (Target or Amazon carry them.)
• Small games or deck of cards.
• Books or comic books.
• Small coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, markers, fun shaped pens, etc. The coloring book link is to Amazon, but Target and Michael's often have these Grab & Go packs for $1.
• Barrettes, headbands.
• Grab and Go games. These fit into stockings and are great for car rides or while sitting in restaurants. Some of our favorites are Clue, Connect Four, Trouble, Battleship, and Guess Who.
• Special ornament. We get each kid their own ornament every year. It has their name and the year on it. (Even if I just write it on with a Sharpie.) We try to make it special for that year. (An apple/desk/pencil if they started school, a horse for their first horse ride, an ornament from vacation, a train if the took a train ride, ballet slippers or musical instrument for first show/concert.)
• For older kids: gift cards to Amazon, iTunes, movie theater, laser tag, their favorite store. Or a new phone case, ear buds for phone/computer/i-pod.
• Hot chocolate mix.
• Small stuffed animals.
• Lego's. There are so many kinds! (Ninjago, a box of Lego's, Nexo Knights, Minecraft, Friends.). Lego also has Ornaments. Kids build the Lego figure and place them inside a clear round ornament to hang on the tree. The boys loved them. The mini-figure packs are also great stocking stuffer. (Lego has these in stores or online. Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, and sometimes even the grocery store will carry these.)
• Small toys. (Hexbugs, small Nerf guns, Matchbox or Hot Wheels)
• Art supplies. (sketch pads, pencils, pens, paints, crayons, stickers...)
• Pez Dispensers. I loved getting each year as a kid. I used to have a small collection of them, but they got misplaced during moving. They come in a lot of varieties! (Christmas, Star Wars, Avengers, Scooby Doo, Princess, Presidents...)
• Toothbrush.
• Flashlight.
• Temporary tattoos.
• Chapstick or lip gloss.
• Small fruit (clementines, apples).
• Compass. 
• Gum.
• Elf On The Shelf. Our Elf, Eugene, originally came to us on St. Nick's Day.
• New video game or DVD. The boys sometimes get a joint St. Nick gift of a game or DVD.
• Advent Calendar.
• For Kids: Even though they may get it a few days late, they'll still enjoy it! There are the traditional chocolate calendars, which I have seen at Target/grocery stores/craft stores this year. There are also a lot of non-food types available! [Lego City, Lego Star Wars, Lego Friends, PlayMobil, Play-Doh, Minions, Hatchimals, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hot Wheels, Disney (Tsum Tsum, Olaf/Frozen), Paw Patrol, Crayola, VTech, and even a bead craft option.] There are also simple countdown versions. NOTE: I have had a hard time find the Lego calendar when it gets closer to December. Sometimes I found it, but it was through a 3rd party seller and they raised the price by at least $10. Check online and in stores early to make sure you get the one you want and for the regular p
• For Adults: There are a lot of adult themed Advent Calendars too! Master of Malt offers many different alcoholic calendars (especially whiskey and scotch). Last year I bought myself an Advent Calendar with nicer dark chocolates. I even saw some with socks for every day! 
• For Pets:
• Dogs: 
• New Toy (Honky Hedgehog, bone, ball)
• Whimzees These are the teeth cleaning treats I buy for J. She loves them, and I like the ingredients a lot better than some of the other dental products out there. Plus, they come in some cute shapes!
• Bully Sticks
• Booties for their feet These are the only booties J will wear. They are thin enough she can still feel the ground, but still protect her feet from ice and snow.
• Homemade Peanut Butter Pumpkin Biscuits (click link for recipe)
• Cats: 
• Toy

LINKS:
St. Nicholas (Wikipedia)
http://www.stnicksday.com/



*If you buy an item from Amazon using my links, I may receive a small commission for the referral. It does not affect your cost at all! If you want more information, please visit my Disclosure page.

Missing Elf!

I totally lost Eugene, but luckily Hubby found him. Consequently, Eugene has been delayed making his yearly appearance by a day. In case you need some extra time tracking down your tricky Elf, I have a blank missing poster. (Click Here for poster.) Simply fill in the description info! If you have a different Elf, you can replace the picture as well.