All I Needed to Know About Life I learned from Santa

 

  Encourage people to believe in you.

Always remember who's naughty and who's nice.

Don't pout.

It's as much fun to give as it is to receive.

Some days it's ok to feel a little chubby.

Make your presents known.

Always ask for a little bit more than what you really want.

Bright red can make anyone look good.       

Wear a wide belt and no-one will notice how many pounds you've gained.             

If you only show up once a year, everyone will think you're very important.                        

Whenever you're at a loss for words, say: "HO, HO, HO!"

***If you are still shopping for that last minute gift, Gathered From the Garden has a wide selection of gifts for everyone on your list. Our most popular product is our great Goat Milk and Honey Lotion.  We have a wide variety of fragrances to choose from and it also comes in unscented. We can put together a gift set in a favorite fragrance… Goat Milk and Honey Lotion, Satin and Silk Shea Butter Lotion, , Body Mists, Room Sprays, to name a few. For the guys…Tired Tootsies Products or Guy Grease are always appreciated.

Wordless Wednesday

In memory...

 

 

Easy Peasy (and cute) Christmas Party Food Ideas

You know me, I love easy and cute! So I had to give these two a try for our annual Holiday Party. The lights were a hit with my little grandson! Many adults commented on the cuteness of the kiwi too before they dismantled it. Good thing I had made more than one tree!

 

The lights are just M&M almonds with a half a green Mike & Ike. Then I used frosting to make the "cord".

 

 

 

Just kiwi with a bamboo skewer and a candy star.

Remembering

When Words Fail...

 

Remembering the victims of the tragic shooting in Connecticut today

 

Christmas Gifts for Those in Skilled Care Facilities

Thinking about those on your Christmas list, here are some ideas for friends and family that are in skilled care facilities. During holidays instead of bringing a plant or flowers, which provide visual pleasure but cannot occupy an elder’s time, bring other gifts which they can enjoy after you have left.

• Already stamped post cards, envelopes and paper
• Soft Stuffed Animal with a Scent such as Lavender
• Lip Balm, Lotion, Powder
• Pillow Spray
• Dream Pillows
• Magnifying glass
• Puzzles, drawing pad and pens
• Pictures drawn from children (they love bragging rights)
• Family Photos
• A small, portable radio so they can listen to a favorite station or the local news. Or a small hand held TV or DVD player with head phones so they can watch what they would like.
• Reader's Digest and other large print books.
• Diabetic: Special Socks /Diabetic candies
• Slippers
• Pajama's
• Bath Robe
• Flannel Shirts
• Pillows/Quilts
• Craft Items they can make that does not require keen eyesight--latch hook is a good one.

Dementia: Textured items (i.e., sandpaper, velvet, fuzzy fur, gingham, burlap) to touch and manipulate. Often those with dementia find comfort in repetitive motions such as rubbing cloth or petting an animal.

Another idea for an older loved one who has difficulty communicating is touch/aroma therapy. Bring a nicely scented lotion and ask if you could put the lotion on your loved one’s hands, therefore providing touch as well as a pleasant aroma to associate with your visit. Touch alone, is very important. Gathered From The Garden has some wonderful scents. 

Can you think of anything else that would make good Holiday gifts for those in skilled care facilities?

Indoor Snowball Fight





 

 

The only thing more fun than eating freshly fallen snow...a snowball fight! While the grandkids were outside having fun in the foot of snow that fell this weekend, grandma Carol was working on having fun with snow inside. Sometimes it just gets too cold here in MN to play outside very long so I decided to make "snowballs" for an "indoor snowball fight".  A little time consuming but pretty easy.

 

To start you need a pom pom maker (got mine at Michael's using a coupon), white yarn, thin string and a scissors.

 

 

 



 

 

 

You start by wrapping the yarn around the pom pom maker.

 

 

 

You keep winding until the pom pom maker is covered.

 

Then you take a scissors and cut right down the middle. The pom pom maker has a ridge that helps guide your scissors.(Sorry about the blurry picture. It's hard to take a picture with just one hand.)

 

 

Take your string and wrap it around the yarn you have cut. Pull it tight (you can feel the cut yarn pull together). I wrapped it around twice and tied a few knots just to be sure it stayed tight.

 

 

Open up the pom pom maker and remove your "snowball".

 

 

I made 12 of them to fill a cute red container that I found at the Dollar Store. Then I used my Silhouette to cut out the letters to spell "Indoor Snowball Fight".

 

 

Here is the finished product. I might just keep this under wraps for awhile. I'm thinking this might be good for a day when the grandkids are experiencing a little cabin fever. (Maybe grandma and grandpa will have to try it out first!) Speaking of cabin fever...do you have any good ideas to keep kids occupied on those cold winter days?