A Different Kind of Elf on the Shelf

I have to share this new tradition also. Instead of Elf on a Shelf (which personally I'm not crazy about), how about having an elf that does good things?  How about a Kindness Elf? Over on These Creative Juices  blog Beckie shares a poem you can use to introduce the elf to your children. She also has a list of kind things that your family can do. The good deeds start on Dec.13 and go for 12 days.

I love this idea! I even have an elf that would work. I may have to adjust this a little since I don't see my grandchildren everyday. What do you think? Do you do Elf on a Shelf?
 

New Christmas Traditions

 

http://www.katescreativespace.com

My children are all grown with families of their own. Some days I really long for the days when we had little ones around at holiday time. Then again after having the grands for an afternoon helping with my Christmas decorating, I'm glad for the quiet when they leave.

Anyway, while tripping down memory lane and reading my favorite blogs at the same time (I'm good at multi-tasking☺) I came across two very special Christmas traditions. 

The first from Kate (Kate's Creative Space) is described in this post. She calls it The North Pole Repair Shop. She has her son pick toys that he no longer plays with. The toys are boxed up and given back to Santa to fix up at his Workshop. Her son is tickled that someone else will get to play with them.

Of course there has to be a way to let Santa know about these toys. This is how they contact him. 
 
"Five flashes of your torch, by the way, will alert Santa and the Elves that they need to swing by in the night to make the collection. Leave your boxes by the back door or in the hearth, and in the morning you’ll wake up to find a candy cane as receipt of your package."

The second one is a tradition of only giving the kids three presents.
This represents the gifts of the three Wise Men to the baby Jesus.
I wish we had thought of this when our children were little. It would really have helped to eliminate some of the commercialism that goes along with Christmas. Nancy (Ordinary Miracles & the Crazy 9) writes in her post that her children have never made an issue of it even when they've noticed that their friends got more gifts.

So sometimes I wish we could have a do-over and my children would once again be those innocents waiting to open their gifts on Christmas.  Or...I can have them read this post and see if they can start some new Christmas traditions of their own--and maybe let me take some photos!


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Christmas Rules

I saw this on the internet but I don't know who to give credit to. Love Rule #8! 

 

10 Tips to Keep Your Immune System Strong

It is so easy during this busy holiday season to get run down and become sick. There is nothing worse for me than to be side-lined with a cold or flu when I can see all that still needs to be done. So here are some tips to keep you (and me) up and running (or at least walking) until Christmas! 

 1. Eat healthy. You know to avoid food high in fat and calories. Eat the rainbow--fruits and veggies. Whole grains, lean meats,beans, nuts and seeds should be in your diet too.

2. Don't Smoke--nuff said.

3. Get more sunshine (not sunburn). Here in MN that would mean spending time out in frigid temps--not very practical. Taking a Vitamin D supplement is what we have to do here.

4. Get enough sleep. Hormones are released that help your body repair, rebuild and recover. If you aren't getting enough sleep your immune system can be compromised.

5. Exercise. It will help keep your weight under control, increases mobility, improves circulation and boosts your immune system. You don't need to run like I do but aim for 30 minutes most days if you can. Allow one day for muscles to recover and rest. 

6.  Cut back on sugar. It sneaks up in processed foods, fast food, sodas and fruit drinks. (This is so hard for me. I don't drink soda or juice or fast food but I sure do like dessert and all of these Christmas treats!)

7.  Keep your stress levels under control. Yoga is great for de-stressing and muscle relaxation. Meditation will help. Find something that can work for you. (I love playing Christmas songs on my piano.)

8. Take a probiotic. Probiotics help normalize the bacteria in your body. This is especially important if you are taking an anti-biotic.

9. Keep your hands clean. Wash them with soap and water. (I need to do a better job of keeping my computer keyboard and phone screen clean.)

10. Keep your sense of humor! This will help with your stress level and you'll exercise your smiling muscles. Heard any good Christmas jokes lately?
 

Wordless Wednesday

A family tradition--cutting the Christmas Tree.

 

Wordless Wednesday--Well, Almost

I am thankful for the beautiful country that I live in and for the bounties that it provides. I am grateful for families, friends and for my blog readers! Thank you all for being a part of it and for helping to make this year an enjoyable one! ~Happy Thanksgiving~

DIY Pottery Barn Christmas Sign Knock-off

I just love all of the great stuff Pottery Barn has but I don't love their prices. I saw this post describing how to make a sign similar to Pottery Barn's Peace sign and knew I had to try making my own too. (My finished sign is at the end of this post.)

Unlike the girls over at 2IY, I used a 6' pine board that Jerry picked up at Menards for under $5.00. I then painted it white using acrylic paints.

 

 Sanding disk attachment for the drill.

After it was dry I sanded it to give it a little bit of a distressed look. The sandpaper I had didn't do much so I used an attachment on Jerry's drill. (I'd never used it before--scary!) It worked just ok.

Then I used MS Word to design the letters. I used Word Art to pick letters that were just outlined to save on printing cost. I printed off one letter first to see if it was the size I liked. I used it to measure off the rest of the letters. When I got the size that worked, I printed off the other letters except for duplicate letters.

I used spray adhesive to put the letters on and then traced them with a pencil. I painted the letters with red acrylic paint.

After the paint dried (I tried sanding the red letters but didn't like the look.) I gave the board three coats of varnish. This varnish was something that I already had but I think there are plenty of different kinds of varnish that would work.

 

This is not my front step. Just propping it up inside to take a photo.

This is my finished product. I was really happy with the way it turned out until...we tried it on my front step. Jerry realized that a strong wind would probably tip it over. We are trying to figure out how we can secure it somehow. Also, I wish I would have left more blank space at the bottom. I thought it would be cute to put fake presents around it or a pot of evergreens. If I do that though it will cover up the Y. 

I also thought about using it inside but I really like the look of it on the front step. It is very visible from the street and I think anyone driving by would enjoy seeing the message. We have a few days to figure out how to secure it since I don't usually decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. If you've got an idea that would help us--please share!!