Candy Bar Christmas Gift

The kids & I put together some Christmas goodie bags for J's teachers.  Nothing fancy because I wanted J to be able to do most of the work, so it was really from him and not me.  I have seen different versions of these candy bar gifts, but we made up our own based on the candy we could find.  We appreciate J's teachers and his school so much and I hope these treats were a hit!

Each bag contained a copy of the note and each of the candies (and Shout wipe - random I know) pictured above.

If you can't read the note, it said...

KUDOS to you...I want to SHOUT it from the rooftops!

You are EXTRA special, a real ORIGINAL, and one of the RIESENS I love school!

I have MOUNDS of fun here and you are a such a life LIFESAVER, helping me become a SMARTIE!

I wish I could give you 100 GRAND for your PAYDAY ~ you are worth a MINT!

Enjoy your Christmas break, TAKE FIVE, relax, and have fun with your family!

The finished product was definitely not fancy & crafty, but it was filled with love from a student to his wonderful teachers!

 Linking to:  simply {kierste}, The Frugal Girls,

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Disclaimer:  This is probably going to be the most materialistic post I have ever written.  I'm generally not a materialistic person, but I am loving some of my Christmas presents so much, I just had to share :)

My Keurig....I have debated about one of these for a loooooonnnnngggg time.  I loved the concept, especially because I love random flavored coffee, chai, etc, and my hubby is typically not a fan.  He just likes the regular stuff.  And the convenience!  How easy is it to just stick the little cup in the machine and press brew?!  But, the downsides were that the K-cups can be expensive, and when you have a large crowd of people, it might not end up being as convenient as just brewing a big pot of coffee.  Long story short, we got one for Christmas and I am LOVING it.  Turns out when I registered it online, I received a coupon code for "Buy 2 boxes of K-cups, get 2 free.....plus free shipping!"  My deal-loving self rejoiced over this :)  We also received a "My K-Cup" so we can continue buying our "Orphan Coffee" ($5 from each bag supports our adoption) and using it in our machine.  If you have been debating too, I say go for it!  We have this model, with 5 different cup sizes, so Jon can even brew a travel mug full of coffee before work in the morning.

These slippers.

I am totally a slipper person.  Wear them all the time at home.  Wish I could wear them all the time outside the home.  These are from Loft.  Incredibly comfortable and might cute!  Seems like they run a size small, unless my feet are growing.  Contemplating scouring the stores to find back-up pairs for when these wear out.

Another favorite is my new necklace.....hand-stamped Africa charm with a heart over Ethiopia.  I've been searching Etsy but can't find a picture.  When I find it again, I will be sure to feature it. I love wearing it as a constant reminder of my little Ethiopian(s).  Thanks, Mom!

Finally, I'll count these although I'm putting them away until our son(s) come home.

Cute right?  Much cuter in person.  And unwrinkled.  These are from Thirty-One Gifts old kid's line.  I wish they still had a kids line......alas it evidently wasn't popular enough.  The good news is, I was able to score these from the Thirty-One Outlet sale after Christmas.  It's still going on now.....check it out here if you want!  Only possible downside - shipping is a flat rate of $10, so if you only want one or two things, it's best split with a friend!  (Sale ends Friday at midnight PST!!......this is my consultant link, so if you already have a consultant, please contact them for their info.)

What were your favorite (materialistic) things from Christmas?  :)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day ~ hope you are enjoying your special Father's Day celebrations today!  Today I'm especially thankful for all the Dads in my life....

My Dad ~ although he's laid back, he also has a fun sense of humor and loves joking around.  The first time Jon ever came home with me to meet my parents, my Dad met him at the door with his pants hiked up to his chest and a stupid grin on his face....luckily he didn't scare him off!  I have always been a Daddy's Girl and I miss the days of sitting at home watching Penguins and Steelers games with him.

My Father-in-Law ~ a person who would truly do anything for anyone!  I hear so many stories and jokes about people not getting along with their inlaws, but I have to say, I am incredibly blessed with mine!

Finally, my Husband and Baby Daddy ~ who is such a good father.  After a long day of work when I"m sure he would like to just relax, he is immediately bombarded by an energetic 5 year old Daddy's boy wanting to play.  Our kids just adore him, and for good reason!  I'm so proud of (and blessed by) the father he is!!

We just couldn't wait to give Jon one of his Father's Day gifts.....Pop for the Best POP!  Cheesy, yes....but I also love that it pays homage to my Western PA/MD roots where pop was POP and not soda :)

We didn't go all out with the decorating since the box will just eventually get thrown away ~ just some scrapbook paper & stickers....and Jackson colored in the stenciled "pop."

J also decorated one side with more stickers.

Lots of different POP!

Hope you had a great day celebrating with the Fathers in your life!

Linking up to a few of my favorites!

Personalized Glass Stone Magnets

I've had the materials to do this project for awhile, and with Mother's Day on the horizon, I thought it would be the perfect time to break out the Mod Podge!

Here's the materials you need:

Glass stones ~ from Dollar Tree:  $1/bag
Magnetic Tape ~ around $2.99 for the whole roll
Mod Podge, Paper Scraps ~ on hand!

There are so many things you can do with these, but since we were making these for Mother's Day presents for the grandparents, we wanted to personalize them a bit.  Jackson drew some hearts and faces, and wrote names. 

After he drew the pictures, I would place a stone on top, trace around it, and then cut it out.  Then it's time for the Mod Podge!  Brush a light coat of Mod Podge on the top of your piece of paper, and press it onto the bottom of the stone.  When you look at the front, it will look gluey, but don't worry, it dries clear!

I stacked some heavy books on top of the stones to make sure the paper dried flat, and then when they were dry, I did another coat of Mod Podge on the back.  After it dried, it was time for the magnets.  Just cut the magnets to the size you need, peel off the backing, and stick them on!  Again, I stacked some heavy books on top just to make sure the magnets stuck on nice and tight.

When Jackson finished his part of the project, I also made a few more versions using family themed scrapbooking paper, cutting out words like "love" and "family."  We made enough to give out several to some special people.....here's one of the sets....

Please pretend you don't see the smudges on my fridge!

Quick, inexpensive, and personalized....nice!  I think we're going to make some more for Teacher Appreciation Week or end-of-school presents!

Linking these up to some of my favorites!

Cupcake Liner Flower Bouquet

Jackson loves to do projects and wanted to do something special for his Nana's birthday a few weeks ago.  We brainstormed and decided we'd give her a bouquet of flowers.  This is one of those super easy kid projects that they can do mostly by themselves and be so proud of the end result!

Materials needed:  white cupcake liners, green chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners), watercolor paint.

Step 1:  Decorate the cupcake liners using the watercolor paints.  For optimum performance, your child should still be wearing their jammies and also have bed head.

Step 2:  Allow liners to dry completely.

Step 3:  Roll one end of the stems a few times, then gently push the other end of the stem through the cupcake liner and pull all the way through.  The rolled end will catch, and you will "bunch up" the liner around it to create the flower.

Step 4:  Gather into a bouquet and enjoy!

We made these as a birthday gift, but they would also be perfect for Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation, or even a 1st Day of Spring activity!  You can get as creative as you want....adding construction paper leaves would be another easy option.



Linking up to a few of my favorites!

So happy to be featured!!

For the Love of Burlap

My love of burlap continues.  Following the same steps I used for my last burlap & sharpie pillow, I made this one for my Mother-in-Law...

I'm still loving the look of sharpies on burlap!  Now I just need to find a stash of pillow forms on sale, because I have approximately 300 other ideas of burlap pillows to make!!

Along with some of my other favorites, I'll be linking this up to

Thanks for the feature!!

Cute & Simple Teacher Gift

We appreciate the teachers at Jackson's school so much!  It's not always possible to go "all out" for multiple teachers' birthdays and holidays, but it's nice to try to show our love and appreciation with something little.  Today he went to school with this card for his teacher's birthday....

His preschool writing is a little hard to read, but the inside of the card reads, "You Are Sharp!  Love, Jackson."  And of course, we taped the Sharpies in.  'Cause we're cheesy like that.