DIY Wreath & Bow Making
Did you miss out on your local wreath fundraiser this year? No worries. Make your own! Follow these simple wreath and bow making directions.
As you know, you could easily drop a serious wad of cash on holiday decorations. Try this: skip the craft stores and shop your closets and backyard instead. Combining the great outdoors with items you already own is a beautiful, frugal option for decorating your home.
Fill pitchers or vases with tiny tangerines, use fresh cranberries or small nuts in candleholders, or pile large pomegranates on a cake stand. Tuck greens on shelves or arrange branches in large vases. Candles, ribbon, ornaments, or lights could always be added to punch things up a notch.
Baking Homemade Sugar Cookies
I love stocking up on baking ingredients during sales this time of year, perfect for someone who gets more excited about great deals on butter than boots.
This week, my daughter and I will be whipping up a big batch of these Homemade Sugar Cookies. Take my word for it, they are the best.
Doing Frugal & Family-Friendly Christmas Activities
It’s not too late to celebrate this Christmas season in an intentional way. Check out some great family-friendly activities that Kate, Angela, and I compiled last year. If you’re looking for outings in the Portland or SW Washington area, head over to this year’s Christmas Events list.
Picking Up Oregon Apples in… December?
Did you know it’s not too late to get apples directly from the orchards? Two weeks ago, my husband and I loaded the kids for a trip over the mountain to do just that. We stopped and threw snowballs on Mt. Hood before hitting our final destination: Parkdale, OR.
Our favorite orchard, Kiyokawa, is running their self-service stand seven days a week through the end of December. Most varieties are .50/pound. Fill a bag, weigh it, and leave your money in the slot.
We also headed over the Mt. View Orchard where the incredibly friendly owner came out, chatted with us, and encouraged us to take any fruit we could see for .25/pound. Can’t beat that.
You could make a whole day out of it. Sledding on the mountain in the morning. Apples in the gorge in the afternoon. Where else could you do that? Welcome to the beautiful Pacific NW.
Reducing the Toy Population in your Home
Speaking of Christmas, it is only 17 days away. 17 days! If there are small people living in your home, this week is a great time to sort and toss or donate toys that are just taking up space in your home. Allow your children to enjoy their new toys without fear of being buried alive in an avalanche of stuff.
Also, check out Geek Dad’s The 5 Best Toys of All Time for a great reminder of the timeless “toys” that capture our children’s imaginations.
Leave a comment! What is going on in your home/kitchen/family this month?
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And Geek Dad is a Portlander too! So he knows what he’s talking about! 😉
I did a recent giveaway for the Farm Chicks Christmas book and was so inspired to “reuse” things in my home. I have tons of Christmas decorations that I love, but I wanted to do something a little different this year, as I always set them up exactly the same way every year. I used mason jars filled with cheap mini candy canes, filled glass hurricanes full of old pinecones and colored ball ornaments. I even filled up one hurricane with my beloved S’more ornaments instead of hanging them on the tree (they’re SO heavy and I have an 18-month old). It’s been fun to look at things differently this year, I have so much stuff in the house that doesn’t get used enough so this was a fun way to showcase it differently.
We took our kids to the Senske light show in Tri-Cities. It’s a local landscaping business that puts on an amazing choreographed light show that’s totally free to just sit and watch. My kids were enthralled. They love just driving around and watching for Christmas lights too. I filled up their sippy cups with hot chocolate and marshmallows and we had a great time! It’s really amazing to watch it all through their eyes and they get a little older, so much fun.
I LOVE Mt. View Farms! We have been going there every fall for over 25 years! We brought our kids and now our Grandchildren. Ruthie and Lyle are the BEST!!
I couldn’t agree more, we’ve been going there since they started, even before they were living out there at the orchard. The last couple of years we’ve picked our own apples, a bargain and so much fun.
We always make a cake for Jesus’ birthday and always head out in the car to check out the wonderful Christmas lights – the kids love it – and so do I 🙂