Blog Hopping: "It's Ok" Thursdays

Just thought I'd make another post for I call an end to this day. This is a new blog hop I found today, and I really like the concept :)

It's OK ...

That I blog about life ... some people find it interesting to make new friends they can relate too. 

To say how you feel ... this makes you a better person. 

To cry for no reason ... sometimes we all need a good cry. 

To make mistakes ... it helps us grow! 

To spank your children!!!! That's what kids need today!!!! Rules are meant to be followed!!!!

To sing in the shower ... do what makes you happy :)

To sit up late watching movies with your hubby ... this is our quality time. 

To feel different ... we all have to find ourselves out there in this big ole world!

To let loose for a change! 

To follow your dreams! 

To be scared!

To let go ... we all have to do it at some point in our lives. 

To reconnect with old friends ... they bring out the best in us! 

To remember the past ... sometimes we all need a history lesson! 

To want a future for our children that was way better than the one we had! 

I'll talk to you all in a few hours :)    

From my front porch to yours,

Last Minute Gifts for Kids

Christmas is a whopping 7 days away! Man, where has December gone? Do you have all your gifts covered yet? Thankfully, I have all of my gifts bought and tucked under my tree. Today, I want to share with you a great last minute gift idea for kids:  Handmade Ornaments!

Who doesn't love these? You can make these ornaments for your tree or your kids can make these and wrap them up and presents for loved ones. They are very inexpensive to make and can be personalized in so many ways!

Logan made one during Art Class at school. He couldn't wait to get home and hang it on our tree. They made their ornaments from clay which they let dry and then painted. Obviously, this is going to take a couple of days to allow the clay time to dry. Be sure you have a couple of days to spare to allow for drying time and painting time. He has art once a week so his ornament had plenty of time to dry before he painted it. I loved finding it in his backpack last week!

I really think this is a project kids of all ages will enjoy. After all, Logan just turned 10 on Friday and we went to Hobby Lobby after his birthday supper with his grandparents ... and guess where the first place he went was? The craft section. His target ... Crayola Clay. He came home over the weekend and made yet another ornament! This one he hasn't painted yet, but I love how it turned out as well!

The clay we purchased is just the plain grey clay which is what they used at school. You can get other varieties of modeling clay at your local hobby/craft store and even Wal Mart and Target! At our Hobby Lobby, we found several different types of clay in all different colors, but Logan wanted just the basic grey so he could paint it as he desired. I love how he is so artistic!

I hope your kids enjoy this craft project as much as Logan has! Be sure to mark the ornaments if you don't forget with the year so you'll always remember when it was made. If you have more than one child, be sure to make it with their name or initials as well.

Happy Crafting!

See everyone tomorrow!

Show Your Pride ~ Team Stockings

Whew! It has been such a long weekend! Christmas will be here before you know it. Thankfully, all my present are bought, thanks to a whole weekend of shopping and not blogging! I have so many great things to share with everyone ... I honestly have no idea where to begin!

This post is all about stockings! I have a few that I put out every year but only one of them is ever fully on Christmas morning, Logan's of course. My husband found this neat stocking that was made like a hoodie sweatshirt while we were shopping at Big Lots. He was so excited to show me because it is Kentucky Blue (for those of you that don't know, we are die hard Kentucky Wildcats fans). So, being crafty and in the holiday mood, I was like okie dokie, let's get it and I'll make it into a Kentucky stocking!

The stocking before I added anything to it. I really like these "as is". They are totally cute!

The back of the stocking. See the hoodie at the top? Way cute!

White glitter craft glue from Wal Mart for the writing.

Ah, perfect! Not bad for a first time stocking!

I'm really happy with the way this turned out! The white glitter glue really dried to a nice finish and made the whole stocking sparkle!

Our Big Lots had these stockings in red and blue. You can use any stocking that you like. You can even you a plain one to add your favorite team logo too. This is all about creativity and what you want to do with your stocking!

I'm sure you could also incorporate different elements on to your stocking as well. You can use different colors of glitter glue or even sew fabric that has your team logo onto the stocking. You may even want to use things that you have like stickers or something of that nature to decorate your stocking.

Always remember, the best craft projects start with a little imagination. Don't be scared to try something! If it's not what you hoped for at first, don't get discouraged ... tackle it again with what you have in play!

I hope everyone has a great week! Be on the lookout for more fun craft ideas! Oh yeah, before I forget! Be sure to stop back in on Sunday for my first Southern Sundays post! I will be sharing my favorite recipes!

Countdown to Christmas

This year, I have been looking for new ways to get my family in the Christmas spirit all month long. I must admit, Pinterest has played a huge part in my craziness this year as well! I have found a ton of ideas for things to do this year as well as crafts to try next year. I am so addicted!

My project this Christmas is a great alternative I found to the traditional advent calendar. My fellow blogger friend Amy has posted a Christmas bucket over on her blog (which I found via Pinterest) that I instantly fell in love with!

Amy's Blog -- feel free to go and check out her blog and be sure to check out her bucket! She is so creative!

I must admit, my little basket isn't a snazzy as hers, but I quickly threw this together just to see how much fun my soon to be 10 year old son would have opening different things each day leading up to Christmas. So far, he's had a blast with this countdown project so next year, I will be able to add a little more detail to our basket! Ah, a new Spencer family tradition in the works!

This is my completed basket! I think it turned out great for a first time project!

To start out, I went to our local Dollar General and purchased a little Christmas basket along with a cheap roll of wrapping paper. I also cut out squares of construction paper in both red and green to write my messages on for the envelope days.

These are the items I bought for my gifts to include in my basket. The smaller things I wrapped just like a present and placed them in my basket. The Gingerbread House was put up in a safe place until Logan opened the envelope for this project. Luckily for him, it was what he opened on day three! He was so excited!

Here's another shot of the small gifts I purchased. You can do as many gifts as you want and as many envelopes as you want. I just chose to get a few small items this year as a trial run. Next year, my basket will have more gifts, I'm sure, and less envelopes. I got a coloring book, a reindeer paper chain craft, and a pack of Holiday Tic-Tacs.

These are the messages I wrote on the construction paper for Logan to open for each day that he didn't chose a present for the basket. I will include a complete list of things you can include in my blog post.

As you can see, this is pretty simple to assemble. I put mine together in under an hour! Here's some different things you may wish to include in your basket or bucket or whatever you use to place your creation in! Be as creative as you want! This project is totally up to you!

The ideas listed below do not have to be new items. You can wrap up things you already own as far as favorite Christmas movies and books. You may also want to consider wrapping one or two favorites and purchasing one new to add to your collection! The possibilities are endless as far as what you can create!

Also, if you have more than one child, you may want to add a some ideas they can work on together as well as some things each child can get for that day's project. You can put as little or as much into this as you wish!


Gift Ideas:

• Christmas movies
• Christmas books
• Christmas crafts
• Gingerbread house
• Christmas coloring book

 Envelope Ideas:

• Bake Christmas cookies
• Go look at Christmas lights
• Make homemade ornaments
• Wrap presents as a family
• Mail Christmas cards
• Take a family Christmas picture
• Watch a Christmas movie together
• Write a letter to Santa
• Make a Christmas cake or cupcakes

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Be sure to add your own creative touches when putting this project together for your family! I hope you children love it as much as my son has! Be sure to let me know how yours turns out!

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Great Holiday Deals

If you are like me, you probably still have some holiday shopping left to do. I always say I'm not going to put it off until the very end, but time always escapes me.

I ran across these sites which offer a great selection of deals for online shopping! Free Shipping is a major selling point right now for most of us who will be sending purchases out as gifts! Take a look around, you may find some great deals on items you have been looking for!

EBATES
* with EBates, you can also install the tracker toolbar to alert you if you favorite shopping sites are offering cashback for shopping with them via EBates!

Mr. Rebates

You may also want to check out Swag Bucks, a fun way to earn "bucks" for surfing the internet. Why not get rewarded for something you do on a daily basis anyways?

Swag Bucks

If you are a trendy person and like to stay on top of what is new and hot, you may want to check out No More Rack. They offer a selection of goods each day at dramatic discounts. If you are interested in learning more or would like to sign up, click the link below.

No More Rack

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!