R.A.O.K. 2015

So we decided to start a new Holiday Tradition for the month of Thanksgiving. It's all about giving thanks {and giving back}. We have some-what done this before in ways of over-tipping during Holidays, donating to a cause or buying jackets for others and things like that but we have never actually set out as a family to make someone's day special without choosing how much, when etc. with the kids completely involved. It's not always about money. We want to teach them how valuable time can be as well. We are going to put our hearts into this without thinking about it.

The kids and I came up with this idea from The Dating Divas.

I like that it had printable's to go along with and a huge list of ideas of things that we can do. Each idea the kids chose was appropriate for their age. I really love that.

 

 We are super excited about getting out into our community and doing fun things this year. I can't wait to see the kids put this into action and hopefully learn from it. Even better - I hope they carry this on to their families when they are older.

~ Our Shank Family

Christmas Craftiness { part 2 }

I have had a long list of crafts I have been wanting to try out for Morgan. Since she is a GIRL I knew I could incorporate my love of sewing and gift giving to her. I'm not crafty enough to sew for boys or to do a lot but an apron was definitely something I knew I could pull off.

With the extra time on my hands after having Ryker {I can only clean and organize my home so many times} I decided this year was the perfect time to make her her very own apron. It was appropriate for her age. She loves dressing up. I just knew she would love it.

So we headed to JoAnne's and picked out some fabric. The fabric choices were adorable. Morgan loved it and so did I :)

After I started cutting {making apron without a pattern} I realized this was a little harder than I imagined it would be. I used two different ideas and neither of them were actually simple enough for me. I can sew a square. No seriously. A square. So pulling off a rounded bottom would have led to a catastrophe and I was limited on time. I knew I could do ruffles. I also knew I could sew a square pocket. But seriously...a rounded out pocket HA. Not going to happen :)

The pinspiration:

cute little apron from sew-much-ado

and

I used another pin for connecting the apron to the piece of fabric at the top but I couldn't find it. So until I do...

So I took my time and eased myself into this apron. I actually ended up making not one but two. The second one is still being crafted at this moment in time but I will definitely post the result later :)

So, after 2 long weeks of procrastinating, sewing, getting tired, procrastinating and sewing some more - here is our little square apron!

Cute right?!

I'm kind of proud yes. Morgan loves it and wears it in her underwear, half-dressed,  and sometimes if we are lucky...over clothes that she already has on!




~ The Shank Family

Christmas Craftiness {part 1}

This Christmas I decided to get a little crafty! I have spent too much time pinning on Pinterest not to!

I originally had this gift in mind for our kids as a Christmas Eve gift and for my brothers kiddos who would LOVE enjoying this treat. But I ended up having so much of everything that I continued the gift to all of our family that had kids. My sister and her husband also received one because they were hosting a Christmas party at their home. Festive! For each family that had children (except one who has just a baby who wouldn't be able to enjoy this treat) I decided to make Hot Cocoa Bar in a Box! I created at least 6 of these boxes and it was really neat to put them all together for everyone :)

The idea stemmed from two Pinterest Pins: 

Hot Cocoa Mix (test tubes)

and

Ice Cream Sundae in a Box

I loved the Hot Cocoa Mix idea but did not like the test tubes. I wanted some way of making this a box style. Easy to create and easy to wrap and ship. So I found the Ice Cream Sundae idea and merged the two together creating my own little box gift.

I fell in love with the way the toppings were enclosed in a clear bag topped off with stock paper. I also loved the gift tags hand stamped as well. I had fun purchasing the supplies!

 Before I wrapped these boxes up, I was making the kids some chocolate covered pretzels. Again, I had more than enough to go around so all the kids and adults in each family got their own chocolate covered pretzel stick!

They. Were. So. Good!

Hot Cocoa Bar in a Box

If there is one thing I know about Pinterest...mine never turn out as pretty as the picture followed. O'well. At least it was delicious.

I also chose to do something a little different for a few family members this year as far as gifts were concerned. For example, my sister just got married and bought her first home. I thought how cute is that?! What can I gift her that could make her home look and smell good? After all, anyone who knows me knows I love pretty things and smell goods! So I came up with an idea of a trio gift.

For the Home
For Christmas Morning
For You

For the Home:

I used the cutest homemade towels that my sister in law makes. Her brand is Fresh Regard on Etsy. You can find her store here. Then I did a little shopping at Bath and Body Works. Together they made up this cute gift box that I absolutely wanted to stuff under my own tree :)

For Christmas Morning:

This was the tag I used for the Hot Cocoa Bar in a Box. I thought it would be a fun and yummy treat after the gifts were unwrapped and everyone was ready to start their day off right!

For You:

Was the tag I used for the small gift (such as gift card) I also wrapped up.

I really loved creating a trio this year and loved it so much I think I will continue this trend. Each year I can come up with something new... For the Home, For Christmas Morning and For you. I love it!

I also got a little craftier with my wrapping this year. I purchased Kraft paper from Micheal's and some red twine along with neutral twine this year. Gift tags were a must along with the stamps I already had from the Pinterest Pin up above. It wasn't any more work than wrapping normally but boy did the gifts turn out cute. I added a clipping from our tree to make each gift extra festive.

With the time I had on my hands (from not currently being in business) I couldn't have done anything better than getting crafty and keeping myself occupied with giving. The giving part of the Holidays is always my favorite :)

~ The Shank Family