RACK day 2!

Today was the kiddos' idea. We had talked about taking flowers and cards to someone in a nursing home and the kids thought of the idea of taking them to their dad's wife's mother (got that?). She is suffering from dementia and they had visited her before. I thought it was a wonderful idea. Not only is it a chance to bless this lady, whom I have never met, it was also a chance to bless my ex-husband's wife. The kids picked out a crazy cute arrangement (I forgot to take a picture!). They were so excited to do this. I can't wait to hear how it went when they get back on Sunday.

On a separate note, I also purchased the flowers for tomorrow's RACK. Plus, we finished getting the gift cards for our largest RACK that will be Sunday's special RACK. (Let's see how many times I can put RACK in a sentence!) I can't wait to give the details on what we are doing Sunday. I am so excited about this one for so many reasons!! So stay tuned!! :-)

Grapefruit

The real reason I can't do the grapefruit diet: Grapefruit and coffee don't mix. It just makes my coffee taste like broiled rubber. Grapefruit v. coffee ~ just guess which one I will quit! :-)

RACK day 1

On our first day of RACK, we took Isabella's ballet teacher a hot cocoa. Isabelle was so excited to give it to her. We got there a little early and every time the door opened Belle would sit up and look anxiously at the door. When her teacher came, she gave her the hot cocoa and our little RACK note. Her jaw dropped and she said, "This is just what I needed today!". Yup, good way to start!!

RACK

Today is December 1st! That means the beginning of our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. I am so excited and so are the kids. We can't wait to get started. We compiled a list (I'm sure we will add to it as we get more ideas) that I've included below for ideas. We have more ideas than days, so some won't get done at this time. That doesn't mean that we that we can't continue this after Christmas!! I also made up little cards that we are going to post with our RACKs.

Random Acts of Kindness

Purchase and donate coloring books and crayons to a hospital waiting room.

Tape microwave popcorn to Redbox machine

Shop for and donate a Thanksgiving/Christmas meal

Take holiday books and leave at a children's play area in mall

Buy hot cocoa for Salvation Army bell ringers

Tape candy canes and notes to atms

Offer to buy a pack of gum or mints for the checkout person

Take peppermint mocha to a local childcare for the workers (I've done that job, they need extra energy!)

Hand out holiday flowers

Take baked goodies to library staff

Take thank yous and baked goodies to police

Take thank yous and baked goodies to county sheriff's office

Take thank yous and baked goodies to fire station

Pay for someone's santa pictures at the mall

Go grocery shopping specifically to give away in the Food for Families box

Pass out candy to those mailing Christmas cards at the post office

Collect canned goods for the food pantry

Collect clothes for the Community Center in Cleveland

Take small gifts/goodies to our hard working postal employees

Leave a gift basket/fruit basket on the doorstep or a family in need

Give cookies/treats to employees with words of thanks

Leave a treat and thank you in the mailbox for our letter carrier

Give our garbage/recycle driver hot cocoa & treat

Christmas Eve: Take mocha & cookies to store employees working night shift

Christmas Day: Deliver special goodies to those working/recovery in the hospital.

Buy coffee for a stranger at Starbucks

Pay past due library fees for a stranger

Donate used books to a school library

Buy a grocery gift card and give it to the person behind you in line

Buy $5 fast food gift cards and hand them out.

Make muffins/cookies and take them to church some evening

Leave quarters at the laundromat

Pump a stranger's gas so they don't have to get out in the cold

Take water bottles to busy nurses

Deliver balloons/small stuffed animals to the children's floor of a hospital

Hide book store gift cards in random books

Give a random family a restaurant gift card (walk up, place it on the table and leave)

Help load groceries in the car of an elderly person

Adopt a family for Christmas (buy small gifts/gift cards and donate anonymously)

Leave quarters in the carts at Aldi

Take cookies to neighbors and invite them to Christmas Eve service

Send a care package to a college student with popcorn, hot cocoa and goodies

Send a card/flowers/balloons with pictures made by kids to a shut-in

Send a card/package to a soldier

Leave a generous tip for a waitress or in a tip jar

You have been RACK'd!

Random Acts of

Christmas Kindness

This Christmas season we are counting down

the 25 days of Christmas by performing a

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS each day.

We pray that this little act may bless you and that

you may discover God's precious gift this Christmas season.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world

that He GAVE* His one and only Son,

that whoever (this means you!*) believes in Him

shall not perish but have eternal life."

*emphasis added by us!

Feel free to leave more suggestions in the comment section!!

Random Acts of Christmas Kindness

I have always been a big fan of Random Acts of Kindness. When I used to take the toll road to work, a couple times a week I would pay for the person's toll behind me. I love doing little things like that. Then when I stumbled across this blog http://katherinemariephotography.com/blog/archives/7437, I knew we had to do this. It's 25 Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. Each day in December through Christmas Day, we will purposefully set out to complete one Random Act of Kindness. She has a bunch of ideas, but if you ponder you can come up with so many more. This is something I can do with Michael and Isabella and it will help to keep up us grounded in the midst of the materialistic environment Christmas has become. I am so very excited to do this! I will try to post each day what we did for the day. Stay tuned!! :-)

Gingerbread boy & girl wreath

This wreath was ridiculously easy and can easily be used as a template for an innumerable amount of themes. I choose the gingerbread theme because I wanted something to hang in my kitchen. I am a bit of a cookie making machine when it comes to the holidays, and my kitchen takes on a gingerbread theme in decorations. Let your creative juices flow and this wreath could be tailored to fit any room in the house. And it only takes about half and hour!!

1. Get your supplies! From the previous post, you will see that this can be the best part of this. Walking through a craft store can fill you with all sorts of ideas! Basically though, for this wreath you need a wire wreath frame (I used a 12 inch), ribbon of your choice (just be sure not to get anything too "loud" so as to distract from the embellishments) and your embellishments. This was made easy for me as I found gingerbread boy and girl Christmas ornaments. I simply cut off the string put there for hanging. Soooo simple!

2. Wrap your wreath frame in ribbon. Simply loop the beginning of the ribbon around the first wire on the frame hot glue (yes, I am still learning/burning myself/making a mess) it to itself. Then start wrapping. Keep the ribbon taunt so that it doesn't slip. When you run out of ribbon on one spool, start a new and glue the end of one ribbon to the beginning of the new. Wrap around that section a couple times to add stability.

3. Once the frame is wrapped, plan out how you want to arrange your embellishments and start gluing.

4. Fabulous! You are done. If you want to loop a ribbon around the top on which to hang the wreath, go ahead. I just left my simple and will hang the wreath directly on the hanger. Ta-Da!

Christmas Wreaths

I made my first wreath a couple of months ago when I made a yarn ball wreath with Autumn colors. I fell in love! I knew right then and there that I would repeat at least the yarn ball wreath, but maybe venture into something new as well. Well, here is my Christmas themed yarn ball wreath for the living room and my gingerbread boy and girl wreath for the kitchen(pics will be coming soon!). I took pictures of the steps this time so it would be easy to duplicate.

Yarn Ball Wreath

1. Get your supplies! This is the fun (and dangerous) part! Head to the craft store and let the creative juices flow! I like the look of yarn ball wreaths, but I prefer to add more texture and "pop" to mine, so I look around for little embellishments. For the Christmas wreath, it was easy. I found little ornaments that would coordinate and some little pom pom things. Pick up a wire wreath frame as well (I used an 18 inch). Try not to get too distracted and to NOT buy the entire store!

2. Make the tin foil balls. So easy. They don't have to be perfect balls, just don't make them too tight (it helps to have a little give in the balls when putting the wreath together). Make them a variety of sizes from grapefruit size to a small plum size.

3. Start wrapping away. I grabbed my kiddos (ages 10 and 6) and we popped in Polar Express and wrapped while we watched. It made the time go faster (it does take a couple hours to wrap all the balls) and the kids were able to be involved in the craft. It was great!

4. Once they are all wrapped, take the larger ones and simply place them on the wire frame. This will give you an idea of how you want everything placed. There will be gaps, but they will be filled in later with the smaller balls and embellishments.

5. Start hot gluing! This seems so simple for some people, but for a novice crafter, this takes some doing. I burn my fingers, end up with glue all over things and have those annoying little stringy, spider-webby things everywhere. Seriously, is there a class on how to use this thing?! Anyway, I pour on the glue so I'm sure everything will stay put. As you glue, gently yet firmly push the the yarn balls into the frame and together. This is where it is beneficial to have a little give in your balls.

6. Lift the wreath up to eye level (or higher depending on where you want to hang it) and start evaluating where gaps need to be filled. This is when you get to put in the little ones and the embellishments. As you do this, it is very helpful to periodically hold the wreath up to look at it. It is a very different perspective.

7. Once you are happy with the placement of everything and it is all sufficiently glued, you can choose to add a ribbon by which to hang your beautiful creation. It could also do without the ribbon and simply hang on wreath hanger.

8. Step back and marvel at your craftiness! Sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee (or hot cocoa) and be amazed at what a talented little crafter you have become!