A Christmas List That Brought Tears to My Eyes

Hello Friend!

     I was compelled to share this moment of my day because it triggered in me a very unexpected reaction.  It is that time of the year when we are all focused on buying gifts for our loved ones and for those who have had a significant impact on our lives.  I am still struggling with what we can and cannot afford to buy, and the fact that I feel like we need to scale back during this time of the year tends to only frustrate me.  I just had a moment about five minutes ago where I literally cried when I opened up an email which described the wants and needs of a family we were being asked to sponsor this holiday season.  The first thing I read was the 16 year old boy's wants and needs.  My eyes went directly to the wants because I noticed that there was nothing there.  Nothing.  That empty space just spoke to me so strongly.  For one reason or another, this 16 year old's family needs help this time of the year, and of all the things someone his age could want, there is nothing that he is asking for beyond what he needs.  I tried to figure out why I was reacting so strongly to this moment, and at least part of the answer hit me.  With the loved ones I have the honor of shopping for this holiday season, I have only been focusing on what they would want.  Not what they need.  In years past I have always taken time to pick gifts that were meaningful and symbolic of our relationship.  Whether that was a quirky magnet, a coffee mug for a recovering coffee addict, etc., my gifts always seemed to bring about a lot of smiles and laughs.  As my "List" grew longer each year, my knack for picking that memorable gift fell by the wayside.  Alas, it was like my inner self, my guides, and my angels nudged me and said "Focus on what your loved ones need, and everything will fall in to place.".  What an epiphany this moment has been for me.  Well, needless to say, this special family is going to stay in my prayers, and they will be added to my "List" of those special people who have had a significant impact on my life this year.  

Have a wonderful Thursday.

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@sentimentalitee

Stocking Stuffers for Thirty Kids!

 Hello Friend!

     I know what you might be thinking.  What?  Thirty kids?  Well, when you are a part of a very family and culture oriented Hula School (Halau), the bigger the number, the larger the blessings.  Our Kumu (Hula instructor) loves kids, and we love the community that we all have under his guidance, so there you have it.  Anyway, I thought I would share what I found at the Target One Spot for our family's contribution to the Stockings this year.  After taxes, I spent a total of about $16.  The items I got were:

• Eight 4 packs of "stunnah shade" looking reindeer glasses 
• Three 10 packs of Christmas themed pencils
• White and gold twine (not from the one spot, $1.50)
• One big color poster roll with Christmas pictures for $3 

     And below is how I put them together!  I cut 30 images from the roll, folded each of them, tucked each of them into the fold of the glasses, and then tied each pencil to the rim of each of the glasses.  In total, the process took all afternoon because the babies refused to take naps.  I originally wanted to roll the images like a maps, but I figured it would have been difficult to transport them without getting smashed.  

     That is all for now, Friend!  As always, thank you stopping by my side of the blog world!  

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@sentimentalitee

Party Supplies Shopping at Michaels!

Hello Friend!

     

     As promised, here is another post about a little Michaels shopping trip my babies and I went on on Black Friday.  I never thought our World Traveler theme would be so fun, but indeed it has been!  I just found out that my Uncle has been traveling the world recently, so he is very excited to join in on the festivities next month before he flies out to Cancun.  I really cannot wait to catch up with him.  Moments like this are so precious.  I feel much more at ease about the party as a whole since I have been much more inclined to be organized via my rediscovered love for planners and all things stationery.  My new obsession with memory keeping via Project Life makes me even more excited to record each moment.  It is true what they say about happiness being brought about by taking the time to be creative.  Everything that I have been doing lately has involved my love for God, family, friends, writing, crafting, and dancing.  It really has been such a joy.  

     The following picture is an overall shot of what we bought yesterday.  This was by no means a money saving haul.  I did get the 50% off coupon with my purchase which will be used to buy a large set of Project Life pocket pages later this week.  I am just about finished shopping for decorations at this point.  I will continue to share my DIY progress and any other birthday related purchases along the way.  

     This is the Vintage Traveler 12x12 scrapbook album.  How perfect is this design for a World Traveler theme?

     I am very new to Project Life, and I only really used the 4x6 and 3x4 cards in my pen pal letters and my planners.  After watching a few general YouTube videos about Project Life and scrapbooking, I decided to give this way of memory keeping a try for the 2015 year.  With how wonderfully busy my life has been getting, I feel like I need to actively record memories to not only remember them later but to also appreciate them more while they're happening.  Lately I have been thinking to myself things like "Wow, my 10 month old son just walked like a gorilla.  That's a really big deal.  Let me take a picture of that and journal about it.".  So after I congratulate and laugh with him, I take a quick picture, write a little note in my Erin Condren Lifeplanner that I use as a memory book for my sons, and then upload the picture to my Costco Photo Center account to be printed out later.  The process doesn't always unfold in a perfect play by play all the time, but I have recorded some pretty sweet memories using this process.  

     I also purchased this 6x8 Project Life Scrapbook mainly because I already had journal pages for this size.  The sale they had on Friday was a buy one get one free deal, so this $14.99 album was free with the purchase of the $19.99 12x12 album above.  

     The 6x8 journal pages fit my Lifeplanner just about perfectly.  I clipped one page in using the coil clips that I purchased with my Lifeplanner. 

     I purchased my first set of photo pocket pages shown above.  I wanted a layout with a lot of 4x6 pockets since that was how I ordered my photos.  This set was $6.99.

     I purchased two of these 6x8 photo pocket pages for the blue album.

     I love these clear stamps from Recollection.  The stamps were also buy one get one free.   This set was $9.99.  I was really drawn to the "Explorer Tag" stamp, and I plan to use it to label the party favors.

     The luggage stamp on the left was on clearance for $4.99.  I plan to use this for decorations too.   The "World Traveler" stamp was $7.99, but with the BOGO, it was free.

     And last but not least, this sticker book was on sale for $1.29.  I am making story book style passports for the kids, and I will be including these stickers in the back of their books.  

     Well my friend, that is all for now!  Stay tuned for more posts about our birthday party preparations!  

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@sentimentalitee