Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery

Okay, how old is too old for the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery???? I want to make cakes like these. I want this on my Christmas list!! Wow, what fun. Great decorating kit for those yummy cakes. Get it in stores nationwide or on amazon.com!

Cookies!

I've been looking for yummy treats for Anna & John's bday party in September and came across TSCookies (http://www.tscookies.etsy.com/) They have some really really cute cookies that make great gifts, for use at party favors or to just have something adorable to munch on!

I love these crayon cookies. These "fat" crayons are $2 each, she also has some skinnies for about $1.25 each that would make a great presentation at the party!

I just adore this back to school cookie set for $10.95! What a great gift for teacher!

Boys (and girls) of summer...

http://www.annabean.com/ has the greatest summer gifts for baseball lovers! Choose from personalized baseball gloves in pink or red $75.00:
Or, for baseball phanatics of all ages (babies to youth) get them this personalized bat and ball for $85Happy shopping!

Hand Stamped Necklaces

These beautiful necklaces are more for you than for your children and I just love them. I have something similar (4 circles with the kids' initials surrounding Emma's fingerprint on a sterling oval.) I wear it all the time.

I think these are beautifully done and there are so many choices. Even some for your tweens and teens that I think they'll adore. But this post is mostly for mom, I think this is a gift you'll enjoy for a long time to come. www.silvermependants.etsy.com

Toothfairy for the new millenium!

Not sure what to put under that pillow for your little one when the tooth fairy visits? Do you have a special customized tooth fairy pillow? How about a special coin? Fairy Dust?? What? Where have you been! Check out these and other fun gifts at http://www.ultimatetoothfairy.com/index.html. They also have a free tooth fairy letter, you fill in the details!

Last minute gift idea kids can make!

Well, it's Christmas eve and Uncle Henry just called to say he's stopping by with gifts for the kids (and you've nothing for him!) Here's a last minute gift idea that your kids can make:

Family Calendar
With digital photos and/or your child's drawings, you can make a calendar that will please the recipient all year long.
Materials needed:

24 pieces of 8 1/2" by 11" colored paper or card stock
A drawing or photo to illustrate each month
Printable calendar pages from Microsoft Word or a specialized calendar software program. You can also find free downloadable calendar templates online. Try Time and Date.com or Free printable calendar templates from About.com.
a hole punch
colored yarn
glue stick
ruler
Directions:

Select a favorite photo or drawing to illustrate each month.
Have your child glue the drawing or photo on to the colored paper or card stock
Mount the calendar page for each month on to a piece of colored paper or card stock
For each month, you can highlight important family dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries, as well as holidays.
With a ruler, measure two inches from each edge at the top of the paper and mark with your pencil.
With a hole punch, make two holes, each one at the two inch mark, as described above.
With the yarn, tie your calendar pages together.

Last minute gift (for you!)

Okay, so it might be too late to order gifts to give for Christmas Day (unless you do over night shipping--which can be done!) Still in the mood to shop? Then head on over to http://www.qvc.com/ to reward yourself for a change! From clothes to comfy sheets to fabulous jewelry, there's something there for you! Happy Holidays!

It's not too late!

So you've really waited until the last minute, haven't you! Well, Amazon.com to the rescue! Order by 3:00 PM and you can still get delivery by the 24th with 2 day shipping! Here's some ideas!

Now get shopping! www.amazon.com

Fun personalized gifts!

http://www.frecklebox.com/ is the place to go for cool personalized coloring books (just $6.95!!) unique books, growth charts and more. These are really great items, perfect for gift giving or just to have. Everything is personalized throughout, not just on the cover. Take a look at their samples, you will be impressed and will be hardpressed not to order something! For Christmas delivery, order by the 20th!

Doll Houses

Every little girl always seems to want a doll house to call their own. Don't know which one to get? Here's a few choices out this season!

First up is the very popular Mrs. Goodbee Interactive Doll house. This one is $69.97 with free shipping at www.amazon.com:

Next is the Light & Sound Dollhouse at www.leapsandbounds.com for $149.95:This contemporay dollhouse is $125 at www.giggle.com:
And finally this very sweet Cherry Street Dollhouse can be found at http://www.thebeanbagstore.com for $99:

Firestation

John got this firestation from Santa last Christmas and both he and Anna love to play with it still. I have it set up on their play table and they sit and play and have fun using their imagination. Something has to be said for toys that allow the children to do the interaction.

On sale for $89.95 at http://www.kidsqualitytoys.com/

They also have this castle on sale for $89.95:

Cyber Monday at Step 2

Visit http://www.step2.com/specials.cfm for Cyber Monday deals with free shipping -- hurry, offer expires at midnight!

Sock Monkeys!

Sock Monkeys are the rage this year and our family is no exception to the madness! My niece wanted to dress up as one for Halloween (where to you find that costume for a 12 year old??) Well, here's some fun sock monkey gifts for you to choose:

Sock monkey slippers at http://www.myretrobaby.com/

The sock monkey hat at http://www.katiesegel.etsy.com/

The custom sock monkey at http://www.dottymonkey.etsy.com/

Sock monkey socks at http://www.fategoddess.etsy.com/
And finally the sock monkey necklace at www.ImagesUnderGlass.etsy.com

More do it yourself

Some more do it yourself Christmas gifts from http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Christmas-Gifts

Make chocolate-covered spoons.

Go to your local dollar store or discount supermarket and stock up on plastic spoons. Melt chocolate in the microwave on 50% power for one minute(if you have a fixed setting, do it for 30 sec.. Stir, and continue melting in 10-second increments at 50% power until smooth. Dip spoons until generously covered with chocolate. Lay them on waxed paper lined cookie sheet to cool down. If you want to get fancy, roll in crushed peppermint candies or drizzle them with melted white chocolate.

Make a peppermint candle.

Buy a large plain white unscented pillar candle and peppermint candies (round or stick). Unwrap the candies. Using a hot glue gun or glue dots (found at craft stores), glue candies all around the sides of the candle. It will look like candles sold for $15 and more in catalogs and fancy stores.

Last Chance for Polar Express Brio Train Sets

They're going going and almost gone. If you have the wooden train sets (as many of us do) be sure to pick up these fun and affordable Brio Polar Express Holiday sets before they're all gone. They're not expected to last beyond this holiday season. The Christmas tree set is $15.95 and the tree lights up and the figure 8 set is on sale for $35.00. Find them both at http://www.kindertrains.com

Super Cute toy for Christmas

I love this adorable Horse and Carriage set from http://www.jcpenney.com/, on sale now for $49.99 (go through your upromise account to get more back towards college!) I've already received mine from Santa to hold for Anna until Christmas Day. It really is super cute and I know she'll love it!!

(Be sure to look for coupon codes at http://www.jcpenney-coupons.com/ in case you order more - you can get % off or free shipping!)

More Ideas for Inexpensive Gifts

While exploring the idea of inexpensive gifts to give this year I came across many instructions on how to do some things yourself. I'll be posting on them over the coming weeks and here is the first.

How about a lovely gift of home made soaps? You can pick your fragrances and shapes and arrange them in a nice basket or box. The instructions aren't too bad either:

Materials:
Bars of natural fragrance or color free soap
Essential oils of your choice (Lavender, rose and jasmine work well)
Food coloring
Oats
Vitamin E Oil (Optional)
Almond Oil

Instructions:

1) Grate soap in a blender or food processor.

2) Boil a pot of water and put a glass bowl over the pot, (like a double boiler.)

3) Add some almond oil into the bowl

.4) Add the soap into the bowl.

5) Take the water from the pot and add it into the bowl until soap changes into paste.

6) Add oils, color, and vitamin E as desired.7) Let cool in molds of your choice. You can use anything for a mold - ice cube trays, cookie cutters or your own hand. (To make hand soap, flatten soap paste to approximately 1/4 inch. Trace your hand on to the surface of the paste and mold accordingly. Finish by writing "hand soap.")

8) Air out on wax paper for a day or two.

Experiment! Make different shapes of soap or don't mix the color all the way in. Oats are great for exfoliating. Lavender pieces and rose petals can sometimes mold or rot if you don't air the soap out properly, so be careful. Your utensils should not be used for food afterwards but if you need to, wash very thoroughly.

Cars for Christmas!

Thinking of Christmas for my 2 little ones always revolves around vehicles (John!) He loves cars and trucks and trains and planes. He has ride on cars, remote cars, push cars, battery cars, you name it. I hate to mention how many riding vehicles we have but in our defense, they really really do get used. All the time!

Anna has a hard time driving them, someone gave her a barbie jeep but she doesn't know how to steer. That never stops her but it stops me from putting the battery in, especially since she tends to run into the house or fence.

Well this Christmas, she will have a new pink car of her own!! And she will "think" she's driving it but ah-ha! I will have the remote that can actually allow me to steer! How wonderful. She really loves to try to do the things her brother does but sometimes can't. Well, now she can!! Here is the car from http://www.raidentack.com/ ($110!) Check out all of their remote options!

U-Roll

Well, if you ever decided to take a visit over our house you might think we have a dozen kids or that we run a daycare. Probably the latter since I've had a few people knock on my door to find out more about our facilities! Could be from all the bikes and cars and toys outside. Looks like I may add another soon. This U-Roll car from http://www.giggles.com/ looks awesome!

This sleek toy car is ready to roll! Made of molded plywood, it's strong enough for kids and grownups alike. It has a cool, contemporary style that's equally appealing to boys and girls. And it's able to maneuver tight corners, making it easy to enjoy even in small spaces. $175.00

More Toy Deals at Lakeside

As promised, here are a few more deals from http://www.lakeside.com/ and this time they're for boys:

Really love this horse trailer for $18.95 (your choice.) Have seen similar for $30 and more!and what boy doesn't like tools! Here's a black and decker set for under $30...happy shopping!