5 Places To Find Last Minute Gifts AT HOME

We're giving entirely handmade gifts this year, with the exception of a couple things on Lil's list that can't be made from scratch. (Pokemon cards don't trade well if mom makes them.) Some of our gifts have been in the making for several months and they'll be accessorized with items we will make from things we already have. Here are some of the places we've shopped in our own home for gifts and gift making supplies this year:

1) The Pantry - This is an obvious one. If you put up jam, sauce, or stock, chances are there are people on your list who would love them. I decorate my jars with paper or cloth tops and package up sets of jams or sauces. I like to group jars with a baked accessory like a loaf of crusty bread with marinara or homemade tortillas with homemade salsa.

2) The Garage - We're savaging the garage for wood scraps to make a few gifts this year. We've made gift crates from fence boards and Alex pieced together a wooden step stool for Lil from scrap lumber when she was younger. I can't share what we're making from scrap lumber this year but I will soon!

3) The Kitchen - Another obvious one. Your kitchen likely has the ingredients for flavored sugar and salt, cranberry liqueur, and homemade bitters. With a special trip to the grocery, you can get ingredients to make edible gifts for anyone on your list - there are lots of good recipes in this list of 40 homemade gifts from The Kitchn.

4) The Craft Room - Maybe your craft room is different, but mine is chock-full of fabric, roving, yarn, embroidery floss and more. Craft a simple pair of earrings, scarf, fabric scrap table runner or coasters, or set of magnets for a quick handmade gift.

5) Outside - We use natural materials for all sorts of crafts. Lil and I collected perfectly large and stemmed acorn caps earlier in the fall which we filled with felted faces for ornaments to include in wrapping. Earlier this season we made candle holders from scrap lumber and crafted a cat-and-puppy-proof twig tree to display our collection of miniature ornaments.

Here's to a happy holiday season for you and yours! What are you making by hand this year?

5 Places To Find Last Minute Gifts AT HOME

We're giving entirely handmade gifts this year, with the exception of a couple things on Lil's list that can't be made from scratch. (Pokemon cards don't trade well if mom makes them.) Some of our gifts have been in the making for several months and they'll be accessorized with items we will make from things we already have. Here are some of the places we've shopped in our own home for gifts and gift making supplies this year:

1) The Pantry - This is an obvious one. If you put up jam, sauce, or stock, chances are there are people on your list who would love them. I decorate my jars with paper or cloth tops and package up sets of jams or sauces. I like to group jars with a baked accessory like a loaf of crusty bread with marinara or homemade tortillas with homemade salsa.

2) The Garage - We're savaging the garage for wood scraps to make a few gifts this year. We've made gift crates from fence boards and Alex pieced together a wooden step stool for Lil from scrap lumber when she was younger. I can't share what we're making from scrap lumber this year but I will soon!

3) The Kitchen - Another obvious one. Your kitchen likely has the ingredients for flavored sugar and salt, cranberry liqueur, and homemade bitters. With a special trip to the grocery, you can get ingredients to make edible gifts for anyone on your list - there are lots of good recipes in this list of 40 homemade gifts from The Kitchn.

4) The Craft Room - Maybe your craft room is different, but mine is chock-full of fabric, roving, yarn, embroidery floss and more. Craft a simple pair of earrings, scarf, fabric scrap table runner or coasters, or set of magnets for a quick handmade gift.

5) Outside - We use natural materials for all sorts of crafts. Lil and I collected perfectly large and stemmed acorn caps earlier in the fall which we filled with felted faces for ornaments to include in wrapping. Earlier this season we made candle holders from scrap lumber and crafted a cat-and-puppy-proof twig tree to display our collection of miniature ornaments.

Here's to a happy holiday season for you and yours! What are you making by hand this year?

Kindling {Homestead Haiku}

There are so many big plans in the works that I'm finding it hard to write here. Instead, I'm spending a lot of time at the chopping block. Making kindling is my winter weeding, a meditative, productive exercise. Do you know the joy of splitting kindling?

Kindling {Homestead Haiku}

There are so many big plans in the works that I'm finding it hard to write here. Instead, I'm spending a lot of time at the chopping block. Making kindling is my winter weeding, a meditative, productive exercise. Do you know the joy of splitting kindling?

Pet Lovin' Messes - An Update on Annabel #SwifferEffect #ASPCA #Sponsored

Oh, Annabel. Our busy, monochromatic (i.e. hard to photograph!) puppy is the focus of our life right now. Weekly puppy classes, daily training and treats sessions, cuddles, walks, and messes. Messes, everywhere messes.

Our homestead normally cleans with rags, reusable towels, and washable mop heads. In fact, it's a regular goal to eliminate disposable products. But there are exceptions to our earth-friendly, budget-lowering habits. Puppy training is one of them.

At first, Annabel needed to be taken out to potty every hour or so - and sometimes pup and trainer didn't make it to the door in time. Then she spent a week recovering from an intestinal bug. And now we're in cold, muddy footprint season. Messes, everywhere messes.

So when the folks at Swiffer offered to send me a Big Green Box of cleaning supplies and mentioned they were partnering to provide supplies to ASPCA shelters too, I couldn't pass it up.

I decided to surprise my favorite four-year-old with a second Big Green Box that Swiffer sent me to share. G is at that perfect age where he can be excited about anything and still helps clean without complaint occasionally. G and his family share our love of cats and dogs too. G says his pets are "cute and fluffy." When I asked what kind of messes their pets make, G's sister K said "they shed on the rug."

Swiffer surveys say 38% of pet owners feel that shedding hair is the the leading source of pet-related cleaning challenges. The Swiffer sweeper picks up 3 times more hair and dander than a broom and dustpan. Annabel is a poodle mix and doesn't shed, but she does track in lots of debris from the yard and has managed to unearth some embarrassingly large dust bunnies by romping around inside. It's nice to have disposables at hand to quickly clean up so we can get back to playing and training our puppy.

G was eager to take his Swiffer stack of products home after he destroyed his Big Green Box during play. Whether he (or his parents) use the Swiffer sweeper and dusters for pet-related or other household messes, they'll enjoy a simpler, quicker chore. And so will the ASPCA shelters and adopters who received cleaning products - thanks Swiffer!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Bonus! I took a short video when the friends opened their boxes. It's totally goofy, from the orientation to the editing to the content. But some of you will love that goofiness, so here you go:

Pet Lovin' Messes - An Update on Annabel #SwifferEffect #ASPCA #Sponsored

Oh, Annabel. Our busy, monochromatic (i.e. hard to photograph!) puppy is the focus of our life right now. Weekly puppy classes, daily training and treats sessions, cuddles, walks, and messes. Messes, everywhere messes.

Our homestead normally cleans with rags, reusable towels, and washable mop heads. In fact, it's a regular goal to eliminate disposable products. But there are exceptions to our earth-friendly, budget-lowering habits. Puppy training is one of them.

At first, Annabel needed to be taken out to potty every hour or so - and sometimes pup and trainer didn't make it to the door in time. Then she spent a week recovering from an intestinal bug. And now we're in cold, muddy footprint season. Messes, everywhere messes.

So when the folks at Swiffer offered to send me a Big Green Box of cleaning supplies and mentioned they were partnering to provide supplies to ASPCA shelters too, I couldn't pass it up.

I decided to surprise my favorite four-year-old with a second Big Green Box that Swiffer sent me to share. G is at that perfect age where he can be excited about anything and still helps clean without complaint occasionally. G and his family share our love of cats and dogs too. G says his pets are "cute and fluffy." When I asked what kind of messes their pets make, G's sister K said "they shed on the rug."

Swiffer surveys say 38% of pet owners feel that shedding hair is the the leading source of pet-related cleaning challenges. The Swiffer sweeper picks up 3 times more hair and dander than a broom and dustpan. Annabel is a poodle mix and doesn't shed, but she does track in lots of debris from the yard and has managed to unearth some embarrassingly large dust bunnies by romping around inside. It's nice to have disposables at hand to quickly clean up so we can get back to playing and training our puppy.

G was eager to take his Swiffer stack of products home after he destroyed his Big Green Box during play. Whether he (or his parents) use the Swiffer sweeper and dusters for pet-related or other household messes, they'll enjoy a simpler, quicker chore. And so will the ASPCA shelters and adopters who received cleaning products - thanks Swiffer!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Bonus! I took a short video when the friends opened their boxes. It's totally goofy, from the orientation to the editing to the content. But some of you will love that goofiness, so here you go:

A First Visit to Cedar Point

Lil's summer was full of firsts this year - she learned to ride a bike without training wheels, endured a bee sting, and went to Ohio's famous amusement park Cedar Point for the first time.

Tall Lil was fortunate enough to meet the height requirement for all rides at Cedar Point and lines were short when we visited on Labor Day. We started with the Iron Dragon and immediately walked back through the line. Lil says, "I love it! It was super awesome!"

We tried attractions all over the park - bumper cars, sky ride, ferris wheel, and more. Lil even talked me into a swirling swing ride. I finished so dizzy that I won't be doing that again any time soon!

The smooth, very fast Maverick coaster was my favorite coaster. Lil was teary at the end, though. "It was just too up and down. It scared me!"

Our favorite part of the park was shady Frontiertown. Lil enjoyed watching the artisans craft with wood and blow glass during breaks from the coasters. It was hard to pull both of us away from the week old baby goat in the petting zoo! Despite making several visits to Cedar Point as a kid, it took this trip for me to read the signs saying that many of the structures are relocated historic houses and cabins.

After the Maverick, we took some time to recover by visiting Dinosaur Island. We walked past life-sized animatronic dinosaurs in the landscape and read educational signs. It wasn't scary but we had fun pretending.

In the middle of the experience, Lil dug in a large sand pit to uncover replica fossils. With lots of benches for resting and plenty of shade, Dinosaur Island is something a family of all ages would enjoy.

My biggest disappointment at the park was the food. Given that Labor Day weekend was the end of the regular season, some restaurants were closed so we ended up eating at a food stand. Our meal of pizza and fried chicken was very expensive and unappetizing, not to mention unhealthy.

All over the park we saw evidence of upcoming Halloweekends, Cedar Point's bewitching combination of haunted experiences and costumed play for all ages. Guests can fill a candy bucket, wander through a haunted house, enjoy a themed parade, and make masks during September and October weekends.

I know Lil's first trip to Cedar Point won't be her last - she is already talking about what coasters she wants to ride next summer. And with shaded lines, attractions for all ages, and plenty of fun off the coasters, I know the whole family will enjoy another trip to America's Roller Coast.

Are you a fan of roller coasters?

Disclosure: Cedar Point provided tickets for Lil and myself. Transportation, lodging, and our opinions are our own.

A First Visit to Cedar Point

Lil's summer was full of firsts this year - she learned to ride a bike without training wheels, endured a bee sting, and went to Ohio's famous amusement park Cedar Point for the first time.

Tall Lil was fortunate enough to meet the height requirement for all rides at Cedar Point and lines were short when we visited on Labor Day. We started with the Iron Dragon and immediately walked back through the line. Lil says, "I love it! It was super awesome!"

We tried attractions all over the park - bumper cars, sky ride, ferris wheel, and more. Lil even talked me into a swirling swing ride. I finished so dizzy that I won't be doing that again any time soon!

The smooth, very fast Maverick coaster was my favorite coaster. Lil was teary at the end, though. "It was just too up and down. It scared me!"

Our favorite part of the park was shady Frontiertown. Lil enjoyed watching the artisans craft with wood and blow glass during breaks from the coasters. It was hard to pull both of us away from the week old baby goat in the petting zoo! Despite making several visits to Cedar Point as a kid, it took this trip for me to read the signs saying that many of the structures are relocated historic houses and cabins.

After the Maverick, we took some time to recover by visiting Dinosaur Island. We walked past life-sized animatronic dinosaurs in the landscape and read educational signs. It wasn't scary but we had fun pretending.

In the middle of the experience, Lil dug in a large sand pit to uncover replica fossils. With lots of benches for resting and plenty of shade, Dinosaur Island is something a family of all ages would enjoy.

My biggest disappointment at the park was the food. Given that Labor Day weekend was the end of the regular season, some restaurants were closed so we ended up eating at a food stand. Our meal of pizza and fried chicken was very expensive and unappetizing, not to mention unhealthy.

All over the park we saw evidence of upcoming Halloweekends, Cedar Point's bewitching combination of haunted experiences and costumed play for all ages. Guests can fill a candy bucket, wander through a haunted house, enjoy a themed parade, and make masks during September and October weekends.

I know Lil's first trip to Cedar Point won't be her last - she is already talking about what coasters she wants to ride next summer. And with shaded lines, attractions for all ages, and plenty of fun off the coasters, I know the whole family will enjoy another trip to America's Roller Coast.

Are you a fan of roller coasters?

Disclosure: Cedar Point provided tickets for Lil and myself. Transportation, lodging, and our opinions are our own.