Paper Cats and Cash

It was my birthday last week. It was one of those that end in 5. Nothing too heavy, just a gentle reminder that I'm halfway to another 0. I am fortunate to have wonderful friends and family who joined me to celebrate.

A few things I noticed this time around though: I kinda missed the streamers and balloons; the Girl was the only one who insisted on wearing a party dress; I carried my own cake to myself and made the coffee and tea; I got to clean the toilets in preparation for guests. :) Don't get me wrong, I'm not making any complaints, I like preparing and serving for my guests, but I may be noticing some things wistfully. A sign of my impending old age?

I did receive some lovely gifts. This was one of my faves:

My sister printed photos of the two of us from the last 3 trips we had together: New York, Orlando & Boston, and put them in a lovely frame. I smile every time I look at it.

This was another:

Yep, paper cats. It wasn't until yesterday that the boy decided to go through my birthday cards. (When I was opening them for the first time, he was busy with his cousins and friends in the basement.) He noticed that I had received a couple gift cards and some cash from my parents and grandmother. He asked me this:

"Mama, what do you like better, the paper money that you got from Nonna, or the paper cats that I made you?"

I didn't even hesitate. "The paper cats, of course."

He seemed skeptical. "Really, Mama?"

"Absolutely. If I wanted money, I know how to make that, and I would. But I would never have made myself these paper cats. I didn't even know how much I wanted them until I opened your present."

He was more than pleased with that response and walked away happy and sure of himself again after a hug and [reluctant] kiss. 

I'm not going to lie, I definitely appreciate the cash and gift cards. It translates to a little pampering for "Mama" that may otherwise not happen, and that is never a bad thing. But the paper cats, and the conversation that followed, rank just a tiny, but measurable, step above. Happy birthday to me. 

What was the best gift you've ever received? Do you prefer cash, gift cards or "actual" gifts?

The Halloween Fairy

Does the Halloween Fairy visit your house? No? Well, maybe she will this year!

On Halloween night, after all the children have gone to bed, the Halloween Fairy may pay a visit. Like her sister, the Tooth Fairy, the Halloween fairy likes a good deal, and is willing to barter. For the small price of a carefully selected bag of candy and other treats, this frugal, tummy-loving fairy will leave a special non-edible treat. At our house she has been known to leave a book or game for each child.

This is how my monsters prepare for her nocturnal visit: after trick-or-treating for an hour or two, my ghouls come home to empty their bags onto the kitchen table to scan and sort their loot. After I take out all the unwrapped, old-looking and otherwise too-nasty treats, the beasties are welcome to pick what they would like to keep. I've never set a limit on how much they can choose. I always say: "Take what you want". For the past two years, they've not kept more than 10-15 pieces each. As for the rest, the happily throw it back into their bags and hang them outside their bedroom doors in anticipation of the morning. They prepare for bed with glee and [I assume] dream of what the dawn will bring. They seem to believe that the "better" the bag, the "cooler" the gift will be. I've done nothing to temper that belief. :)

For the price of a couple dollars per kid, the Halloween Fairy helps them stay away from sugar overload and upset tummies. Hopefully this year, she'll remember to take the price tags off.

Usually the Fairy is kind enough to leave me a small stash of Smarties and other special snacks that can be used as bribes doled out as treats every once in a while to make me look like a hero. I'm sure the rest is composted *whistling innocently* or taken into work by the Fairy's good husband.

Here's a pic of my little freaks last year:

That's Fronk N. Shteen on the left, and Spider Fairy on the right. This year I have to come up with a Jedi master [where am I supposed to find a brown robe to fit such a skinny little dude?!] and a Fairy Witch Princess.

Wish me luck!

Finding [re]purpose

I've made another dent in my stuff-to-do-before-Christmas list. I know. It's only October. But another way to look at it would be: it's already October. That means November is coming and then it's just a blink before I realize that it's Christmas eve and I haven't taken down the handprint turkeys the kids brought home from school.

So... like many out in blogland, and other fantasy worlds, I will take baby-steps each day and be completely prepared for whatever's done, is done by Christmas.

Here's my start: I made some gifts! Yay me! I've always wanted to make gifts for friends and family but have never made the time to do it. Well, with my belt cinched a little tighter [and not because I lost any weight] this year, I'm making myself make time. 

This gift was inspired by The Wellsprings of Life, who was in turn, inspired by others. But visit her site for more info and how-to. I started with a thrifted placemat [set of 4: $1.50].

I made sure to get one that had corners and wasn't rounded off. I folded and pressed. Sewed up the sides and made 1" straight seams where the pencils go. The most time was making the straight seams, but all in all it took about 1/2 hour, start to finish. And here it is:

I'll add a pack of coloured pencils and ta-da! The sparkly bits and teal ribbon will appeal to my niece and little cousin. Add some colouring pages, books, maybe some paper dolls and the entire gift will cost less than $15. 

My godson's 1st birthday is coming up in a few weeks and here is part of his gift:

I was inspired by LilBlueBoo for this one. I loved bean bags when I was a kid. I also know that my kids would rather play with blocks or builders or boxes etc than flashy plastic light up toys. Sure, those things hold their attention for all of 5 minutes, but it's the non-moving toys that last the longest and get the most use. So, this is my contribution to my godbaby's collection of stuff he'll actually play with. 

The fabric is upcycled pillowcases. Even the cute dragon print on the back of the bags! I gave them a good thorough wash, cut to shape, pressed, stenciled the letters in fabric paint, let dry, sewed, turned, pressed, filled, topstitched, done! These took about 1 hour to do and most of that was cutting out "perfect" squares [note to self: get rotary cutter!] and the stenciling. I let them dry about an hour before I put them together. The Girl "helped" me fill the bags with dried beans and then had to test them out for 1/2 hour before I reminded her that they were for the baby and I would make her some of her own. 

What do you think?

Next up, I'm going to try my hand at some scarves.....

Linking up here:

Nothing New - Update

So far so good! 22 days in, and I'm feeling good. Other than groceries and other necessities (tp & meds) I haven't purchased anything that is new! Yay me!
AND I've even started my Christmas shopping. Take that! Yes, I've very excited. Can you tell?
First off, as you know, I was a bit concerned over how I was going to deal with birthdays. It was easier than I thought.

I enjoy going to, and shopping at, thrift shops. I don't mind getting things for my immediate family, but I'm always a little wary of shopping for gifts. You never really know how people would react to receiving a pre-loved item. However, let me tell you, Bramptonians (Bramptonites? Bramptonese?) are a generous group. In my thrifty travels, I have found so many new, never opened items at a fraction of the price you would find them in regular shops. Case in point:

The Boy is a reader. No, I mean a READER. We go to the library at least once a week (usually 2-3 times) and he takes out 7-10 "chapter" books. If I let him, he'll read for hours a day, but I'm the "mean" mom who makes him stop for breaks to set the table, play outside [although now I make sure that he leaves his books inside so I don't have to catch him reading behind the car instead of riding his bike!] and generally just do other things. I know that it's fantastic that he reads so much when other boys his age won't sit still for enough time to read a comic, or, ummm, graphic novel, but it really is quite the obsession. However, I digress.... so to fuel his love of reading (!) that's what he's getting for Christmas this year. I've heard good things about The 39 Clues, and I happened to come across the game - new in its package! - at Talize [one of my faves, but more on that later]. It was only $7.99! SCORE! I checked out the book section and lo, and behold, after much digging I unearthed book 1 of the series! SCORE! But, not only was it in excellent hardback condition, it still had all the cards! SCORE! [For those of you keeping track - yes. I just scored a hat trick. Thank you. Thank you very much.]

And so, for less than $13, the Boy has a giftie I know he's going to love! 

In the same trip I also picked up a gift for a birthday party that the Girl was invited to. She's terribly upset that she can't go, since we're off to the cottage that weekend, but I've mollified her somewhat by getting a fab pressie for her little friend. 3 items = less than $6. 

1. A never used My Little Pony Mad Libs book. 

2. A mermaid fairy princess beginner chapter book [doesn't look like it was even cracked open!] 

3. A "vintage" [1982 :) ] set of never used paper dolls. 

Not bad for a party that she won't be going to! I'm not gonna lie, I was tempted to break out the scissors and start cutting out the clothes for the dollies. I remember that feeling so well!

Some other great finds: a brand-new, never opened game ($4, Cousin's b-day), a brand-new, never-opened DVD game ($2.50, Uncle's b-day). 

This game...

...will find its way into someone's gift hamper this Christmas. ($5)

For a friend's birthday, I dipped into my Pampered Chef sample stash. She loves it all, so I was happy to gift her with some. It was worth well over $40, but cost me $0. : )

My father's birthday was a bit trickier. To make a long story short, I ended up purchasing tickets to a Toronto FC game. I got them on sale through AirMiles, and it's a non-cluttering gift so I think it's okay. Did I break my own rules? I don't think so. Technically they are new, but they weren't full price and besides... what use would used soccer tickets be? 

IRONY ALERT:

My wallet broke this month. Ha. Ha. The irony was not lost on me. However, it gave me the opportunity to purchase this lovely thing:

See, what broke on my old wallet was the change purse. I can still use it for my cards and such. Now I have a lovely new-to-me change purse to hold my actual cash and coins. It's nice and big so I can find it easily in my black hole bag.

More on my thrifty travels to come!

LadyBirdAtHome