I love hand made gifts.

Every year I try to make one present for each member of my family from my heart.  I enjoy it.  It gives me peace and it brings joy to my Holiday Season.

I try to come up with something unique to each person.  I also try to have the kids make something for each other too.  I feel like it brings the true meaning of Christmas into our home.  The true spirit of giving.  Showing love and thoughtfulness for one another.

Now is the time, if you haven't already, to decide what you want to make this year.  You have 30 days to complete all of your projects.  Make a list of the supplies you will need to get, and have them on hand.  I find that if I have what I need then I can pull it out when I find an extra minute or two.  My best friend crochet's blankets at night for after her kids have gone to sleep, for Christmas gifts.  Doesn't that just sound perfect? Creating, watching a Christmas movie, sipping on Hot Cocoa!

Here is  a Pin Board I've created with some of my favorite Handmade Christmas gifts ideas.

Follow Heather Sweet-Me's board handmade christmas on Pinterest.




What things will you be creating this year?

It's that time of year!  Time for family pictures!

I know this is a love/hate relationship for most.  It's always a struggle to get everyone excited about dressing up, looking nice, and sitting still.

Then you have to pick the outfits.  Choose a Photographer.  Pick a location!!!  Oh, the stress!!!

This year, let go of that stress!  Try to have fun with your pictures.  Pick a location that the kids can explore as well as smile for the camera.  Choose clothes that everyone will like and wear again.  Have your children help you pick their outfits, that way there is less of a rebellion.

When it comes to picking out your outfits, I always say pick something you love on you, then plan the rest of your family's outfits around that.  You will be most critical of what you look like in your pictures, so if you feel good about your appearance, then you will love your pictures that much more.  Also, stay away from "matchy matchy" outfits.  It looks better to have them coordinate and compliment each other, instead of trying to be twins.

The Sweet-Me family just had our pictures taken and these were the tips we followed:
*  Pick a location with several back-drop options
*  Pick a neutral color scheme
*  Bring snacks that are not messy for the littles
*  Bring snacks that are not messy for the Dads!
*  Have fun!




We didn't hire a photographer because I love photography and like to play around with it.  I just set up my tripod and had at it.  I have named myself the "tripod queen" because I have always taken our family pictures this way.  It is getting late in the season, so if your favorite photographer is booked up, give your tripod a try, or enlist a friend to come shoot for you.




Now that you have your pictures done, it's time to make those Cheerful Christmas cards!  I love that there are so many options now.  Here are some of my favorites this year.  They are all from Tiny Prints.

I love Thanksgiving Decorations.  They are so warm and cozy.

This year I added a gold accent to all my Thanksgiving Decorating.  It gives it that touch of whimsy and class at the same time.  I painted my dollar store pumpkins gold with spray paint and just placed them in random places to add "fall" to my home.

One of my favorite things to say to the kids, ALL year long is "There is ALWAYS something to be THANKFUL for."  I truly feel like if I can teach them that, they can conquer the world.  I want them to know that they are loved, and have been given so much by our kind Heavenly Father.

I also love this quote, "The spirit of gratitude brings true joy and great happiness!"  By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.   I want my children to know that the only true way to feel happiness is to be thankful for what they have.  What a comforting blessing.

This Thanksgiving Printable is an 8x10 and it's yours to download for free.  If you download it, please leave me a comment and tell me one of your favorite Thanksgiving quotes.  I love collecting quotes, and maybe I'll make a printable of your favorite.


Thanks!

So Excited!  We are starting our 12 days to a SWEET-ME Christmas on the blog, Wednesday 11/19!!!

We will have tips, ideas, giveaways and inspiration each day, to help YOU get ready, organized and EXCITED for Christmas.  We want you to be able to CELEBRATE love, joy and the season the entire month of December instead of stressing and rushing around!  Make sure you check back everyday for new tips!  Tell a friend too!  It's the season for giving, and we will have some FUN giveaways!!!

How do you show your thanks?  This week I will be sharing an idea everyday to help you and your family share your gratitude.

You may remember from a few years ago, my Gratitude Garland.


The kids and I cut out a bunch of leaves out of pretty scrapbook paper.  We then glued the leaf cutouts to a piece of ribbon and attached it to the mantel.

Then every night before we went to bed, we would gather up together and pick something we were thankful for.  We would pick things from our toys (my kids were little at the time) to the Temples.  It was such a great thing to do to discuss everything we were thankful, and for the kids to recognize our many blessings!

What do you do to celebrate your blessings?

We love Halloween around here!

We love Disneyland too!

What could be better than the two TOGETHER!

We just got back from our annual Disneyland and Halloween trip and I am wishing I was back there right now!  Here are my 10 reasons why!


1.  The weather is PERFECT this time of year.  We didn't even need a sweater for the mornings or the nights.  We got a little warm the first day we were there, so we went on Splash Mountain a few times and that took care of that!

2.  The Decor!  I am a sucker for all things pumpkin, and there is no shortage of fun fall decor everywhere you look!



3.   Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Disneyland really out-did themselves on this ride.  They have re-created the Movie with Jack the Skeleton King down to the Gingerbread house with the real gingerbread smell! mmmmmm!


4.  Ghost Galaxy!  Space Mountain gets a very spooky makeover!!

5.  Crowd level!  This time of year is perfect for low crowds.  We were there on a level 4 day and a level 3 day.  They rate the crowds from 1-10, 1 being low, 10 being high.  We had no problem going on any ride we wanted, several times.  No wait times were longer than 15 minutes!

6.  Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival!  This is like something right out of the movies.  No detail was spared.  A petting Zoo, Carnival games, crafts for the kids, treats, carved pumpkins and characters walking around with no wait to take pictures with.  I could have spent a whole day there just sitting and soaking in all the fun!



7.  The Mickey and Minnie dress up for Halloween!  And the
guests dress up too!  It was so fun walking around seeing everyone getting into the Halloween spirit!

8.  The Villains come out to play!  It's so fun to see some of the characters that they save for this time of year.



9.  The FOOD!  Disneyland already has the best food, but add the Halloween treats, and I'm in heaven!


10.  Family Fun at the Happiest place on earth.  I love starting off the Holiday season at Disneyland.


For more information on visiting Disneyland at Halloween time, go to
 https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/halloween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort/

70 Days until Christmas!

Does that stress you out!?

It's time to re-think the Holidays!  It's time to enjoy the Christmas Season!

Sweet-Me Christmas was designed to help you remember to enjoy the Holidays.  We will be doing the "Twelve days before December" starting November 19th.  Until then, we will have as many tips, hints and inspiration to get you going on a joyful Christmas.

First we need to change our thought process.  If the idea of the the Christmas season strikes a little bit of fear in your heart, then let's change that.  Change requires a deliberate effort.  We must change our thought process, and our Holiday Habits.

Think about last Christmas season.  What did you enjoy?  What needs some changing?  Are you in the habit of procrastinating the buying of gifts?  Do you over-spend every year?  Do you over commit?  Be honest with yourself, without beating yourself up.  Change is about wanting better, not obsessing on everything we do wrong!

This year we are going to change our mindset about how we go about the month of December.   We will make time to enjoy the magic, take in the warmth and share the love!

Do you have any tips you would like to share that helps you embrace the Christmas Season?  We would love to hear them!

I have a confession.

I am a peeper.

I love peeking at people's houses.  I love peering through doorways when the door is open.  My favorite is
 at night when a house is all lit up and you can see the happy home through the windows.


I think that is why I am obsessed with front entryways.  A front porch is easier to admire without looking like a complete wacko!

I appreciate a decorated front door more than I can explain.  It makes me giddy.  A well decorated front porch gives the first impression of your family's home.

I am one of those gals that decorates for the season.  The first of September I put up my fall decor.  I decorated my lantern, got a stack of hay, some Mums and this adorable chalk board stand my Hubby bought for me.

I have grand plans for this baby for every season.

Life gets busy!  It's easy to forget to enjoy the day!  I think that is the reason why with my whole heart, I feel it's important to celebrate life.  Yes!  I am one of those Mom's who like to make a celebration out of every Holiday.   My kids are too old to make Leprechaun traps and such, but I do like to add a bit of green cheer to the day!

I say I'm not a romantic.  But I think I kind of am!  I love my guy with all my heart, and I get so giddy when he shows me how much he adores me.  But, the last few Valentines Days it's been so hard to spend our day as a "couple."  We usually have soccer practice to get to, a dance class to teach, and homework to help with.  So we have started a new tradition.

We started a Family Valentines Date night.  We get a pizza for the kids, and they eat it watching TV, in the other room.  Jason will make him and I a nice romantic dinner of steak and lobster cakes!  (He knows the way to my heart!)  And then after dinner, we have Family Fondue Night!


We make Chocolate Fondue with all the fixings!  Shortbread, Pound cake, Pretzels, Heart-shaped Marshmallows, Raspberries, Strawberries, and Bananas.  We sit around candles and we share a yummy treat, and we take turns telling everyone why we love each other.  It's one of my favorite traditions.

We feel it's important to show our children how much my Hubby and I love each other.  We make sure we do date nights, and that we hold hands and cuddle in front of our children.  We want them to know what a loving healthy relationship looks like.  We also want them to know how much we love them.  How our family only works because of the love and respect we each have for one another.  I love taking this night and focusing it on how much our family loves each other and how important it is to show it.  Not just on this one day, but everyday.

I love that we turned our Valentine's Day into a family day of love.

One of my kids favorite things is getting a yummy drink with dinner.  I made this "love potion" with Cherry 7up, Raspberry Sherbet and topped it off with some whipped cream and a cherry on top!  So fun!

I found these ADORABLE chalk board glasses at Burlington Coat Factory for only $6.

I am excited to come up with some other drinks for my new glasses!

About six years ago my hubby and I decided to make a game out of Valentine gifts for each other.  We decided we could not spend more than $5.

It's been so fun to see what we each have come up with.  But I tell you, it's hard to think of something creative each year.

This year I was watching a movie and it had a couple carving their initials in a tree.  It's that cliche' romantic thing, and it's timeless.  I thought "hey, that would actually look cool on a table or book shelf!"

So the hunt started.  I wanted a birch log, because of the white bark.  I searched and then found the perfect log.  I cut the bottom so that it would be level.  Then I found a screw driver and a hammer, and I carved out a heart, and our initials.  All in all the project took about an hour and I really LOVE it.

I can't wait to give it to the hubby.  I think it will be right up his ally!

Do you have any favorite gifts you have given or made for your man for Valentines Day?