Tidbit Tuesday – Promise Boxes

I’m so excited to share with you my favorite gift that we gave our kids this year. I can’t remember where I heard the idea, so if it was your idea, it’s awesome! 🙂

The idea is to find Bible promises from God and write them down for someone. But in the promise, the word “you” is replaced with the person’s name. For example:  1 Peter 3:12 says’ “I watch over you and listen for your prayers.” This is how it looks for Payge:

Isn’t that POWERFUL! I tend to read the Bible as a story. Now, I read it as a letter to me and my family.

We wrote 52 promises so that the kids can read one every week for the year. Greg and I wrote most of them, but both my parents and Greg’s parents wrote a few. I loved the idea of grandparents passing on their faith in addition to having examples of their handwriting forever.

We used some of our favorites Bible verses and others I found on a daily promise blog, 365promises.com. I may use this blog to write down God’s promises to me in my daily journal!

I went to Michaels to get decorative storage boxes. There was a wide variety of styles and sizes. I was able to get just the perfect one for each of my children.

Every year at Christmas I plan to add to their promise boxes. In addition, it’s perfect when we write letters to our children on special occasions. I only wish I would have started this when they were born and written letter to them every birthday. I guess I’ll have to wait (a very long time) and do it for my grandchildren.

Do you have a favorite gift you gave or got this year? Do you have any suggestion as to what else we could give our children to put in their boxes?

Be Blessed!

Tidbit Tuesday – Inspired by 25 Days of Christmas

This is not what I intended to post today, but Katie’s post on 25 Days of Christmas inspired me.

Although my kids are older and our Advent Calendar is very juvenile, when I pulled it out with the decorations they hung it up. On the first of December, the angel was taken out of the pouch and put in the sky. It made me realize that they still look forward to the Christmas traditions that we have.

I love the idea that I can pick and choose the activities that we do and can have them fit our family. Also, next year we can do of the same activities but also have totally new ones.

I looked for the frame that I had used for the photo booth at Payge’s birthday party but had no luck finding it. I decided… who needs a frame?!? Not me. I used string that I had in our decorations. I bought 5 packs of mini clothes pins that I found at Michaels for $1 a piece! I spent $5 in total on this project! It would have been a bit more but I had some Command hooks for decorating already.

I put 6 hook on our door to the basement. Then I tied string on the hooks. (Next year, I may use the hooks to make a Christmas Tree design with the string.) Then I cut out 25 green circles, wrote 1-25 on them. Then the hard part came. I wrote out my Christmas Bucket List and made the activities correspond with our schedule. For example, on a day that we have 3 basketball games, the activity was a simple one like make 5 paper snowflakes. On a day that we have the afternoon free, the activity is to make Christmas cookies.

This morning when the kids got up and noticed they were all very excited, even my older ones! This will be a tradition that we do for years to come. (Even when my children are out of the house, I will be making one that Greg and I will do together! It probably won’t make the blog 🙂 )

Hope this inspires you to continue to make family traditions and/or create new ones! Do you have any ideas that could be done with the 25 Days of Christmas?

Be Blessed!

Tidbit Tuesday: Thanksgiving Commercials

Click the video above.

Some people love to try new recipes for the holidays but there are also some people can’t change a single thing for their holiday meal. I am kind of both. There are some things

Tidbit Tuesday – Freezer Cookies Ready for Guests

One thing I love about freezer meals is that they are ready anytime. Obviously, the meals need to be cooked but the prep is all ready done. Freezer meals not only have helped me on crazy, busy days, but also come in handy when a friend has a baby, is recovering from surgery, or if  there is last minute company.

I found a recipe for Ginger Cookies that can easily be frozen. They are ready to be baked anytime. They also smell heavenly

Tidbit Tuesday – Home-made Marinara Sauce vs Jar Sauce

I’m going start Tidbit Tuesday Posts. It will be a concise post with random relevant information.

Marinara sauce is the topic for today. Out of convenience, I have always bought jarred marinara sauce. I was even willing to spend a little more to get a better tasting sauce than the “generic” store brand.

Sort-of by chance, Greg stumbled upon a quick and easy marinara sauce that he has perfected.  The kids and I were at volleyball games and when he arrived home from work, he started to make dinner.  Then he realize there was no sauce in the pantry. With a quick search on the internet he found a recipe. It was delicious and quick. We have not bought jarred sauce since.

10 Minute Marinara

2 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 med onion, chopped fine

2 med cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press

1-2  tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/3 cup dry red wine

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Table salt and ground black pepper

1 – 2 teaspoons sugar, as needed

(In the photo, Greg browned and drained Italian sausage, then the onions, and finally Italian seasoning. After cooking each, he moves it to the side of the pan.)

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Move to edge of pan.

2. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Move to the edge of pan.

 

3. Add red wine to deglaze pan. Stir constantly while wine is being added.

4. Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring every minute, until liquid has

evaporated and tomatoes for 10 to 12 minutes.

 

5. Add basil and extra-virgin olive oil and salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

This sauce is 100 times better than any sauce you can buy in the store! It is so quick that it will be done before your pasta is finished cooking!

Be blessed