A Mother's Day Gift Idea

Buy a package of Forget-Me-Not Seeds.

Attach this little note on the back from

Pres. Uchtdorf's

Forget Me Not talk from his

Oct. 2011, Women's Broadcast

Family Photo Book of the Family Proclamation

A few years back I saw a photo book made with the text of the full
Family Proclamation in it. I loved the idea, and tucked the idea
back away in my mind as something to do
in the next life when I could find some time to work on it.

About a month ago, I got a coupon to make a free
8X8 photo book through Shutterfly.
I knew it was now or never.
So I put it together, rather quickly under the deadline
(the coupon expiration date.) I work better under a deadline anyway.

Here is the finished result:

Click here to view this photo book larger

I like it, and think it is such a neat idea. I prepared it for our immediate family, but I like the idea of making it as a gift for extended family members, with cousins and grandparents in the book.

Nothing too fancy, I didn't spend hours pouring over photos, I just quickly put in photos I could find fast on my computer.

I did scan a couple photos that I thought fit the text.

What do you think, not of my book, just of the idea?

Teacher Appreciation Idea

At the end of the school year,
I gave out these gift cards to my kids' teachers.

A Lego Building Station

Doesn't this look great?

I found this idea in the Disney Family Fun Magazine.

A table/desk for boys or girls to build legos with.
The desk itself is made of lego boards.

We tried this in our boys room last year.
We put a table in their room and stored legos underneath the table.
We didn't make the real desk with lego boards attached to it.
Our version didn't last forever.
But, for a couple months it kept them entertained and legos more organized.

If I tried it again, I would follow their idea more closely,
and organize the lego bricks by color and size better.

There are lots of fun pinterest ideas for legos:
lego organization
lego rooms

These are few of my Mom's Favorite Gadgets. . .

Last year as a gift to each of my 4 sisters and I,
my mom sent us one of her favorite gadgets every month.

As sisters we loved it! It was the highlight of our month!

They were simple, ordinary things. Not expensive items.
Just some of her favorite gadgets that she loves, and wanted to share.

Every time I use the items she sent, I think of her, and
it's fun to be in my sister's homes to find the same gadgets too.

I wanted to share them with you.
I also wanted to share her idea, of sharing her favorite things with us all year.
It's such a fun gift idea not just for Christmas, but a birthday, or Mother's Day, etc.
It was just like getting an Oprah favorite thing every month!

Here they are:

All Purpose Scraper

This is kind of a funny one.

It's a painter's tool, that most contractors have and use.

You can find it at your local hardware store.

It's handy to scrape food off your counter,

DIY projects, unscrewing little screws,

it can do almost anything that other tools just can't do.

You'll find you can't live without it,

and get two so your husband doesn't take yours.

Yankee Candle Air Freshner  Plug-In

A great brand for nice smells in your home.

"What Happens Under the Mistletoe Stays Under the Mistletoe" Sign

Cute Christmas Decor.

Blistex Raspberry Lemonade lip balm

The best lip balm EVER!

My mom swears by it.

I couldn't agree more.

Great for dry lips, a little flavor,

and makes for soft lips for under the mistletoe-wink, wink

Brownie Spatula

Every kitchen needs a great brownie spatula.

A tool just for brownies.

Wilton Ice Cream Scoop

This is pretty much the greatest thing you could ever own.

This ice cream scoop is triangle shaped so it's much easier

to scoop hard ice cream out.

I've never seen anything like it!

It works AMAZING.

Get one today and thank my mother and Wilton for this great gadget!

( My mother got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond,

and my Mother-in-Law used it and got one immediately at Michael's craft store.)

Bath and Body Works Holiday Foam Soap

Who doesn't love Bath & Body Works Foam Soap?

A favorite for sure!

Hershey's Kisses

No comment necessary.

Watermelon Knife by Kuhn Rikon (Switzerland)

Our family is fanatical about watermelon.

We love it.

This knife works wonders!

Precision Scissors by Scotch from Costco

These are great scissors.

They really are better than most ordinary pairs.

Here are my mother's own words about scissors:

"I had no idea I was such a scissors fan, until I got married. . .

As far as I am concerned, several pairs are an absolute necessity for managing a home.

The first time I realized how much I love scissors, was when we were newly married,

and I hate to confess that we were having a frozen pizza for dinner.

Missing from our wedding gifts was a pizza cutter.

I tried using a knife to cut the pizza into pieces, without much success,

so in desperation I grabbed a pair of old scissors and after a few snips, WA-LA!

The love affair began.  I kept the scissors in my kitchen drawer,

and began using them for numerous other kitchen duties, cutting bacon,

opening packages, cutting fat off of meat, sausage, etc.

Unfortunately because of their heavy use in the kitchen,

I never had a clean pair in my desk drawer.

So I bought another pair, you know, coupon cutting, trimming,

craft scissors for fun edges, projects, Oh my!

But then I needed some when I was doing laundry, cutting off stray strings, unraveling clothes, etc. . .

I started carrying a pair of scissor in my purse.

Then, I found that I needed a pair in my bedroom/closet.

I needed a pair to wrap gifts, curling ribbon, a pair to cut hair,

I started using them in my garden, for cutting off old blossoms, light pruning,

so I kept a pair in the garage, I needed a pair for cutting fabrics.

Well, I could go on and on, but as you can see, a girl can't have too many pairs of scissors . . . 

so keep chopping, trimming, shearing, clipping and stay sharp forever!"

Revlon Expert Tweezers

These are one of the best beauty tweezers you could own!

A quick gift idea

One of my favorite gifts to give are Sara's cookbooks.

From Sara's, Our Best Bites blog.

Making a recipe from one of her books or from her blog is always a hit and a crowd pleaser.

I like to give away her cookbooks as Wedding or Bridal Showers Gifts.

They are fun recipes, but still fairly easy to make for beginner cooks or experienced cooks.

Amazon, Costco, or Deseret Book are great places to pick up one of her cookbooks.