A Gift Giver's Nightmare

Heather here and I'll be honest, I struggled with coming up with a topic for today's post. Obviously it is Friday so SOME of the pressure is removed as I get to hand the reigns over to you but...I still need to set the framework. It seemed that we had a tone this week that tied in with gift giving with Cheryl's fun card idea, Katie's pot full of summer fun (we are waiting on pins and needles to learn what punch line she used) and of course Claudia's "You're one hot teacher" idea for Cinco de Mayo. While it makes sense to do another bit on gift giving it feels a little redundant and not living up to the idea of a NEW creative idea a day to go straight "gift ideas" on this Friday. As I literally and figuratively "slept on it" today's blog became a little bit about self disclosure on my part.

You see...this week has made me realize something about myself that I'm a little afraid to admit. A few weeks ago Katie introduced us to Love Languages and it was shared that mine was "service" add that to the fact that I am frugal (to a fault) and it becomes pretty hard to buy for me. Take for instance Mother's Day...last weekend in an effort to dull the pain of our husband's work schedule Claudia and I made a trip to the Brighton Jewelry store, we searched the racks and I found what I "thought" was the perfect Mother's Day gift for myself. A fun cuff bracelet that was around $50...not too expensive but more than I would EVER spend on myself. Fast forward to last night when Claudia, Richard and I are sitting around talking about what a great husband Matt Struble is for writing that amazing letter about Cristine. That turned our thoughts to Mother's Day gifts yet again and I mentioned that I was probably forgoing the Mother's Day gift this year so that we could put extra money towards my Mom's gift (a flight to Dallas for a visit this summer). Claudia's jaw fell to the floor as she reeled that I had found the "perfect gift" and then just decided never mind. Why?!? Because I'm far to practical to see the benefit of spending $50 for something as unnecessary as a silver cuff bracelet. It isn't that I don't like accessories, or that I don't think they look fantastic on people but for me?!? Nah!
I'm the same way about flowers, shoes, clothes, whatever....unless I NEED the item I feel like it is a total waste.

So my realization? I am the gift givers nightmare...what is the delicate line between practical and inconsiderate?
Most women would balk at their husband giving them an iron for their birthday...me, bring it on. The same goes for vacuum cleaners, pots and pans, or anything practical that I NEED so that I don't have to spend the money on the item otherwise.

So in honor of the fact that my poor husband has to figure out my gift giving needs for Mother's Day in two days and the fact that we have a slew of gift giving events in the near future with Graduations (yay Cassie P and Lindsay Marie!!!), Mother's Day, Father's Day, June wedding season and just the end of the school year let our community at highlowaha help you with your gift giving nightmare. Give us the details of that person you can never figure out how to buy for and we'll help you come up with something that is creative but totally them.

But of course, I couldn't let the day end without a few gift giving suggestions of my own.
First this is the link to a fun video that was made for me for Mother's Day (a gift I loved because it was FREE) that I think our readership will enjoy. Watch it to the end so you can send it out to all the Mother's in your life.
http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=zeumpvjkHCL9uK6mHKpFQDM4MDI0Mg--&referred_by=11625284-8Ekr5Wx&p=moveon

And here are the Teacher Appreciation gifts that Claudia and I pulled together for Jack, Lily and Matthew's teachers. The envelope contains a gift certificate for a pedicure at a salon just around the corner from daycare and we pulled it together with the flip flops and fun ribbon...

Signing off until tomorrow...

Survival of the Fittest: The 10 Week Challenge

Congratulations to Montana Kelly on the birth of her daughter,
Delanie Grace on May 1, 2009!

Good morning, Highlowaha! It's Katie here, but before we get started I would just like to say thanks so much for all of your wonderful ideas and punch line suggestions yesterday! I plan to mill it over today and then make some final decisions tonight as I pull their gifts together. I will certainly let all of you know how it goes over.

As promised yesterday, today I will share another piece of my world with you. As I mentioned, I am currently a first year graduate student at JMU. In the early part of next week, I will be leaving JMU for the summer. I will be headed home to Kentucky to see friends and family for a few days, and then it's off to Arlington, Texas for the summer to work in Orientation at the University of Texas- Arlington. There is one minor detail that has to fall into place before all of the fun can begin- PACKING!

I am a procrastinator to my core, and packing is no different. Those of you with college-aged children have probably felt the parental frustrations of your children waiting until the last minute to pack up their things. I am no different. Except now, I've moved enough times and far enough away from home that my parents don't have to stress over it anymore- just me! Yesterday, in an effort to avoid studying for my final exams, I decided to do some packing. I realized that I needed to make some quick decisions about what I wanted to take with me to Texas and what could stay here in Virginia, in storage, for the summer. Obviously, there are some things that have to come with me, such as: clothes, shoes, bedding, office supplies, and toiletries. However, I have a lot of possessions which I do not necessarily need to bring with me for a 10 week stint in Texas.

For me, it's like survival of the fittest for my "fun" gadgets and gizmos. I decided to challenge myself to decide on the top 3 things that I think I will use this summer and allow myself to pack those. After all, I do only have my little car with me and so space is a factor I have to take into account. Here's what I narrowed it down to and the fun objects that will be coming with me for the summer:

1. Cookie Baking/Decorating Supplies: cookie sheets, piping and flooding tools, cookie cutters, dye for the icing, etc.
2. My Craft Corner: Sharpies, stickers, paint, mailing supplies, glue gun, mod podge, etc.
   
3. iSound and iPod: What would my summer be without my music? I will be bringing these with me so that I can listen to some great music while making those cookies and sending those packages. Plus, I have to share this love of music with my new roommate, right?

So, if you were packing to move somewhere for 10 weeks, what 3 "fun" items would you bring with you? These are things that you don't have to take with you, but deep down you could never live without. I can't wait to hear what each of you would bring! Plus, if you have any packing tips- I'm always happy to hear those, too!

Signing off until tomorrow with the song of the day...

A Beach With No Sand

Good morning, Highlowaha! It's Katie here after what feels like a really long hiatus! However, I'll be with you the next two mornings bringing a piece of my world to you. Today, we're going to be on a similar wavelength as Claudia was yesterday with her Cinco de Mayo/Teacher Appreciation gifts. Let me start with a little background.

I am currently a first year graduate student at James Madison University. I work as a graduate Hall Director in a residence hall that houses 235 freshmen. In my building, I supervise eight undergraduate students who serve as resident assistants on each of the nine floors in my building. I have been with these students since August when we went through training together and then opened our hall to all 235 freshmen to enter their first year of college. Now, eight months later, it is time to bring the year to a close as all of those freshmen will be moving out of our hall this Friday. As their supervisor and as a way to say thank you for all of their hard work this year, I am hosting a "closing dinner" for my staff on Friday evening. At this dinner, I will be presenting each of them with an end of the year gift from me as a token of my appreciation for their hard work this year.

Enter today's post. I have the gift, I have all the supplies I need, and I'm in the process of pulling it all together. However, one VERY important piece is still missing from these gifts. The punch line!!! What is a fun gift for my staff without a fitting punch line to go along with it. What I mean by punch line is the tag to go on each of the gifts that will, in one short sentence, give them a synopsis of the purpose behind the gift. An example of this was at the beginning of the year, when I gave them each a bottle of Coke, a package of popcorn, and some toenail polish. The punch line for that gift was "Pop Your Feet Up and Relax"! For this gift, I have nothing! This is where you, my trusty HLA community and friends enter the picture for me! You are just the creative group of people that I need to help me out! For me right now, it's like I have a beach, but no sand. I need the sand to top if off (talking in a figurative way).

I have included a picture of one of the gifts I am giving them to help you understand what they will receiving. For each of them, I painted a terracotta pot and am having all of their residents either sign their name or write them a short note. Then, on the inside of the pot will be a magazine, a pair of flip flops, a pair of sunglasses, their favorite candy bar, and some sunscreen. As you can tell, it has sort of a relaxation/summer focus. So what do you think? Do any punch lines immediately come to your head? Throw them my way! I have been thinking on this for weeks and I just can't seem to come up with the right line!

What about the rest of you? Do you have any gifts that you will be giving to wrap up the end of the year for your students, your child's teacher, your Girl Scout troop, etc? What will you be giving them and do you have any great punch lines that you are using? Please feel free to share in the comment section today.

Signing off until tomorrow with the song of the day...

Fab Five

Claudia here.  Take five on five five.  That's what I'm going to try to do.  Posting a five minute blog on the fifth day of the fifth month seems about as good a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo as any (especially in light of the fact that I won't be traveling to Mexico any time soon).

4:32 a.m.  On your mark, get set, go.

I'm a working mom now and yesterday was the perfect storm.  Walk into day care and find out through casual conversation that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  I had NO IDEA and so, of course, show up empty handed on the first day.  Not good.

No time to dwell.  I have a full day of work ahead of me.

Driving home from work and remember that tomorrow (today) I get to craft the post for our blog.  What to do?  What to do?  Last week Heather suggested I do something for Cinco de Mayo.  Sounded great then.  But today I'm a working mom and I don't have time to do fun research about homemade maracas, fun Mexican dinner recipes, and interesting facts to share with kids, family, and friends. 

Tacos; red, white, and green place mats, and a pinata for dessert.  That's all I got.

4:34 a.m.  Three minutes left.

5:30 p.m. yesterday and I still have nothing for my son's pre-school teachers.  Stopped at party store for a sombrero so Richard could take a festive picture of me to post on the blog.  

Blog, teacher gifts, Family Fun for Cinco de Mayo.  My cup runneth over.

Zip through store and pick up sombrero.  See festive chili pepper necklaces hanging in my periphery.  IDEA!

A Red Hot Idea

You're a Red Hot Teacher 

and (Happy Cinco de Mayo)!

Who doesn't love a new accessory now and again?

4:36 a.m.

Teacher Appreciation.  Done.  Today's post.  Done.  Family Celebration? Hmmmm...  Help me out.  Five festive things we can do/eat at dinner...

P.S.  Winning cookie cutter...  Cristine's Big Mouth Bass.  If not in stock then Stacie's stork.  Still don't have?  Cheryl's soaring heart.

Signing off until tomorrow...  4:37 and 16 seconds.  Done.

It's All How You Fold It

Happy Monday everyone. Cheryl here. Did you see that Derby Race? 2nd biggest upset since the Derby began. I don't know about you but I was like, "Who the heck is that horse?" We also had a ton of fun with our own Give-away Derby. I think Tera was our luckiest winner of the derby raking in the most wins and it's not over because I know the Beeny's still have to count that large piggy bank of money. And today, I offer you a craft project easy enough for anyone.

A couple of weeks ago Claudia gave me a piece of paper that showed you how to fold a mini booklet out of one sheet of paper. I promptly misplaced it my cavernous purse but it stayed in my mind. I remembered the basics of it, figured it out and I want to share it with you today. I'm a visual learner so I've included lots of photos to help you follow along. This is a great solution for a fun card or an activity for the kids. Here we go... the instructions will be above the photos.

This is the template. You will draw, print out or apply stickers on. You content will be only on one side of the paper. The Page #'s below indicate which way is up on each of your pages.

Here are the three booklets I made. I used my computer and the Publisher software to insert my pictures. You could easily glue pictures, draw on or write fun messages on the pages. Get creative.

To begin, fold your page in half long ways so you can see 4 pages of your 8 page booklet. Below are my 3 booklets.

And then fold that in half again so you can only see 2 pages.

Here's a tricky part. Fold it in half again. If you think your pages are too thick you can fold each side towards the middle. I creased mine in each direction. You'll have an accordion fold down the long side of the paper at this point.

This is where the magic happens. Take an xacto knife and cut the paper between the middle four pages. Don't have an xacto? Remember when you would crease paper and then add a little bit of spit to get it torn. Gross. I know. Never mind. Dig out the xacto.

Here's what the hole will look like. Just cut the middle section out.

Now fold it back in half long ways and let the middle section poke out like this below.

Pinch it together and fold the pages around so that the front page is in the front...

And voila! Your very own Mini Booklet! Can't you see your kids making something special for their teacher? Or a special card for Mother's Day? Or a creative card for a friend?

Very easy and super creative. Even you can do it! What do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Do you have an easy, creative solution for something else? Feel free to share it with us today. Or, just report in and tell us about your weekend. What did you do for the derby? We want to hear from you.

Announcements:
Taste of USA begins today! Don't forget to go and vote. Where do you want to go?

Claudia- did we get a winning cookie on Friday for Fancy Flours Cookie Challenge?

Signing off until tomorrow...

Psst...

Rayce Day

Gettin Lucky in Kentucky.   Hey ladies.  Want to come to the after party?  You'll get to see why they named my horse "Mr. Hot Stuff"  I'm 4'4" and 89 pounds of dynOmite!

Love those hats ladies.  Not quite Millionaires Row but you're definitely ready for the infield.  Speaking of the infield, where's my bourbon?  You can't have a Derby and no bourbon.  I'm not talking about Mint Juleps.  Those are sissy drinks.  Tastes like someone squirted toothpaste into your drink.  No I'm talking a nice glass of Maker's Mark.  Maybe a couple of ice cubes to keep you from sweating.  I used to drink George T. Stagg but bad things happened.  That bourbon will make you want to hurl your little body, in Tasmanian Devil style, into a gang of bikers.  Crazy.  They would have killed me if they weren't having so much tossing me for distance.  Not good.

Alright, now for the best part of the Derby......betting.  I'm all about boxing my bet.  Pick my favorite horse and box him.  If you're nice to the guy when you place your bet he might give you a tip.  So here's my tip for you......

Mr. Hot Stuff to win...........

How about you?  Who's your horse?  Let us know.  If you win, I'll give you the silk of my back.  Alright, I'm not wearing a silk.... how about a Derby 2009 t-shirt? 

...Fancy Flours!!!

Okay, okay...so I know that I said yesterday we were celebrating the age old adage April Showers Bring May Flowers but I decided to take my own creative license on today's post to talk about our fun Fancy Flours Challenge for May.

For our everyday readers you will remember that last month Claudia announced a fun, monthly event we will be embarking upon which requires you, the readers to challenge Claudia to take the most amazing, most bizarre cookie cutters and find a way to link them to a holiday in any given month. Each month you will also be invited to browse the Fancy Flour website for the most outrageous, most unseemly, most ridiculous cookie cutter you can find. Her challenge? Use the winning cookie cutter (determined by most votes or random drawing) to bake, decorate, package, and deliver a treat that connects your cookie with my holiday. For example, last month she had to connect porcupines to Earth Day.

What most of our readers don't know is Cheryl and I are competitors through and through and there is nothing we love more than a challenge. As such I'd love to throw a serious challenge Claudia's way. Last month she managed to pull through with some really cute porcupine cookies but bumbled it all by wrapping Earth Day cookies in cellophane...this month I'd like us to come up with something that will be impossible to connect.

So here's the scoop. I'm doing my part in this throwdown of sorts by naming the holiday for May, "National Backyard Games Week" Seriously, how specific is that!!! She'll never be able to link that to some of the crazy, kooky shapes at fancyflours.com! So now it is your turn. Scour the pages of www.fancyflours.com to find the most unique, most creative, most CHALLENGING cookie cutter you can find and let's see if Claudia can pull this one out of that creative hat of hers.

And for our Derby treat today...one lucky reader will win the cookie cutter that Claudia is challenged to work with courtesy of Fancy Flours!

Ready to play?

It's easy. Simply (1) click on this link to the site then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on cookie cutters. (2) Pick your jaw up off the floor and then select the one you think will pose the greatest challenge. (3) Make a post in the comment section letting us know which one you picked. Like the one someone else picked out? Cast a second vote for theirs. Monday morning we will announce the winner. Now let's cook up some fun...
http://www.fancyflours.com/site/cookie-cutters.html

Derby Winners

So while we've been good about giving away a prize a day for the last two weeks we haven't been great about announcing the winners...So here's a rolling list of this week's winners:

Monday: Junk Drawer Challenge- Tera who is on a serious winning streak and will be treated to a box full of "junk"...okay it is actually a box full of an assortment of awesome things that you may find in your junk draw.

Tuesday: Taste of USA contest-Cristine who will be sent a package of travel games to play as she makes her way to this year's event!

Wednesday: Sting Ray's shirt-Kat -just send us an email highlowaha218@gmail.com to let us know what size you'd like!

Thursday: RAK gift-Robin for starting a RAK chain at Starbucks we'll send her another free cup of coffee!

What will we giveaway tomorrow on Derby Day?!? Only time will tell!!!

Signing off until tomorrow...