Buying Local Year-Round
If you’re the kind of person who likes to sustain yourself on fresh, local produce, then spring, summer, and fall are pretty much no-brainers. This is when produce is plentiful, and you can take advantage of things like farmer’s markets where you can easily get great local ingredients. Even tending your own garden is much more doable in the spring and summer!
Even though we are just getting into the summer months, it’s wise to use this time with an abundance of fresh produce and food to start thinking about the fall and winter. You can also stock up on fresh food at other times of the year and find ways to make it last. For example, many ingredients can be purchased in bulk and frozen. If you have a separate freezer, you can really stock up and have enough good food to last until spring comes again. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you can actually put some meals together before freezing them, so that you have TV-dinner style meals ready to go on days when you don’t really feel like cooking but don’t want to go out.
You can also get into preserving food, and summer is the perfect time to stock your pantry for the rest of the year. Canning or making jams and jellies is a great idea and can be done in big batches. Whatever you think you won’t use can be given to friends and family as gifts. Dehydrating food is another idea that can make the ingredients you buy last longer. You can make your own trail mix for road trips, dehydrate fruits for snacks, or even make beef jerky! The possibilities are endless.
Just because fresh food is less plentiful in the latter months of the year doesn’t mean you can’t still buy local. All it takes is a little advanced planning, and you’ll be good to go until warmer weather comes around again.
Happy Father’s Day!
Before I was scared of you (strict Japanese father) but I’m happy you were so hard on me because now I’m a better person.
Thank you Tata!
Creative Baby Shower Thank You Note Ideas
Baby showers are a wonderful time to celebrate the coming birth of a new child.
They are also a great way to get a head start in gathering all the stuff that the baby is going to need. But, after the party is over and the gifts have been unwrapped, you’ve got to send out some thank you cards.
Don’t just buy a bunch of Hallmark cards to send your friends. You can make your own baby shower thank you notes, and spice them up yourself.
So, here are some creative ideas to help you write awesome baby shower thank you notes.
Spell Out The Baby’s Name
Consider using some cute phrases to spell out your new baby’s name. For example, if you’re going to name your new baby Sarah, you can use the name as an acronym on the front of the thank you note like so…
- Soft as silk.
- Angelic in nature.
- Really, really cute.
- A true blessing.
- Happy as can be.
The possibilities are endless. Your friends will love the originality and creativity. But, what if you haven’t picked out a baby’s name yet, or you’re not sure of the sex? Here are some more ideas.
Write a Poem
We may not all be poets, but it can be fun to write a poem every now and again. There are a lot of great poems about babies that you can use, or, if you’re up to the challenge, you can write one yourself.
Here is a nice little sample poem:
A Baby is a Miracle
This little tiny baby
Was sent from God above
To fill our hearts with happiness
And touch our lives with love
He must have known
We’d give our all
And always do our best
To give our precious baby love
And be grateful and so blessed
Poetry isn’t your thing? You can also consider adding some inspiring quotes about babies and new life.
Include a Quote
There are hundreds of quotes that would be great to include in your baby shower thank you cards. A quick google search will have you swimming in quotes. But, here are a few to get you started:
“A moment in my tummy… a lifetime in my heart.”
-Anonymous
“Birth is not only about making babies. It’s about making mothers~ strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and believe in their inner strength”
– Barbara Katz Rothman
“Girl or boy, you’ll bring much joy”
– Anonymous
“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for”
– Anonymous
“A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on.”
– Carl Sandburg
Thank You Note Resources
Need additional help writing your baby shower thank you notes? Here are a few great resources to help you out.
– Baby Shower Thank You Notes – Samples and Wording Ideas
Read thank you note samples to help you figure out how best to word your notes. There are also some good tips as well.
More quotes than you can shake a stick at.
Read beautiful poems about babies and new life.
Making An Environment-Friendly Father’s Day Gift
Father’s Day is indeed fast approaching and what better way to show your dad your love and appreciation for him by giving him a special gift that you made yourself. Self-made gifts are more precious than commercial ones because there are hand-made and customized by the giver to his or her recipient.
The celebration of Father’s Day can surely bring about a lot of calls and offers for gift sales which are indeed tempting for most of us who don’t have time to whip up a hand-made gift for our loving and caring fathers. What about doing away from the usual commercial gifts and using some eco-friendly or ecological to create a really unique and special Father’s day gift or token of appreciation?
Eco-Friendly Father’s Day Gift Ideas
In creating or making an environment-friendly gift for your dad to give on Father’s Day, you need to consider his personality before anything else. Make sure to give him something that he can use regularly. Here are some suggestions that just might fit the basic needs of the dads of today:
- Stylish necktie wallet
Does you dad have a lot of old neckties that he doesn’t use anymore? Put them to good use once more and turn them into necktie wallets. You just have to stitch and mold them into a spacious wallet which your dad can use from that day forward. If you can, try to stitch in your special message for your dad or have it embroidered by an expert.
- A new “bicycle.”
The truth of the matter is that you really don’t have to buy a brand-new bicycle. You just need to enhance the one that he currently has right now. Use recyclable materials and jazz up your dad’s morning exercise “buddy” and make it a little groovier and sleeker as before.
- Wooden accessories box or picture frame.
Who says women are the ones only allowed to have a jewelry or accessories box? Give your dad a handy container to place all his trinkets in. Dig up some scrap wood pieces and use them to make an accessories box. Make sure to decorate or spruce them up using simple but elegant designs that fit your father’s personality. You can also create a wooden picture frame and place your family’s wacky or comical picture.
- Recycled beverage holder.
Make your dad smile as you give him a special, hand-made version of a traditional beverage or wine holder. You can use lots of biodegradable and natural items like wood, shells, dried grass, and a lot more. Your imagination is the limit!
Like these Father’s Day environmentally-friendly gift suggestions so far? If you do, then you better choose one to make for your dad and start doing it now! If you have other ideas of your own, go ahead and put them to action. Make this the best Father’s Day celebration for your beloved father yet. All the best to you!
Regina Gomez is a writer whose expertise is in the promotional items industry.
Hobbies: Important at Any Age
Most everyone has a hobby, or maybe more than one, which they enjoy on a regular basis. Many times hobbies can be gender or age specific, but not in every instance. It’s important to get your kids involved in hobbies at an early age. Hobbies are healthy and important for people of all ages.
Hobbies can help keep us focused and centered throughout our lives, and they are essential for growth – emotional, intellectual, and physical. Studies show that children who have been introduced to hobbies at an early age perform better in all aspects of life. If your child shows a natural talent or interest in some certain area – encourage interest and development of a hobby that incorporates that interest. Hobbies can also help children develop socially when involved in group activities.
Hobbies Defined
In the most general sense, a hobby is an activity which provides an opportunity to acquire or utilize special skills and knowledge. In learning or participating in a new hobby, you will acquire and display skills through a series of activities that are relevant to that hobby. The category of hobbies is vast. For example – hobbies can range from anything such as learning a new language, to developing a talent for painting and drawing. Many teenagers are getting involved in the hobby of scrapbooking, which can be an excellent creative outlet using specialty tools such as custom made rubber stamps to showcase their memories. Sewing and all forms of needlework are all considered hobbies, as are gardening, cooking, playing an instrument, and the list goes on and on. Many children display in interest or inclination to begin enjoying hobbies at a young age, and it’s important to support and foster these interests rather than allowing your child to become overly interested in unhealthy pursuits such as excessive video gaming and television watching. Of course it takes more time, effort, and investment to nurture a child’s interest in a hobby, but the rewards and dividends reaped are huge. Children without hobbies tend to struggle with issues of boredom and lethargy which can be obstacles to healthy growth and development.
More Advantages
If you’re still wondering whether or not getting your kids involved in a hobby (or a few) is worth the extra time and effort, consider the following points:
- A hobby, when adopted early and nurtured properly, can become a lifelong interest and pursuit, which can help your child stay active, mentally sharp, and in good health.
- Hobbies provide your school age child with the opportunity to pursue and accomplish goals outside of academics; and this is an important piece of the puzzle in raising a well-balanced child.
- Hobbies facilitate growth in areas such as reading, comprehension, setting and achieving goals, healthy competition, and in many cases, leadership. Hobbies can help a shy child become more comfortable with making new friends, and can give a naturally energetic child a healthy outlet for their energy.
There simply can’t be enough positive things said about getting your kids involved with hobbies – so take the time to do so!
This article was written by Sharon Watkins for Rubber stamps UK.
DIY Canning for Easy Personalized Gifts
If you have a large family, lots of friends or a group of co-workers that love to exchange tokens of gratitude for the year, you need to start looking for bargains and easy crafts now. Fortunately, we are getting closer to the time when all sorts of wonderful summer fruits are going to be their peaks of ripeness and sweetness. You can take some of these lazy summer days and spend them canning! Add some pretty can labels and enjoy the compliments.
Make All of your Favorites
The first step to canning is to decide what you want to make. Jams, jellies and preserves are the categories that you see in the store; the same can be made at home. If you’re working with fresh fruits, however, stick to preserves: This designation means that you are preserving the fruits with as little preparation and additional ingredients as possible. You can also can vegetables for a savory treat although they are less of a sure bet than something sweet.
Equipment
If you’re not familiar with the canning process, you’ll need to get your equipment first. Canning does not actually just mean using tin cans like at the grocery store. At home, you’ll be using special jars to keep the preserves free from contaminants. Make sure you get the right kind, and check all of the seals on the lids and the rings before you use them. Next, find your ingredients. The higher quality the initial produce, the better your results will be. Check a farmers’ market if your city has one. At the store, pick up some sugar and some pectin, which helps thicken and preserve the ingredients.
Process
You’ll start by boiling your jars and lids to kill all the bacteria on them. You’ll also boil down your fruit. The sugar doesn’t just make it taste good; the food needs a certain amount of salt, sugar or acid to keep bacteria from growing. After putting the ingredients into the jars and sealing them, you’ll pop them into a a pressure canner. Don’t just use your pressure cooker though; you need this device to make sure everything is properly sealed! While the jars cool, sit back and listen: You should hear little ‘pops’ as the safety dimples on the caps are sucked in. That’s when you know you got it right.
Decorate
Now that you’ve gotten the tough part out of the way, take some time to convert this practical, tasty food into a real gift. Look for can label templates online so you can make sure to note what type of preserves is in each jar. You can also find stickers for the jar lids to designate your recipients.
For an extra touch, plan ahead to coordinate your can labels with decorative wrapping. Most label templates you will find are brightly colored and beautifully designed. Look for patterned fabric and ribbon scraps to make a gift that is personalized and will be cherished for as long as the contents last!
BIO: Scott is a freelance writer on a variety of topics including custom digital printing. When he is not writing for Print360.com he is hiking in the mountains of upstate New York.
One Good Thing a Day – Project Day 91 – Grease Sing-A-Long!
In the beginning of June there is going to be a gathering for Grease fans to dress up and sing-a-long to all of their favourites from the movie -I will be there and belting it out with everyone else and I just can’t wait!
I have to plan my outfit -so many choices I don’t know what to wear!
I’ll post photos if I remember to take some. When I’m giddy about something, I tend to forget taking snaps :S
Quick and Easy Flip Flop Dress Up
The warm weather is finally upon us and it’s time to head out to get some good sun.
The other day we were planning to go out and explore Toronto Island, so I wanted to wear a cute summer dress with my light and comfortable flip flops but they just seemed too casual/dull for the dress. I looked around to see what I had on hand to quickly dress them up and decided to tie a simple organza bow.
It literally took me 30 seconds to finish and away we went to explore!
before
30 second later!
Free Printable Coloring Pages from Animal Adventure!
The Animal Adventure Book site is now up and I’m working on some new freebies that anyone can print and save. Check out these FREE printable coloring pages or take a quick moment to check out the other freebies that are available for children.
I’m constantly adding new things to the site, so please be patient and check back regularly!
Here is one example of the coloring pages:
Free printable coloring page from AnimalAdventureBook.com
Happy Birthday to My Best(est) Friend Ever
It’s hard to believe the two of us have survived this long!
We basically started out as “partners in crime” almost two decades ago and I doubt anyone to this day understands how we work but I suppose that’s the fun part *^_^*
During our marathon karaoke session in Shibuya, Tokyo.
