Thursday, December 13, 2012

My Holiday Wrapping Station

Dear friends,

I've seen several posts recently on organizing holiday wrapping supplies.  Here is my simple solution.

I needed a place to put this vintage tea cart to make room for the Christmas tree in the living room.  The master bedroom is the usual place to stash extra stuff in a time like this, so I decided to take advantage of it and use it as my bedside table and as my wrapping supply station.  I do all of the wrapping in my room so I can lock the door to keep out prying eyes.  I spread everything out on the floor or the bed to work.  Usually one of the kids at a time helps me wrap presents for brothers and sisters.



The rolled papers go on the bottom shelf,
along with a small bin with rolls of ribbons.
To keep the paper from unrolling,
you can use a rubber band around each roll,
or a small piece of tape at the very end of the roll.
I do have a tall bin especially designed for wrapping paper.
I'll store the leftover paper in it at after Christmas,
but it's hard to get things in and out
without squishing the paper.

Scissors, tapes, bows, tags and pens
are hidden in the drawer.
It's always best to have extras for when
two or more people are wrapping at once!
Small scraps of paper are in a vinyl folder
which goes down with the rolled papers.

Larger scraps of paper go in
the same big bin as the unwrapped gifts,
which are in bags labeled
for each member of the family.
The bin stays in my closet except
when we get it out to wrap another pile.
I also keep a stash of Christmas gift bags
in my closet, because I don't want them out
for anyone to grab.
(I buy the my bags at the dollar store -- best deal!)


The end result for now
is present piles growing taller under the tree --
at least until we unwrap them
on Christmas morning!
And let me tell you that with eight kids
still living at home and two married daughters
coming over later with husbands and children,
unwrapping is quite the spectacle at our house!

How does your family organize wrapping supplies and other holiday items?
Virginia Knowles


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Holiday Desserts (Aldi & Albertsons)

Dear friends,

Lots of sweets on Monday 
for a home school co-op Christmas program
and my fourth daughter's 20th birthday!


Christmas cookies made from Aldi ingredients:
sugar cookie mix
vanilla frosting
red and green frosting tubes
canister of a variety of sprinkles

(My 11 year old daughter made these!)
This canister of holiday sprinkles 
will last us all season!
It has one of those neat rotating lids
where you can choose which kind you want.

Candy cane pie about $6 from Aldi -
a decent sized pie
with a chocolate cookie crust,
a layer of chocolate french silk
a white layer with crushed candy canes
and whipped cream with crushed candies on top
Yummy!

A Hanukkah cake about $5 from Albertsons
for my oldest daughter and my grandson
who celebrate the Jewish holidays.
"Hanukkah!"
Yes, we love saving money and eating well with groceries from Aldi!

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

Friday, December 7, 2012

Christmas Red



Life in a huge family is chaotic.

Especially in the holiday bustle,

you have to claim your calm 

where you can find it.






A flutter and glow and jingle

of Christmas red here and there.







Red's not usually 

the calming color, 

like a soothing blue.





But cheerful cherry 

has a certain charm. 






See: Easy Christmas Decorating on a Dime

Crimson grace,

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

P52 with Kent Weakley
 P52 Photo Project 
A weekly photo post
See all of my entries here:
P52 Photo Posts
P.S. This week's P52 theme is "Oh the Rush!"   This post is the counterpoint: what I do to relax in between the rushing.








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