Friday Favorites {Chrismtas Shopping Edition!}

Christmas is just a few weeks away and while I've spent my week getting as much shopping done as possible before the kids get out for vacation.  With all the shopping I've been doing, I was thinking about what things that I am really loving lately.  Things that make me smile and maybe might inspire you if you are stumped on a Christmas present idea (I am. . . it's no fun!).  So, here's a list of a few things for the kids, a few things for that kitchen lover, and a crafty thing (my mind started shutting down for the night. . . so I stopped).  I hope it helps or maybe brings you some inspiration. 

Kids:

Today, I purged my kids toys because it was just time.  It was time to get rid of all those wonderful toddler and preschooler toys that have been traded in for legos and art supplies.  I'm going to preface this portion of the post, by sharing that my boys are now 9 and almost 7 (as in, I should start designing his birthday invitation soon).  These three things, aside from Legos, are what they are super excited about these days. 

Fling Shot

I had seen this at Target earlier this summer and when it went on sale before Thanksgiving, we bought it as part of their big boys bedroom transformation (Coming soon).  Friends, this game is so much fun!  It's completely magnetic and you can turn it over and play tic tac toe.  We haven't put any holes in the wall yet, so I'd say that's a win!  You can find it here at Target.

K'nex Systems

In all honesty, Legos are the main toy of choice for my kids, but we discovered K'nex this fall and they are are pretty awesome.  Ethan is really in to making things work, this roller coaster has a car that goes along the track using a clock arm.  In some ways it challenged him more than a basic Lego set does.  You can find it here. 

Color Alive Coloring Books

These books are super fun!  The kids like to chill in front of a movie and just color (one is doing that as we speak), so I am always looking for something fun to color.  Plus, these are great for road trips or times when we are waiting.  These are great because the illustrations that they color, they get to snap on our iphone or ipad and they come alive.  They can make Captain America sit on our couch or walk in our front door.  Technology is amazing!  You can find these here. 

Plus Plus

We discovered these this summer, when I was looking for things to fill their travel backpacks and they were such a hit that we bought them more for their stockings this year (shh! It's a secret!).  They basically are these colored plastic ++ (two plus' put together) and you build with them.  The are a lot of fun because you can build things for them, like the box above is for robots, but they are also open ended, which are my favorite toys!  I want to see where these boxes take my child's imagination and the things that they created while sitting at the airport or hanging out at our hotel before bed, was amazing. 

Kitchen:

These three kitchen things are my most used, favorite things ever.  I've talked about them before, but they are seriously the best and if you are in need of a wonderful gift for someone who loves to get creative in the kitchen, here are some of my favorites.

Microwave popcorn maker

We just bought this, and it is super cool!  These are great if you don't want to go to the store and buy microwave popcorn with all the yucky stuff or you don't want to pull out your Whirley Pop for amazing popcorn.  It is simple and works wonders!  Plus, it's dishwasher safe, so definitely a keeper! Here's the link. 

Frother:

I know I have mentioned it a few times, but this thing is amazing.  It gives that perfect frothy milk for your lattes and hot chocolates.  It also does almond milk like a star, so that's an even bigger plus! 
You can find the link on amazon here. 

Corkcicle Coffee Cup

This is a new find. . . like last weekend.  I've always wanted to bring my coffee to Bible Study (because going to that much adds up. . . a lot), but my coffee is always cold before I drop off the kiddos at school.  This basically is the best one I've tried.  The lid is wonderful, too, because we all know that it really matters.  They come in all sorts of pretty colors and manly colors. . . my husband is eyeing the charcoal black one. . . it's super sleek! 

Espresso Powder

This stuff is pretty much amazing and a really fun gift for that baker in your life.  It's kind of expensive, but it totally amps up a chocolate cake or you can make these muffins and amaze your co-workers with your culinary excellence.  It's definitely a good gift for that baker friend who likes to try new recipes. 

Crafty:

I could only come up with one, partly because this is ending up being a long post and I am tired, and also because I haven't been buying things if I don't need them.  You probably don't want to hear how much I love titanium needles for my sewing machine or stuff like that, so I will just leave this one here because it so wonderful!

Paper Pumpkin Subscription

I love getting mail, and this is one of my favorite deliveries each month!  I don't always have time to do them, but I am guaranteed to have cards for peoples birthdays throughout the year!  There are even some gift packages for giving things away, which has been wonderful for spoiling the kids teachers or my friends.  I also like it because it challenges me to try a different design or just take a few minutes to get creative during a busy week.  Getting creative fills my cup!   Each month, you get a small stamp set, ink, and everything you need to make the card.  Sometimes there is enough left over to make the cards go farther or get creative with the leftovers. 

What was something you purchased or were gifted this year that made your year rock?  
 If you have any gift ideas you would like to share, please comment or message me.  I am always looking for ideas for all the people in my life and would love to hear what things your are just swooning over these days.  Feel free to leave a comment below. . . those comments really make my day (really, they do!). 

I should also add that NOBODY paid me any money to write this post.  I get nothing.  It's just me sharing ideas with you.  No biggie.  Thanks for reading it!