The blog is back!

Hello September. Hello blog friends. 

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve sat down to even write a blog post. I pretty sure if you scroll down, the next post was posted back in February and I left you all hanging on what happened next on our Washington D.C. adventure. I am so sorry. Like everyone, this past year has not been what we expected. As 2021 began, my kids were still in distance learning mode and their schedules changed when we came back from Christmas. Then, later in the Spring, they changed some more as they were able to go back twice a week in small cohorts (it wasn’t ideal, but they had so much fun being back on campus, it made it worth it!). Needless to say, there was a lot of pivoting and adjusting that something had to give, and the blog was the thing that I had to say goodbye too. . . for a little bit. 

Summer started and Covid seemed to be on the decline, and we lived a very adventurous summer that seemed to fly by at record speed. The kids have been in school for a few weeks, and we have adjusted to rising much earlier than we have been (Covid spoiled this night owl mom!) and so much driving! Also, I have a 7th grader and I am just not sure how the heck that happened. Send coffee or wine. 

Now things are once again, looking kind of scary out there, my kids are in school and now I have time to write and create and it feels soooo good! Over the last year and a half, I really spent some time just thinking and doing some of the things that were life giving to me. The first few months of the pandemic were hard because we didn’t know a whole lot about the virus and there were a lot of restrictions. I don’t think I had ever stayed home that much! I realized that I needed to get out and exercise each day and sit down and create something as often as possible. And then, once we knew more about the virus, we were able to do some day trips and even a road trip to Wyoming, in a safe way. I also realized just how much we need people. I consistently kept leading Bible studies, whether online or in my front yard so that women could connect and not lose site of the God that has them and is not surprised when the world goes bonkers. 

This pandemic has taught me so much. Let’s be honest, the next few months kind of look scary. The pandemic is picking up speed with different variants and once again, we are feeling anxiety rush in. I hope that this blog will be a source of encouragement and a source of inspiration for you. I started this blog to help moms find creativity while we juggle all.the.things because I think it’s important and I firmly believe that God created us to create. . . each with our own giftings and insecurities. I also think that act of creating something whether it is baking a quick batch of muffins or sewing a blanket is something that satisfies and brings joy. 

Over the next few months, I will be writing notes of encouragement as well as creating new things. We might try a Pin from Pinterest, and it might fail, but we’re going to try. I hope you stick around and share this space with your friends. Finally, dear reader friend, I am praying for each one of you. I don’t know your situation, but I know that you took the time to read my blog. Thank you for being here!

Let's go on an Adventure: National Zoo, Cathedral, Fords Theater, Baseball & Georgetown (Days 1 and 2)

Are you craving adventure?  Don't feel bad. .. this enneagram 7 can't wait to pack a bag, jump on a plane and go some place she's never been! 

COVID numbers seem to be dropping and I am itching to for a grand adventure, so I am going to take you all on a little one over the course of the next month or so as I go down memory lane.  Let's travel back to 2019, when face masks were not something we had to think about and there weren't travel restrictions (ugh!).  

This summer will mark the 2 year anniversary of our Washington D.C - Baltimore - Philadelphia adventure.  We had so much fun and saw so much that we have very little regret from the trip, except maybe a day where we just rested.  But, really when we are some place new I have no desire to spend it in the hotel room.  I want to be out on the street walking around (My hubby can vouch for this. . . it drives him crazy!).  I always feel like I am missing out on something.  

This trip took 9 days, including 2 days to travel by plane (it takes awhile to fly from California to D.C.).  We spent most of our time in D.C. and then 1 day in Baltimore, and 2 days in Philadelphia.  This post will definitely be broken up into several posts because there is just so much to do!
  

We didn't get into Washington D.C. until around 10:00 at night.  We flew into The Washington Dulles Airport, which was a great experience! We found all of our luggage and found our Uber for the 30ish minute drive into D.C.  Our hotel, the Capitol Hilton, was easy to find and just 2 short blocks from the White House building.  (It's even a hot spot for past Innagural Balls!).  Our room was perfect for the 4 of to camp out this week.  We even paid a little extra for a mini fridge so we could keep sparkling water and some breakfast things cold.  

But, back to getting into D.C. at 10.  We were hungry, we felt like it was 7 and so we headed out to walk a few blocks to the nearest Shake Shack (my absolute favorite) since it was fairly close and still open.  Washington D.C. is very active at night (party, party!) and so we surprisingly had to wait in line to order!  Along the way, we passed the Longfellow statue, which was really cool.  One of my favorite poems is the midnight ride of Paul Revere. . . he wrote it!  So, at 10:00, my kids had a quick history lesson and Weston even posed in front of it for me.  You would never have guessed that it was almost midnight and we had been traveling all day. . . We were all pumped to be in Washington D.C.  

After a good night's sleep, we woke up to a gorgeous day and headed out.  Our first mission, was some snacks and breakfasty things at Whole Foods.  We walked there and ubered back to the hotel. On the way we found these statues and talked about political parties.  

We also enjoyed the absolutely beautiful architecture.  Modern buildings placed strategically between old homes, many that may have dated back to our countries beginnings.  It's really amazing to look at! 

After taking the food back to our room, we headed out for our next stop.  We went to Ford's theater, took the tour (so many awesome things in the museum part) and then sat in the actual theater (that has been redone since Abraham was shot) that the assassination took place.  We walked across the street to see the home in which he actually died, but chose not to take the tour.  We were hungry, hot, and needed a quick break.  So, we went in search of food.  

We found the coolest pizza place just around the corner from Ford's Theater.  &Pizza was a quick style pizza, where the are long and skinny, but so many different toppings and recipes to chose from.  Jon even was introduced to Mike's Hot honey and well. . . .we ended up ordering our own bottle because it is just amazing on pizza!  

From there we wandered towards the FBI building and then on to the National Archives.  This was something Ethan was really excited about, he loves the National Treasure movies!  There were so many documents to look at, including a copy of the Magna Carta.  It was all so fascinating!  

By the time we left, it was time to head to the Nationals vs. KC Royals game we had tickets for.  We love fitting in sporting events when we travel.  Ethan even started collected all the stadium pins while we were on this trip.  The  stadium was beautiful and had a great view.  However, it was our first day in the hot, humid environment, so we left after the 5th inning.  We had laughed about an area at the stadium that was closed due to inclimate weather when it was sunny and beautiful (we don't get a lot of "weather" where we live).  We ubered back to our hotel for a few minutes before heading out to go find a restaurant to eat for dinner. . .

 

We were up in our room for 10-15 minutes at the most and came down to a torrential downpour, thunder and lightning.  We just stood there, laughed, and enjoyed it.  Needless to say, we ordered Chipotle from around the corner via door dash! 

The next morning, we woke up to a sunny day and warmer weather than before! Our first stop was the Smithsonian National Zoo.  We enjoyed the Pandas and loved all of their different homes.  I think my favorite was the naked mole rats. . . they were so adorable! There are only 3 zoos in the U.S.  so that was super fun, plus the pandas are super relatable and seemed to love a good nap!  We enjoyed lunch at the zoo.  It was pretty basic zoo food, but Ethan said he loved his hot dog. . . he may have just been starving!

After the zoo, we ubered (we did a lot of ubering around!) over to the National Cathedral, which was just amazing!  There was even a choir practicing, which sounded so beautiful.  We probably could have wandered around the grounds and the church for hours.  They are even building a replica out of legos. . . we keep getting updates via email about the progress.  You can donate money and a lego piece or two will be added to help raise money for it.  They are not messing around with this Lego replica. . . it takes up almost a whole room!  Just to the back of the cathedral is a smaller, old church with a gorgeous gazebo and a view of D.C. that cannot be matched!  Look for the grassy area with a tall cross and you'll have a wonderful view! 

Can you believe, that day 2 is still not finished?  After this, we headed over to Georgetown to explore.  We waited in a little line (maybe 15 minutes?) at Georgetown Cupcakes. . . remember that show?  This stop was on our bucket list of things to do!  We bought some cupcakes and found a place to share them.  They were so good!  Totally worth the stop!  

 

 

Georgetown is the cutest little town outside of D.C! It was probably one of my favorite places to visit. . . probably because there were some really neat shops.  The buildings are old, the details were wonderful, the shops were both mainstream and local!  Jon started getting a headache partway through the afternoon, so we decided to stop and get a coke and rest for a bit (thank goodness for Chipotle!).  We walked the waterfront, played on a labyrinth and just enjoyed our time.  It was so much quieter there and so beautiful!  I could have stayed there for a full day just walking around (read: shopping. . . ha ha).  Before we left, we had bought macarons from Olivia Macarons, ate dinner at Good Stuff Eatery (this was our favorite new food spot of the whole trip!) and coffee at Baked and Wired (we would have totally gotten cupcakes, but we already had enough food!)  Needless to say, everything we ate was loved!  

We did so much in the first two days, that I think it's safe to leave you here for a little bit. Days 3 & 4 will be coming soon!  

Here's a quick At a Glance guide to all we did:

Day 1:

• Grocery shopping
• Ford's Theater
• &Pizza
• National Archives
• Nationals Game

Day 2:

• National Zoo
• National Cathedral
• Georgetown
• Good Stuff Eatery
• Olivia Macarons
• Baked and Wired 

Main Form of Transportation:  Uber, Lift, and our feet.  

Hotel: Capitol Hilton

Getting Creative during Covid: Dating your Spouse

 Let's travel back in time for a minute to our first Valentine's Day as a married couple.  I was in my second year teaching and Jon was working part time and working on his Masters Degree.  We both (foolishly) decided we were just too tired to cook and that we would go out to dinner . . . for Valentine's Day.  We chose one of our favorite Italian places. . . a popular chain in a popular area of town.  I am pretty sure that everyone else did too!  We waited 3 hours to get seated.  We were well trained in waiting in lines thanks to a recent Disneyland trip and hung out trying to make the best of it.  We even found a few friends who were waiting in line or had just finished eating.  By the time, we finally got seated at our table, we were so hungry that we just wanted them to bring us bread.  We quickly ordered. . . we had waited in line for 3 hours. . . we knew what we wanted. . . ha ha! By the time our food arrived, I am pretty sure we had consumed several loaves of bread. . . dipped in olive oil (It is soo good).  We ate a few bites of our food (we were now full), paid and headed back to our cute little apartment.  I can honestly say that we have never. . . ever celebrated Valentines Day like this since.  

The next year, we tried our hand at ordering heart shaped pizza from a local pizza place and just staying home. . . it arrived an hour late and not heart shaped.  Clearly, Valentines Day should not be celebrated on Valentines Day.  But, regardless of our very memorable Valentines Day failures, I can honestly say that we look back at them and laugh.  We love any excuse to celebrate and Valentines Day will always be kind of special because that's the day that Jon first took me on a date and expressed an actual interest to be more than just 2 friends hanging out.  We just had to get creative on how we celebrated.  

For 12 years now, this blog has been a place where we find ways to be creative as moms and busy women wearing all the hats we can manage (often feeling like we are wearing too many!).  I've always wanted to write a post about creative date nights and have never sat down to write it.  I've probably written several similar posts while in the shower, but never actually putting them down on paper.  Over the years, I have seen so many marriages crumble and it's just heartbreaking.  This year, amidst the pandemic, I've seen more marraige casulties than ever before. Between all the famous people "breaking up" or the friends that are struggling during this pandemic, it is still heart breaking.  

Jon and I have made a goal to be as intentional as possible to have dates.  We purposely set some aside money each month (going out to dinner is cheaper than a divorce!)  But, I will be honest with you, this was so much easier pre-pandemic when kids were at school or restaurants were open.  This pandemic made it hard and we realized we needed to be intentional about spending time just the two of us doing fun things.  Let's be honest, the kids (no matter how old) are always there!  I also want to mention that each stage of life and parenthood comes with it's own hurdles to jump to make dating your spouse work.  Don't get frustrated or discouraged.

This is where being creative comes to play. Here are some of our favorite ways to sneak in a date while in a pandemic.  Many of these we've adapted from our "Normal" life made them work with the current state of things.  We've been doing variations of these for years, but yesterday I stumbled across the word "microdate" and seriously it's the best name for all of these!

1.  Take walks together.  Whether the kids are strapped in a stroller or they are old enough to leave at home for a bit, take some time to leave your house and go for a walk.  Each night, we walk around our neighborhood and just talk.  We dream, we vent, we laugh, we listen. Sometimes, we just listen to the geese flying home to go to sleep.  It's one of my favorite parts of the day! (We do this while the kids are reading before bed. . . they are calming down and we are walking. . . it's perfect!).  

2.  Coffee Dates. Prepandemic, we loved going to a local coffee shop and chatting over our favorite lattes.  Since life shut down almost a year ago, we order our coffees and one of us (mostly jon, because he's already up) drives to pick it up.  The kids watch their Saturday morning shows while we sit around our fire pit and drink our coffee.  

3.  Take out and a movie.  Our restaurants just opened up for outdoor dining, but we still get take out because even when you can't get a babysitter, you can still have take out!  The kids get to watch a movie in one room while we watch a movie and eat our dinner in the other.  Pre pandemic, this was our Sunday night tradition, but now we have to be more intentional, because we found ourselves rushing to eat to get to the next thing.  Don't do that. . . . separate yourselves from the kids and just enjoy each other's company.  

4.  Go golfing together.  I know that many of you will laugh, but golfing. . . even just hanging out at the driving range is a lot of fun.  It's a slow moving sport and allows conversation and talking while you play.  Plus, if you have some rage to get out. . . just take it out on the golf ball. . . ha ha!  Golfing has been one thing we could do while social distancing.  Sometimes we go as a whole family and sometimes we go just the two of us.  

5.  Game night. Put some of your favorite candy and snacks (or get the fixings for a charcuterie board) and maybe a bottle of wine on your next grocery order.  Grab your favorite game and put the kids to bed.  Once their asleep, head the bedroom for a game night date night.  If you want some extra fun. . . highest or lowest score each round has to take off an article of clothing (wink wink). 

6.  Target run.  Give yourselves each 5 dollars, split up and buy each other something silly.   Set the timers on your phone and go!  

7.  Sneak out to run some errands and pick up some ice cream or a donut and just sit in the car and talk. 

 I know that sometimes you might be feeling like you are spending too much time together, but often times, the reality is together but not together.  There are days when Jon and I both home and we're all doing our own thing we forget to take time for each other.  We need to make sure we are investing in our spouses.  Find their love language.  See what makes them really feel loved and go with it.  Take time to do things alone together. . . use that creativity that God gave you to invest in your marriage.  It's worth it! 

 happy valentines day!  

p.s. Aaron and Jamie Ivey are coming out with a really cool book on marriage next Month.  Jon and I can't wait to get started! 

p.p.s. Need more ideas?  Check out this book. It has tons of ideas!

KAF 2021 Recipe of the Year

I must confess that this post is drool worthy.  I am drooling just thinking about these cinnamon rolls!  If you've been here long, you might notice that cinnamon roll (or anything remotely resembling a cinnamon roll) are our favorites over in the Klassen house. . . just check the "breads" tab at the top of the page.  

Cinnamon rolls are kind of our Sunday morning tradition. . . even if they are a tube of pillsbury (because this mom doesn't always have time to bake up something homemade. . . true story).  I think it started out as an easy way for Jon to make breakfast before church so I could have some time to get ready in the morning.  In fact, I usually ate my breakfast in the car on the way to church!  Back when our man cub was in third grade (wasn't that yesterday?), his class had a feast and was asked to bring something that represents the culture of his family.  We thought long and hard about this one, and we realized that cinnamon rolls were one of our family traditions.  We baked up a batch of my then favorite cinnamon rolls. . . which sadly, I haven't actually blogged about (someday, I promise. . . because they are delicious), and took them to school to share with his class.  His cinnamon rolls sat next to delicious crepes, curry, tamales, kringle, and so many other delicious foods. 

I follow King Arthur Flour on Instagram and am a flour snob when it comes to baking (King Arthur Flour is seriously the best!).  So, when they awarded this particular recipe as this year's thing to make, I knew that we would give it a try and didn't doubt its fame. Last year's recipe of the year. . . deep dish pizza was amazing and all of their bake-a-longs have been on point!  My family devoured them so quickly that there were no leftovers and they are already begging to be made again!

  This recipe uses a Tangzhong, which can seem a little daunting because it's weird, but it's worth it.  It doesn't take much extra time and it results in the most soft and pilllowly cinnamon rolls that almost melt in your mouth.  A tangzhong is  Asian bread making method where part of the bread is cooked on the stove top. . . just a bit of flour and water.  Don't let this scare you. . . it's worth it! 

And so with that, I am going to leave you with the recipe and go cheer my boys on their final stretch of distance learning for the week.  I am READY for a weekend. . . a 3 day weekend at that!   Make sure you follow me on instagram or Facebook, because I am hoping to make these live in the stories tomorrow. . . Keep an eye out! 

BEST CINNAMON ROLLS & 

KA Flour recipe of the year

from King Arthur Flour 

(Click here for original recipe)

The recipe is perfect just the way King Arthur made it. . . 

go there and follow there incredibly well written instructions :)

 

Happy Baking! 

 

 

hello, 2021

 Hello, 2021. 

I have always been a fan of Mondays.  A new week with a fresh start always makes my heart happy.  I guess you could say the same for a new year.  A fresh, clean planner and some new stickers and I am ready. 

 I am sure many of us wish we could wipe the year 2020 from our memories.  It was a YEAR. For most of us, it caused us to evaluate what was important as so much was changing and a lot was taken from us (no matter our circumstances, we all experienced some sort of loss in one way or another).  Just a quick scroll through social media gave us all the feels.  People became angry, frustrated, hurt and sad.  We were all hurting in some way. Unfortunately, 2021 came and things did not change.  COVID is still running rampant (especially in my state. . . ugh) and politics just make us want to go hide under the covers and not come out until its all over (Today's inauguration was so beautiful!).  Seriously, that sounds so tempting. 

2021 didn't come like we wanted.  We have lost much are grieving hard things.  Yet, I look at this new year with hope.  I am not sure what this year will bring and am trusting that however 2021 turns out, I will remain faithful to my call to be a follower of Christ. 

Last year, I tried my hand at setting seasonal goals for myself.  These were things that I wanted to accomplish in a 3 month time slot.  If some things happened and some things didn't, I wasn't going to approach that as failure. . . life happens and I just have to be okay with that.  Here are a few things we did last year:

:: 2 baby blankets, 2 baby quilts (well, almost finished with #2), 1.5 quilt tops sewn

:: I found a pattern for face masks that I liked and made some for the kids and I. 

:: Hallway doors and closet doors painted

:: Bathroom shelves, light, and accessories replaced

:: Disneyland before things shut down

:: LOTS of bike rides

:: Started taking lots of walks

:: Spontaneous trip to Wyoming

:: Lots of free printables made

:: Lead several socially distanced and zoom Bible studies 

:: Had my first piece of writing published in another online journal (you can read it here).

:: tore down the ugly shelves in our family room and ended up with a delightful plan b and I love it! 

:: replaced our wood burning stove with a gas fireplace. 

:: updated our backyard patio

:: Made the front of entrance of our home more welcoming and added adirondak chairs to the front.

:: made my first Stitch People portrait. . . it's so much fun! 

 

I will be honest and tell you that there were times when anxiety and boredom crept in during this whole shut down.  I realized how much the things that drive me were missing when we were stuck at home.  (We are still stuck at home, but I feel more comfortable masking up and sneaking away in a safe way now, which helps a lot!).  Also, my kids are all at home learning via distance learning.  It's not ideal, but their teachers are knocking it out of the ball park and my kids are still learning and thriving.  They definitely would rather be at school, but they know that this is just a season and they are making the best of the situation. Between moments of inspiration, there were times when creativity was not coming, but once I found it (thanks closet door painting project!), I found a reason to get up and get busy.  

Now that 2021 is here, I have sat down and made some goals for this year.  Here's a peek:

:: Tackle my pantry. . . It's gonna be a project!  I am so excited!

:: Decide just exactly how I want my living room shelves to be styled.  I am waiting until I know instead of just buying things and not being 100 percent happy. 

:: Another cross stitching project or two or three. . .

:: Bind Jon's quilt

:: play with new quilting rulers and make some more quilts. 

:: Do more art with my boys.

:: Travel (praying for this one!) 

:: try some new things. . . like macrame!

 

I've been going through the She Reads Truth Faith in Practice study and have just been loving it!  I've been really thinking about the spiritual discipline of sabbath and the importance of taking some time to rest.  Studies have shown that people who take a day to really rest, are way more productive during their work week.  This year I want to really sabbath. . . whether it is part of day or a whole day, I want to take time to really rest.  I realized this weekend that for me, resting is spending time with my family playing games and going on walks and talking over coffee.  Today, I started the week off more rested than I have felt in months! I've started the hashtag #Sabbathwithintention this year to document my sabbath growth over in instagram.  Feel free to join me and post yours, too!  I will definitely be writing more about this later!  Stay tuned. 

I think my biggest goal for this year is to thrive.  Being stuck at home during a pandemic does not mean I cannot thrive. I will be the first to admit that those first few months of Shelter in Place, I struggled big time.  My desires to travel and explore, that are so deeply woven into my being, were stifled and it effected me.  Adventures are planned and some we're still dreaming about.  I am filling my days with things that bring me joy and I have every intention of thriving.  

The subtitle of my blog is "finding creativity in the midst of motherhood." Let's join hands (well, pretend to, at least) and thrive this year.  Let's find ways to use our creativity. . . even when it's hard.  Let's not worry about comparing our creations with others, but celebrating the task we completed.  

I hope and pray that your 2021 is off to a great start!  Let's do this, 2021!

 

 

 

Christmas is coming and a free Printable

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It feels weird to say that last March and April we longed for Christmas in hopes that this Covid craziness to end and here we are and it hasn't.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that it is worse than it was in March.  This Christmas season has been so hard and in many ways, it has been a fight to keep our joy in the midst of some heartache and sadness.  But, even in the midst of all the feelings that are floating about, we have been able to continue with a few of our traditions and well. . . it does the heart good! 

One tradition that is a big favorite is our annual Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt Adventure.  We started this last night on a slightly failed attempt to look at Christmas Lights, but will hopefully finish tomorrow night in our own neighborhood.  I blogged about it several years ago here  and even have a free printable.  Believe it or not that post is 7 years old and that list has needed to be updated, so this year, I finally made a new one with various lights we've seen around our neighborhood and town.   

I've always had dreams of doing this with my kids and their friends and splitting up into teams and making it a fun gathering.  Unfortunately, this year it just isn't safe to hang out with friends and so we're sticking with a friendly competition with the 4 of us.  It's still way fun!  

You can print the new updated version of the scavenger hunt here. 

 

There are a few other things on the blog if you need something:  

:: You can elf your neighbors. . . there's still 3 days left until Christmas and maybe your neighbors need a little cheer. 

:: You can spoil your delivery drivers. . . even through the new year. . . They need a lot of love right now! 

:: Run out of tags or forget to buy some?  Never fear. . . I made some quick printable ones right here. 

:: Need a quick Christmas cookie?  These are my favorite!  The cranberry bar recipe tastes like the Starbucks cranberry bliss bar!

:: This recipe is a favorite for Christmas morning! It looks gorgeous, too! 

:: And some encouraging words about Advent from 2015 me. 

This is my last post for 2020 and I just want to say thanks for taking the time to read my words.  I know this year has been hard.  Each of us have been rowing along in our own boats and navigating difficult waters.  I have no idea what life looks like in your boat and maybe my ramblings or home improvement projects were weird during such a difficult year, but thanks for sticking with me as we navigate through this time of uncharted uncertainty.  I do know that in the midst of all this, I am so thankful for my relationship with God.  He has comforted me and calmed my anxious heart so.many.times!  He hasn't listened to my frustrations and to be honest, my complaints, yet He still loves me and cares for me.  He cares for you, too! And despite so many hard things happening this year, I am so thankful for the rest and time with my kids and husband.  We have taken so many walks over the past 9 months and I am treasuring those conversations, giggles, and miles deep in my heart.  It has been weird with the absence of sports and church activities, but with that has come a season of much needed rest and for that I am thankful.  

I'm taking the next couple of weeks off to hang with my family and celebrate Christmas.  You can still find me on Facebook and Instagram.  I hope you will join me in 2021 as we continue for find creativity in the midst of motherhood. . . or life. . . or whatever season you are in.  Come join me! 

Have a wonderful Christmas!  And a Merry New Year! 

Christmas Cheer & Free Printable

I'm going to be honest with you.  I am trying so hard to get into the Christmas spirit.  This season is really hard after 9 months of Covid and some other stuff that's going on.  We're tired.  We've grieved our losses.  We've pivoted (just like the couch in Friends).  We've rested.  We've stretched ourselves.  We've grown.  Our state is basically shut down again due to an incredible rise in cases here and I know that we aren't the only ones.  Christmas will be very quiet around here and I am curious to what that will look like.  

I needed some joy this week.  My kids needed some joy, too.  We also needed to look outward and see how we could spread some around to our neighborhood.  We've always been fans of boo-ing people in October, but we've never joined in the Elf club.  This year, we thought it was necessary.  The kids and I found ourselves wandering Target looking for goodies to share with our friends (an excuse to go to Target. . . yes, please!).  The kids put together the bags, I designed some tags and made some bread and we headed out into the neighborhood.  I think we were caught my almost everyone, but it is so much fun!  We laugh.  I think Weston hid behind some trashcans and a tree. . . but still got caught.  It's so much fun!

I think that when things are so hard, it is so easy to focus on ourselves (self care is beautiful, don't get me wrong) when sometimes the answer is to do something for someone else.  One friend posted her kids reactions to being elfed and it made there day. . . one of them may or may not have been wishing for a candy cane just moments before!  Friends, it brought joy to our hearts!!!  This definitely helped our attitudes!

Some items we found to fill our treat bags were some hot cocoa, pencils and erasers, candy canes, festive chocolate.  We found all of those things at Target, but I wanted to find a few other fun things.  Hobby Lobby was the best!  Plus all their Christmas stuff was half off like normal, so I grabbed rubix cubes, stampers, and maze ball things for super cheap.  We made 12 treat bags and then the boys got to decide who in our neighborhood they wanted to deliver to.

I also baked my favorite bread for this time of year.  THIS recipe is the best!  It's super easy and makes 6 little mini breads that can all be baked at the same time.  This year, because of COVID, we put who it was from because getting baked goods right now from random people might be a bit questionable.  I bought some cardboard loaf pans so there's no touching the actual bread and then I wrapped it in larger clear treat bags. 

The door knob holder was super easy.  I just punched holes at the top and tied string through it making  a loop. 

The kids and I really want to challenge you to spread some cheer around your neighborhood.  Take some time and brainstorm how you could make someone in your neighborhood's day.  Remember to be safe, where a mask when necessary. Spreading cheer in a world where people are socially distancing and lonely might just might just be the thing that fills someone else up with joy. I promise you, it will fill your hearts with so much joy!  

Here's the link to the free printable.  Please remember that these are for personal use only.  I'd also love to see how you use them. . . don't forget to tag me or use #outoftherightbrainblog

CLICK HERE TO GET FREE PRINTABLE