Binkies and Briefcases

I am second in command when it comes to our church’s Mom N Me group (which is basically MOPS, without the association) but basically, that means that I do virtually nothing because our head coordinator, my friend Jen, is so awesome that there is very little leftover to be done.

Life has been a roller coaster for Jen for the past year or so, with ups like bringing a new baby into her family, and lows that included a lot of difficult losses. Our steering committee & mentors wanted to do something special for Jen this year. I liked the idea of getting her a necklace like the stamped silver one my husband gave me for Mother’s Day, but it was difficult to find one that was affordable.

After searching many an Etsy shop, I finally discovered this Circle of Love necklace from Bella Ray Designs.

So I ordered it and it came quickly and beautifully wrapped, in plenty of time to present to Jen at the Christmas Tea, which was our plan…except that’s not the way it happened.

I was keeping the little box in my purse so that I wouldn’t forget to take it to the tea on Tuesday, but a few days ago I was helping with our church’s clothing exchange and I had my youngest with me. Abby, who is only 19 months old & thinks every present is her present, kept getting into my purse and trying to unwrap the box & play with the necklace. I wanted to hide it from her, so I put the box in a closet in the room where we meet for Mon N Me, which was right down the hall. (The room where I was working didn’t have a closet.)

When I went to go get the box to bring home with me it was gone!

I was really hoping Jen had found it and that it wasn’t stolen by the Grinch, but I had to send her a very awkward email asking just to make sure.

Yes, she said she found it and opened it on Wednesday, but once she got home she realized it was probably meant for the tea, so she had planned on re-wrapping it, sneaking it back into the closet, and pretending to be surprised, but I had foiled her plan by discovering it was missing.

The bottom line is that she liked the necklace and Bella Ray Designs is a great way to get an affordable personalized gift. Looking back at the situation, while I’m sorry to have disappointed the steering committee because they won’t be able to see Jen’s original reaction to her gift, I’m glad that she was able to take a quiet moment to reflect on our gift to her and how much we appreciate everything she does for us instead of opening her present in front of an audience.

A few days ago my mom sent me a link to this adorable website, Portable North Pole, that lets you create a personalized video message from Santa to your children, friends, or spouse for free! They also sell copies of the video that you can download straight onto your computer, but they will email you a version hosted for a limited time on their website for free.

I have not been compensated by this company, I just thought this product was adorable and it was a big hit at our house! Nicholas, age 3, watched his video several times and was talking to the screen every time Santa asked him a question. I even made one and sent it to Eddie to brighten his day at work. (My favorite part of that one was when Santa said “I know you’ve been working hard to listen to your smart wife.” hehe)

If you want to see what the finished product looks like, you can click here to see the video I made for Nicholas.

You might notice that the book in the video says “Mack from the movie Cars.” Although I planned to do a strictly homemade Christmas, Nicholas has been talking non-stop about that particular toy and how Santa is going to bring it for him. I had to cave and get it, so we will have exactly one store-bought gift under the tree this year.

This brings me to a question: Do you send your kids’ Christmas gift list to family & friends?

Personally, I do, but only because I’ve been asked to. My mother-in-law & my grandmother & my brother-in-law have all asked me for our detailed list of sizes, the kids’ interests, and toys that they would like but we don’t already have. So I send the list, but I only send it to our parents, brothers & sisters & my dear friend (of almost 20 years already, wow!) Lauren, who is also Abby’s godmother. I also specifically ask that everyone buys only one or two gifts for each child. In the past, we have had some very generous givers overwhelm our small living space with excess.

Do you think it’s obnoxious to send the gift list?

I admit it does make me feel uncomfortable to ask for specific gifts for my children, but our family genuinely seems to want the list. What about yours?

And what are you asking Santa for this year? I asked for the Sound of Music on DVD, a zebra print Snuggie (yes, I actually want a Snuggie), and a few more pieces to add to my temp-tations stoneware collection. I also think this tray from Blessing Unlimited would be pretty perfect on my new kitchen island…

Do you feel as awkward as I do when your parents & brothers & sisters call to ask what they can buy you and your kids?

Awkward or not, I am very grateful that all of my children’s grandparents are financially secure and in a position to share their resources with Nick and Abby!

Looking for more ways to capture some Christmas memories? Check out my post about how to take great pictures of your Christmas tree lights.