The fun thing about giving photo gifts is that the gift is as unique as the photo…I find that they make really meaningful presents.  And if you’re as shutter-happy as I am, by the time December rolls around each year, you probably have plenty of material for photo gifts.

I made a scrapbook for my sister, like I did two years ago.

This one covers the first year of her first girl’s life, and I’ll just show you a few pages.  I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. I’m such a disaster at taking pictures of pictures…they never turn out very sharp!  The printed photos really are good quality in real life, though.

(just apply that disclaimer to all the photos in this post…they’re pretty much all pictures of pictures)

We were all so surprised that Annalise was a girl (my sister and her husband didn’t find out the sex ahead of time).

She has three older brothers, so we all sort of expected that she’d be a boy too!

I didn’t actually do a whole lot in the way of dedicated photo shoots for Annalise over the year, but since I see my sister pretty often and since I always have my camera with me, I had a good selection of Annalise photos to choose from.

Going to the beach twice with my sister didn’t hurt.

Remember the purple dress photos I took of Adriana and Annalise?  Here’s that same duo this past summer, when Annalise was still bigger than Adriana.

I finished this up shortly before we had our Christmas get-together with my family…Mr. FG says it just wouldn’t be Christmastime if I wasn’t frantically finishing up a scrapbook last minute.

Ahem.

You wanted to see what I made for Joshua too, right?

I bought this matted, framed picture at Goodwill because I wanted to frame one of Joshua’s photos for him to hang on his bedroom wall.

It wasn’t the sort of frame that was meant to be taken apart (it had that brown paper glued over the back of it), but I really liked the mat and the large size of the frame.

So, I cut the paper off, bent the metal pieces that were holding the frame in, cleaned up the glass, touched up the nicks on the frame (using a Sharpie marker), and printed out one of his best 365 photos.  Doesn’t it look nice?

Originally, the small clock was the only thing on that wall, so because things look best grouped in threes, we put together another frame for him.

I found an old plain black frame, and added this mat I’d picked up at Goodwill.

The sentimental rainbow-colored poem thingie was just taped in.

So, we untaped it, printed out a photo that Joshua liked, and put the mat and photo into the frame.

Having the clock at the bottom is a bit unconventional, but I like it because of that.

What else?

I made a calendar for Mr. FG’s grandma.  I made one last year and she really liked it…she hung it on her bedroom door so that she could see the happy pictures every morning when she woke up.

I used mpix to make this calendar, and while the print quality is great, the process of making the calendar is a little trickier than on Shutterfly, the site I used last year.

I used a shot of the neighborhood dock for the cover (we had lots of good snow for sledding last year!)

And then I picked one picture from my 2011 files for each month.

I have such a hard time picking just one photo, but I like the look of one photo per month better than the layouts that let you pick multiple photos.

A calendar costs about $20, so it’s not a terribly expensive present, and it could bring a lot of joy to someone all year long.  It makes a great gift for someone who doesn’t want clutter or who has limited space.

Lastly, Mr. FG’s mom said that his dad would like a photo of us for his office, so we got a friend to snap a few photos of us after church one Sunday.  It was freezing and we didn’t have a lot of time, but given that and the fact that it’s hard to get six people to look good at the same time, I think it turned out pretty well.

If you want to give a framed photo as a gift, here’s a small tip that will take your photo from so-so to fabulous: pick a frame with a mat. 

Seriously.

It makes so, so, so much difference.  Even a not-too-great photo will look 93% better with a mat.  Try it!  You’ll be so happy with the results.

Do you give any photo gifts at Christmas?  I’d love to hear any new ideas you have.

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Today’s 365 post: Zoe and Timmy

Joshua’s 365 post: Cut the Rope!

Since we covered Christmas Eve yesterday, we’ll stick with just Christmas Day photos today.

I’ve actually got quite a few pictures of me because Joshua snagged my camera. The kids and Mr. FG insisted that I open my gifts first, which was sweet.

They kept making me close my eyes in between presents.

I was VERY pleased to get a nice pair of silver hoops.

I’m laughing in this next one because Joshua and Lisey bought me a Boston Market gift card.  When I was pregnant and sick, Boston Market mashed potatoes and gravy were one of the few things that appealed to me…they tasted SO good.  Joshua and Lisey remembered me talking about that, and they thought I’d like some more.

Hopefully they’ll still taste as good now that I’m not pregnant!

Mr. FG and Sonia and Zoe bought me a very silly stuffed fox.  He’s actually really cute, but I have no pictures of him from the front.

I am confused about something?

Ok, let’s have some pictures of other people.

Lisey, opening an ocarina from Joshua.

Zoe’s been seriously hankering after a blue velour whale from Fluffyland, and she was seriously pleased to find one under the tree.

We got Lisey the VW bus shirt she’d been asking for (from Dandelion Dreams).

Let’s see…I do have at least one of Joshua!

I was really encouraged as I watched my kids that morning.  They were all so anxious to give the presents they’d picked out for each other…more anxious than they were to open their own packages.

Sonia walked around in a box because…um, I don’t know why.

After eating some Caramel Monkey Bread,

we headed off to church.  Our church doesn’t usually have a Christmas Day service except when Christmas happens to fall on a Sunday, so going to church on Christmas Day is a little bit strange for us!

I wore my new earrings, of course.

I had a pair of large hoops before, but they were the sort that start to look not-silver after a year or two (boo), so I’m really happy to have a pair of lightweight ones that will last for a long time.

When we got home, I cleaned up the mess we’d made.

I didn’t actually have to spend very much time in the kitchen because Mr. FG suggested we forgo a big meal so that I could have a break (and who am I to argue with that??).

We did set the table up all nice.  We even used our china dishes for the very first time (which is pretty pathetic, given that this is our 15th Christmas together!)

The older four of us used goblets for our sparkling juice.

But Sonia and Zoe used teacups, because goblets are just begging to be spilled.

And Zoe drank regular juice because she hates carbonation.

So, what did we eat?  Crepes.

Traditional?  Nope.  But they were tasty and easy, and Mr. FG helped me make them. We had local sausage too so that our dinner wasn’t an unadulterated carb-fest.

Zoe and Sonia did actually get dressed that day, but they liked their new footed pjs so much, they put them on before dinner.

After dinner, the kids wrestled with Mr. FG.

Actually, it started with Joshua and the girls and progressed from there.

I love it.

This picture makes me laugh.

We did settle down so that Mr. FG could read the Christmas story to us (as per Sonia’s request).

And that was the end of our Christmas Day.  This is the second year in a row where we no extended family get-togethers have fallen on Christmas Day, and I must say, a quiet at-home Christmas is pretty lovely.

The gifts pictured in this post don’t represent the entirety of what we gave/received…that list would be sort of boring for you.  However, I do want to share the details about some of the presents I bought and made.  But it’ll have to be another post for another day.

And I promise there won’t be nearly so many pictures of me in that post. 

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Today’s 365 post: Two Babies in Purple

Joshua’s 365 post: This is very unusual for us!

You know how I said I usually unload my memory card(s) every day? Well, I’m now reminded why I do that. Sorting through 3-4 days of photos is kind of overwhelming.

So, you’re going to get Christmas photos in installments.  Today: Christmas Eve photos.

On Christmas Eve day, my in-laws came to our house to exchange presents (for those interested, our lunch was clam chowder, honey glazed-rolls, and a spinach/orange/cranberry salad.)

A piano bench is so handy to have around for company…we can add two seats to our table that way (we put two chairs on one end, and two people can sit on the bench.  And that’s usually Mr. FG and me so that we don’t make our guests sit on a backless seat!)

My in-laws brought some gifts.

A perfect amount, really…not too many, not too few. Fabulous.

Ok, so, Zoe had a little trouble with the ribbon. 

Among other things, she and Sonia both got a matching set of rain coats and boots, which they are just so in love with.  They’ve been wearing them even on sunny days.

“It might rain, Mommy!”

Aren’t these ladybug boots just too cute?

After a nice visit with my in-laws, we headed over to Mr. FG’s aunt and uncle’s house to see more family.

Mr. FG’s aunt, who is great with kids, had an ornament craft kit for everyone.

Brilliant.

After we came home, I stuffed stockings,

made a gift for Joshua out of this Goodwill frame (photos of the finished project to come, I promise),

and got things ready for the next morning’s caramel monkey bread.

And that’s where we’ll leave off for now because if I add Christmas morning photos, this post is going to be unbearably long.

What did you do on Christmas Eve?

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Today’s 365 post:Two point and shoot photos (one from me and one from Sonia)

Joshua’s 365 post: Christmas Craziness!

I hope you have a lovely day with those you love.

Today’s 365 post: A last-minute gift

Joshua’s 365 post: A Merry Christmas to you!

Indeed, so did I.

But Sonia saw eyes, eyebrows, noses, and mouths (and a goatee too, I think?).

That, dear readers, is a bad Dryad.  You heard it here first.

You know how the Grinch stole Christmas?  Well, these evil cookies are stealing Easter.  See the chicks and Easter eggs?

The other kids joined in too, of course. This is a Cyclops.  Apparently he’s not stealing Easter.

Joshua added some dough to this bear shape, trying to make a Medusa, but once it was baked and frosted, it turned out more like an elf.

Which I prefer to a Medusa anyway.

But my favorite of all the cookies is this one that Joshua decorated.

It just cracks me up.

Joshua’s friend Thomas is under the weather, so I suggested that he add some text to make an ecard to send to Thomas.

Because really, wouldn’t an Easter-stealing Christmas tree cheer you up??

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Today’s 365 post: The Tree

Joshua’s 365 post: Holiday Origami

When I wrap presents in wrapping paper, I often just cut out a bit of the wrapping paper, fold it in half, and use it as a gift tag. But when I use boxes or fabric bags, I obviously need another solution.

I like a simple look, so this year, I made little stamped monogram gift tags.  I scrounged up some cardstock scrapbook paper pieces I didn’t want (this page said Forever and I’d cropped that part off so I could use the plain part of the paper on a scrapbook page.) and then stamped the appropriate letters using my alphabet stamps.

I cut them to the right size and then used a regular hole-puncher on the top of the tag.

I use cloth ribbon to close my fabric gift bags, and that’s usually too wide to fit through the punched hole.  So, I use a bit of curling ribbon to attach the tag.

I just loop the curling ribbon underneath the cloth ribbon.  If you curl both ends of the ribbon, it’ll actually hold the tag on without a knot (the curled ends will keep tag from sliding off).

You can just use double-sided tape to adhere these tags to gift boxes, but I like the way the tag looks with a bit of ribbon.

By the way, if you like my fabric gift bags, you might enjoy my ebook, Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose.  In it, I share how to make the gift bags, and the book also has 19 other practical, easy ways to upcycle and refresh old clothes.  It’s only $3.99 and you can download it instantly onto any computer (you don’t need an e-reader!).

Ok. Back to gift tags!  I’m sure you all have some simple, frugal ways to label your gifts, so please share your ideas in the comments.

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Today’s 365 post: Why yes, I’m making pfeffernusse.

Joshua’s 365 post: A Concert, And an Answer

Actually, we’ll do the update first.

1. Figure out a new budget with Mr. FG.

Nope.  Maybe we’ll get it done in time for January?  We did discuss what we plan to do with our extra money in December, though, so we’re not just floating along entirely without a plan!

2. Read my Bible every day.

Nope, not every day.  I have been good about going for walks in the morning, and I pray while I do that.  But I just need to get my rear out of bed a little earlier so I can read before I go for a walk (I’d listen to an audio version of the Bible while I walk, but then I’d run out of time to pray!)

3. Update Quicken.

Done.  Oh yes.  I felt like putting it off, but because it was on my list, I got it taken care of. Behold, the power of the public to-do list!

4. Organize kitchen cabinets.

Nope.  I did take before pictures…does that count for anything?

5. Get half of a Christmas present made.

I’m almost halfway done, so I’m going to cross that off.

6. Make a list of presents that need to be made/bought.

Yup, did that!  And we only need to get a present for one more person before we’re done.

7. Clean up my laundry room.

Yes, indeedy!  And if you faithfully read here, you already know that because you saw the before and after pictures!

8. Cancel my gym membership.

Sort of. You have to go to the gym to cancel it, and when I went in, they offered to give me discounts so that Mr. FG and I could both keep our memberships for the price of Mr. FG’s membership alone.  I’m a little fuzzy on why exactly they would do that, but I agreed.  I still think I’m going to go in next month and cancel for real, though, because I am just not getting to the gym these days.

One upside of this is that when I do cancel, Mr. FG’s membership will still be at the reduced price, so we’ll be saving even more.

9. On a related note, walk four days this week.

I’ve been doing well with this!  Setting my clothes and shoes out the night before helps a lot.  Then I just have to wake up, put my contacts in, throw my clothes on, and head out the door.

10. Give Sonia a haircut.

I did!  And I think her hair looks a lot happier now.

So, I got 7/10 things done…not too shabby.

Here are 10 things I’d like to get done over the next two weeks.

1. Figure out a new budget with Mr. FG.

I’m not sure how realistic this is given how close Christmas is, but we do need to get it done!

2. Read my Bible every day.

I’m going to have Mr. FG set the alarm early enough for me to get in a bit of reading before my morning walk.

3. Organize kitchen cabinets.

Gotta have some Afters to go with my Befores!

4. Make cut-out frosted sugar cookies with the kids.

We do this every December, and they just love it.

Hmm.  Looking at that pictures reminds me that I should check on the status of the redhots at our house.  I may need to buy some.

Or, um, a lot.

5. Make Pfeffernusse.

Mr. FG requested these.

6. Help the kids finish buying/making presents for each other.

They’ve got a good start on this, but I need to figure out who still needs to get a present for someone.  It’s a little complicated to organize this with four children and it must really get crazy with more than that!

7. Update Quicken.

I don’t trust myself enough to take this off the list just yet.

8.  Finish the Christmas present I started making.

Considering Christmas is in the next two weeks, I’d better get this done, list or not list!

9. Bake bread to give to neighbors.

I’m not sure what recipe I’m going to make this year.  Maybe cherry danishes if I’m feeling extra motivated.

10. Make a detailed schedule/plan for next week.

Between now and the day after Christmas, I’m doing a photo shoot, we’re visiting a nursing home twice, going to a Christmas concert at church, hosting a women’s Christmas party here, having my in-laws over, visiting Mr. FG’s aunt, and visiting my family.  And some of these events involve cooking/baking for me.

I think this is going to be manageable, but only if I am organized and prepared.

Thank goodness we’re not doing any schoolwork next week!

How’s your schedule looking at this busy time of year?

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Today’s 365 post: Our adventures in Narnia are over.

Joshua’s 365 post: ???

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

“What if Christmas”, he thought, “doesn’t come from a store?
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

What are you doing this Christmas that doesn’t mainly involve a store?

We are:

-visiting nursing homes to play Christmas music
-making cookies
-baking bread to give to neighbors
-decorating together

-listening to lots of Christmas music
-making lots of our own Christmas music
-being sure to enjoy our decorations, even while we do school

-working on some handmade gifts, hoping to be done early for once!

How about you?

p.s. I’m not against shopping for gifts… I do it myself!  I just think we need to make time for non-shopping Christmas activities too, because usually, that’s the stuff memories are made of.

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Today’s 365 post: Dear Pepper Plant,

Joshua’s 365 post: Our newly decorated tree!

1. Give gifts to everyone you’ve ever met (or every relative you’ve got).

So what if you’ve haven’t seen or talked to Great-Aunt Sally in 15 years? Buy her a gift!  Same goes for friends you hardly see.  And don’t forget the mailman, the hairdresser, every neighbor, and all your children’s teachers.

2. Buy Christmas versions of everything in your home.

Everyday dishes will never work during December…you must have a snowman or Santa set.  Same goes for towels, nightlights, cups, mugs, and even picture frames.

All the things must be sparkly! and red! and green!

As an added bonus, these Christmas versions of everything will clutter up your home 11 months of the year. Suh-weet.

3. Buy all your gifts new.

So what if you could get twice the Duplos for half the price by buying them on Ebay? Get thee to a store where you can pay full price!

4. Don’t make any gifts.

Only factory-produced items should dwell under your tree.

5. Wrap everything in disposable, fancy wrapping paper.

Everyone knows reusable wrapping is ugly anyway.

6. Never let someone else outspend you.

That would be embarrassing.  Better to charge a gift than to be bested by someone else, so don’t worry about whether you can afford it.

7. Don’t save any money before December rolls around.

Just spend the money you were going to use to pay your mortgage or utility bill.  You can always be a little late on the January bills.

8. Buy brand-new holiday outfits for the whole family.

So what if you’re the same size you were last year?  That dress is so 2010.  You need a new one.  With shoes to match.

And don’t shop for kids’ holiday clothes second-hand.  It’s not like the stores are flooded with fancy little girl dresses or anything.

9. Get your priorities in order: 1. Stuff. 2. Shopping. 3. Experiences.

You don’t have time to bake cookies or decorate the tree with your kids…the mall is calling!

10. You pick!  What advice would you put in slot 10?

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Today’s 365 post: Too many bananas

Joshua’s 365 post: A Preview of Our Christmas Lights

I know it’s only October, and I’m sure that like me, you’re rolling your eyes at the store shelves festooned with holly, lights, and garland.

Though I think it’s way too early to be buying Christmas decorations, I don’t think it’s too early to be thinking about Christmas, especially if you want to celebrate it responsibly.

Responsibly? Yup. I think you can have a delightful Christmas while still being environmentally responsible,  fiscally responsible, and socially responsible.

1. Save up some money.

January is the best time to start this, but hey, October is better than never.  Can you eat from your pantry and save some of your grocery money?  Make a pizza instead of ordering one?  Borrow a movie from the library instead of visiting the movie theater? (you won’t even be tempted to sneak candy in if you watch at home!)  Sell some clutter? Pick up a small bit of side work? Sign up for Swagbucks and earn some Amazon moola?

Start up an ING savings account earmarked for Christmas saving, and sock the money away there. It’ll be available when you need it, but just inaccessible enough to make it easy to leave it alone.  And after this Christmas passes, set up a automated contribution to that account every month (even $20/month will give you $240 after a year).

2. Talk to your extended family about paring down.

In an economy like this, your extended family might actually be relieved to cut back.  Consider doing a name-drawing exchange, where all the adults draw a name and give a gift only to that person.  Or suggest doing kids-only gift exchanges.

The fewer people you have to buy for, the more thought and effort you can put into the gifts you buy, and I think that makes things way more fun!

3. Buy from businesses that you can feel comfortable supporting.

You probably don’t feel great buying nothing but cheaply made products imported from China, and cheaply made products from China aren’t ultimately going to bless your recipients all that much (they’ll likely wear out and break in short order.)

Responsibly made products do usually cost more, but if you’ve pared down your gift list some, you might be able to spend a bit more on each present.

Remember Novica, the company that partners with artisans around the world?  I think they’re a great place to shop for gifts, and I just noticed that until midnight PDT today, they’re offering free shipping on almost all of their jewelry (note to self: hurry and order earrings for Lisey!). In addition, you can use the coupon code  NOVICAEX3 to save $10/$40 purchase.

Or consider buying a shirt for someone from Dandelion Dreams, and help support the adoption of a little girl from the Congo.

Give someone responsibly-produced coffee.  Check out what Ten Thousand Villages has to offer.  Buy environmentally responsible, organic gifts.  Even if you can’t shop at these types of places for all your gifts, buy one or two responsibly-produced gifts.  Something is better than nothing!

Oh, and I can’t finish #3 up without mentioning that thrift stores are socially, evironmentally, AND fiscally responsible places to shop.  So, don’t rule them out. 

(Zoe, for one, doesn’t mind getting second-hand gifts! And neither does Sonia.)

4. Make some gifts.

You don’t have to make fancy, time-consuming gifts for everyone on your lists, but maybe you can make some simple gifts for at least a few people. Homemade gifts are usually frugal and environmentally responsible, so if you can find the time, they’re a win-win!

Need some inspiration?  Check out my 5 homemade gift ideas.  I’ve made some fun scrapbooks as gifts before too. And here are some of our homemade/thrifted gifts from last Christmas.

Also, my ebook, Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose has a number of ideas in it that can be used as Christmas gifts.

It’s only $3.99, so even if you only use one idea for Christmas, it’ll pay for itself!  And all the ideas in my book reuse or repurpose old clothes, so they’re fiscally and environmentally responsible.  Plus, this book will help you to responsibly use your old clothes throughout the year, not just at Christmas.

5. Spend less and give more.

The Advent Conspiracy covers this idea really well, so go check them out!

If you’re feeling the urge to have a less consumery, less selfish Christmas, pare down your gift list, cut back your Christmas budget, and use the saved money to bless someone who doesn’t have clean water or food to eat.  Living Water is a favorite charity of mine, and Heifer is pretty awesome too.

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What would you add to the list?  How do you celebrate responsibly?

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Today’s 365 post: At dinner last night, we were talking about the 80s.

Joshua’s 365 post: Music