Frugal Father's Day

I am so excited. In two and a half months I am going on a trip of a lifetime. I am so lucky to be saying that I will be partaking on an adventure to, what I consider to be the mother country, Ireland! I am also going to spend five days in London as well. I am even luckier because I will get to share this experience with my loving parents, sister, and husband. I am beyond excited! Now, with my departure date looming closer and closer, my purse strings appear to be getting tighter and tighter. I just know that when I’m doing my thing (aka shopping!) in the UK, I’ll totally regret it if I don’t save up enough money to really go for the gusto…I mean, come on, it’s Europe! Did I mention that I’m excited?!?
So, my husband and I have come up with a pact, cutting out a bit of the unnecessaries where we can. One place we decided to skim on this year was gift-giving to each other. He is already famous for saying, “I don’t need any gifts” (don’t you just hate that?) so I told him that, this year, I would carbon copy my mother’s day to his father’s day. I had an awesome mother’s day, of course, and even though it was gift-free I got plenty of the real gifts that matter in life – little kisses, big hugs, works of art from my three year old and a lazy day with my favorite people in the whole entire world.

Now, with Father’s Day coming up, it’s up to me to be creative – without spending much/anything. Haha…jokes on him, I have Pinterest! I’m totally going to rock it.

In our family it’s funny because Mother’s Day usually centers on breakfast and Father’s Day centers around supper…and the BBQ. So my plans for a Frugal Father’s Day are going to break down to this:

1. Awesome supper with plenty of hearty man-food.

2. Adorable handmade crafts from the kids and

3. A spin on an old classic, as a gift from yours truly.

Let’s just say that I’m doing a carbon copy of mother’s day but I’m putting some glitter and awesome dust on it too.
Food

This should be a fairly easy thing to come up with. What are his favorites? For my husband, he has a major sweet tooth for Reece peanut butter cups so I’m pretty sure that this Reece’s Cheesecake Brownies would be a huge hit.

Check out Pinterest...you can pretty much find a cake, cupcake, bar, or cookie inspired by any and every chocolate bar known to man kind! I think a few of these would go over quite nicely as well (click on the picture to be taken to the recipe):

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Beer-battered Pickles

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

Décor

I LOVE this tie themed banner and flag set, available for free download at Amanda’s Parties to Go! It doesn’t take much to sneak downstairs after everyone’s gone to bed (or before they wake up) and put up a little pizzazz to wow them in the morning!

Gift Options from the kids

I love this Father’s Day survey from The Creative Homemaker! My three year old comes up with the most hilarious stuff so I would love to sit down with her one night and fill this out. Plus there’s lots of white space for her to “decorate” it afterwards. It’s a nice idea to do one of these every year and then bind them together in a scrapbook!

Here’s another idea from Kinderpendent that you could do with your little one…create a quotation book to chronicle all those adorable things your kids say. You can dress it up with a bit of cardstock, ribbon, etc. This would definitely be a book to cherish for years to come – just make sure you leave some blank space for those gems that are yet to come!

I have been seeing these bookmarks a lot lately on Pinterest and have been waiting for a chance to make one. How cute are they and think of all the fun you’ll have making them with your kids (check out this link for more info)!

Gift from Wifey

So, when we agreed to not buy any gifts for each other this year I knew that I was still going to make him something. When I thought about it, I came up with something that would be perfect. A coupon book. Yes, just like we use to make when we were little BUT this time, it’s going to be filled with some very important coupons (in a parent’s world anyways!). Example, what does my husband really hate doing? Hmmm…how about: get out of one poopy diaper, one foot rub while we watch the sports channel, one sleep in until the time of your choosing, and so on and so forth (if you’re really brave you could include a “blank cheque” one too!). What is really important to him…or what are one of those annoying daily life tasks that he can get out of. Yes, it’s more elbow grease from you but, personally, I’ll be happy when I’m trying on a pair of new shoes at Harrods in London that I couponed my way out of this one! Check out Martha Stewart.com for an awesome Father’s Day coupon book template.

With a little creativity and a lot of heart you can make a wonderful Father’s Day. It really is the thought that counts and I think that putting in the effort is worth so much more than anything you could buy in the store!

Here’s a little poem that I want to include in my hubby’s card – he always makes me cry with those cheesy box store cards…let’s see how he holds up to this, handwritten by my daughter!

SPRING!

Spring will be pretty.

Just give it a week,

When flowers are blooming down by the creek.

Bees will be buzzing as trees start to bud,

But for the moment I'm covered with mud.

Snow has been melting, since winter is through,

Replacing the whiteness with puddles of goo.

I stepped off the sidewalk and into the ooze.

Next thing I knew, I stepped out of my shoes!

Mud on my ankles and mud on my clothes.

I stumbled face-first and got mud up my nose.

Spring will be pretty, but I must confess, The first days of spring are a muckety mess!

-Dave Crawley

In an Old Town Garden

I love spring! It's quickly approaching us and I just can't wait. This year, I'm most excited about starting a new garden at the Hand Crafted Cottage and what better place is there than Etsy to find some beautiful items to get it started?!

Here is a poem I found that I'd like to share, fitting with my garden theme, intertwined with some Etsy gems. Enjoy!

IN AN OLD TOWN GARDEN

by Lucy Maud Montgomery



Shut from the clamor of the street
By an old wall with lichen grown,

It holds apart from jar and fret

A peace and beauty all its own.



The freshness of the springtime rains
And dews of morning linger here;

It holds the glow of summer noons

And ripest twilight's of the year.



Above its bloom the evening stars
Look down at closing of the day,

And in its sweet and shady walks

Winds spent with roaming love to stray,

Upgathering to themselves the breath
Of wide-blown roses white and red,

The spice of musk and lavender

Along its winding alleys shed.



Outside are shadeless, troubled streets
And souls that quest for gold and gain,

Lips that have long forgot to smile

And hearts that burn and ache with pain.



But here is all the sweet of dreams,
The grace of prayer, the boon of rest,

The spirit of old songs and loves

Dwells in this garden blossom-blest.



Here would I linger for a space,
And walk herein with memory;

The world will pass me as it may

And hope will minister to me.

August Days

"The sprinkler twirls.

The summer wanes.

The pavement wears

Popsicle stains.

The playground grass

Is worn to dust.

The weary swings

Creak, creak with rust.

The trees are bored

With being green.

Some people leave

The local scene

And go to seaside

Bungalows

And take off nearly

All their clothes."

A poem by John Updike

The lazy and warm days of August are upon us. One of my favorite things about this summer time month is going to my local farmer's market and stocking up on all the delicious fresh fruits, veggies and meats it has to offer!! Mmmm...imagine swinging on your front porch swing as the sun goes down and enjoying some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon along with a healthy serving of whipped cream...

So, granted, these aren't real pieces of fruit but they are just as scrumptious! Wooly Knits N Bits makes these super fun fruit hats, perfect for little boys or girls. The super soft feel of these hats and the round design are just right for a comfortable fit on baby's head!

The summer is quickly slipping from our grip so let's enjoy what's left of the warmth on our skin and the sunshine's glow on our face!