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It's the season of giving! It's so much fun to plan gifts for friends and family, but it can also get stressful when it's hard to find the right thing. And when it comes to stocking stuffers it is so easy to just grab a bunch of cheap little things to fill it up and be done with it. But I like to be intentional with all gifts, even stocking stuffers, so I compiled a little list of things I would like to get for my toddlers, and that I would love for other people to get when it's not just Daddy and I filling their stockings. I included a couple links to some products that I especially feel are excellent, but other than that, most of these things can be picked up at almost any store, ie: Wal Mart, Target or KMart.  For Toddlers Boy Girl Both {WKid Sized Utensils Mittens Shirt PJs Snacks Movie Kid cups or sippy cups Bubble Bath Washable Markers Socks Slippers Colored Bath Tablets Hair Bands Necklace/Bracelets Scarf CD {We love this one.} Stickers Crayons Small Stuffed Animal Little Cars Mini Equipent Mini Trains Orange Candy Cane {Because every stocking needs to be finished off with an orange and candy cane. :) } For Babies Refillable Food Pouches {Here are my favorites} (Affiliate link) Bibs {Any bib will do - these are the ones we use!} (Affiliate link) Sippy Cup Books Gloves Hat Teething Biscuit Cloth Diaper {If Mom cloth diapers she will appreciate this! Makes sure you know her favorite kind though!} Tooth Brush  This is of course, not an exhaustive list, but it's something to get started with! What are some of your favorite stocking stuffer ideas for babies or toddlers? I'd loveto hear from you!  If you liked this post you might like these:
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"On the first day of Christmas my True Love gave to me..." We've all heard this song. And now since you just read the first line, it will be stuck in your head the rest of the day. You're welcome. ;) I read a great blog soon after we were married {maybe from the DatingDivas? I don't know where I saw it anymore!} about celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas with your spouse. It sounded like lots of fun to me, so I planned out 12 gifts for my husband and gave him 1 every day for 12 days before Christmas. But it just didn't go quite as I had planned. Because I forgot one important thing. Gifts were not his love language, they are mine. While Virgil graciously accepted the gifts, I knew him good enough to know he wasn't totally thrilled. What would he do with all these little things? And besides, money was a bit tight. So I just mentally crossed it off my list of new Christmas traditions.  Enter our fourth Christmas season together and once again I'm trying to think of little ways to keep it special. And then it hit me: 12 days of Love Languages!! It's such a simple idea, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. The Bible says we are to honor our husband, and I think a very simple and practical way to do that is to figure out what it is that makes them "tick" - what it is that makes them feel loved and appreciated and then apply it liberally! So, here's the plan: Virgil's 2 primary Love Languages are "Words of Affirmation" and "Acts of Service" and "Physical Touch" is pretty high up there too. So first I'm going to sit down and plan what I'm going to do each day. Then, starting December 14, I am going to purposefully fill up his "Love Language cup" in 1 noticeable way. Here is an example: Day 1: Send him a text thanking/praising/reminding him of something I love about him. Day 2: Fix, clean or organize something around the house that has been bothering him. Day 3: Give several extra, intentional hugs. Day 4: Make his very favorite supper and dessert. And so on. If you don't know what you or your spouses Love Languages are, take the test here. It's a fun way to learn more about each other! And if you are not familiar with the 5 Love Languages, they are:
 To help make it easier for you to plan out your 12 Days of Christmas, I created a printable for you to use for writing down your plans, and a little cheat sheet with some ideas to help you get started! I've included a couple ideas for each love language.
 I wish you and your "special someone" a very merry Christmas season!! <3 If you liked this post you might like these:
It is one of my very favorite times of the year! I can't help it - the snow, the music, the hot drinks and the decorations of the Christmas season just make me feel like a little kid again! Another one of my favorite things about this time of the year is re-connecting with good friends across the country. I love getting the cards and letters in the mail, and I love getting my cards and letters ready for the mail!
Our family is small, and I hardly have enough to fill our a traditional letter to send out. That's why I love creating a little Year in Review letter with just a few highlights of our year. 
I had so much fun with this, I thought I would like to share it with all of you! To get your free {yay} Year in Review Template just sign up for the Walls of Home Newsletter and you will get a link to the template! :)
{Don't worry - if you're already subscribed you will get the template automatically! :)}
Have a lovely Christmas season! God bless you, my friends
I am a strong believer in celebrating. In fact, I believe that celebration should be a way in life. We have so much to be thankful for, so much to celebrate in "ordinary" life. The little moments that we are always talking about aren't so little. They are huge and sparkly and beautiful. And hey, why not add just a little more glitter? I like to think of my day as a canvas with glue streaked across it, just waiting for some glitter to be thrown on it to finish off the effect. Cuz...why not? So, I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to throw some glitter into a day. They range from simple to somewhat more involved, but each one is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a sparkle in your eyes. 1. Sprinkles: Sprinkles never go out of style. Sprinkles always bring a smile. And you can put sprinkles on anything. They look good on cake, cookies and cupcakes. You can add a dollop of whipped topping to your coffee and add sprinkles. You can add them to cookies and biscotti - it doesn't matter where, they just scream "celebrate!!!"  2. Flowers: Whether you buy them, grow them in your house or keep some in your garden just for cutting, flowers are just one of the best house brighteners. I can hardly ever look a flower in the face and not just smile. They definitely glitter up a day. 3. Whipped Topping: You know those people that always have these awesome pictures on facebook and Instagram? The ones that always have perfect looking drinks, piled high in whipped topping and drizzled in chocolate? You can be one of those too - just purpose to always have whipped topping in your fridge. You can stockpile it in the freezer, so it's not too hard to at least almost always have some. :) 4. Dance: If your day feels like no glitter would even stick just crank up your kid's favorite song, pick them up and twirl around the kitchen. I can pretty much promise you that this glitter sticks better than most, because you will be able to see it sparkle from your little one's eyes. 5. Cookies in the Freezer: Wouldn't it be awesome if you could celebrate every little victory moment with a cookie and a yummy drink? Like when your husband comes in and says he had the best week at work, to date. And you smile, give him a kiss and pull the cookies out, brew a cup of coffee and sit down and celebrate together. Or when your child folds all of the wash cloths for the first time, you pull out the cookies, mix up 2 cups of chocolate milk and celebrate that little milestone. That is a glitter moment.  6. Send a Card: Nothing adds a sparkle to a person's heart like doing something for somebody else. And you get the bonus of glittering up somebody else's day at the same time! Just send someone a cute little note. Have fun writing their address with a colored pen or adding some other little creative touch. It's pure glitter. 7. Washi Tape: Because...why not? Washi tape is so pretty, so bright and sometimes even sparkly. And it makes everything around it so pretty. Tape a list to the inside of your cupboard with it, add it to your friend's card. Just search Pinterest and you will have enough ideas to keep you busy for a year. 8. Fancy Ice Cube Trays: I picked up some darling little silicone butterfly ice cube trays a while ago and they are so much fun! It's a perfect way to add a little sparkle to a regular lunch. You can even color the water and have beautiful colored ice cubes in your water. Your kids will love it! 9. Invite a friend over for coffee: This is another double scoring one. Glitter for you and for your friend. And this is where the sprinkles, whipped topping and freezer cookies all come into play. Go all out and make your coffee break beautiful! You will be so glad you did. 10. Chocolate: What happiness giving, sparkle adding list would be complete without chocolate? A friend just gave me a beautiful bag of milk chocolate Lindor truffles. Right now they brighten up my whole day by just sitting on the counter where I can see them. ;) Whether it's chocolate chips you keep in the freezer or fancy chocolate you hide for special occasions, no house should be without it! Because chocolate brings a sparkle wherever it goes! So there you go! My top 10 favorite ways to add glitter to my day. What are some of your favorite glitter moments? This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! ~Psalm 118:24  If you like this post you may like these:
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I am on a journey to know Jesus better, and be the wife, mommy and friend that God created me to be, all within the walls of my own little home. <3
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