2 Clever Blog

A good piece of cheese will make anyone a believer

Think::

Here is the reason my kids believe in Santa.

Every time I take my three little girls to the grocery store they always want me to buy these pieces of fake cheese hanging in the cereal isle.  They are squishy cheese with disgusting looking white rats with red eyes.  They are $3.99 each.  I always tell them that would be $12.00 on FAKE cheese!  No way am I ever buying those and beg them to stop asking.

Then this year in their stockings Santa gave each of them the fake cheese with red eyed rats.  They have played with their cheese and rats everyday since December.  They love them! (I still think they are totally gross)

The other day when me and my oldest pink and I were in the grocery store, we saw the fake cheese and she said to me "Mom isn't it funny that Santa gave us the cheese after you told us you would never buy them.  That is the reason I know you can't be Santa"

Aha!  it worked.
Just in case you are not lucky enough to find these in the cereal isle of your grocery store (ha!)  you can buy them here

Pink::

Cleverest of Cards

Pink :: You win!

You win for most clever card I got this year. Writing your Christmas letter like it was written by your mailman is just 2 clever indeed. What a great way to update everyone on your families adventures without it sounding like a brag-a-thon. I loved it. Who will report on you next year?

My most cleverly designed card was from my friend Barb. (I call her my friend even though we have never met in real life, just wonderful blogland. I just love her thoughts and ideas. And I get the best Good Mail from her. Hope she does not mind my sharing it here.) Her card was like a Polaroid film picture. One side was black and then you flipped it over like it had developed and it was her family picture. It just made me giddy with cleverness. It took Mr. Think a few minutes to get it.

Sort of like my Season's Greetings card a few years ago, remember? It had actual little salt and pepper packets on the front with talk bubbles coming from them that said "hello" and "hi y'all."

Here's a picture of it:

Get it? Get it? Season's Greeting??? Not sure anyone did but oh well.

It was a lot of work to pilfer all those salt & pepper packets from Wendy's for several weeks. That was the last Christmas card we sent out back in 2005. Totally Lame. But I am working on our card for this year. More of a New Year's card at this point I guess. Mr. Think gave me a very clever idea but I still have to pull it off. We shall see. Let's just say that it addresses the fact we have not sent a card out in a long, long time.

Cardless since 2005 :: Think

PS:: Do you like my new card tree? I think it is technically for ornament hanging but I used some IKEA curtain clips to hang my cards on it. Tried to make the photo look artistic and hide my still unpainted trim and front door....not sure it worked.

I am so doing this next year...

Dear Pink::

In my quest to figure out how to not have another Christmas like this one...ie. last minute shipping that cost more than the gifts, half of the decorations not put up, running around like crazy loon on little sleep, no neighbor gifts, not feeling the Christmas Spirit and having a genral, all around, grouchy mood... I am sooooooooo doing this website's planner next year.

www.organizedchristmas.com

Still feeling a wee bit Scroogy about it all:: Think

We made it

::MERRY CHRISTMAS PINK::

Hope you are able to put your feet up today like I am
and ignore all this stuff that is everywhere...

We love y'all! :: The Think Family

Last Minute Classmate Gift

Pink::

I know you probably have had creative gifts for your Pink Little's classmates done for weeks now.
I, on the other hand, was standing in Walmart this morning in a total panic about what Little Think could give her friends for Christmas.
Here is what I came up with.
Not that darling or personal but quick and easy – just what my fried brain needs right now.

Found these Snowman Lollipops in their Christmas aisle. You get 3 for $1. They had a ton at my store so I'm assuming there are lots everywhere. Basically a sucker inside a plastic ball so you can put it away if you don't finish it. (what? not finish a sucker in one sitting? who does that?) I'm putting some crumpled white tissue paper in the bottom of a clear cello bag. Putting in just one of the snowmen. Tying with ribbon and a tag that reads:

"Please enjoy this Snowman Lolli.
And may your holidays all be Jolly!
Merry Christmas from Little Think"

I will post the finished product later when I put them together. (Probably around 2am the way this day is shaping up...) Just wanted to get the idea out there to any other moms in a panic like me.

WaHoo! Another item checked off my list :: Think

Favorite Christmas Tradition

Dear Think::

This is my all time favorite Christmas tradition that we do with our little family.  Every year we get a nativity set and wrap up each piece individually.  Either in burlap or brown paper tied with big gold ribbon.  We then pick one family to anonymously deliver each piece for the 12 nights before Christmas.

We have done this four about 5 years now.  Every year gives us a new experience.   What is wonderful about this activity is that it is simple, inexpensive and keeps your on your toes for the holiday season.  There are many nights that I think to myself, "Oh we have to get out and go deliver the piece"  and some nights it is not so easy to get all the kids in the car to make the sneaky delivery.  But every time I pause to remember what we are doing it reminds me what the Reason of the Season.  It also makes me think about each part of the story.  The wise men, the shepherds, Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus.

We spend a few weeks as a family thinking hard about who we want to pick.  It seems the past few years, not on purpose of course, we end up picking families that have big windows in the front of their homes that make being sneaky just that much more fun. 

Last night we dropped off our first piece.  We have large porch to get on up 8 steps, with two large windows by the front door.  It is going to be tricky, but just great.

My tricky thing this year was finding a nativity set - no one sells them anymore (don't get me started)  I ordered this off of Etsy.  I love how simiple it is.  You can find them here if you want one.

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season! and hey Happy Birthday to little Think!

Pink::

I see Reindeer...

 

Pink :: Disorder is the mother of invention.

Or so I've heard. And now I believe. 

I can't remember if I told you about my love of Wilton's FoodWriter pens. I have the Neon set of 4. I use them all the time in Little Think's lunch to write on sandwiches and stuff. She usually eats her healthy stuff  better if I cut it into shapes with cookie cutters and add some eyes, etc. (I know....she's spoiled) They are kind of pricey so I use, can you guess?....my Michael's 40% off coupon. They don't work perfectly by any means and you have to keep them refrigerated but it makes the chore of packing a lunch every morning an artistic outlet.

So I was trying to find some things to take to a fantastic cookie decorating party (thanks Allison!) and my cupboard was bare of the needed supplies. I was grabbing strange edible stuff that could be put on a cookie but probably never has been before. One of the things I found in my pantry ransack was some standard issue I-can-eat-the-entire-bag-in-one-sitting-if-I-am-not-vigilant Pepperidge Farms Parmesan Flavor Goldfish Crackers. I grabbed a handful to see me through the rest of my pantry search and I started to look at them. Nice flat surface...perfect for writing on with those pens...

And Voilá (or in your dialect "Wa La")

Isn't he cute?!

I named him Goldfish the Reindeer.

I used one on a santa cookie last night. Then I did one and put it in a bag of plain ones for Little Think's lunch with note to try and find him. I'm thinking he would be cute on top of a cupcake or cookie. Or on a gingerbread house or on top of a chocolate covered pretzel stick. Or floating in tomato soup or hot chocolate. If you want to get "fancy" you could put a red hot candy for his nose.

Any other ideas of where to put him?

Disorganization Rocks! :: Think

Gumdrop Glam

 

Pink :: I'm home

Had a wonderful time. Trying to get back to reality it a tough thing.
Especially when my To Do List is at an impressive record breaking length.

Seriously ginormous.

But I did want to quickly share this 2clever idea in a shop window I walked by in La Jolla. Embarrassed to say I don't remember what the shop was. I was too ga-ga over the gumdrop dress to notice. (Any Eavesdropper in California who knows please tell me so I can give proper credit to their 2cleverness) The lighting was tough so the photo does not convey the candy colors in their awesomness.

I would wear that dress everyday if I could. And I'm even not a huge fan of gumdrops. It was just so sugar sparkly. I'm thinking I need to make a  gumdrop wreath like your cranberry one just to get it out of my system.

Back to reality tomorrow I promise :: Think

Clever Weather

Dear Think::

My only clever thing for today was just getting all of my Christmas decor up. It felt great. Right when we were finished it started to snow. ahhh!
(and I seriously can not believe how much I love this photo - I have kind of stopped taking photos inside because I don't know how to take them without the flash, but this one turned out superb in my book)

Pink::

Dollar Store Snowflakes

Pink :: Yes, I'm still alive...

I'm still running around like a chicken with its head cut off and it's hair on fire. Inlaws arrive today. Must clean like a madwoman. Leaving for trip with Mr. Think to San Diego for a few days. (any ideas of what to do/eat/shop?) Half the Christmas lights up outside. Still have E's birthday approaching fast. And have not done ANY Christmas shopping...

Plus, our blog program is not working right so to post this is a major test of my patience....grrr!

But I did want to show you this. 

Run to your local Dollar Store (I got mine at Dollar Tree but have seen them at all the ones around here) and get these totally cheesy snowflake decorations they have. Foam on one side and kind of felty on the other. 

I think they make great chargers for under your plates for the holidays. 

And you can use the hanging hole for a placecard. (Found the red report cover stickers at the Dollar Store too!)

:: Think