Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

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Easter Countdown

You know how you never have enough time to do craft projects? Yeah, same here. But guess what? We’re officially stuck inside for the foreseeable future, so now is the time to get started. No more excuses.

Sawyer had so much fun with a Valentine fairy ‘countdown’ we did, that I thought it would be fun to make her an Easter countdown as well. I built the ladder before Christmas in the hopes of putting together an advent calendar but as I mentioned before, I can’t ever find the time to finish what I start. But now I have this fancy ladder all ready to go. I knew it would serve a purpose eventually (I told you so, husband!).

I found these sacks at the Dollar Tree (4/$1) pre-COVID19 – although I do think the store is still open in most areas. I stuffed them each with an Easter egg, and in each egg is a little present (think stamps, stickers, candy, etc). Each day she’ll get to open one sack until Easter Sunday. If she understood money, I’d put a quarter or a few coins in each one too (in case you don’t have any little treats on hand).

I used my Cricut to cut out bunny shapes, then numbers. I used hot glue to attach the numbers to the bunnies, and then I used one cottonball and pulled apart tiny pieces of cotton that I hot glued onto the bunnies for cottontails.

If you weren’t lucky enough to have sacks like this on hand, this would work just as well with brown paper lunch bags. You can cut bunny ears out of the top and draw bunny faces on each one. And if you don’t have a ladder, it could be strung up anywhere you have the space. Don’t let a little home quarantine pass without some fun crafts! (Says the woman who finally found the time to finish one!)

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Mermaid Easter Basket

You know how you do something once and then next time it has to be even better? Yeah, that’s how I was feeling when I put together Sawyer’s Easter basket. Her St. Patrick’s basket was SO cool that I had a hard time topping it.

I decided to go with a few larger items that she’d love versus a bunch of small stuff she’d play with once and move on. I came up with a Mermaid theme (I’m a sucker for themed everything) and off I went.

I found most of my stuff at Marshall’s and Ross, but I’ve found links for you to the exact items at other stores. I scored the Sperry’s for $12 at Marshall’s but couldn’t find the exact pair for you, so I linked a similar option.

After looking at her face, I think it’s safe to say that she loved it all! Too bad she doesn’t get to play with any of it for a few more weeks!

In case you’re looking for any of these items, here’s a list for you!

  1. Mermaid Doll (Cuddle & Kind)
  2. Swimsuit
  3. Sperry Shoes (not the exact shoe we have in our basket)
  4. Mermaid Tutu
  5. Mermaid Sunglasses
  6. How to Catch a Mermaid
  7. Bunny Tee (had to throw something inside that was Easter related)
  8. Sawyer Name Bracelet (Blueberry Blooms)
  9. Mermaid Tee
Holidays!

Rainbow Themed Gift Basket

Rainbows are all the rage these days, and because I’m not that cool anymore (okay I never was), I had to jump right on the bandwagon. Maybe it’ll give me a few ‘cool’ points with my daughter. I’ve gotta add them all up now before she won’t be seen with me any longer. Those days are really far off right?

Because it’s St. Patrick’s Day soon, I thought a St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow themed basket would be fun. I added in a few shamrocks here and there to give it the overall St. Paddy’s Day vibe, but really wanted to run on the rainbow theme.

As if I didn’t have enough on my plate, I also decided to do a balloon garland with balloons and gold fans from The Party Darling. It actually didn’t take too long and it was worth it for this cheese face. But next time I’m enlisting the help of my friends. So if you’re one of the lucky, prepare yourself.

Overall, I pretty much think I’m winning at the mom game (for St. Patrick’s Day at least). I mean, this little girl is one lucky duck. But don’t try to tell her that, all she wants is treats. This is the face of someone waiting on her fruit snacks. I’m not the only one who bribes my kid to take a photo am I?

In case you wanna win at the mom game like I do, or hey maybe just for the fun of it, here’s a list of everything that I included in my rainbow themed basket. I can’t wait to see her open everything, and I’m sure she’ll still be asking me for fruit snacks.

  1. Yoobi – 4pk Good Vibes Puffy Stickers, Rainbow Coinpurse Keychain, Good Vibes Mini Spiral Notepad, 5pk Fine Tip Neon Markers, 12pk Double Sided Washable Stamp Markers, 60pk Multi-Color Sidewalk Chalk
  2. Twenty-Eight Twelve – Rainbow Felt Ball Garland
  3. I Love Plum – Watercolor Girl’s Tutu
  4. Frost Your Cookie – Rainbow & Shamrock St. Paddy’s Cookie Pops
  5. Trendy Andy Designs – Rainbow Macrame Wall Decor
  6. Mimi & Lei – Rainbow Yarn Tassel
  7. Tele Ties – Small Rainbow Hair Ties
  8. Native Shoes – Kid’s Jefferson Bling
  9. Sun Jellies – Mint Atomic Tote
  10. The Wishing Elephant – Mint Happy Go Lucky T-shirt
  11. Moon & Stone – Quartz Rainbow Bracelet
  12. The Party Darling – Ivory and Gold Paper Party Fans, Ice Cream Mini Balloons
  13. Oak & Co. – Wood Cutouts – Mint Small Shamrock & Small Rainbow
  14. Cuddle + Kind – Zoe the Unicorn
  15. Jersie Louise Handmade – Felt Rainbow Necklace
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Valentine’s Countdown

There’s something fun about the holiday of love, even if it is a Hallmark holiday. In my humble opinion, there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of the day to tell those close to us how much we love them. And since I’m frugal (that’s the new, nice way of saying I’m a cheapskate, and I love it), I don’t go all out with expensive gifts and such. Basically if I can make someone’s day for $9.99 or less, it is my kind of gift.

Since I met my husband, I’ve been doing little acts of love for him. I wish I could go back to my pre-married self to tell her to calm down a bit (because once you set a standard you’ve gotta keep up with it). But that’s when a project like this comes in handy. You can use it year after year.

First, I found an envelope template online and used scrapbook paper to make 14 envelopes. I used my Cricut to make the numbers, but you could use stickers or even just hand write them on each envelope.

Next, I print out 14 photos (or let’s face it, more like 20 because I can’t decide on only 14) from my top 14 memories of the year. Sometimes it was the event that was my favorite, sometimes it was just the photo. I write on the back of each one why it was special for me/him, and then I arrange them from 1-14 best. I put them in their corresponding envelopes (So basically 14 is in 1, 13 is in 2, etc), and each day from the 1st of February through the 14th, he gets to open one. He actually really loves this tradition, it’s been going on now for seven years.

Side Note: This is actually how Brendan found out we were having a baby. In envelope number 9 that year, I put in a photo of the positive pregnancy test. He definitely wasn’t expecting that! Needless to say, they’ve never been that eventful before or since.

Sawyer has also been showing an interest in this, so I think when she’s a tad older I might do one for her too. She would love to open an envelope every day!