How Do You Wrap?

A few years ago, I found this fabulous Christmas wrapping paper.  Red and white wrapping paper in various patterns - I loaded up on it.  Then, when I started wrapping Christmas presents, each person got their own pattern. 

And those presents with coordinating gift wrap even made their way front and center onto our Christmas pic that year, stacked together and tied rather neatly with twine.  This particular bundle was for my nephews.  

I just loved how something so simple worked out so nicely.....and then I promptly, forgot. all. about. my glorious color coordinated, handsomely wrapped presents....

until

this year. I happened to be plowing through the front of my grocery store and was pleasantly surprised by another glorious array of red and white:

The hubs always says I am OCD, but if assigning everyone a specific wrapping paper and coordinating them is wrong, I don't want to be right!

Love and Support for Maddie Mae

I must say that it is rare that I post things like this, so you should know how special and important I find this wonderful family.  I worked with a lady by the name of Becky several years ago, and we became Facebook friends a while back. About a month ago, I read the unimaginable in my Facebook news feed.  Becky's daughter, Stacy, was killed in a head on collision when a drunk driver crossed the center line.  I cannot imagine how you deal with something like that.  She was 29 years old, mother of two, and had her whole life ahead of her.  

And as if the story could get worse, Becky's two grandchildren were also involved in this tragic wreck. Gage, age 2, is now home from the hospital, but Maddie, age 11 months, is still there, with a broken neck and months of therapy ahead of her. 

This is sweet Maddie Mae at a happier time.  

And here she is with her beautiful mother, who is surely watching over her now. 

And here is my friend, Becky, holding sweet Maddie Mae at the hospital.  It was the first time she was able to hold her following the wreck.  As you can see, Maddie is in a halo to stabilize her neck.  

My heart aches for this family- partly because I know them, and partly because I see that little girl and I just see my sweet baby Lexi.  But for the grace of God, that could be any of us in their position. 

I reached out to Becky to find out more and see if there was anything we could do.  She agreed to let me share their story here and asked for your prayers.  If just one person sees this and sends up a special prayer for Maddie and her family, then I think we've accomplished something worthwhile.  

Count your blessings each and every day.  Life is short and fleeting at best.  Prayers for Maddie and her wonderful family, please.  You can follow Maddie's story and get updates on her progress on the special Facebook page they created for her.  

She Is Clothed with Strength and Dignity . . .

Today's Words of Wisdom: She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future. (Proverbs 31:25)

Powerful message, don't you think?

Source

We regularly post Words of Wisdom to our Facebook Page. If you're not a follower, you can find us here https://www.facebook.com/theharrissisters. Give us a Like for your daily dose of Harris Sisters Wisdom.

You can also find our Friday posts and many others on my Words to Live By Pinterest board so make sure to pop over there and start following for all the latest updates.

Free Thanksgiving Printables

Thanksgiving will be here in less than 3 weeks! We'd better get cracking on preparations, people! To help you get started, I've gathered some free Thanksgiving printables to help with the event.

I also have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to FREE ThanksgivingPrintables, which I will be loading up with these finds today and with others in the coming weeks. So make sure to follow it for all the latest finds. Also check out and follow my Thanksgiving Pinterest board for awesome decorating ideas and inspiration.

First off, you can dress up any pies or cakes with this adorable Happy Thanksgiving mini bunting by Kara's Party Ideas. That's one schmancy pie:

And I love this fantastic idea of pie tags at Skip to My Lou to identify each type of pie because I don't know about you, but we eat A LOT of pie at Thanksgiving. It's an easy way for people to identify their own pies because at some point, the pies all start looking alike! ;-) Don't forget to check out these tried and true Harris Sisters pie recipes if you're looking for a few new ones this year.

Here's an entire printable party kit from TomKat Studio. It includes (among other things) a Give Thanks banner, food labels, leftover labels, menu, invitation, and many other goodies. 

Here's another set of leftover labels for the big day from I Heart Naptime. Send these cuties home with your guests (if for no other reason than to label their goodies), and they'll surely remember this year's Thanksgiving!

And here's one more set of leftover labels from Oh Happy Day:

This set of labels is beautifully designed and although it also includes a leftovers label, this set by WorldLabel might be more appropriate for delivering plates of food to those who might not have family visiting them on Thanksgiving day - a special way to share the day with maybe an elderly couple or brand new parents! We Harrises have been known to walk a plate of food over to neighbors on Thanksgiving day before - we hope you'll share in this tradition.

If you plan to decorate for Thanksgiving, then you can't go wrong with these free 8 x 10 chalkboard printables by Nest of Posies:

Thankful and Blessed:

Count Your Blessings:

Give Thanks Unto the Lord:

And here's another beautiful free decor printable from The Pleated Poppy.

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart:

And two more free chalkboard printables available in both 8 x 10 and 11 x 14 by Happy Go Lucky.

In All Things Give Thanks:

These "I am Thankful for" printables by Silverbox Creative are shown here linked together as a chain for a Thanksgiving decoration (great craft project to do with the kids). But they can also be used separately as napkin rings for your Thanksgiving table. Each one has a blank space to write in what you and your guests are thankful for!

Here's another "I am thankful" free printable in the form of a game from Sissy Print. Instructions for the game are included with the link:

If you're visiting others for Thanksgiving, consider bringing a gift to the host. This free printable mason jar label from The 36th Avenue is perfect for homemade goodies, such as Harris Sisters Crockpot Apple Butter:

As is this simple free printable Thank You tag from Five and One:

Or what about this free printable Thanksgiving bread wrap from Whipperberry, which would be perfect for Harris Sisters Super Moist Pumpkin Bread or Sweet Potato Pecan Bread:

And here's another free printable bread label from Lil Luna:

And I love this idea for hand-stamped wooden utensils plus a free printable Thanksgiving gift tag from The Idea Room (directions for stamping the wooden utensils are included in link):

Don't forget to get some memorable photos while everyone's together for the holiday! These free printable photo booth props from The Dating Divas will be a hit:

Here's a super fun way to kick off the festivities - it's a free printable Thanksgiving Trivia Game from The Mother Huddle. The game comes with its own trivia questions plus blank cards so that you can add your own trivia about your friends and family (or Thanksgivings past)! Sounds like fun!

Here's a free printable kids' activity placemat by Embellish:

Or, you can keep the kids busy with these fantastic free printable Thanksgiving Mad Libs from How Does She?:

But, never underestimate the power of a good, old-fashioned activity sheet! Here are some Thanksgiving themed ones from Reading with Kids:

Turkey Coloring Page:

Word Search and Maze:

And don't forget, if the activity pages and photos don't keep the kids busy, you can always ALWAYS have them help you make butter. ;-) Happy planning!

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Double Duty Fridge

Not too long ago, I discovered that one of Emma's favorite books had been the unfortunate recipient of some renegade rainwater.  It had such wonderful illustrations, we couldn't bare to part with it, so I carefully cut out what I could salvage and adhered them to magnets also cut to size.

Now Emma can put the story in order right on the refrigerator.  That was, after all, one of my favorite preschool past times.

I actually got the idea over Christmas when I had some nativity cutouts in the Christmas curriculum we used, so I went ahead and made those too!

Then, today I came across this awesome little article over on For the Family.  There were some really good ideas on how to incorporate prayer into a busy busy life.  The one that I was immediately drawn to was a prayer board.  They found the idea on Pinterest which I do use every now and then. However, I have taken note that some people feel this way about the Pinterest:

and I completely understand the sentiment.  The prayer board from Pinterest was beautiful and even the lady endorsing it said that she had not constructed hers yet, so I give to you my prayer board:

Note:  this is the side of my fridge.  (the one without the storyboard and nativity magnets)  I simply raided Emma's letter magnets, (and thankfully found the right ones) moved my calendar and weekly DG coupon over, and Voila!  (and, yes, that is binoculars hanging by my front door--you never know when you may need to scout something out!)  So, the general idea is to add prayer requests as you get them, and then, whenever you pray together as a family, say before meals, you have them handy.

Pinterest is a great tool.  I think people get sucked in to the "Keeping up with the Jones'" complex.  I see it, rather, as a jumping off point.  I usually just visit if I am already scouting something out, and while I do love a good craft project, I am also continuously on a minimizing mission in my house, so great ideas are always welcome, extra "stuff"-- not so much.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas . . .

Or maybe, cream, or gray, or tan, or black . . . . you know, a nice neutral. ;-) Over the past week, we've posted free printables to help you out with your gift wrap, DIY gift ideas, and decorations for Christmas in two color schemes: blue and red and green. BUT! "What about me?" you ask. "I prefer to decorate for Christmas in neutrals!" So, if these images strike your fancy:

Then these should be right up your alley. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to FREE Christmas Printables, so make sure to check there often for the most up to date freebies. But, today's roundup includes direct links to free Christmas printables in neutral color schemes. Enjoy!

Chalkboard Printables from Nest of Posies:

Christmas Kraft Gift Tags and Labels from Vintage Glam Studio:

Calligraphy Gift Tags from Sweet Muffin Suite:

12 Calligraphy Gift Tags from Lindsey Bee:

Two Sets of Christmas Tags from JosieJones & Company:

Christmas Tags from Magic of Ordinary:

Wine Bottle Tags from Mein Lila Park:

Retro Santa Image from The Graphics Fairy:

And just like our Blue Free Christmas Printables Roundup and Red and Green Free Christmas Printables Roundup, I thought I would wind down the post with some free printables that will fancy up your DIY gift ideas. Here's a Have a Cup of Cheer Label by Ruffled Sunshine. It's pictured here with a coffee cup and a Starbucks gift card.

And here's a Chalkboard Label for your homemade Christmas goodies from Lil' Luna:

And last but not least, we'll leave you with a few decor items. First we have a Joy to the World Chalkboard Printable by Yellow Bliss Road:

Burlap Background Come Let Us Adore Him Printable by aka design:

And, of course, I had to include this one. It's the Harris Sisters' own Guardian Angel Ornament. You craftinistas can make it yourselves with a few simple steps and our very own free printable.

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