27 Acts of Kindness for My 27th Birthday.

For my 27th birthday I decided to do 27 acts of kindness.  I absoluetly loved it and will be doing this every year for my birthday.  My daughter came with me for most of the acts of kindness so it is her in the pictures.  I also asked my friends and family to do an act of kindness for somebody rather than buy me any birthday gifts.  Here is the list of everything I did.

1.  Donated a basket of supplies to the local woman's shelter.

2.  Took cookies to the police department.

3.  Dropped off cookies and a $50 gift card to the fire department (my husband works right next door to the fire department and one of the fire fighters there attends the same church as us so they got something special).

4.  Donated stuffed animals to a local hospital.

 

5.  Left a book in the waiting room at the hospital.

6.  Put change on a vending machine at the hospital.

7.  Put a thank you card and $15 Taco Bell gift card in the mailbox for the mailman (we see him often due to all the online shopping we do and the vast number of packages that get delivered to our house).

8.  Left dollar bills taped on the back of toys at the dollar store.

9.  Donated food to the food pantry at church.

 

10.  Made hot chocolate gifts for the neighbors (they have put up with our constant remodeling and yard work for the past few years so I guess that was my way of regaining their favor).

11.  Bought a $15 gift card at the Walmart check out line and gave it to the guy behind us in line.

12.  Left a $20 tip for the waitress at lunch.

 

13.  Left a $30 tip for the waitress at dinner.

14.  Bought dinner for four of my friends.

15.  Wrote a letter to a friend (a real letter that actually gets sent through the mail).

16.  Donated clothes to Goodwill.

17.  Let a friend borrow a few pairs of my favorite high heals.

18.  Left change on the washer and dryer at an apartment complex.

19.  Dropped off a popcorn bowl with popcorn and candy in it to Blockbuster and asked them to give it to a family that looks like they could use some cheer.

20.  Left diapers and wet wipes on a changing table in a public restroom.

21.  Gave a friend some old clothes I don't wear anymore.

22.  Gave my son's babysitter a basket of her favorite treats.

23.  Bought a round of drinks for my friends at the bar.

24.  Bought total strangers a round of drinks at the bar.

25.  Bought my daughter a toy of her choosing.

26.  Took Hershey Kisses to my mother-in-law at work.

27.  Took a box of chocolates to my State Farm agent.


I had a blast doing all these nice things for people.  Can't wait to do it again next year!!



Candy Cane with Poem

Made these candy canes with poems for the 1st graders at my daughter's school.  So cute.

 

Mason Jar Cupcake Liner Holder

I love mason jars! I decided to put some of my cupcake liners in a mason jar so they do not get smashed in the drawer.  Perfect!

 

See other uses for Mason Jars - Candy Holders, Homemade Flavored Water, and Paint Cans

 

Entry Way Christmas Decorations

Just wanted to share some pics of the Christmas decorations in my entry way.  I love the lanterns with Christmas ornaments in them.  The last pic is some vases that have ornaments in them.  (See the post that shows how I made the vases, however I just changed out the glass vase part so it wasn't a bowl anymore).

 

 

 

Thank You Movie Basket

I wanted to say thank you to a woman who has done so much for me at the campground. She is such a sweet woman and I wanted her to know how much I appreciate her. I made her a movie night basket. The basket was a popcorn bowl and inside the basket was a movie, popcorn, popcorn seasoning, smaller popcorn bowls, two coca cola glasses and candy.

Christmas Candy Bouquet

I made three candy bouquets to give to my daughter's teacher, librarian, and principal. They turned out nice.

Christmas Dessert Bar

I hosted Christmas eve dinner at my house. Here are a few pics of the dessert bar.

DIY Headboard

I wanted to make a headboard however I didn't want to spend more than $30. I also wanted to use a damask print because I'm absolutely in love with damask anything. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 2 foam boards at $5.99 each. I also bought 3 yards of damask fabric, which was on sale for 30% off. I used duct tape to tape the two boards together. Then I wrapped it in fabric and used fabric glue to attach the fabric to the back of the foam board. I used two small nails and nailed the headboard to the wall. So cute and super cheap!

Candy Corn Krispie Treats

I have been on this candy corn kick for a couple weeks.  (See the Fall Themed Hershey Kisses Pretzel Treats and the Candy Bowl Holders that I filled with candy corn.)

 

I decided to make Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats on sticks for my daughter's class.

 

 

 

What you will need:

 

6 tablespoons margarine

6 full cups mini marshmallows

7 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

food coloring

butter

white chocolate for dipping, optional

cookie sticks, optional

 

 

Above are the cookie sticks I used.  These are optional.  I just wanted to add sticks so that the kids didnt have to actually touch the treats so there would be no sticky fingers that the teacher had to worry about.

 

Below is the type of white chocolate I used.  The chocolate is optional as well.  I only used about 1/3 of the package.  I always have this type of chocolate in the cabinet.  It is easy to melt in the microwave and it is cheaper than candy melts.

 

How to make it:

 

Grease one large and one small piece of waxed paper. Line a large bread pan with the large piece, greased side up; set aside.

 

 

Measure 2 1/2 cups crispy cereal and place in a large bowl; set aside.  In a small sauce pan combine 2 tablespoons margarine and 2 full cups of mini marshmallows just until melted. Stir in cereal from the large bowl until combined. Press into the bottom of the bread pan; set aside. Wash the small sauce pan.

 

 

 

 

Measure 2 1/2 cups cereal and place in a large bowl; set aside. In the small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons margarine, 2 drops red food coloring and 3 drops yellow, and 2 full cups of mini marshmallows just until melted. Stir in cereal from the large bowl until combined. Press into the bread pan on top of the white layer; set aside. Wash the small sauce pan.

 

In the small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons margarine, 5 drops yellow food coloring and 2 full cups of mini marshmallows just until melted. Stir in the remaining cereal until combined. Press into the bread pan on top of the orange layer. The mixture will not all fit in the bread pan.

 

 

Place the small piece of wax paper on top of the krispie treat, greased side down. Flip the entire treat upside down to help form the top layer and place back into the pan to allow it to set for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Un-wrap the krispie treat. On a cutting board slice the treat into three sections as shown in the picture. (I realized after I cut it that the pieces were a bit too thick for second graders, which is the age of the kids who would be eating them.  I would recommend cutting it into 4 pieces rather than 3.)

 

Take each of the three segments and slice into triangles.   

 

Insert the cookie stick into the bottom of the triangles.

 

 

Dip the top portion of the treat into white chocolate or use a spoon to spread the white chocolate on.  I just dipped them but perhaps you prefer to use a spoon to spread it on.

In order for my daughter to transport them to school I lined the bottom of a cake carrier with wax paper and layered the treats as seen below.  Then I topped it with wax paper and added another layer.  I ended up with three layers in the carrier.

 

ENJOY!!