Alcott Autumn: Wrapping Presents

"Demi, as the oldest grandchild, then presented the queen of the day with various gifts, so numerous that they were transported to the festive scene in a wheelbarrow. Funny presents, some of them, but what would have been defects to other eyes were ornaments to Grandma's—

for the children's gifts were all their own."

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Chapter 47

I realize that we are well into the Christmas season, and that reading about an Alcott Autumn seems a bit strange when carols are on the radio and people are driving home with trees on the top of their cars, but Miriam and I have an exciting little adventure to share with you that has EVERYTHING to do with Alcott Autumn.  We simply can't move on to our next theme until the story has been told.  

We'll share that tomorrow.

As for today, however, I have had to firmly plant my feet on December ground---even if I'm not quite ready for autumn to be over.  I've decked the halls, trimmed the tree, hung the wreaths on the windows, filled the advent calendar, and eaten enough toffee to feed a small country.

My kids are in the full Christmas swing, too.  They have been saving their chore and dog-walking money for weeks now to buy presents for one another.  

Alas, that also means that they have been wrapping presents for one another.

My 8-year-old came down the stairs yesterday with an enormous mass of gold wrapping paper held together with approximately 37.4 yards of clear packing tape.  He proudly announced that had wrapped his gift to his older brother all by himself.  When I considered the size of the taped paper mound, I thought he might be giving his brother a passenger van for Christmas.  

I was wrong.  

 Apparently it is a shirt and a pack of gum.

At that moment, I made two resolutions:  

1.  I will always have my sons give gifts to each other.

It is the happiest and kindest they have been with one another all year.

2.  I am giving my sons wrapping lessons.  Today.  (We may have to start with the basics like how to fold paper instead of jumping to the furoshiki technique all at once.)

I thought I'd share with you a few of the packages I've wrapped this Christmas, and some of the tips I'm going to give my boys on how to make their presents look "pretty".  I know full-well that my tutoring session with them is going to go over like a lead balloon, but hopefully it will inspire them to use a little less tape, a few more folds, and a gift tag (heaven forbid).

10 Fun Ways to Wrap a Gift

1.  Use two kinds of wrapping paper.  Wrap one half of your gift first, and then wrap the second half so that it overlaps the first half.  Place a bow over the seam, and presto!  (This is also a great way to use up those odd-shaped paper scraps.)

  

2.  Use old sheet music.  I also embellished the front of this musical package with a few paper roses.  (And if you couldn't tell, I am a HUGE fan of using monograms as gift tags.)

 

3.  For a fun, whimsical look, put paper pinwheels or flowers on your packages instead of bows.  Here is an easy tutorial on pinwheels, and here is one on how to make paper poinsettias.

4.  If you are fresh out wrapping paper, or prefer "green" wrapping, go dig through your recyclables.  You can use newspaper as the gift wrap, and you can use a colorful magazine cover to make a bow.  (Click here for the bow tutorial).  To top off the eco-friendly packaging, I used one of my 3,756 paint chips as the gift tag.

5.  Involve your kids!  Have them make snowflakes and use them as a present toppers for a charming, homemade look.  Finish off the ensemble by stamping craft paper for the gift tag.

6.  Make an envelope pocket. Rather than wrestling with tape to get your card to stay on a package, simply make a fold in your wrapping paper before you put it on the package and then slip your envelope inside.  (Click here for a tutorial.)

 

7.   Make it pretty with pleats!  Again, simply fold the paper back and forth (as many times as you want) to make pleats before wrapping your gift.  (You can watch this tutorial for step-by-step instructions.)

8.  Use a hot chocolate or apple cider packet as a bow.  Not only do these little packets make the perfect bows when cinched in the middle, but they will be a warm welcome to any holiday gift.

9.  Make a felt flower bow for your gift.  I always seem to have random pieces of fabric left over from projects, so instead of wasting the scraps, why not use them to make a lovely bow in seconds.  All you need is a glue gun and a pair of scissors.  (Click here for the tutorial.)  You can also use this technique to make fun hair bows, belts, necklaces, or shoe pom-poms.

10.   Don't underestimate the power of a toilet paper tube.  By simply bending the ends of the tube inward and adding a bow, you have the perfect packaging for those small, hard-to-wrap trinkets.

 

Regardless of what you are wrapping this holiday, whether it be passenger vans or packs of gum, I hope they turn out beautifully!

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Alcott Autumn: Tea Towel Wrapping

“A weekly meeting will be held at Kitchen Place, 

to teach young ladies how to cook. 

Hannah Brown will preside, 

and all are invited to attend.”

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Chapter 10 

My husband's very first Christmas gift to me was a kitchen mixer.

 It was not his finest gift-giving day.

Now, to be fair, he had never purchased a Christmas gift for a wife before.  How was he supposed to know that all those hints about perfume and sweaters and shoes between November and December 24th were really his Christmas shopping list "in code"?

In my own defense, when I opened my gift, I didn't leave the room sobbing.  I didn't burn my bra in a how-dare-you-expect-me-to-cook-for-you-feminist fashion.  I didn't even moan.  Nope.  I stayed there.  I stayed there under that tree and willed myself to be grateful for the heap of nuts and bolts and wire and steel that was my first Christmas away from home.  

Sniffle.  Sniffle.

That was 16 years ago.  A lot of things have changed since Christmas of 1996.  I don't wear perfume as much as I used to.  I've shrunk every sweater I've ever owned.  And I have yet to find a pair of shoes that make my legs look sexy.

But I have used that darn mixer almost every day of our marriage.  

My husband is too sweet to rub in the obvious---that the mixer was a good idea after all.  I'm not saying it was the most magical gift.  I think I would have been more spellbound by a brick that I was with that mixer.  But it was a practical gift, and a gift that has blessed our family ever since.

So, in the spirit of simple and practical and lasting gifts, here is a little offering that I've been experimenting with lately.

This is a cookbook wrapped in a tea towel and "garnished" with utensils.

I purchased a 5-pack of these white flour towels at Walmart for under 5 dollars.  After choosing my cookbook and laying it on the towel, I tinkered with the folds a bit to make a pocket for the spoons by overlapping the bottom fold over the top fold.  I also tucked the ends of the towel under to make a "bow" on top.  The basic tutorial for this technique (bojagi or furoshiki wrapping) can be found here. 

I'm thinking this bundle would make a great hostess or wedding gift.  It might even be worthy of a spot under the Christmas tree.  It's not necessarily the flashiest present, but it is one that your recipients will appreciate for years to come.

If, however, you are a husband considering this for your wife (especially in your first year of marriage), I suggest attaching some jewelry and chocolate to the mixing spoons.

Just to be safe.

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Fall Poetry: Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Among the Rocks
By Robert Browning
Oh, good gigantic smile o’ the brown old earth,

This autumn morning! How he sets his bones
To bask i’ the sun, and thrusts out knees and feet
For the ripple to run over in its mirth;

Listening the while, where on the heap of stones
The white breast of the sea-lark twitters sweet.

That is the doctrine, simple, ancient, true;

Such is life’s trial, as old earth smiles and knows.
If you loved only what were worth your love,
Love were clear gain, and wholly well for you:

Make the low nature better by your throes!

Give earth yourself, go up for gain above!

So one day, I was making a bunch of syrups- coconut, peach, buttermilk, orange, and dutch honey. (I will post those soon) And I wanted to make some apple cider syrup, but I was out of apple cider/juice/concentrate. So I thought to myself: I bet pumpkin syrup would taste great! Well, I was RIGHT! I just messed around and made up a recipe. It is so yummy and spicy, and it turns this into THE ULTIMATE Fall breakfast! Trust me, you will be looking around for a turkey and cranberry sauce when you finish this, because it just feels like Thanksgiving. I will definitely be pulling this one back out for our Thanksgiving breakfast.

Pumpkin Pancakes with
Pumpkin Spice Syrup,
Maple Brown Sugar Whipped Cream,
and Toasted Pecans.

I know. I am drooling too, and I just finished eating! Here are the recipes:

Pancakes:
I used my Mom's pancake recipe (Click here) and added a cup of pumpkin, and a half teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg. I also had to add a little more milk, but that's something you can just eyeball until your batter is normal pancake consistency.

Maple Brown Sugar Whipped Cream:Take 2 C of Heavy whipping cream. Add 1/4 tsp Maple extract and 1/4 C Brown sugar. Whip to stiff peaks.

 

 Pecans:

spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until just fragrant. You do not want to burn pecans. They are no bueno, trust me.

 

Pumpkin Spice Syrup:

1 C Corn Syrup

1 C Sugar

1/4 C water

1 C Pumpkin

1 tsp. Freshly ground ginger (I freeze mine and grate it on a microplane)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg, freshly ground
1 tsp. Vanilla

Heat corn syrup, water, and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and add all other ingredients except vanilla. Boil for 3-5 minutes, stirring, and being careful not to burn. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Syrup will thicken upon cooling.

And here's a printable tag for your jar of syrup :) Circular frame courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.

 

This syrup would make a GREAT neighbor gift :)

Happy Eating!

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Fall Poetry: A Necklace for the Teacher

Around the eaves are fringes
  Of icicles that seem
To mock the summer rainbows
  With many-colored gleam. 

Along the walk, the pebbles
  Are each a precious stone;
The grass is tasseled hoarfrost,
  The clover jewel-sown. 

~ From "November Morning" 

by Evaleen Stein

A few weeks ago, we had "Back to School Night" at the elementary school.  I normally visit each of my children's teachers and get the lay of the classroom land, and then I leave.  

But not this time.  

This time, I happened to glance at the "Classroom Helper Sign Up Sheet" before exiting Mrs. Taylor's room.  There were oodles of volunteers for reading time and math time and field trips, but no one had signed up to be the room mother.  

As I looked at the blank space, I got the same twinge in my stomach that I get when I go into the pet store and see all those homeless eyes staring at me through wire cages.  

I'm not even an animal person, but my instinct is to pile each and every hamster and guinea pig and cat and puppy into my van and hope that the creatures are all potty-trained and willing to help around the house.  

I guess it is part of being a mother:  You can't help but want everyone to have one, whether they are in aisle 9 of Petsmart, or sitting in a desk in Mrs. Taylor's class.

So I did it.  I signed up.  My mothering instincts took over, and in one sympathetic flourish of a ballpoint pen, I adopted 28 students, one teacher, and a class pet bunny named Shadow.

I walked out of the school feeling quite satisfied with my self for saving room 231 from "orphandom".

And then I realized what I had done.  

I had just signed my life away to become a cruise director, except my boat didn't come with a snappy uniform or a clipboard or a lido deck or a catchy theme song.

My cruise came with a passel of eight-year-olds who needed email lists and parent volunteer spreadsheets and parties and treats and crafts and games and lots and lots of helpers.  

It also came with Mrs. Taylor's birthday and the expectation that I would gather my motley crew and celebrate her appropriately.  I wasn't too concerned about this fact until I realized that Mrs. Taylor's birthday two days away.

I knew 3 things at this point.  1. There wasn't a lot of time to involve parents, so this birthday celebration was up to me and the kids.  2.  Mrs. Taylor loves Hawaii.  She has an island theme throughout her classroom, including a big ALOHA! sign on the door.  3.  I didn't have the time or money to do anything extravagant.  I had to pack a punch on minimal resources.

So I went the sentimental-homemade-Christmas-kind-of-route.

I grabbed a pencil and notebook and raced down to the school.  After asking Mrs. Taylor for a few minutes alone with the class, I asked each of the students the following questions:

What do you love about Mrs. Taylor?

Some of my favorite answers:  

"Because she loves me."

"Because she is patient."

"Because she is good at math."

"Because she doesn't yell."

"Because she gives us second chances."

What would you give Mrs. Taylor for her birthday if you could give her anything in the world?

Some of my favorite answers:

"A unicorn."

"A skateboard."

"A Ferrari."

"A new couch."

I quickly jotted down the students' answers and told Mrs. Taylor that I would be back the following day for a little "presentation".

At home, I typed up the answers and printed them off on white paper.  I then gathered up some ribbon, cellophane, tape, and mini chocolate bars.

I cut each of the comments into strips and then wrapped them around the candy bars.  I laid them on a 6 inch wide strip of cellophane, rolled the cellophane around the candy bar, and then used a small piece of wired ribbon to separate the candy bars and create a "flower" effect.

When the lei was finished, it was over 5 feet long, so I doubled it up and secured the two layers with a big ribbon "flower".

The next day, I went to Mrs. Taylor's class, and while she was out of the room, I taught the kids how to sing "Happy Birthday" in Hawaiian (or at least as close as I could come after a 3 minute tutorial on YouTube).  When she came back, the class surprised her with a spirited rendition of "Hau`oli La Hanau" (Happy Birthday), and one of the little girls approached Mrs. Taylor and hung the lei around her neck.

Mrs. Taylor wore her lei proudly and seemed genuinely happy with our little celebration.  She told me that her birthday usually gets overlooked since it is so close to the beginning of the school year.  

It wasn't, perhaps, the most exciting gift, but I guess a candy lei is better than nothing.

I'm sure Mrs. Taylor would have preferred to take a cruise, but to be honest, this cruise director's boat is plumb full.

Perhaps Captain Stubing has an opening . . .

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Huckleberry Finn: A No-Bake Birthday Cake

". . . They kept this picture over the head of the bed in her room, and every time her birthday come they hung flowers on it. Other times it was hid with a little curtain."  

Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn Chapter 17

My food pyramid looks different than most.  Where most pyramids are satisfied with grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy, MY pyramid has at least two additional tiers---

one for Junior Mints, 

and one for cake.

(I would have made a separate tier for pumpkin pie, but I consider that part of the vegetable group.)

I am a fan of any cake, but especially ones that look like this or taste like this.  Unfortunately, I am fresh out of eggs, butter, and fondant.  Luckily, there is another cake option that doesn't require eggs or butter and can be suited to anyone's food pyramid.

I assembled this "cake" for my friend's birthday.  

(Her food pyramid obviously includes Diet Coke and Almond Joy tiers.)

Here's how to do it . . .

Directions

1. Cut the top off of a 2 liter soda bottle so that you have a uniform cylinder.
2. Place your bottle bottom-up on a tray or platter, etc.
3. Line the bottom of the bottle with soda cans and put some tape on the backs of the cans so they wouldn't shift.
4. Place tape on the back of miniature candy bars and then line the top of the soda bottle with them.  They should sit nicely on top of your soda cans.
5. Wrap your "tiers" with ribbon and secure with tape.
6. Poke a small hole in the top of the soda bottle (which will be the bottom of the soda bottle now that it is upside down) for a candle.
7. Secure your candle in the hole and "garnish" with ribbon curls to cover up any visible soda bottle.  

There you have a No-Bake Birthday Cake that you can make in less than 10 minutes.  

And if there is anything I like better than eating cake, it is saving time . . .so I can eat more cake.

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Little House on the Prairie: A Photo Genealogy for Father's Day

Thinking back on her father, Laura once said "Father's ancestors arrived in America on the Mayflower and he was born in New York state. But he was also raised on the frontier. 

He was always jolly, inclined to be reckless and loved his violin...."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder Biography

 

Gift-giving is a tricky business for my siblings and me, especially around Father's Day.  It wouldn't be so bad if our dad were more like our mom, in which case we could combine the powers of Play Doh and a Bedazzler and he'd weep tears of joy over the result.  But that's not Dad.  Dad relishes a good gift---and by good, I mean the kind of gift that he wouldn't be embarrassed to display.  (See the spring-headed clay teddy bear that Miriam made for our mother in 1988.)

This year we all decided to give our own "Pa" a gift he could literally display with pride:  a photo genealogy of his patriarchal family line in honor of Father's Day.  After pilfering Grandma's house, combing the internet, and annoying great-uncle so-and-so for photos, I was finally able to gather six generations in our family line for the series.  Yes, I did have to cheat a bit by putting my brothers at the end as one of the generations, but it was either that or conduct an archeological dig in the farmlands of Norway for sketches of my great-great-great-great-grandfather.  I chose my brothers instead.

With a little help from the framing aisle at the local craft store, the photo center at Costco, and a photo editing program on the web, we have a finished Father's Day gift for an amazing father who is just one of many amazing fathers in his family line.

The best part of this whole process has been my children's reactions to the pictures.  Not only is it hard for them to imagine their grandpas as younger men, but they can't seem to get over the facial hair on their great-great-great-great-grandfather.  They think they're related to Santa Claus.  Fantastic news for them, not so fantastic news for this Mrs. Claus.

And so begins another gift-giving dilemma . . .

A very happy Father's Day to you and yours from Be Book Bound!

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Book Corners

Perhaps it is because Christmas is around the corner and I have approximately no dollars in my bank account, but when I came across these little goodies, I suddenly felt a lightening in my gift-giving step.

(Family and friends, please avert your eyes or you will spoil the surprise of what I got you and everyone else I know for Christmas.)

These cute book corners are adorable, easy, and cheap---my favorite trio (next to the Three Wisemen and the chicken platter at Carrabba's).  I also love that they are "writable" space for note-taking while reading library/borrowed books.

Here is an easy tutorial from Whatever Dee Dee Wants:

And here is another version--just as cute--from Fireflies and Flutterbyes:

I am in love with these vintage lovelies from Pixels and Paperie:

Or, for the kids (or the kid in you), here is a how-to from I Could Make That: