Tuesday, February 23, 2010

New From The Creators Of PackageFromSanta.com - Easter Bunny Letters

This will be great news for everyone that has special children in their lives - the creators of PackageFromSanta.com are happily introducing their new site, PackageFromTheEasterBunny.com. While PackageFromSanta.com has already made Christmas merrier for thousands and thousands of families, the creators will now be doing the same for Easter celebrations.


PackageFromSanta.com has an honored reputation for delivering quality packages and for excellent customer service. The same can be expected from PackageFromTheEasterBunny.com. Letters from the happy little rabbit will be delivered via the mail service to the address provided when ordering the packages. Of course, there is a possibility that you may not be familiar with the Letters from Santa Claus provided by this top notch company. If not, then you really should check out their website. The packages are incredible and the quality really does speak for itself.

The letters are so authentic and real looking that they can fool almost anyone into believing in these holiday heroes that children love. The truth is that when children believe in Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny the holidays seem to have an essence of magic and mystery about them. No wonder parents encourage their children to believe in these characters for as long as possible.

Most families make a tradition of taking the time to write holiday letters to The Easter Bunny and Santa. This time spent together is a wonderful way to strengthen family bonds while creating cherished memories together. The reality is that this time is not only fun for the kids, but it is a treasured time that many adults love to be involved in.

But writing the letters is just the beginning to the real magic. When kids receive their letters from The Easter Bunny or Santa a feeling of worth and a renewed belief in the holiday hero is established. For most kids these letters become a favorite highlight of the holidays. And the reality is that the letters from The Easter Bunny are sure to become treasured keepsakes of childhood memories, you know, the kind of thing that one holds on to for years to come. And once the tradition is started it is sure to be continued even as the child grows. In fact, this is the type of thing that most adults continue even with their own children.
Why not check out the great Easter packages now so you can insure that your child will receive a personalized letter from The Easter Bunny this year? Visit the website for complete details. PackageFromTheEasterBunny.com



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Monday, February 15, 2010

Are You Wondering How To Care For Your Poinsettias?

Invariably, each year during the holiday season, one or more of my children or grandkids will give me a beautiful poinsettia plant. And with time, the plant dies and I feel awful about it. But this year I have a plan to keep my plant alive, and if possible, to even get it to bloom again next Christmas. The truth is that I love the plants. I used them as centerpieces for my tables this past Christmas.

The important thing to know about your plant is that the care you give it now will have a direct impact on whether it survives, and whether it blooms for next Christmas. The plant should be placed near a sunny window – preferably one facing any direction but north.

If your goal is to keep your plant in bloom for as long as possible you will need to regulate the temperature of the room it’s in. Generally, the temperature should be 65 – 75 degrees, but it is okay to drop the temperature down to even 60 degrees at night.

Water, of course, is essential to keeping your poinsettia looking its best. Give the plant water when the surface of the soil feels dry and water until you see it begin to drain out the bottom. A word of caution, don’t allow the plant to sit in water. Because most home environments are somewhat dry during the winter time you will probably find that you need to water your plant very often – maybe even every day.

The same care will continue until the end of March. Beginning in April you will need to gradually decrease the watering. Keep a close watch on your plant though, being sure that the stem does not begin to shrivel. After a couple of weeks your plant will become accustomed to less water. At that time you can move it to a cool spot – many people put them in a basement or a garage. Ideally you will find a spot that maintains a somewhat steady temperature of around 60 degrees.

By the middle of May you should cut the stems down to about 4 inches and then repot the plant in a slightly larger sized pot, using new soil. Be sure to water the plant well and then place your plant in a sunny window. Now the temperature should be maintained again at about 65 – 75 degrees. And you will again water the plant when the soil surface feels dry.

When you begin seeing signs of new growth it is time to begin fertilizing your plant every two weeks. In June you can move the plant outdoors to a partially shaded location. Don’t neglect the watering and fertilizing though.

Early in July you should pinch about an inch off of each stem. This helps to encourage a strong plant that branches out. By the middle of August you should have a plant that has leafed out and beautifully branched. Once again you will need to cut back the stems – leave only three or four leaves per shoot. And now you are ready to bring your plant back indoors to your sunniest window. Watering and fertilizing schedule should continue.

In October you will need to keep the plant in total darkness from about 5pm to 8am. This is required if the plant is going to re-bloom. If necessary you can place a cardboard box or other protection around or over the plant for those hours. This treatment should continue until about the end of November. In fact, Thanksgiving Day weekend is a good way to remember this. At that time you can again place the plant in a sunny location and not worry about darkness. By this time you should see flower buds on your plant!

It’s safe to stop fertilizing the plant by the middle of December. You will now water as usual and treat the plant just as you did when you first brought it home (or received it as a gift). If each step has been followed your poinsettia should be back in bloom and looking lovely!


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Monday, February 8, 2010

Making Christmas 2010 Even More Special Than Christmas 2009

I’m working hard to stay ahead of schedule for things now and to be more organized when it comes to planning for events, holidays and other special occasions. I started my new year out with a day planner that has plenty of space to write in. I have already added tasks that have to be done at various times of the year for my home, my family, and my business. With that in mind I decided to also add some plans, ideas, and thoughts about things to do for each holiday. Of course, Christmas is the one that requires the most planning and preparation so I wanted to start there.

One of the things I have been doing already is reviewing how the past Christmas went and how I could have improved things. I am always looking for ways to save money, to keep organized, and to involve my family in the processes.

Some of our regular Christmas traditions include the simple things like making some handcrafted decorations, writing letters to Santa Claus, and having a fabulous Christmas dinner. Christmas Eve is also a big event around my house – that is when my children and grandchildren gather to exchange gifts and socialize.

I have decided to add a task of creating one handcrafted gift per month between now and November. I’ll try to stick with that. I have some things that my mother and my grandmother made for me that I simply cherish. I want to pass that tradition along to my family by giving them things that I personally make.

Another idea I have is that when my grandkids come over I will encourage them to make Christmas cards. I’m going to purchase some quality materials to use as well as scrapes from Christmas wrapping paper and old Christmas cards. Depending on how the cards turn out, I will either use them myself or the kids can give them to their friends or they may simply be used for decorations and kept as Christmas keepsakes.

I have also been collecting some easy candy and cookie recipes. My grandkids love to help me in the kitchen so I think instead of me doing it all myself this year I will have a special day of them helping me with these tasks. They will enjoy it and it should be good for some lasting memories – of course, I may be exhausted by the end of the day. Lol

I’ve also thought about making letters to Santa something that the kids do periodically throughout the year. They enjoy writing to him so much that it seems a shame that it is only allowed during the holiday season. After all, Santa is always available, right?

As time goes on I will share some of my ideas for the handcrafted gifts as well as the kid-friendly recipes. Please share any ideas you have too.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Christmas Craft Projects Made Easy

If you have been reading this blog regularly then you know that I like to decorate my home with Christmas craft projects that have been made by the children in my life. In fact, the whole family gets involved in our projects. The fun starts on Thanksgiving Day.

After eating an enormous meal we clear the table of food and dishes. The adults usually drift off to the living room for some conversation and of course, some of us are still enjoying dessert or an after dinner drink. So that we can talk without the children interrupting we occupy them with Christmas crafts.

The first thing they do is write their letters to Santa Claus. This is always fun for them and as adults, we enjoy watching and listening as they carefully write details about what it is they want. It’s fun to see the differences in how each of my grandkids crafts their letters. I have one grandson that feels he needs to justify why each request is reasonable and he then explains any bad behavior that he may have exhibited in recent times. My grand-daughter on the other hand seems to feel she deserves whatever she asks for, because without a doubt she has been good all year long.

After the letters are completed and the envelopes are addressed to Santa at the North Pole, the kids begin working on small Christmas projects. They make simple things like glitter decorated pine cones and Styrofoam snowmen among other favorites.

Throughout the year I have learned to collect crafting materials. Any type of Styrofoam is saved, as well as scraps of ribbon, lace and cloth. I even have a collection of buttons that comes in handy for craft projects.

I keep all the supplies in a large plastic container – it’s actually a sweater box that is designed to fit under the edge of a bed. Believe it or not, this craft box as we call it is one of the things my grandkids love most about my house. They love to play with pipe cleaners and the other unique sort of things I collect.

The box holds small shells, a collection of beads, various colors of glitter, glues, pine cones, dried flowers, glue guns, colored markers, crayons, colorful paper, old Christmas cards and other remnants of beautiful paper and cards. In reality, it is a sort of junk box full of little treasures that can be used in creative ways.

My suggestion is that you begin a ‘craft box’ now. By the time the holiday season gets here you will have lots of craft stuff. Just start adding little treasures that you find. If you are like me you probably have some cheap imitation jewelry that you could toss in the box. Buttons can be decorated to be beautiful little treasures. Tiny artificial flowers can add a lot to a homemade Christmas ornament.

When the kids make the Styrofoam snowmen they like to add a scarf and other adornments. Use your imagination. It’s fun to help the kids come up with ideas and ways that they can use the odds and ends that you collect. You will have fun while helping the kids to learn about improvising and innovation. It’s fun for old and young.


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