Real Life Christmas Gifts {Part 1}

For the next few weeks, I'm going to share some of my favorite real life Christmas gifts. So many Christmas gift idea lists out there include boring, & unimaginative gifts that I really wonder if people ever actually use. So, these recommendations are going to include some of my favorite things, for a variety of people, at a variety of price points. My favorite way to Christmas shop is using Amazon.com because it's easy to order, especially with the free 2-day shipping for Prime members (Shop Amazon - Give the Gift of Amazon Prime) & I don't have to ship the items I buy to people that are out of town. Now that I live further from all of my family, that's a really important aspect of my Christmas gift buying.
So, on to day 1 of my favorite things!

1. Dominion - We are a game loving family. This is one of our new favorite games. It's a card game, also know as a deck building game. Throughout the game you try to acquire better cards for your own deck so that you can defeat everyone else. Just a word of advice if you do buy this game, do not shuffle all the cards together, they are supposed to be separated into those small slots in the box. This can be a quick game, and rarely takes more than an hour after you've learned how to play. It's also great because it can be different each time, based on which sets of cards you use.

2. Women's Duffel Bag - I bought this for myself when I started going to the gym this year. It's held up really well & is the perfect size for a change of clothes. It has nice pockets inside, including a couple of mesh pockets & one that has a soft lining. I also love that it has a separate zip compartment for wet clothes & stinky shoes. It also comes in a variety of colors. The wet clothes compartment just barely fits my size 8.5 shoes, so if you wear a larger size, you may just have to carry your shoes in the main compartment.

3.Water Balloon Launcher - At every family reunion, my dad brings along his water balloon launcher. The grandkids spend a couple of hours filling up water balloons & then the fun starts. Dad is able to launch balloons by inserting a balloon into the pouch, holding one side of the launcher in each hand, & holding the pouch down with his foot. Then he stretches his arms up & pulls his foot out of the strap, launching the water balloon high into the sky & out into a field where the kids wait with T-shirts strung on their arms. The goal is to try to catch the balloons in your T-shirt/pouch without getting smacked by the balloon or having it stolen by one of the other kids. It made for hours of fun! (Warning: Launched balloons are travelling very fast & can cause injury. Read all safety instructions & warnings before using the launcher & do not launch balloons horizontally at people).

4. Children's Alarm Clock - This is one of my favorite kid's gifts! If you have young children that get up at a ridiculous time each morning, then you should definitely check out this clock! You're able to set the clock to light up when it's ok for your child to get out of bed in the morning. It also has a nightlight, & an alarm option. This has really helped my kids to know when it's really morning, especially during the winter when the sun may not be up. It also makes fun faces when the kids press the buttons, which they love!

5.Women's Robe - I wanted a simple robe that didn't make me look like the Michelin man, or a bath rug. I also wanted it to be ankle length & not made from shiny silky fabric. I was so happy when my husband bought me this one! It's lightweight & good quality. It's definitely a little more pricey than your average terry cloth robe, but it was exactly what I wanted.

Be sure to check back throughout the month to see more of my real-life Christmas gift ideas!
Find part 2 {here}.

Primary Theme for October {Free Printable}

The LDS Primary theme for October comes from John 15:11.  I read a beautiful explanation of some of the verses that precede verse 11 here:

 “‘Abide in me’ is an understandable and beautiful enough concept in the elegant English of the King James Bible, but ‘abide’ is not a word we use much anymore. So I gained even more appreciation for this admonition from the Lord when I was introduced to the translation of this passage in another language. In Spanish that familiar phrase is rendered‘permaneced en mi.’ Like the English verb ‘abide,’ permanecer means ‘to remain, to stay,’ but even [English speakers] like me can hear the root cognate there of ‘permanence.’ The sense of this then is ‘stay—but stayforever.’ That is the call of the gospel message to [everyone] in the world. Come, but come to remain. Come with conviction and endurance. Come permanently, for your sake and the sake of all the generations who must follow you. …

“Jesus said, ‘Without me ye can do nothing’ [John 15:5]. I testify that that is God’s truth. Christ is everything to us and we are to ‘abide’ in Him permanently, unyieldingly, steadfastly, forever. For the fruit of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives, we must be firmly attached to Him, the Savior of us all, and to this His Church, which bears His holy name. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of eternal life” (“Abide in Me,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 32).

I believe that Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ experience no greater joy than when we choose to follow Their commandments. Being obedient shows them that we love Them above all else & that our ultimate goal is to return to live with Them.

You can get this free printable by clicking {here}. Make sure you don't click on the ad buttons that say Download. The real download button is below the picture of the file. This printable is sized to 11x14, and I like to have mine printed at Costco.