Simple Engagement Gifts

It happened a while ago, but on Christmas Day our dear friend here in Stuttgart asked a very special, and beautiful, lady to be his bride! We are over the moon for them both. They're such a gorgeous couple and we're happy to get to enjoy this special time with them. 

From what I understand engagement gifts can go either way. Some people give them, some don't, for others it depends on if there is an engagement party. Personally, we received zero engagement gifts, but we didn't have an engagement party. In my opinion, I feel like if you have the means (or the creativity) then you should provide a gift to celebrate the engagement of close friends. 

These were things I made for K&S. Nothing that required too much difficulty, or broke the bank.

My first gift idea was a group of wine/champagne bottles with cute poems attached to each. I chose to do a bottle for Wedding Night, First Anniversary, Christmas Eve, and First Baby. But I am going to include the poems for a few other. Unfortunately the printable I used is no longer available (Page Not Found), but you're creative, I know you can design your own! Just a tip, card stock works very well for this, I would suggest regular printer paper, unless you were going to attach to a thicker paper. The bottle and ribbons are just suggestions..do what you like best!

Here are the poems:

Wedding Night - Champagne (white tulle ribbon)
The night you have dreamed of is finally here
The future surrounds you with hope and yet fear
You’ve wanted so long to find your perfect mate
Sip this wine and toast this perfect date
The night is meant for you to share
Enjoy each other – a perfect pair!!

First Fight - Red Wine (black tulle ribbon)
When fights occur and tempers get hot
Pour a glass and be thankful for what you’ve got
If you always agreed it would certainly be a bore
And by asking for her hand  he's surely in for more!

First Anniversary - White Wine (paper is a traditional gift, so simple with yarn)
Been married a year, where did time go?
No longer newlyweds, now you are pros
Hope the days found you in good health and good spirit
Keep saying I love you – one always needs to hear it!
Now toast this first date, it’s certainly not the last
And as you build your future don’t ever forget the past!

First Dinner Party - White Wine (gold tulle ribbon)
Open your home to entertain and eat
Catch up with old friends and new ones to meet
When the night is over share this bottle of wine
But don’t sit down yet – it’s clean up time!!

Christmas Eve - Something Christmasy (Something red or green)
A wise man said wine is better than beer
And now is the season for lots of holiday cheer
So pop the cork and relax a bit,
And when the night is through,
Kiss goodnight, close your eyes
And Santa will be good to you!

First Baby - For him only, so his favorite (Pink or Blue, or gender neutral)
The news that a baby will soon share your life
will make you a mother, not only a wife
You’ll see it through good times and sometimes through bad
______ the loving mother, and _____ the dearest dad
Sadly _____ (groom) must drink this one alone, and _____(bride) with an empty glass
Sit back and relax – nine months will quickly pass!

And there is my finished project. Sorry for the quality, I just used my iPhone camera, but you get the idea.

The second thing I did was a heart made from printing out two maps. 1/2 of the map represents where he is from and 1/2 where she is from. This was the easiest thing to do and my only costs were the 8x10 frame, printer paper, and printer ink. So yeah, this cost $6. Could be even cheaper if you have a frame laying around! With the help of Google maps I was able to find the maps I needed. I sized each accordingly, printed, stacked them together (facing each other), cut the right shape, glued the pieces to another sheet of paper and stuck it in the frame. So simple, and so sweet!

 Cute, right?! You could also add their names, engagement date, wedding date, etc.

I have to say that K&S seemed to really enjoy the thought, creativity and love that went into these gifts. Again, these were super simple and rather cost effective. The bottle tags would also be great for a bridal shower, or even a wedding gift.

Enjoy, and be creative!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

So I know there are tons of recipes all over Pinterest for homemade laundry soap, but this one could not have been easier. 3 ingredients...that's it. Not to mention, 3 ingredients I found in Germany..so if I can find them here, you can find them anywhere!
In our household we've been trying to cut down on chemicals; in our foods, soaps, cleaning supplies..etc. Not only are we losing the chemicals, we're saving ourselves money! We're an average family of two, but our laundry detergent and fabric softener cost was close to $15 a month. Ugh! Had I known how easy it was to to make these products myself, I can't even imagine how much I would've saved in the past. Oh well, now we're saving money, and I hope your family will be able to save a little as well.
So for this super easy laundry soap you need the following ingredients:
3 TB Borax
3 TB Super Washing Soda (later I'll tell you how to turn baking soda into washing soda)
2 TB Liquid Soap (I used Dr Bronner's Castille in Peppermint)

That's it, just those 3 things. The best part... NO GRATING A BAR OF SOAP!!!
Now here's the supplies you need:
A tablespoon
Measuring Cup
1 Gallon jug
Pot to boil water
A funnel (it's helps!)

So first thing's first. If you can't find washing soda, like me, follow this easy process to turn baking soda into washing soda. Super duper easy, just involved heating the baking soda to change the crystallization. Here's the link... http://naturesnurtureblog.com/2012/05/08/ttt-turn-baking-soda-into-washing-soda/

Now that you have all your ingredients the process starts. And the whole process takes about 10 minutes!

Step 1: Boil 4 cups of water
Step 2: In a clean gallon jug add the Borax, soda and liquid soap (the funnel helped a lot on this one)
Step 3: Add the 4 cups of boiling water to the jug. This dissolves everything. And let cool.
Step 4: After the liquid as cooled, fill the rest of the bottle with water.

That's it! I guesstimate that this costs about .50 per gallon. Dr. Bronner's is a little expensive in Germany. But a gallon will last me at least a month. I'm sure if you used another type of liquid soap it would be cheaper. But still I think I can manage spending .50 a month on laundry detergent.

And for an organic, natural fabric softener, I've found the perfect solution.. white vinegar. Yep, that's it. And no, it doesn't leave your laundry smelling.

We have a front loading washer and dryer, and this has worked perfectly. I can't predict how it'll do with your washer and dryer, but for me, it was worth a try!

I hope you all find this useful! Save yourselves from the chemicals, and save a little money!

Cheers!

A Day in the Park

I'm convinced our dogs love nothing more than being outdoors, especially with the freedom to run and chase their ball. This past weekend we took a family trip to the park. It was picturesque, with fresh snow, and not a soul in sight. I always cherish my family time, even when it's freezing cold!

Holidays

I got so caught up in the holidays and celebrating that I didn't even take the time to post about our Christmas, which was amazing! We enjoyed the holiday as a family of 4 in the morning... opening gifts, watching movies, eating a yummy breakfast. Our favorite thing was watching the pups open their gifts, and be so excited with what they found!
Later that evening we were joined by all our friends here in Germany. If we couldn't be with our biological family on Christmas, our Euro family is the next best thing. We shared laughs, memories, and the news of an engagement! {Congratulations, K&S!} It was a perfect way to spend the holidays, and I'm thankful we have  the most amazing friends to share it with!

Another New Year

What happened to 2012?! And have we really lived in Germany for over two years now?! Time is going rather quick...too quick! This year I am not setting resolutions.. I'm setting goals.
My 2013 goals include:
Post more on this blog
Continue pursuing a healthy, fit lifestyle
Take more photos!
What are some of your resolutions and/or goals? Remember, take it one day at a time, and set smaller stepping stone goals to achieve those larger ones!

We wish you and yours an amazing 2013!