Father’s Day Superhero Gift


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I was on the hunt for a simple, creative and fun idea for Father’s Day this year, and I found just the thing.   I used these printables from AlphaMom to put together a superhero box for the superhero of a Dad that lives at our house.

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It was a lot of fun picking items to go with each label.  I ended up making a few of these gifts for different people and it was fun to customize it for each person.  I couldn’t find a wood box that worked, so had to settle for a plastic box instead.  I lined it with white tissue paper so you couldn’t see what was inside it, and it worked out just fine.

This is what it looked like when it was “delivered” to our superhero:

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How was it received?

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The kids loved watching their Dad open the gift, and gratefully he was funny as could be as he went through each item.  What made the whole thing really amusing was that I thought he knew all along that we had put it together, but it wasn’t until he got to the very last item in the box, a cold can of Hero Juice (Dad’s root beer) that he realized I didn’t just order the box from somewhere.  What tipped him off?  The can was cold.  We all laughed and the group hug he finished with brought a smile to my heart.

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One thing I like about these printables is that they don’t actually say anything about Father’s Day on them, so you could use them for a birthday or anytime you need a little thank you gift or pick-me-up for the superhero at your house.  It wasn’t a fancy gift, but it did put a smile on our faces, and the snacks were much enjoyed by my husband.  It was a great gift!

Jennifer

15 Days of Happiness :: Give a Gift


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There’s nothing like receiving an unexpected gift.   I’m pretty sure that the only thing better is giving the unexpected gift.   Once upon a time I felt like I was a really good gift-giver.  It was back when I only had a few little children and I was pretty much still in control of my life.  I had more energy and resources than they required of me, so I focused on becoming a good giver of gifts.

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As our family became larger and the older children required more (and ate more!) my time and resources were all directed toward simply taking care of my family and I didn’t have much money, time or creativity left for giving gifts.  I began to hesitate to give them because I felt they weren’t good enough, and they certainly didn’t feel like an adequate expression of my regard.

I’m repenting of this folly.  Each of us is of infinite worth.  There will never be a thing I can give to someone that could possibly match their worth.  Some of the gifts I give will be perfect and some may feel more like I’m offering dandelions instead of roses.  But a gift is a gift, and if it’s offered from my heart with sincerity then that is good enough.  We must learn to give gifts without expecting a certain response, expression of gratitude, reciprocation of gifts or recognition.  When we let go of all expectation and simply give the gift with no emotional strings attached, we experience joy.  The purity of our intent allows us to feel joy in the giving no matter the reception.

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I am also learning how to give gifts that are hard to give.  Perhaps it’s a thing we hesitate to part with, or time we don’t feel like we have.  We can give “expensive” gifts without spending a penny when we share our time and efforts.  These gifts are, in some ways, the healthiest to give.  They stretch us and make us bigger than we were.

I recently gave a treasured out-of-print book to a friend.  It wasn’t easy to part with a favorite I may never see again, but it was the right thing to do and has made me happy every time I reflect on it.  Simple little things like a package of mints or a bottle of favorite nail polish can be delightful if wrapped with a pretty ribbon and a kind note.  It takes effort, but the return is totally worth it.

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Today, give a gift.  Maybe you just finished reading a book you enjoyed.  Wrap it up and give it to a friend.  Stopping at the grocery store?  Grab an extra pound of strawberries, tie a bow around them, and write a note to someone telling them how much you appreciate them.  Keep it simple, but put your heart into it.  It only needs to take 5 minutes but it will make you happy.
Have a great day!

Jennifer

It feels good…

to bake a dozen loaves of our favorite lemon zucchini bread


then get out some ribbon, paper, ink, and other supplies…


wrap them up prettily, write a little note…


and deliver them to people I love.

Some left on porches, some placed in the hands of happy children, all offered with a heart full of gratitude for the gift of good people in my life.

And a quiet conversation on a friend’s front porch as the sun sets and the darkness gathers?  That’s icing on the cake!

Life is oh, so good!

Hopeful Homemaker

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