Valentine’s Gift Ideas

Hello, friends!

I recently took a poll on my Instagram page, and almost everyone said they give Valentine’s gifts to their family members. I’ve rounded up a few ideas over on my Like To Know It page, just in case you are struggling to think of the perfect gift. I’ve done Valentine’s gift guides for teen girls, teen guys, ladies, and men. I haven’t done a younger kids gift guide because we don’t have younger kids at the moment, and I only want to recommend things they’d actually want. (Our teens recommend these gifts, and so do we!)

To find links to all of these things, you can either click HERE to shop from my page on Like to Know It, or if you have downloaded the LTK.it app you can screenshot these pictures. LTK influencers receive a small commission if you buy through a link, but at no additional cost to you – prices stay the same.

Fun ideas for a teen girl’s Valentine’s Day – things she can use any day of the year!

Fun gift ideas for a teen boy, but if we’re being honest, lots of grown men would also like this stuff. Exploding Kittens is one of our favorite family card games. I promise no kittens are actually harmed.

Most of the items on the Valentine’s gift guide for men check off the want/need boxes. You can’t go wrong with these gifts!

Lots of things on the Valentine’s gift guide for ladies that will pamper her and make her feel special. If you haven’t slept under a weighted blanket, you don’t know the luxury you’re missing!

Links to all of these fabulous gifts can be found HERE!

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What I Shop for the Day After Christmas

Some people look forward to Black Friday deals every year, but my favorite shopping day of the year is the day AFTER Christmas. I thought I would share the things I look for on the day after Christmas in case you were interested in finding deals that day, too.

Gift Wrapping Supplies

The day after Christmas is the time you want to buy wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, gift tags, etc. You can find these items on clearance in so many stores. I like to buy mine at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods. But you will surely find gift wrapping supplies on sale everywhere from the grocery store to big box stores like Target and Walmart.

Cooking and Baking Supplies

Baking supplies are often bundled as gifts in stores. If you need items like sheet pans, utensils, measuring cups, and the like, you may want to look for them the day after Christmas. Make sure to look in the holiday section of stores for them. Last year I bought sheet pans, measuring cups, and measuring spoons all on deep clearance because they had a cute little Christmas gift tags on them, and they were being marketed as holiday gift items.

Expensive Collectibles

I’ve mentioned before that I give Samantha a Spode ornament and Spode plate each year. When I shop on the day after Christmas I look for those on the clearance racks. I also like to collect a more expensive, German-made brand of Nutcrackers. Any time I can find one of my favorite (albeit more pricey) things on clearance, I am a happy camper!

Gifts for Next Year

Basically anthing that has something holiday related in the name (i.e. Peppermint, Gingerbread, etc) in the name will most likely be deeply discounted the day after Christmas. Look for things that you can use as gifts for next year. I have a spot that I put little gifts that I might need next year for people like the mail man, neighbors, or an unexpected guest bearing a gift.

Cozy Items that are Often Gifted

Items like sweaters and blankets are purchased a lot as gifts. On the day after Christmas you will notice that those will be on clearance, as well as things like slippers and pillows. If you need those things, the day after Christmas is the time to buy them.

Vintage Christmas Items

Okay, if you are a vintage Christmas collector, you are well aware at what happened to the price of vintage Christmas collectibles this year. Prices absolutely skyrocketed. But as a former vintage Christmas seller (both online and in-store), I can tell you that after Christmas I didn’t want to keep unsold merchandise. On the day after Christmas, you will surely find sales in your favorite antique stores. Many online antique sellers on eBay and Etsy will also offer sales. If you’ve been eyeing something online, but couldn’t afford it before Christmas, check back and see if the seller put it on sale afterwards.

Food Items in Christmas Packaging

If you are in need of individual packs of candy, tins of popcorn, hot chocolate, and so much more…you will find food items boxed or wrapped in anything holiday related will most likely be on sale. A lot of gourmet items in holiday packages will be on clearance in places like World Market or TJ Maxx.

And finally, the obvious thing to buy the day after Christmas is Christmas decor

Anything and everthing Christmas related will be on sale. I’ve seen most big-box stores sell out of artificial trees this year, but if you’re looking for an artificial tree, the day after Christmas would be the time to buy it. Christmas lights (indoor/outdoor) are most affordable when they are on sale the day after Christmas.

My favorite stores to shop on the day after Christmas:

  • TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods
  • Pottery Barn
  • Williams Sonoma
  • World Market
  • Target (doesn’t discount as deeply on the first day after Christmas)
  • Michael’s (Hobby Lobby discounts their Christmas stuff way before Christmas, so there is not a lot left by the time the day after Christmas rolls around, but check there if you were waiting to buy something specific.)
  • Antique Stores

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Christmas Cocoa Cocktail Kit

If you’re looking for an easy, last minute gift idea, I have the perfect one for you…Christmas Cocoa Cocktail Kits! I have made and given these away these several times in past years, but they are really perfect for 2020 and those who are social distancing.

Here are the supplies that I gathered: small bottles of peppermint flavored vodka, individual packets of mint flavored cocoa, red and green marshmallows, disposable cups, paper shred, and a cookie tin. I found the cups, cocoa, and shred paper at Walmart. These fun red and green marshmallows are a Target find. And this cookie tin is one that I picked up the day after Christmas on clearance last year. In Georgia the only place you can buy liquor is a liquor store, and you can usually buy individual bottles this size for around one dollar. You can easily substitute a little bottle of Bailey’s or Kahlua.

Arrange everything inside your tin, and wrap it up with a sweet ribbon. Another idea is to use Coca-Cola bottles and straws instead of the cocoa and marshmallows. Make sure your recipients know that this is an adults-only gift so that they don’t mistakenly hand it over to the under 21 crowd. Although you could easily make this a kids-friendly version.

  • A few other ideas for a cookie tin:
  • peppermint tea and cookies
  • cocoa and cookies for the kiddos
  • a kit for sharing while looking at Christmas lights
  • gingerbread decorating kit
  • Everything needed to leave out for Santa, like a little plate, carrots, cookies, and a drink
  • Individual bags of coffee (World Market) or k-cups, disposable coffee cups, biscotti

Only eleven more days until Christmas, and this will be an easy gift to pull together. I hope you enjoy it!

Abby

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Santa Mug and Jadeite Love

Every year at Christmastime I love displaying my Santa mug collection with my jadeite collection. And I get very, very excited talking about my jadeite Santa cookie jar. The first one I ever bought was in 2013. I sold that Santa cookie jar and went on to sell SIXTEEN more of them in my Etsy shop when I had it. (Plus a handful more that I sold to family members and in my antique booth.)

The very first one I found! Excuse the poor photo quality this was on a 2013 cell phone. 🙂

And don’t ya know, Santa cookie jar has a brother. Also Santa, and he’s a cookie plate. HA! And I sold 12 of them in my shop.

Want to know more about them? They are technically vintage, but they aren’t super old. They were made to replica a 1970s blow mold cookie jar. These jadeite Santas were sold by Cracker Barrel, from what I can tell in the late 90s/2000.

I paid $10 for that very first Santa cookie jar I bought, and today they sell upwards of $350 on eBay. (I asked $120 for the cookie jar and $80 for the plate when I sold them on Etsy.)

Current going prices, as of December 2020.

But the moral of the story is that jadeite and vintage Santa mugs are a match made in HEAVEN. My collection is mostly of old, vintage ones. But I am not opposed to adding new ones. I have new mugs from Pottery Barn and Hobby Lobby mixed in. If it’s your collection…do what you want, right?!

I don’t know how many Santa mugs is too many. I just know that I don’t have too many yet.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy more of my old photos below. (Excuse the photo quality, because they date back over a decade. Phone pictures quality has improved a lot over the years!)

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Thrifty Thursday Christmas

It’s Thrifty Thursday! Ken and I went thrift shopping earlier this week. On one hand, I was thrilled to be thrift shopping with my OG picking partner. But on the other hand, we found absolutely nothing good to show you. So today, instead of showing you what I found this week, I am showing how I used something I found last week. The reality of thrift shopping is that you can’t always find good, quality junk. Haha! I do want to say that we dropped off a load to be donated. I always purge items from our house whenever I bring stuff in.

So are you ready to see how I am using something from a previous thrifting adventure? Remember these vintage Holly ornaments that I found for $2.02? I also showed you on my Instagram stories how they currently go for $30-$40 on Etsy.

Well, they are the perfect addition to our bedroom Christmas tree! I posted about our bedroom decorated for a Christmas just a few days ago HERE. This tree is super affordable, like less than $80. Ken even says that he likes it better than our “big” tree downstairs that cost several hundred dollars. I decorated it with some Martha Stewart premade ribbons for a tree topper and some snippets of other types of plaid ribbon. The other ornaments are new, including the Shiny Brites. They are reproduction ornaments. You can find the ornaments and tree on my LIKEtoKNOW.it.

This is the first time we’ve had a tree in our master bedroom, and I am LOVING it. We have a 16′ x 23′ room, and the tree makes it just feel so cozy. I wish I had put one in there sooner.

Don’t you love the little Santa face? He is one of my Shiny Brite reproduction ornaments.

When Ken and I went thrifting we also went on a little “day date” to our favorite locally owned cafe. It was so cold and windy that day, but the Christmas decorations around town were beautiful!

Screenshot this picture and shop my outfit using the LIKEtoKNOW.it app. Or you can follow this link.

I think this just goes to show that you can create a beautiful tree using thrift stores ornaments and a very inexpensive artificial tree. Don’t feel like you have to spend a lot in order for your decor to be beautiful!

You can shop our bedding and Christmas decor HERE.

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Wear It Wednesday – Cozy Thanksgiving Outfit

I have to say that my biggest source of inspiration for outfits continues to be Pinterest. If I happen to see a photo of an outfit I like, I’ll often look to see if I already have items in my closet that are similar to what my inspiration photo uses. I am not trying to copy the outfit exactly, instead I am really trying to use it for inspiration for items that I already have in my closet.

For example, below is my inspiration photo that I found on Pinterest. I found this on Pinterest, but it originally came from another blogger’s post here.

https://www.justdalal.com/working-girl-series-casual-friday-outfit

Not only is my outfit cute, but it’s sooo comfortable. Since I have used a lot of blazers in Wear It Wednesday photos recently (more to see on my Instagram account!), I decided to use a new sweater that I picked up. This sweater is soft on another level. It’s long, has pockets, and a hood. It’s cozy on the level of “Can I just live in this, please?”

Originally the sweater sold for $99, and I paid just $15 on the TJ Maxx clearance rack. I showed these Loft pants in another outfit recently, but I really like how they fit on me. I picked them up this summer from their website for just $10! The shirt is from Target, several years ago. The purse was a Christmas gift from Ken (Amazon) last year. I picked it out to be a travel bag, but Covid killed all my 2020 travel dreams. The belt is from Goodwill. I have no idea what brand it is, but it’s 100% leather, and that’s all I cared about. (Leather lasts forever.) The shoes were another clearance rack find at TJ Maxx. They’re leather, too, and they were also $15.

Total price for this outfit: $45

  • Sweater $15 (Originally $99)
  • Pants $10 (Loft clearance)
  • Shoes $15 (TJ Maxx clearance)
  • Belt $5 (thrift store)
  • Shirt, already owned, purchased 5+years ago from Target
  • Purse, Christmas gift last year

As you can see, my outfit is not a copy of my inspiration photo. It’s more of a “hey, I have something similar that would look well together.” I hope you find some inspiration today! Have a great Wear It Wednesday!

Abby

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Pendleton Wool Camel Blazer – Wear it Wednesday

I’ve been trying to redecorate with our Thanksgiving decor, and with these dogs it’s like trying to get something done with two very nosey toddlers. I have to be careful where I set stuff down because they inspect everything!

I’m so glad that we’ve had more “fall” weather this year than we did last year. But in Georgia fall weather still means that we start off cool and heat up in the afternoon. That’s why I love layers so much! I bought this vintage Pendleton blazer online, and I’m always a little worried about the sleeve length when I order online. I’m 5’4″, and my arms are more on the petite length. But it fits perfectly, and I am very happy with it.

I hope you’re enjoying your fall clothes this year. Here’s what I’m wearing:

  • Pendleton blazer – vintage
  • Target white v-neck and leopard belt (current)
  • Pilcro and the letterpress jeans
  • Vionic shoes

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Finding Your Brand Elsewhere – Wear It Wednesday

Have you ever found the perfect pair of jeans? You love the way they fit, but then something damages them or you go back for a second pair and they’re discontinued? I want to share what I do in that situation!

I found that I really like the way Pilcro & The Letterpress jeans fit me. They’re sold at Anthropologie and are a little more pricey. So when I wanted to get a few more pairs of pants in that brand, I started with eBay. Yep, eBay! I found these pumpkin/rust colored Pilcro jeans on eBay. Since I already knew my size in their brand, I was willing to take a risk that these would fit me like I expected them to. (Although, even within some brands different colors fit differently. But that was a risk I was willing to take.) In the past I have done this for other brands on PoshMark, too.

  • Jean Jacket – bought new from GAP about 10 years ago
  • Striped Shirt – Old Navy, available now
  • Jeans – Pilcro & The Letterpress from eBay
  • Loafers – Sperry from TJ Maxx

Hope you’re having a great week!

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Costco Street Taco Kit – Meal Plan Monday

After a very busy weekend, it’s days like today when I am especially thankful that I have a meal plan. I usually make a meal plan on Thursday or Friday for the following week, because I do our grocery shopping on Thursday or Friday. I have a separate meal plan for weekends that involves things like make ahead casseroles and meals that aren’t labor intensive. Our family sets aside time for worship and Sabbath rest on the weekends, and I do my best to make sure we aren’t running around doing errands or housework.

*gf is for gluten free. Ken is allergic to gluten.

Our family loves this Street Taco Kit from Costco, and it makes dinner SO EASY. Have you tried it yet? I like to serve it with rice and beans, or in this case, with chips and guacamole. If you’re serving it with rice and beans, don’t forget you can make those ahead of time to save time.

The kit comes with precooked chicken, shredded cheese, cabbage slaw, cilantro lime crema (YUM), salsa, limes, and 12 corn tortillas. It is sold per pound. For someone to buy all of the ingredients separately it would cost much more than the price of the kit. Not to mention, the meat is already cooked for you! We have found that there’s always more meat than fits in the tacos, so we usually count on having leftovers for someone’s lunch the next day. It is a lot more food than it looks like packed into the container.

Have you found a similar dinner kit somewhere else? Please share it with me! I am always on the hunt for new dinner ideas. If you have questions about any of the other meals on this week’s Meal Plan above, feel free to ask.

~Abby

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Costco Rotisserie Chicken – Meal Plan Monday

The hardest part of cooking dinner is coming up with what to cook for dinner. I tell my family, “Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll cook it.” At the end of the day I’m tired, standing in front of a pantry full of ingredients, and no clue of what to cook.

A few years ago I started meal planning and meal prepping. Knowing ahead of time what’s for dinner, and knowing that I have all of the ingredients ready to go makes cooking SO much easier.

So each week, I’ll plan our Monday through Friday meals. If there are any shortcuts I can do ahead of time to cut down on cooking time or expenses, then I will plan those out, too. So here’s our meal plan for this week. (above) Two of the meals (Monday and Tuesday) are chicken dishes, and I thought I’d show you how I save money and time on chicken dishes. And here’s my secret…Costco Rotisserie Chickens.

Costco rotisserie chickens are much bigger than the average grocery store rotisserie chicken. I don’t substitute a grocery store rotisserie chicken, because it doesn’t give the same amount of meat, and they’re more expensive. Costco rotisserie chickens are $4.99. They aren’t priced per pound; it’s simply $4.99. So when you are buying them, buy the biggest ones they have set out. I love them because they’re cheap AND they’re already cooked.

After I bring them home, I immediately take all of the chicken off of the bones and put it into freezer bags. Depending on what meals I have planned and how much meat is on the chicken, I usually divide it into one or two pounds in each bag. And next, unless I am cooking with it that very same day, I put it into the freezer. Trust me on this – If you aren’t cooking with it that day – put it into the freezer. Think of all those bags of spinach and salads you throw away. The same thing will happen with meat. Life happens and plans change. When you are ready to use it, just put it in the mircrowave on the defrost setting. You can finish warming it up in a pan or in the oven.

We use this in a lot of ways. Sometimes I do leave some in the fridge for lunches. We use it for salads, soups, chilis, wraps, and much more. This week I am using this chicken for a chicken, broccoli, rice casserole and chicken enchiladas. Since both of those meals will also use rice, I cooked rice ahead of time, too. HERE is the link for the chicken/broccoli/rice casserole. And HERE is the link for the chicken enchilada recipe I use. I make the chicken/broccoli/rice casserole gluten free by using Pacific Foods brand cream of chicken condensed soup, and I top it with 4C brand gluten free seasoned bread crumbs. I also don’t use Minute Rice – I precook rice for the week. To save the most amount of time with the chicken/broccoli/rice casserole, prepare it completely ahead of time and put it the fridge. Put it into the oven when you’re ready to eat it.

I’ll talk about it more in another blog post, but I do all of our meal prep Sunday evening or Monday. I do our grocery shopping on Thursdays or Fridays. We try our very hardest to reserve Saturdays and Sundays as days of rest.

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