How happy are Sam and Ginger?

Uh-oh! Guess what day it is!
Guess what day it is! Huh...anybody?
Julie! Hey...guess what day it is! Awwww come on, I know you can hear me.
Mike Mike Mike...Mike what day is it Mike? Ha ha!
Leslie, guess what today is?
It's Hump Daaaaaayyyy!!!

Whoot Whoot! Hump Daaaaay!

How happy are Sam and Ginger?
I'd say happier than a camel on Wednesday.

WAIT! Hump Daaaayyyy???
No, that's not why Sam and Ginger are happy...it's
CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get your own signs for Hump Day below:

Let's Go Sledding!

Sam and Ginger are sad that we still haven't had any snow, but they wanted to go sledding anyway.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Supplies and How-To:

• Wooden sled was bought at Michael's in the holiday section by the unfinished wooden ornaments that you can paint.

• Scarves were purchased at Target in the holiday section. They came as a pack of four scarves to go around wine bottles.

• I put masking tape under the Elves bottoms to hold them in place on the sled and then used a thin piece of wire looped over Sam's lap (string or fishing line would probably work too) and then around the railing to hold the Elves to the sled better and the sled to the railing. To make the scarves look like they were flying back, I just used masking take to tape the bottom section of scarf that was laying down to the top section of scarf that was sticking out.

The Elves Like To Chill Out...

Sam and Ginger were being sneaky today...Ginger wants to know if you knew that Ginger is the main ingredient in a bottle of Coke (Don't believe her?...Go ahead, look at the picture below and check the bottle!) and, oh boy!, Sam got himself into a pickle. LOL

They left clues on the refrigerator door.

How to achieve the "Elf in the Bottle"

Take an X-acto Knife and cut the wrapper in the "back" so that it can flip open. Now cut a flap in the bottle where the wrapper will cover. Stuff your elf in the bottle, shut the plastic flap and put your label back in place. Wallah...just like magic...ELF magic!

Side Note

The bottle used in the picture is a 16oz bottle. It worked, but was a tight squeeze. If you use one that is a bit larger, you'd have room to pose your elf a bit.

THE Reason for the Season...

Sam and Ginger wanted to take a night off from their usual shenanigans and remember the real reason for Christmas.

Christmas truly is a wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, it also seems to be the most hectic. Shopping and wrapping, decorating ,cooking, cleaning, Christmas parties, concerts, and programs fill the month. If we are not careful, we will become so busy getting ready for the events of the Christmas season, that we will forget to focus on the reason behind Christmas.

One of my favorite Christmas specials is "A Charlie Brown Christmas". At one point in the story Charlie Brown asks "Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?" Linus steps forward to center stage and says "I can tell you what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown... "

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  ~ Luke 2:8-14

This is what Christmas is all about. So, in the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season, do not forget who's birth we are celebrating. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He is THE reason.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hang in there Elf Moms...

there are only a few nights left!

We've all been there! LOL

Win, Lose, or Draw...an Elf!

Sam and Ginger found this awesome tutorial for how to draw an Elf on the Shelf and thought the girls might enjoy giving it a try, so they got all the supplies out and ready and posed for them.

Get your own "How to Draw Elf on the Shelf" page to print out here!

The final drawings:

Lili's masterpiece...

and Bella's masterpiece...

Christmas Countdown

Sam and Ginger want to remind the girls that Christmas is just around the corner...6 days away to be exact! Eeeekkk!

Let's All Go To The Movies!

Sam and Ginger have decided that it's time to break out the great Christmas movies...The Santa Clause movies, Rudolph, Frosty, The Nativity Story, A Christmas Story, and their favorite...Elf!

Elves Go Camping

Sam and Ginger decided to camp out under the Christmas tree, enjoy the glow of the beautiful lights, and roast some marshmallows.

Pin the Nose on Frosty!

Sam, Ginger, and Blitzen have decided to play a challenging game of Pin the Nose on Frosty.

Ginger is pretty sure Blitzen is way off and Sam is cheating.

Sam & Ginger are Watching You

...so you better be good for goodness sake! Sam and Ginger decided to hang out on top of the TV in the orange room today. (They can't all be super creative, right? Moms deserve a little break now and then.)

Elves Love ElfYourself!

Sam and Ginger missed the girls while they were at their grandparent's house overnight last night so they decided to create a little Jingle Bell Rock with thems"elves" and the girls on elfyourself.com. They emailed the final video to grandma so the girls could see it today when they got up.

Here's their Hip Hop Jingle Bell Rockin' video...enjoy!

Don We Now Our Ugly Sweaters...

Sam and Ginger dressed in their finest ugly sweaters for Buddy & Holly's Ugly Sweater Party last night. Sam even won the award for the Ugliest Sweater! Wonder what the girls will think of their party attire.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you looking for awesome Ugly Sweaters for your Elves too, these were found at Michael's Craft Store with the holiday decorations - they were ornaments and came on a small wire hanger. Don't forget to use your coupon!

Need an invite, here's one for you to download and print...

Reindeer Poop Happens

Sam and Ginger think it's hilarious anytime anyone says the word "poop", so they thought it would be funny to give the girls "Reindeer Poop".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reindeer, or other various pooping characters, can be purchased at various stores including K-Mart and Toys R Us.

You can download your own card for using by right clicking and downloading this file:

POW! Snowball Fight!

Look out! Sam and Ginger decided to have a snowball fight and nobody is safe...they even brought along ammo for everyone else.

Little snowballs are cotton balls torn up and rolled into a ball. Large snowballs and sign were purchased at Gordman's.

Elves on STRIKE!

Elves don't work when children are fighting all evening long! Hopefully this will get their attention in time to keep them off of the NAUGHTY list!

Do You Want To Build A...?

Sam and Ginger love building with Legos just as much as the girls. This morning they have started a new project...can't wait to see what they are going to build!... ... ...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam and Ginger finished their Lego surprise today while the girls were at school...so,
Do you want to build a snowman?

Lego Creator Snowman bag was found at Target in the Stocking Stuffer area for only $3.99...a tip, if you want more than one, buy them when you find them, because they go fast.

Today's Surprise...

Lunch Catered by the Elves. Sam and Ginger packed lunches for each of the girls. They included special Christmas red and green chips, red and green Goldfish mixed with Christmas shaped Goldfish, Christmas chocolates, a few other lunch items, and a special drink. Wonder if the girls will guess what the surprise is?

Sam and Ginger also included pictures of themselves packing the lunches in with the food to help them figure out what the surprise was.

Let It Snow!

Sam and Ginger had fun making snowflakes last night. They even left some pre-drawn patterns and some blank papers for the girls to make their own snowflakes.

If you want to make your own snowflakes, the ones Sam and Ginger used to make their patterns can be found and printed from here.

North Pole Style Breakfast

Sam and Ginger made this special breakfast for the girls.

Strike a Pose

Tonight I followed the tutorials I found online to make Sam bendable. I had done this last year as well, but used a "no sew" method that wasn't very effective. The tutorial I found was quite easy, but time consuming. Perhaps someone with a little more sewing skill would be able to do it faster. Either way, about an hour worth of work and Sam is now able to strike a pose without the use of tape, string, or rubber bands - very useful!

FYI - I also started on Ginger, but the newer scouts (or at least this girl one) have sewn in "joints" and that seems to make it more difficult to add the wire, so I'll have to finish her up tonight.

Items Needed to Make Your Elf Bendable

• White Velcro
• 16 gauge wire (found at Hobby Lobby in the bead aisle)
• Magnets
• Needle
• White and red thread
• Scissors
• Pliers or wire cutters
• Glue Gun
• Stitch ripper

Directions:

Step 1: Snip the thread connecting the hands. Then, gently rip a few stitches from the end of your Elf’s hands, enough to fit the wire. This was pretty easy and I didn't have any issues. Also, start heating your glue gun for the Velcro in Step 5.

Step 2: Measure the wire to the size of his arm, adding about an inch so you can curl the wire ends over so it doesn't poke through. Then measure another piece of equally sized wire and wind them together. This makes him/her stronger.

Step 3: Fold the ends of the wire to the exact length of the arms, and insert the wire into your Elf’s arm. Be sure to get it all the way to the end. There are circular tubes in the arm…try to get the wire to go through them. It is tricky, but manageable. Now you're done...sew him up!

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 with other arm & then the legs.

Step 5: Next, you will add Velcro to the bottom sides of your Elf’s hands. First, cut the pieces to size and use your glue gun to secure the Velcro on both hands. This will make the elf easier to hang on things, just be sure to use the different sides of Velcro so they stick.

Accessories: Get your magnets ready and cut Velcro to size. Again, be sure to use opposite types of Velcro. Also, ensure you are not using the sides of the magnets that stick together. I love the magnet option, because now he can hang out on the refrigerator, but the magnets are still removable.

Elves Get Sick Too...

Poor Sam...I wonder if he ate too many cookies yesterday? or maybe he caught a little bug on his travels to and from the North Pole last night...or maybe he's faking being sick so that he can have the day off today? Either way, it's a good thing Ginger is here to help take care of him while he is under the weather. She'll have him feeling better in no time!

Got Cookies?

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Ginger caught Sam red white handed!

Deck the Cabinets...

Sam and Ginger were tired of waiting for us to decorate for Christmas, so they took it upon themselves to put some Christmas decorations up in the kitchen.

Rainbow Looming Elves

Ginger and Sam decided to try their hand at Looming. Looks like Ginger made a few great bracelets for herself and the girls, but Sam seems to be having a bit of trouble figuring it all out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bella made Sam and Ginger a Christmas Tree picture today too. Just love my creative girls!

Who's on the Naughty List?

Sam and Ginger make their return for this year's Christmas season and the big question is...

Who is Naughty? and Who is Nice?

Let the FUN begin!

For those wondering, the "Naughty/Nice" sign is from the dollar bins at Target this year.
Also, if you're interested in a note for your own elf or elves, you can download one for only one elf here or the one that I edited to be for multiple elves below.