ADVENT CALENDAR

Here's the fun gift I've been working on for Nathan this year: an advent calendar.  I bought the patterns from the Designs by Sick website. I think mine turned out larger than theirs, lol.  I had a dowel rod, but it didn't fit in the tube that I mailed this in.
Here are some of the fun things I put in the pockets:

• McDonald's gift card
• Red Robin gift card
• Taco Bell gift card
• YooHoo drink mixes
• sticky note pads
• tiny bottle (maybe to put sand in from 'The Sound' as a keep sake from his mission)
• packs of gum
• boxes of tick tacks
• mini hand sanitizer
• breath mint strips
• tiny plush animal
• chocolate coins
• Santa's Coal gum
• chap stick
• little hand towel

Other ideas I've thought of are:

• certificates from Restaurants.com 
•  mini highlighters or pens
• tiny calculater
• tiny flashlight
• cash
• CTR ring
• stickers

Anyway, what a fun gift for a missionary!!  Here is another fun advent calendar.  I don't have time to collect the TP rolls this year, but thought it would be fun to make to send to other missionaries or to give to our local ones.  I may try to remember to start saving empty TP rolls as this looks fun, fun, fun!  Plus, the gifts could be a bit larger than the pockets on the calendar I made. It would also make a nice gift from the ward for their missionaries:  the members could fill up the tubes. :)

With Nathan's, I we will either use it when his brother goes on his mission, or Nathan can save it for his future family as a keepsake. Either way, I do hope he enjoys it!!

New Address

Elder Nathan Cockrum

15805 231 st. ST. E

Graham, Washington  98338

New Address

 

Elder Nathan Cockrum

800 Hancock Street Apt. B7

Port Townsend, WA 98368

Halloween Package

I found a fun site for missionary gifts. It is called Absolute Ties, which has fun ties and socks.  I know the missionaries cannot wear gaudy ties, but there were a few conservative Halloween ties that I thought might be fine for a missionary to wear.

I know this one has ghosts, but I love the words: this is my costume.  I then chose the pumpkin socks as they were just cute.

I ordered these and they were sent out the next day!  He had them within the week.

Great Tie

This super cool tie, which  is from the fun THINKGEEK site, is one that I previously sent Nathan.

If you look closely at the pattern, you will notice that it is in BINARY CODE...

Who knew that a tie that says "TIES SUCK" in binary code would be not only fun to wear, but fashionable, too?!

BACON care package

 
I absolutely fell in love with this bacon T-shirt and thought it would be fun to create a care package based on this T-shirt. 

Sooo .. I decided to create a care package from ThinkGeek.

I bought this cool T-shirt and the following "accessories:"

 I started with some candy, because who doesn't love candy??!!

Then I added some bacon flavored microwave popcorn.. all the deliciousness of home popped corn popped in bacon grease without all the hassle. 

Last in the care package was bacon scented hand sanitizer!  LOL

Bacon soap was available, but I chose NOT to add it to the care package. I was afraid that it would be too hard to keep the girls beat off of him if he totally smelled like bacon!  After all, he needs to keep his mind on his work and not have to be distracted by the unwanted attention this would bring. :)

 Had I known about the new bacon sundaes available from Burger King, I would have added gift certificates to the package. 

That will just have to be in a separate card.

Reasons to be Thankful for the Rain

 I hear they are having a lot of rain in Washington.  Nathan has always worked outside, and I think it is getting him a bit down.  I've compiled a list of reasons for him to be grateful for the rain.  Here is what I came up with:

• ·  Because the plants are loving it: Lawns are green and vegetable gardens are growing like crazy. As long as the plants don't actually wash away, we'll get to enjoy their bounty later in the summer.

• ·  Because rain creates some beautiful moments, like a sidewalk turned purple by falling blossoms or the awesome sight of a storm crossing a lake

• ·  Because we could be in southeastern and east-central Texas, where no measurable precipitation has been recorded for the last 3 months and the drought conditions are considered "exceptional."

• ·         Because of that fresh clean air smell after the rain (the rain does clean the air)

• ·         Because of the peaceful sound that rain makes on the roof! And since you’re in an apartment, maybe you can hear the pitter patter of raindrops on your window, or step out on a porch to hear it on the ground. 

• ·         Because you have a warm, dry apartment to keep you dry from the rain.

• ·         Because it cools you when you get too warm.

• ·         It keeps moisture in the air so you can breathe!  It’s difficult to breathe dry, hot air.

• ·         Because it gives you a reason to buy a cool new umbrella.  Go do that!

• ·         Because it keeps the dust down. 

• ·         You couldn’t have a rainforest without rain, and over 25% of the world’s medications come from rainforests. and at least 80% of the developed world's diet originated in the tropical rainforest. Its bountiful gifts to the world include fruits like avocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangos and tomatoes; vegetables including corn, potatoes, rice, winter squash and yams; spices like black pepper, cayenne, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, tumeric, coffee and vanilla and nuts including Brazil nuts and cashews.)

• ·         Because it makes the sunshine that much more enjoyable when it finally comes out from behind the clouds.

• ·         Because it could be ICE!  Aren’t you glad it’s only rain?

• ·         It helps build the water tables back up so that we can have water for drinking, washing, and watering the garden.

• ·         It helps bring the lakes and rivers up which makes it a happy place for fish, and otters, beavers, and ducks.

• ·         Because you KNOW it will not last 40 days and 40 nights bringing a deluge to destroy the earth again.

• ·         Rain is warm and it warms the ground that is cold from winter.

• ·         It helps distinguish between a wise man and a foolish man: if there were no rain, we wouldn’t have the song about building your house upon the rock..

• ·         The lack of rain started the destruction of the Jaredites (see Ether 9:30)

• ·         Nephi prays for rain (because it is a GOOD thing!!)  (see Heleman 11: 13, 17)

• ·         You can’t have rainbows without RAIN!!

So, you need to find things to be thankful for when it rains!!  And you will never take the sunshine for granted.

April Fool's Package

I wanted to send a fun package to Nathan, so I brought home an empty M&Ms box from the theatre.  I opened it from the side rather than from the top so I could glue it back down and have it look like a case of M&Ms!  My plan was to buy a couple of all the different kinds of M&Ms out there to send so he could share with his companion.

When the other kids saw the box, they were sad that it wasn't full of candy!  When I told them my plan for the box, they thought it would be funny if we sent if full of something other than M&Ms.  So I did!

I was still in a candy mood so I bought some packs of fun sized M&Ms and carefully opened the package and removed the fun sized little bags.  I replaced them with KitKats and Reeces Pieces. I then put the packs of 'mislabeled' candies in the M&Ms box along with some pixie sticks and other candies and sealed it up so it looked like a new box of M&Ms.

 

My next switched involved a couple bags of chips.  I bought a small bag of Bugles and a small bag of Funyuns.  I then carefully opened the bottom of the Funyuns and poured them in a bowl. After that, I carefully opened (pulling apart without tearing!) the bag of Funyuns and poured them into the empty Bugles bag and put the Bugles in the Funyun bag.   Because of the 'grease', I took a wipee and cleaned the bottom of the bags.  After they dried, I used double sided tape to 'seal' the bags back up.

I was in a hurry to mail this, so I ended up forgetting to put an April Fool's note in the box.  Surely he'll get it. 

New Address

Elder Nathan Cockrum

11428  105th ave. sw   apt. p9  

Lakewood WA. 98498

Happy Valentine's Day

 No idea why this picture is posting side ways. But anyway, here is the box I just got mailed off to Nathan.  Since he is on his mission, I thought he needed to focus on his love of the Savior. I found some great ideas on the web and like the one found HERE.  I found the Greater than Us All CD at Deseret book.  I then picked up a picture of the Savior at the temple and printed off a page that said 'I never said it would be easy. I said only that it would be worth it."  I put these in a double frame.  You could also use a pass along card with the picture of the Savior and frame that. Your ward library should have these or they should be able to order the picture of the Savior if you need. They are inexpensive.  I picked up a little easel so Nathan can set the frame up on a table. 
OK, OK, OK. I didn't make candy.  BUT, Dove candy came in tin hearts rather than the cardboard heart shaped boxes. I added that because I thought the tin box might be nice to keep letters from home or other keep sakes in.  I bought some heart die cuts from the teacher store and put scripture references to Love on both sides.  I didn't write them out as my daughter suggested, because I thought it would be a fun thing for his scripture study time to look them up. 
I bought some pink and red old fashioned candy sticks and put them all in a box lined with red tissue papers.