Real Life with Lindsay Archives - Page 5 of 76

Tame Gifts that You Can Buy On Your Way to a White Elephant Party

by Lindsay Ballard on December 12, 2014 79 Comments

I absolutely love being invited to holiday parties that involve a White Elephant gift exchange. I’m one of those people who will totally jack your gift in the game, and if you aren’t paying close enough attention, I’ll incorporate some strategy to make sure that it’s mine in the end. As with anything else, I’m super competitive.

This year, we’ve been invited to 3 parties that have a White Elephant gift exchange, so I’ve been trying to think of some excellent gifts to bring. When I saw this video from Pop Sugar with a list of affordable and stylish White Elephant gifts, I was really excited to check it out.

I loved all of their ideas – really fun and unique. But here’s the deal – I don’t plan with enough advanced notice to be able to swing by Anthropologie or order something from Amazon. In true Lindsay fashion, I’m running out to the store the day of the party to grab my gift.

So, I thought I would put together some gift guides for gifts that you could pick up at your local grocery store or drug store. These gifts are certainly not as stylish as those from Pop Sugar, but they are definitely better than some of the things I’ve come home with in the past. Today, we’ll be looking at tame White Elephant gifts for things like work parties.

Tame Gifts that You Can Buy On Your Way to a White Elephant Party

1. Wine/Liquor – Let’s be honest. Most of the time, you just can’t go wrong with a bottle of wine or liquor. Maybe it speaks volumes about me and my friends, but the alcohol is always one of the first things to be stolen. Get creative and pick a wine with a really fun label or pick up some liquor that will really get the party started (Fireball, anyone?). I’ve even been to a White Elephant party that was a liquor/wine only exchange, and the end of that night was pretty memorable.

Wine via Mommy’s Time Out (also the makers of Dad’s Day Off)

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Why I’m “Nuts” for my DIY Melted Crayon Teal Pumpkin

by Lindsay Ballard on October 29, 2014 1,786 Comments

Growing up with a severe peanut allergy was nuts. I developed the allergy before I was two years old, and my parents didn’t know anyone else who had the same allergy. There wasn’t a huge food allergy movement back in the 1980s, so other parents didn’t believe that I could possibly be *that* allergic to peanuts (thanks to that one mom for the anaphylactic shock!). Halloween and Christmas were always scary times with nut riddled candy and homemade baked goods.

My own children tested negative for a peanut allergy when they were infants. But, because you can become allergic to anything at any time AND because they have the genetic predisposition for a peanut allergy, they live by the same peanut-free rules that I do. Whomp, whomp. No Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for us.

When I saw that the national non-profit group FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) was pushing for a new Halloween tradition, I immediately got on board. The group is encouraging families to put a teal pumpkin on their front porch as a sign to Trick-or-Treaters that the home has non-food treats available. Their Teal Pumpkin Project has gotten a lot of interest in the media, and I’m hoping that a lot of homes will be participating. As a family, we have always offered nut-free candy, but now we are also going to have non-food treats, too.

Of course, a teal pumpkin was an excellent excuse for me to put together a crafty Halloween project. Since I’ve been eyeing the crayon drip pumpkins for years, I decided that this was my chance!

I started by grabbing a live white pumpkin to decorate. I really wanted a fake craft pumpkin, but those have apparently been sold out for over a week at my local Michael’s. A WEEK! People have moved on to Christmas. Poor guy at Michael’s had to hear my “But it’s not even Halloween yet!” rant. Bless his heart

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