Link Roundup - No Snow Edition

(Written Friday night) Last year, it snowed here the first week of December. Not only did that snow stick around, but we kept getting MORE snow, and it was well into January before I was able to get the frozen-down-and-snow-covered orange blobs off my porch. And we had plenty more snow after that! This year, we've scarcely seen a flake, and we've not yet had any measurable snow. I keep hearing that we're in the area predicted to have a white Christmas, but I'm not seeing it. (Update Saturday) Um, it snowed today. Not really much at all, but the ground is still covered. I doubt it'll hang around until Saturday but it was nice to see.

So, let's let's dig out this snowbank of links. (heh.)

This ought to go under Pray & Ponder, but oh, friends, if you only click through to one link in this roundup, make it this one: Seeing Past What It Seems at Brave Girls Club. I can't even come up with a description to do it justice. Go read.

MAKE
Very cute and recycling something that would otherwise be tossed, check out these Homemade Christmas Gift Tags at Skip to My Lou.

These Nativity Blocks at Helping Little Hands are adorable, and very small child friendly.

Gluesticks shows us her family's Favorite Nativity Set. I checked out Oriental Trading to see if they still sold it and couldn't find it. I bet it's out there somewhere, though.

Also kid friendly is this Clay Pot Nativity at Kids on the Grand.

There are frequently deals at Money Saving Mom on photo books, which I've pretty much ignored because I am not really into that. However, Saving & Giving has a great post on Five Educational Uses for All Those Photo Book Deals that sound like a lot of fun, especially for little ones.

I've never seen anything like these Discovery Bottles for very little ones, at No Time For Flash Cards. I'm tempted to give it a try with Goose anyway.

This Repurposing Long Sleeved Tee into Ruffled Dress at Make It and Love It is very cute!

Lots of Diaper Sewing Tips over at Sew, Mama, Sew.

I've been obsessively checking back for a tutorial for this amazingly cute Barnyard Bag playset, though thanks to the pictures, I think I might be able to figure it out. (@ The Crafty Cupboard)

Thanks to Christy for directing me to this Pillow Buddy Tutorial at Twelve Crafts Till Christmas, and I'm still snickering over her likening hers to roadkill. (You did a great job, though, Christy!)

EAT
It's probably been mentioned here before that I'm a fan of taffy, and this Homemade Molasses Taffy from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker sounds yummy.

Can't say that I've ever even tried Brussels sprouts, but these "Crunchy Creamy Vegetable Balls" at Gluten Free A-Z sound ... well, interesting, anyway.

Green Bean Casserole with Homemade Crispy Shoestring Onions - including homemade mushroom gravy! - at Kelly The Kitchen Kop. Because who doesn't love green bean casserole?

Continuing the healthy theme, I know three people in this house that would love Healthy Homemade Poptarts as found at Heavenly Homemakers.

I think this Homemade Apple Cider from gimmie some oven sounds delicious and like something I could do.

Surely it's a coincidence, but I just happen to have some apples in my fridge that would pair perfectly with this Homemade Honey Caramel Apple Dip or Ice Cream Topping at Kelly The Kitchen Kop. Unfortunately the dip would not pair well with my hips...

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm interested in this post on How to Make Cultured Butter and Buttermilk from riddlelove.

Thanks to my friend Sarah at heartland Renaissance for pointing me toward these 3 Tasty Drinks to Warm Kiddos' Bones.

A fun twist on "puppy chow" is Poppy Chow, as seen at The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Blog.

DO
Simple but stunning is the way I'd describe these Hole Punch Snowflakes at No Time For Flash Cards.

This post is being typed around my sweet calico that is between me and the keyboard, so it feels especially fitting to include this Pet Hair Cleanup Tips and Tricks post from Tipnut.

I love stuff like these Simple Sick Solutions by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship (though some are in an article on another site, they're worth the extra click) - most or all of them include things you likely already have on hand.

PRAY & PONDER
Especially for my sweet cousin with a baby brewin' in her belly, here are 250 Positive Birth Stories from Pregnancy, Birth and Babies. As I neared the end of my pregnancy with Goose, I loved to read birth stories and felt that it really helped me prepare, at least mentally.

At Praying for Grace, Barbara gives us The Million Dollar Answer as to why Catholics get to Jesus through Mary.

Happy clicking!