Easter {Not} Baskets ~ Works For Me Wednesday

I haven't participated in Works for Me Wednesday in forever. But through a bit of a rabbit trail in my mind this week, I decided not only to post pictures of this year's "Easter {Not} Baskets", but previous years' as well.  Then I thought...Oh! Works for Me Wednesday! :)  Then, of course, I could only locate two years' photos...two other years I was SURE I had on my hard drive have yet to be located.  Maybe someday I'll do a Works for Me Wednesday post on organizing my digital photos...if I ever get them remotely organized! ;-)

Anyway...our Easter {Not} Basket tradition started several years ago.  I had decided that we no longer had time or money for Easter baskets that could only be used once a year and then really served no other purpose. We don't have a good place to store baskets from year to year, so re-using them every year wasn't really feasible.  Besides, the kids had been asking for some plastic storage bins, so I set out to see what I could find.  

SOMEWHERE there are photos of those {Not} Baskets.  I found some great springy teal Sterilite tubs, about the size of a small dishpan, on sale for a great price.  Stuffed with a bit of Easter grass and that year's Easter treats, they were quite festive, and the kids LOVED having the tubs for their "special stuff".  ETA: Found a print to scan...not a good one...but at least it gives the general idea. :)

The next year, our {Not} Baskets were bookbags.  At our house, one can never have enough book bags!  I liked the springy colors, and again, I got a really good deal. :)

Last year we were going to be out of town on Easter, so the kids got their {Not} Baskets early.  Apparently in the melee of preparing for our trip, I didn't get any pictures of our {Not} Baskets (although I find that really hard to believe...SURELY they are there somewhere, and I JUST CAN'T FIND THEM.  Ugh!)   I found cool plastic beach totes in which to stash that year's Easter treats, and then the kids used the totes as their "carry on" bags in the van when we went on our trip.  

This year, due to scheduling issues, Bayley ended up helping me shop for Easter treats.  (She didn't mind a bit. :))  We found these nifty lidded storage boxes and decided they'd be perfect, since everyone has been needing something in which to store special papers, magazines, etc. These were the perfect size for that.  The kids were thrilled, and decided that these may have been the best {Not} Baskets ever.  

My favorite part about our {Not} Basket tradition is that the kids are still using their {Not} Baskets from previous years.  No more waste, no more trying to find a place to store the baskets till next year, no more "Where in the WORLD did I put those baskets last year??"  Easter {Not} Baskets work for us! 

Visit Kristin at "We Are THAT Family" for more "Works for Me Wednesday" posts.  And while you're there, go exploring a bit.  Her blog is fabulous. :)