Merry Christmas

25 days of Christmas projects didn’t go as planned, or should I say my children’s health throw us a curve ball this year? Two rounds of the stomach bug for Benjamin, bronchiolitis for Hayden and a “Merry” Christmas Eve from the Urgent care for Benjamin…soooo yah…crafts weren’t very high on our list.

Santa made two little boys’ day a whole lot brighter :)



The boys gave me an WONDERFUL & AMAZING gift, 8 HOURS OF SOLID SLEEP AND THREE HOUR NAPS AT THE SAME TIME!!!! I’ve been sleep deprived, I was at the point I was becoming delirious and sick myself…SLEEP IS GOOD!

Play-Doh Gift Tags- Day 12

Instead of handing out candy for Halloween, we handed out mini containers of Play-Doh; we had a lot left over and I decided to give them out as “gifts” to Benjamin’s preschool friends. I created labels, using double sided tape I affixed them onto the Play-Doh lids.

Labels

Christmas in the Big Woods

Avent Sunday Week 3- Day 11

Luke 2: 10-11
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.

There are many ways to serve God and other this season, embrace new means of celebration to breathe new life into the holidays.

Lumina- Advent Project
Lumina is the Latin word for "light". This advent season from November 27-Christmas Eve donate Visa gift cards or monetary donations to support the ministries of Lumina, a Lancaster organization supported by many United Methodist churches that serve in places where poverty and despair are common in people's lives.

Food Drives
Donate a few cans or even a bag of groceries to help feed those in need during the holiday season.

"Adopt" a child for the holidays
Bring a smile to a child in need by purchasing a present for an underprivileged child. Work with a local charity that organizes events to bring gifts to children in hospitals or in foster care.

Bring some joy to a public servant
Police offers, fire fighters, military personnel, doctors, nurses... many of these workers do not get off for the holidays. Threat these people to something enjoyable when they may be missing their own festivities. Cook or cater a meal for a fire house, deliver cookies or put together care packages for military personnel.

FEAR NOT, GOOD IS WITH US!

Bedtime story day 11- The very first Christmas

Christmas Cookies- Day 10

Every year a great group of girls that I've known since high school get together in December for our annual Christmas, we've been doing this since 1998. Last year we started a new tradition of awarding a golden spatula (an inexpensive kitchen spatula spray painted gold) for the best recipe that year, it was decided the golden spoon would be awarded for best Christmas cookies in 2011. Last year I won for my peppermint patty recipe; last night I gladly handed over the golden spatula to this years winner for her cookie truffle (I came in second).

This year I made Pecan Sugar Cookies and dark chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.

Pecan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
1/2cup butter, softened
1/2 cups hortening
2 cup ssugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pecan Filling
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans


Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

Press a rounded teaspoon of pastry evenly into the bottom and up the sides of 24 ungreased 1 3/4-inch muffin cups.

For pecan filling, in a bowl beat egg, brown sugar, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter until combined. Stir in pecans. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into each pastry-lined muffin cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is puffed. Cool slightly in pan. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 24 cookies.


Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip (or sugar cookie) mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 egg 1
1 package Wilton dark candy melts

Directions
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, orange extract and egg until soft dough forms.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave candy melts uncovered on High for 45 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips are melted. Dip each cookie halfway into melted chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place on waxed paper and let stand until chocolate is set, at least 2 hours. To quickly set chocolate, refrigerate cookies 15 minutes. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Bedtime Story Day 10- The Little Shepherd Girl: A Christmas Story

Hersheypark Christmas Candylane- Day 9

"The magic of the holidays comes to life at Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. With two million twinkling lights, rides for all ages, festive decorations, and Hershey's Product Characters decked out in their holiday best, there is something for all to enjoy!"



I leave you with one of our family tradition, Christmas stocking pictures; my mom knitted all of us personalized stockings and requested I take a picture of the boys next to their stocking ever year.






Bedtime story day 9- Clifford's Christmas

Magic Reindeer Food- Day 8

Magic Reindeer Food- Day 8

I'm "cheating" on today's post, this is from 2010...hey, magic reindeer is a yearly activity!

When googling reindeer food poems I came across this warning "please do not use any non natural ingredients. These may harm birds and other animals looking for food during the cold winter days." Adhering to the warning I ditched the oats and glitter recipe and came up with my own recipe with ingredients in the cupboard.

Materials
Oats or Bird Seed
Colored Sugar Crystals
Baby Food Jar
Crushed Colored Cereal (we used Trix)
Tag (print template file)
Ribbon
Scissors
Hole Punch
Love, Hope and Faith

Directions
Layer ingredients in a baby food jar for a "sand art" look. Place lid on jar, cut out tag, punch hole and attach to jar with the ribbon. Sprinkle the magic reindeer food on your lawn Christmas Eve after dusk.

Tag Template

Bedtime story day 8- The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book

Marshmallow Christmas Tree- Day 7

Marshmallow Christmas Tree- Day 7
Planning with Kids


Materials:
Mini Marshmallows
Melting White Chocolate (I used Wilton)
Wax Paper
Cellophane Bags
Ribbon


Instructions:
1 Heat chocolate on high for 45 seconds in a microwave safe bowl, stir.
2.Heat on high for further 10 second intervals until completely melted.
4.Line a small tray with wax paper.
5.Dip a marshmallow into the chocolate, so it is covered with about 3mm chocolate on the base.
6.Place marshmallow onto the wax paper and begin making row of 5 marshmallows. Gently press marshmallows together as you build the tree.
7.Continue this process, making rows of 4, 3, 2 and 1.
8.Add the final marshmallow to the base of the tree. Keep excess chocolate.
9.Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
10.Take marshmallow Christmas tree out of the freezer and peel off baking paper.
12.Place the tree gently back on to the baking paper and place in the freezer for a few more minutes until the chocolate has set.
13. Place the marshmallow Christmas tree into a cellophane bag and tie shut with a ribbon.




Bedtime story day 3- Olive, the Other Reindeer

Festive Paper Pines- Day 5

Festive Paper Pines- Day 5

Materials
Red and yellow paper (or other colors you like for lights)
Green card stock (we used construction paper)
Scissors
Hole punch
String or ribbon
Glue
Printing Pattern from below

Instructions
Sandwich the red and yellow paper between 2 pieces of green card stock. Using the pattern cut out a tree shape.

Remove the red sheet and punch a few random holes through the 3 remaining layers. Then remove the yellow sheet and replace the red one. Punch several new holes through the stack.

Glue the layers together in the following order, green, yellow, red, green.

Use the pushpin to poke a hole through the 4 layers, about 1/4 inch from the treetop. Thread a length of string or ribbon through the hole, knot the ends of the line to create a loop for hanging.





Bedtime story day 5- If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
A book for the moms- The Handmaid and the Carpenter

Avent Sunday Week 2- Day 4

For the last twenty-seven years our church has given crèche figures to the Kids Konnection program; today the kiddos received their nativity piece. Each age level receives a different piece of the nativity beginning with the two year old class, six graders receive the stable completing their set. 2 year old class receives baby Jesus, 3 year olds- Mary, 4 year olds-Joseph, 5 year olds- shepherd, Kindergarteners- sheep, 1st grade- donkey, 2nd grade- cow, 3rd grade- kneeling king, 4th grade- camel, 5th grade- king with box, 6th grade- king with vase and stable.

I love this tradition; it is so meaningful on many levels and reminds adults and children the reason for the season. Luke 1: 28-33 The angel went to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”




Bedtime story day 3- Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale

John Deer Country Santa & Painting- Day 3

I’ve been told many times that Benjamin should have been born into a farming family, he LOVES digging, dirt and planting; when he and Hayden received their John Deere Gator over the summer, I had two little boys who thought they were in toy heaven. A few weeks ago I saw an advertisement for an afternoon outing at our nearby John Deer Country (we live in farming [Amish] country), I marked my calendar, I knew it would be something my boys would love!

They boys had a blast at the John Deere store; they enjoyed the tractors more then seeing Santa. Hayden is terrified of Santa this year, unfortunately I won’t have my yearly photo of my boys together with Santa :( and when Benjamin saw the John Deere reclining chair seated next to Santa he refused to sit on Santa’s lap.



If you’re looking for something for the kiddos this year, a friend referred me to personalized video from Santa, Benjamin LOVES it…he made us watch his video at least five times in a row.


Ornament Painting

Materials:
Premade unpainted wooden cutouts (I purchased ours at AC Moore for $0.20)
Paint Brushes
Acrylic Paint
Cup of Water (for rinsing paint brushes)

With the exception of painting himself, or trying to eat the crayons/makers/glue/paint/etc, I’ve quickly realizing Hayden will not be an artist, he rarely wants anything to do with my craft/art projects; Benjamin was only to happy to paint Hayd's cutouts. Once the cutouts were dry, Benjamin had the idea to use rub on stickers for the snowmen; I plan to have my husband drill holes in each of the snowman to be used for ornaments & decorate Christmas packages for the grandparents.



Bedtime story day 3- Merry Christmas Stinky Face
Saturday family movie night- Polar Express

Holiday Craft Night- Day 2

Holiday Craft Shop- Day 2

Tonight, Benjamin's preschool hosted a holiday craft shop/night.








Bedtime Story Day 2- Elf on the Shelf

Valentine's

I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day, I'm sure it doesn't help that my birthday is two days later and knowing that I'll be showered with love, happiness and smiles at that time; however two years ago Valentine's took on a new meaning. On February 9, 2009 my husband and I were ecstatic to find out we were pregnant, a few short days later I started bleeding (not spotting, bleeding with clots), I frantically called my OB/gyn. Every other day for the next few days I was at the doctors' having blood test done, on February 14th I received a phone call from the practice informing me my hCG levels weren't rising like they should, they wanted to see me early morning on February 16th (my birthday) for another blood test and ultrasound in the afternoon. The doctor then tells me that they believe since my numbers did go up slightly that most likely it's an ectopic pregnancy, ending the conversation with a HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. February 16th I rushed to the lab, had blood drawn then impatiently waited by the phone; around noon my OB/gyn called with the BEST birthday present ever...the hCG levels more then doubled, the baby I was carrying was growing in my uterus! That night my birthday dinner turned into a celebration of life, after everything we had been through the previous week we decided not to wait any longer and share the news with our parents (my mom already figured it out). God answers prayers, today that little baby I thought for sure I had lost is now a happy, healthy, smiling, curious little 15 month old; "I love you yesterday, today and tomorrow too"!



I cheated on Valentine’s cards this year; I’ve been extremely busy (more on that below) and needed a craft that wouldn’t require a lot of time, off to A.C. Moore we went. I found Creative Hands sm’ART Kit, it made 24 “Glitter Too Cool Hearts” and best part according to Benjamin…STICKERS! Benjamin placed the sticker faces on the hearts, on the back of he drew pictures for his friends and I wrote a short message wishing them a happy Valentine’s Day.

On the menu for Valentine's Day
Breakfast- Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Lunch- Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Sandwiches & Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake (my husband made the cheesecake for me for a family dinner on Saturday)
Dinner- Braciole
Dessert- Raspberry Souffle

I’m thrilled to announce that I accepted a job offer and begin working on Monday, I’m beyond excited to be back in my career but it is also accompanied by anxiety when I think about being away from my babies 40 hours a week. To slightly help ease the anxiety, I’ve loved on my boys extra special this past week and planned special activites together. One of the days we went to Babies R’ Us and Build A Bear to pick up a leave at the sitter fuzzy blankie for Hayden and a Bear for Benjamin. Since I’ll be missing out on early afternoon cuddles and story time I picked up All the Ways I Love You, this will allow me to “read” to my babies while I’m at work.

My husband and I have solely raised the boys, I’m finding it difficult to hand the reins off to someone else for 6 hours a day. My sister is going to watch the boys; she’s WONDERFUL with kids making this process a lot easier! I can honestly say I'm not worried about leaving them with her, I know Benjamin will be just fine (daily interaction with other kids his own age will do him good) but Hayden is a MAJOR mommy’s boy and has been clinging to me for dear life (he knows something is up); Hayden has only known me as a stay-at-home mom. We have Benjamin on the waiting list for a 2-3 day a week full day preschool program, which I think he’ll really enjoy.

I’ve enjoyed and cherished the time I’ve had with my boys, being there for their firsts and I’ll miss the field trips, crafts, afternoon cuddles, play dates, etc. But I’m ready to start my career again (I paid a lot of money for a degree and I don’t want to lose my skills) and I truly believe in my heart that this is the best thing for everyone in my family.

Christmas 2010

WOW, we had an AMAZINGLY AWESOME Christmas; there truly is nothing more enjoyable then experiencing Christmas with Children. Having young children (1 & 3), every Christmas is more exciting then the previous year; this year Benjamin began to understand the concept of Christmas and Santa which brought much joy and cheer into our house. I’m teaching my children the true meaning of Christmas, I don’t go over board on Santa and presents, however I do want to have the magic of Christmas in my children’s lives. I attempted to have a fairly simple Christmas, majority of the presents where things the boys needed (flannel sheets, toothbrushes [Tomas the Tank Engine spin brush], socks, underwear, bath soaps/crayons…) and things they love/enjoy (add-on to Benjamin’s Train, books and toys that make the noise for Hayden). When family and friends asked what the boys need/want I simply responded "to donate to a charity in their name", well…the boys ended up with more toys then they needed (my husband and I put toys away for later in the year)…sooo yeah, the boys made out INCREDIBLE well this year!

Christmas Eve we watched Children’s Christmas classics (Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, etc), we baked Christmas Eve cookies for Santa, I made a nice family dinner, we drove around looking at Christmas lights, sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn, put the magic key on the door for Santa, tracked santa (celebrated when Santa arrived in Germany where my brother-in-law is stationed), placed cookies on the counter for Santa and my husband made chai and brandy lend oomph to apple cake.

Christmas morning, I woke up to the sound of Benjamin talking about Santa in his room, while I was getting Hayden changed Benjamin burst into our bedroom joyfully yelling “wake up daddy, wake up, presents” for the first time in his short history of Christmas…talk about a warm fuzzy feeling! We finally made our way downstairs and much to my surprise Benjamin didn’t notice presents under the tree for a good 3-5 minutes, which lead me to believe he doesn’t fully understand Christmas yet but when he did finally see the gifts he lit up! My husband spent much of the morning assembling toys, setting up train tracks and we all played together with the boys’ new gifts. We had lunch at my parents and then to dinner with my husband’s family; we all crashed shortly after returning home that night.

December 26th my husband and I had a LOOOOONG overdue date night, we dropped the kiddos off at my parents and headed out for a nice, quiet, catch up on conversations dinner; afterwards we headed to our first IMAX 3d movie…WOW, TOTALLY AWESOME!

Because I LOVE photos & graphic design, I wanted to share the gifts we (meaning I ;-P ) created for the grandparents, star ornament and every year we give them a photo book.

Merry Christmas!

Hayden is a major mommy's boy, he wasn't to keen on Santa holding him...notice the "quivering" lip. Benjamin is busy telling Santa about trains.

Birdhouse- Day 25

Birdhouse- Day 25
Hayden's first painting project...ending in Hayden's first paint eating experiance ;-).

Materials:
Premade unpainted wooden Birdhouse (I purchased ours at A.C.Moore).
Paint Brushes
Acrylic Paint
Cup of Water (for rinsing paint brushes)
Wire

Instructions:
Attach wire to birdhouse(s) so it can be hung, paint the birdhouses and let it dry.


Benjamin and Hayden each painted a small birdhouse for our Christmas tree; Benjamin painted two large birdhouses for each of the grandparents for Christmas.

Christmas Eve Cookies- Day 24

My little family's second annual, Christmas Eve cut-out and decorate cookies for Santa!

Handprint Santa- Day 23

Handprint Santa- Day 23
Family Fun

Materials:
Red craft paper
Glue stick
Plain notecard or card stock
Tempera paints
Paper plates
Googly eyes

Instructions:
Cut Santa-hat shapes (minus the pom-poms and white trim) from the craft paper, then glue one onto each card. Glue a pair of googly eyes a fingertip's width below each hat.

Pour white tempera paint onto one paper plate, and a dollop each of red, black, and pink (mix some red and white) onto another. Stamp white handprint beards, then use fingertips to stamp the trim on the hats, and a nose, mouth, and cheeks on each face.

Snowman Gift Bag- Day 22

Snowman Gift Bag- Day 22
Family Fun

Materials:
Paper bag
Pencil
Glue
Card stock
Fake gems
Marker
Snowman Template


Instructions:

Print the Snowman Gift Bag template. (Family Fun used 8 1/2-inch-tall bags here, but you can alter the parts for larger bags, if necessary.) Use a pencil to lightly mark 2 lines across a white paper gift bag, 1 1/2 inches and 3/4 inch from the top.


Glue red and black card stock shapes below the lower line for a hat, brim, and band.

Add an orange paper triangle for a carrot nose and 1/2-inch black paper circles for a mouth. For the eyes, glue 2 small white paper circles to 2 black circles, use a marker to add dots for pupils, then glue them to the bag.

Glue fake gems to the snowman's hat. Let all of the glue dry completely, then place a small gift in the bag and fold along the dotted lines.


Check out these other adorable gift bags
Reindeer Gift Bag
Christmas Tree Gift Bag

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments- Day 21

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments- Day 21
Kaboose


Materials:
1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white school glue (like Elmer's)
Bowl
Plastic food wrap
Rolling pin
Wax paper
Cookie cutters
Ribbon or yarn for hanging
Straw

Instructions:
Mix cinnamon, applesauce, and glue together in a bowl. The dough should be as thick as cookie dough. Add a bit of water if the dough is too stiff.
Remove from bowl and knead. Put it back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for at least a half hour.

Remove the dough, knead again to make sure it's smooth. Flatten/roll the dough between waxed paper until it's between 1/4" thick and 1/8" thick.
Cut out desired shapes, use a straw to punch a hole for the ribbon to hang. The circle of dough will pull out with the straw.

Gently place the shapes on a piece of clean wax paper. They will take 3-5 days to dry, and you will need to turn them over a couple of times a day for them to dry evenly and flat.

Don't be surprised to see that the ornaments get smaller during the drying process. Keep this in mind when you pick out the cookie cutters for your designs. You will also notice that if you do not turn the ornaments over often enough while they are drying, the edges of the ornaments will curl.

When dry, thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the hole to hang.

SHAPE IDEAS: Tree, Apple, House (gingerbread), Bell, Heart, Goose, Gingerbread Man, Star...

Optional Painting ideas - use acrylic paints or fabric paints to paint details, like white 'frosting' on a gingerbread man or gingerbread house, or eyes on a goose.

Holiday Potpourri- Day 20

Holiday Potpourri- Day 20

Materials:
Tulle
Potpourri
Ribbon

Instructions:
Cut squares or circles out of tulle, let your child put a handful of potpourri in the middle of the tullee. Pull up the corners of the tulle and tie it shut with a ribbon; if desired attach a tag/note to your potpourri bag.