Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
christmas craft #3 {salt dough ornaments}
Last Christmas post - I think!
We made some salt dough for a project in Kiddo's class at school, so we decided to make a second batch for ourselves! I found a basic recipe here. I combined it with the recipe we got from Kiddo's teacher (hers had spices and a lot more salt), and then quartered it, so my recipe went something like this:
1 cup flour
1/2-ish cup salt (maybe closer to 1/3?)
3 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp ground allspice
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
enough water to make the dough workable (I'm guessing somewhere around 1/3 cup, but I just kept adding a little bit at a time until I liked how it felt).
Roll out, cut with cookie cutters. We used a straw to cut out small holes so we could thread them with ribbon later (for hanging).
Bake until hard and dry. The original recipe said to bake at 325, but several of the reviews said that was too high and resulting in puffy cookies/ornaments. We tried 300, but our ornaments puffed, too. I caught it soon enough that I just smooshed them back down again with a scraper and then sandwiched them between two baking stones before putting them back in the oven. I lowered the temperature, and then pulled them out a little early and let them air dry the rest of the way. It was not a scientific way to make ornaments, but it worked for us (this time - other experiments in my kitchen have not gone as well).
The next day, Kiddo painted and decorated.
I tied some ribbon on them, and they were ready to hang on the tree.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out - and Kiddo proudly shows them to anyone who comes to visit.
We made some salt dough for a project in Kiddo's class at school, so we decided to make a second batch for ourselves! I found a basic recipe here. I combined it with the recipe we got from Kiddo's teacher (hers had spices and a lot more salt), and then quartered it, so my recipe went something like this:
1 cup flour
1/2-ish cup salt (maybe closer to 1/3?)
3 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp ground allspice
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
enough water to make the dough workable (I'm guessing somewhere around 1/3 cup, but I just kept adding a little bit at a time until I liked how it felt).
Roll out, cut with cookie cutters. We used a straw to cut out small holes so we could thread them with ribbon later (for hanging).
Bake until hard and dry. The original recipe said to bake at 325, but several of the reviews said that was too high and resulting in puffy cookies/ornaments. We tried 300, but our ornaments puffed, too. I caught it soon enough that I just smooshed them back down again with a scraper and then sandwiched them between two baking stones before putting them back in the oven. I lowered the temperature, and then pulled them out a little early and let them air dry the rest of the way. It was not a scientific way to make ornaments, but it worked for us (this time - other experiments in my kitchen have not gone as well).
The next day, Kiddo painted and decorated.
I tied some ribbon on them, and they were ready to hang on the tree.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out - and Kiddo proudly shows them to anyone who comes to visit.
teamwork
Hubby and Kiddo unwrapping candy canes last week, getting ready for another batch of peppermint bark.
I love watching the two of them together. :)
I love watching the two of them together. :)
christmas craft #2 {felt square wreath ornament}
This was another idea we stole from Meg.
I used several different colors of green felt we had lying around, and cut them into squares, maybe about 3/4". I used our rotary cutter, it was super-easy and fast to cut the felt that way. I threaded the largest, dullest needle I had with a couple of strands of DMC floss, tied a knot in the end, and we were in business.
Not having a lot of experience with needle and thread, Kiddo frequently pulled the needle the wrong way and nearly unthreaded it, so occasionally I stepped in and held it for him.
But it wasn't long before he was doing it himself again.
This craft was cheap, simple, and fast. Kiddo loved it. He loved that he could do it by himself with minimal help.
I used several different colors of green felt we had lying around, and cut them into squares, maybe about 3/4". I used our rotary cutter, it was super-easy and fast to cut the felt that way. I threaded the largest, dullest needle I had with a couple of strands of DMC floss, tied a knot in the end, and we were in business.
Not having a lot of experience with needle and thread, Kiddo frequently pulled the needle the wrong way and nearly unthreaded it, so occasionally I stepped in and held it for him.
But it wasn't long before he was doing it himself again.
This craft was cheap, simple, and fast. Kiddo loved it. He loved that he could do it by himself with minimal help.
After we had strung enough felt (I'm guessing ours was about 8 or 9 inches, but I didn't measure), we tied the ends together to make a circle and added a bow. And, voila!
Cute little wreath.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
christmas 2010 - part 2
We were supposed to spend the day after Christmas celebrating with my parents...only a snow storm kind of got in the way.
We did manage to beat the snow long enough to have lunch together at one of our favorite restaurants after church, but the roads quickly deteriorated as we were on our way home. We were able to exchange some gifts and spend a few minutes together, but we were anxious about my parents getting back home safely, so they didn't stay long.
Despite being too short, it was fun to spend time with them and celebrate together. Fortunately, they live just a few miles away, so we will get to see them again soon!
We did manage to beat the snow long enough to have lunch together at one of our favorite restaurants after church, but the roads quickly deteriorated as we were on our way home. We were able to exchange some gifts and spend a few minutes together, but we were anxious about my parents getting back home safely, so they didn't stay long.
Kiddo discussing his wrapping paper with Grandpa.
(Blurry) Grandpa with his new National Geographic book about the Hubble telescope.
When my parents left to drive (slowly) home, Kiddo was happily settled at the dining room table with the maps and stickers they had given him for Christmas.
Despite being too short, it was fun to spend time with them and celebrate together. Fortunately, they live just a few miles away, so we will get to see them again soon!
gingerbread houses
Yesterday, we decorated gingerbread graham cracker houses. I followed in the footsteps of Ashley and Meg and glued the graham crackers together with hot glue. SO much easier.
I was going to use white icing to stick all of the goodies on, but I killed it (zapped it waaaay too long in the microwave trying to soften it). And I had this chocolate icing in the fridge that I wanted to get rid of. And Kiddo said he preferred chocolate anyway. So everyone was happy.
Hubby got in on the action, too.
I was the photographer, cheerleader, and Mike-and-Ike eater. Kiddo preferred the nonpareils.
Kiddo kept thinking his house was finished, at least until he would look over and see Daddy doing something cool on his house...then suddenly Kiddo's house wasn't finished anymore.
Now we're starting to run out of things to do - my list of "things to do during vacation" is about exhausted. Today we heard a lot more of "I'm bored, what can we do?" Maybe we'll have a brilliant brainstorm tomorrow...or maybe we'll just be really glad when school starts again on Monday.
I was going to use white icing to stick all of the goodies on, but I killed it (zapped it waaaay too long in the microwave trying to soften it). And I had this chocolate icing in the fridge that I wanted to get rid of. And Kiddo said he preferred chocolate anyway. So everyone was happy.
Hubby got in on the action, too.
I was the photographer, cheerleader, and Mike-and-Ike eater. Kiddo preferred the nonpareils.
"One for the house, one for me!"
Kiddo kept thinking his house was finished, at least until he would look over and see Daddy doing something cool on his house...then suddenly Kiddo's house wasn't finished anymore.
Now we're starting to run out of things to do - my list of "things to do during vacation" is about exhausted. Today we heard a lot more of "I'm bored, what can we do?" Maybe we'll have a brilliant brainstorm tomorrow...or maybe we'll just be really glad when school starts again on Monday.
a good day {christmas 2010}
On Christmas Day, we spent the morning at home, just the three of us. We slept in (!! ...with a 6-year-old!) and finished our advent activities. We took our time opening presents, playing with our new toys, and reading our new books. It was a wonderful, relaxing morning, celebrating together and enjoying each other's company.
After a late lunch, we headed to Hubby's parents' house to spend the afternoon and evening with his family. We played board and card games,
ate a lot of food, played around on the frozen pond (can you see the goldfish under the ice?),
exchanged gifts and sang Christmas carols together.
As I mentioned a post or two ago, our Christmas was bittersweet this year. We had a fun time together as brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents, but we all knew it might be the last Christmas we would get to spend with both of Hubby's parents.
Hubby's mom is in the later stages of Alzheimer's, and we just found out a week or two ago that the cancer Hubby's dad had battled a year ago (and, we thought, successfully conquered) has returned and spread. The doctors have already told him that they can provide treatment to give him some more time and make him more comfortable, but there is little else they could do.
After dinner, we gathered around the two of them, shared scripture, sang, and talked about the legacy they were leaving behind. Family members shared their appreciation for what they had taught their children (and daughters-in-law and grandchildren), and we let them know that we would continue to stand beside them as they faced the challenges of the coming year. It was a blessing to have everyone there together - with eight kids (and spouses and families) in three different states, it can be sometimes be a challenge to get everyone in the same place at the same time. But everyone was there. It was meaningful, rich and good. Afterward, we went back to board games and chocolate snacks and wrestling matches between uncles and nephews, but there was a new sense of closeness. We don't know yet what the coming year will hold and who will be there at the next Christmas gathering - but we have a wonderful, blessed day to look back on and remember. It truly was a good day.
After a late lunch, we headed to Hubby's parents' house to spend the afternoon and evening with his family. We played board and card games,
ate a lot of food, played around on the frozen pond (can you see the goldfish under the ice?),
exchanged gifts and sang Christmas carols together.
As I mentioned a post or two ago, our Christmas was bittersweet this year. We had a fun time together as brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents, but we all knew it might be the last Christmas we would get to spend with both of Hubby's parents.
Hubby's mom is in the later stages of Alzheimer's, and we just found out a week or two ago that the cancer Hubby's dad had battled a year ago (and, we thought, successfully conquered) has returned and spread. The doctors have already told him that they can provide treatment to give him some more time and make him more comfortable, but there is little else they could do.
After dinner, we gathered around the two of them, shared scripture, sang, and talked about the legacy they were leaving behind. Family members shared their appreciation for what they had taught their children (and daughters-in-law and grandchildren), and we let them know that we would continue to stand beside them as they faced the challenges of the coming year. It was a blessing to have everyone there together - with eight kids (and spouses and families) in three different states, it can be sometimes be a challenge to get everyone in the same place at the same time. But everyone was there. It was meaningful, rich and good. Afterward, we went back to board games and chocolate snacks and wrestling matches between uncles and nephews, but there was a new sense of closeness. We don't know yet what the coming year will hold and who will be there at the next Christmas gathering - but we have a wonderful, blessed day to look back on and remember. It truly was a good day.
candlelight
Our church, like many others, has a candlelight service on Christmas Eve. It's one of my favorite services (Easter is another one). The church is packed with family and friends, poinsettias and candles. Speaking of, a couple of years ago, one of the candles looked like it was about to set one of the poinsettias on fire up on the platform behind the pastor during his message...needless to say, it captivated our attention and no one was listening to what he was saying. Hubby finally walked up behind him and snuffed it out. I don't think they've tried putting the candles so close to the poinsettias again.
Our nieces played the piano.
The hand chime choir played.
I am in it. Hubby is in it. My parents are in it. Two of my sisters-in-law are in it. Our niece is in it. It is a family affair.
There was a lot of other music as well - returning college kids singing, violin, cello. Maybe that's why I like it so much?
And there were candles, of course.
This was the first year Kiddo got a candle by himself. He took his job very seriously.
Our nieces played the piano.
(we had three nieces play, but somehow I only got pictures of two)
The hand chime choir played.
I am in it. Hubby is in it. My parents are in it. Two of my sisters-in-law are in it. Our niece is in it. It is a family affair.
There was a lot of other music as well - returning college kids singing, violin, cello. Maybe that's why I like it so much?
And there were candles, of course.
This was the first year Kiddo got a candle by himself. He took his job very seriously.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright...
Monday, December 27, 2010
christmas craft #1 {wrapping paper}
I saw a post...um...I can't remember where (I'm really going to have to start writing this stuff down)...about making wrapping paper. Kiddo saw it and got really excited about seeing his presents wrapped up in paper he had made. So he and Daddy took a Saturday morning and went to four different CVS stores looking for brown postal wrapping paper. I think the money they spent on gas probably exceeded the $2 they spent on the paper.
We don't have a star stamp, so I traced a star cookie cutter, used our printer to shrink the picture until it would fit, and then cut a potato stamp (no, I did not come up with that all by myself, I stole that from the same post).
Aha! I just found the original post...it is HERE.
We started out on the table, but I quickly realized that gold acrylic paint, a potato stamp, a six year-old and a tablecloth are not a good combination. So we moved to the floor.
And then he went to school the next day. It was the day of the class Christmas party. And for the craft project, they stamped their own wrapping paper. Kiddo was a pro - he had had 15 feet of practice. :)
We don't have a star stamp, so I traced a star cookie cutter, used our printer to shrink the picture until it would fit, and then cut a potato stamp (no, I did not come up with that all by myself, I stole that from the same post).
Aha! I just found the original post...it is HERE.
We started out on the table, but I quickly realized that gold acrylic paint, a potato stamp, a six year-old and a tablecloth are not a good combination. So we moved to the floor.
As he got to the end of the 15 foot roll of paper, he looked back at what he had done and said, "Mommy! Look at all the stars I made! It's a multitude of stars!" (they had been talking about the "multitude of the heavenly host" in school).
He was so proud when he helped me wrap up Grandpa's present. He decided to add a few details before putting it under the tree.
And then he went to school the next day. It was the day of the class Christmas party. And for the craft project, they stamped their own wrapping paper. Kiddo was a pro - he had had 15 feet of practice. :)
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