They open, so I occasionally put a small piece of chocolate inside. O loves searching for a surprise on the tree, and she's always excited by chocolate!
Chasing Cheerios
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Nesting Doll Ornaments
Most of the ornaments on our tree are either handmade or they are bought while we were on vacation. However, when I saw these sweet nesting doll ornaments at World Market, I couldn't resist buying one for each of the girls.
They open, so I occasionally put a small piece of chocolate inside. O loves searching for a surprise on the tree, and she's always excited by chocolate!
They open, so I occasionally put a small piece of chocolate inside. O loves searching for a surprise on the tree, and she's always excited by chocolate!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monthly Fun Pack
I still have a few Christmas posts saved in draft that I want to get up before the new year. I'm making a book of my blogs, so I want to make sure I don't leave anything out :)
I've been looking for some type of monthly fun activity pack that I could subscribe to for the girls for a while, and I have not been able to find anything that doesn't look junky and doesn't cost way more than it's worth. However, I love the idea of them getting a fun pack in the mail each month, and I know it would thrill them beyond belief. While thinking about this, it suddenly occured to me that I can make my own monthly fun packs for the girls.
I've been thinking about this for months, and I'm very excited about it. I have a shipping box that I'll fill with various things each month...a couple of crafts, stickers, a piece of candy or gum, a recipe, paper dolls, and any fun seasonal activities that I find on the internet. I'll address it to the girls each month and put it on the porch (where our mail lady leaves all of our packages) for them to find during the first week of each month. They'll know it's from me, but I hope that they'll assume that it came in the mail since that will make it a little more exciting. I'm going to introduce the monthly fun packs to the girls on Christmas morning with this set of New Year's Eve hats, horns, and decorations. O was talking about New Year's Eve hats today, so I know she'll be thrilled to see this set!
I've been looking for some type of monthly fun activity pack that I could subscribe to for the girls for a while, and I have not been able to find anything that doesn't look junky and doesn't cost way more than it's worth. However, I love the idea of them getting a fun pack in the mail each month, and I know it would thrill them beyond belief. While thinking about this, it suddenly occured to me that I can make my own monthly fun packs for the girls.
I've been thinking about this for months, and I'm very excited about it. I have a shipping box that I'll fill with various things each month...a couple of crafts, stickers, a piece of candy or gum, a recipe, paper dolls, and any fun seasonal activities that I find on the internet. I'll address it to the girls each month and put it on the porch (where our mail lady leaves all of our packages) for them to find during the first week of each month. They'll know it's from me, but I hope that they'll assume that it came in the mail since that will make it a little more exciting. I'm going to introduce the monthly fun packs to the girls on Christmas morning with this set of New Year's Eve hats, horns, and decorations. O was talking about New Year's Eve hats today, so I know she'll be thrilled to see this set!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Chocolate Body Scrub
I needed a quick and easy handmade gift that O would enjoy helping me make, so I was very happy to find the recipe for Chocolate Body Scrub at Sweet Tidings via The Crafty Crow.
To make Chocolate Body Scrub, you need cocoa powder, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
We had to make a lot of this stuff, so we made a double batch each time.
Mix together: 2 cups of brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
O LOVED mixing these ingredients together. She is very proud of her role of "taste tester," and she assured me that the chocolate body scrub does NOT taste good!
O was thrilled when I told her that we'd made a jar of Chocolate Body Scrub for us, too! She can't wait to use it!
The jars came from IKEA...I really love these little jars (and I love IKEA, too!).
To make Chocolate Body Scrub, you need cocoa powder, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
We had to make a lot of this stuff, so we made a double batch each time.
Mix together: 2 cups of brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
O LOVED mixing these ingredients together. She is very proud of her role of "taste tester," and she assured me that the chocolate body scrub does NOT taste good!
O was thrilled when I told her that we'd made a jar of Chocolate Body Scrub for us, too! She can't wait to use it!
The jars came from IKEA...I really love these little jars (and I love IKEA, too!).
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Homemade Marshmallows
Last year after Christmas, my bff and I made plans to start a tradition (this year) of making homemade marshamallows and decorating gingerbread houses at her house each Christmas. Luckily, I remembered this plan just in time and called and invited myself over. We had a great time, and the marshmallows were delicious! She used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. EB used homemade vanilla extract which she says is the trick for making them extra yummy!
When I told my sister about our plans, she pointed out that marshmallows only cost a dollar for a bag...clearly, she had never had homemade marshmallows! Unfortunately, she had to work and couldn't join us, but my niece along with my mom, my kiddos, and our friend from college and her sweet boy were able to join us.
Marshmallows in progress.
The kids were amazed by this giant marshmallow!
O enjoyed mixing the marshmallows around to coat them in powdered sugar. She worked happily until EB told her she could eat a marshmallow, then it was all over. As soon as she found out she could eat them, that was ALL she wanted to do!
Homemade marshmallows are GREAT with hot chocolate!
While EB made the marshmallows, the kids worked on their gingerbread cottages. Unfortunately, the gingerbread cottages in these kits were not prebuilt. O did not want any help with hers (this was fine with me because I really don't like building the houses), and she was quite creative...she made a gingerbread sandwich! She didn't eat it, of course, but she was VERY proud of her creation!
I also had a gingerbread tree kit. It's made up of stars that you stack to form a tree. It was really fun to build the tree, and the children took turns placing the stars on the tree (it reminded me a little of building the pink tower). E even joined in and stacked a few stars. After we finished building the tree, the kids had a great time decorating it.
We did lots of fun activities, but I think that the kids enjoyed playing under the table and blankets more than anything.
They ventured upstairs and found an empty room with just a bedspread and a few pillows. It's amazing how entertained they were for quite a while with these simple things. (they are all hiding under the blanket)
We had a great day, and we are looking forward to doing it again next year! Thanks, EB!
When I told my sister about our plans, she pointed out that marshmallows only cost a dollar for a bag...clearly, she had never had homemade marshmallows! Unfortunately, she had to work and couldn't join us, but my niece along with my mom, my kiddos, and our friend from college and her sweet boy were able to join us.
Marshmallows in progress.
The kids were amazed by this giant marshmallow!
O enjoyed mixing the marshmallows around to coat them in powdered sugar. She worked happily until EB told her she could eat a marshmallow, then it was all over. As soon as she found out she could eat them, that was ALL she wanted to do!
Homemade marshmallows are GREAT with hot chocolate!
While EB made the marshmallows, the kids worked on their gingerbread cottages. Unfortunately, the gingerbread cottages in these kits were not prebuilt. O did not want any help with hers (this was fine with me because I really don't like building the houses), and she was quite creative...she made a gingerbread sandwich! She didn't eat it, of course, but she was VERY proud of her creation!
I also had a gingerbread tree kit. It's made up of stars that you stack to form a tree. It was really fun to build the tree, and the children took turns placing the stars on the tree (it reminded me a little of building the pink tower). E even joined in and stacked a few stars. After we finished building the tree, the kids had a great time decorating it.
We did lots of fun activities, but I think that the kids enjoyed playing under the table and blankets more than anything.
They ventured upstairs and found an empty room with just a bedspread and a few pillows. It's amazing how entertained they were for quite a while with these simple things. (they are all hiding under the blanket)
We had a great day, and we are looking forward to doing it again next year! Thanks, EB!
Christmas Pillowcases and Tablecloth
My mom made the mistake of saying that she felt bad that she hadn't made many handmade gifts this Christmas. I immediately set her to work on various projects! She made Christmas pillowcases for the girls with this super cute Christmas cat fabric. E points to the cats saying "cat, cat, cat, cat,......." Love it!
I love the stitching at the bottom.
She also made a little tablecloth for the small table where the girls and I eat our meals.
I guess I should admit that I usually remove the tablecloth before we eat so that my messy eaters won't destroy it!
I love the stitching at the bottom.
She also made a little tablecloth for the small table where the girls and I eat our meals.
I guess I should admit that I usually remove the tablecloth before we eat so that my messy eaters won't destroy it!
Santa's Runaway Elf
Our Christmas book of the day for Saturday was Santa's Runaway Elf Santa's Runaway Elf
. This book was given to Elliott when he was a baby, so it's been around for a while! It's a sweet story about a tiny elf that is too tiny for any of the jobs that the other elves do, but he fits perfectly on Santa's shoulder. I had a Martha Stewart elf puppet kit, which went along perfectly with this book. O loved putting the puppet together as I read the directions to her, and we've had fun playing with our "Tiny" puppet ever since!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Our Gumdrop Tree
This is the 3rd year in a row that O and I have made a gumdrop tree (using the same styrofoam tree form...I think we can get one more year out it before throwing it away). This is usually one of her favorite activities, but she didn't love it quite as much this year. I think the main reason it wasn't quite as enjoyable this year is because we had to rush. Nothing is quite as much fun when you have to hurry, and it seems like we've been in a constant state of "hurry" for the past 2 weeks. I'm ready for things to slow down!
To make the gumdrop tree, we broke toothpicks in half and stuck them in the styrofoam tree form. We then stuck gumdrops on the toothpicks.
Gifts that Give Back
I recently received an email asking me to post about UNICEF's Gifts that Give Back. I remember collecting pennies for UNICEF at Halloween when I was in 3rd grade, and this organization has always been one that I like to support. Take a moment to look around the UNICEF website to see how you can help. It can be as simple as buying a stuffed toy from IKEA...I did that this week! Here's the blurb and a picture that were sent to me to share with you...
UNICEF has created Gifts that Give Back, a lineup of holiday items that will benefit millions of children around the world. UNICEF’s Gifts that Give Back include UNICEF Inspired Gifts like medical supplies and nutritional supplements for malnourished children, the UNICEF card and gift collection, and collaborations with some of the world’s top brands such as Gucci, H&M and Delta Airlines. Each purchase support UNICEF’s efforts in lowering the number of preventable deaths in children each year.
UNICEF has created Gifts that Give Back, a lineup of holiday items that will benefit millions of children around the world. UNICEF’s Gifts that Give Back include UNICEF Inspired Gifts like medical supplies and nutritional supplements for malnourished children, the UNICEF card and gift collection, and collaborations with some of the world’s top brands such as Gucci, H&M and Delta Airlines. Each purchase support UNICEF’s efforts in lowering the number of preventable deaths in children each year.
Magnettis for O
A few months ago, I asked O what she wanted more than anything for her handmade Christmas gift. She immediately answered that she wanted a "collection of magnettis." These magnetic necklaces are easy and fun to make.
I bought unfinished wooden hearts, circles, and rectangles from Hobby Lobby and/or Michael's. I painted them, and put cute stickers on them.
Since the letter stickers are flat, I painted over them with a layer of mod podge. (the other stickers are puffy, so I left them as is). I glued a strong magnet to the back of each decorative piece using E 600 glue. These magnets make me pretty nervous since I have a baby who puts everything in her mouth, so I used super strong glue and will check the necklaces often to make sure the magnets are secure. I made a set of magnettis for O and for my niece.
I bought unfinished wooden hearts, circles, and rectangles from Hobby Lobby and/or Michael's. I painted them, and put cute stickers on them.
Since the letter stickers are flat, I painted over them with a layer of mod podge. (the other stickers are puffy, so I left them as is). I glued a strong magnet to the back of each decorative piece using E 600 glue. These magnets make me pretty nervous since I have a baby who puts everything in her mouth, so I used super strong glue and will check the necklaces often to make sure the magnets are secure. I made a set of magnettis for O and for my niece.
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