I knew that I found this craft on No Time for Flashcards, but took me a few days to actually go out and look for it. I changed up how they did it a little.
My poor baby has been feeling sick. Yesterday, we were in the thick of a 101+ fever. It seemed like nothing was going to keep him in a good mood, so I decided that something new might help.
For this craft, we used an old box, crayons, bows, glue, and some candy cane stickers.
First, I cut a Christmas tree shape out of an old Priority Mail box. I opened the box up so that it could be nice and tall and sturdy.
Next, I had my son color the Christmas tree different shades of green and the stump different shades of brown. We practiced signing green and brown while doing this.
After coloring, I started handing him old bows had become flat and not as perfect as I would prefer on a gift. I took off the backing so that he could stick them on, but the did not stick well. That is why I added glue to this project. I think that because of the wax in the crayons, you will need to either switch to a different medium for coloring the tree (like paint or markers) or add glue to stick the bows to the tree.
Finally, we added some candy cane stickers that I just happened to find. Viola! We have ourselves a beautiful tree!
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Christmas...please never change.
I consider us lucky. Some people have to drive long distances between home and family for the holidays or long distances from one side of the family to the other. Lucky for me, I don't have a long journey. Hubby and I can get from our house to either of our parent's houses in about 30 minutes. From there, we can get from one set of parents to the other in 10 minutes (5 if we are in trouble for being late).
I feel for my friends though. The ones that I have to schlep the kids, the new toys, the animals...all over the place to be with their family. It is difficult. And who wants that much stress on Christmas? I mean, I know that being with family is a good portion of what Christmas is all about, but it is just as much about having some quiet time and relaxation to enjoy everything that is going on. Sometimes that can be hard to do.
For some reason this year, I have been thinking a lot about what would happen if we were to lose either set of parents (mine or my husbands) any time soon. The holidays would not be the same. I always plan for going to my Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve for their party. Then, we sleep there and wake up on Christmas morning, just like I have since I was a little kid (I really, really love my husband for never insisting on changing that). I was often one of the first ones awake. Of course my Dad always wakes up before I do and he and I sit down and talk while we wait for others to get up. That time with my Dad is always really nice. It's not often that he and I are able to really sit and talk without someone else in the room. We always start by opening stockings after everyone is awake and then gifts. Then, we have Christmas breakfast with my old neighbors (a tradition start forever ago, because they were just like family and we all LOVE being together on that day). After breakfast, this is usually when I am starting to feel like a child...not wanting to ever leave my parent's house and my husband starts with a nudge to get me going...and then it turns into a little yelling argument in the back room (he has to remind me again that I am an adult now and I can't stay here all day).
So, we slowly start to back the car and say 'goodbyes'. Usually, I have a little tear in my eye as we pull out of the driveway. I think back on Christmas' past and wish that I could go back in time. By the time we get to the end of my (parent's) road, my husband steps on the gas and I am thrust back into reality. He starts zooming down and road and reminding me that we were supposed to be at his parent's house a half hour ago! Inevitably, we get the phone call, these days it can go either way, it's either his Dad asking where we are and how long we will be (Scott always answers this one and says that we are much closer than we are) or we get a call from one of sisters asking if we are there yet (which I am okay answering, because if they are calling it means that they are late too, so I won't have to lie!). Within, five minutes (remember....5 minutes if we are late....it always applies on Christmas Day) we arrive in his parents driveway and pray that there are not already two other cars their (so that we are not last). Usually, we get in one more fight over our lateness before we walk into the house and act like we are having the most perfect day!
After we say our hellos and our son runs off to play (he wasn't really running last year, so this is a little ad lib), Scott and I sit down and try to play it cool. Usually, if we are all there, this is when we turn off the TV, Bungie (Dad in-law) takes out his camera, and wrapping paper starts flying like we're digging for gold! I love this part! There are tons of gifts for everyone and since each of the past few years has added a new member to the family, there are more and more presents and ciaos each year! That's the point in the day when it almost feels like a scene from a Christmas movie. All of the kids are excited and we all thank each other. This is also a good time to share "news"....one year it was us sharing that we were engaged...if anyone were ever pregnant about this time they would probably share that at this point too. Oddly enough, 4 out of 6 grandchildren were all in a 30ish day bubble around Christmas. I think last year, this was the time that Scott's parents told us they were taking us to the beach for summer vacation.
After all of that, we usually just spend time together. We play with toys, sometimes take naps, or eat ourselves silly on snacks. Then, we sit down to a nice dinner prepared by Scott's Mom. She always takes out the fancy stuff for us. Fancy plates, fancy wine/water glasses, fancy tablecloth. We say a pray before we eat and the there's the inevitable argument about which way the food is going around the table and who has mess up the process by passing to the wrong way (usually Bungie did it...lol). We dine on ham (this year turkey) and broccoli casserole (which is always gone before you know it), green bean casserole, and a pineapple casserole that has grown on my over the years.
Eventually, the night comes to an end. Jen and her crew usually have to first (although they have been known to stay the night). Then, Scott and I hang around with Erin (and usually Erik, but he's going to be staying in TX this year) and hope that everyone will stay the night like it was back when we first started dating. Everyone eventually leaves though....and Christmas is over.
I usually have a hard time getting to sleep on Christmas night. I keep praying that I will wake up in the morning and it will be Christmas again. Since I know that will never happen, I just pray that nothing will change for the next year.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The best kept secret at Christmas!
Last Thursday night was a late night! I was up until around 2am just trying to make sure that everything will be in order for Matthew's party on Saturday. I did manage to get a lot done. I made 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies, baked, cooled, and dirty iced his cake (then froze until Friday when I will decorate), baked some chocolate brittle, and even managed to do a couple of dishes!
While I was getting of that done, I was thinking that it is time to give away one of my favorite family recipes. Many know of the Chocolate Brittle that my Mom makes, but few people know just how easy it is to make! Here it is!
****One thing about this recipe, I've seen people make this and have it come out very sticky and almost wet. After having made it in an apartment that had a tiny size stove and having the recipe flop, I think that the size that pan is VERY important. I counted the number of saltines that we put on the pan at my Mom's one year and there were 72. I have been able to cut the recipe to fit my own pan that holds only 56 crackers. What you have here is the 72 cracker "original" version.
You will need
(72*see note above) Two rows of saltines
Two sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
12 oz bag of chocolate chips
*Preheat oven to 375.
*I suggest some Pam on your cookie sheet!
*Cover cookie sheet with 72 saltines
*Bring to a boil butter and brown sugar
*Remove from heat and add baking soda (if I ever forget a step, it is this one)
*Pour mixture over crackers
*Bake on 375 for EXACTLY 10 minutes (if you cut the recipe, you might check on this around 8 minutes to make sure that it isn't burning)
*Remove from oven and spread 12 oz bag of chocolate chips (optional add crushed nuts or coconut on top of chocolate)
*Put in freezer until chocolate is set up.
*Break into pieces
That's it! If you want to make this a week ahead of time, that's fine. You can keep it in the freezer until you need it.
This is what it will look like when it is done. This is not my personal brittle, but a picture that I found that I thought looked most like mine when it is finished.
While I was getting of that done, I was thinking that it is time to give away one of my favorite family recipes. Many know of the Chocolate Brittle that my Mom makes, but few people know just how easy it is to make! Here it is!
****One thing about this recipe, I've seen people make this and have it come out very sticky and almost wet. After having made it in an apartment that had a tiny size stove and having the recipe flop, I think that the size that pan is VERY important. I counted the number of saltines that we put on the pan at my Mom's one year and there were 72. I have been able to cut the recipe to fit my own pan that holds only 56 crackers. What you have here is the 72 cracker "original" version.
You will need
(72*see note above) Two rows of saltines
Two sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
12 oz bag of chocolate chips
*Preheat oven to 375.
*I suggest some Pam on your cookie sheet!
*Cover cookie sheet with 72 saltines
*Bring to a boil butter and brown sugar
*Remove from heat and add baking soda (if I ever forget a step, it is this one)
*Pour mixture over crackers
*Bake on 375 for EXACTLY 10 minutes (if you cut the recipe, you might check on this around 8 minutes to make sure that it isn't burning)
*Remove from oven and spread 12 oz bag of chocolate chips (optional add crushed nuts or coconut on top of chocolate)
*Put in freezer until chocolate is set up.
*Break into pieces
That's it! If you want to make this a week ahead of time, that's fine. You can keep it in the freezer until you need it.
This is what it will look like when it is done. This is not my personal brittle, but a picture that I found that I thought looked most like mine when it is finished.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A few of my favorite things...ornaments
This year was an abbreviated tree decorating year. Instead of filling every branch with ornaments we choose the ones that were most important and put them up. The reason? Well, I thought it was because I had a two -year-old, but as it turns out, it looks like I did it that way due to lack of energy to keep going, because my son hasn't bothered with the tree at all!
Every year, when I put up the ornament, I think about where they came from. I remember doing this when I was younger and saying "Mommy, who got this one?". It was always special to hear the stories of where our ornaments came from. I thought that I would share the stories of the ones that made it to our tree this year.
This ornament is the Hallmark Millennium time capsule ornament that my Mom got that year. This is one of my new favorite ornaments, because the time capsule actually opens up and and there is a scroll inside with information about what was going on as we headed into the new Millennium. Mom take the time just to jot a couple pieces of information, all of which were positive, and bring back fond memories. Mom said that she wished that she would have bought two of them, one for me and one for my brother. As luck would have it, I found one at a garage sale a few years ago and it is being held for my brother. I look forward to pulling out this ornament every year. I love looking back and thinking about how far we have come. I think that I am going to add another piece of paper to that ornament this year and update where we are 10 years later.
We have a set of 4 of these little icicle snowmen. They were a grab bag gift to our family from my Aunt Deb about 10ish years ago. I loved them as soon as we opened them, and begged for them when I put up my first Christmas tree. My first Christmas tree was awesome! I decided that since I could do whatever I wanted (I knew Scott wouldn't care), I wanted to have a tree that was all glass, silver, and snowmen. These fit in PERFECTLY!
This cute little ornament takes me back to 1991 (thank you for dating them Grandma!). That year, when my grandparents came up from Florida in the summer, my Grandma taught me how to make them with scrape fabric. I remember that we kept losing the patterns, so she would have me run all around the house looking for objects that were circles so that each one would be slightly smaller than the previous. We made a LOT of these little trees that summer, but I have about 4 of them left. I think we gave them all to different members of the family. My Mom still has one that we did that was bigger, like for a table. These bring back fun memories of learning new crafts with Grandma. She was always teaching me something new!
This little rocking horse (his rocker has been broken in the box for well over 10 years) was a gift to me from my best friend when I was about 5. Amy and I went to daycare together and decided to get each other gifts for Christmas. She gave me this rocking horse and all I remember is that I was so excited to have my own ornament to put on the tree that year! It really is beautiful though! Each year when I take it out, I feel like a little kid again when I remember how many trees that I have put that ornament on. It even make it to the tree the year that I had to have all glass, silver, and snowmen!
This is a recent addition to our tree! This was given to us the year that Matthew was born. Well, I guess technically, it was given to him by my husband's Aunts in Florida. We told them that we really loved trains and had hoped to get Matthew into trains. My husband and I also happen to really love Disney. This ornament was perfect! Also, before my son's first birthday (he was about 9 months old) we were all able to make our first Disney trip. We met up with, and spent a few days with his Aunts while we were there. We had a blast. I will never forget that trip and this ornament reminds me of that.
This little guy is nothing fancy. Just a glass snowman that when you put a Christmas light in the bottom of him, he lights up very beautifully. This is obviously from the time of glass, silver, and snowmen. In fact, it was the first ornament that I ever bought for my own tree back in 2004. Really, I think it was the only one I bought. I remember it primarily for the fact that I was about to get this, which I think is just lovely, for just a dollar at the dollar store. I think it was a nice find!
This recent addition is just joining our tree for the first time this year. This is a Winnie the Pooh, 2008, Lenox ornament. I wanted to buy this for Matthew when he was first born, but those Lenox ornaments are pretty pricey. However, Macy's always has older ornaments that they are stuck with during the summer months. This summer, I was able to acquire this ornament for about $5! I was excited to buy it and now I am excited to have it on my tree! Someday, I'll pass it on to Matthew and tell me about how I got it for just $5 at Macy's...and hopefully it will end up on his tree!
Those are my favorite ornaments and their special meanings. I am so grateful to be able to look back and think of the special moments that came with each of these ornaments. Each one holds a special place in my heart (even the ones that did not make it to front lines this year).
Every year, when I put up the ornament, I think about where they came from. I remember doing this when I was younger and saying "Mommy, who got this one?". It was always special to hear the stories of where our ornaments came from. I thought that I would share the stories of the ones that made it to our tree this year.
This ornament is the Hallmark Millennium time capsule ornament that my Mom got that year. This is one of my new favorite ornaments, because the time capsule actually opens up and and there is a scroll inside with information about what was going on as we headed into the new Millennium. Mom take the time just to jot a couple pieces of information, all of which were positive, and bring back fond memories. Mom said that she wished that she would have bought two of them, one for me and one for my brother. As luck would have it, I found one at a garage sale a few years ago and it is being held for my brother. I look forward to pulling out this ornament every year. I love looking back and thinking about how far we have come. I think that I am going to add another piece of paper to that ornament this year and update where we are 10 years later.
We have a set of 4 of these little icicle snowmen. They were a grab bag gift to our family from my Aunt Deb about 10ish years ago. I loved them as soon as we opened them, and begged for them when I put up my first Christmas tree. My first Christmas tree was awesome! I decided that since I could do whatever I wanted (I knew Scott wouldn't care), I wanted to have a tree that was all glass, silver, and snowmen. These fit in PERFECTLY!
This cute little ornament takes me back to 1991 (thank you for dating them Grandma!). That year, when my grandparents came up from Florida in the summer, my Grandma taught me how to make them with scrape fabric. I remember that we kept losing the patterns, so she would have me run all around the house looking for objects that were circles so that each one would be slightly smaller than the previous. We made a LOT of these little trees that summer, but I have about 4 of them left. I think we gave them all to different members of the family. My Mom still has one that we did that was bigger, like for a table. These bring back fun memories of learning new crafts with Grandma. She was always teaching me something new!
This little rocking horse (his rocker has been broken in the box for well over 10 years) was a gift to me from my best friend when I was about 5. Amy and I went to daycare together and decided to get each other gifts for Christmas. She gave me this rocking horse and all I remember is that I was so excited to have my own ornament to put on the tree that year! It really is beautiful though! Each year when I take it out, I feel like a little kid again when I remember how many trees that I have put that ornament on. It even make it to the tree the year that I had to have all glass, silver, and snowmen!
This is a recent addition to our tree! This was given to us the year that Matthew was born. Well, I guess technically, it was given to him by my husband's Aunts in Florida. We told them that we really loved trains and had hoped to get Matthew into trains. My husband and I also happen to really love Disney. This ornament was perfect! Also, before my son's first birthday (he was about 9 months old) we were all able to make our first Disney trip. We met up with, and spent a few days with his Aunts while we were there. We had a blast. I will never forget that trip and this ornament reminds me of that.
This little guy is nothing fancy. Just a glass snowman that when you put a Christmas light in the bottom of him, he lights up very beautifully. This is obviously from the time of glass, silver, and snowmen. In fact, it was the first ornament that I ever bought for my own tree back in 2004. Really, I think it was the only one I bought. I remember it primarily for the fact that I was about to get this, which I think is just lovely, for just a dollar at the dollar store. I think it was a nice find!
This recent addition is just joining our tree for the first time this year. This is a Winnie the Pooh, 2008, Lenox ornament. I wanted to buy this for Matthew when he was first born, but those Lenox ornaments are pretty pricey. However, Macy's always has older ornaments that they are stuck with during the summer months. This summer, I was able to acquire this ornament for about $5! I was excited to buy it and now I am excited to have it on my tree! Someday, I'll pass it on to Matthew and tell me about how I got it for just $5 at Macy's...and hopefully it will end up on his tree!
Those are my favorite ornaments and their special meanings. I am so grateful to be able to look back and think of the special moments that came with each of these ornaments. Each one holds a special place in my heart (even the ones that did not make it to front lines this year).
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Toys on sale!
Did you know that this a great time to stock up on toys for the super kid in your life?
I was at Target again today. I decided to check on the Thomas the Tank toys for Matthew. There are a large number of Thomas toys from a variety of sets that are on sale. Prices ranged from 30-50% off. I picked up a few things for Matthew, but don't wan to go overboard in case someone else caught this awesome deal! I noticed that there were toys in a lot of aisles on sale. I would highly recommend making a withdrawal from your Christmas or birthday fund to buy a couple things.
"Buy now, Save now!"
I was at Target again today. I decided to check on the Thomas the Tank toys for Matthew. There are a large number of Thomas toys from a variety of sets that are on sale. Prices ranged from 30-50% off. I picked up a few things for Matthew, but don't wan to go overboard in case someone else caught this awesome deal! I noticed that there were toys in a lot of aisles on sale. I would highly recommend making a withdrawal from your Christmas or birthday fund to buy a couple things.
"Buy now, Save now!"
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