::craft:: Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

We made these wonderful smelling ornaments last night, and it was so much fun.

You will need: 1 cup cinnamon, 3/4 cup applesauce, 1 Tblsp. nutmeg, 2 Tblsp. glue,

lots of cookie cutters,

and one sweet helper. Combine the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the applesauce and glue. Knead until it's the consistency of cookie dough. I had to add a little more applesauce to mine, because it was crumbly. Apparently when I did, I added a little too much, so then ended up adding some flour to make it less sticky. Remember these are non-edible, so as long as you can roll them and cut them out, you can't mess them up. Once you've formed your ball of dough, lay out a large piece of wax paper, sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg on top of the wax paper and begin rolling out your dough. I sprinkled cinnamon on top of the ball too, just to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.

Begin cutting out your ornaments and place them on a cookie sheet. Use a straw to add the hole at the top for stringing later. Bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours. I flipped them half way through. My sister gave me this idea, but instead of baking them, she let hers air dry in the classroom. It took about 3 days. Either way would work!

They turned our amazing! I doubled the recipe, and ended up with about 36 ornaments.

Our whole house smells like Christmas now, and from what I've heard, they hold their scent for years.

We left ours undecorated. I liked them better that way.

But, you could add wiggly eyes and rick rack to the gingerbread boys. I'm sure you can guess that Emma's favorite was the reindeer.

I would roll them out thicker, rather than thinner, just to prevent cracking. Some of mine were thinner than others, but so far, none of mine have cracked. They would make beautiful package tie-ons too. Next year, I may package one gingerbread with wiggly eyes, rick rack, and ribbon. Emma could give them to her friends as a "make your own gingerbread ornament." One more piece of advice, I bought my cinnamon in the bulk section at HEB. It was a little over $3 for 2 cups of cinnamon. If you don't have access to bulk spices, I would try wal-mart, sam's, or the dollar store, just to be economical :)

While you are adding ribbon to your ornaments, you can give your helper scissors and a piece of wrapping paper. Trust me when I tell you that she'll be happy for a very long time.

Buddy's still into his train...

And, into the tree...

And, he's getting lots faster these days...

Still not crawling, but heaven help me when he does.

For now, this mommy is Christmas party and Christmas programmed out and SO excited for Christmas. We just can't wait! I better run, Emma just informed me that I need to be quiet. Apparently there are coyotes sleeping upstairs....

I hope she's joking...

recap

We celebrated Rob's birthday on Tuesday night. He picked the meal...meatloaf, potato casserole, bacon wrapped green beans, cornbread, and please cue the hallelujahs...I successfully made his very favorite rhubarb pie for dessert.

Both of my parents were in for the special event. We were so excited to have them for a visit!

We enjoyed our week with them so much. Mom helped me TONS with wrapping, reindeer food, and the munchkins. And, Rob and I even snuck off for TWO date nights!

Every time we visit the zoo, Emma asks for Mama C. and Papa to come with us next time. Well, she got her wish...

We made it there all together, minus Rob. He was at work.

We enjoyed the new african exhibits. The giraffes were just beautiful.

And, especially enjoyed our company.

We were sad to see them go, but looking back it was perfect timing. The wretched stomach bug was just around the corner!

you are ten months old now.

and just for the record, i would love to rewind the clock. i am going to make this short and sweet... just like you.

here's a look back at the past month...

• you cut your first tooth on december 5th. it is your bottom, center, left tooth. and, i would be lying if i didn't tell you that it was one of the most miserable days so far. you. cried. all. day. long. and i felt like i had a brand new baby with colic. i felt so sorry for you too.
• just before your 10 month birthday, you really started scooting around.
• you were rolling a lot too.
• as for the schedule...you are nursing at 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, and just before bed.
• you are taking two naps a day around 9:30 am and 1:30 pm. the morning nap is at least an hour long and the afternoon nap is usually around two hours.

here's a photo of you on the eve of your ten month milestone. it was also your very first visit with santa...

and here's a photo of you on 12.18.10, your 10 month birthday. you eat three meals a day now, so catching you in the highchair is no surprise.

• you are still wearing your 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
• you sleep in a regular sleep sack now. arms out and all. we've come a long way. a. really. long. way.
• i never have to go into your room in the middle of the night now. if you wake up, you just find your paci and go back to sleep.
• bath time is still your very favorite.
• you say "da-da-da" lots & it makes your daddy so proud!
• bedtime is around 7:30 and your day usually starts between 6 and 7 am

you are so much fun to be around and we've enjoyed watching you grow! love you buddy.

dear santa

Emma wrote you a letter...

and, she had a lot to say.

I wrote exactly what she spoke. We went to visit you too.

Our encounter with you was at the Bass Pro Shop, and if you're in need of a Santa visit, I highly recommend!

We went home with three free photos of the kids, they allow shooting with your very own camera, they had crafts to make, and trains to operate...

Emma loved the train most of all.

And, she had to get a photo with your reindeer, of course.

We also made some homemade hot cocoa mix. I enlisted Emma as my helper in the kitchen.

I had so much fun with her...

After our hardwork, we had to give it a try. So, we say down for some hot cocoa together...

I'll say she approved, and so did I. It was delicious!

While we cook, Carson hangs out here...right under my feet. He's the happiest here, so we make it work :)

He's really into the train these days. He pushes it back and forth, back and forth. That little boy instinct is amazing.

In case you were wondering, Miss Emma's booster seat is up and in running order again, post-puke-in-my-car-incident. We had to bring the other one in the house to figure out how to put it back together. Thank you all for all of the well wishes and concerns. We are all feeling much better!

We also made homemade marshmallows this morning. Marshmallows are Emma's favorite, so when I saw the idea earlier this week, I just couldn't resist!

They were a little messy, but well worth our efforts.

They turned out just beautiful!

Our sweet neighbors with little ones got homemade hot cocoa mix, homemade marshmallows, and reindeer food on their doorstep this morning. We made apple cranberry butter earlier this week too.

under my tree

is the best present ever.

It's his first Christmas this year, and I have yet to buy him even one Baby's First Christmas something. Emma has about 4 zillion. I'll say that he enjoyed helping me decorate...

Dear Santa, forget the fisher price little people, and please send tissue paper and ornament boxes.

Despite our horrid stomach flu, we've been busy. If you haven't made reindeer food yet, you should. We made it last year and made it again this season. Emma handed it out to her preschool class, and the children just love it. We made some for our little neighbors too :) I've got big plans for gingerbread people, a visit to santa, a gingerbread barn, homemade marshmallows, letters to santa, and homemade cocoa mix. It's after 10 pm, and for a girl that's still recovering from a wretched week, that's late. There was no amount of make-up this morning that could have covered up the "i've been puking" and "aching all over, so not sleeping" black circles under my eyes. So for now, I am going nighty night. Be back soon!

we're alive

but that's it.

seriously.

i've had a cold/used 88 boxes of kleenexes since last sunday/want to crawl in a hole, and yesterday, i came down with some sort of stomach bug.

aching, vomiting, chills, the whole nine.

first, i called rob, and said, "please come home early."

but then, after spending my morning with my head over the toilet, with carson crying in the exersaucer, i called him back and said, "please come home now."

he would have come home anyway, because 12 hours later, he got the bug too.

i was miserable. aching. all. over. and he was too.

my hubby was sweet and went to pick emma up from preschool for me today. he even took carson too. but, on the way home, emma christened my car.

now she has the bug too.

buddy's next. Lord help me.

at least it's this week and not next right?

no photo with this post. trust me when i tell you that you wouldn't want one.

gotta run...gotta swap the puke laundry.

be back soon.

jenn

this is so good...

it's a personalized video from Santa himself. Trust me, it's very impressive, so you should all do one for your kiddos! It only takes a few minutes...

Click here to see Emma's video.

To make you own, click here.

...and I had to do one for our little buddy.

Merry Christmas!

::recipe:: Crazy & Cranberry

We are back from our Thanksgiving venture, and to be honest, I am beat. It has taken me most all of this week to get unpacked and more importantly to get Mr. Carson back on schedule. It has been one of those CRAZY weeks y'all. I'll leave you with two of our favorite cranberry recipes. I meant to post these pre-Thanksgiving, but it just didn't happen...I'll be back soon! First is laundry and consoling a crying baby.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Apples

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 apple, diced very small

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until all of the cranberries pop. It will look like this...

Refrigerate before serving. Sauce will thicken once it cools.

Here's another one of our favorites. It's great for breakfast or dessert, and with the bright red cranberries, it would also be great for Valentine's Day.

Cranberry Bread

1/4 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups fresh cranberries

1/2 cup pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and stir in the milk. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir well. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix well. Mixture will be very stiff. Fold in cranberries and pecans. Pour into a greased 8X8 pan. I've also used a 9 inch spring form pan. Sprinkle evenly with topping below. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup softened butter

If you would like, you could use blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or apples instead of cranberries.

give thanks

in the year 2010 i am thankful for our many wonderful blessings....

let's start with this little guy, who was born earlier this year. he has brought so much joy to our family and we love him to pieces. it was his very first thanksgiving, and he certainly enjoyed his feast.

miss emma is next. she's a special little girl and we love her so much.

and, i'm always thankful for my very best friend.

i am so grateful for my sisters. here's one...


and here's the other. it's good to know that you always have someone that you can call.

and of course my parents. they mean so much to all of us.

emma enjoyed her time with her cousins...

and i enjoyed my time shooting the fall leaves. they were just beautiful...