CHILD HANDPRINT ORNAMENT

I know Christmastime is over and everyone is now focused on the fun of decorating and preparing for Valentine's Day. But in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the new year, I forgot to post a few ideas and recipes from over Christmas. 
I've always loved making handprint items with my son.  The idea of having these little memory items many years from now is so important to me.  Thanks to Pinterest I have found so many cute ideas for crafts using your children's prints and I can't wait to try some of them! 

This Christmas, instead of using a gift tag for family member's presents, I had the idea to make these cute little handprint tags! And the best part?  With the ribbon (not pictured) attached, these tags make adorable Christmas tree ornaments!  Everyone loved them and they are so simple to make!

WHAT YOU NEED:

*Sturdy felt (I used thick white felt with glitter to resemble snow)
*Acrylic craft paint and a brush
*Sharpie
*Grommet

WHAT YOU DO:

The first thing that I did was to put my son in his high chair so that he could not run around the house once he had paint on his hands. *This is the most important thing if you have a very energetic child.*  I started by carefully painting the palm of my son's hand with a craft sponge brush.  Next, I made a print of my son's hand on the glitter side of the felt.  I made several prints on the felt, generously spread apart in case I didn't like the first print that I got.  Once I had several prints made, I cleaned off my son's hands before he could get paint anywhere and then let the prints dry for about 15 minutes.  When the paint is dry, I selected the prints that looked the best and cut them leaving a shadow of felt around the print.  With a sharpie I wrote the "Merry Christmas! Love, Colton" and the date.  Lastly, I added a grommet and ribbon for hanging. 


How simple and adorable is that? I loved it so much that I made a similar one with his name and date on it for our own tree!  The best ornaments on our tree are the ones that have special meaning to us! Several years from now when my son is grown up, I will be able to look at his little handprint and remember this Christmas!

CHRISTMAS 2012

Well it's official, Christmastime has come and gone for this year.  It seems like it was just Halloween but now here we sit on the edge of a new year and on the brink of another year of wonderful possibilities and memories to make. I am excited for what 2013 will bring for our family! (Hopefully the addition of another little miracle to our family, or at least the announcement of one. Let's keep our fingers crossed!) However we have several accomplishments to make before another lil one can be added to the family.  These include potty training and the movement to a "big boy" bed for Colton in the near future. Two things that are sure to prove stressful and time consuming. :)

Christmas for our family was wonderful this year, but very busy at times.  With the constant flow of family members in and out of town and lots of "last minute" things to get done, it's no wonder that the holiday flew by before I really had a chance to sit down and enjoy it!  I didn't even get my Christmas cards mailed out this year or family Christmas pictures taken. At times I felt like I failed this holiday season, but once I saw how excited and happy my son was on Christmas morning I realized that those other things don't matter, all that matters is that everyone is together, healthy, and happy!

Here is a few photos of the last few days:

Cubby's last night here this year. He had a

movie night with the Grinch and Max.

 

Santa Came!!

 

Santa's letter to Colton!

 

I love Christmastime and spending time with our families.  Even with the craziness of shopping, cleaning, baking, and visiting, there is nothing that I cherish more. I hope everyone out there had a wonderful holiday with their friends and family! :)







 

 



CHRISTMAS MOVIE NIGHT

Holidays are such a wonderful time, but with all the excitement and fun comes a lot of stress.  However, I made a vow to not let all the stress of cleaning, preparing, shopping, and family visits keep my family from enjoying the holidays! So every night after dinner, my son and I (and my husband when he's off) cuddle up under a warm blanket and watch holiday movies!



 

I really enjoy sharing the movies that I loved as a kid with Colton. Many of them are classics and much better than the ones that are made today. Here's some of my family's favorite movies to watch at Christmastime.

 

 









Yogi's All-Star
Christmas Caper

Mickey's Once Upon A
Christmas

Mickey's Twice Upon
A Christmas

                               



A Flintstones
Christmas Carol

Frosty The Snowman



A Charlie Brown Christmas





Winnie The Pooh
and Christmas Too

Caillou's Holiday Movie

A Flintstone Family Christmas (not shown)
and The Flintstone's Christmas in
Bedrock



The Polar Express

How the Flintstones
Saved Christmas

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Yogi's First Christmas

Shrek the Halls

Santa Clause Is Comin' To Town

Disney's A Christmas Carol

How the Grinch Stole
Christmas (Jim Carrey)

The Santa Clause 1, 2, and 3



A Family Circus Christmas

Jack Frost

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Mickey's Christmas Carol

The Year Without a
Santa Claus

 





Home Alone

Home Alone 2: Lost in
New York

Elf

Deck The Halls

SNL: Christmas

Four Christmases



A Christmas Story

Truman Capote's:
A Christmas Memory (Original)

Christmas Vacation










Holiday Inn



White Christmas

It's A Wonderful Life



A Christmas Carol

It Came Upon A
Midnight Clear



Miracle on 34th Street









I know there are many, many more wonderful holiday movies that didn't make my list. (These are just our favorites!) I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with love, family, and friends!

SIMPLY SENSATIONAL TRUFFLES

Baking at Christmastime doesn't have to be confined to cookies, nothing adds variety to a cookie tray like delicious pieces of homemade candy. One type of candy that I love to add to my trays are chocolate truffles. These incredibly simple yet absolutely delicious treats are sure to please everyone! And with only two ingredients, even the most inexperienced baker can whip these up in no time!

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

*20 oz.  semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

*1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

*colored sugar, colored sprinkles for decorating (optional)

 

WHAT YOU DO:

Melt 8 ounces of chocolate. Beat in cream cheese with mixer until creamy.  Blend in melted chocolate. Place in bowl and chill in refrigerator until firm. Once firm, using a cookie scoop, place balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Return to refrigerator and chill until chocolate balls are firm.  Melt remaining chocolate. Using a spoon dip each chocolate ball into melted chocolate and return to cookie sheet.  Place in refrigerator and chill until outer chocolate is hardened.  Once the outer chocolate is hardened, place truffles into mini cupcake liners.  Store in refrigerator.



CUBBY HAS BEEN BUSY

The arrival of Colton's Elf on a Shelf has been a blessing this year. With temper tantrums a frequent occurrence, the reminder that Santa's helper is watching him seems to help. It's working so well that I'm considering having him stay year round.  Colton loves finding Cubby in the morning and seeing what he's been up to!

Cubby "Tebowing"...

 

 

Yesterday, Colton found Cubby trying to

steal Christmas cookies.

 

 

Cubby went on a date with Mrs. Potato Head.

Apparently she was talking too much, so he took

her mouth piece off!

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED...